Recent Reads: Quite a Variety

I've allowed this blog to take a semi-hiatus/summer vacation in order to focus on my recent release projects. If that's news to you, you can check it out here. That doesn't mean I'm not still reading picture books (and reviews, releases, classics, blogs, and more). I keep a record, rating, and reviews of recent reads on my GOODREADS site.

In case you've missed those, it's time to report them here, since they each have good things to offer, ranging from home to school, from youngest to established readers. Each can play a significant role in back-to-school discussions of rules, kindness, determination, holding grudges

MY TEACHER IS A MONSTER! (NO, I AM NOT.) is written and illustrated by Peter Brown. It's had some wonderful reviews, and I can see why. But when it comes to a story about how teachers are perceived depending on the daily changes of students, I'll take LILY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE, by Kevin Henkes over this one, but it does have a quirky sort of appeal. Even when the student and teacher reach greater understanding of each other, there's something about it (the color tones? the relative sizes of the kids/teacher?) that leaves me slightly uncomfortable and flattens the humor just a bit. On the other hand, THE GIRL AND THE BICYCLE, written and illustrated by Mark Pett, is  a winner, in my opinion.  This wordless, monochromatic, wide-format picture book uses simple images to create a multi-layered and highly appealing story. It incorporates one very creative, determined, and wise young girl, her loyal (and funny) little brother, and a neighbor with a gentle heart. This is the kind of picture book that deserves multiple re"read"s and can serve as mentor-text for story structure, sequence, cause/effect, and language development for a number of age levels. Next up is THE GRUDGE KEEPER, written by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by Eliza Wheeler. It's a back-to-school Wheeler's fine-lined, gentle-toned double page spreads lend richness and emotional depth to the delightfully complex, synonym-laden text that could otherwise get a bit tiresome. The language, images, and somewhat obvious lesson make this a great choice for intentional sharing. It can serve as vocabulary development, mentor text for humor and hyperbole, and community building/problem-solving. As an example of quality non-fiction that is fluent, intriguing, accessible, and fun, you can't beat GIRLS THIINK OF EVERYTHING: STORIES OF INGENIOUS INVENTIONS BY WOMEN, written by Catherine Thimmesh and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Sweet's appealing cameo and full page illustrations interspersed throughout this informative and highly accessible text make this a must-have for "close" reading- or just for fun! These profiles of inventive, innovative women include some familiar names and many more less well known. This belongs in every library and classroom from third grade up.

Finding "Just Right" Halloween Books

It's not hard to find picture books intended for use at Halloween. Period. Kids love them all year long, because kids love Halloween. Despite popularity, though, many are titles that strike a single note for the holiday; it's their only purpose. There's nothing wrong with that.

But I'm really a fan of books that can push our holiday buttons yet have more to offer all year round. The Mousekin books are excellent examples. Sadly, they are out of print and tricky to find. 

Simon & Schuster, 2012

I'm happy to share several recent releases that have this year-roubd quality, starting with CREEPY CARROTS, written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown. I'm not alone in praising this 2013 Caldecott Honor Book. It's a New York Times Bestseller and a Notable Children’s Book. Some reviews:

“Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review. “A spot-on parody of a paranoid thriller …”—Publishers Weekly, starred review.The gray-scape spreads and brilliantly manic carrot-characters bring a Twilight Zone tone to this book that both entertains and presents an object lesson with humor and charm. 

Dial, 2013

CREEPY CARROTS is a winner with every age. On the other hand, TEN ORANGE PUMPKINS: A Counting Book, written and illustrated by Stephen Savage, works best with the youngest children. Comforting in spite of being loaded with iconic Halloween images, its year-round appeal offers repeated experiences with  counting, color, and rhymes. In fact, it's one of the few "countdown" texts that keeps kids coming back.

Henry Holt & Co. (BYR), 2013

Also a hit with the youngest, but nudging up in age with audiences, is SOME MONSTERS ARE DIFFERENT, written and illustrated by David Milgrim.  This approach to "it's okay to be different" is especially appealing for the creative visual images of monsters, and it's a message that never grows old. I can't help but picture some Halloween costume inspirations lurking within its pages.

Holiday House, 2013

And then along comes OL' CLIP-CLOP: A GHOST STORY, written by Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Based on an old family story, this dark and intensely illustrated "scary" story is aimed at older readers. There is considerably more text than typical in younger books, images are seriously spooky, and the historic setting plays a significant role. Older readers are also likely to draw comparisons to the Headless Horseman. It will make a sensational read-aloud, especially if the tellers adopt McKissack's advice to accompany the clip-clops (and escalating clippety-cloppities) with slaps of their laps. This is a title treading a fine line between fun-scary and freaked-out-scary. The object lesson involved is clear, suggesting there are greater forces in the world that will extract justice in the end. 

Whoever the intended audience may be, consider keeping these out and accessible (on the shelves, in the storytime stack, or circulating among the group over time. Each offers rich illustrations that extend and intrigue, each benefits from repeated reading, including aloud, and each can serve as mentor text for story writing/telling.

Any favorites among your collections that are especially suited to Halloween?

Anti-Bullying or Pro-Community?

October is Anti-Bullying Month. If you're new to this blog, you may not be aware of my persistent irritation about monthly themes. As much as I value each theme (Anti-Bullying, Black History, Women's History, Hispanic Heritage, even Poetry Month), when I suggest outstanding titles I can't resist the caveat to P-L-E-A-S-E keep these books out and actively shared throughout the year. I cringe at the many times I've seen teachers, even families, "pull out" and "pack away" fantastic titles with intrinsic value as if they are Halloween or Valentine decorations.

Little Brown, Books for Young Readers, 2013

Kids (and plenty of adults, too) benefit from direct instruction in anti-bullying techniques and strategies. Many of the most effective approaches, though, rely on bystander reporting, strength-in-numbers approaches, and others that presume a strong sense of community exists in the setting in which the bullying occurs. That's why it is essential to build and support that sense of trust and safety all year long. What better way to do that than with picture books- compact, complete, compelling, and irresistible, too.

A very recent release is MR. TIGER GOES WILD, written and illustrated by Peter Brown. Seemingly simple, this book opens the door for discussions of conformity, peer pressure, expectations, and self-expression. It's an outstanding choice for anti-bullying month/topics, even though Tiger is not directly bullied for his decisions. Tolerance within his peer group, despite their skepticism of his choices, opens options for others, and for ourselves, too.

Dawn Little added a picture-book post on the Nerdy Book Club blog recently, highlighting ten titles that build strong communities. I particularly agree with her approach to multiple and repeated uses throughout the year for different purposes.You'll likely recognize some of these books, but there are a few less-well-known titles among them. I hope you'll click and consider them as a starting point in a new/growing awareness of the multiple underlying themes in many stories. To only share them during a designated month, to pack them away or ignore potential discussions at other times of the year does the books, the readers, and your community a grave disservice. That applies to classrooms and families. 

This post is a bit on the brief side in part because Dawn's titles give you more than enough to consider for now, and I hope you will do so. Active links to some of my prior posts on the topic are also embedded throughout this post.

The other reason to wrap this up quickly came about due to some recent good news I can now share. My debut novel, a middle-grade historical fiction titled ODIN'S PROMISE, will be released early in 2014. That means I've been actively adding content to the new website, www.SandyBrehl.com, including a blog about my writing journey during this process. So, I'm calling on my community of followers, subscribers, and anyone else who stumbles across this blog with an open invitation to take a look at the site, consider following, chime in with comments and questions, and pass along the news to anyone you think might be interested in checking it out.

I plan to continue my posts on picture books here, at about the same weekly schedule, but this particular week zapped away some of the time I usually devote to preparing posts. I value this platform and the readers who join me here. If you know of titles that build community, foster kindness, and confront/overcome bullying, please share them in the comments.