Chick and Chickie Play All Day! by Claude Ponti

My favorites of the TOON comics for beginning readers are the Zig and Wikki series and the Benny and Penny series - my patrons seem to concur with me on this, as those are the most frequently checked out TOON titles.

Chick and Chickie looks like it's one that I'm going to be on the fence about. Chick and Chickie, distinguishable only by their slightly different colors, are having fun. First they make masks and scare each other.

Then they drag out a letter A to play school with...a letter A with a face, and flexible structure. They tickle it, throw it, bring it food, threaten it, and leave it alone, all the while discussing how they are making it feel. It finally runs away while they talk about playing with B the next day.

Like the other Level 1 TOON books, it's formatted in a horizontal rectangle, instead of the traditional easy reader vertical rectangle. Each page has a single panel, some of them running the length of the entire spread. The art is simple with the focus being on Chick and Chickie and their activities against an empty background.

The first episode, where they scare each other with masks, is a good story. It has suitable words, fun expressions, and a plot that young children will identify with and enjoy. The second episode, with the A, was strange. It was oddly disconnected and the two chicks manipulating the letter's emotions is just...freaky "When we are nice...he is happy. When we look scary...he is afraid!" Apparently, the author is well-known for his "explorations of the nonsense world of dreams" and there is certainly a dream-like quality about this tale.

Verdict: If you have a strong audience for the TOON books, you'll want to add this title, but it's not the most accessible and the oddly nightmarish quality about it may bother some children. The Silly Lilly series and Little Mouse Gets Ready are better choices for comics for beginning readers.


ISBN: 9781935179146; Published February 2012 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by the publisher

Nonfiction Monday: Prairie Dog's Hideaway by Dee Phillips

Today I'm looking at a title from one of Bearport's newest quirky animal series - The Hole Truth! Underground Animal Life. This particular volume examines prairie dogs.

First of all, they are so cute! Like furry guinea pigs with extra fat bottoms! *pause for the cuteness*

Ok, now we can move on. The book introduces the young reader to a prairie dog town and basic facts about the prairie dog, then explores their underground homes with cut-away illustrations and photos. We learn why they live underground and how they escape from predators as well as how their underground homes fit into their life cycle - diet and baby prairie dogs.

The illustrations are a mixture of photographs and pictures with bubbles of extra text, captions with arrows, and  a new feature, boxed text asking questions that students can think about like "This female prairie dog is carrying grass to her burrow. What do you think she will use the grass for?" Some of the captions are unnecessary, like the picture of a prairie dog digging, next to the text about prairie dogs digging their homes, has a caption reading "a prairie dog digging a burrow." There is one typo on page 20, "prarie" instead of prairie. The book ends with a "science lab" game, figuring out the closest hole for a prairie dog to run to. There is a section of "science words," burrow, mate, prairies, predators, squirrel and territory, each with a small picture and definition. The final page has a brief index, additional resources, and link to more information on Bearport's website.

Verdict: This is an interesting topic, but the couple oddities - the superfluous captions and typo - detract from what would otherwise be a solid offering for beginning and intermediate readers. I like the addition of questions throughout the text for the reader to think about, but the "science words" section was a little odd - since when is "squirrel" a "science word"? However, the subject matter and easy text outweigh these minor issues in my mind and I'd definitely put this series on the library's wishlist.

ISBN: 9781617724084; Published 2012 by Bearport; Review copy provided by publisher; Added to the library's wishlist

This week at the library; or, Cutting back...I hope

Monday. Have I mentioned recently how much I love my vendor, BWI? Soooo easy to use, can always quickly get in touch with someone, and they fix things asap! Even when the mistake is my fault!
9-1 Desk time. It might have been a little quieter than usual since many people assume we're closed on President's Day, but someone brought over a large number of homeless people to spend the day in the library, so it was rather busy.
1-5 Staff meetings. We determined, among other things, that we have set an impossible pace and it is time to cut back programming and focus.

Tuesday Planning. Book bundles. Cleaning off my desk (layers dating back several weeks and not a clear spot in sight) Putting together minutes from the previous day's staff meetings. Planning. Took books to preschool. Finished off the day with a couple hours at kindergarten registration. A little different this year because it's only 4k, not five year old registration and I only stayed an hour and a half, not the usual three hours. Trying to stick to my New Year's resolution of not working 12 hour days anymore (have only done...um...maybe 2 so far this year). One of the highlights of the evening was when I met a woman who looked vaguely familiar...and she turned out to be the mom of one of my storytime regulars (her babysitter brings her) a little girl so bright she sparkles! Her mom said she sings our storytime songs, especially Elizabeth Mitchell's Sunny Day, at home all the time. Awwwww.

Wednesday Huge group again at Preschool Interactive! Will hopefully make up for next year, when 4k is going to five days a week and my entire storytime group will disappear *sigh*. After storytime I had an Early Head Start group. Only three families, and two did not speak English, so the Head Start teacher translated. I picked some different books to make it easier to translate and we:

• read Where is Tippy Toes by Betsy Lewin
• read Otto the Book Bear by Katie Cleminson
• sang five green and speckled frogs
• read Little Dog Lost by Carnesi
• sang Sunny Day
• made the peacock crafts from Preschool Interactive
• and they brought their lunch. I also talked about library services and showed them our Spanish collections.

Lego Club was fairly large, about 40 people. We are running out of Legos! I don't think we have less than when we started, I think a lot of the kids have started to form friendships and build collaboratively, and they're all building larger edifices.

Thursday Came in early b/c my dentist appt. ended early. Spent all my extra time coming and going as I tried to run errands but had to keep coming back for things I had forgotten.
   I like the idea of the Elephant and Piggie Kids' Club but I'm having a lot of problems with this program. When I revamped the Preschool Interactive, I spent several months promoting it, doing marketing, reworking it, and make storytime plans. I only spent a few weeks on E&P and so few people are aware of it. I also have no backlog of plans and am finding myself planning the program a few hours before I do it. Plus, I don't think I have the time to do this program as well. I am afraid I will have to cancel it after April. On the other hand, the parents don't seem to care, they just like coming and hanging out and I've gotten ok numbers. I planned today's about an hour beforehand and we:

• sang Sunny Day by Elizabeth Mitchell
• Read Watch me throw the ball by Mo Willems
• Limelight Larry by Leigh Hodkinson
• sang Cat goes fiddle-i-fee with my flannelboard (I need to tell parents to keep clapping even when I stop to put up the pieces!)
• read The wolf and the seven little kids (I wimped out and just said that the wolf was never seen again. I had some very sensitive parents and younger kids)
• read Chopsticks by Amy Rosenthal
• made button people
• played in the puppet theater

Then it was a busy evening with Daisy scouts, new books, and Amazon orders. And a very snowy, slushy drive home.

Friday More snow. Lots of snow. But that didn't deter anyone from coming to Open Storyhour. When there's no school, Miss Pattie doesn't come, since she works through the school district (except in summer, which is a different thing). I have observed that we get a lot of older kids on these no school days, and I got tired of the endless "where's Miss Pattie?" questions (despite telling people weeks ahead of time that she would be gone) so I'm going to try making it clear that this is NOT me being a poor substitute for Pattie's Toddler's 'n' Books, but a whole different storytime program for all ages. However, the only thing certain about programming on no school days is that nothing is certain, and six inches of thick, wet snow did not help. We had about 20 people, very disparate ages - grade school kids from Elephant and Piggie that I invited (who got bored with the younger stories and wandered out) and very young toddlers and babies from the regular storytime (who got wiggly with the longer stories and went out to play. We:

• sang Boots by Laurie Berkner
• read I will not read this book by Cece Meng
• read I want my hat back by Jon Klassen
• did a flannelboard of Five little snowmen
• read Kitten's Winter by Eugenie Fernandes
• read Otto the Book Bear by Katie Cleminson
• sang Sunny Day by Elizabeth Mitchell

Then I worked three hours on the desk. Then I did our sewing workshop. Only four girls had signed up, but about five more had promised to come. We ended up with three girls and a boy (who refused to be photographed or have his presence recorded in any way). There was a lot of variety in the sewing ability, but it worked out pretty well. One thing I did that made things a lot easier was use darning needles and embroidery thread instead of regular needles and thread. It worked fine b/c we were sewing on knit material like hats and on flannel and was easier for the kids to see and manipulate. Finished up and left about 5:30

I will not read this book by Cece Meng, illustrated by Joy Ang

I liked this book until the end. A little boy dramatically declares he won't read a fairly thick-looking book. The words are too hard. He reads too slowly. 

He won't read the book even if you dangle him over a cliff. Upside down. With sharks below. From a rope that's breaking!

But then...it turns out he's being dangled upside-down by his mom and in the end they're going to read the book together before bedtime.

Ok, I realize there's a trend in education for teaching kids to read younger and younger, but most kids don't start to hate reading until at least first grade, usually second or third. Few moms can dangle a second or third grader upside down, let alone throw him in the air and catch him, especially a woman as skinny as the mom pictured! Would an older child even want that? It's more something you'd do with a preschooler. I just felt there was a clash between the child's age and attitude and it bugs me. And there's no real reason for him to suddenly change his mind and want to read the book.

Verdict: The pictures are cute, very Santat-like, and the mounting list of horrible things is hilarious, but I can't handle the ending. I might read it on a school visit, where I don't have to finish it!

ISBN: 9780547049717; Published September 2011 by Clarion; Borrowed from the library

The Loopy Coop Hens: Pip's Trip by Janet Morgan Stoeke

I usually find picture book sized easy readers annoying - where do you shelve them? Who do you give them to? But Janet Morgan Stoeke could never annoy me. Everything she does is amazing!

Her new chicken series, Loopy Coop Hens, is as perfectly delightful and exquisitely simple as the Minerva Louise series. Midge, Dot, and Pip are three chickens who thirst for adventure. Or do they? Only Pip is brave enough to actually climb into the truck and go out into the world! It's an amazing adventure!

Until she realizes that, um, she didn't actually go anywhere. But her friends reassure her she was still brave - and they find a much better adventure right at home.

The large type and short, simple sentences, "Pip shuts her eyes. She hides. She waits." are perfect for a beginning reader, but Stoeke's combination of subtly humorous illustrations and tongue-in-cheek text makes this a fun read-aloud for toddlers as well.

Her chickens' silly, scared, and funny expressions are the stars of the story. Like her Minerva Louise characters, she puts an amazing amount of expression into the simple lines of the chickens' faces and bodies.

Verdict: Highly recommended - hand to parents with pre-readers and read aloud to toddlers. The story is divided into chapters, which beginning readers will love!

ISBN: 9780803737082; Published January 2012 by Dial; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

Nonfiction Monday: Zig and Wikki in The Cow by Nadja Spiegelman, illustrated by Trade Loeffler

I reviewed the first Zig and Wikki last year, when I was first starting to focus on adding more nonfiction to my easy reader section. Since then, I've added a lot of nonfiction - the most popular being the National Geographic early readers. While Zig and Wikki aren't as popular as these, the first book circulates frequently. Zig and Wikki and Benny and Penny are the most popular of the TOON books I've added to the library.

So how does the new Zig and Wikki measure up? Zig is worried about his pet fly, collected at the end of the last book. According to Wikki's information, flies are part of the earth's ecosystem and need to be there to survive. So Zig and Wikki take a trip back to earth, ending up on a farm. They learn about flies, dung beetles, cows, and how they all work together.

The art follows the same format as the previous story, with a combination of simple panels and dialogue bubbles interspersed with Wikki's definitions and information, shown in unbordered panels. The same natural tones are still used with a strong realism in the drawings and some photography and diagrams in the informational sections.

Of course, there are plenty of jokes about cow patties and snide comments from Wikki, who is jealous of Zig's fly friend and exasperated by Zig's habit of getting too caught up in his exploration to notice important things - like when a cow eats their spaceship!

Verdict: Funny and factual, this title will appeal to kids on a number of levels. I think this series will continue to be one of TOON's most popular offerings and I highly recommend it, especially if you are working on adding more nonfiction to your easy reader collection.

ISBN: 9781935179153; Published February 2012 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by publisher; Purchased for the library

This week at the library; or, NOW it snows!

Monday - must write myself a note, "shifting ALWAYS takes longer than you think it will!" Finally finished the shifting, after working all day Friday and today. Still have the labels to put on the shelves and all the collection development work for the series to do.

Tuesday - It took me THREE HOURS to print out the labels for the series. Of course, other stuff was going on. It was an insane morning. But still, three hours!! Then I had a ton of preparation for tomorrow's programs. Overall, it was a very Alexanderine day.

Wednesday - Gorgeous weather in the morning, which is probably why I had a smaller group at Preschool Interactive, 25. But lots of love for our food/farm stories and our new opening dance song, Boots by Laurie Berkner!

• A gazillion things happened. Around 3pm I realized I felt woozy b/c I had forgotten to eat lunch. Oh well.
• We made treasure boxes for Messy Art Club. 20? 30? people came. I had a bunch of premade paper mache boxes from various craft supplies, leftover scrapbooking paper, old magazines to cut up, stickers, tissue paper, and lots of glue. We used the glue to decoupage the boxes (or just stuck stickers everywhere). Lots of fun and I got several new people with younger kids coming over.
• Finally left around 5:45. Got home and discovered glue on my pants. Probably from the after-program hugs with sticky fingers (-:) Cleaned it off. Ate some dinner. Found more glue. Decided to just throw the pants in the wash and walked over to Sara the Librarian's library, where she was working the reference desk, to plan the joint storytime we're possibly doing on Saturday.
• Very tired.

Thursday  - Planning...still dealing with fallout from Tuesday...book bundles. I cannot keep up!

Friday - Just worked a half day, because I'm working tomorrow. Ran errands in the morning (why do I always end up running errands for the library on my half day?) Then had desk time. Had planned to do a lot of things, but it was a very busy afternoon/evening and I was kept busy popping up and down. I stayed a few minutes later to finish a backup/download and took stuff home to work on...

Saturday - I went to our county's Family Resource Fair. I was sharing a table with Sara the Librarian and Miss Pattie had another program so I ran her table as well. We packed up my car a little before 9, got our table set up, and had a fair amount of people stop by. I brought masks and bookmarks and Sara the Librarian brought coloring stuff and popsicle sticks. We did a quick storytime midway through - too noisy for a really good storytime but a few kids dropped by. Got home around 2. Phew! Oh, and I learned the dire news that 4k in our town is going to be five days a week, instead of having Wednesdays off in the fall. Argh! There goes my preschool programming!

Oh, and my flannelboards can now be found at my blog Storytime Extras

Rant of the week...

The This is What a Librarian Looks Like thing really annoys me. I would be more annoyed but I am too tired. How many non-librarians actually read these things? And who the heck cares if we wear our hair in buns and have boring lives?And if I have to break librarian stereotypes and be "interesting" on top of being the only youth services librarian serving a population of approx. 24,000, including marketing, outreach, programming, reference, reader's advisory, fundraising/grant writing, collection development and being part of the management team, I am going to curl up in a ball and cry.

The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Bernadette Watts

This is one of my favorite of the Brothers Grimm folktales. It's not quite as well-known as the other wolf stories, but something about this one has always grabbed me.

An old mother goat leaves her seven kids at home while she goes out to look for food. Of course, she warns them not to let strangers in, especially the wolf! and reminds them they can recognize him by his gruff voice and black paws.

Of course, the wolf shows up as soon as she's gone, and the kids helpfully tell him they know he's not their mother - he has a gruff voice! So he goes off to village, buys a piece of chalk, and eats it to make his voice soft and gentle.

I always wondered what eating chalk would do to your voice...

He knocks again, but this time the kids get a look at his feet and know he's not their mother - he's got black paws. So off to the baker, who hands over dough to put on his paws and then to the miller for flour. The miller is the only one of the village storekeepers who realizes there's something a little odd about the wolf's requests, but the wolf threatens to eat him so he hands over the flour.

Which makes me wonder - are there a lot of wolves wandering around this village, eating chalk and wrapping their paws in dough?

Back at the house, the kids let in the wolf (did their mother not take a key with her?). They try to hide, each in a different spot, but the wolf finds and eats them all, except the youngest who has hidden in the grandfather clock. He goes off to sleep off his meal and the old mother goat returns home. Horrified, she calls her kids one by one...and when she gets to the youngest, he answers (Why not before? Did he think the wolf had somehow divined his siblings' names after he had eaten them?)

They go for a walk. Nature heals, you know. Luckily, they come upon the wolf and see something moving in his stomach. Old mother goat cuts open his stomach (he SLEEPS through this??) and out pop the goats. They replace the goats with stones. When the wolf wakes up, he's thirsty and goes to get a drink...and falls in and drowns. The goats celebrate and live happily ever after.

There isn't really a moral to this (Always make sure your mother takes her key? Get a bigger peephole in your door? Don't fall asleep after eating 6 baby goats?) But the folklore rhythm of the story and the repetition is irresistible to children - and I still love this story myself.

The best edition I've found is Bernadette Watts. Her pictures are delightful and I love that she's made all the protagonists animals, so the doubtful miller is a cat (which makes the wolf's threat much more believable) while the storekeeper who sells the wolf the chalk is a rather dim-looking sheep.

Verdict: A little long for a toddler storytime, but a perfect choice for longer storytimes. If you have abnormally sensitive kids and parents you might want to skip the wolf's death, but most kids will be pleased by the logic - you eat someone's kids, you drown. Makes sense to me.

ISBN: 1558584455; Published September 1995 by North-South (out of print); Borrowed from the library; Added to my personal wishlist

Wrong Way by Mark Macleod, illustrated by Judith Rossell

A delightfully naughty duckling persists in going his own way. His siblings, Right Way and Your Way, do just what mother duck wants, but Wrong Way insists on marching to his own drummer. Whether his legs are bored with walking or he insists on eating snails when everyone else is going for a swim, he does things his own way. Eventually, his mother and siblings agree that it's not the wrong way - it's just different.

The story is a bit light and a little too heavy-handed in its moral in places, but the real appeal of this picture book is the pictures. The ducklings are adorably fluffy and Rossell has perfectly captured their gawky awkwardness and long legs. Their mother is comfortably fluffy and agreeably indulgent. The soft pastels and delicate details of the ducks and landscape are extremely appealing.

Verdict: A delightfully calming book for toddlers and well worth the extra effort to purchase it - Kane Miller titles can be purchased here as well as through independent bookstores and Barnes and Noble.

ISBN: 9781610670777; Published March 2012 by Kane Miller; Review copy provided by publisher; Added to the library's wishlist

Cybils Awards Announced!

The Cybils Awards have been announced! If, like me, you are planning to do a huge display of award-winning books in March (after everything has finally been ordered...maybe April) check out this list!

You can see all my Cybils fun this year here, including my thoughts on the finalists and nonfiction picture book reviews.

Now to start squirreling away nominations for Cybils 2012!