Small Readers: Sofia Martinez, Picture Perfect by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Kim Smith

A friend put me on to this series and I absolutely loved it! I've always been sad that I couldn't get any kids to get into Jules' Zapato Power series. I'm not sure why - the covers are a little bland maybe. But Sofia Martinez, oh I can booktalk this one!

Sofia is the youngest of the three Martinez sisters. Everyone says she and her sisters, Luisa and Elena look alike. But Sofia wants to look different! A family get-together gives her an idea and in her next school picture Sofia will definitely stand out of the crowd!

The pictures are colorful and attractive. Sofia is an enthusiastic, bouncy little girl whose personality shines through both the words and pictures. The art picks up the changing emotions of the simple story and gives the reader glimpses into Sofia's warm and busy family.

The text is intermediate, what I'd call a level 2 or 3 in my library, perfect for kindergarten up through 2nd grade. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text in bright pink. The meaning is easy to pick out from the context, but there's also a helpful glossary in the back. Several discussion questions are also included.

I've been looking for more realistic easy readers and Sofia's Latina identity is just the icing on top of the cupcake. Kids will empathize with her dilemma and giggle over her solution. The text is smoothly written and the Spanish integrated so that it won't disrupt the reading experience, whether or not kids know what the words mean. Sassy pictures and a depiction of a caring, happy family round out a very nice start to a new easy reader series.

Verdict: Picture Window only offers paperback or library binding, but the $15 price tag is quite reasonable and definitely worth it to add a little diversity and a fun new series to your easy reader section. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9781479857738; Published 2015 by Picture Window/Capstone; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

On the Wing by David Elliott, illustrated by Becca Stadtlander

I'm generally not a fan of poetry books *pauses while friends throw things at me* but poetic picture books can really work, if they bridge the gap between those who are uncertain/reluctant to check out poetry and the almost constant circulation of our picture books. David Elliott's picture books of short poems have always done very well for us. I've used selections in storytime, in displays, and they check out quite a lot.

When I borrowed this new one, I was at first confused that they'd switched to a new illustrator. Then I remembered that the illustrator for the previous three books in this series, Holly Meade, passed away several years ago. I was interested to see how the new illustrator, Becca Stadtlander, would measure up.

So, this follows the same format as the previous titles which explored animals in the sea, on the farm, and in the wild. Each spread or page features a different bird and a clever, majestic, or funny poem about them. I love that Elliott doesn't dumb down the language and uses such rich vocabulary as "conflagration" with ease. My favorite poem, personally, is "The Wandering Albatross" which has a lovely, haunting rhythm. Some of the poems are just a few lines, making them perfect for introducing very young children to both poetry and birds.

The new illustrator has a very different style from Meade's rough, colorful woodcuts, but it is a lovely combination with Elliott's poetry and fits the theme of birds beautifully. The delicate paintings capture the grace and loveliness of the birds as easily as their more quirky features and habits. From the sweeping majesty of the condor soaring far above the landscape to a flock of feisty sparrows, each bird is delicately and lovingly drawn with personality and verve.

Verdict: If, like me, you only purchase a few poetry books each year, make sure to include this continuation of a popular series on your list. The new illustrator was an excellent choice to continue the legacy of Elliott and Meade and take the series in a new direction. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9780763653248; Published 2014 by Candlewick; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library

Nonfiction Monday: Plant a Pocket of Prairie by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Betsy Bowen

This book sounded really cool, but I wanted to look at it first. However, it took quite a while before I was able to get my hands on it! It is, indeed, quite lovely.

There isn't so much a story in the book as an exhortation to start small and plant a few native prairie plants. If you plant just a few things, more may follow, along with native animals, until the prairie is reborn.

Back matter includes an explanation of the history and destruction of the great prairies, how to start your own mini prairie and research native plants, and more information on the various plant and animal species mentioned in the book. There is also some additional information on endangered vs extinct and some further resources.

The lovely, delicate illustrations perfectly capture the beauty of small details in the prairie so lovingly described. Birds, flowers, snakes, insects, the tiny creatures grown and expand until they sweep across the page in a flurry of life and motion.

Verdict: This isn't likely to work well in a storytime, as there isn't really a story, more a list of species. If you're looking for a story about reviving a wild meadow, try Meadowview Street by Henry Cole. However, it's a lovely, lovely book and would be a perfect complement to a class project or research into native plants.

ISBN: 9780816679805; Published 2014 by University of Minnesota Press; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Cybils is Here! Cybils is coming!

I am proud and happy to announce the first and second round panelists of Elementary and Middle Grade Nonfiction, of which category I am chair. I will also be judging in the first round of Easy Readers/Easy Chapter Books. Get your nominations ready, because it's only a few days away!

Round 1 Panelists for Elementary and Middle Grade Nonfiction. These folks will be reading approximately 100 nonfiction titles, choosing the 5-7 that best fit Cybils' criteria of child appeal and literary quality.

• Ellen Zschunke, On the Shelf 4 Kids
• Elisa Bergslien, Leopards and Dragons
• Reshama Deshmukh, Stacking Books
• Bridget Wilson, What is Bridget Reading?
• Amy Broadmoore, Delightful Children's Books
• Laura Arnhold, Literacious
• Roberta Gibson, Wrapped in Foil

Round 2 Judges for Elementary and Middle Grade Nonfiction. These folks will take our finalists and, in only a month and a half of intense reading, discussion, and evaluation, choose the One Book To Rule Them All, i.e. the winner!

• Julie Larios, The Drift Record
• Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kids Books
• Suzy Leopold, Through the Prairie Garden
• Alyson Beecher, Kid Lit Frenzy
• Carrie Gelson, There's a Book for That

This week at the library; or, Reaching out to outreach

Thinking about weeding
the juvenile nonfiction.
Again.

What's going on; in my head and at the library

• The real craziness begins this week. Last week was just pretend-craziness. School here started very late - after Labor Day - so my outreach isn't starting until this week. I'm also taking next week off so I had a lot of prep work to do.
• Data. Daaaattaaaa. The official 2014 data was released today. Of course, I already had my happy data day dance with the preliminaries last summer, but I like to look again.
• Service Population: 24,484
• Children's materials circulation: 121,079
• Children's e-content (which has nothing to do with me): 378
• Children's programs: 364
• Children's program attendance: 12,282
• Teen programs (I count school visits): 24
• Teen attendance: 456
• My first visit to the after school community center for middle schoolers. There was a fairly small group there and I only checked out about 3 things. It would work a lot better if I had a mobile hotspot, but I don't think it's worth it for just this monthly group. If I ever started doing books by the pool in the summer though....the kids were absolutely enthralled with the Osmo though.
• First visit back to one of my preschool/daycares. The threes and fours are so tiny at the beginning of the year!
• Thursday I frantically rushed through all the misc. things I could think of that would need to be done, Friday I was gone all day at a workshop and then...vacation!

Programs

• Playgroup with Pattie
• Toddlers 'n' Books (2 sessions) (Ms. Pattie)
• Middle School outreach to Sophos
• September outreach (5 sessions)
• Books 'n' Babies (Ms. Pattie)
• Mad Scientists Club: Launch it!
• We Explore Science (Ms. Pattie)

Some projects completed/in progress this week

• Starting to put together materials for book clubs starting in October.
• Shifted the manga - we're running out of space
• Weeding YA - again, running out of space

Professional Development

• Youth Services workshop - using technology, adapting services to kids with disabilities, starting an anime club and lots of other stuff.
• Cybils. I am cybiling like crazy!

Stealth Programs and Displays

• Nothing new!

What the kids are reading; A Selection

• "how things work" for a four year old - Macaulay is really too old, I showed them some things in the nonfiction section and let them browse.
• Pete the Cat
• Trapani and other music-based books - Music section in neighborhoods.
• Read-alikes for I Survived for a 5th grader. I survived true stories, Can you survive, Samantha Seiple, Expeditioners, Secret Files. I really need to make a list for this.
• Leaf books, fall books, apple books.

Anna Banana and the friendship split by Anica Mrose Rissi, illustrated by Meg Park

This looked like a really fun new beginning/intermediate chapter series with a diverse main character. But for some reason it just didn't grab me.

Anna loves her best friend Sadie, but they don't always get along. She thinks Sadie is lucky, with parents who let her do whatever she wants. But Sadie can also be bossy and mean. When they have a fight on Anna's birthday, she's devastated and at first tries to make up with Sadie. But then she realizes she needs to stand up for herself and tries...but it all goes wrong. Does she have to choose a new best friend?

I guess what mainly bothered me about this is that Anna's parents are supposed to be a contrast to Sadie's - involved, caring, etc. But it takes them quite a while to realize that something is drastically wrong with Anna and then they just...don't really do anything. Really, I suppose I'm looking at it from an adult standpoint and not how it would appear to a kid, so it's not a legitimate complaint, but it just bothered me.

There are illustrations throughout the book, but this was an ARC so I didn't see the finished illustrations. Despite my own reservations, if you have readers who like stories about friendship with lots of interpersonal stuff going on, this would definitely be a good choice. The writing is snappy and fresh, the characters aren't too stereotyped for this type of book, and a lot of kids struggle with friendship issues.

Verdict: I think this just wasn't a good fit for me personally, since I dislike stories that focus primarily on relationships and this whole series looks like it's going to be one friendship drama after another. I'm going to take the ARC to work and see what my book club kids think about it, but most of my readers are more interested in books where something happens (although that might be my own bias coming through) so I don't think this series is necessary for us. However, it's really nice to see a diverse main character and if I had a bigger budget I'd definitely add this one.

ISBN: 9781481416054; Published May 2015 by Simon and Schuster; ARC provided at ALA Midwinter 2015

Read, Read, Read said the Baby: Raindrops fall all around by Charles Ghigna, illustrated by Laura Watson

This boardbook is adapted from a full-sized picture book. I haven't read the original, but the board book works very well.

Smooth rhymes talk about the raindrops falling all around, focusing on various animals and ending with a rainbow. "A flowing creek fills up with rain./Rain seeps down into the drain." shows a cheerful yellow duck, two chipmunks, and an orange bird parading over a slowing filling creek while the opposite page shows three smiling cats watching the rain pour down into a storm drain.

The illustrations are large spot illustrations set against a white background and picture a cast of colorful and happy animals. Even the dog and cat, obviously a little nervous about the thunder, are curled up cozily together. The animals are cartoonish but easily identifiable.

The book is a large square about 8x8 and although the text is an odd, thin font, it would still make quite a decent read-aloud.

Verdict: A great choice for a rain-themed baby or toddler storytime or for reading on a rainy day. Picture Window books are only available in library binding, so this board book is an excellent and affordable alternative. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781479560424; Published 2015 by Picture Window; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Bear Hug by Katharine McEwen

A young bear remembers the lessons of his parents as he prepares for the winter, meets another young bear, and begins to teach his own cub about survival.

I'm really torn about this book. On the one hand, I like the text. It's sweet without being sentimental, flows nicely off  the tongue, and it isn't too text-heavy. I've been reading a lot of picture books for Cybils 2014 picture books and the most common reason I put something in the "do not purchase for the library" pile is that there's too much text.

Also, I absolutely love, love, love the illustrations. Simply stunning collages with color and enticing shapes to capture the eye. There's life and warmth in the pictures and I just want to pore over them, catching each small detail and spot of color and the wonderful shapes of the bears and the details on the trees. Yes, I really like these illustrations.

But...it's really difficult for me to overlook the weird clash of natural history and anthropomorphism. I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty sure adult male bears do not teach their cubs anything or stay with the family. In fact, bears being omnivores, they are quite happy to add "my offspring" to the dinner menu. This seems to be an attempt to portray an idealized, traditional family but I don't understand why that was necessary - why not stick to the facts, make it a female bear, have her think about how her mother taught her to survive, and then have her own bear cub?

Verdict: I really, really love the illustrations and seasonal books are always popular so I might go ahead and purchase it, but I doubt I'd use it in storytime and if I did it would be accompanied by an educational discussion of What Bears Are Really Like and how Single Families Are Ok Too. Apparently she's quite a prolific author/illustrator in the UK so I will wait hopefully for new releases from her here in the states.

ISBN: 9780763666309; Published 2014 by Templar/Candlewick; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Nonfiction Monday: Let it begin here! April 19, 1775: The day the American Revolution began by Don Brown

Although I've purchased most, if not all, of Don Brown's easy historical nonfiction, I've never actually read one. However, as I was choosing books for the kids at my book club to choose from last spring, I thought the I Survived fans might enjoy this author so I borrowed one to read, so I could better booktalk it.

It starts with a simple explanation of the events leading up to the first, bloody battle at Lexington. The story continues through the events and personalities until the battle and its aftermath are over. The book finishes with a recap of what happened to the main players and a brief bibliography.

The book is formatted like a small picture book, about 9 x 7 inches. It's small enough not to be daunting, but doesn't look so much like a picture book that it will turn off kids who don't want to read "baby books". The story is illustrated throughout with Brown's watercolors, which are at turns sad, bloody, and occasionally humorous.

This is narrative nonfiction at its best. The story of the battle reads smoothly, including key events, dates, and people in a natural way within the flow of the story. Although the book doesn't shy away from the grim realities of war, the watercolors soften the blood and gore and it's not excessively graphic. Sensitive children may want to avoid this, but it's not inappropriate for the average 2nd to 3rd grade reader.

Verdict: This series definitely deserves the many positive reviews it has received and makes a great recommendation for younger readers interested in history. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781596432215; Published 2008 by Roaring Brook; Borrowed from the library

This week at the library; or, Now things are really starting

New counter in teen area

What's going on; in my head and at the library

• Monday was scheduling craziness. There was also a staff meeting and errands and cleaning off my desk and THINGS)
• Tuesday was busy, busy, busy. Toddlers 'n' Books and then the first meeting of the local homeschool/charter school group having classes at the library. They were very well-behaved, but it was busy! Then I set up outreach visits with the local after school community center for middle and high school students (although I think they're mostly middle schoolers).
• Wednesday was Winter Wigglers and finishing projects in preparation for Thursday and upcoming programs.
• Thursday I came in to work around 11ish, tackled the mass of stuff on my desk, had a huge and enthusiastic group for Messy Art Club, and then did a presentation at our biggest daycare/preschool/4K site. It was pretty awesome and we've got lots of plans for increased outreach and collaboration in the future!
• Friday was crazy. That's all I'm going to say.

Programs

• Pattie's C.A.F.E. (Ms. Pattie)
• Tiny Tots (Ms. Pattie)
• Toddlers 'n' Books (2 sessions) (Ms. Pattie)
• Winter Wigglers: Block Party
• Books 'n' Babies (Ms. Pattie)
• Messy Art Club: Beading
• We Explore Favorite Artist Herve Tullet

Some projects completed/in progress this week

• Spanish collection development (re-cataloging, weeding, ordering, moving the shelves)
• Organizing library new book pins (Pinterest lets you move pins now! Yay!)

Professional Development

• Cybils. I am cybiling like crazy!

Stealth Programs and Displays

• Display: Staff Picks
• Take Home Storytime: Fall Birds

What the kids are reading; A Selection

• I should get more copies of David Shannon's David.
• ALL four of my copies of Raina Telgemeier's Smile are checked out and I had two fans in today.
• Harry Potter
• Patron mentioned how much they loved Jump's Bullfrog books - I'm hoping to get more next year.
• Homeschool/school groups - apples, communities, self-esteem, art. I need more apple books.
• Read-alike for Marsden's Moon Runner, which I don't have - I gave her some younger things (Izzy Barr, Jake Maddox) and then Van Draanen's Running Dream with the caveat that her mom should approve it.
• 10 year old wanting to read Donnelly's mermaid series - mom wasn't sure. I gave her Ingo instead.
• Leveled book for a sixth grader. I picked Brain finds a leg and My life in dog years.
• Books for 5th grader and middle schooler
• Fall books
• Judith Viorst book