Meet at the ark at eight by Ulrich Hub, illustrated by Jorg Muhle

Publisher's description: "Two squabbling penguins who smuggle their little friend aboard Noah's ark under the watchful eyes of an officious, overworked dove, find many answers to their questions about God during their journey."

My first thought when I saw that was, "uh....no." Who would ever read that? But those penguins look awfully adorable and I read a couple other blurbs from the publisher and became interested. So, I requested a copy from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

To sum up, I really enjoyed this book but I can't think of a kid at the public library that I would hand it to. Although it's loosely framed around the story of Noah's Ark, Noah only appears briefly at the end and most of the story is dialogue between the three penguins and then the dove. In the end, the penguins and dove pair off and I think that's really going to bother some people, even more than the religious questions. People are weird.

The original description is a little misleading, since there's no final answer to the penguins' questions about God. It's not an overtly religious book for any particular denomination, but it raises topics like why does God allow suffering, how do you know God exists, and does God make mistakes? I don't think many kids will pick up on one of the main themes - that all these different creatures are defining God the way they see him - without some adult guidance. It's also quite funny, in an almost adult way, with little digs and sly jokes here and there.

Verdict: This would be a really interesting book to read together with an 8-12 year old, or younger, to spark discussions about God and religion. However, I don't think it's going to be of general interest in the public library. I will probably donate my copy to the local Catholic school, as I think this is something they'd find interesting to discuss with the kids.

ISBN: 9780802854100; Published September 2012 by Eerdmans; Review copy provided by publisher through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

Happy like soccer by Maribeth Boelts, illustrated by Lauren Castillo

This picture book hits so many perfect points it's hard to know where to begin.

Sierra loves to play soccer and is thrilled that's she's been accepted for a team that plays in a real field, with coaches and "shiny girls." But she's sad that her aunt, whom she lives with, can never come to see her play. When her aunt is finally able to come watch her game, it gets rained out. Then Sierra has an idea; have a game at the old field near her home. Finally, the people she knows and loves can see her play in her own neighborhood.

Lauren Castillo's illustrations are beautifully restrained, filling in the emotion that lies behind the text and gently illustrating both the similarities and differences of the girls.

What I love about this story is it has so many levels and it's pitch-perfect. There's Sierra's poetic enjoyment of soccer, her determination to share that love with her family, and her creative thinking outside the box. Sierra has a very different life than the other girls on the team, but she isn't trying to change her family or herself; she wants to involve her own world in the sport she loves. She's a valued player on the team, but she knows she's an outsider and she's ok with that. There isn't a moment where she is suddenly accepted into the tight friendship of the other girls and that's one of the most skillfully handled aspects of this plot. Sierra's life may seem underprivileged to the other girls and she certainly has challenges they don't have to face, but she has friends and family in her own neighborhood and doesn't feel a need to transform herself into the girls she plays with. So many stories about kids who are poor or have broken families seem to show them as coming from an empty or worthless background, with the focus on changing them to fit into a new, better life. In this book, all the girls have friends, family, and a love of soccer in common and even if they're not best friends, they work together so everyone can celebrate what they love.

Verdict: Even kids who don't play sports will love this story with its rich language, exciting sports moments, and creative thinking from a smart, determined girl.

ISBN: 9780763646165; Published 2012 by Candlewick; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

Nonfiction Monday: Ancient Celts: Archaeology unlocks the secrets of the Celts' past by Jen Green and Bettina Arnold

This was one of the nonfiction titles I added my first few months at work, and I mainly purchased it because I saw the popularity of the Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece titles in the series.

I finally got around to reading it, as I'm looking over the history section in preparation for some weeding/replacing next year.

I was interested to discover that this isn't so much a history of Celts, but an exploration of that history through archaeology. The author blends the history of the Celts in Europe into the archaeological discoveries that provided the information. So we learn not only about the bog bodies, but about how their discovery continually changes the way people think about history and the process of inspecting, dissecting, and preserving them.

There are plenty of photographs, some fun references to popular culture, and a nicely broken up layout with bold paragraph headlines, captions, interviews, and more.

Verdict: This is a great series for middle grade kids interested in history. While the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman titles are more popular, this is a compelling read and kids who have tried the others will want to pick this one up as well.

ISBN: 9781426302251; Published 2008 by National Geographic; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

This week at the library; or, the planning continues

Nothing too exciting this week, just planning, publicity, and more of the same. As of Wednesday about half our circulation staff is out sick with one thing or another. Some of them are soldiering on (people with overdues are gonna get a nasty shock when they hear L's rasping croak over the phone!) and some of them dropped by the library with their grandson to check out books and found themselves behind the desk checking in van delivery!

I let my summer aide go with great reluctance and pizza all around (NO, I didn't fire her! I only get her for the summer). She and my regular aide created awesome windows!

We also acquired a new library pet, Monty the praying mantis. Then on Tuesday someone brought in a BIGGER Monty and we traded up.

Guy delivering pizza, waiting patiently at my desk.
Me, racing up, "Sorry for keeping you, the grasshoppers got loose!"
Guy, looking around library, "uh...ok?"
Me, "It's a long story."

My one "program" thing was visiting a local group, the VIP Aktion Club. They are sponsored by Kiwanis Club and they put together fundraisers and then distribute the money to local groups that serve children. Many of the members are developmentally disabled. They do an amazing job raising money, Kiwanis just supervises and they run the whole club themselves, treasurer, secretary, etc. In the past, they've given me money to get our aprons (which we use practically every week!) other supplies, and legos. I basically talked about the three main programs I do (or am planning to do) Preschool Interactive, We Explore, and after school clubs and showed them how we incorporate early literacy and other developmental stages into our programming. Everyone enjoyed reading Don't let the pigeon ride the bus and I talked a little about adult programs and resources as well.

Monkey and Elephant by Carole Lexa Schaefer, illustrated by Galia Berstein

This book has just that little bit extra that takes it past the average "animal friends have ups and downs" easy reader.

In the first chapter, Monkey and Elephant decide to find some shade, away from the hot sun. But Monkey is too slow and Elephant is too fast. When they find a puddle, they both splash differently. Can they compromise? As they continue their walk into the second chapter, they find more things they don't agree on and one thing they do; singing! Finally, they start seeing shapes in the third chapter. Could they be trees? After a scary adventure, they finally find shade and decide their friendship is just right.

Bernstein's illustrations are crisp, digital swirls of color. Blue elephant and purple monkey are subtly associated - both have curls in their ears. Monkey has the curl motif repeated in her tail, while Elephant's tail matches Monkey's splayed feet.

It's the little surprises in the story that move it past the classic, and now somewhat overdone, Frog and Toad model. Fun vocabulary words sprinkle the text; scampered, galumphed, bumpity, swishing, and more. Monkey and Elephant's differences aren't just personality-wise, they're also physical and species; Monkey is small, quick, and sometimes vulnerable, Elephant is big, slow, and sometimes clumsy. Together, they make a perfect team.

Verdict: This is a bright new addition to the classic easy reader genre and I look forward to more Monkey and Elephant stories.

ISBN: 9780763648404; Published 2012 by Candlewick; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

Dolphin Baby by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Brita Granstrom

I picked this up thinking it was a picture book with, from the rather poor image I saw online, very realistic illustrations.

It turned out to be a slightly anthropomorphized story of a baby dolphin from birth to catching his first fish, with swirling, colorful acrylic paintings.

I fell in love with it anyhow.

Davies' language is simple and perfect for reading aloud. It's a little long but would work well with older preschoolers. There are additional facts about dolphins and their world included in captions among the illustrations and in the author's note at the back of the book. There's also a simple index.

What really won me over to this book was Brita Granstrom's stunningly beautiful illustrations. Great swathes of color, small humorous details, shades from dark to light, all illuminate the sometimes gentle, sometimes terrible, but always beautiful world of the baby dolphin.

Verdict: Lovely to look at and fun to read aloud, this would make an excellent addition to your picture book or nonfiction collection.

ISBN: 9780763655488; Published 2012 by Candlewick; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

Nonfiction Monday

I am pleased to be hosting Nonfiction Monday on August 20. Leave a link to your post in the comments and I will add them to the Nonfiction Monday round-up throughout the day.

For all you nonfiction fans, now is the time to apply to be a Cybils judge! The nonfiction panels are great places to be, especially the nonfiction picture book panel (hint hint). The process to apply is simple, but make sure you read ALL the instructions!

And now, on to the round-up of amazing nonfiction posts throughout the Kidlitosphere!

400's: Words and Language (and nursery rhymes)

• Word as Image by Ji Lee at Apple with Many Seeds

500's: Animals! Space! Math! Science!

• Bird, Butterfly Eel by James Prosek at Jean Little Library (right here!)
• Rocks and Minerals by Steve Tomecek, aka The Dirtmeister at Simply Science
• A butterfly's life by Ellen Lawrence at the Nonfiction Detectives
• World without fish by Mark Kurlansky at Miss Rumphius (welcome back!!)
• Eat your math homework by Ann McCallum at All About the Books with Janet Squires

600's: Human Body, Disease, (yeah, and the potty training books are next to the cookbooks. Don't ask me why.)

• Invincible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the never-ending search for a cure by Jim Murphy at Ms. Yingling Reads (reminded me that I can't remember the last time I updated my vaccinations...)

700s: Art, Sports, Dancing, Music and so on

• Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel at Shelf-Employed
• So you thought you couldn't cut it by Jim Calder at Biblio File

800's: Literature, Poetry, and stuff that isn't really nonfiction but gets a number anyways

• UnBEElievables by Douglas Florian at NC Teacher Stuff 
• Several poetry anthologies, including Requiem by Paul Janeczko (part of the What are you reading? meme) at Gathering Books. 

900's: History, Biography etc.

• Words set me free: The story of young Frederick Douglass by Lesa Cline-Ransom at True Tales and a Cherry on Top
• Northern Kids by Linda Goyette at Perogies & Gyoza
• Baby Flo by Alan Schroeder at Wrapped in Foil
• Bookends Blog is reviewing Temple Grandin by Sy Montgomery, with Common Core Standard connections appended.
• Russell Freedman's newest biography, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship is being reviewed over at Challenging the Bookworm.

Nonfiction Monday: Bird, Butterfly, Eel by James Prosek

I seem to be in a cycle of nonfiction cycles...

I bought this a few years ago, but never got around to reviewing it, or indeed using it much at all which is a pity since it's a lovely title.

The book alternates between full color watercolor spreads of the bird, butterfly, and eel and three parallel panels, comparing their migratory journeys. On the farm, butterfly (a monarch) lays her eggs in the meadow. Bird (a barn swallow) builds her nest in the barn and cares for her babies. Eel (American Eel) eats fish and insects and builds her strength.

Eventually, they all migrate - the bird to South America, the butterfly to Mexico, and the eel to the Sargasso Sea. A final note gives more details and information on the three species, their migration, and the history of research into their behaviors.

The text is simple and suited for reading aloud, the paintings colorful and easy to follow and enjoy. There are a few things I found odd - the text explains that the butterfly is a monarch but doesn't identify the bird or eel except in the final note. It was a little confusing that the three all migrate for different reasons and I would have liked to see that delineated a little more clearly in the text.

Verdict: Beautifully illustrated and the text is suitable for reading aloud - the few minor quibbles don't overshadow the excellence of this title. Worth adding to your collection even if you missed it the first time around.

ISBN: 9780689868290; Published 2009 by Simon and Schuster; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

This week at the library; or, Now that's over let's plan fall!

Phew. That was an...intense summer. I can only imagine how insane it would have been if I hadn't planned the heck out of it (and even so, there were a lot of things I will do differently next year, when programs don't go until the end of May, giving me less than two weeks for summer planning and visiting all the schools). We didn't do registration this year, we only counted actual participants in summer reading. So, we had 500 kids age 0 to 12 and 27 teens actually participating. Between Miss Pattie and myself we offered 58 programs to 3157 kids and parents. We didn't have a single program that wasn't a success (unless you count the Star Wars program, but that was more that it was too much of a success, since I had only planned for about 100 people and close to 200 showed up. Or that only 30 people came to the end of summer reading party, but I didn't publicize that on purpose b/c one more 200 person program would have killed me and probably all the assistants I had dragooned as well.)

Now I have until September 10 to plan the fall! (Sort of, I'm taking a week off when my mom and sister come up from Texas).

I took Monday and Tuesday afternoon off to recover (there was nobody to work my Monday evening and I had meetings Tuesday morning) and I also had Friday off, due to my 50+ hours last week and the fact that I'm working Saturday again this week. In between, this is a rough list of what I did (apart from desk time and helping a gazillion patrons)

• Wrote thank-you notes for all our Scholastic Book Fair volunteers
• Finished the financials for the Scholastic Book Fair
• Met with a new rep and placed an order (I have relaxed my rule about no outside vendors for Usborne/Kane Miller)
• Called the two elementary schools I want to attend open house at. Yes from one, left message for the principal at the other.
• Talked to Kohls' about grant related to 1,000 books before kindergarten
• Made resource list for 1,000 books before kindergarten
• Called my vendor about damaged books. Yay the awesomeness of BWI!
• Sent August order and replacement order
• New books (new stickers, pics to slideshows, etc.)
• Wrote grant for We Explore programming
• Worked with aides on projects, mostly displays
• Updated craft fair publicity
• Hunted for a praying mantis (it's a long story)
• Teen book club bookmarks, flyers, etc.
• Purchased folders at Wal-mart for 1,000 books before kindergarten (this took me FORTY-FIVE MINUTES)
• Put together 1,000 books before kindergarten materials for Kohls to stuff in folders
• Last day for summer volunteer
• Worked on fall order lists
• Started shifting teen gns
• Updated, revised, published as pdfs, and added to the website reading lists (specifically for 1,000 books before kindergarten)
• Lego Club flyers
• Flyers for Homeschool meet 'n' greet
• Organized my programs and outreach (still have to plan actual content and there will be more outreach coming)
• Scheduling for aide
• Worked on website, updates, etc.
• After school flyer, to distribute at the schools

Summer Reading Pies! I forgot them and had to drive all the way back home to get them. Just another fun part of this week's many enjoyable details.

Duck for a Day by Meg McKinlay, illustrated by Leila Rudge

I'm always looking for more beginning chapter books, but this one was a disappointment. The basic plot sounded good; Abby's parents won't let her have any kind of pet, so she's super thrilled when her new teacher has a duck for a class pet and says the kids can take it home! However, the annoying boy next door, weird Noah, also wants to take Max home for the night.

The illustrations are ok, I'm not a fan of the spaghetti-limbs style of illustration, but kids won't really care.

What didn't work for me in this book was the over the top, eccentric adult characters. Abby (rules-oriented, a bit prissy) worked fine. Noah (untidy, a little kooky) was good. Abby's teacher, Mrs. Melvino, is one of those...eccentric teachers. That only exist in books. They always have "wild, curly hair" they write in colored pen (usually purple) and have kooky glasses. They dress in eccentric clothes.

Newsflash, authors! Teachers do NOT behave or dress like this. No teachers that I've ever met, anyways, and I've met pretty much every teacher in our three elementary schools and lots of student teachers when I was at school. Student teachers might be a bit more casual, but I think you've gotten teachers mixed up with children's librarians. Some of us can be a bit kooky, yes. But I think a school principal would look askance at a teacher who lets a duck decide her class schedule.

Now, this is an Australian import, so maybe education is a bit different over there, but I think it's unlikely. I also found Mrs. Melvino's increasing demands for Max the duck weird. It was like she was behaving like a child. I also was annoyed to see that the author picked up the tired old "parents who are so obsessively neat they can't stand an animal of any kind".

Verdict: While I didn't like the adult characters in this book, the plot is just different enough to grab kids' attention and the children are well-drawn characters. I think I'll put this one down as a maybe.

ISBN: 9780763657840; Published 2012 by Candlewick; Borrowed from the library; Added to the library's wishlist.