This week at the library; or, Programs begin in earnest

Finally finished making this and deliver it!

What's happening in my head and at the library:

• After our little fall festival last Saturday, this is our first week back to programs. We had a slow but steady attendance and I ran a lot of errands.
• I restarted Middle School Madness as just a drop-in in the Storyroom. A small group of middle schoolers (6) dropped in, had a snack and left. Then, later, I had a group of high schoolers (5). I'm kind of frustrated with them as they grabbed most of the candy off my desk when I was distracted (after I'd told them they could only have one piece - I purchase the candy myself), then went into the room for middle school madness even though the sign clearly said middle schoolers only, ate everything left and complained there wasn't more food, then one of them WENT INTO MY DESK DRAWERS to get more candy. I was busy and didn't have time to deal with them, but the more I think about it, the more annoyed I am - the next time they do this, they're out, whether I'm busy or not. This is the younger of our two problems groups - the older one seems to have wandered away, but these guys are ready and willing to fill their spot. It's easy to fall into a "I don't want them to feel unwelcome in the library/they should be able to use the library" mindset, but forget that, because these yahoos are here, other teens aren't.
• The struggle to redefine the teen/children's/adult spaces continues. We are really pushing the teens to not go upstairs, unless they're going to study alone, since that's now officially a quiet area. So we tell them to go downstairs to the teen area, they arrive there, and all the computers are in use by adults, and adults are sitting all over the teen seating. The teens don't really like the new area anyways, because it's too open, so they are now congregating in the actual children's area on the tables where the elementary kids usually do their homework. I put up a sign saying "welcome to the teen/children's area. Adults, please note there are more computers and quiet study areas upstairs" but it has had absolutely no effect that I can see. Most adults just walk past it without looking at it - the few who stop and read it just ignore it. I have had better success loudly welcoming adults to the children's area and asking how I can help them in the children's area. I am going to work on getting more stuff in the teen area for them to do - put up something on the wall, add a pet to the table, and possibly word the sign more strongly. I'm also hoping that eventually people will start realizing that the upstairs computers are closer to the printer. At this point, I'd consider getting rid of the computer lab (since all the kids have chromebooks through school) and having tables and seating, but I don't know where we'd put the public computers and I know that idea won't get approved.

Programs

• Ms. Pattie's C.A.F.E.
• Tiny Tots
• Toddlers 'n' Books (2 sessions)
• September Outreach: Meet the Librarian (4 visits)
• Middle School Madness: Wii
• Books 'n' Babies
• Messy Art Club: Painting
• We Explore Favorite Artist Lois Ehlert

What the kids are reading:

• Know-it-all series - didn't own, a patron offered to donate it
• Boxcar children
• Eyewitness/Eyewonder books
• Request for more book+cd bags
• Loved Ellie McDoodle that I recommended at their last visit - took the rest of the series
• Magic trick books
• S.W.I.T.C.H. series (which for some reason I totally blanked out on until she showed me the one she just read!)

Huff and Puff by Tish Rabe, illustrated by Gill Guile

I never seem to be able to get enough easy readers to satisfy my patrons, especially in the summer. The books just fly off the shelves, leaving behind only the worn and ancient titles that should really be weeded and/or replaced. Most popular are the very beginning, just a few words per page, titles - which, of course, are the most difficult to find. Anyhow, I am on several publisher newsletters and will pretty much try anything new that comes out. This is a new series from the ever-growing I Can Read line.

Huff is an engine, Puff is the caboose. They work together well until one day they each decide the other train has it easier and they want to try switching. Of course, they both discover that they're better suited to their own jobs and the other train really does work hard. If you want to get really picky, you could dissect the socioeconomic implications of the cliched plot, which basically says that everyone has one specific thing they're good at and you can't deviate from that role. It's a pretty common plot in children's books and I think it stems from folktales - there are quite a few about sticking to your own role in life, not surprising since most of them sprang from feudal societies. It would have been more interesting, to me at least, if Huff and Puff had discovered that, with a little hard work, they could both enjoy doing a different job now and then and been able to switch off in the future. I mean, come on, has the train never heard of cross-training?

However, for a beginning reader the plot isn't really the point - the combination of text and art and how well it does its job of giving kids a simple plot that they can follow while still decoding the words is paramount. How well does it do this? Not very well, to be honest. The pages are full-color, with cute, rounded illustrations of the anthropomorphic trains and their cargo, a collection of brightly-colored animals. The illustrations are certainly cute, but they overshadow the words and make it difficult to pick them out from the pages. On one page the sentence is placed against a railroad tie, on another it's buried in the grass, etc. When the trains switch places, it gets even more confusing as they fill the page, bulging around the words, and making it difficult to keep track of which is Huff, which is Puff, and where they are on the train. The refrain "Click-ity clack, click-ity clack" or "Click-ity, click-ity clack" is repeated multiple times, and I can't help but wonder if there weren't better words to reinforce through repetition.

Verdict: If you are in urgent need of easy readers it's a decent filler series, especially for a library like mine where I'm having to look for easy readers to appeal to younger and younger kids, but if you're watching your budget or looking for high-quality easy readers this isn't a necessary purchase.

ISBN: 9780062305022; Published 2012 by HarperCollins; Purchased for the library

The Magic Shop: The Vanishing Coin by Kate Egan with Magician Mike Lane, illustrated by Eric Wight

I will admit that I rather had to push myself through this book, but I think it's one of those that will definitely appeal to children, and not so much to an adult reader, which is no bad thing for a children's book.

Mike has just started fourth grade and he's already in trouble. It's not that he's a bad kid, he just can't focus or sit still in school. His parents won't let him join the soccer team because they want him to concentrate on his homework, and he has to spend half his afternoons at Nora's house. She's not bad, for a girl, but what if someone finds out? Like Jackson, who has bullied him all through school? Plus, she's gifted and he feels stupid around her.

Then they discover a magic shop. Will Mike be able to impress some kids with his magic tricks? Best of all, is there more to magic than just the tricks the owner is teaching him?

Wight's digital black and white illustrations are crisp and attractive and are really clear in illustrating the instructions for various magic tricks that are included in the book. Reading the story, it felt a little didactic and slow-paced, and I was thinking - "it's at a beginning chapter book but it's about a fourth grader so..." until I realized that it's going to appeal exactly to kids like Mike, who won't want to read a massive book, want something they can relate to, and need a fun hook.

So, it's got all of those things. It's only 142 pages long, with nice bold text in a large font and illustrations. Not daunting at all for a reluctant reader. It's going to appeal to kids who want to read stories about kids they can relate to, since it doesn't feature kids improbably taking off on their own or a stereotyped bully. Finally, it's got hooks - the magic tricks and the hints about magic being real.

Verdict: If your library is like mine, you have a lot of kids interested in magic tricks. This will meet the desires of both the kids and their parents, who want them to read chapter books. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781250029140; Published 2014 by Feiwel & Friends; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Added to the library's order list

Read, Read, Read said the Baby: Stanley's Garage by William Bee

This is the second book in a new series by William Bee, featuring Stanley the hamster.

In this title, Stanley has a garage. A succession of animal friends, in differently-colored cars, arrive for help from getting gas to an overheating radiator, to a flat tire. The color of each car is emphasized in the text. Stanley's friend Myrtle, from the first book Stanley the Builder is his last client, calling for a tow. Oily and tired, Stanley goes home for a bath and bed.

This is not, strictly speaking, a board book. It has a thick, padded cover and is a large square, a little under 9x9 inches. The pages are a little thicker than the typical picture book, but definitely not board book thickness - they're not even as thick as cardstock. However, my usual gripe with padded covers - the kids poke holes in them (and I just find them squicky) doesn't apply here as the book's cover is made in such a way that even if you try you can't poke holes in the spine (I tried) and the padding on the cover is very thin - it's really just reinforced and gives slightly under pressure, not a true padded board book at all. I would have no problem putting it either in regular picture books or board books.

William Bee's illustrations for this series have thick, bold lines and bright colors. Each book (so far) has a different general color theme. This one is green, with vivid swathes of color in appropriate places. There is a spread of tools before the title page, which are related to the book's theme. This one shows various tools useful for the featured career.

Verdict: The attractive illustrations, combined with the simple, rhythmic text, make this series the perfect choice for toddlers and also for young beginning readers. This series should have a long and popular life ahead of it and I'm looking forward to more entries - Stanley the Farmer and Stanley's Diner are coming next! Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9781561458042; Published 2014 by Peachtree; ARC and review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Visit the other stops on the Stanley blog tour!

Monday: Green Bean Teen Queen
Tuesday: Jean Little Library, Kid Lit Reviews, and Geo Librarian
Wednesday: Chat with Vera
Thursday: Blue Owl

Nonfiction Monday: Grizzly Bears of Alaska: Explore the world of wild bears by Debbie S. Miller, photographs by Patrick J. Endres

I really, really like bears. So I knew I was probably going to like this book, irregardless of any flaws. Because, really, BEARS. Awesome.

The book explains the habits, habitats, and general life cycles of grizzlies in Alaska, including some of the coastal bears. Each page features full-color, gorgeous photographs, matching the text. The text is in fairly large chunks with different words highlighted. Sections include "Leaving the Den," accompanied by photographs of bear cubs, cubs nursing, and cubs following their mother across the fields below a mountain. "Got One!" talks about brown bears' swimming abilities and shows several bears enjoying the water and the fishing. At the back of the book, there's a map showing the ranges of grizzly and brown bears and a brief mention of polar bears and black bears (with photographs). the last page and endpaper of the book lists the credits and a page of discussion questions, as well as a link to a teacher's guide.

I had expected the highlighted words to show up in a glossary, but I assume they're in the teacher's guide. There is quite a lot of text, but that's offset by the amazing photographs. The text is also set in a large, bold font and the layout is really well done. It's not often you see photographs and text so nicely combined.

The hardcover edition of the book is currently out of stock - probably due to increased demand because of the DisneyNature movie - but the paperback is currently available. This is a small press and while it can't compete with, say, Scientists in the Field, it's a really nice introduction to bears with amazing photographs and accessible text.

Verdict: Bears. I mean, BEARS. I have to have it. You need it too - think of all the kids who want to see awesome pictures of bears. How can you deny them this pleasure?

ISBN: 9781570619328; Published 2014 by Little Bigfoot/Sasquatch Books; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Added to the library's order list

This Week at the Library; or, Here Comes Fall

What's Happening - In My Head and At the Library

• We were closed Monday for the holiday and programs started on Saturday, so it's a bit of an odd week all around. We also continued to have major issues with the printer/copier, had our rug cleaned (I moved a LOT of stuff) and got the chalkboard wall repainted with magnetic paint. The fumes were horrendous.
• Wrote my monthly report - now that I'm doing a narrative as well as statistics it takes a bit longer. Overall, summer reading participation was up by about 50 from last year, program attendance over the entire summer increased from last year by over 1,000!!, and we did very well in circulation, although we didn't see any of the massive jumps we did last year. That's ok, we couldn't have shelved that many items anyways.
• Planned the fall festival and other programs.
• Finished the A's in the picture books for changing over to the Neighborhoods!
• Still working on shelf labels, which has turned out to be quite time-consuming
• Sorting all the donation/summer reading prize books for storage.
• Our school district has issued computers to all the kids 3rd grade through high school. Once we figured out how to get them logged into wi-fi, it's been a remarkably quiet first week of school! No more kids futzing around because they have blocked cards and can't use a computer, or there aren't enough computers to go around. A few kids have complained that they're heavy, in addition to their heavy backpacks (which I have to agree with) and some teachers, parents (and kids) have doubts about their educational use, but I'm happy!
• It was a long week - I thought I'd just be at the library for a couple hours on Saturday for the fall festival and ended up staying over 4 hours. Oh well.

Programs

• Fall Festival

What the kids are reading

• 5th grade books for a girl who doesn't like to read (she did like Wimpy Kid and Ramona). I gave her Ellie McDoodle, Calli Be Gold, and Fashion Kitty (she didn't like Fashion Kitty).
• Mo Willems
• Books on death (two requests for death of a parent )-:) I could add to this collection
• Potty training
• books for a 1st grader (easy readers)
• fantasy books for an adult who likes juvenile/ya as well as adult. Lackey's Joust was just what she wanted.

Comics Squad: Recess! by Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm, Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman, Dan Santat, Dav Pilkey, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Ursula Vernon, Eric Wight, Gene Luen Yang

Why did I not know Ursula Vernon had a short in this book? I need this book now, very much. I wasn't quite sure about it when I bought it - primarily because I saw "Raina Telgemeier" and my immediate reaction to her name after this summer has been "click buy button as many times as possible."

So, if you were wondering, like me, exactly what this was....it's a collection of short comics (a couple pages each), in the style of the popular two-tone comics series like Lunch Lady, Babymouse, etc. (all of whom are included). The color of this book is orange and all the artists/authors write very much in their most familiar styles.

"The Super-Secret Ninja Club by Gene Luen Yang" is the one story I would have left out. It's not that it's a bad story - it accurately captures elementary cliques and fads and it's quite funny. But every single other author in this collection is a popular elementary comic artist. Kids who like their stories can go find more. A 9 year old who enjoys this story is not going to move on to American Born Chinese and Yang doesn't really have any stories suitable for younger kids (or not that I'm aware of anyways).

Dav Pilkey offers a short, hand-drawn comic and a hilarious letter of complaint from a teacher about his hero George Beard drawing in class, "Book 'Em, Dog Man". It's even got a little flip-o-rama! Not everyone is into the scribbly comic style, but even the most strait-laced librarian can't disapprove of Dog Man's quest to restore books to the world.

Jarrett Krosoczka puts Lunch Lady on the sick list, letting her assistant Betty be the star for the day, fighting a pizza monster in "Betty and the Perilous Pizza Day."

Ursula Vernon introduces two new characters in "The Magic Acorn" but they've got her deadpan style down pat as the sensible squirrel Scratch gets dragged into yet another crazy (albeit short) adventure with Squeak.

Babymouse sets out on "The Quest for Recess" in a typical Babymouse adventure and reaches her goal...but is it even worth it? Yes, of course, especially when Lunch Lady makes a special guest appearance!

Eric Wight, popular creator of Frankie Pickle (why don't they come out more regularly? WHY?), introduces a whole cast of edible characters along with Jiminy Sprinkles in "Freeze Tag". Vegetables vs. sweets, who will triumph? Especially when peppermint powers come into play!

Dan Santat isn't as immediately familiar to most kids - he doesn't yet have a really popular comics series - but with his new illustrations for Dav Pilkey's Ricky Ricotta he's gaining fans and after reading the gross but heartfelt "300 Words" quite a few kids will go searching for his other works.

Finally, the story my hordes will be devouring, Raina Telgemeier's "The Rainy Day Monitor" introduces kids to the magic of RPGs and transforms Boring Becca into the coolest rainy day monitor ever! (I guess Dave Roman was co-author too, but while I have some Astronaut Academy fans, he's not as HUGE in my library as Telgemeier). Bonus points for a really diverse class of kids.

The stories are interspersed with little games, drawing instructions, mash-ups, etc.

Verdict: The only question about this is, not will you buy it, but how many copies do you need, where will you put it once you've bought it, and do you have complete runs of all the included authors' works, because kids will be clamoring for more! I decided to put this under Holm, since they're the main editors and I think Babymouse is the best-known of the series (Raina Telgemeier has passed her in popularity, but nobody can spell or remember her name, they just ask for her titles). Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9780385370042; Published 2014 by Random House; Purchased for the library

Maddi's Fridge by Lois Brandt, illustrated by Vin Vogel

Sofia and Maddi are best friends. When Sofia discovers that Maddi has an empty fridge, she tries to honor her promise not to tell and help her friend out at the same time with hilarious - and stinky - results. While Sofia tries to help Maddi, Maddi is helping her finally make it to the top of the climbing wall in the park and Sofia realizes that friends help friends, but sometimes it takes more than one friend. So she tells her mom. Maddi's family receives help and Maddi and Sofia are still friends, always ready to help each other out, because that's what friends do.

The last page of the book includes statistics about hunger in the United States and simple ways that kids can help. The link supplied for more information on hunger organizations right now takes you to the author's website, specifically the page for this book. There is a link to "Fight Hunger" which repeats the same six suggestions from the book and has links to Feeding America and No Kid Hungry.

The art is cartoon style, with neatly drawn containers of food and other items and a collection of characters with comically exaggerated eyes and expressions. Much of the action happens along city streets, where Maddi and Sofia stand out brightly against the lighter, faded backgrounds. The art has a brisk graphic style with smaller spot illustrations, thought balloons, and a casual, sketchy font.

Hunger and poverty is rarely, if ever, addressed in children's books. This book has a nice storyline, paralleling Maddi helping Sofia to climb the wall with Sofia bringing Maddi food. It was nice to see that Sofia, whose family appears to be Hispanic, wasn't automatically made the ones in poverty. Both families appear to be parented by single moms, another thing you don't see often in children's books (at least not explicitly) but the similarities, rather than the differences, between the two girls are what is emphasized; they both have little brothers, they both like playing in the park, they both like treats. Part of the story includes discussion of healthy food as well as the issues of poverty (Sofia asks at dinner each night if the food they're eating is healthy before trying to take it to Maddi and there are several discussions of which food is healthy and which is a sometimes treat).

It is a little more text-heavy than the typical picture book, but the illustrations are attractive enough that most older children will enjoy listening to it.  The most unrealistic part was that the two girls were running around and playing on the climbing wall alone. Really? They look to be about 7. Every climbing wall I've ever seen was heavily supervised with safety gear and I can't imagine any  kids being allowed to run around the city streets, especially in the evening. That's more of an adult perspective though; most kids will likely not notice.

Verdict: This has a decent plot aside from the lesson and the illustrations are fun. Recommended for purchase if you need more titles on this topic (and I'm betting you don't have any). I would probably put it in a special collection as it's a little too didactic for a general picture book section, in my opinion.

ISBN: 9781936261291; Published September 2014 by Flash Light Press; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Read, Read, Read said the Baby: Stanley the Builder by William Bee

This is a new series of board books from Peachtree. William Bee is the author of such delightfully unique books as Beware the Frog, so this is a bit of a departure for him, but I fell in love as soon as I saw the cover!

I reviewed this from an ARC and have not yet seen the finished product. The publicist said they would have padded covers (which I have an irrational hatred of) but that they are very sturdily made and promised I would not hate them. [See next week's review for analysis of format]. From the publisher descriptions, it sounds like a large size for a board book - roughly 8x8 inches - with reinforced pages similar to a board book.

The end paper repeat the color scheme of the front cover with a bold swathe of orange and the author's name. There is a full spread showing a colorful variety of tools before the title page.

The story features Stanley (a hamster with a little bit of a tail) who is asked by Myrtle the mouse to build her a house. Stanley, with the help of Charlie the mouse and a variety of colorful machines, goes through the basic steps of construction, starting with clearing the land and continuing on to make a foundation, lay bricks, put on the roof, and the finishing touches of painting and landscaping. Stanley finishes the day at his own house with dinner, bath, and bed.

Not all of the tools from the initial spread are used in the illustrations, but enough of them to make a good seek and find activity. They are also all related to building things and could make a good discussion of what each thing is and how it's used (note -  I have no idea what the serrated round green thing is). The pictures are extremely attractive and perfect for the young age of the intended audience. The bold lines and bright colors instantly attract attention and the simple style, set against white backgrounds, will be perfect to hold the attention of wiggly toddlers.

The text is minimal and irresistibly reminds me of another series of process picture books from my childhood - the Teddy Bear series by Joan and Selby Worthington. You probably never came across these, they're very British and difficult to find, but basically they feature a teddy bear going through a daily routine in a number of different jobs. The style of the writing is much simpler, but it has the same basic feel to it and I'm thrilled to find a similar story with the same delightful sequencing. Kids love the "first, and then, and then" of basic storytelling when they're young and this catches it just right.

My only quibble with these is that Myrtle "helps" with her new house by bringing the male characters drinks. Couldn't she have helped instead of Charlie?

Verdict: While I'm still waiting to report on the physical format, I think I can definitely say we have a winning formula for a new series that is going to be extremely popular among children and parents alike and a great choice for storytime. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9781561458011; Published 2014 by Peachtree; ARC provided by publisher

This is the second stop on the Stanley the Builder blog tour. Check out more reviews at:

Monday 9/1- Green Bean Teen Queen

Tuesday 9/2- Geo Librarian and Kid Lit Reviews

Wednesday 9/3- Chat with Vera

Thursday 9/4- Blue Owl and Kiss the Book

Friday 9/5- The Fourth Musketeer

Nonfiction Monday: The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life by Lois Ehlert

I strongly resisted even looking at this book for a long time. Picture book biographies (or autobiographies) do not circulate well (or at all) at my library. Neither does anything on art unless it's a craft or how to make things type of book. I was wrong. I can admit it. I should have known that Lois Ehlert was not going to lose sight of the interests of her primary audience; young children.

The endpapers are a colorful collage of photographs, found objects, and colors. The collage continues onto the title page and incorporates the title and author. The first page says, in large, bold, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom letters, "Don't read this book" and then in smaller print "unless you love books and art" and lovers of art and books have a feast waiting for them in the following pages.

In simple, honest language, Lois Ehlert talks about her ideas for books, where they came from, and how she created the art. There are sketches and drafts and finished artwork, craft ideas and guidelines on creating your own art, stories from her childhood, and so much more. Although the book is twice the length of the average picture book, it's not hard to see even a very young child being engrossed in the colorful pages and bits and pieces of Lois Ehlert's art and life.

Verdict: This isn't a book you want to plow straight through; rather, it's ideal for dipping into and choosing a few pages to sample. Give it to kids to pore over, read snippets in storytime (I'm planning to feature it at my We Explore Favorite Artists series in the fall) and make sure you shelve it in the picture books where Lois Ehlert fans will discover another book to treasure.

ISBN: 9781442435711; Published 2013 by Beach Lane Books/Simon and Schuster; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Added to the library's order list