New Year's Resolutions: Exploring the Caldecott books

New Year's Resolutions - I have mixed feelings about them. Do they help us achieve our goals, or are they just a passing fad, something discarded by the time the snow melts? I have been thinking for quite a while that I would like to get to know older picture books better, try to revisit old favorites like The Story of Ferdinand - or read books I really never remember, like Blueberries for Sal. I want to think about what makes these classic picture books sing to children, what draws children to them time and again.

When teacher and library friends, part of the Nerdy Book Club (#nerdybookclub on Twitter - yes, really), started talking about reading all of the Newbery award winners, my thoughts turned to the Caldecott award. The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually "to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book published in the United States during the preceding year." This award, granted by the American Library Association, is not only a high honor for the winner but also a sign to parents everywhere that this is a truly special book.

My goal for 2012 is to read as many of the picture books awarded the Caldecott Medal or Honor as I can. I will be reading both with a lens of history, trying to get a sense of what picture books spoke to children in the 1940s, 1950s and on. But I will mainly be reading these classic picture books to share books with children and families today, thinking about those that still make a wonderful read aloud, that still have beautiful art to share.

Throughout the year, I hope to share my favorite Caldecott books with my Great Kid Books readers and with my students at Emerson. I also will be sharing favorites with my librarian and teacher friends through Twitter and Goodreads. If you'd like to join me, please do! Head over to the Caldecott Challenge organized by the wonderful librarians Laura and Anna over at LibLaura5 and A to Z Library. You can also read Laura's guide to creating a Goodreads shelf for this. Laura has started a great series at her blog documenting her reading with lots of great photos. I've also had so much fun reading my friend John Schumacher's updates for his Caldecott challenge over at Watch.Connect.Read.

Wish me luck with this New Year's Resolution. I'm starting with first reading some history about the Caldecott award and some of Randolph Caldecott's picture books. Then I'll start reading some of the first picture books awarded the Caldecott Medal or Honor. It should be a fun journey!

©2011 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books.

Bigger than a Bread Box, by Laurel Snyder (ages 9 - 12): a heartfelt story of a family coping with divorce

The holidays can add a stress to anyone's life, but particularly for families coping with divorce. Change is hard for anyone, but particularly for children. I was particularly struck by Laurel Snyder's newest book, Bigger than a Bread Box, by how change can wrench a child from all her certainties. This is a wonderful book for kids who love realistic fiction, with a hint of fantasy.

Bigger Than a Bread Box
by Laurel Snyder
NY: Random House, 2011
ages 9 - 12
available from your local library, favorite bookstore or on Amazon

Rebecca's life was suddenly torn apart when her parents reached a breaking point. One moment, their life in Baltimore seemed pretty normal - a bit stressful since her dad crashed his taxicab - but still pretty normal. But the next moment, everything changed. Her mom packed up the car, told Rebecca and her little brother to get in, and told them that they were going to visit their grandmother in Atlanta. But Rebecca looked at her dad:

    "My dad. My dad. My dad was so strong. He never cried. 'I don't know . . .,' he whispered to me. Answering a question I hadn't answered.
    I felt frozen. Stuck to him, stuck with him in a bubble, in a hug so tight it was bruising my arms. We were going to leave him - my dad - and there was nothing I could do. It wasn't possible. It was too fast. I just hugged and hugged and hugged." (pp. 13-14)

Rebecca was angry and resentful when she got to her grandmother's in Atlanta. Unable to talk to her mom, she escaped up into her grandmother's attic. Amongst all her grandmother's things, she discovered a collection of bread boxes. One in particular drew her attention. And then Rebecca wished for a book to read up in the attic, and when she looked inside the bread box - there was a book.

We all wish for different things, whether it's for tangible things we covet or for our situations to change. As Rebecca wrestled with fitting into a new school, she used the bread box to satisfy her wishes - but it would only bring her things, things that would fit inside the bread box.

I especially liked the way Laurel Snyder layers character development, emotional dilemmas, and underlying questions into this heartfelt story. This is a book that will speak to kids, whether it's kids who have experienced divorce or changes that they don't have control over, or kids who connect to Rebecca's difficulties at school.
Download the Bigger Than a Bread Box study guide. It includes writing prompts and information about Penny Dreadful.

Read other reviews at:

• 100 Scope Notes: "The first-person narration is refreshingly honest. Rebecca is brought to life with a clear voice that readers will buy into."
• John Schumacher on 100 Scope Notes & Mr. Schu's Top 20 Children's Books of 2011: "I wish I could magically place Bigger Than a Bread Box inside the backpack of every fifth-grade girl who wishes her parents would get back together, or inside the locker of every reflective sixth-grade boy who wishes his life would return to the way it used to be."
• Anita Silvey's Children's Book-a-Day Almanac: "The problems of children facing divorce, the dark side of magic, the struggles of an engaging twelve-year-old not wanting to adapt to change—all these themes have been explored through superb storytelling."
• New York Times: " Snyder captures the divided household’s terrible sense of limbo and the helpless anguish and self-­involved fury of a newly adolescent girl, allowing no ties to form until the post-bomb dust has settled to reveal whatever new landscape has been obscured by its cloud."

The review copy was kindly sent by Random House Books. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

Review ©2011 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books.

Clementine and the Family Meeting, by Sara Pennypacker (ages 7 - 10)

Our 2nd and 3rd graders love reading series, especially when they can connect to the main characters. One of their favorite series is the Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker, and the newest Clementine book will surely delight readers new and old. This also makes a great series for families looking to read aloud their first chapter books to 4 and 5 year olds. In my mind, Clementine is a little bit of Ramona and a little bit of Junie B. Jones, but a whole lot of her own person.

Clementine and the Family Meeting
by Sara Pennypacker
illustrated by Marla Frazee
NY: Disney / Hyperion Books, 2011
ages 7 - 10
available at your local library, favorite bookstore or on Amazon

nominated for the 2011 Cybils early chapter book award

Clementine is sure she’s in trouble again - why else would the “family meeting” sign be posted? No matter how much she begs, her mom just won’t tell her what the meeting is about. Clementine is used to family meetings where she has to think about being nicer to her little brother, being better behaved, trying harder. But nothing prepares her for the news at this family meeting: a new baby is on the way. Clementine is not taking the news well. Their family of four suits her just fine.

"Four can be two and two sometimes, and nobody is lonely. Two kids and two grown-ups. Two boys and two girls. There are four sides to the kitchen table, so we each get one." 

Change is hard, and Pennypacker captures this pitch-perfectly in the 5th installment of this popular series for readers new to chapter books. Even Clementine’s best friend Margaret is changing in crazy ways. Having just returned from visiting her father in Hollywood, Margaret is now obsessed with makeup. Clementine’s special relationship with her father is particularly touching in this story. He knows how to comfort her, joke with her and make her feel understood.

Pennypacker, with Frazee’s line drawings, continues to portray a warm, supportive family that readers will relate to. Fans will be excited to learn that Pennypacker is publishing her first standalone novel since the Clementine series this spring: Betsy Bird reports that HarperCollins is publishing Summer of the Gypsy Moths - read more here at Fuse #8's Harper Colling Spring 2012 preview.

For other reviews of Clementine and the Family Meeting, see:

• Tasha Saeker at Waking Brain Cells
• Brenda Kahn at ProseandKahn
• Katie Ahearn at Secrets and Sharing Soda

The review copy came from the Association of Children's Librarians, my local review group. It was kindly sent by Disney / Hyperion Books. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

Review ©2011 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books.

Nursery rhyme comics: a collection that will delight kids (ages 7 - 12)

My students adore comic books, and we have just gotten a collection that is delighting them. Nursery Rhyme Comics is a collection of 50 nursery rhymes, each illustrated by a different cartoonist. It is a real treat, especially for kids who already read many comic books. I love the way this is bringing classic nursery rhymes back into the experiences of kids ages 7 to 12.

Nursery rhyme comics
edited by Chris Duffy
illustrated by 50 cartoonists
NY: First Second, 2011
ages 7 to 12
preview available from First Second
available at your local public library, favorite bookstore or on Amazon

nominated for the 2011 Cybils graphic novel award

With 50 nursery rhymes illustrated by an talented array of leading cartoonists, this book is a visual feast. Each cartoonist was asked by editor Chris Duffy to interpret a different nursery rhyme, one suited to their particular taste or style. The result is a humorous, often quirky collection of some old favorites and some lesser-known traditional rhymes.

Some pairings play off the cartoonists’ reputations - Nick Bruel, well-known for his Bad Kitty series illustrates “Three Little Kittens”, with the kittens ending up eating pie with messy delight.  Other artists lend thoroughly modern reinterpretations. Lucy Knisley sets “There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe” at “Ruth’s Rock & Roll Baby Sitting” where Ruth - a tattooed old rocker - entertains the children, inviting them to play with her band “The Whips” - and so finding a nice justification for the line “and whipped them all soundly” before she sent them to bed.

Each artist stays true to the traditional nursery rhyme, but they add their own twist and interpretation. I had great fun with Tao Nyeu's interpretation of Rock-a-Bye Baby. Take a look closely at the how the baby gets back at the wolf:

Other rhymes delighted children who didn't really know the full nursery rhyme. Many have heard of Tweedledee and Tweedledum, but I'm not sure many could tell you this nursery rhyme:

This collection will certainly draw in readers who already love comics - they will revel in the sheer variety of the different artwork, returning to look at it again and again. But the audience is not the traditional nursery rhyme audience of preschoolers and toddlers. Hand this to a 3rd, 4th or 5th grader and they will love the quirky, fresh illustrations, and delight in reading nursery rhymes they learned as little kids.

The review copy came from the Association of Children's Librarians, my local review group. It was kindly sent by First Second Books and Macmillan. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

Review ©2011 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books.

A Very Babymouse Christmas - delightfully fun graphic novel (ages 7 - 10)

Babymouse, oh Babymouse, oh how do I love you, Babymouse? Let me count the ways: 

1. I adore the way you pull children into reading, delighting them at every step. 
2. I smile each time I check out your books to girls AND boys, young and old. You are the most popular series in our school library, month after month!
3. I laugh each time a child tells me how funny you are, or how much you make them laugh. 
4. And I smile each time I read your stories and realize how many nuggets of truth are buried inside your pages, like chewy goodness inside my favorite candies.

A Very Babymouse Christmas is the newest in the popular graphic novel series by the sister-and-brother team Jennifer and Matthew Holm. Our students, ranging from 2nd grade girls just starting to read to 5th grade boys who can't get enough graphic novels, love love love Babymouse - and I'm talking a *rush right to the shelves* "Ms. Scheuer, do you have any Babymouse books in please?" kind of love. A Very Babymouse Christmas is a pitch-perfect addition to this series.

A Very Babymouse Christmas
by Jennifer L. Holm
illustrated by Matthew Holm
NY: Random House, 2011
ages 7 - 10
available at your local library, favorite bookstore or on Amazon

nominated for the 2011 Cybils Graphic Novels award

It's almost Christmas, and Babymouse is thinking of the presents she really wants for Christmas. OK, she's not just thinking about presents - she's obsessed with presents, one present to be specific. All Babymouse wants for Christmas this year is a WhizBang gadget. "It plays video games and movies, it texts, sees into the future, folds laundry, and does homework!" Kids (and parents) will certainly connect with the way Babymouse is just dying to have this newest, greatest gadget. But, as usual, nothing goes quite right for Babymouse.

As always, Babymouse's daydreams rescue her from her not-so-glamorous life. Her Christmas daydreams take her into the Babymouse version of A Christmas Carol (featuring the scary Ghost of Mean Girls Past) and a Babymouse Nutcracker.

Kids will laugh at the way Babymouse is completely fixated upon a new WhizBang, but they'll also realize how their own obsessions can get out of proportion. My favorite scene of all is the ending, where Babymouse discards her new WhizBang to play with her little brother Squeak. With the WhizBang tossed aside, they spend hours playing with Squeak's dollhouse - in perfect togetherness. It's a moment that rang true for me and warmed my heart to see.

Have some holiday fun watching Jenni and Matt Holm sing about their love for reading, libraries and books in this Babymouse Holiday Video. We had fun at a recent event for Babymouse at our local indie bookstore A Great Good Place for Books. Here's a fun picture of some huge fans hiding in Babymouse's locker:

The review copy was kindly sent by Random House, but we've bought many copies since, for our school library, classrooms and friends. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

Review ©2011 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books.

The Magic School Bus: Dinosaurs (ages 4 - 8)

Dinosaurs fascinate many young children. These huge beasts dominated the world, and yet they vanished leaving only a few traces behind. Preschoolers and kindergartners love the sense of power that dinosaurs bring - there's nothing better than stomping through the sand box pretending you're a giant dinosaur on the hunt. But these young children also soak up scientific information as they learn about dinosaurs. If you have a dino-lover, check out the new book app: Magic School Bus Dinosaurs.

The Magic School Bus: Dinosaurs
developed by Scholastic Media
based on the book
The Magic School Bus in the Time of the Dinosaurs
by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen
for the iPad
version 1.1 - October 25, 2011
current price: $7.99
ages 4 - 8
available from the iTunes app store

nominated for the Cybils Book App award

Ms. Frizzle takes her class on a field trip to a dinosaur dig to investigate how dinosaur bones are uncovered. The paleontologists at the site have discovered some Maiasaura dinosaur bones, but are disappointed that they haven't discovered any eggs. Ms. Frizzle has the perfect solution: her class will travel back in time to see if they can figure out where the Maiasaura's nests are.

The bus transforms to a time machine and takes the class back to the Late Triassic period, then moves forward through the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Ms. Frizzle and her class discover which animals and plants lived during the different eras. Along the way, different class members share short reports with readers.

The app stays true to the original Magic School Bus book, making it accessible for a nice range of audiences. I've found that young children, ages 4 - 7, adore the wacky Ms. Frizzle but are often unable to read these busy books on their own.

This app uses engaging narration along with a well designed interactive app to pull young children into discovering this interesting scientific information. Children listen to the main text, but then they tap speech bubbles to hear what different characters are saying. This means that kids are actively engaged with reading this story, not just passively watching the movie roll by.

The highlighted reports are a great way for young kids to really absorb interesting scientific information in small chunks. I really like the way that the reports pop out when you press on the report icon, so kids focus on just that information. See this screen shot for an example:

Kids also are enjoying the interactive games, digging for fossils and then dragging the dinosaur bones to the correct place on the whole skeleton. Along the way, they collect special dino cards, with facts about the different dinosaurs they have uncovered.

The app does not include any extra nonfiction visuals, the way that the Magic School Bus: Oceans app does. It would have been very interesting if the developers included some photographs of fossils or dig sites, or short videos of paleontologists at work. The iPad apps have great potential for combining different materials, the way that the Magic School Bus: Oceans app did.

If you have a child who's fascinated by science or dinosaurs, this is definitely an app worth exploring.

Read an interesting interview with the producer at Scholastic Media about developing Magic School Bus: Dinosaurs iPad app at the Scholastic Blog Ink Splot 26. Read another review over at School Library Journal's blog Touch and Go.

The review copy was sent by the publisher, Scholastic Media. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

Review ©2011 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books.