Bad Kitty goes to the vet by Nick Bruel

I rarely read sequels, but I wanted some relaxing reading and took home the newest Bad Kitty for myself.

Bad Kitty may be bad, but she's always been a happy, healthy kitty. In her own way, of course. Until today. When a kitty stops eating, what happens? The dreaded...VET! Will Bad Kitty survive her traumatic experience? More important...will everyone else?

The blended graphics and text deliver another laugh-out-loud adventure from Kitty and her "friends." Fans of classic cartoons, especially Tom and Jerry, will get a big laugh out of the kitty heaven sequence, especially Kitty's desperate attempts to atone for her previous nastiness to Poor Puppy.

One of the things I love about Bad Kitty, asides from the humor, illustrations, and popularity with kids, is their diversity. Have you ever sat down and counted how many anthropomorphic characters are male? Or found yourself referring to animals as male even if it's not delineated in the story? I've been making a conscious effort to break myself of this habit over the past few months and once you start looking it's everywhere. In rhymes, picture books, chapter books, etc. Bad Kitty is one of the few female animal protagonists and, even more rare, she's one bad kitty - nothing sweet and dainty about her at all. In addition, when the rare human character shows up, they are just as likely to have dark skin as not - for example, the veterinarian in this title.

Verdict: Another hilarious entry in a popular series. Your library should definitely own the whole series and, if you are a larger library, multiple copies. Bad Kitty also makes a great read-aloud for younger kids and a good book club selection.

ISBN: 9781596439771; Published 2016 by Roaring Brook; Purchased for the library

The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents: Romeo and Juliet by Ian Lendler, illustrated by Zack Giallongo

I reviewed the first Stratford Zoo title for No Flying No Tights and I loved it. Unfortunately, it really didn't circulate much despite my booktalking and I was disappointed but sadly decided not to purchase the second volume. However! A young patron desperately wanted to read the next book and no other library had purchased them. So I got to buy it after all!

I didn't like this one as much as Macbeth, but it was still fun. The zoo animals are putting on another production, this time of the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. A rooster and a bear, representing the petting zoo and the wild animals, find themselves becoming best friends. Unfortunately, their friends and families do not approve and Juliet's father wants her to be best friends with a lion! A wise owl has a clever plan, but things keep getting wrong and in the end....they both end up hibernating together.

I loved the silly chatter of the audience, the side story of the lamb and monkey kids fighting, and the dramatic hilarity of the story. I did feel that substituting the best friends/playdate/hibernation for the love/marriage/death was a little silly. I'm pretty sure most kids are going to realize that in the "real" story they die. I do love Giallongo's art - there's no fancy artistic subtleties to it, just strong, classic cartoon art with his own style keeping it unique.

Verdict: I still think these are delightful fun and I can't wait to see what's next - the book says they're going to tackle a comedy! but I have to admit they haven't clicked with my audience. However, as long as I've got at least one (two including me) fan I will definitely keep purchasing them and trying to think of fun ways to promote them.

ISBN: 9781626722781; Published 2015 by First Second; Purchased for the library

Small Readers: See it Grow: Sunflower by Joyce Markovics

This is part of Bearport's Little Bits imprint, which publishes easy readers. This particular series explains the life cycle of plants including apples, coconuts, cranberries, oak trees, pumpkins and sunflowers.

The book begins with germination, follows the sunflower through growth, budding and flowering, and and talks about the animals who use the pollen and seeds.

A final set of facts adds some more details about sunflowers. A simple glossary defines the words bud, pollen, roots, shoot, and stem. There is a simple index and a few additional titles to read.

The large font, simple language, and bold photographs make this an excellent easy reader. On the other hand, Bearport's easy readers are an odd shape - this one is 8x8 - which offends my sense of order. They're also much more expensive than the average easy reader. I am more likely to expend the money to purchase animal titles from Bearport, which are guaranteed popularity in the easy reader nonfiction section. However, with many kindergartens doing units on the plants included in this series, I think it would add a great dimension to the themed baskets I pull for them.

Verdict: Well-written and an excellent lay-out, but make sure it's a topic your library can use before expending the money.

ISBN: 9781627248433; Published 2016 by Bearport; Review copy provided by publisher

Beatrix Potter and the Unfortunate Tale of a Borrowed Guinea Pig by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Charlotte Voake

There's a bit of buzz going around now about a newly discovered (i.e. they dug through her attic) manuscript from Beatrix Potter which is to be illustrated by Quentin Blake. Apart from my own feelings about attic books (not favorable) I don't understand why they picked an illustrator whose art is so dissimilar to Beatrix Potter's delicate drawings. I was happy to see that this subtly humorous tale of Potter's childhood did not make that mistake, being illustrated by Charlotte Voake who, although she has her own definite style, feels more evocative of Potter's taste and art to me.

The story begins with Beatrix Potter and her intense interest in drawing the natural world around her. However, during her childhood in the city, there was not much access to the natural world. Beatrix never let that stop her, however, and she and her brother collected a wide variety of pets. Unfortunately, they did not have a guinea pig and Beatrix dearly wanted to draw one. So, she borrowed one from the neighbor next door, a fine animal named Queen Elizabeth. Unfortunately, despite Beatrix's best intentions, Queen Elizabeth came to an...unfortunate end. Beatrix attempted to make up for the sad demise with a delicate portrait but if you were the bereaved Miss Paget, what would you have done?

The author continues with a note detailing Potter's later life and the later discovery of a portrait of a guinea pig, drawn about that time, which sold for an extensive sum. A detailed author's note, complete with photographs and primary documents, gives more information about Beatrix Potter's life and legacy along with sources of quotations and a brief bibliography.

Charlotte Voake's delicate watercolors are the perfect accompaniment to this delightfully Victorian tale, with tiny drawings of the various animals, reproductions of entries in Potter's journals, and elegant spreads of Beatrix Potter's world.

While I personally loved this story and the delicate art that accompanies it, it's unlikely to be a title that flies off your shelves on its own account. The tongue-in-cheek humor, while it will give a giggle to older readers "You can guess what happened next. That repast of paper, paste, and string took its toll. In the night the queen expired." will probably fly right over the heads of younger listeners. It's also a fairly lengthy text and would need a patient audience to sit still for the entire book while the more advanced vocabulary will need a good reader to wade through on their own.

Verdict: Although this doesn't have universal appeal, it's one that certain, specific children and their parents will love, especially if they are fans of Beatrix Potter. Occasionally I will purchase titles with limited appeal for certain segments of my audience and this is one that falls under that heading. If you have an audience for this type of book at your library, it's definitely the one to purchase this year in that category.

ISBN: 9780385373258; Published 2016 by Schwartz and Wade; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Nonfiction Monday: Moon Bears by Mark Newman

I love bears but had never really thought much about moon bears - I'm more of a grizzly fan. But this book not only gave me a fresh look at some very adorable bears, it also inspired me to think about doing an all-bears storytime for outreach next year....

The simple text, interspersed with photographs, explains the life cycle of a moon bear while introducing different bears from the sanctuary where the photos were taken. It talks about their abilities, their sense of smell and hearing, and their diet. The book explains how moon bears interact and how this is different in the wild and at the sanctuary. The back matter gives an additional list of facts about bears, more facts about moon bears, and an author's note explaining the inspiration for the story and the story of the moon bear sanctuary and the people who helped with the book.

This book features one of my favorite layouts in easy nonfiction - bold, simple captions that can be read aloud to the youngest audience and longer, more detailed text for older audiences. This book just might have the best combination ever, which each caption being a an active or informative sentence about bears that toddlers will be able to understand and even participate in "Ginny can run quickly on all four legs./Moon bears can stand on their back legs quite easily, too." The longer text is still simple and direct, perfect for an older preschool or kindergarten audience while younger elementary students will be able to begin reading the book on their own.

Verdict: Informative, accessible, and full of adorable photographs of moon bears! I will be strongly encouraging all my neighboring libraries to buy copies of this title so I have enough to use it in my beginning readers book club. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9780805093445; Published 2015 by Henry Holt; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

This week at the library; or, fakewinterblues

One of my Rock 'n' Read book club attendees created
a model London Eye, after we read Siobhan Dowd's
The London Eye Mystery

What's happening in my head and at the library

• Monday
• Read with Pearl (cancelled)
• Oy. Packing outreach baskets, sending out emails, meetings, meetings, planning, crazy. On top of all that it's not even snowing! And I can see the grass!
• Tuesday
• Toddlers 'n' Books (2 sessions) (Pattie)
• Bookaneers
• Everyone was expecting vast amounts of snow. It rained. It slushed. It iced. I am disappointed. A fairly large group came to book club anyways though.
• Wednesday
• Winter Wigglers: Dance Party
• Lakeland outreach tour (Jess)
• It snowed for, like, 5 minutes. While I was walking to the car OF COURSE. Vast amounts of paperwork were tackled today.
• Thursday
• Books 'n' Babies
• Messy Art Club: Valentines
• Tap to Play
• Eh. Everything was just kind of meh. Kids had fun making Valentines and Pattie and I discussed the woes of the world while cutting up cardboard squares since nobody came to Tap to Play
• Friday
• No kids programs, but I came in late b/c I was supervising the knit-in until 10pm. Very busy last few hours of the day!

Projects in Progress or Completed

• New Take Home Storytimes - ABC and Penguins
• Jess made a new I Spy Aquarium
• Updating and putting together new toy bags
• Paperwork - evaluations, continuing education, and performers
• CE and Meetings
• Department heads staff meeting
• Youth Services department staff meeting

What the kids are reading

• Pulled over 200 books for remote collections
• Chronicles of Narnia
• easy readers - Tinkerbell and My little pony (don't have any at that low a level)
• Fake Mustache
• long discussion with small child about what books she can and can't read
• More Branches books
• Amulet
• Request for middle grade nonfiction! Yay! Hidden like Anne Frank and Boys who challenged Hitler

Cody and the Fountain of Happiness by Tricia Springstubb, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler

Usually, I really don't care for these slice-of-life type of books and rarely buy them since the kids don't check them out often. But this one really grabbed me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Cody is excited about the start of a wonderful summer. She's going to enjoy it with reading, watching ants, and hanging out with her family. But it's a little bumpier than expected with her teen brother Wyatt struggling at his science camp and in love and a maybe new friend named Spencer who has a lost cat. Not to mention her mom's new job that isn't going as well as she'd hoped. Fortunately, after some tears and struggles, all ends well.

I loved the depiction of a warm and loving family going through everyday problems. The characters are realistic and have fights and arguments, especially when Cody's ideas don't turn out as well as she'd hoped, but underneath they're basically kind and trying to do the right thing. Nobody dies, gets divorced, has life-threatening illnesses, etc. It's just a simple story of a happy summer with ups and downs.

Verdict: I really loved this - the writing was lovely, the characters realistic and people I'd want to meet, and whole story was just very happy. I liked that the main characters were diverse without it being the point of the story and that Springstubb didn't fall into the "diverse best friend" trap. On the other hand, I'm not sure how many kids would actually check this out. It's a little long for a beginning chapter book, but not quite long enough for the middle grade kids that will read this type of slice-of-life story. It would make a nice read-aloud for younger kids though. I'll have to think about it some more.

ISBN: 9780763658571; Published 2015 by Candlewick; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

The Reindeer Girl by Holly Webb

Lotta is thrilled to take her first journey to Norway and meet her great-grandmother, her oldeforeldre. Even more, she can't wait to see real reindeer! Lotta slowly learns more about the reindeer and her Sami ancestors and their way of life. When she escapes a noisy party to hide with Oldeforeldre, she hears amazing stories and as she drifts off to sleep the stories become real...

Lotta awakes at a very different time and place; she is with a whole clan of Sami, following the reindeer. She experiences adventure, heartbreak, and the warmth of family before awaking. But her adventure has left a special surprise for both her and her great-grandmother.

The simple line illustrations carry over the same sweet, cozy feel of the cover. Although darker points are touched on - Sami children being forced to abandon their heritage and go to school, reindeer dying, etc. there is a gentle, happy feel to the story overall.

Verdict: I really liked this. It introduces a culture and history new to most readers, has cute animals, and is just an overall happy, interesting read. Not available in the US unfortunately though. I don't know how accurate the representation of the Sami is, but it's a nice introduction.

ISBN: 9781847154460; Published 2013 by Little Tiger Press; Purchased with personal funds; Donated to the library

Small Readers: The Long Dog by Eric Seltzer

Cheerful rhymes and silly pictures fill this book that pays homage to the classic Go, Dogs, Go easy reader.

One after another the dogs parade through the book - cold dogs, hot dogs, black dogs white dogs and a little bit more, every few pages, of that long, long dog. How long is that dog? The book ends with a picture of all the dogs holding up goodbye signs and one last silly sign from the long dog.

The pictures are cheerful, if a little out of focus and fuzzy in some cases, especially in the small details. I personally thought the giant pink bow and skateboard of the gal dog and guy dog was a little annoying - there was no need to stereotype what is supposed to just be silly dogs after all.

The text is bold and clear with short, simple sentences and repeated phrases "This is a high dog./This is a low dog." and is a good fit for kids who need just a few words on each page.

Verdict: Not a stand-out, but a perfectly serviceable filler, especially if you're looking for more level one, very easy easy readers.

ISBN: 9780545746328; Published 2015 by Scholastic; Review copy provided by publisher for Cybils; Donated to the library

Sonya's Chickens by Phoebe Wahl

I feel like there was a little initial buzz about this book and then it seemed to slip from everyone's minds. This is too bad, because it's a wonderful book on several levels.

Sonya, a sturdy girl with rich, dark skin and exuberant curls, is given three speckled chicks by her father. Under her care, they grow into plump, healthy chickens and begin to provide eggs. But one night, there is a disturbance in the coop and when Sonya runs out to check...one chicken is gone. Her father comforts her by telling a story about the hungry fox who wants to feed her family. Sonya makes a grave for her lost chicken, but thinks also of the fox kits in the woods, no longer hungry. She and her family repair the coop and one day one of the eggs begins to hatch!

The illustrations are a rich blend of watercolor, collage and colored pencil. The landscape feels almost like a fantasy forest with towering flowers and tall trees. One of my favorite spreads is a night scene with the trees, buildings, and skyline dimly shown in the dark landscape adn a glowing moon and stars overhead.

It's not a perfect book; in places the text is too lengthy to make a good read-aloud and it occasionally strays into didacticism. However, the rich, lovely illustrations and the simple descriptions of caring for a beloved pet and accepting that sometimes sad things happen are heartfelt and touching.

Verdict: This is a good title to enjoy together with a special listener or to read in an abridged format with a younger group.

ISBN: 9781770497894; Published 2015 by Tundra; Borrowed from another library in my consortium