YA Book Review: Tomboy by Liz Prince

Prince, Liz. Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir. San Francisco: Zest, 2014. Print. Grades 9+

This brutally honest, funny, and sometimes agonizing graphic memoir provides insight into the raw emotions experienced by Liz Prince, a self-identified tomboy.  As early as the age of two, Prince would cry hysterically when she was forced to wear dresses and, like many girls, became ashamed of her body as she got older, even covering herself with a t-shirt as she went swimming at summer camp.  “I was suddenly aware that I was under-performing in ways I didn’t even know existed. From then on, I always showered in my swimsuit, I changed clothes in the out-house (which defeated the purpose of showering) and worst of all, I developed the habit of SWIMMING IN A T-SHIRT.” Tomboy is also a timeline of Prince’s evolving thoughts about her own sexuality and gender identity as she lived through years of bullying and rejection from boys. “Dear God, I won’t pretend to know what your plan is for me, but please don’t make me be a girl. So, can you make sure I never get boobs or have my period?” Her unique perspective on the gender stereotypes deeply embedded in American culture is refreshing, empowering, and very genuine. Throughout the story, Prince eventually discovers a community of like-minded nonconformists, interested in comics, punk music, and zines, and transforms herself into a strong young woman who is comfortable with her identity as a tomboy.  This message of self-acceptance will likely strike a chord with young adult female readers who have struggled with bullying, body image issues, or concerns about gender-identity. The black and white artwork in Tomboy is very reminiscent of the raw style of Jeffrey Brown (Author of Clumsy and Funny Misshapen Body) and delivers a touch of casual charm.  Prince’s clean trademark artwork is child-like but authentic which perfectly supplements the text that evokes so many emotions.  Prince also exaggerates many of the facial expressions of the characters in her book, making her character one that readers will likely sympathize with. Ultimately, Tomboy is the perfect coming-of-age tale for any teen who considers themselves an “outcast” as it provides an honest message that it is absolutely possible to eventually gain self-acceptance, despite the heart-wrenching agony of childhood traumas.

Book Review: Thirteen Chairs

Shelton, Dave. Thirteen Chairs. New York: Scholastic, 2015. Print. Grades 6-12. 

Jack is a curious boy who decides that he has to know what is inside a nearby house which is rumored to be haunted. Upon finally entering the supposedly haunted house he has walked past for several years of his childhood, he encounters a room filled with unusual characters telling ghost stories by candlelight: “The only light comes from the candles on the table, one for each of those seated there, casting shifting, looming shadows onto the crumbling plaster of the walls.” Stories are told from the perspectives of each unique character sitting in the room, bringing readers a very diverse mix of paranormal stories. Jack takes notice of one peculiar man in particular: “[Piotr] is enormous. He looks as if he might have been carved from a mountain. From within his extravagant rust-and-ashes beard there appears a wide and welcoming grin of crooked teeth”. Piotr shares his own tale, The Red Tree, in which a woodcutter is strangled to death by the limbs of a tree. Shelton writes the story as though it is really being told aloud by a non-native speaker: “And woodcutter feel blood is all spilling out, running down his body, running down onto tree…. [blood] is making red tree.” Thirteen Chairs seamlessly intertwines thirteen distinct stories into a single narrative reinforced by the author’s mysterious black and white ink drawings shown at the beginning of each story, giving a glimpse into the terror contained in the consecutive pages. Ultimately, Shelton brings us a creatively organized collection of short tales to chill the bones of middle and high school readers. Fans of Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will likely be thrilled by the horror contained in this book and the short story format may delight reluctant readers. Thirteen Chairs will also be the perfect recommendation for those who are constantly pestering the Youth Services Librarian for “something truly spooky."

Each year the month of April is set aside as National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate poets and their craft. This is a great time to introduce children of all ages to the power of poetry and show them how fun creative writing can be. Whether you’re a teacher or a parent/guardian, you’ll find several poetry books at your local library to help you and the child in your life celebrate poetry during the month of April. Here are a few of my favorite poetry books to get you started!

Janeczko, Paul B., and Christopher Raschka. A Kick in the Head: an Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2005.

A Kick in the Head is a fun collection of poems written in several different forms selected by Paul Janeczko. After reading this book, young readers will be surprised to learn that there are so many different forms of poetry in the world! Each poem in the book has a short description of what the form entails, providing readers with the chance to gain insight into the art form known as poetry. The illustrations in blue, red, yellow, and green are very inviting and also help bring the fun poems to life. Best suited for children grades 3-8.

Lobel, Arnold. (1983). The Book of Pigericks. New York: Harper & Row Publishers.

This charming book consists of many funny limericks ("pigericks") alongside amusing illustrations depicting the funny scenes in the poems. The book begins with a limerick of "an old pig with a pen, who wrote stories and verse now and then..." and ends with the same mustached pig who "...sat quietly with his comfortable cat... while he rested his brushes and pen."  Some of the poems and illustrations also include pigs with long necks, a pig with 16 coats on, and even a pig nightly slumbered with eggs on his head. Despite this book being 30 years old, Lobel's limericks are sure to amuse children and adults of all ages in 2014.

Sidman, Joyce, and Rick Allen. Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night. Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010.

This is a beautiful book of poetry by Joyce Sidman, Illustrated by Rick Allen, and is best suited for children grades 3-8. The eloquent poems contained in this book describe the magic of nocturnal animals while detailing the fascinating sights seen in nature at night. In addition to the poems, the book provides a wealth of factual information regarding the scene described in the poem, such as facts about the world of mushrooms. The illustrations, made by a process of relief printing, result in beautiful multicolored illustrations that exceptionally complement the theme of nocturnal animals. Overall the book is well written, designed, and organized while being very aesthetically pleasing.

Book Review: Flying Cars

I am so sorry I have not written in such a long time! Graduate school has consumed my life. I resigned from working at the library in order to really focus on school. Currently I am taking a wonderful book reviewing class with the ever so amazing Janice Del Negro! I am learning so much about how to write proper book reviews and so I will probably be posting here a little bit more because of this.

Here is a book review I wrote for a new book that comes out in August, 2015. It's called Flying Cars and it is a really neat book.

Glass, Andrew. Flying Cars: The True Story. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, August, 2015. Grades 4-7.

Glass presents the captivating and eccentric history of flying cars and their rival inventors in a digestible way for children, using carefully selected photographs, drawing plans, and newspaper clippings paired with short biographies on the curious inventors who were determined to make flying cars a reality.  Flying Cars introduces numerous early flight vehicles to readers, such as the Albatross of 1868, and shares facts about the inventors’ amusing misadventures and occasional successes in first flight. Readers learn comical facts like Les Bris’s wheels-to-wings adventure was concluded when the Albatross “…was demolished during a disastrous landing that also broke the inventor’s leg.”  (pg 4) The most prominent feature of this nonfiction title is the numerous black and white photographs of peculiar flying cars such as the Vuia, the Autoplane (also known as An Aerial Limousine), the Felix Longobardi, and Autigiro, to name a few.  Glass shares the rich history of these 19th century retro-futuristic flying vehicles in a descriptive manner using fine details, like the Curtiss Autoplane of 1917 flew “…two passengers relaxed in the comfort of its posh leather-lined, velvet-curtained compartment” at a steady 65 miles an hour (pg 23). Glass also introduces other stimulating facts about these odd flying cars by providing actual newspaper clippings, transporting young readers into the past. This nonfiction book also includes an Index, glossary, source notes, and bibliography, making this book a reliable resource for research.  The glossary is particularly helpful for young readers who may not be familiar with technical terms such as fuselage, monoplane, or rudder. Readers with internet access are also given the chance to see the real magic of these obscure cars come to life by browsing the YouTube videos listed at the end of this book. This quirky book is a fine supplement to units on inventors and inventions and would be particularly appealing to children who like their books to have a spirit of adventure. Ultimately, this well-written book perfectly balances historical photographs with factual information that is engaging and fun to read. 

Halloween Songs and Books!

We presented a very large storytime downtown for our Halloween program! We had over 386 people attend! We danced to some REALLY great Halloween songs and read some wonderful books that I wanted to share!
Here are the songs we danced to:
It's Showtime by The Learning Station on the CD, Get Funky and Musical Fun with the Learning Station

This is a classic song we play at almost every Riverwalk storytime program before the show begins.

Goo Goo Ga Ga by Joe Scruggs on the CD, Traffic Jams

We presented a puppet show to go along with this hilarious song about a baby that mesmerizes a Troll and a Witch with her adorable baby speak.

Pumpkin Twist from the CD, Halloween with Victor R. Vampire & Friends

If you are looking for some fun songs that will get kids dancing and involved in the party, consider The Pumpkin Twist.

Spooky Loo on the CD, Wee Sing for Halloween

This is a really fun action song too! Here are the lyrics:

Here we go Spook-y Loo, Here we go Spook-y Light,
Here we go Spook-y Loo, All on a Hal-low-een night.

1. You put your right hand in, You put your right hand
out, You give you right hand a shake, shake, shake, And you turn your-self a-bout. Oh,

(Chorus after each verse)

2. ...left hand...
3. ...right hand...
4. ...left foot...
5. ...head...
6. ...whole self...

Tippytoes by Marcia Louis on the CD, Dancin' With Mr Bones

This is a really fun song where we went on tippytoes, went walking, marching, and running! The song speeds up as you change movements. We had signs for the words "Happy Halloween!" and "BOO!". We each held up a sign when the word was said. The children loved the "BOO" part in this song and you could tell they enjoyed participating!

Halloween Dance on the CD Golden Records Spooky Halloween Hits

This is the classic 60's hit that we ended the Halloween Riverwalk with! In this song you shake your hands like a skeleton, you put your arms up like a goblin, and dance like a fairy! It's a really great song to get kids moving.

Books we read at the Halloween on the Riverwalk:
Ghost Face based off the book, Monkey Face by Frank Asch

This was the prop story about the ghost named Casper who drew a picture of his dad. He came along and met a vampire, a spider, and other friends who had him change the picture to add something unique. For example, the vampire Capser met suggested that he add fangs to the picture. The spider suggested to Casper that the drawing was missing not one, but 8 legs! Casper added all these things to the drawing and brought it home to his dad who LOVED the drawing, just because it was made by Casper, just for him.

Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley

This is a classic book where we scare each part of the monster such as the scraggly purple hair, green monster face, etc. Kids love to yell at "GO AWAY" during this story!

Spooky Box by Mark Gonyea

This story is one of my new favorite books! We turned this book into a prop story with 1 big black spooky box decorated with spider webs and inside that box contained 2 more spooky boxes! We all read a list of different spooky things that could be inside the box such as evil puppets, a squid far from home, or snakes! We added our own ending to the song by listening to some animal sounds to give us clues as to what was inside the spooky box. Inside our boxes were a bat and a cat!

The Three Bears' Halloween by Kathy Duval

This was our puppet show this year. This story is about 3 bears who go trick or treating on Halloween. Papa Bear puts on his funny ears, Mama Bear dons a curly wig, and Baby Bear wears a black mask (in the book he wears a tiger suit but we modified it for our puppet show). Eventually Baby Bear sees a witch and yells, "Someone is a big, bad witch," but many children in our audience recognized the Goldilocks puppet under the witch's costume. The ending is when Goldilocks takes her mask off and reaveals that she isn't really a big, bad witch at all!

Happy Halloween!



Bathtime Storytime for 2s and 3s

I did not get the chance to perform this storytime with the 2 and 3 year olds because I was very sick last week. My coworker lead the program for me on Tuesday but here is what I had planned:

1. Regular Opening Song (to tune of the Mulberry Bush)

This is the way our hands say hello,
With a clap, clap-clap, Clap, clap-clap
This the way our hands say hello,
With a clap, clap-clap, clap-clap

This is the way our knees say hello,
With a tap tap-tap,
Tap tap-tap
This is the way our knees say hello,
With a tap tap-tap, tap-tap

This is the way we wave hello,
Wave hello, wave hello
This is the way we wave hello,
So early in the morning

3. Blow bubbles and sing the song "Hello Bubble" brought to you by Jbrary!

Lyrics:
Hello Bubbles, hello bubbles
Come and land, come and land
Right in the middle, right in the middle
of my hand, of my hand

Goodbye bubbles, goodbye bubbles
time to go, time to go
I can help you, I can help you
with a blow, with a blow

3. Book: Bath Time by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Janet Pederson

4. Flannelboard: Five Rubber Duckies by Miss Sarah (me!)
This rubber ducky is number one.
He went swimming in the bath just for fun.
With a wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,
And a Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
One rubber ducky came swimming back.

This rubber ducky is number two.
He walks around like others do.
With a wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,
And a Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
Two rubber duckies came swimming back.

This rubber ducky is number three.
He’s hiding now-where can he be?
With a wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,
And a Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!Two rubber duckies came swimming back.

This rubber ducky is number four.
She ate a fish, but she wants some more.
With a wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,
And a Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
Four rubber duckies came swimming back.

This rubber ducky is number five.
He flapped his wings and tried to fly.
With a wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,
And a Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
Five rubber duckies came swimming back.

5. Song: Bob McGrath - Soap Song

6. Book: Big Red Tub

7. Flannelboard Story: 5 Hippos in a Bath Tub

One hippo in the bathtub,
Going for a swim.
Knock, knock (slap knees twice)
Splash, splash (clap hands twice)
Come on in! (motion ‘come’ with hands)

Continue until 5 Elephants…..
Five hipposs in the bathtub
Going for a swim
Knock, knock
Splash, splash
They all fell in!

Idea taken from Sunflower Storytime and changed elephants to hippos since we had a hippo die-cut shape!


8. Song: Raffi - Bathtime
You could blow bubbles during this great Raffi song OR you could sing "Goodbye Bubble" (same as the opening Hello Bubble song shared above by Jbrary)



9. Closing Song (to tune of the Mulberry Bush)

This is the way our hands say goodbye,
With a clap clap-clap,Clap, clap-clap
This is the way our hands say goodbye,
With a clap clap-clap, clap-clap

This is the way our knees say goodbye,
With a tap, tap-tap,Tap tap-tap
This is the way our knees say goodbye,
With a tap tap-tap, tap-tap

This is the way we wave goodbye,Wave goodbye, wave goodbye,This is the way we wave goodbye,Goodbye until next time

10. Give children a duck stamp on their hand!

Additional Songs:

The Night I had a Dream by Laurie Berkner

 



 Louis Lion Sings Good Night -  Boys in the Bath (Track 5)

Carole Peterson - I Brush My Teeth (Track 7 from Baloney!)

Any song from the Seseme Street CD, Splish Splash Bath Time Fun

Other Books to consider:

Bathtime Piggly Wiggly by Christyan and Diane Fox

Bubbles, Bubbles by Kathi Applet, illustrated by Fumi Kosaka

My Blue Boat by Chris Demarest

Who's in the Tub by Sylvia Jones, illustrated by Pascala Constantin

Other Rhymes to Use:


Bubbles
a small bubble (make a circle with your hands)
a medium sized bubble (make a larger circle with your hands)
a great big bubble i see (make a large circle with your arms)
now let’s count them, are you ready?
1 –2 – 3 (make 3 circles again)
pop! (clap hands loudly once)

(From Sunflower Storytime)

Evan’s Bath Song by Rachel Bartkowiak
(To the tune of Rockabye, Baby)
Splishin’ and splashin’
In the bathtub.
When we take a bath
We clean and we scrub.
With a washcloth
And a little shampoo,
And when it’s all over
We smell good as new.
Splishin’ and splashin’
That’s what we do.
Don’t forget Ducky.
He likes it, too.
Watching’ the bubbles
Dance in the tub.
Oh, how we love bath time
Rub-a-dub-dub!
From Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives

This is the Way We Take a Bath

(tune: Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)

This is the way we wash our hands
Wash our hands, wash our hands,
This is the way we wash our hands
So early in the morning.

This is the way we wash our hair
Wash our hair, wash our hair,
This is the way we wash our hair
so early in the morning.

This is the way we wash our feet
wash our feet, wash our feet
This is the way we wash our feet
So early in the morning

The Toothbrush Song
(Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Brush, brush, brush your teeth
Brush them everyday.
We put toothpaste on our brush
To help stop tooth decay.
Floss, floss, floss your teeth.
Floss them every day!
Using the string to clean between
Keeps the plaque away!
Clean, clean, clean your teeth.
Clean them every day!
Your teeth will sparkle for years to come
In the most beautiful way!
Brush, brush, brush your teeth.
Brush them every day!
Happy, healthy teeth you'll have
If it's done this way.
(From: Can Teach)

Colorful Storytime for 2s and 3s

1. Song: Glad to See you by Peter & Ellen Allard on the CD Sing it! Say it! Stamp it! Sway it! Vol.2

2. Regular Opening Song (to tune of the Mulberry Bush)

This is the way our hands say hello,
With a clap, clap-clap, Clap, clap-clap
This the way our hands say hello,
With a clap, clap-clap, clap-clap

This is the way our knees say hello,

With a tap tap-tap,

Tap tap-tap
This is the way our knees say hello,

With a tap tap-tap, tap-tap

This is the way we wave hello,

Wave hello, wave hello

This is the way we wave hello,

So early in the morning

3. Book: Duckies Rainbow by Frances Barry

4. Action poem: Say and Touch

Say "red" and touch your head.
Say "sky" and touch your eye.
Say "bear" and touch your hair.
Say "south" and touch your mouth.
Say "rose" and touch your nose.
Say "in" and touch your chin.
Say "rest" and touch your chest.
Say "farm" and touch your arm.
Say "yummy" and touch your tummy.
Say "bee" and touch your knee.
Say "neat" and touch your feet"

5. Song: Legs and Arms by Pancake Manor

6. Book: Cat's Color by Jane Cabrera

7. Flannel board rhyme: Five Little Kitty Cats

5 little kitty cats playing near the door.

One ran and hid inside, then there were 4.

4 little kitty cats underneath a tree,

One heard a dog bark, then there were 3.

3 little kitty cats wondering what to do.

One ran to chase a bird, then there were 2.

2 Little kitty cats sitting in the sun.

One ran to catch his tail, then there was 1.

1 little kitty cat looking for some fun.

He saw a butterfly, then there were none.



8. Book: Giant Pop-Out Shapes, A Pop-Out Surprise Book

This book was a huge success with the children! The kids loved guessing the shapes and colors presented on each page. They were well engaged and entertained till the end of the book. This books is also very educational for toddlers by reinforcing their colors and shapes!

9. Goodbye song (to the tune of Mulberry Bush)

This is the way our hands say goodbye,
With a clap clap-clap,
Clap, clap-clap
This is the way our hands say goodbye,
With a clap clap-clap, clap-clap

This is the way our knees say goodbye,
With a tap, tap-tap,
Tap tap-tap
This is the way our knees say goodbye,
With a tap tap-tap, tap-tap

This is the way we wave goodbye,
Wave goodbye, wave goodbye,
This is the way we wave goodbye,
Goodbye until next time

Other Books to Consider:

WOW! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood

I Say, You Say COLORS! by Ted Carpenter

This is a fun book that promotes interactive learning for the young readers. I Say, You Say COLORS! enhances reading skills through repetition, practicing new words and matching. 

Autumn Orange by Christine C. Jones, Illustrated by Todd Ouren

This is also a darling book that is perfect if you are presenting the storytime in the fall!

Brown Bear Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr, Illustrated by Eric Carle

This book could also be made into a flannel board story if you have the time to trace the animals from the book and color them using Pellon. If you've never made a flannelboard story using pellon, click here to learn how to do it. Although this blogger says to use crayons, I'm lucky to have a nice selection of fabric markers at work to use. The fabric markers work EXCELLENT.