Book Review: The Scraps Book-Lois Ehlert

Ever wonder what's it's like to be artist ( or how they get their ideas)?

 In The Scraps Book, acclaimed children's author/illustrator Lois Ehlert shares how her parents encourage her at an early age to be creative to how she gets ideas for her books. Also included are photos, notes, and illustrations( plus more) from the author herself.

A great read for creative minds of all ages.

The Scraps Book by Lois Ehlert
Age Level: 5-10
Lexile: 640
***** ( 5 stars)

I'm a huge fan of Ehlert and her collage artwork. I've used some of her books for programming. Here are some recommendations:

• Boo to You 
• Leaf Man
• Waiting for Wings
• Circus
• Nuts to You 

Bookworm List: Shark Week!!

A big thanks to all that took part in this Summer Reading Program. It was fun and there's more fun to come this fall. But now... it's Shark Week!!



glitter-graphics.com


Yes, we now have on display books about sharks, big and small, for Discovery Channel's week of sharks.  First held in July 1988, it was developed to raise shark awareness. ( For more info and list of shows, visit the official website.)

Did you know...

( courtesy of Sharks-Science for Kids)

• Sharks do not have a single bone in their bodies. Instead they have a skeleton made up of cartilage; the same type of tough, flexible tissue that makes up human ears and noses.

• Sharks have outstanding hearing. They can hear a fish thrashing in the water from as far as 500 metres away!

• A pup (baby shark) is born ready to take care of itself. The mother shark leaves the pup to fend for itself and the pup usually makes a fast get away before the mother tries to eat it!

• Great whites are the deadliest shark in the ocean. These powerful predators can race through the water at 30 km per hour.

• A shark always has a row of smaller teeth developing behind its front teeth. Eventually the smaller teeth move forward, like a conveyor belt, and the front teeth fall out.

Want to learn more? Here are some  shark books that on display:

• The World Strangest Sharks by Victor Gentle and Janet Perry
• Surprising Sharks by Nicola Davies
• A Shark Pup Grows Up by Pam Zollman
• Tough, Toothy Baby Sharks by Sandra Markle

Most of our nonfiction shark books are under the call number 597.3 For stories featuring sharks, search " Sharks-Juvenile Fiction" or " Sharks-Fiction".

Happy Shark Week! Keep Reading!!

Book Review: Let There Be Light-Archbishhop Desmond Tutu

 

For most of us ( religious or non-religious), the Bible story of creation has always been moving. And Let There Be Light shows just how moving it can be.

Drawn from his Children of the God Storybook Bible, author and Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu presents a simple but powerful telling of how the world was created. What makes this book more wonderful are the breathtaking artwork of Nancy Tillman (author and illustrator of some wonderful books On the Night You Were Born and The Spirit of Christmas). There seems be a magical, warm glow with each picture. I especially love the picture with the powerful waves of the ocean. A book meant to read again and again ( and possibly worth adding to your shelf!!)

Let There Be Light by Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Age Range: All Ages
***** ( 5 stars)

For a preview of the stunning artwork, check out the book's trailer-

Want more books on the creation story? Here are a few recommendations:

• Let the Whole Earth Sing Praise by Tomie DePaola
• Creation by Gerald McDermott
• Who Made Me? by Shirley Tulloch
• I Sing for the Animals by   Paul Goble

Book Review-Unlikely Friendships for Kids ( Volume 1)-Jennifer S. Holland

 

Can a monkey and a dove be friends? Yes, they can. And you can read all about it in Unlikely Friendships for Kids ( Volume 1). Based on Jennnifer S. Holland's best-selling book, Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom, this kid version of the book not only introduces readers to   these creatures but four other stories, like Cashew the dog and Libby the seeing-eye cat. Plus cute animal photos and a glossary of animal terms.

Unlikely Friendship for Kids ( Volume 1) by Jennifer F. Holland
Age Range: 6-10
**** ( 4 stars)
Note- The catalog has the book listed as The Monkey and the Dove: and Four Other True Stories of  Animal Friendships .


Want to learn about more unusual animal friendships? Check out Holland's original book ( which also features the stories of Owen the hippo and Mzee the turtle and Koko the gorilla and her kittens) and her new book, Unlikely Loves: 44 Heartwarming True Stories from the Animal Kingdom. Also check out:

• Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff
• Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby
• Koko's Story  by Francine Patterson
• Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival by Kirby Larson

Book Review- Awesome Autumn- Bruce Goldstone

 

Why do leaves change color in the fall? How does frost form?  These and more questions are answered in Awesome Autumn, a book that looks at all aspects of fall, from the changes in animals to the sights, sounds and shapes of autumn.

I love fall, and this book does a great job of reminding us of how "awesome" autumn is. This book is filled with wonderful information ( plus wonderful pictures) on everything from viewing the seasons from different senses ( love the use of big print and photos in the words for the sounds of autumn) to the two major holidays of the fall- Halloween and Thanksgiving. We also get some art activities (plus the instructions) at the end.

A perfect read aloud for all ages.

Awesome Autumn by Bruce Goldstone
Age Level- All Ages
Lexile-690
***** ( 5 stars)

Book Review: The Beatles were Fab (and They were Funny)-Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer

 

Once about a time, there were four lad from Liverpool who loved to sing and make music. But they were also four friends who loved to laugh. Follow John, George, Paul and Ringo, as they go to "toppermost of the poppermost", always with silliness and laughter.

This is a great book for Beatle fans, whether young or old.  The book follows the Beatles chronologically, from the formation of the band in 1960 to their last live concert in 1966. Fun facts and stories are sprinkled throughout , such as Paul's father asking the group to change "yeah, yeah, yeah" in " She Loves You" to a polite "Yes" (they don't) and American fans, unable to find the English candy jelly babies, pelting the group with hard jellybeans ( and John's solution: Eat them.)

The illustrations  by Stacy Innerst are bright and quirky, especially the bobble-head caricatures of the Beatles (  Paul is cute, but  Ringo and his big nose  are  the best!!) Also included is a timeline ( which even features each member's birth and Lennon's and Harrison's death) and list of recommended books and websites.

A must-have for Beatle fans or those wanting to learn about the Beatles!!

The Beatles were Fab (and They were Funny)-Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer
Age Range: 6-9
Lexile: 860
***** ( 5 stars)

Book Review: Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Bird-Sy Montgomery

 

On a small island off the southern coast of New Zealand, there lives the bird called the kakapo ( pronounced KAR-ka-poe). Known as the "night parrot",  they are flightless, heavy birds that smell of honey and making booming or growling sounds. Once numbered in millions, there are only ninety left in existence. Join author Sy Montogomery and photographer Nic Bishop to Codfish Island to meet these rare and unusual parrots and the team of volunteers working to save them.

Being a fan of wild life programs like Wild America, I immediately loved this book ( and actually want to see a kakapo!!) Montegomery and Bishop do such a great job of presenting this trip, it feels like I'm actually there, seeing  these amazing birds. Filled with vivid pictures and amazing facts and stories, one will learn that life on Codfish Island is filled with happy and sad moments, triumphs and tragedies. Part of the great Scientists in the Field series, this is an amazing read you won't forget.

 Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Bird by Sy Montgomery
Age Range: 10-14
Lexile: 940
***** (5 stars)

To learn more about the Kakapo Recovery Team and their continuing efforts, visit their website (where you also hear sounds and see videos of the kakapo.)

Review-Balloons over Broadway-Melissa Sweet

 

What are the things that make up Thanksgiving? Food, family, and floats. Yes, before heading to the relatives to fill up on turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie, boys and girls get up around 9 am to watch Macy's annual three hour parade of balloons, Broadway shows, and the big man himself, Santa Claus for 85 years ( it was suspended in 1942-44 because of WWII). But how did it all begin?

In Balloons over Broadway, we are introduced to Tony Sarag ( which the author says " rhymes with aargh" on the first page),  who as a child, loved to make marionettes( which are puppets that are operated  by strings. When he grew up, he first moved to London, England to work as a puppeteer, then came back to the States to perform on Broadway. But then R. H. Macy,  founder of Macy's, heard about Sarag's puppets and asked Sarag to create some for the store's holiday window display. But Macy's had bigger plans: a parade for their employees, particularly the immigrants unable to return home for the holidays. So in 1924,  the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade of floats, clowns, and  live animals was born. But  as the parade got popular, having live animals became a bit  of a problem. So in 1927, Sarag was asked to replace the animals. How? With balloons that worked like upside-down marionettes.

Sweet uses various items, from collage to 3-D puppets, to tell the story behind one of Thanksgiving's traditions.  We even gets news clippings and additional background information about Sarag.

Balloons Over Broadway-Melissa Sweet
Age Range: 6-9
Lexile: 835
***** ( 5 stars)

Want to learn more about the parade? Visit the official website for history, games, plus information on who will be performing this year.

Review- Elephants can Paint Too!-Katya Arnold

 

Kayta Arnold is an art teacher who teaches art in two different schools: one at a private school in Brooklyn, the other.. in the jungle. Some of these students have hands, others... have trucks. In Elephants can Paint Too!, Arnold shows she teaches elephants to paint amazing works of art ( plus her human students in the city).

I love that the book shows the elephants at work ( and that like human artists, they too can get messy.) I also like that the print is big and simple for a child to read, and that there are elephant facts for the the adult to read to the child ( such as an elephant's truck is both a hand and a nose, and that it has 150,000 muscles.) Arnold also provides information about the elephant art project ( called Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project in the back ( such as the website www.elephantart.com where one can learn more about the elephants and purchase their artwork.)

Elephants can Paint Too!-Katya Arnold
Age Range: 3 and up
Lexile: 660   
***** ( 5 stars)

Rest in Peace Little Eisbarbaby

 

So yesterday, while reading an article on Hunger Games's star Jennifer Lawrence, I saw one of the side headlines was that Knut the polar bear had died (  see http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20475069,00.html  for more information).  To honor the memory of German's  beloved Eisbarbaby  ( German for " polar bear cub"), I felt like mentioning a book I used about two year ago for a program on the animals of the North and South Poles.


 Knut: How One Little Bear Captivated the World introduces to the beginning of Knut. Born Dec 5, 2006 at Zoo Berlin, he and an unnamed twin were raised by  zoo keeper Thomas Dorflein ( October 13, 1963 –  September 22,2008) after being abandon by their mother.  Sadly, the twin died a few day later due to an infection, so Thomas took to raise the bear that the world would know as "Knut" ( and Thomas selected that name thirty-two days after his birth because he felt the bear fit that name).

Written by Craig Hatkoff and his daughters Juliana and Isabella ( who wrote the books about Owen the hippo and Mzee the tortoise), Knut features lovable pictures of the cub and "dad", from exchaging a kiss to  learning to swim, along with facts about polars bears, prounuciation of German words and terms,  and how to keep their environment safe from global warming.  If you love animals, especially polar bears, you'll love this
 book.


Knut: How One Little Bear Captivated the World
Ages: 6 and up
Lexile: 950
***** ( 5 stars)

 On a personal note, when I read parts of this book for a program on animals of the North and South Poles ( and a few school visits for the library's Read-a-thon program), the kids love it. They even thought he was still cute when I showed them what he looked like as a grown bear.  RIP Knut.