"This Is a Moose" -Richard T. Morris

This Is a Moose is a very serious book about film-making... Nah, it's a great book about trying to make a film about moose in his natural habitat. Great fun as everything gets in the way. Also prompted a moose themed storytime!

For some reason, I just love books that break the 4th wall.

Read Also:

Ernest, the Moose who Doesn't Fit by Catherine Rayner.

Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham has a moose trying to get more screen time than just for the letter M.

Oliver Jefferies This Moose Belongs to Me.

"The Book With No Pictures" -B. J. Novak

After I saw Saving Mr. Banks, I've kinda kept an eye on B. J. Novak (he plays the Sherman brother with the cane). He wrote One More Thing, an adult book. But then he came out with this picture book...had to read it.

There are really no pictures in the whole book. The text is colorful and crazy at times but it requires imagination for it to be funny.

Read Also:

The characters in We Are In a Book by Mo Willems get the reader to say things.

Chester's Masterpiece by Melanie Watt; Chester takes over to write the book.

"Ninja Red Riding Hood" -Corey Rosen Schwartz

This came in as a new book to the library and my mind was blown... Ninjas! Spin on a fairy tale! Ninjas!! I knew I had to do a ninja themed storytime. So I did.

The wolf is having trouble finding food so he takes up martial arts. When he becomes a master, he goes on the prowl. Ninja Red is going walking and while this book has all the elements of the original tale, it's a little different.

 

So this book was amazing! It's told in limericks throughout and is so fun. All the books listed below were used in my storytimes. I also crocheted 5 ninjas for the rhyme "5 Little Ninjas."

 

And here they are! (my favorite is eco-friendly ninja.)

 

Read Also:

Wink: the ninja who wanted to be noticed and Wink: the ninja who wanted to nap by J. C. Phillips

Ninja by Arree Chung

Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCosta

R is for Robot: a noisy alphabet" -Adam Watkins

Such a fun book, full of sound effects for each letter! A must read aloud, that's for sure.

Read Also:

Achoo Bang Crash: the noisy alphabet by Ross MacDonald has more and different sound effects.

AlphaOops!: the day Z went first by Alethea Kontis puts a reverse spin on the alphabet.

Z is for Moose by Kelly L. Bingham really catches you off-guard!

"Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?" -Carmela Lavigna Coyle

"NO!" was the resounding reply when I read this book to the kids. I saw it while vacationing in Yellowstone. It's a darling list of how princesses have bad hair days, ride bikes, get muddy, fold their own clothes, and lots of other regular day things.

And a sequel! Do Princesses Really Kiss Frogs?

Read Also:

Jane Yolen's Not All Princesses Wear Pink.

Gail Carson Levine does a whole set of chapter books but one is The Princess Test.

Spells by Emily Gravett.

"New York is English, Chattanooga is Creek" -Chris Raschka

New York is hosting a party and invites a bunch of his friends from around the US. Will San Francisco be too sensitive? Will Chicago be too fierce?

This was a really interesting book about where some cities in America got their names. For instance, Chicago is an Algonquian word meaning "stinking onions' or "onion place." Classy. Anyway, each character carries the traits of their name in whichever language it came from. And they all have a party.

Read Also:

An adult book, How the States Got Their Shapes by Mark Stein is a fascinating read.

Albert Jack's Pop Goes the Weasel: the secret meanings of nursery rhymes.

"Beauty and the Squat Bears" -Emile Bravo

Who doesn't like a good spoof! Here's a doozy. Snow White ends up at the house of the seven squat bears. She needs a prince to fix everything so a bear goes looking for one. Snags Cinderella's prince, runs across Beauty's Beast, loses both of them to a fairy godmother, and that's just one of the storylines!

 



Turns out Emile Bravo does a whole set of stories about the squat bears.

Read Also:
Jon Sciezka's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs as told by the Big Bad Wolf.

Cory Rosen Schwartz's Ninja Red Riding Hood and The Three Ninja Pigs.

Ever saw the musical, Into the Woods? Yeah, kinda like that.

"Leo the Late Bloomer" -Robert Kraus

On recommendation...

Leo is a tiger who can't do everything all the other kids can do. Is there something wrong with him? As we find out, he's only a later bloomer. And when he does bloom, as with many children, he surpasses expectations.

Cute book. Gives perspective to children who feel or have been told they're late bloomers.Read Also:

Read Also:

Lucy's Picture by Nicola Moon is a sweet story about a girl who makes a picture for her grandfather. It keeps you in suspense until you see the reason she does it.

Bethanie Deeney Murguia writes a couple books Snippet: the early riser and Buglette: the messy sleeper who learn as they grow, though a little behind their species and families in development.

"The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Big Birthday Bash" -Frank Cammuso

I really like Frank Cammuso's artwork so when I saw Salem Hyde go by, had to have a look!
Salem is a young witch who can't seem to get her magic under control. Her non-magic parents(?) hire a companion to keep her out of trouble. Whammy, the cat companion, has quite a literary streak to him, some odd ideas of living, and dependable when Salem needs him most.

The most interesting part for me was which classics Cammuso incorporates into the story. Book #1 used Moby Dick, Book #2 used The Gift of the Magi. Book #3 is recently published; can't wait to see what he chose!!

Read Also:

Frank Cammuso also wrote a spoof of King Arthur in his "Knights of the Lunch Table" series.

Sandra Boynton's Amazing Cows: udder absurdity for children.

Jeffrey Brown's Darth Vader and Son.

"U.S. Presidents: the oval office all-stars!" -Dan Green

It's my 2nd NoBloPoMo and I'm ashamed to say I'm not nearly as ready for it as I was last year. I was coordinated, I had it planned out, timed down to the last book! I was even able to post December 1st. Ah well, this year will feature a lot more picture books, but then, I'm reading a heck of a lot more picture books!

Goal: to post non-picture books on the weekends and picture books throughout the week. So here goes...

This book caught my eye because the artwork was so darn cute!! Turns out there's a whole set ranging from history to science to math to music. http://www.basherbooks.com/usa/aboutbooks.html

U.S. Presidents: the oval office all-stars! has each president, using very informal language, talk about himself. The pictures are designed to illustrate not just the man but his presidency and life. There are fun facts and direct quotes.

It was a fun, light read about the presidents. Not so good as a research book but definitely makes parts of history fun! I want to read Mythology and States and Capitals by Basher.

Read Also:

The "A is for ___: a ___ alphabet" series (I've read C is for Cowboy: a Wyoming alphabet by Eugene Gagliano) is a good series, not so much for the research, but for the relaxed, fun tone of the books while still talking about history.

"The Wing Wing Brothers" series by Ethan Long is a graphic novel look at math and is very funny!



"Ancient Rome: an interactive history" -Rachael Hanel

"interactive" ... Did you see that?! You choose what historical route you take! It's a choose your own adventure.

Well I chose mine: living in Ancient Rome whether as a Roman senator under Julius Caesar, a woman under Nero, or merchant at the close of the Roman empire, there are many different choices you make to determine how you will end up. Most end in death seeing as how it's, I don't know, history! But there are a few ways to retire into obscurity.

Read Also:

There's a fun series "You Wouldn't Want to Be..." which tells it like it is, and from a contemporary viewpoint. Soon to be read: You Wouldn't Want to Be in a Medieval Dungeon

Jean Fritz's series about the founding of America includes titles such as And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? which puts a personal, first person spin on history. I've read her Shh! We're Writing the Constitution.

"Black Radishes" -Susan Lynn Meyer

Gustave leaves home and friends behind when his parents move him out of Paris to a tiny village just before the Nazi occupation of Northern France begins. As the situation gets worse, Gustave learns how to deal with life's changes (being Jewish, smuggling across the demarcation line, trusting strangers) in order to help others.

This was a pretty good book. The solution to the problem is really simple (it's in the title) but it didn't undermine the writing of those tense scenes when going through the Nazi checkpoints. Although not often, I appreciate a hopeful ending with these kinds of stories.

Read Also:

Hero On a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes is a similar scene set in Italy.

The Auslander by Paul Dowswell is about a German boy who sees what is happening in Poland and forms his own opinions about it. Young Adult

The Traitor by Gudrun Pausewant is about a German girl who decides to help a Russian soldier rather than turn him in. Young Adult

"Journey" - Aaron Becker

Ack! I went a whole month without posting!! It's not that I haven't been reading, I just haven't been reviewing them. I will try to post once a week this month.


Journey was a gorgeous, stunning book! Magnificent pieces of art that make you want to search every bit of the page to not miss a thing. There is no text, the story is in the illustrations. A little girl builds her own dreams and fantasies from a single red boat. Ah! It was beautiful...

Read Also:

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson is a simpler version of a child's imagination.

Maurice Sendak's classic Where the Wild Things Are, which is not one of my favorites but does show how imagination uses things to grow.

It reminded me of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll as each thing leads to a completely different and equally fantastic place, but still connected somehow.

"Adele & Simon" -Barbara McClintock

Done in the style of Gigi and Madeline, this was a fun romp through Paris. On each page, Simon loses something which is somewhere on the page (and not a big object either). You also can look for Simon and famous artists and works. There's a guide in the back for those.

Read Also:

John Skewes' "Larry Gets Lost in..." series is a picture view of Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and his latest, Washington D.C.

Where's Waldo? by Martin Handford.

There's a great series from the 80s and 90s, "Agent Arthur..." by Martin Oliver put out by Usborne Puzzle Adventures, that is all about seeing the right things in the pictures and solving the puzzles. Whew, blast from the past there!

"The End" -David LaRochelle

Such a fun book! The whole story, in fact the whole book, is told in reverse. The title page is at the end, the cover is backwards, really clever.

I'm going to spoil the finish by saying the Princess and the Knight fall in love. But how do they fall in love? Because... And that's how the story goes, always telling the effect before the cause.

Read Also:

Why is the Snow White? by Heinz Janisch

"How I Live Now" -Meg Rosoff

Let me just say, this is not my type of book; would never have pulled it off the shelf; would never have read a review and thought I would enjoy it. BUT, I think highly of the teen librarian who recommended it (and it's a fairly short book) so I took it to expand my Young Adult reading.

...Not a horrible book.

Actually, it's an interesting book that deals with an alternate/future(?) war and how the current generation might face it. Daisy is sent to live with cousins in England when a war breaks out. There, she lives a very different lifestyle to the one she's known in New York. However, this war arrives in England, and her now-family gets separated. Through starvation, abandonment, terror, and other symptoms of war, Daisy manages to get back to them, her now-home.

I liked the writing style, 1st person, where the reader is inside Daisy's teenage head. However, I was so fixated on which war was going on, that I probably missed a lot of points which flushed out the story. Regardless, the end is still ... poignant. (I hesitate to use that word but it kinda fits).

Read Also:

Margaret Rotkowski's After the Dancing Days is an emotional and physical look at war and how it affects the young, though not exactly the same type of book.

Because I don't read this type of book, Stephan Crane's The Red Badge of Courage was comparable in emotional trauma.

Funny enough, it's a depressing version of When Irish Eyes are Smiling by Suzanne Supplee.

"Blood of Tyrants" -Naomi Novik

It's finally here. I've recommended this series multiple times for both Adult and Children's books. This is book 8 and still going strong... Temeraire, where dragons are tame. Lawrence, a naval captain, inadvertantly is bonded with a dragon upon it's hatching. He then becomes an aviator, fighting Napoleon and traveling all over the world.

The last 2 books weren't as good as the first books but Blood of Tyrants starts out strong: Lawrence has amnesia and can't remember Temeraire. Oh, and he's also washed ashore in Japan. It comes back to him piecemeal, as they travel to Russia to be present for Napoleon's invasian. And remember the scorched earth policy, one of the few things I remember from social studies class? Yup, in the book!

Read Also:

Patrick O'Brien's Master and Commander series, though I've never read it, sounds like it reads the same. The writing style is a little more sophisticated. Also, Napoleon, naval ships, it's all there except the dragons.

E. M. Forester's Hornblower series is also same sans dragons.

For the kids, How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell.

"Beautiful Lego" - Mike Doyle

It's a picture book for adults!! If you like LEGO... If you're fascinated by LEGO... If you play with LEGO... If you create with LEGO... This is an amazing book of what can be done with LEGO.
It's a collection of works from LEGO creators around the world. There some interview and a lot of cool pictures!

By the way, that is a LEGO structure on the cover. Yeah, I had to look close when I realized that.

Read Also:

Logo Life by Ron von der Vlugt.Other People's Rejection Letters by Bill Shapiro.

There's a book out there that I can't get at a library (yet) but I'm excited to read called Bookshelf by Alex Johnson. It's about bookshelves as art.

Super Hair-O and the Barber of Doom - John Rocco

My goodness! I read dozens of picture books a week but I don't have time to post them all. However, I didn't expect to go the whole month without posting again. Well here's one that I thought was terrific:

Rocco has the craziest hair going on! He and his friends get their superpowers from their hair. But when Rocco is taken to the barber, how will he escape its evil clutches?! When he returns to school disgraced (with a haircut), he faces his friends only find they have also been sheared. When a teddy bear is in trouble, Rocco and his friends rise to the occasion and the save the day, learning their superpowers don't come from their hair but from within.

This was such a cute story! My favorite character was, of course, the kid who says "dude" to everything.

Read Also:

Zorro Gets an Outfit by Carter Goodrich has a dog feeling like a legendary hero.

Torando Slim and the Magic Cowboy Hat by Bryan Langdo.

"Hide and Sheep" -Andrea Beaty

They're fluffy. They're small. What isn't fun about mischievious sheep?

The sheep go looking for adventure while the farmer is asleep. He'll round them up for shearing but not before they get to do a few things...

The artwork is full, exciting, witty. Rogue animals!

Read Also:

Elanna Allen's Itsy Mitsy Runs Away.

Nicholas Oldland's Making the Moose Out of Life.

Jan Thomas' Rhyming Dust Bunnies.

"Henry and Mudge: The First Book" -Cynthia Rylant

The Henry & Mudge series are a staple among beginner reader books. Finally got the first one!

Henry wants a pet. When he goes into the pet store, there's the perfect dog: Mudge. A little pup that grows to a big, loveable dog. When Mudge gets lost, Henry goes looking and gets lost.

The artwork is cute, the characters are happy, the stories are charming. There really isn't a downside to this series.

Read Also:

Cynthia Rylant's "Annie and Snowball" series.

Erica Silverman's "Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa" series.

Shirley Mozelle's Zack's Alligator.

"The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" -Jacqueline Kelly

I don't listen to audiobooks often but changes in my commute has really cut down on my reading time. And so I've begun a shift to a little bit o'listening.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is the story of a young girl growing up in Texas at the turn-of-the-century. The book follows Cali from the summer of 1899 to New Year's Day 1900. Cali has an interest in scienec; she teams up with her grandfather to study her surroundings. As she learns, the reader sees how many things in her life mirror those of nature, evolution, and Darwin's theories.

This was a fascinating combination of period technology and modern issues. While characters gawk at horseless carriages, marvel over microscopes, and think the first snow is the end of the world, Cali faces a rocky mother-daughter relationship, annoying brothers, and what to do when she grows up.

Read Also:

Jane Birdsall's "The Penderwicks" series.

Joelle Stolz's The Shadows of Ghadames.

Margaret Sidney's The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.

"While Irish Eyes are Smiling" -Suzanne Supplee

Young Adult romances can be simpler love stories; this one fits the bill. It takes place in Ireland during a Study Abroad program.

Delk Sinclair decides to go to Ireland instead of hanging around Nashville, TN. She's running away from her debutante ball, step-mother, and memories of her mother's death from illness. While in Ireland, Delk makes friends, meets Pather, a boy who's also lost his mother, and confronts herself and her relationships at home, all while traveling among the beauty that is Ireland.

I was slightly impressed by this book. It's still a "cheap" paperback but Delk's character development was surprising. She is presented as shallow but not mean or dumb. Her growth is believeable, especially since the "terribleness" she attributes to her life is the normal exaggerations of a teenager. All in all, cute!

Read Also:

It turns out I don't read a lot of contemporary YA fiction but an oldie (and I mean the 80's) Tough-Luck Karen by Johanna Hurtwitz is about a girl who has a lot of things going wrong in her life. She'd go crazy if it weren't for her love of cooking.

Linda Crew's Children of the River is about a girl from Cambodia making her way in America.

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami.

"Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant" -Tony Cliff

I came across this book twice before I finally read it. It was a fun, funny, easy read.

Delilah Dirk is an adventurer with skills ranging from sword fighting to dancing to piloting in situations ranging from polite society to the jungle to tough cities. She takes up with Selim, a Turkish Lieutenant with a taste (and nose) for tea, accidentally in Constantinople. They face a lot together, come to understand each other, and even sacrifice for each other until they stumble upon a friendship they built. It's a happy story considering all the bloodshed...

Read Also:

Shannon Hale's Rapunzel's Revenge and its sequel Calamity Jack are very similar in attitude, writing style, and even artwork. Very funny and exciting!

The "Asterix" series by Iscenko & Goscinny.

Stewart Ross wrote a set of 4 Beginner Reader graphic novels set during Ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, and China. Although, they are not funny.

"The Crochet Answer Book" -Edie Eckman

I don't usually read entire books that can be considered reference books. Like encyclopedias, you look up what you need, not read from cover to cover. In this case, I read the entire book. I've taken up crocheting again and this time, I'm going wild! I read this to see what tips I could pick up to ease, enhance, and smooth out my crocheting. None of it was a revelation, but there were useful hints throughout.

The format is broken into sections (Yarn, Finishing, Stitching, etc.) and it's treated like a Q&A.

The most helpful section was on blocking and starching which I'd never thought about though I knew I needed to do something similar for some of my projects. The cleverest tip is using a latch hook to weave in the tail ends of the yarn. The funniest tip was [Q: What's the difference between "1 sc" and "sc 1." A: Nothing, they're the same.]

Read Also:

Some of my favorite crochet books are 75 Birds, Butterflies, and Little Beasts to Knit & Crochet by Lesley Stanfield and other similar titled books by her.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Amigurumi by June Gilbank was inciteful for stuffed projects.

Basic Crochet Stitches by Erika Knight. Okay, I haven't read this one yet, but it's in the queue!

"Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders" -John Mortimer

You may have heard of the British television show and Yes, this is one of the books the series was based on.

Rumpole is writing his memoirs, recounting his first case as lead council. A boy is on trial for the murder of his father and his father's best friend. The case brings back memories of WWII, airplane pilots, and accusations of treason. While Rumpole glories in his first case, a few past flames resurface.

The writing is a little more styled. I'm not unfamiliar with it but I do a lot of rereading to make sure I understand what's going on. I really liked Rumpole; he's fun and rebellious but disciplined.

Read Also:

Rumpole is a little like Perry Mason, series by Erle Stanley Gardner, in that the lawyer solves the case and the defendant is always not guilty.

British murder mysteries: Agatha Christie's are the best!

"Don't Let the Republican Drive the Bus" -Erich Origen

What I hoped for was a funny political commentary, what I got was a biased democratic take on the republicans. I'm not defending either party nor am I saying neither is without fault. What I disliked about this book is the lack of proof. On the other hand, a republican could write a book called "Don't Let the Democrat Drive the Bus" so I guess it evens out.

And what was even more shocking was the disclaimer on the back of the book: "This book is a parody and has not been prepared, approved, or authorized by the creators of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! or their heirs or representatives." Why would you let someone use your idea (especially a great children's book) if you don't support what they're using it for? Oh well.

Read Also:

If you're interested in other, funnier political picture books, Stephen Colbert's I Am a Pole (and You Can Too!) is hilarious!

Now, Mo Willems's "Pigeon" series is really cute!

"Sweet Land of Story" -Pleasant DeSpain

After going to Devil's Tower, I looked around for the tale about how it was formed. I came across this collection of folk tales from across America. Sweet Land of Story: 36 American tales to tell has supernatural, nature, tall tales, and comedy.

Besides Pecos Bill, Johnny Appleseed, and Paul Bunyon, there's also historial figures such as Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Jesse James. There's a tale of how dogs became domesticated, a commentary on marriage, and morality tales. A quick read.

I especially liked the talle "La Escalara Famosa (The Famous Stair)" from New Mexico. It's a real structure, a spiral staircase, built by a stranger and still survives today. I think I'd like to go see it...

Read Also:

Sadly, through most of this book, I was picturing all the movies and cartoons they've made: Disney's "Pecos Bill" and "Johnny Appleseed" cartoons; MGM's "Calamity Jane" musical; and Barbara Stanwyck's "Annie Oakley" movie.

"The Amaranth Enchantment" -Julie Berry

I can't believe this is my first post of 2014!! So late in the month. Ah well, that's the way it goes etc. etc.

I haven't done much reading these past holidays because of my change in commute. I drive more than sit on a bus which reduces my "spare" time for reading. I know, shame on me. But this one was a fairly quick read regardless.

This Cinderella-esque tale is about Lucinda, a girl whose parents died when she was young, leaving her penniless. She's taken in by her uncle and step-aunt who treats her like a servant. She meets a prince when he comes into the shop but she also meets a thief, Peter. Peter teaches her how to steal and Beryl (essentially an alien & fairy godmother) gives her an opportunity to regain her property. Book includes a ball, surprise clothes & carriage, and even teasing over the midnight hour.

It was not a bad read. I don't even remember why I got it in the first place. A little bit too supernatural for a good fairy tale-to-novel transition though.

Read Also:

Jessica Day George's Princess of the Glass (book 2 of the trilogy).

Cameron Dokey's Before Midnight, part of the "Once Upon a Time" series.

Paula Brandon's "Veiled Isles" trilogy struck me as an adult version of the same book (complete with zombies!)