Nonfiction Monday: How Cooking Works

I gushed a few weeks ago about DK's earlier cookbook, Cook it Together, and now I'm delighted to see another excellent kids' cookbook!

The book opens with an introduction that explains how to use the book and basic tools and safety. Then we're on to the goodies, divided up into four sections: "Start the day," which includes breakfasts, "Super Snacks," "Main Meals," and "Sweet Stuff."

The book's advertised "learn about the science of cooking" never really materializes. All the recipes include brief question and answer format factoids - why use oil for frying? why does granola brown when it's cooked? Why do we shake salad dressing? but there's not really much science.

But, with a book that teaches kids how to make vegetarian moussaka, marinated lime chicken, pea and mint soup, and cookie variations that include parmesan and pumpkin seed, apricots and cinnamon, and tomato paste and pine nuts, who cares?

I love the way the recipes include variations - which is rather scientific if you think about it - so the kids can experiment with the ingredients and the tastes. Like all DK books, it's heavily illustrated with excellent photographs and full of tidbits of information and yumminess!

Verdict: Purchase this one right away and watch the kids get cooking!

ISBN: 9780756690045; Published January 2012 by DK Publishing; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

This week at the library; or, Yes that was a break right there, if you blinked you missed it

Because now school visits start! My favorite little preschool (no favoritism, really! It's just that I know all the teachers and most of the kids and it's such a nice place...) visits every spring and this is their week. Each group gets a tour, a storytime, and a craft. If the weather is nice, we do chalk drawing in front of the library. If it's not, we make butterfly masks. Each group stays for 45 minutes to an hour and we have fun!

Monday (Not as much fun as I had anticipated, since I felt miserably sick all day. However, I did not throw up or faint in front of the kids so it's all good, right?)

• 8:30am Four year old kindergarten group 1
• 9:45 Four year old kindergarten group 2
• 11-12 Desk time
• 12:30 Four year old kindergarten group 3
• Rest of the day - did a few minor things, wondered if I was feeling sick because I was sick or because I hadn't eaten anything because I felt sick...and updated the public google calendar through August, a project much more time-consuming than it sounds.

Tuesday

• 9:15 Three year old preschool group (younger threes)
• Rest of the day -  worked on newsletter and finished a list of health/development books (read: sex ed) for the school district.
• 3:30ish met with the three elementary school librarians to plot out the district Battle of the Books which we host at the library (since last year).

Wednesday

• 10am Preschool Interactive
• 3:30 Messy Art Club - I was thinking about chalk drawing, but thought it might be too cold and it ended up raining so we went with 3-D paper sculptures instead from Make and Takes I brought out paper and scraps and lots of tape, glue, scissors, and markers.

Thursday

• 9:15 Three year old preschool group (older threes)
• I went back home for a while, ran some errands...
• 3:30 Elephant and Piggie Kids' Club (last meeting until next fall, assuming I do it again in the fall)
• Evening on the desk

Friday

• Staff Development Day! Library closed. We had an all-staff meeting, went to Best Buy to look at gadgets (I hate that our patrons expect us to know EVERYTHING about every single gadget, no matter how weird, unknown, or expensive. How do they think we acquire this knowledge when we can't afford to purchase any of these items, either for the library or ourselves?) had lunch and then a presentation on customer service.

I did something a little different with each preschool class, depending on how wiggly they were, how well the books worked, and whatever came into my head at the moment (the whole feeling sick thing, plus my general impromptu-ness). These are the books we read:

• What animals really like by Fiona Robinson (A hit with all the classes and teachers!)
• Faster! Faster! by Leslie Patricelli
• Oh no, George! by Chris Haughton (I really didn't care for the illustrations on this one, but the kids loved it and it grew on me)
• Monkey's friends by Ruth Brown
• Little Chicken's big day by Katie Davis (Some of the parents groaned when I told the kids they should use the refrain at home. Heh heh heh)
• Silly Doggy by Adam Stower
• Piggy Bunny by Rachel Vail (I only read this once. I thought this was weird - the kids listened, but I don't think they really understood it. They said they liked it but...I dunno, weird.)
• Guardian Team by Cat Urbigkit (I love this book. Big fluffy dog! The older kids liked it and it was great for our discussion about fiction vs. nonfiction)
• Traction Man is here! by Mini Grey (You have to have just the right group of kids for this. I had the right group. Fun!)
• Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett (I only read this with the older kids. I thought they might not get it, and I don't think they did totally, but we talked a lot about what an author and an illustrator is and I cut a few parts short and they listened through the whole thing)
• Secret Agent Splat by Rob Scotton (I don't like Splat the Cat, but the parents really do. The kids...eh, they can take it or leave it)

Home in the cave by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by Shennen Bersani

Baby Bat doesn't want to leave his cave - ever. When his mother flies out to catch insects, he reluctantly tries a few wing flaps, only to fall - and meet another inhabitant of the cave, Pluribus Packrat, who shows him all the creatures that depend on the bats.

Their guano and the fungus that grows in it feeds cave-dwelling insects that feed other insects - even in the water! Pack rats like Pluribus have to travel outside the cave to find seeds and berries, adding to the cycle. Baby Bat, realizing how important bats are and how the milk he drinks from his mother comes from the insects she eats, decides he's ready to be independent - right after a nap.

Anthropomorphized nonfiction isn't really my cup of tea - I prefer either straight facts or a completely fictional story. The text shies away from some of the realities of the food cycle; although the other baby bats talk about their mothers' narrow escapes, the text never specifically points out that one of the ways bats contribute to the cycle is by being eaten.

I wasn't able to judge the art as well as I'd like; I reviewed this in ebook format and it wasn't very clear (plus, and I freely admit it, I am overdue for new glasses). The pictures are soft and fuzzy and the mammals faces' expressive. I would have liked more detail in the depictions of the cave insects (in an objective sense - personally, I could see them as well as I wanted to, which was not very well!).

Like all of Sylvan Dell's nonfiction/fiction blend titles, there are extensive educational activities and resources included in the book.

Verdict: This title will work best for kids who like stories with nonfiction components mixed in and in schools. It's too long for storytime but the fictional components are probably going to put it in a picture book section, where most parents are looking for shorter titles. An additional purchase, primarily for schools.

ISBN: 1607185229; Published February 2012 by Sylvan Dell; Ebook provided for review by author

Fangbone! Third-Grade Barbarian by Michael Rex

Yet another one-color-themed graphic novel about alternate world barbarians in special education, guarding demon toes.

Uh...what?

Yep. You know how there's lots of one-color graphic novels for beginning and intermediate readers? Babymouse, Lunch Lady, Squish, Flying Beaver Brothers, etc. Well, this is the latest and it's orange.

And it's about barbarians. "In a world of swords, magic, barbarians, and evil big toes..." (and 95% males apparently), there's one small barbarian, Fangbone. He's determined to one day raise an army and be a great warrior, but until then he's the smallest, puniest kid. So when the Army of Drool approaches, he's the only one who can be spared to take the Big Toe of Drool to another world for safety.

In an effort to blend in, Fangbone joins some kids going into school and finds himself in a class of misfits - it quickly becomes obvious that this is the special education class. Fangbone is befriended by Bill, who has some anger management and attention issues and together they figure out what it really means to be a friend - and to triumph at Beanball, slay evil monsters, and explore different cultures.

As I read this book, half of my mind kept muttering "it's like Captain Underpants and I never liked the whole 'gross humor' genre and it's orange." The rest of my mind couldn't stop laughing. In short, I liked this book in spite of myself.

Fangbone encountering indoor plumbing for the first time "By the gods of Skullbania! This is sorcery!" Bill replies, "Nope. It's plumbing." Bill's mom wants to know what they're doing:
Bill: "We're going to find an army."
Bill's mom: "Sounds like fun. I'll be in the garden."
Fangbone: "May your harvest be rich and generous."

Fighting the ultimate bat monster:
Bill: "Keep it distracted! Hit it! Yell at it! Spit at it!"
Other student: "I'm not allowed to spit"
Fangbone and Bill: "This is war!"

The art is appropriately gross, with rumpled edges and neatly arranged panels. Most of the characters have deadpan faces, which makes it all the funnier when they show sudden shock or surprise - or in Fangbone's case, a mixture of smugness and cunning. The text is all caps, large enough to be readable, but not too easy.

The main "message" is loyalty to friends and that everyone has something to offer. However, it's not emphasized too heavily and despite its fantasy elements the book is actually pretty realistic. Even though Fangbone helps Bill and his friends triumph over the bullies and "normal" kids at Beanball, they all know it's just a temporary victory. The kids mostly roll their eyes at their teacher's platitudes about being special and tolerant - they know perfectly well they're the bottom of the food chain on the playground and pretty much in life. Working together, despite initial reluctance to take risks on the part of the other kids in the class, they can defeat the giant bat monster - but there's still a quiz!

Verdict: The next Captain Underpants, but less likely to get complaints from parents. Buy multiple copies.

ISBN: 9780399255212; Published January 2012 by G. P. Putnam; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

Nonfiction Monday: Cook it Together by Annabel Karmel

I've been looking for years for a really interesting, solid kids' cookbook. However, it seems that the vast majority are of the "how many ways can you combine peanut butter and various types of sugar" and never actually teach kids how to cook anything, just different ways to arrange snacks. Plus, they all have the same things because there's a limit to what you can make without an oven or sharp utensils!

Ok, rant over, because I have FOUND THE BOOK.

DK has done it again, with Annabel Karmel's Cook it together. Tons of photographs, simple recipes to follow, and really interesting, actual food!

The book begins with a section on spices and herbs, along with instructions on growing your own parsley. The main book is divided up into a main ingredient with several accompanying recipes. Each recipe has clearly marked steps, a list of ingredients, and tips from the author.

For example, the section on "Tomatoes" gives facts about the fruit and instructions on growing, then we get to the recipes - tomato bruschetta and tomato soup. Under "Corn" there's corn and chicken pasta salad and corn fritters. We learn how to make potato wedges and souffles, and in the section on rice there's a recipe for arancini (rice balls with cheese in the middle), and paella with seafood and chicken. There's fun food, snacks, and desserts as well - banana bites, banana butterfly cakes, strawberry layers, strawberry cheesecakes, baked apples and apple meringue tarts. And how many kids' cooking books teach you how to make apple and chicken curry, teriyaki-glazed salmon skewers, honey cakes, and your own chocolate truffles? The book finishes up with dark and white chocolate cakes, fruit brulee and chicken pitas with yogurt and mint dressing!

Everything is clearly illustrated with photographs, the instructions appear to be clear and simple, and my only regret is that when they printed the US version they gave it a pink spine - and the cupcakes on the front are kinda girly. This, however, has not deterred an excited stream of patrons from checking this book out. The only thing keeping it from constantly circulating is its repose on my shelf for a few months while I tried to find time to test out some of the recipes. Alas, that will have to wait, although I did purchase risotto rice for the arancini...

Verdict: You NEED this book in your library! The best kids' cooking book I've seen in a long time. Great variety of recipes, perfect for many different skills and ingredients, and food that both adults and kids will want to try!

ISBN: 9780756643027; Published May 2009 by DK; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

This week at the library; or, I was so busy I forgot what I was doing

Monday - It was very busy.

Tuesday - It was also busy. I know I called the animal shelter, sent out more donation letters, packed book bundles, had a conference call with the ys librarians in our area, did reference, worked on the 2012/2013 program calendar...but I think there was some other stuff in there too.

Wednesday - Left around 7:00am for a workshop up in Fitchburg from 9:30 to 12:30 (yes, I know it doesn't take 2 and a half hours to get there, but by the time I drove to Elkhorn, got the city car, collected my colleagues who were carpooling, and made the trip with only getting lost a few times, we got there just in time). Workshop turned out to be about Montessori spaces, not really early literacy spaces but was really good anyways and I got tons of ideas. Had lunch with our consortium's ys coordinator and said colleagues and the director of another library. Got back 15 minutes before Lego Club started - my aide had collected about 15 middle school kids to help her set up. Ran Lego Club. Staggered home.

Thursday - Ah, morning off. And no programs! Planning storytimes for the rest of April and May with sundry other tasks. Got quite a bit done while I was on the desk in the evening as well.

Friday - I'm going to miss my program-less Fridays when I take over Friday morning storytime in the fall (still tentative, but probably going to happen - which will mean I'll be doing 3 programs every week, plus whatever additional programs are planned). Closing on Fridays was, as always, crazy.

In the Sea by David Elliott, illustrated by Holly Meade

Mark it on your calendars, I am actually reviewing a poetry book!!

Elliott and Meade have previously collaborated on two picture books of short poems, On the Farm and In the Wild, but I have to say this is my favorite of the three.

Each full-page spread depicts a different ocean creature and is accompanied by a simple poem, perfect for reading aloud. Some of the poems are lighter, like the sea horse sea horse, "See the sea horse in the sea./Where else would a sea horse be?" or the giant squid, "Few have seen him./Few wish to./Hide from this one!/(That's what fish do.)"

Then there are more intense poems with delicious language like the sea turtle, "Swims the seven seas/for thirty years,/then finds the beach where she was born-/by magic it appears./How can she know to come upon/that far and sandy place?/Rare instrument of nature,/fair compass in a carapace."

Meade's stunning woodcuts give the art a larger-than-life feeling with dazzling patterns and colors spinning across the pages. She conveys the light and movement of the water and the creatures within in the watercolors that splash across the artwork and the creatures swimming, diving, spinning and floating in the ocean.

Verdict: This is one of the few poetry books I've found that I predict will be a hit at storytime. My preschool group loves learning new words and this book will hit the spot, salted as it is with fascinating vocabulary. The patterns of the art grabs the attention and will hold the kids enthralled as they listen to the smooth cadence of the verses. Highly recommended.


ISBN: 9780763644987; Published February 2012 by Candlewick; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

Scandalous: 50 shocking events you should know about (so you can impress your friends) by Hallie Fryd

I'm always interested in the teen nonfiction that Zest Books produces. It's usually interesting, different, a little quirky. This book has the potential to be a popular browsing read for teens, but some major issues as well.

Exactly as the title says, it's 50 scandals spread over the past hundred years. Each scandal has a headline, date, and brief summary "the scoop" and a list of the principal characters involved, "the players." A page or two of more details, "what went down" gives more information. Each section also has a captioned photo, a couple quotes, what happened to the people involved afterwards, how the scandal affected history and culture, and similar scandals.

The scandals are a diverse group beginning in 1906 with a murder and ending in 2000 with the Bush/Gore election. Scandals include:

• Upton Sinclair's exposure of meat-packing plants
• The murder accusation of silent film star "Fatty" Arbuckle
• Lindbergh kidnapping
• Rosenberg's trial and execution
• Jerry Lee Lewis' underage marriage scandal
• Kent State shooting
• Tuskegee Syphilis Study
• Jonestown Massacre
• Madonna's Blond Ambition tour
• Rodney King and the race riots
• Bill Clinton sex scandal

As a matter of personal interest, I knew 30 of them! The writing style is racy, the information is divided into bite-size bits, and there's a good mixture of history, politics, celebrities, and mysteries all mixed in together. I received this title as part of my Junior Library Guild's standing order for my teen section in the popular picks for older teens.

So, what's not to like? Well...the complete lack of any kind of sources to start with. It was also a bit jarring to see scandals that I lived through, that people still argue about, presented in a couple of pages with a "this is how it was and this is how people see it now" attitude, which is a bit one-sided. Also, the typo on page 12. And the typo on page 23. And on page 44. And page 54. And page 68. Oh, and the grammatical error on page 81. The error on page 107 is a quote, so it could be the quote that's wrong, but it's a punctuation error so...at that point I stopped counting. I kept flipping to the back of the book to see if I had accidentally been shipped a galley. I checked a couple other reviews and apparently there are some factual errors as well, which I missed.

Verdict: It was a great idea and teens are probably unlikely to notice the errors, but I can't believe they didn't at least run a grammar check, which would have caught some of the obvious typos! If they amend it, it's a great book. Otherwise, I would only purchase it if you want an example of poor proofreading. I'd send it back, but it's already cataloged.


[Update: I received a note from the publisher that this book was published during an editorial transition period - and I'm happy to note that the errors will be corrected in the second printing! So hang on to your budgets until then because this is a fun title teens will enjoy.]

ISBN: 9780982732205; Published February 2012 by Zest Books; Borrowed from the library; Purchased through Junior Library Guild standing orders for the library

Nonfiction Monday: Life in the ocean: The story of oceanographer Sylvia Earle by Claire Nivola

I thought Claire Nivola's Orani was a beautiful book, but with a limited potential audience. I was delighted to see that she's produced a book that's just as breathtaking artistically and textually but more accessible to children and adults looking for a read-aloud.

Nivola tells the story of Sylvia Earle, oceanographer from her childhood of observation in the New Jersey country and her first introduction to the ocean after their move to Florida to her ground-breaking explorations and discoveries of ocean life.

Sylvia Earle's adult life of exploration looks at her accomplishments - building and diving in submersibles, studying the ocean, and living underwater and also at the beauty of the ocean that she loves and tries to convey to the world.

Nivola's illustrations are amazing - she has managed to show the vastness of the ocean while still focusing on the stunning details of teeming life beneath the waves. Her watercolors are spare but detailed, colorful but simple. The picture of the whales swirling in elegant balletic moves beneath the waves is one of the few pieces of art I've seen that complete captures their weightlessness.

An author's note gives more details about Sylvia Earle and the plight of the ocean, while a bibliography lists a number of sources for the frequent quotes from Earle sprinkled throughout the text.

Verdict: The text is lengthy for a read-aloud to younger children like preschoolers, but would be great for an older read-aloud for grade school kids or reading aloud over a period of time. However, children and adults of all ages will appreciate the artwork. I rarely purchase picture books that aren't optimal read-alouds for at least one age group in storytime, but this is more than worth making an exception to that rule.

ISBN: 9780374380687; Published March 2012 by Farrar Straus Giroux; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

This week at the library; or, The eggs have arrived!

Monday - Not as crazy as I expected after four days off, although the phone was ringing off the hook. Staff meeting, and the eggs arrived. Of course I had trouble setting up the incubator and egg experts immediately started appearing out of the woodwork. Funny, all their advice entails a heck of a lot more work for me and directly contradicts someone else's advice! Hopefully the temperature and humidity will level out.

Tuesday - Day of busyness. Incubator was at OMG 75!! when I came in this morning. Hopefully the eggs survived and it seems to have leveled out and be working fine now.


Wednesday - Day of extreme busyness. Preschool Interactive in the morning and then our big program in the afternoon. Woody's Reading Round-Up was a collaborative program with our school district's Parent Connections. This is our second "big" collaboration program - last year we did a Royal Wedding Party. I'm still figuring out the best way to get everything streamlined and working, but it went really well. The library (with funds from United Way) purchased a petting zoo and supplied space and craft materials (crayons, markers, glitter, etc.) while Miss Pattie and her army of volunteers cut out craft projects, made party favors, amazing photo ops cardboard cutouts, etc. etc. The live music didn't show up (teens - they forgot it was today!) but we had about 200 people so I doubt anyone could have heard music over the din.


Thursday - busyness continues. Informal meeting with director about storytime. Program meeting. Suddenly remembering I had a program. Only one more Elephant and Piggie to go! I might try E&P on a smaller scale in the fall - maybe starting at 3:45. I'm just too busy to handle it right now though. We're just reading stories, mostly me trying out books I've borrowed from other libraries. Today's trials:

• Duckling gets a cookie by Mo Willems
• How many jelly beans by Andrea Menotti
• Martina the beautiful cockroach by Carmen Agra Deedy
• Wolf won't bite by Emily Gravett
• And then it's spring by Julie Fogliano
• Frog and Fly by Jeff Mack

We made three dimensional paper rainbows from TeachPreschool and played with puppets. Only 12 people came. Hit by sudden wave of exhaustion that evening, probably due to only having scored one meal so far this day.

Friday - Half day, because I'm working tomorrow. Trying to get a start on summer reading.

Saturday - Too busy to think, but I did get a few things done (in addition to answering a gazillion questions, talking to kids, talking to parents, troubleshooting computers and printers, and putting together projects for my aide.