Geo Librarian

BOWWOW POWWOW   by Brenda J. Child, Translation by Gordon Jourdain illustrations by Jonathan Thunder Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-68134-077-7 Source: purchased Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Windy Girl is blessed with a vivid imagination. From Uncle she gathers stories of long-ago traditions, about dances and sharing and gratitude. Windy can tell such stories herself–about her dog, Itchy Boy, and the way he dances to request a treat and how he wriggles with joy in response to, well, just about everything. When Uncle and Windy Girl and Itchy Boy attend a powwow, Windy watches the dancers and listens to the singers. She eats tasty food and joins family and friends around the campfire. Later, Windy falls asleep under the stars. Now Uncle's stories inspire other visions in her head: a bowwow powwow, where all the dancers are dogs. In these magical scenes, Windy sees veterans in a Grand Entry, and a...

PINGO AND THE PLAYGROUND BULLY written by Brandon Mull, illustrated by Brandon Dorman Shadow Mountain, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-60907-178-3 Picture Book Fantasy Grades 1-5 Reviewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK In first grade, Chad and his imaginary friend, Pingo, meet other kids and their imaginary friends: Gary protects the galaxy with Sparky the robot; Tiffany helps save the day with Awesome Girl; and Dustin can hide Mr. Bob in his pocket. One recess, after defeating a clan of lava monsters, Chad and his friends decide to have a contest to see which imaginary friend is the smartest or the strongest or the sneakiest. However, when Jeremy, the schoolyard bully, and his imaginary friend, Grunt, decide to prove that they re the best, Pingo saves the day by befriending Jeremy and Grunt and inviting them on an adventure down the Amazon River. We re all good at different things, and that makes friendship fun. Let s go play! A delightful, full-color picture book about the...

STELLA BATTS NEEDS A NEW NAME by Courtney Sheinmel, illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell Sleeping Bear Press, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-58536-183-0 Grades 2-4 Reviewed from purchased copy. Meet Stella Batts. She is eight years old and she loves to write. She loves to write lists; like her favorite things and kids in her class. And she's writing her autobiography ('That means it's all about me'). Stella favorite color is yellow and she LOVES fudge. As a matter of fact, there is a special fudge counter at her family's candy store because fudge is one of her favorite things to eat But Stella has just one problem---her name. A boy from her class keeps calling her 'Smella' after she trips on their class nature walk ('I don't even want to say what I landed in, it was too gross, so I'm going to leave that part out.'). So Stella decides there's really only one thing to do; she has to change her name. After all, how hard can it be to pick a n...

On Wild and Wonderful Wednesday's I highlight books I've read that have characters or settings or plot that strike me as wild and/or wonderful.  The Library Dragon is definitely a wild charcter and The Fantastic Flying Books has well, fantastic flying books. :) RETURN OF THE LIBRARY DRAGON by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Michael P. White Peachtree Publishers, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-56145-621-5 Grades K-3 Reviewed from personal copy. After 682 years of faithful service, Miss Lotty is retiring from guarding books. But before she can check out of Sunrise Elementary for good, disaster strikes. Someone has ordered all the books removed from the library and replaced with machines! It s enough to make Lotty feel a little...dragon-like. When she bursts into a fiery rage, only one thing can make her shed her scales: assurance that someone will fight to keep her precious books in the hands of Sunrise s children. Lotty is sure she ll have to stay on and do the job herself...

DOG IN CHARGE by K.L. Going, illustrated by Dan Santat Dial Books for Young Readers, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-8037-3479-1 Grades K-2 Reviewed from personal copy. Book synopsis comes from Goodreads. When the going gets tough, Dog . . . takes a nap Dog can Sit . He can Stay . He can even Dance . But when he's in charge, can he keep the cats in line? All one, two, three, four, five of them? With slapstick silliness and utterly earnest charm, Dog will quickly wiggle his way into preschoolers' hearts. I had a good time sharing this with the kindergartners I see every week.  It made for a great discussion of feelings and nonverbal communication.  Plus, it's just a fun story.  I imagine a lot of parents feel like dog, after a day of running after children who make one mess after another, only to have the child or children turn around and do something sweet.  I know in my job that is often the case.  I get really frustrated and than one child does something nice maki...

Of all the top lists I've created this far, this one is the least definitive.  There are so many great picture books out there and I am always discovering new ones.  I've tried to include a variety of topics and illustration styles, but I'll admit right off the bat that I have a particular place in my heart for gorgeous, elegant illustrations.  Both Ruth Sanderson and K.L. Craft are particularly good at this style of illustration.  I had a hard time choosing from among their books, as you can see I am highlighting two of Ruth Sanderson's. So, here we go, in no particular order. All summaries come from Goodreads. MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey It's not easy for duck parents to find a safe place to bring up their ducklings, but during a rest stop in Boston's Public Garden, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard think they just might have found the perfect spot--no foxes or turtles in sight, plenty of peanuts from pleasant passers-by, a...

I've gotten behind on highlighting some of the books I share at school in the library.  Today I'm sharing four books about birds that I shared with my kindergarteners a couple of weeks ago.  The students enjoyed them and I enjoyed sharing them. FALCON written and illustrated by Tim Jessell Random House, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-375-86866-5 Grades K-3 Reviewed from personal copy. Summary comes from Goodreads. A young boy imagines what it would be like to fly as a falcon and see the world from on high. Soaring through the skies, he describes the sights and sounds of the world below. From snow-capped mountains to lush valleys, over rolling ocean and up rocky cliffs, Falcon will awaken the senses of every reader. I knew I had to get this the minute I saw the gorgeous cover.  The theme also grabbed me from the first time I heard it.  The book did not disappoint.  I thoroughly enjoyed sharing this book with students and highlighting the power of imagination ...

THE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING ADVENTURES OF AGENT AUGGIE SPINOZA written by Steven Stickler I.A.I.P.H. Press (self-published), 2012 Available in paperback in April 2012 Grades 3-6 Reviewed from e-book sent by author for review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. No compensation was received for this review. BLURB : Auggie Spinoza is a ten-year-old boy with a secret: he is a special agent who can travel through time. Now, he finds himself locked in a desperate battle against evil forces trying to change the course of history. To defeat them, Auggie must pursue a dangerous quest to find a set of mysterious clues hidden in the past. With the help of a clever new friend and advice from a cast of famous characters with names like Jefferson, Darwin, and Plato, Auggie fights to fulfill his destiny and save his world from ruin. Along the way, he learns the importance of thinking clearly and shows the awesome power of a code-breaking, book-loving, time-traveling ten-year-old wit...

H ow I Learned Geography written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz Farrar Straus Giroux, 2008 ISBN: 978-0-374-33499-4 unp. Grades 2-5 Reviewed from library copy. BLURB : Having fled from war in their troubled homeland, a boy and his family are living in poverty in a strange country. Food is scarce, so when the boy’s father brings home a map instead of bread for supper, at first the boy is furious. But when the map is hung on the wall, it floods their cheerless room with color. As the boy studies its every detail, he is transported to exotic places without ever leaving the room, and he eventually comes to realize that the map feeds him in a way that bread never could. The award-winning artist’s most personal work to date is based on his childhood memories of World War II and features stunning illustrations that celebrate the power of imagination. An author’s note includes a brief description of his family’s experience, two of his early drawings, and the only survivi...

Today I am highlighting three books that look at what life can be like when one is different in significant ways from those around them or how to deal with the changes that happen to all of us.  The Splendid Spotted Snake (A Magic Ribbon Book) written by Betty Ann Schwartz, illustrated by Alexander Wilensky Workman Publishing, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-7611-6360-2 Unpaged $13.95 Grades PreK-1 Reviewed from personal copy. BLURB:  It's a marvel Every time you turn the page the little snake grows bigger. And it's a book that teaches colors: with every page his spots change color. Amazing "But how does it work "Using a unique Magic Ribbon format invented by the authors, "The Splendid Spotted Snake" follows the adventures of a little spotted snake made out of sturdy, polka-dotted cloth ribbon. "When Yellow Snake was born, he had bright red spots. But then he grew . . . His new spots were blue."Not only does the little snake double in size, ...

Grandpa Hates the Bird: Six Short Stories of Exciting, Hilarious and Possibly Deadly Adventure written by Eve Yohalem Telemachus Press, 2011 Grades 2-4 Reviewed from ebook sent by author for review. No compensation was received for this review, all opinions expressed are solely my own. BLURB : “Alas, it is true. Grandpa hates me. He has always hated me, even before I used his ear as a swing toy (his lobes are so long and flappy!). I can’t imagine why. I assume Grandpa hates me simply because I am the bird—and he is not.” Everybody loves Bird. Joseph and Maya, Mother and Father, Humphrey the dog, Slick the snake. Everyone except Grandpa, who will stop at nothing to set Bird free. Forever. • How does the battle begin when Bird and Grandpa are alone together for a whole week? • See classroom chaos in Bring Your Pet to School Day! • Exactly what are they hunting at the Aw Shoot archery range? Fasten your feathers and warm up your wings—here are six collected short stories in t...

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...