A is for Aesop (The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators)

We don't know that much about Aesop. He may or may not have been a slave. He might have been born in one of the following places: Egypt, Ethiopia, Greece...just to name a few. We know that most of his tales did not originate with him; like the Brothers Grimm, Aesop collected his tales, which were passed down in the oral tradition. Socrates may have been a fan of Aesop.

Aesopica has been translated and retold by many authors throughout history. The stories are short, making them ideal for picture books and easy readers. As part of my Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators series, I read the discussed titles in the Aesop entry.

La Fontaine is one of the well-known retellers of Aesopica. The Lion and the Rat is one of the fables I distinctly remembering reading in elementary school. Lion's paw gets stuck, and he has to depend on Rat to help him. As you can imagine, the underlying theme is that small doesn't mean helpless. This would be a great read aloud; the pictures are robust and larger than life. Each page includes a few lines of text, which is written in a simple but not yawn-inducing way. Think about this one for a lion storytime!

The North Wind and the Sun is also retold by La Fontaine. This is also perfect for a read aloud; bright and eye catching illustrations set against prose easily understood and appreciated by preschoolers. The North Wind and Sun believe they can both make a man's cloak "blow off" his shoulders. But does force always accomplish what you want to happen? This can lead to an interesting discussion, as can all of Aesop's fables.

Turning from books to read aloud to books written for (newly) independent readers, we have Eve Rice's Once in a Wood: Ten Tales From Aesop. However, this could definitely be used as a read aloud (some easy readers aren't great for read alouds). Rice includes the most familiar stories in her collection, from "The Fox and the Crow" to "The Lion and the Mouse" (the rat is a mouse in this story). Black and white illustrations are few, as to be expected, but they do add to the text.

Finally, we have Andy and the Lion by James Daugherty. This is a more unorthodox retelling of "Androcles and the Lion," but it is a sweet, if "sentimental," as Anita Silvey mentions in The Essential Guide, story of the adventures of reading and discovery. The illustrations look (delightfully) old-fashioned to modern eyes (the book was published in 1938). Very cute.

In my next post in the Essential Guide series, I'll post about books discussed in the entry on "African American Children's Books."

The Fast Sooner Hound

Golden Slippers

John Brown, A Cry for Freedom

Zeely

M. C. Higgins the Great

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Let the Circle be Unbroken

The Road to Memphis

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters

I'm only familiar with M. C. Higgins the Great, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Let the Circle be Unbroken, and Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. However, I haven't read the novels since I was in middle school, so I am looking forward to revisiting them again.

Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain and A New Novel in Verse

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Peter Sis's books. From dinosaurs to ballerinas, ghosts to Christopher Columbus, Sis has written on and about a wide variety of subjects. In his latest book, The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, Sis turns to a very personal and frightening part of his life: his childhood in occupied Czechoslovakia, during the Cold War.

The increasing amount of restrictions placed upon the citizens of Czechoslovakia by the Soviets is told in a deceptively simple yet complex manner. The main thrust of the story is told in simple (mostly) one sentences. However, the drawings are detailed with facts about daily life under Soviet occupation and the fear and suspicion felt by the Czechs and Slovaks. As a child, Sis feared that his drawings could be used against him and he was encouraged to report anyone who showed any sign of falling out of step with Communist thinking, including parents.

There aren't many memoirs or books about life in Communist eastern Europe; this is a welcome addition to the field by a beloved and respected author.

Moving from children's nonfiction to YA fiction....



Confessional time-I'm not a big fan of novels in verse. Some authors, such as Karen Hesse, can pull it off. Others....not so much. So when I turned to the first page in Shark Girl and saw that it was written in verse, I groaned a little. Not another one!

However, any doubts quickly disappeared as I continue to read. And read. And read.

I read the entire thing last night.

That's uncommon for me. I can count on one hand the books I have finished in one sitting.

Fifteen year old Jane was having an ordinary day at the beach with her family when she was bitten by a shark. Feared to be near death, Jane's right arm is amputated.

Shark Girl, however, is about much more than that incident. Jane's attack was captured by another vacationer on film, which is shown throughout the world. Morning news programs and strangers pursue her, wanting, and sometimes demanding, that she "share her story."

"What ifs" and "If onlys" haunt Jane, as do her physical and emotional pains. The impact on her family, friends, and her budding art career are sensitively and acutely written in this fine first novel by Kelly Bingham. Bingham is definitely one on which to keep an eye!

A is for Aesop

As part of my personal professional development, I belong to quite a few email lists on the subject of children's/YA librarianship and children's/YA literature. Many months ago, I read a comment made by a poster that has haunted me ever since.

I can't exactly recall what the subject was, but the crux of the poster's complaint was that the younger children's librarians aren't as familiar with older children's literature (meaning that they aren't familiar with books written 15, 20, etc years ago)....that all they focused on were the new books.

Of course, no one can say that this is true of all children's librarians.

However, I definitely took this comment to heart. I definitely know the classics-your Roald Dahls, E.B. Whites, Margaret Wise Browns, etc. But I know there are some holes. It's not intentional-I'm all for reading books that are older. However, with the emphasis/demand on "keeping up"-which increases when you are on awards committees and reviewing-it's easy to ignore the long-standing shelf sitters. This actually started (for me) when I was in library school. Except for the week dedicated to "classics," we were required to read and write annotated reviews of 5-8 children's/YA books every week in my children's/YA classes. The books couldn't be have a publication older than 5 years.

I don't normally discuss on this blog the non-children's/YA books that I read. However, I recently read a book that gave me the idea for my upcoming project. The Know It All is about a man's quest to read the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z.

My Encyclopedia Britannica is The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators. This is one of my favorite guides to children's literature. I read a little bit of it every night before I go to sleep (I used it in my children's literature class, but we weren't required to read the whole thing).

I'm planning on using this book as my Lifetime Reading Plan. At the rate I'm anticipating, I'll finish this when I'm close to retirement. I'm planning on using each entry to fill in the holes in my children's/YA literature knowledge and to refresh my knowledge.

The first entry is on Aesop. I'll read the titles discussed in the entry:

Once in a Wood: Ten Tales From Aesop

The North Wind and the Sun

The Lion and the Rat

Andy and the Lion

This shall be interesting.

Pass the Nonfiction, Please

In the upcoming months, you'll see a lot more nonfiction reviews here. I'm on the nominating panel of the Cybils nonfiction picture book panel, so I'll feature the books I'm reading for the award here.

Children's nonfiction is at the top of a beautiful renaissance. Not merely for school reports, quality children's nonfiction picture books are just as memorable, engaging, and awesome as the best fiction picture books.

Read more about the Cybils here! I am so excited to be part of this awards experience!

Books About Books

There are so many great children's books available at the library and at bookstores. It's easy to get a little overwhelmed with the choices. Sure, you may remember some titles you read when you were a child, but what about the books that have been published since then? Here are several books that can get you on the right track:



Some may quibble with Anita Silvey's choice of title for her book, 100 Best Books for Children, but there's no doubt that she has chosen some tasty treats to be had. Silvey knows her stuff-she's the editor of the "gottahaveit" book for children's librarians, The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators (not only is it extremely informative, but it's written in a conversational and engaging style; it was one of my favorite children's literature texts in library school). Silvey doesn't merely give brief plot summaries of the book; she also tells you about the author's inspiration for the book, the writing history of the book, and biographical information on the author. Silvey includes canonical titles such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Madeline, The Story of Ferdinand, and Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, but also includes modern favorites such as Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Babe the Gallant Pig, and Because of Winn Dixie. The vast majority of the titles are fiction, but she does include several nonfiction titles.



Nancy Pearl, author of the popular Book Lust, recently wrote Book Crush, a similar book for children and teens. Not satisfied with simply listing books by author and title, Pearl divides the books into age categories, then categorizes them into kid and teen friendly categories ("Bedtime Stories," "Animal Tales," "Not Your Parents' Comic Books," etc). Although Pearl is known more for her adult fiction and nonfiction recommendations in her books, her website, and her broadcasts on KUOW, her first librarian job was as a children's librarian with the Detroit Public Library. She's kept current with children's literature despite refocusing her career with adult services, and her picks are spot on. You won't find much in the way of biographical information or plot summaries here; just brief mentions of titles under a wide range of categories, making it perfect for busy parents, teachers, and librarians.



Is your child not quite ready for long picture books and chapter books? Check out Great Books for Babies and Toddlers by Kathleen Odean. You will read summaries and descriptions of more than 500 books for children ages 0-3. Not only does Odean tell you about the book, she tells you why it's appealing to babies and toddlers. She also includes tips on reading aloud and ways to incorporate activities with books.

The following are my Grade A, top 3, can't go wrong picks.



Esme Raji Codell has long been a favorite of mine. She's a woman of many talents-not only is she an awesome writer of middle grade fiction (I was disappointed that Vive La Paris didn't get as much recognition as I believed it should), but she is a shameless book pusher (or as she calls herself, readiologist) of the finest kind, both on her website, her blog (which I hope hasn't been discontinued), and in her one of a kind book, How to Get Your Child to Love Reading: For Ravenous and Reluctant Readers Alike. This is a YUUUGE book, as Donald Trump would say. But don't let that scare you off, because you would be missing out on Codell's wonderful wisdom and insight on reading aloud, why reading levels are not the best indicator of reading ability, and neat activities with books and kids. There's also the nitty gritty of the book-tons and tons of great suggestions for all sorts of interests and abilities. As a former teacher, children's bookseller, and children's librarian, Codell definitely knows what she is talking about.



When you've been the children's book editor at The New York Times for 20 years, it's safe to say that you've read the gamut of recent children's literature, from the sublime to the subpar. That's exactly the kind of experience and knowledge Eden Ross Lipson brings to The New York Times Parent's Guide to the Best Books for Children. Lipson includes an incredible amount of titles. Each title's entry includes a brief summary and a few comments on Lipson's reasoning for the book's inclusion (it may be as short as "hilarious"). The entries are divided into Wordless Books, Picture Books, Story Books (longer picture books), early reading books, middle reading books, and young adult books.



Finally, we come to the dean of books about children's reading and books-Jim Trelease. This is another of those "gottahaveit" books for children's librarians, teachers, and parents. Unlike the other books in this post, the main focus of Trelease's book is not summaries/descriptions of children's books, although there is a fine appendix in the book for this exact purpose. Rather, Trelease explains in inarguable, convincing, and conversational prose the importance of reading aloud to children, modeling a reading lifestyle for children, and the importance of libraries (public and school), bookstores, etc. Trelease also cautions against the temptation to overstimulate babies and children with flashcards and stuffed schedules of activities. He also devotes thoughtful chapters on television, Oprah's Book Club and the lessons that can be learned from it, series books and other so called "fast food" books, and his thoughts on teaching the "classics" in high school, among other topics. Trelease backs up his opinions with studies, statistics, anecdotal evidence from readers of previous editions and attendees of his lectures, and personal experiences with his own children and grandchildren. You do not want to miss this book, even if reading aloud and reading are already important family activities.

Trelease also has a terrific website.


Happy reading!

BabySteps

Our first BabySteps program was a great success! 30 mommies, daddies, and babies rocked, bounced, clapped, and sang Mother Goose rhymes. This is not your big sister's storytime. While it's fantastic to read to babies on a one-on-one basis, reading in a group setting is not as feasible. We do 15-20 minutes of rhyme time (interspersed with tickles and kisses), then have toy time with developmentally appropriate toys. Babies have fun playing while moms and dads socialize.

BabySteps is designed for infants-18 months old. We meet every Monday at 10:30. Registration is not required.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Creating a transportation themed storytime is one of the easiest storytimes to do. There are tons of great books featuring trains, trucks, cars, planes, etc that are ideal for sharing with a big group. Finding fingerplays is an easy task, and a rousing rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus" is a fine topper for a fun-filled storytime.

Today, I'll share with you the books I read for last week's storytime, plus a few books that I decided not to read, for various reasons (a bit too long/ran out of time).




"Down by the station, early in the morning...."

The popular children's song has been turned into a very cute book, courtesy of Will Hillenbrand (he also has a Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, which is one of the more enjoyable "first day of school" books). The little train in this quasi-story goes around the zoo, picking up the baby animals.

This book has many neat things crammed into its "story." Neat thing #1: The baby animals in the book are given their correct name (calf for baby elephant, joey for baby kangaroo, etc).

Neat thing #2: The illustrations are large enough to share with a storytime-sized group. However, for those wishing to take the book home, there are illustrations that are best perused under close examination (the mama elephant holding a "Stop" sign, the lady with the umbrella who's along for the ride).

The children loved recognizing the animals in the story, especially representatives of the National Zoo superstars: PANDAS!

If this is a bit too long for your group, you can skip over one or two animals without losing much from the story.



Donald Crews is the king of transportation books. There's just no doubt about it! Trains, sailboats, bicycles-he's covered them all, ranging from nearly wordless books to stories with rhyme.

Given the time of year, I thought that School Bus would fit in nicely with my storytime. I like to alternate long-ish books and very short books in my toddler storytime, due to the wide range of attention spans (especially in September, when the majority of the children are new to storytime). This doesn't have much of a story, which isn't unusual for Crews's books. Instead, there are bright and bold illustrations and brief text showing school buses crossing town, children waiting for school buses, children exiting the school bus when they arrive at school, empty buses crossing town, and returning at the end of the school day.

School buses are *very* interesting to toddlers. Riding a school bus is a major marker of being a "big kid," and at this age, being a "big kid" is a very big deal. They see the big yellow (and perhaps intimidating) school bus rumble down the street every day to pick up their older brothers and sisters (and/or the older kids in the neighborhood). What's one of the things that grownups point out as being one of the cool things about going to school? Riding the school bus!

A big hit, indeed.



Trashy Town is another "Miss Jennifer" storytime standards. This is the "story" of a trash collector going about his day, collecting trash at various places around town. The illustrations are cartoon-ish and easily viewable by a large group. You can't help but get into a rhythm when reading the book:

"Dump it in, smash it down, drive around the Trashy Town!"

The book also invites audience participation: "Is the trash truck full yet?"

Nope, nope, nope, until it's the end of the day. Mr. Gilly's day is over, and he needs to take a bath!

A fun story-not too long, and not too brief that children with longer attention spans won't get bored.

Here are a few more terrific transportation themed books:



Choo Choo Clickety-Clack covers all the bases: bicycles, motorcycles, buses, etc. There's no story....here's an example:

"Airplanes are great at fly, fly, flying.
To faraway places, people carrying.
Down runways-up, up, and away-soaring.
RoarrRR! Off they go!"

The book may be a bit long and short on action for your audience. There's no harm in skipping a few pages.



Monster Trucks is very cool. How can a book about trucks not be cool? Forklift trucks, tow trucks, mixer trucks and more are all represented in their glory.



For those needing more of a story, try It's Funny Where Ben's Train Takes Him. Ben's train, courtesy of his imagination, takes him to wild and wonderful places.

Happy reading!