Review: Pout-Pout Fish Far, Far from Home by Deborah Diesen and Dan Hanna

9780374301941

$16.99

Mr. Fish has prepped and packed,

And he’s made big plans to roam.

He’s ready for adventure

On his trip away from home!

But sometimes trips have detours

And not everything goes right.

Without his favorite toy,

Can he fall asleep at night?

No children's librarian is a stranger to The Pout-Pout Fish. With some popular picture book series, it can begin to feel as if the author has started phoning it in - or in the worst cases, letting other writers churn out the text in their name, driven more by marketing than by character.

Not so with the Pout-Pout Fish! I am finding I like him more now than I did when his first title came out a decade ago. Diesen's rhymes and cadence are crisper, making this loads of fun to read aloud. The text is peppered with vocabulary words that might be unfamiliar, but which are easily understood in context (prepped, maneuvered, reflected). Hanna's illustrations, as usual, are full of fun little details to explore with your little one.

I love the messages in this title - that, just because plans don't go perfectly, that doesn't mean anything is ruined. That going outside your comfort zone can have great rewards. That being apart from the things or people we love may mean we miss them, but  it also means we have more to tell them when we are back together.

*NOTE: This title has been nominated for the Cybils Award, and I am a first round panelist. There are many nominations and six other judges. My opinions should not be construed as a sign of inclusion or exclusion on the final short list.

Guest Review: White Oleander by Janet Fitch, Reviewed by Alexandra R.

        

9780316284950

$16.00

White Oleander was written by Janet Fitch in 1999; it is a fiction novel.  There are three main characters in the novel:  the daughter, Astrid Magnussen, her mother, Ingrid Magnussen, and her new boyfriend Barry, who they refer to as “Goatman” because Ingrid is repulsed by him, she says.   

Astrid and her mother live together in Los Angeles; Ingrid is a poet and an artist and inflicts all her beliefs onto Astrid. Astrid is 12 and doesn’t have much outside influence and because of that she doesn’t fit in much at school; she doesn’t mind though, she looks up to her mother and wants to be like her.  Ingrid, even though she has rules about men, she continues to go out with Barry and their relationship escalates.  Both Astrid and Ingrid are fond of Barry; he takes them places and makes them both feel special.  

Barry tried very hard to get close to the self-centered, eccentric, and cold-hearted Ingrid, but as he did he became unfaithful and started lying to her.  When she found out, she went into his home and violated his things out of hatred and pleasure.  She soon poisoned him with a White Oleander and killed him.  

Not long after, the police were knocking on her door and took her away to jail; they forced Astrid to pack a few things and took her to another home.  She lived the rest of her childhood in different foster homes wondering why her mom left her alone.  Astrid goes through 5 dysfunctional foster homes where terrible things happened to her, and a girl’s home throughout the last 6 years of her childhood.  She struggles, and she grows up knowing all these terrible things exist and are possible.

This book was amazing to read.  It really makes you think about all the tragedies that can happen to you and how there are people who will put you through those tragedies without even a thought. It makes you question humanity and whether or not you have someone, or you are alone.  You feel and you read what she went through and it makes you understand the way those struggles change your mindset.  By the end of the novel she talks to her mother and get the closure and answers she wanted, and then she moves on, and starts her life. 

Guest Review: After by Anna Todd

Another guest review from one of the local schools! This reviewer wishes to remain anonymous. We have this series in our collection, but I haven't read it myself yet - guess I know what's going with me on my next lunch break!

*************************************

My favorite book that I’ve ever read is called After by Anna Todd. It was started off as fanfiction on Wattpad with over 1 billion reads online. Then they decided to publish it. 

9781476792484

$16.00

The story takes place at Washington Central University with this new freshman named Tessa. Tessa is considered to be a good girl, always listens to teachers, does what she is told, never gets into trouble, and she has a perfect boyfriend, Noah. Tessa’s mom is very protective and has high standards for her daughter but that all changes when Tessa meets Hardin. 

The tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, tattoos, lip and eyebrow pierced boy, who is different from what Tessa has seen. Tessa should hate him with his rude, sometimes cruel, attitude but something about him captivates her. Maybe it’s his dark moods or when they kiss it ignites a passion she’s never experienced. With his mood swings and the reckless way he treats Tessa, she can’t seem to stop thinking about him. Her love only grows for him despite all the horrible things Hardin would say he can’t stay away from her either. Tessa has to decide if her love for Hardin is worth losing her perfect boyfriend and her relationship with her mom.

In my opinion, this book is perfect and greatly written. The story really captures your attention with the complex characters. Hardin’s character would be my favorite because he is unpredictable and you want to find out why he acts the way he does. It was crazy with the development of the story line and how everything turns out in the end. 

This book is a series with this being the first. Then there’s After We Collided, After We Fell, After Ever Happy, and Before. I would recommend this series because it could relate to a lot of people with their complicated relationships and you can relate to either Tessa or Hardin with their mindset and how they deal with situations. I think it’ll be worth the time to read it and see for yourself.

Review: Halloween Titles from Harper Collins

Quick break from reviewing Cybils nominations to take a look at some new Halloween titles! While my biggest problem at Halloween is narrowing down my read-alouds, it's always good to have something fresh in the mix.

9780062366405

$17.99

What do you do before you go to bed at night?

Bigfoot hugs his wooby extra tight, while aliens have pillow fights.

Nessie gets a drink, then swims down deep.

But in the end, everybody needs to sleep . . . even monsters!

The little cutie on the front cover is being chased by a very determined, and much harrier Daddy on the back cover. I like the illustration details like the little bits of torn wallpaper and the claw marks. Looks like my house! The alien children are adorable in their fuzzy one-piece sleepers, and the expressions on the dragon parents' faces as Logan the baby dragon chatters away is just perfect! The kitten playing with Frankenstein's big toe...and I think I once had the same slippers as Yeti!

Back-cover-Daddy is reading to front-cover-cutie in rhyming lines of varying length, each ending with "Even ___ needs to sleep." Perfect for our monster-themed story time next week, when I need to engage my audience!

One of my favorite monster read-alouds is "Bunnies", written and illustrated by this guy:

9780062408716

$17.99

The rhythm is a bit tricky on this one, so you'll want to practice it a bit before a read-aloud. It would be even better read one-on one, but I wouldn't suggest it for bedtime - too funny! Expect your little one to pick up on a favorite line or to. You'll be hearing for the next few weeks that he loves you "as much as blood-sucking ducks".

9780062198709

$6.99

Remember when I said something about a series driven more by marketing than by anything else? Yeah. Just stop. Please.

9780062264497

$16.99

With the right spell Grimelda knows she can make her cat Wizzlewarts spooktacular in seconds. But when her spell book goes missing in her untidy room, will Grimelda find another spooktacular pet to win the prize, or will her magic make an even larger mess?

We met cutie pie Grimelda in The Very Messy Witch. As you can see from the description, her home is not any neater, but her illustrations and rhymes are great! As adults will predict, Wizzlewarts turns out to be just the right pet in the end, but with a few fun twists along the way. Another fun read-aloud, especially paired with the earlier title!

Three out of four isn't bad! What is your favorite Halloween read-aloud?

***with apologies to illustrators Diana Murray and Chris van Dusen because I ran out of characters and couldn't tag everyone. Dang Blogger.

Review: Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima

9781481469098

$17.99

Growing up in the ocean, Kelp has always assumed that he was a narwhal like the rest of his family. Sure, he’s always been a little bit different—his tusk isn’t as long, he’s not as good of a swimmer, and he really doesn’t enjoy the cuisine. Then one night, an extra strong current sweeps Kelp to the surface, where he spots a mysterious creature that looks just like him! Kelp discovers that he and the creature are actually unicorns. The revelation leaves him torn: is he a land narwhal or a sea unicorn? But perhaps, if Kelp is clever, he may find a way to have the best of both worlds.

I have seen some interesting book trends come and go, but...narwhals? That is definitely an interesting one! We have two narwhal titles on our list of Cybils nominations, and a quick search comes up with at least six children's titles published in the past year!

Well, they are cute buggers, and this title combines narwhals with the unicorn, a topic we can never seem to satiate little ones' appetites for. Your kids will understand right away that Kelp is a bit misplaced (although the logistics of that happening are not really explained). There are more questions than surprises (How does he eat with the helmet on? How does he get more air? How does he know what he looks like? How is he reading a paper book UNDER THE WATER?), but for those willing to overlook technical details, it is a cute story about friendship.

*NOTE: This title has been nominated for the Cybils Award, and I am a first round panelist. There are many nominations and six other judges. My opinions should not be construed as a sign of inclusion or exclusion on the final short list.

Review: Egg by Kevin Henkes

9780062408723

$17.99

This masterful and stylistically original picture book introduces young children to four eggs. One is blue, one is pink, one is yellow, and one is green. Three of the eggs hatch, revealing three baby birds who fly away. But the green egg does not hatch. Why not? When the three birds return to investigate, they’re in for a big surprise! What will happen next?

Billed in places as a graphic novel for the younger set, this title is heavy on illustration and light on text. The repetition and prediction make it an excellent confidence-builder for the beginning reader - or even a child who is not reading yet, but who can tell a story with the pictures, and remember the few words read to him. (Yes, Shane, I mean you!)

It is also just a sweet story of friendship, with illustrations that belong on a nursery wall somewhere. Tuck it in an Easter basket for that special little one, or grab it from your library and plan some time to cuddle up together.

*NOTE: This title has been nominated for the Cybils Award, and I am a first round panelist. There are many nominations and six other judges. My opinions should not be construed as a sign of inclusion or exclusion on the final short list.

Review: Goodnight Numbers by Danica McKellar, and Alicia Padron

9781101933787

$16.99

This deceptively simple bedtime book, the first in the McKellar Math line, gives your child the building blocks for math success. As children say goodnight to the objects all around them—three wheels on a tricycle, four legs on a cat—they will connect with the real numbers in their world while creating cuddly memories, night after night.

Our kids are all way too young to remember Winnie from The Wonder Years, but that is how most of us first 'met' McKellar. I love, love, love this video telling when she first 'discovered' who she could be outside of that role:

McKellar has written several math books for the middle school age, explaining various math concepts in ways that are aimed to be more accessible and fun than your typical dry textbook. Here, she has branched out into picture books (and soon, for this title at least, board books) to spread the fun of numbers at an early age.

This isn't the only counting and/or bedtime book out there, but it certainly can't hurt to add another to your repertoire. Padron's soft illustrations are colorful and diverse. Children will have fun spying other sets of the same number in each spread - are those six flowers on the tent? Six musical notes? And, can you find all six bunnies? I will be interested to see how it translates into board book form - will the pictures be too tiny to pick details out? Other than that, I think the text will work out perfectly in that format!

*NOTE: This title has been nominated for the Cybils Award, and I am a first round panelist. There are many nominations and six other judges. My opinions should not be construed as a sign of inclusion or exclusion on the final short list.