Tag Archives: Children’s Literature

This is the Feast – Day 2

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It’s Day Two of the Blog Tour for This is the Feast, and I thought I’d post author Diana Z. Shore’s bio, which has links to some of her other books:

After 9½ years, 385 rejections, and a forest of sloppy copies, teacher-turned-author Diane Z. Shore published her first picture book, BUS-A-SAURUS BOP, a rollicking, rhyming read-aloud, and winner of the 2004 Children’s Choice Award.

Now a full time author and read-aloud advocate, Diane writes in a variety of genres and her books have been translated into many languages. Her books include LOOK BOTH WAYS, ROSA LOVES TO READ, THIS IS THE DREAM (Civil Rights Movement), THIS IS THE FEAST (Thanksgiving), and the forthcoming THIS IS THE GAME (Baseball), plus her new beginning reader, HOW TO DRIVE YOUR SISTER CRAZY, a HarperCollins I Can Read!™ inspired by and written especially for reluctant readers.

Check out what the other bloggers are saying:

the 160acrewoods
A Mom Speaks
All About Children’s Books
Becky’s Book Reviews
Cafe of Dreams
Dolce Bellezza
Homeschool Buzz
KidzBookBuzz.com
Looking Glass Reviews
Maggie Reads
Maw Books Blog
Never Jam Today
Our Big Earth
Quiverfull Family
SmallWorld Reads

Posted in American Literature | Tagged , , , | 1 Reply

This is the Feast by Diana Z. Shore

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Synopsis:
A telling of the Thanksgiving story in rhyming couplets, with illustrations by Megan Lloyd.

Review:
It’s day one of the blog tour for This is the Feast, so I’ll be blogging about the book for the next three days.

This is the Feast is an illustrated book with a beautiful poem about the Pilgrims’ voyage and the first Thanksgiving. What I like about it is that it’s structured as a giving thanks itself–for everything that the Pilgrims experience, they find something to be thankful for. The words and the pictures evoke the colors, smells, and tastes of the New World, and honor the role that the Native Americans played in the feast. The story does not shy away from the hardships faced by the settlers, such as plague and cold, showing that these troubles only make giving thanks all the more important.

I can’t wait to read this to Superfast Baby when she’s a little older. She doesn’t quite have the attention span but a two or three year old will love it.

Other participating blogs:

the 160acrewoods, A Mom Speaks, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Homeschool Buzz, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maggie Reads, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Our Big Earth, Quiverfull Family, Reading is My Superpower, SmallWorld Reads

Posted in American Literature | Tagged , , , | 3 Replies

Huh? (Booking through Thursday)

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What’s your favorite book that nobody else has heard of? You know, not Little Women or Huckleberry Finn, not the latest best-seller . . . whether they’ve read them or not, everybody “knows” those books. I’m talking about the best book that, when you tell people that you love it, they go, “Huh? Never heard of it?”

A Candle in Her Room by Ruth Arthur tells the story of several generations of a family haunted by a charismatic and evil doll. It scared me silly as a kid, so of course I read it over and over and over. A large part of the appeal was that the book takes place in England, maybe in Cornwall or Dover, some place with cliffs at any rate, and the characters were named Briony, Dilys, and Dido–all wonderfully exotic to American me.

Not sure whether I’ll introduce it to Bea, or let her discover it on her own… I do have a copy for her. I don’t believe in sheltering children from books, but it’s different when it’s your own child.

Superfast Baby Reads

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I read books to her for the first time tonight. We read Goodnight Moon and The Going-to-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton. She made her happy baby noises so I think it was a success.

I adore Goodnight Moon, which I’ve read to countless children while babysitting. It’s so tranquil & hypnotic. The Sandra Boynton book was very silly & sweet, with delightful word combinations that are perfect for tickling and cuddling.

Posted in On Reading | Tagged | 4 Replies

Usborne Books for Kids

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My best friend Mandy set up an Usborne e-store for me that’s running through December 1st. Any books bought through this e-store earn points for me towards free books… and we all want Superfast Baby to be well-read, right?

There are internet specials, sale items, and a raffle, plus information on how you can host your own Usborne e-show.

Mandy has a master’s in children’s literature, teaching credentials, and is the mother of 2 of the best kids in the world. And I’m not prejudiced just because her son Thad is my godson. He’s five and his sister is 7. At my shower, she gave me a comprehensive list of recommended books for babies, toddlers, and young readers, and on the sheet she said that she would basically buy any Usborne book sight unseen. Here’s her testimonial:

The books are of high quality – the lift-the-flap books can actually survive a toddler.

The “First Stories” series (which Farmyard Tales is part of) is really nice because it has two levels of text. At the top of the page is a short, easy to read sentence that gives an idea of what is happening on the page. Reading only these will give a short version of the story – perfect for the short attention spans of little ones and easy for beginning readers to tackle. The sentences at the bottom of the page expand on the story a little for when attention spans or reading abilities improve.

Their history books have been approved by another mom friend of mine who is working on her PhD in history! I like them because they’re interesting and I can find the information I want. The internet links are managed through the Usborne website so they are kept up to date.

The “That’s Not My…” series are some of the cutest and best quality touch and feel books I’ve ever seen

We love Farmyard Tales – I highly suggest The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales which has 20 stories and a CD of them being read.

Although my kids have technically outgrown a lot of the books we got them when they were little, most of the Usborne books are the ones they now choose to read on their own and are probably the ones we’ll keep to share with those theoretical grandkids 20 years from now.

So as you’re putting your holiday shopping lists together, please check out my e-show and see if there’s anything that catches your eye! And thanks in advance.

Posted in On Reading | Tagged | 6 Replies

ALA’s Home Library Suggestions for Families

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Need help knowing what books to buy for your kids? The American Library Association wants to help:

The ALA-Children’s Book Council (CBC) Joint Committee, with cooperation from the ALSC’s Quicklists Consulting Committee, has created the four bibliographies below, “Building a Home Library,” to provide guidance to parents, grandparents, and others interested in assembling a high-quality library for their children at home.

The lists are sort of skimpy; this wouldn’t be much of a library. And it skews heavily towards commercially popular books from the last few years (Walter Dean Myer’s Monster, Louis Sachar’s Holes, for example)–not that those books aren’t worthwhile, just that are they the best cornerstones of a home library? They seem more like books to check out from the library to me.

I posted my own list of Essential Books For Children, which got some great responses in the comment thread. And this post is in honor of a manuscript I read today for work which happened to be the new novel by an author who appears on this list not once, but twice. Go fish!

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The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle

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Synopsis:
The unicorns have all disappeared from the world, save one, who cannot accept that she is the last.

Review:
I know I said no fantasy for a while, but The Last Unicorn is a children’s books so it doesn’t count. I have long been a fan of the Rankin/Bass animated movie, but never read the book. When it showed up from BookMooch, I couldn’t wait any longer. Continue reading →

Posted in American Literature | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Replies

The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh

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Synopsis:
A shy 14-year-old Latin scholar finds a passage into Manhattan’s underworld, where, guided by an unhappy ghost named Euri, he hopes to find out how his mother died once and for all.

Review:
Greek mythology concerning the after life deftly mixes with New York City’s colorful history in The Night Tourist, a marvelous adventure tale that’s as fresh as they come.

Suitable for young readers emotionally mature enough to handle themes of death and grief, The Night Tourist is rich enough to satisfy teen readers and adults with all of its allusions to classical literature and historical New York Personages.

Consider this a solid rave for a book that comes out on September 18th.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

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Synopsis:
Harry Potter braces for his final battle with evil Lord Voldemort, knowing that only one of them will survive.

Review:
My biggest criticism of Harry Potter has always been his passivity. In the first few books especially, he spends most of his time being rescued or protected, simply because he’s “The Boy Who Lived.” And for awhile, it seemed as though JK Rowling wasn’t paying attention–was creating a hero who didn’t deserve to bear that name. Continue reading →

Essential Books For Children

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I want to start a conversation about what readers think are the books that no child should be without. I’m building a library for Superfast Baby, and here are my 10 must haves for boys and 10 must haves for girls:

Boys:
1. The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
2. A House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs
3. Don’t Care High by Gordon Korman Continue reading →

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