Geo Librarian

The Third Gift written by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-547-20195-5 Grades: All Reviewed from purchased copy. All opinions expressed are solely my own. BLURB :  From two extraordinary talents, a beautifully crafted picture book for the Christmas season. The three wise men, or the three kings, are familiar figures in the Christmas tradition. Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park has taken the brief biblical references to the three as the starting point for a new story. In it we meet a boy who is learning his father’s trade; a man who gathers resin from certain trees; a merchant in the marketplace; and three strangers in brightly colored robes who are shopping for a gift for a baby. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline with exquisite paintings, this simple, moving tale of ordinary people involved in an extraordinary event brings new resonance to the well-known gift list of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  ...

Coral Reefs written and illustrated by Jason Chin Roaring Brook Press, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-59643-563-6 Grades K-5 Reviewed from personal copy. BLURB : During an ordinary visit to the library, a girl pulls a not-so-ordinary book from the shelves. As she turns the pages in this book about coral reefs, the city around her slips away and she finds herself surrounded by the coral cities of the sea and the mysterious plants and animals that live, hunt, and hide there. This book is gorgeous, that pretty much covers it.  The illustrations take the reader on a journey over and around a coral reef.  Even without the words, I could easily follow the story.  I love the idea of a book taking the reader on a journey to somewhere they may never be able to go in real life.  This suits my lifestyle of armchair adventuring.  The text does add a great deal of information, a little too much for a read-a-loud I discovered, especially when the students kept interrupting to...

Razzle-Dazzle Ruby written and illustrated by Masha D'yans Scholastic, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-545-22500-7 Grades PreK-1 Reviewed from copy won in blog giveaway. BLURB :  A regular day becomes a magical adventure in this stunning novelty picture book from an amazing new talent! Ruby can make the ordinary extraordinary! Come skate on a shimmering pond, roll a giant snowball, sled down a snowy hill, and create soaring snow angels with her as she becomes a snow queen and transforms a typical winter day into a gleaming-beaming fairy tale. When I first saw this book I thought it would be perfect for my kindergarten girls.  It has a really cute little girl (Ruby) in a purple dress and flashing stockings.  It has glitter on the cover which speaks "girl book" loud and clear.  Once I read the book though I realized that the story could appeal to any child, boy or girl.  Living in a state that is famous for its winter sports, especially skiing, the children around h...

Jingle Bells: How the Holiday Classic Came to Be written by John Harris, illustrated by Adam Gustavson Peachtree, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-56145-590-4 Interest Level: Grades K-5 Reviewed from purchased copy. BLURB: It is November 1857 in Savannah, Georgia, and the heat is stifling. Choir director James Lord Pierpont is busy writing a song for the children of the church to perform to usher in the holiday season. He is also worried. Many townspeople are angry because the congregation does not believe in slavery, and someone has thrown a brick through one of the church windows. As Mr. Pierpont sweeps up the glass from the broken window, he recalls his own Boston childhood, the sound of sleigh bells, and the fun of riding in a sleigh through the snow. Suddenly he gets an idea. A few days later - with the happy sounds of children singing and jingling bells and bags of "snow" - Mr. Pierpont introduces the delighted churchgoers to the charms of a northern Christmas! I...

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-547-19945-0 Interest Level: All Levels Reviewed from purchased copy. BLURB :  Everyone's a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Who first invented these "upside-down puppets?"  Tony Sarg—puppeteer, illustrator and legendary prankster who once declared, "I never worked a day in my life."  In brilliant collage illustrations, award-winning artist Melissa Sweet tells the story of this puppeteer, capturing his genius, his dedication, his zest for play, and his long-lasting gift to America—the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macy's Parade. I don't know that I can say anything about this book that hasn't already been said.  Exce...

Fall Mixed Up written by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Chad Cameron Carolrhoda Books, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-7613-4606-7 Grades K-2 Reviewed from personal copy. Fall is full of many enjoyable activities, carving pumpkins, raking and jumping in piles of leaves, or watching flocks of geese fly south for the winter.  Unfortunately, Raczka seems to be a little confused in this book.  Here we have red pumpkins and orange apples, bears gathering nuts for winter and squirrels flying south, while geese hibernate.  And the worst error of all, touchdowns are hit and home runs are kicked!? What a horrible mix-up!? (I hope you realize I'm being factitious, here).  The kindergartners got a big kick out of correcting all the mix-ups in this book.  I also enjoyed reading it and pretending to be shocked at all the errors. The words are fun to read, but it's the glorious full color illustrations that showcase the silliness in this book.  Combine this with the Fall's Here se...

The Princess and the Pig written by Jonathan Emmett, illustrated by Poly Bernatene Walker & Company, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-8027-2335-2 Grades K-3 Reviewed from library copy. BLURB: There's been a terrible mix-up in the royal nursery. Priscilla the princess has accidentally switched places with Pigmella, the farmer's new piglet. The kindly farmer and his wife believe it's the work of a good witch, while the ill-tempered king and queen blame the bad witch-after all, this happens in fairy tales all the time! While Priscilla grows up on the farm, poor yet very happy, things don't turn out quite so well for Pigmella. Kissing a frog has done wonders before, but will it work for a pig? I picked up this book thinking it would be the typical based on fairy tales sort of book.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it is not.  Many princess books, which little girls devour, show only the positive parts of being a princess, the beautiful dresses, the parties,...

Otis and the Tornado written and illustrated by Loren Long Philomel Books, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-399-25477-2 Grades K-3 Reviewed from personal copy. Otis the tractor and his farm animal friends love to play follow the leader.  All the animals participate except for the big bull who snorts and growls at anyone (or anything) that gets too close to his pen or pasture.  Otis tries to befriend the beast, but with no luck.  The day a tornado arrives at the farm changes everything.  While the farmer and his family run for the cellar, Otis frantically releases the animals and they flee to the lowest lying land on the farm. When Otis realizes that the bull is not there he is determined to help the animals despite past unkindnesses. I'll say right off the bat that I am a big fan of Otis.  I fell in love with him the minute I read the first book.  So much so that I ordered the stuffed toy .  I like this book even better than first.  The large, bright ill...

Wonderstruck written and illustrated by Brian Selznick Scholastic Press, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-545-02789-2 Grades 3 and up Reviewed from purchased copy. BLURB : Set fifty years apart, two independent stories—Ben's told in words and Rose's in pictures—weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. Ever since his mom died, Ben feels lost. At home with her father, Rose feels alone. He is searching for someone, but he is not sure who. She is searching for something, but she is not sure what. When Ben finds a mysterious clue hidden in his mom's room, When a tempting opportunity presents itself to Rose Both children risk everything to find what's missing. There isn't much I can say about this book that hasn't already been said.  But I can share a few of my thoughts about it.  When I first heard about this book, I was really exci...

Today I'm highlighting two great picture books about people and places outside of the United States.  This is my favorite kind of book because it gives me a glimpse of worlds beyond my own.  They also show that despite the many differences between people from other countries, there is much that we have in common as well. The Boy Who Wanted to Cook written by Gloria Whelan, illustrated by Steve Adams Sleeping Bear Press, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-58536-534-0 Grades K-5 Reviewed from purchased copy.   BLURB: La Bonne Vache (The Good Cow) is a little restaurant in the south of France. It takes its name from and is famous for its boeuf a la mode, a delicious beef stew. Ten-year-old Pierre longs to follow in the culinary footsteps of his father. Pierre spends as much time as possible in the restaurant's kitchen, hoping for a chance to demonstrate his cooking skills. But his parents shoo him away and he is not allowed to cook. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Firs...

The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School written by Laura Murray, illustrated by Mike Lowery G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-399-25052-1 Grades K-3 Reviewed from purchased copy. Blurb : When a class leaves for recess, their just-baked Gingerbread Man is left behind. But he's a smart cookie and heads out to find them. He'll run, slide, skip, and (after a mishap with a soccer ball) limp as fast as he can because: "I can catch them! I'm their Gingerbread Man!" With help from the gym teacher, the nurse, the art teacher and even the principal, the Gingerbread Man does find his class, and he's assured they'll never leave him behind again. Each year the kindergarten teachers at my school start the year off with a gingerbread man unit, where the students decorate their own gingerbread man (paper). When I first saw this book, I thought it would be perfect to share when the students came to the library for the first time. The kindergarten ...

Desk Stories written & illustrated by Kevin O'Malley Albert Whitman & Company, 2011. Grades 1-5 Reviewed from purchased copy. Blurb: Even though kids spend most of their days with one, desks can be very....surprising. Desks have a long and enduring history -- from the spiked desks of the Middle Ages to the beanbag desks of the 1960s. School desks, in particular, can hide a wide variety of...let's just say "things." In this tongue-in-cheek companion to Backpack Stories, Kevin O'Malley returns with six stories of desks gone wild. ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11451417-desk-stories) One thing I enjoy about O'Malley's work is the variety of styles that he uses.  In this collection of short stories he uses a variety of styles, making each story stand on it's own.  My favorite story was the one about the history of the desk (it was fun reading the made up caveman talk). The jokes were a nice pause in the middle and the desks of t...

Eddie Gets Ready for School written and illustrated by David Milgrim Cartwheel Books, 2011. Grades K-1 Reviewed from purchased copy. Blurb: Fall in love with Eddie as he gets ready for school! Now that Eddie can get ready all by himself, his morning routine is anything but ordinary! [ ] wake up (with a megaphone) [ ] get dressed (up in a costume) [ ] pack a snack (a watermelon's perfect) [ ] find something for show-and-tell (No, not the TV!) [ ] run like mad to catch bus! With understated humor and uproarious illustrations, David Milgrim's first checklist book gets you to school on time, and in a great mood. ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10824120-eddie-gets-ready-for-school ) Every year as school starts I look for new books about school to share with the students.  This year I found several new ones to try out on my students.  When I heard about this one, I knew I had to get it and try it out.  I used it last week with a class of first graders and i...

Picture book biographies have a difficult task.  They must take the life of a person and condense it into only a few words and pictures.  This is challenging in that people are complex, motivations and feelings can be hard to explain to a picture book audience in a way that they understand.  Marissa Moss does an excellent job in her newest book. The Bravest Woman in America by Marissa Moss, illustrated by Andrea U'Ren Tricycle Press, 2011. Grades K-3 Reviewed from purchased copy. Ida Lewis loved everything about the sea, so when her father became the official keeper of Lime Rock Lighthouse in Newport, Rhode Island, she couldn't imagine anything better. Throughout the years, Ida shadowed her father as he tended the lighthouse, listening raptly to his stories about treacherous storms, drowning sailors, and daring rescues. Under her father's watchful eye, she learned to polish the lighthouse lens so the light would shine bright. She learned to watch the sea fo...

It's Nonfiction Monday and it's my turn to host.  I'm excited to be a part of this weekly activity.  If you have a book or books to share, please include it in the comments and I will add them to the post throughout the day. Queen of the Falls Written by Chris Van Allsburg Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2011 Grades 2 and up Reviewed from purchased copy. She could remember standing in a park near the falls, hypnotized by the sight and sound, and holding her father’s hand as they took a walk that would lead them closer. That’s what everyone wonders when they see Niagara . . . How close will their courage let them get to it? At the turn of the nineteenth century, a retired sixty-two-year-old charm school instructor named Annie Edson Taylor, seeking fame and fortune, decided to do something that no one in the world had ever done before—she would go over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel.  Come meet the Queen of the Falls ...