Sing and Dance in Your Polka Dot Pants - and win a book while you're at it!

Last week I shared part of an interview with Eric Litwin, author of the first four Pete the Cat books, and now the new Nut Family series. Today is the official release date of the second book in that series, Sing and Dance in Your Polka Dot Pants.

With Pete the Cat being such a huge hit, I couldn't help but take note when Litwin - twice - called this book "probably the best thing I have ever written." Better than the instant story time classic, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes? This I had to see.

The Nut Family books are illustrated by Scott Magoon (Spoon, Mostly Monsterly, The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot, etc.) Bright colors, large characters that work well when holding the book up for a crowd during story time, plus plenty of smaller details to pick out when reading with a little one on your lap. Magoon is...a very punny guy. Teachers could do an entire series of lessons just on the nut references he works into the illustrations! (My favorite is the nutellaphone).

As I shared last week, Litwin writes with beginning readers in mind. A former teacher, he says, "I found that my students learned to read more effectively when my content/books had music and was engaging. So I set out to create books where music and literacy come together." The result was the first four Pete the Cat books published by HarperCollins, and now the Nut Family series from Little, Brown.

In Sing and Dance in Your Polka Dot Pants, the musical part takes center stage. Like most kids, Hazel loves to sing and dance, and she loves her polka dot pants - but, like many families, everyone is just too busy to join her. (As I told Eric, I am very grateful neither parent was occupied on Facebook, because I feel guilty enough). Not a heavy message, though - Hazel doesn't give up, she just keeps on enjoying herself. Finally, she is joined by super cool disco dancing Grandma - who has her own polka dot pants!

Soon everyone is joining in...including the readers. Litwin and his crew (including an entire team of Nutty Complimenters) are hosting a dance video contest. Learn the moves on the web site, or make up your own (and you have to check out this ADORABLE video of the first entry, on Youtube or on Litwin's Facebook page.)

Submit your entry by November 2, and you have a chance to win a copy of the book, poster, or even a visit to your school by Eric Litwin himself! If you are local, you are more than welcome to join us at the Alamogordo Public Library this Saturday at 10AM, while we film our attempt.

So, was this the best thing he has written so far? You decide: Litwin has sent us an autographed copy to give away to one lucky reader. All you have to do is comment below with an example of how YOUR family is nutty. (Don't deny it -  here is a whole year's worth of our family's nuttiness for inspiration. Or commiseration. Something like that.) I will announce a random winner Thursday, October 1, so don't wait too long!

"But wait!" (she says in her best infomercial voice) "There's more!"

Just in case you missed the announcement a couple weeks back, the Nut Family is not the only new thing Litwin has up his sleeve. Scholastic has picked up the rights to the Groovy Joe series - at least three picture books, plus board and novelty books. Tom Lichtenheld (E-Mergency, Yes Day, Everything I Know About Pirates, etc., etc.) will be illustrating, and Litwin says, "I love the kind of ragamuffin image he has created." Judge for yourself:



Litwin has already recorded a song for the first book, in which Groovy Joe brings back the Watusi (Check it out here, or ask your grandmother). In this case, of course, it's the WAGtusi. I am guessing the puns won't be limited to the Nut Family. Something to look forward to for the fall!

In the meantime, get your disco groove on, and let's start seeing those comments and videos!


***Two quick notes on the book giveaway: I can only ship to the US, and if you choose to comment anonymously, you'll need to give me some way of getting in touch with you if you win!***

Polka Dots, Reviewers, Video Stars, Nutty Families, and Eric Litwin!

As a blogger/reviewer/librarian, I get my share of form e-mails sent by publicists trying to sound personal. Earlier this week I got one from a "local teacher" who thought I should order this great poetry book that all the teachers in her school loved. Here's the thing - while I don't know every teacher in the district, I do know a lot of them, and I know how to Google. No teachers in this district by that name...BUT, the same publishing company has a book they are promoting whose main character has that exact name...and someone with that name has been writing glowing reviews of that publisher's books.

So, no, I won't be buying that particular paperback poetry collection.

On the other hand, a few weeks ago I received an e-mail that started like this: 

"Are you the Ami that does, "A Mom's Spare Time?"  I wasn't able to find an e-mail address for you on your website, but a quick search for a librarian in New Mexico with the name "Ami" turned you up! "

Huh...I don't think this was a form letter.

 It was, in fact, a very nice e-mail from a very nice lady named Becky, who happens to be the Executive Assistant to Eric Litwin - yes, the author of the four original Pete the Cat books - that Eric Litwin! 

She wanted to let me know about the new series he has out, The Nut Family, and wondered if I might be interested in interviewing him.

Well, let me just think about that for approximately .2 seconds.

Teachers and librarians have loved Pete the Cat since he was first self-published by Litwin and illustrator James Dean.

The call-and-response, easy sing-along lines, and humor make the first four books great read-alouds - and adults get a kick out of lines like, "No matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song...because its all good."

The critics? The big name reviewers? Hated it. From School Library Journal: "there's not much here to get excited about." From Kirkus: "awfully hard to relate to."

Fortunately, children don't read Kirkus or SLJ. Neither do many bloggers, myself included. The Pete the Cat books authored by Litwin have received an impressive 18 awards for literacy between them, and - this part makes me giggle - not long after that terrible review from SLJ, I Love My White Shoes was named #20 on SLJ's Top 100 Picture Books. 

I was sad when the authorship changed, and remember reading something about Litwin being a musician - I assumed he had gone off to pursue a career in music instead. This brings us back to that e-mail from the nice lady named Becky, and why it took me only .2 seconds to type back a resounding "YES!!!"

In the first book of his new series, Bedtime at the Nut House, we meet Mama,  Wally and Hazel Nut.  

Mama says it's time for bed, but Wally and Hazel would rather play, jumping on their trampraline (yes, the puns are everywhere), or going down the slide from their window to a giant ball pit. (Note to self: install slide and ball pit soon, because that looks like loads of fun.) Bedtime struggles are pretty universal - my kids are masters at the art of stalling - so I don't think anyone will be able to say these are hard to relate to.

Much like the original Pete the Cat books, we have repeating lines (Then Big Mama Nut in her Mama voice said, "all little nuts need to go off to bed!") that will have kids in a story time automatically 'reading' along. My kids love books like this at home as well, because they increase their confidence in their own reading skills - and that is exactly what Litwin is going for.

"Everything I do is done with an intention," he told me. As a teacher, Litwin was dismayed to see students react to a new book, or to learning to read, with very little enthusiasm. They were frustrated, and many already felt like reading was something they just couldn't do.

He sees an over-reliance on limited methods as part of the problem. "For many years, our toolbox has had two tools in it: sight word recognition and phonetic awareness." Those are good tools, he says, but compares it to thinking we can fix everything with just a hammer and a screwdriver. Children also learn to read through prediction, rhyme, rhythm. He incorporates all of those things into his books, and while he says getting good reviews and selling a lot of books is nice, it is more important to him that they become a staple in the classrooms.

I have to admit, I was excited to hear him say all this. In our college education classes (and Litwin has a Masters degree in education), we learn that all of these things are important to reading development. Google "Pre Reading Skills", and it's right there. Children's books need to be more than just putting some silly words with brightly colored pictures, and story time is more than just sitting in front of a group of kids, reading a book out loud. Teachers know it, librarians know it, parents know it. Publishers...well, we're going to say that someone at both Scholastic and Little, Brown knows it, because they were smart enough to snap Litwin up!

If you look at the covers of Litwin's books, you'll see that they all have a note such as "link to downloadable song". He says, "I found that my students learned to read more effectively when my content/books had music and was engaging. So I set out to create books where music and literacy come together."

 That makes sense. I still know my different types of dinosaurs thanks to the songs I learned in Barb Smith's 4th grade class...um...several years ago. Songs are catchy. Songs are fun. Songs have rhythm and rhyme, which help with both reading AND math skills. Why don't we use music more than we do? Okay, why don't "I" use music more than I do? Is it because I can't sing? (I really can't). Kids don't care! Any of Litwin's books can be read straight through, but they are so much more fun sung. You can make up your own tunes, or hear any of them on his web site. I have a two word warning for you, though:

Ear. Worm.

These songs are so catchy and rhythmic and fun, they will stay in your head all. day. long. Ohmigosh, what an idea - teaching kids in a way that sticks with them! We read I Love My White Shoes in story time last week, and all weekend I caught myself putting everything to the same tune. "I love my chocolate...I love my chocolate..." Awesome, I'm practicing reading skills myself! Then I listened to the first Nut Family book on line, and was dancing the 1-year-old around, singing, "You're nuts! You're nuts! You're nuts! You're nuts!" Those pale in comparison, however, to Litwin's latest...

The book isn't even out yet, and my kids already know the song. It's fun, it's catchy, and it is never going to leave my head.

I did get a preview of the text yesterday (okay, you know it's going to be a good day when an author is reading his newest, unreleased book to you over the phone). It's a great simple story, just as universal in theme as the bedtime struggle. And look at the cover. There's a disco ball. And a downloadable disco dance. Do I really need to go on?

Of course I do, because there's also a contest! 

Hazel Nut wants to sing and dance, but everyone is too busy to join her. Super-hip, disco dancing Grandma Nut to the rescue! Soon everyone can't help but join in...and you can, too!

Litwin and his team are inviting anyone, young or old, alone or in a crowd of a thousand, to submit a video of themselves doing the Polka Dot Pants Dance. Full contest information can be found here. You can also find the (super easy) movements to the dance at that web site, or Litwin says you can make up your own. Personally, I think the disco point is a must, though! 

If you are local, I have even better news for you: a gentleman with a bit more technological know-how than I have has agreed to help us put together a video here at the library! Just check out the moves online, then show up here at 10:00 AM Saturday, September 26. Wear polka-dots or bright colors, and be ready to get your groove on!

Possible prizes include:

• A limited edition Polka-Dot Pants Dance Poster
• The book The Nuts, Sing and Dance in Your Polka-Dot Pants
• Wonderful and plentiful compliments from our own Nutty Complimenters Team
• A live performance, at your school, from author Eric Litwin.

If you would like to pre-order the second book (or order the first), check out this link. In the meantime, check back here on Tuesday, September 22 for more from my interview with Litwin, more on what he has coming up, and another contest you can enter! 

Review: Groovy Joe - Ice Cream and Dinosaurs, by Eric Litwin

In the beginning, there was Pete the Cat

and he loved his white shoes

and it was good.

Oh, the critics didn't think it was good, but what do critics know? The children and the teachers knew better.

Then there were Pete's buttons, and his school shoes, and last but not least, Christmas. And it was all good.

But some changes came to Pete, and there was sorrow in the land.

But lo! There came the Nut Family!



And they were good, in their own right - but something was still missing.

Until now.

Introducing Groovy Joe! Everything you loved about the original Pete the Cat; the humor, the cadence, the personality, the instant I-must-use-this-in-a-story-time, all with a scruffy goatee (illustrated by none other than Tom Lichtenheld, who has also illustrated books by...well, just about everybody.)

I stopped and read the first pages aloud to my coworkers before I even got to the rest of it myself: "Groovy Joe saw something yummy. Groovy Joe started rubbing his tummy. Groovy Joe was living the dream. He had a spoon and a tub of doggy ice cream." Obviously, Groovy Joe has the right priorities in life. And can you feel the rhythm already? I want to tap my hand or foot as I'm reading it.

My first real test audience was two brothers, around 5 and 7, who were in looking for Pete the Cat books. I read Groovy Joe out loud to them, and right away they were predicting, saying lines with me, singing the chorus, and even dancing with me a little at the end. Nailed it! All those pre-reading and reading skills that teachers and librarians obsess over?

- phonemic awareness? check!
- vocabulary? check!
- narrative skills? check!
- making inferences? check!
- predicting? check!
- text clues for expression? check!
- print motivation? check and check!

True to Litwin's interest in early literacy and music, there are also numerous resources for readers and teachers alike on his web site and over at Scholastic. Remember the Polka Dot Pants Dance? Music for the Groovy Dance is already up, with a video coming soon...and what's this about a contest in the future??

Lichtenheld's illustrations bring the story to life, with a sense of fun and whimsy that match Litwin's writing perfectly. (Chipmunk in shades playing a spoon. Must. make. reappearance. in future books.)

Because there will be future books, hopefully many!

And there was much rejoicing in the land*.

*Srsly folks. Librarian sites going crazy right now.

Stay tuned for an interview with Eric Litwin, including news about his upcoming titles, dance contest, and more!

***This book has been nominated for the Cybils Awards, and I am a first-round panelist in this category. There are many other panelists, and many MANY other great nominees, so a good or bad review here does not necessarily predict placement on the shortlist. 

PETE THE CAT IS NOW IN JUNIOR READERS!

Yes, the popularly cool and collected Pete the Cat now has books in the "I Can Read" series, for beginer readers. Excited shouting done with, the question is: are these just as much fun as the picture books, or do they suffer from riding-on-popularity-no-need-to-retain-quality syndrome?

 

978-006-211-0701

 

In this one, Pete gets hungry, and starts building a sandwich - Dagwood Bumstead style. When he is finally finished, it is too big to eat, so he invites his friends over to share it.

 

The short sentences of the typical junior reader work for Pete the Cat - he is, after all, a cat of few words. I missed the usual "It's all good" tagline, but the nonplussed expressions on all the characters' faces tickled me.

 

978-006-211-0671

 

Pete and his friends play a game of baseball. Pete doesn't do as well as he would like, but he doesn't feel bad, because he knows he did his best. Methinks Pete is getting a bit preachy. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much. Moral lessons are fine, but let's keep the sly humor, please.

 

So, my initial judgement is, 1 for 2. I'll look forward to seeing the next in the series (because this will obviously be a series), and hope this was his one and only error!

 

Thank-you, HarperCollins, for the review copies!

Christmas Gifting: Picture Book Series

As mentioned yesterday, I am going through our circulation records here at the library to see what the most popular books have been this year, in hopes of sparking some Christmas gift ideas. Today I start looking at what we call the "easies", or picture books. Many of our most popular are part of an ongoing series, so we'll begin with those. 

Curious George swept everyone away, taking the top three spots, and ten of the top 40! Most popular were the original, Curious George Feeds the Animals, and

9780395912157

There's just something about that irrepressible little guy getting into trouble without ever meaning to, that speaks to pretty much every child. You can find everything from stuffed Georges to cocoa mugs to clothing to alarm clocks to gift with the books.

Fancy Nancy is another continual favorite, with picture books, early readers, and a chapter book series (I have been pleased with the chapter books, which are good in their own right - not just coasting along on the popularity of the character.)

This has been our most popular title:

9780061235900

and of course it's perfect for Christmas. Gift this one with an ornament making kit, or several in the series with a collection of accessories or glittery art materials.

Another series that is standing the test of time are Numeroff's "If You Give a..." series:

9780060278670

These lead well into writing activities. Maybe grab a couple blank books at the dollar store and write on the first page, "If you take (child's name) to the (favorite location)...", then finish the story together over cocoa and cookies!

And who can't love Mo Willems' Pigeon?

9781423109600

Gift the set with a pack of hot dogs. You kids will get it.

Here's another series that may last forever:

9780310719403

Both the old classics and the newer titles are read over and over. Consider getting a live tree you can plant later, or decorate a tree outside for the critters, and read this title together!

The four original Pete the Cat books are checked out more than they are in:

9780062110589

I saw quite a few costumes based off this one at Halloween this year! You could decorate a jacket with fun buttons all over, or buy a pair of white canvas shoes to decorate with I Love My White Shoes (that just happens to be our story time craft today!)

A personal favorite for reading out loud:

9780142404034

You lose you librarian license if you don't do the voices. A stuffed kitty would go well with any of these.

Finally, one more with a predominantly female cast:

9780803731950

Kids might be surprised to learn that each story has a 'life lesson' to teach - and probably won't care. The lesson is never obvious or heavy handed; the characters are realistic and endearing; and, forget the wings, who wouldn't want those boots?!

None of these are brand new series, are they? That surprised me, too! There are many other great ones out there (Llama Llama and Arthur just missed the cut), so browse around your local library to see what else they have to suggest. And, happy gifting!

Picture Books for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving does not seem to have as many preschool-appropriate read-alouds as, say, Christmas or Halloween. It also has the handicap of being a historical holiday surrounded by both myths and controversy. These reviews are unapologetically personal - I love going into this season with a focus on thankfulness and good food, but C.'s heritage and my own beliefs make me a little more sensitive to historical and cultural inaccuracies.

 

9780062198693

 

We have a love-hate relationship with Pete the Cat. Loved the first few books by Eric Litwin, hated the subsequent junior readers. This lift-the-flap is, unfortunately, leaning towards the second group. The cover bugged me right away: Pilgrims did not wear buckles on their hats, and they did not dress solely in black and white. The Native Americans (they only get that generic title) did not garden in feathered headdresses (do you pull weeds in your church clothes?) While small children do not need to be inundated with the conflicts between Native American groups and European settlers, a little historical accuracy would be nice. Pete's final comment, "I am thankful for the brave Pilgrims that started this free world,"...um...yeah, not even going to touch that one.

 

9780060002367

 

Sigh. Buckles and monochrome and headdresses again. The Wampanoag are at least mentioned by name, with a few tidbits of culture and language, and the only feathers past the front cover are on the turkey. The overall focus is on being thankful, and an author's note includes some less-than-perky details (the reason Squanto knew English is that another group had held him captive), as well as a list of foods that would or would not have been included in the original feast. Munsinger's illustrations are always adorable. This is one I would feel good about reading with my children, and would recommend to any teacher ready to follow up with age-appropriate discussion.

 

Honestly, my favorite Thanksgiving read-alouds continue to be older titles:

 

9780439459488

 

Out of print in hardcover, you can't beat the goofy illustrations and sing-song rhymes of this counting book. Whenever we see wild turkeys on the side of he road, my kids automatically call out, "Gobble gobble wibble-wobble!"

 

Thanksgiving at the Tappletons' by Maryann Cocca-Leffler is completely out of print, but kids always enjoy the comedy of errors that result in every traditional dish going missing. Again, the focus is on family and being thankful for what we have.

 

9780525456452

 

This one is just plain funny, in both text and pictures. I read it every single year, and so far, it is still available in both paper and hardcover! The only problem is, it always leaves me hungry...

What books do you like to read during this season?

 

 

 

 



Review: Three New Junior Readers

We have three new Junior Reader books hitting our library shelves this week:

 

9780062219152

 

We love Charlie at our house - both the real Charlie, found here, and the fictional character. My kids especially like finding the chipmunk on each page, so it will be interesting to see their reactions when I bring this home - while the chipmunk is present, he's not on every single spread, and I'm not sure what their reaction will be! What really gave me pause, though, was the author line: "Based on the..." Based on? Based on? As in, not actually written by?

 

The MARC record only lists Drummond and DeGroat, but they named Amanda Glickman and Rick Whipple are thanked for their "editorial and artistic contributions". Are we turning the series over to ghost writers? Or are these interns? Google searching leads my imagination in both directions...curiouser and curiouser...

At any rate, I didn't notice any differences (other than the missing chipmunk). Charlie tries to keep a carrot-stealing rabbit out of Mama's garden, and ends with a compromise. Bacon is mentioned, so S. will approve.


9780062110763

Not as bad as the previous junior readers - in fact, I kind of like this one, if I don't compare it to Eric Litwin's picture books of Pete the Cat. When Pete tries to take everyone else's advice on what to wear, he ends up looking rather silly. It might be fun to read this, then let everyone in the house pick out a piece of an outfit for everyone else - and wear the results for the day! Not to Walmart, though. Nobody would notice if you looked strange. (P.S. - Hey, HarperCollins - the title makes NO sense whatsoever.)


9780062083142

With a second grader at home, we are in the throes of believing everything we hear from our friends. (Moms, as we all know, don't know anything.) In this well-timed (for probably more than me) edition from Fancy Nancy, a classmate tells nancy all the things that are bad luck, and she works herself into a tizzy trying to avoid them all. Or, is Ms. Glass right when she says there is no such thing? (She is a grown-up, after all, so probably not all that bright!)

It's a Fancy Nancy, so it will be popular regardless, but a good early reader all on its own. After reading it together, see how many good and bad luck items/actions your class/family can think of. Maybe research what other cultures think of as lucky.

Thanks to HarperCollins for the review copies!

 



Quick Reviews

Yes, I know, every blogger who is also a librarian is doing 'quick reviews' these days. That's because we are short on spare time, but long on guilt over our TBR piles. Here are a few I've been wanting to get off my desk and out on the shelves:

 

978-006-195-8144

 

A little girl loses her red balloon at the beginning of this brightly colored board book. Children can watch it float past purple sailboats and white airplanes, occasionally spotting the little girl, until she finally recaptures it in the end. Most pages have just two words, and the color concepts are clear and engaging. Part of the "Everything Goes" series that is in both junior readers and board books.

 

978-006-143-0138

 

Flat Stanley has come a long way since he was first squished by a falling bulletin board. Many adults can remember reading the original story as a child, and how many of us have had a Flat Stanley visit them from a classroom far away?

 

Since his early days, Stanley has starred in chapter book adventures all over the world. In this junior reader offering, Stanley is feeling a little glum about his slender status. His parents decide to take the boys on a camping trip, and when Stanley and his brother find themselves cornered by a skunk, they discover even more advantages to being Flat Stanley! This is one of those few (it seems) junior readers that is simple enough for kids beginning to read alone, but which has enough of a plot to not completely bore the listening parents the first six times through.

 

978-006-211-0732

 

The original Pete the Cat picture books are written by James Dean, and are quite witty and funny. The junior readers are...not. I'll just stop there.

 

978-006-204-7564

 

I keep accusing the kids in story time of making me hungry (it doesn't help that it's held right before lunch), now I'm doing it to myself. The length of this book makes it better for a one-on-one reading than for a story time, but it would be excellent for a child who has started asking about where things come from. Tyler and his favorite chef travel all over the world choosing ingredients, as he learns how to make his favorite meal. Includes a recipe in the back for making spaghetti from scratch, just in case, like most of us, your meatballs come from a freezer bag and your sauce from a jar!



Author Interview: the Very Groovy Eric Litwin!

Last week I had the privilege of speaking with Eric Litwin, author of the first four Pete the Cat books, the Nut Family series, and now the new Groovy Joe books. I spoke with Eric once before, last fall.

In that blog post we spoke about his experience as a teacher, and how that shapes his writing. He told me he discovered early on that approximately a third of his students were not on grade level, or simply didn't like reading. Something needed to change. Rather than rely on phonics and sight words alone, Litwin started adding music and movement to reading lessons, and saw things begin to click with his students.

Twelve months after that interview, Litwin is still passionate about using a variety of tools to teach kids to read, saying, "I see my books as launch pads." His books include limited vocabulary, call and response, rhythm and rhyme, repetition - things that enable all children to decode, "offering many roads to success".

These elements also make them great read-alouds, which of course is a huge draw to teachers and librarians alike! Litwin told me his books are written as performance pieces. "The performance aspect generated because I realized these things were good for the emergent reader." Each book is a year or two in the making, with Litwin telling it a hundred times or more in front of live audiences, getting everything just right.

For Groovy Joe, illustrator Tom Lichtenheld attended one of the later performances, noting where Litwin paused and where students chimed in. This in turn affected the page breaks - giving listeners a chance to jump ahead of the reader and shout out, "a spoon!" We know predicting is an important reading skill, and any time kids feel like they figured something out before the grown-up, they are going to be engaged and excited!

The next Groovy Joe title, Disco Party Bow-Wow, is slated for release in Fall of 2017, and Litwin played a bit of the song for me. He describes it as "ABBA-esque", which I know will make my 6yo dancing queen very happy. As in every Groovy Joe book, Joe will face an obstacle, he will stay positive about it, and of course he will sing about it! In this title there will even be some simple math to stretch the listeners' brains and - again - give them a chance to 'beat' the reader to the next line.

Joe is also available in Spanish. I was curious about how the translating was done, as when I lived in Ukraine I saw some truly horrible (and often hilarious) word-for-word translations. Litwin called it a very interesting process, pointing out that the Spanish language can differ from country to country, and even region to region, making a word like "groovy" less than universal. After much thought and research, we have:


9781338044010
$17.99

The Nut Family will also be back with a Spring 2017 release, The Nuts: Keep Rolling.


9780316322515
$17.99, April 2017

I'll just tell you there is mud involved, which will again make said dancing queen happy. When I interviewed Litwin last year, he told me The Nuts: Sing and Dance in Your Polka Dot Pants was "probably the best book I have ever written." I asked him where that put Groovy Joe. He paused for a moment (he does not pause often, btw, so if you ever interview him, have a tape recorder ready), and told me "I try not compare my books to each other in a better or worse way. So I don't really have a favorite. But I do feel genuine excitement when a new book is written and goes out into the world."

The Nut Family books are a little more complex, with more words. Feedback from teachers and reviewers was mixed. The stories were fun, but not as instantly catchy as Pete. While the basic message was positive, with a positive outcome, some weren't crazy about the response of "not a chance". As a sometimes too-busy Mom, I noted the guilt feeling too. Litwin took that into account, and readers will be much happier with the repeated phrase "keep rolling". 

We had loads of fun with the Polka Dot Pants Dance Contest, so we were happy to hear Groovy Joe will be holding his own contest in February. In the meantime, Scholastic has a drawing contest (deadline November 1) for kids to enter, as well as a contest for grown-ups who are running book fairs. (2,000 Scholastic dollars? Yes, please!)

As Pete says, It's all good!

New Picture Books from HarperCollins

I can't believe publishers are still sending me books. I have been SO sporadic this summer with my reviews, you woul think they would have written me off by now! Summer Reading and the book fair are over, though, and today I started my VACATION - so, hopefully, I'll be posting more than once a week again!

 

"Clark" seems to be a popular name for sharks in children's books. Go ahead, open a new window and google "Clark the shark". See what I mean? This, however, is the one you will want for your back-to-school crowd:

 

978-006-219-2264

 

Especially if the back-to-school crowd in your household happes to include a very enthusiastic 7-year-old boy. A sometimes TOO enthusiastic 7-year-old-boy. Who sometimes ends up breaking things and/or siblings as a result of his enthusiasm.

 

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

 

While there are some cheesy bits that may make the adults cringe, they are right up the intended audience's alley, and will hopefully get the message across with fun. It is also nice to see a child who might otherwise be seen as a bully, as someone who just needs to learn some boundaries. Hmm, maybe I should be recommending this for adults, as well.

 

While everyone LOVED the original Pete the Cat picture books, the junior readers were met with...a bit less favor.

 

Okay, they are terrible.

 

978-006-219-8716

 

It's hard to go wrong with a classic children's song, though, and Dean's illustrations bring a nice freshness. Children looking for new words of wisdom from Pete won't get them, but those into earworm songs will love it.

 

These two are available in stores now, and on the library shelves shortly!

This Week

Saturday was the quarterly Community Pot Luck up in High Rolls.

I try to do a little kitchen clean-up each time I am there, but somehow these muffins escaped my notice last week.

That's not streusel.

Fortunately, with mountain folk, you never have to rely on mass-produced foods of questionable age. Mountain folk can COOK!

As usual, I was too busy socializing to get pictures until half the food was gone. I may or may not have been partially responsible for the quick disappearance of these:

Cheese pierogies with chorizo bacon bits. Even yummier than they looked. I could have happily just eaten those all night!

Of course, some visitors were unimpressed,

but I think that's because her Momma is such a good cook, she takes great food for granted.

I counted 53 people, not a huge crowd, but just the right size. I actually got to talk to everyone this time!

Socializing is definitely the best part of the pot lucks.

***

The very next day was Logan's birthday party at our house. What was I thinking?! He wanted a Magic Tree House birthday party, which was great - there are so many themes in the books, I could use the leftover decorations and party favors from every other party we have ever had! For food we did "High Tide in Hawaii" and had fresh fruit and veggies, Hawaiian cole slaw, mango salsa, and of course meatballs.

Daddy always decorates the cakes, and I thought to make it easy on him I would order a toy treehouse as a cake topper. This turned out to be WAY too big, but also so darn perfect!

Look at the little Jack and Annie!! I just used it as a table decoration, and Logan absolutely loved it. He loves tiny things like that, and he couldn't wait to play with it as soon as the party was over.

As I said, Daddy always decorates the kids' cakes, but he got stuck on a car wreck. In fact, he missed the entire party! I waited as long as I could, but when it became evident this would be a long haul, I fashioned a tree and treehouse with sprinkles, frosting and graham crackers.

Logan was happy with it!

Mostly the kids just like to run around, but we had two MTH activities. For Dinosaurs Before Dark, they dug for dino bones in side back yard.

No shovels, paleontologists wouldn't want to damage the bones!

When they found all the bones, they had to bring them in and figure out how they fit together.

Easier said than done!

I finally took pity and gave them a picture.

And here we have the Loganosaurus Rex (signed by most of the attendees):

While they were digging for bones, Christopher and Jayden were stealthily setting up the treasure hunt for Pirates Past Noon:

That carried them all over the house and yard, until they found the goody bags in the pirate ship playset I picked up at a yard sale years ago.

Hawaiian cowboy pirate dude! With a glow stick!

Sharing the same brain, as usual.

***

Last week of summer reading!! The story time activity was supposed to be chalk drawing outside, but it is hovering around 900 degrees this week. I varied crafts inside for a bit, then settled on cool new shoes for school, to go with Pete the Cat, Rockin' in My School Shoes. I've noticed some increasingly ridiculous shoes available in the stores...so we tried to top those:

Rocket boosters, wheels, spikes, AND they play music!

Modeled after Honey Lemon's purse, this one blows bubbles and stores extra school supplies, among other things - just push the right button.

The Gardener's model. Seeds are stored in the brown part of the toe. As you walk it plants them, then when you walk back it squirts water out of the sides and waters them!

***

900 degree weather is a bad time to be orphaned and trapped in an abandoned car. Thank goodness for Good Samaritans who are willing to spend an hour rescuing kittens, and Grandma, who is willing to foster and nurse back to health!

And for a teen volunteer who was quite happy to spend her entire 2-hour shift in that exact spot.

***

Christopher spent the week at Camp Innoventure, where he learned how to set up a business. The kids had the chance to make things to sell at the Farmer's Market, and he chose bat houses.

He had to do everything himself, from measuring

to cutting (this made him really nervous but he did great!)

to drilling, 

then screwing together and sanding.

He sold 4 at the Farmer's Market Saturday, and has requests for more! Time for him to start buying ME lunch!

***

At home we started on the Netherlands. They seem to like sour things.

So do my kids!

***

For the last Teens and Tweens, we had water gun fights and pizza.

This young lady just needed a moment. School is starting soon, it's stressful.

***

Finally, we had our closing Dance Party, complete with ice cream bar (and yes, of course we have been reading Groovy Joe in all our story times!) About 80 kids and parents got to watch me do the Tooty Ta and Baby Shark, which should be enough to make anyone happy to go back to school. Huge thanks to the volunteers who pulled one last day of work and served the ice cream! And of course to all the sponsors, parents, and library staff who also helped make it a great summer!