Monday, October 15, 2012

Nonfiction Monday: America's Hidden Animal Treasures by Stephen Person

Today I've got two samples from one of Bearport's new animal series, America's Hidden Animal Treasures.

The first title, Cougar: A cat with many names, focuses mainly on the habitat and behavior of cougars with some stories of encounters and discussion of conservation efforts. It discusses the problems with their need for extensive territories and increased building in what used to be wilderness areas. There are also comparisons with similar animals, like bobcats, and details on how they raise their cubs.

Back matter includes facts about cougars, organizations that help them, a glossary, bibliography of web sources, additional titles to read, and a link to Bearport's "learn more online" feature.

I would have liked to see a little more discussion of the humans vs. cougars issues and perhaps a little more history, but this was a very interesting title with lots of photographs and age-appropriate text.

Roseate Spoonbill: Pretty in Pink has a similar format, with features on the spoonbill's life cycle, habitat, threatened status, and the scientists who study them. I felt that this one was a little better in organization. It still touches very briefly on different topics, but gives enough information that a young reader could do additional research. I also like the feature of the narrative sections being about the scientists studying the spoonbills. The chapters include biologist Jerry Lorenz' study of spoonbills, the birds' habitat, food, similar species, mating and reproduction, hatchlings, and more. There are two full-page spreads dedicated to the spoonbill's history with humans and those who have tried to protect them. The discussion of threats they face was very clear and simple, but didn't make the issues too simplistic. This book contains the same set of back matter information as the cougar title does.

Verdict: Bearport has another strong series here featuring a unique set of animals and interesting viewpoints. There's enough information for homework but also plenty of photographs and interesting facts. An excellent selection to fill in or update your animal section.

Cougar: A cat with many names by Stephen Person
ISBN: 9781617725692; Published fall 2012 by Bearport; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to library (and other titles in series purchased for the library)

Roseate Spoonbill: Pretty in pink by Stephen Person
ISBN: 9781617725708; Published fall 2012 by Bearport; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to library (and other titles in series purchased for the library)
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Saturday, October 13, 2012

This week at the library; or, Insert your own humorous comment here

Only a few days left to nominate for Cybils! Somebody please, please nominate my beloved North by Nick Dowson...

 Programs
  • Preschool Interactive, Wednesday at 10
  • Lego Club, Thursday 3:30-5
Random Commentary
  • This was a pretty easy week to make up for last week. Miss Pattie was doing We Explore (multicultural/healthy snacking program) so I took Friday off and pretty much all I did all week was publicity, help out at circ (new staff member being trained), work on scheduling, etc.
  • I also had a couple of meetings with various people to discuss budget, programming for the winter/spring sessions, etc.
Approximate Hours This Week
  • Monday, 12-8
  • Tuesday, 9-2
  • Wednesday, 9-5
  • Thursday, 9:30-5:30
  • Didn't quite manage lunch every day, and of course was sick again, but I'm working on it. Less than 40 hours! To make up for working a gazillion last week...
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Friday, October 12, 2012

Frank n Stan by M. P. Robertson

Copyright Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2012. All rights reserved. Art by M.P. Robertson. Reproduced with permission from the publisher.
"Franklin P. Shelley often asked his mother if he could have a brother or sister but she just said, 'We'll see'."

With this simple opening line, M. P. Robertson introduces a new and delightful twist on both the classic Frankenstein story and the classic new sibling picture book plot. Unlike most children in new sibling books, Frank is actively intent on acquiring a younger sibling. With some ingenuity, robotics, spare parts, and hard work, he achieves his desire. Stan is everything Frank wanted in a brother, even if he's not quite what their parents had expected. He's soon part of the family. But, eagle-eyed readers following the changes in Frank's mom won't be surprised when Frank is suddenly presented with a baby sister, Mary. Just like Stan, Mary is soon part of the family. However, Stan feels left out and useless and it takes some love from both Frank and Mary to convince him he's still an important part of the family.

Robertson's art is the main draw of this picture book. As you can see in the samples, it's endlessly detailed with delightful nonsensical notes (Frank's vintage clothing), mechanical details in Stan's construction, and hidden jokes. Robertson's art always reminds me of a colored version of Brian Selznick and incipient fans will enjoy the elegant pen and watercolor illustrations that make up Robertson's steampunk world.

Verdict: Parents looking for a more positive take on the new sibling theme will snatch this one up, as will kids who like robots, funny stories, and enjoy poring over detailed illustrations. There are plenty of jokes for adults as well, so repeated readings won't bore parents. An excellent addition to any library's picture book collection, especially for older readers/listeners.

ISBN: 9781847801302; Published October 2012 by Frances Lincoln; Review copy provided by publisher; Added to the library
Copyright Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2012. All rights reserved. Art by M.P. Robertson. Reproduced with permission from the publisher.
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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Tua and the elephant by R. P. Harris, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo

Tua is exploring the market in her town, Chiang Ma, Thailand, when she meets a very special friend; an elephant. She rescues Pohn-Pohn from her cruel mahouts and the two set off together on a delightful journey, full of adventure and excitement, looking for a safe home for Pohn-Pohn.

This is a beautiful little book, not just in the sun-drenched pictures of Taeeun Yoo, but in the whole design. The purple and gold motif is spread throughout the pages, including the deep purple font and the small designs on each page. Yoo's illustrations show the cheeky Tua, her new friend Pohn-Pohn, and the friends and enemies she encounters on their marvelous journey, with an affectionate warmth.

The Thai words sprinkled throughout the text are generally easy to understand from the context, but I would still like to have had a glossary - and a pronunciation guide. The story ends rather neatly and there are a few places where the story leans towards infodump, but on the whole this is a wonderful debut story.

Verdict: Fans of Kate Dicamillo will enjoy the combination of dreamy storytelling and lightly fantastic journey similar to The Tale of Despereaux. The story is compact, just about 200 pages, and perfect for the younger side of middle grade. Hand it to kids who like gentle adventures, parents looking for a good read-aloud (see, pronunciation guide needed!) and those who like animal friendship stories.

ISBN: 9780811877817; Published 2012 by Chronicle Books; Borrowed from the library; Added to the library's wishlist
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Monday, October 8, 2012

Nonfiction Monday: Moonbird by Philip Hoose

The Moonbird, a rufa red knot, has survived twenty years and thousands of miles of migration between Tierra del Fuego and the Arctic. Despite declining populations, threatened habitats, and dwindling food, he continues to make the amazing journey.

Hoose follows the bird, also called B95 after one of his bands, through the migratory cycle. Along the way, the reader learns about how these birds change their body composition in order to survive flying nonstop for days. We meet the scientists and activities who work with shorebirds and follow along in their discoveries over the years.

The story includes profiles of and interviews with scientists and activities, an appendix with ways youth can get involved from simple science projects to large organizations, extensive  source notes, bibliography, acknowledgements, and index. There are stunning pictures of the rufas and other shorebirds, maps, and aerial pictures of the hidden places the rufas use on their migration.

I found Hoose's profiles of the various scientists involved really interesting, as he details their varied backgrounds. Some were previously teachers or secretaries; others talk about their childhood and how they became fascinated by shorebirds. Hoose's text is dense but not overwhelming. He writes simply but with undeniable enthusiasm. The reader becomes drawn in by the powerful story of this one amazing bird; I was fascinated to discover that he's been sighted again, just a few months ago. Still going strong at over twenty years old!

I was intrigued by an earlier title about arctic migration that came out this year, North by Nick Dowson, and it was interesting to read a more detailed account of one of the animals that undertakes this amazing journey. I fell into the pace of the story and it's certainly well-written and researched. But will kids read it? Middle grade nonfiction is often a hard sell. Younger kids love to read about strange animals, weather, disasters, castles, weapons, you name it. Older kids are pickier. They're busy, the books often look too much like picture books, there's too much text, the vocabulary is too challenging. Many schools relentlessly focus on fiction, to the extent that by middle grade most kids don't consider nonfiction really "reading" (nor do their parents, an argument I'm frankly a little sick of having with patrons. If they're not refusing to let their kids read anything that looks like a picture book "those are for babies, my child needs chapter books" they're telling the kids they can't read anything above their lexile level, which pretty much rules out most nonfiction - Moonbird is an 1150, so way out of reach of most kids who read by lexile). The story of Moonbird is fascinating, but it reads at a slower pace than kids used to the rapid plots of popular fiction and movies will like. The outdoor explorations that many of the scientists credit for their interest in shorebirds rarely happen for kids anymore, not even the kids in my small, quasi-rural town, unless you count the ones hanging around the gas station in the evenings and they're not looking for birds.

Are you depressed yet? I am. However, we soldier on. There will be kids with a scientific bent, interested in animals, who will pick this up. The story of Moonbird has a good hook for booktalking - a bird that has flown thousands of miles around the globe and continues to defy expectations and survive under increasingly difficult circumstances. There are parents who encourage their kids to read what they're interested in and don't care about lexiles (at least in the summer). I'm currently focusing on updating our history section and animal books for younger children, but I don't regret purchasing this title as part of my ongoing, uphill battle to get kids to explore the world and go outside!

ISBN: 9780374304683; published July 2012 by Farrar Straus Giroux; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library
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Sunday, October 7, 2012

Cybils 2012: The Review Round-Up

This is not an exhaustive list, because that would be too exhausting! Note that some of the links will take you over to my reviews at No Flying No Tights and some to my short reaction bits at Flying Off My Bookshelf.

Graphic Novels Middle/Elementary 
Graphic Novels Teen 
Fiction Picture Books
Non-Fiction Middle/Teen 
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Saturday, October 6, 2012

This week at the library; or, New and Relaxed Librarian. Sort of.

Nominate for Cybils! Only a week left!

 Programs
  • Homeschool meeting, Monday at 10. This is the new "hands off" group that is going to use the library to meet. I wasn't here, but I hear it went well and lots of people came. They're going to meet regularly at the library. I hear they were a little noisy, but that's easily remedied with a polite reminder to use library voices! (personally, I don't care about noisy - or moms hanging out to chat - but I'm not there)
  • 1st grade visits, Tuesday and Wednesday at 9am Tour, read The Three Ninja Pigs (a little worried about the use of "butt" but no complaints), Goldilocks and the three dinosaurs, and Elephant and Piggie Let's Go for a drive. We decorated giant gingerbread people afterwards and most of them made ninjas.
  • 2nd grade visits, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1pm Tour, I took one class to the basement, most of them have had the standard tour by now! read Creepy Carrots, Big Mean Mike (agh! horrible rip in my new book that some idiot mended with PACKING TAPE), Goldilocks and the three dinosaurs, and Let's go for a drive. Gingerbread people afterwards. Wednesday group was a pretty tough one and they didn't get to see the basement, but they enjoyed the stories.
  • Preschool Interactive, Wednesday at 10 Some old friends back - no 4k today.
  • Messy Art Club, Thursday at 3:30 New and relaxed librarian was not relaxed - tons of people showed up, we ran out of pumpkins, I had to scrub paint off the floor (one little girl did tell another "that's not the custodian, that's the librarian!" could have fooled me, kid) and I am going to A. never do paint in the community room again and B. institute registration starting in the winter session.
  • We Explore Outdoors, Friday at 10 Ah, a program I did not have to plan! Barb Converse from the Ice Age Trail Alliance came over to walk through the library with me on Monday and we discussed ways and means of doing her program - We're going on a mammoth hunt. She also set up an awesome display in the lobby. She came early Friday morning with three helpers and set up, and we went on a mammoth hunt through the library. It was AWESOME. About 35 people came, there was tons of stuff to touch, and the giant mammoth costume was a huge hit.
Random Commentary
  • Not sick! Determined to release guilt, relax, and walk every day. Now worrying that I am not relaxed enough...
  • Storywagon committee on Tuesday. We chose a number of tentative performers, 4 top choices and some backups if they're not available. We also revised the reading log for the summer and decided to use my teen review sheet. Yay me! Realized afterwards that I need to revise it to be more general and less library-specific.
  • Got lured into being the on-call staff person for the Friends Book Donation Drive.
Approximate Hours This Week
  • Monday 12-8
  • Tuesday 8:45-5
  • Wednesday 8:50-4:10
  • Thursday 8:45-6
  • Friday 9:30-6
  • Saturday 9:45-1
  • Lunch every day AND vegetables and fruit! Still working on sticking to 40 hours...will work on cutting back on work from home at a future point.
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Friday, October 5, 2012

Eighth grade is making me sick: Ginny Davis' year in stuff by Jennifer Holm, illustrated by Elicia Castaldi

"I'll just flick through it" I thought, when it arrived on my desk, shiny and new from processing. Ten minutes later, I had read a large chunk of the ending (yes, I read endings first. Live with it.). Later that day, review copies arrived from Random House, including the same shiny title. At home, I thought again, "I'll just take another quick look..."

I finally bowed to the inevitable, started at the beginning, and read the whole thing. I've never read Middle School is Worse than Meat Loaf, although I frequently recommend it as a read-alike for Wimpy Kid fans.  However, it's not necessary to read the first book to pick up the plot and get drawn into the story. It's surprisingly easy to pick up the plot from the sticky notes, emails, lists, pictures, poetry assignments and other "stuff" that comprises the book.

Ginny is excited about eighth grade. She has plans and everything is going great. But one by one things go wrong. Her mom gets pregnant, her older brother gets into serious trouble, her stepdad loses his job, and she feels sick all the time. With no money, her plans with friends get cancelled and it seems like nothing is working out. In the end, some issues are resolved, some are not, but Ginny has survived eighth grade and is ready for big changes like moving across the country and high school.

Ginny's stress is so real I started feeling sick along with her! It's easy for an adult reader to see her mistakes and some of her family difficulties coming, but Ginny's reactions and behavior are completely typical of a teen her age. I can look at her behavior and match it up perfectly with the attitudes of my after school middle school teens!

I went back and forth on where to place this book - eighth grade is really "teen" but I hate splitting series and there's nothing really inappropriate in the title. Kids tend to read up anyways, so we decided to put this one in juvenile fiction. I suppose it could have gone into graphic novels now that I think of it, but I'm not changing the spine label now!

Verdict: Whether or not you have the first title (and you should) this is a great book for reluctant readers or kids who like realistic fiction and want a fast read. Holm and Castaldi have done an excellent job blending their story and art together. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780375868511; Published August 2012 by Random House; Review copy provided by publisher; Purchased for the library


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Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Paranormalists Case 1: Haunting of Apartment 101 by Megan Atwood

Darby Creek is Lerner's imprint that publishes titles for beginning and struggling readers. Some of their titles, like Pamela Service's Alien Agent series, are awesome.

This title is not awesome and I was disappointed.

Jane was ignored in middle school and kids never remembered her name, so now she goes by Jinx, wears black clothes, dyes her hair, is hostile to everyone, and trusts no one except her family and Jackson. Jackson is a quarterback on the sophomore football team, universally popular, but still hurting from his dad's death four years ago.

Recently, Jinx has finally gotten her Paranormalists website/blog up and running and is determined to track down some real ghosts, which Jackson will then exorcise (not that he's sure how this works, but that's his part of the team). But Jinx is furious when Jackson insists on helping Emily, one of the high school kids who always forgot Jinx's name in middle school. Using Jinx's tech and Jackson's research, they discover the secret to the terrifying haunting going on in Emily's apartment, but the discovery will also destroy their friendship.

This is the first title in a series and presumably the characters will be fleshed out more in additional installments, but the writing is bland and choppy and the characters are unrealistic. The main characters, Jinx and Jackson, are cardboard cutouts and tell the reader what they're feeling, instead of showing through the story. Their behavior is more like middle school students and it's hard to believe they're in high school.

>For example - the reader is constantly told how popular Jackson is, but his actions and behavior don't support this. Basically, he's a high school quarterback who shows no interest in girls and doesn't spend time with anyone but Jinx (and an occasional hanging out with the football team).

Jinx is "a freak," because she dyes her hair, wears black clothes and is reputed to deal in black magic. She sounds pretty Goth to me but among the various school cliques, she doesn't list Goths - is she the only one in the entire school - a school large enough to have separate football teams for each grade level? Would she really stick out that much in a school this size? And if she has no friends, how did word get around about her transformation during the summer before her freshman year? Jinx's character also doesn't fit with her sudden infatuation with one of the teachers (mentioned several times in one chapter and then never referenced again).

How, exactly, does having kids forget your name in middle school (in what must have been a huge school) translate to never being able to trust anyone? Why does Jackson demand that Jinx completely and absolutely trust him? Creepy! If Jackson was really so popular, he should have had friends to share with Jinx. Does Jackson actually have any friends other than Jinx? It doesn't look like it.

Finally, why is Jinx's mom concerned about Jackson? If I had a daughter who, in the summer between middle school and high school had a major personality change and became hostile, pathologically unable to trust anyone, and had no friends other than one boy all because no one paid attention to her, she's the one I'd be concerned about! I find it hard to believe that parents strict enough to set a curfew aren't concerned about Jinx's attitude (or the amount of time Jackson hangs out in her bedroom) and let her go off to a sleepover with a girl they don't know.

Verdict: The ghost hunting plot would make a passable middle grade novel or even a good teen title for struggling readers, but only if you completely rewrote the main characters. Their behavior and motivations don't make sense and the awkward and choppy writing style is hard to read. Not recommended.

ISBN: 9780761383321; Published October 2012 by Darby Creek/Lerner; Egalley provided by publisher through Netgalley
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Monday, October 1, 2012

Nonfiction Monday: The house of a million pets by Ann Hodgman, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

We've had this nonfiction chapter book for a while and it's pretty popular with kids, when it's displayed. Nobody goes looking for chapter books in the 600's. When I started reading it, the author said that she was always being asked by kids why she didn't write a story about her pets, since she was a writer.

"Huh, she's an author?" I thought. "I've never heard of her." Ironically enough, this nonfiction title that she wrote after her other books seems to be the most popular thing she did. Her other titles are mostly Apple paperbacks and midlist, out of print selections.

Each chapter tells about a different pet she's owned, with sections in between like "Some of the best things about prairie dogs" and "The stupidest thing I've ever said about an animal." The stories are funny, gross, sad, and heartwarming in turn. Some of the animals die, some of them cause problems. She makes mistakes in trying to rehabilitate some wild animals and worries about purchasing exotic species.

This isn't a "how to" book for keeping pets. It's more an autobiography focusing on one aspect of the author's life; her beloved animals. Personally, it isn't the type of book I'd pick up. I don't like books about pets, and my own very unsentimental approach to animals makes me suspect that we are not kindred spirits. I also found the narrative to have a rather strong "and THEN" plod to it. However, kids who are obsessed with the care and keeping of animals really adore this title. There aren't a lot of nonfiction chapter books about this subject for kids and it's certainly funny and has a lot of variety.

Verdict: I don't know that I'd recommend adding this one unless you've got a really large population of older kids wanting pet stories, but if you have it I'd keep it!

ISBN: 9780805079746; Published 2007 by Henry Holt; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library (before my time)
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