A Mischief of Mice
Adults should get something from storytime, too. I read a book that’s maybe more for them than the kids — it’s extra special when there’s a book like this that is fascinating for these wee ones and their adults.
animals
Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko
Dogtown is a funny, heart-warming story about an animal shelter from a dog's point of view, written by collaborating authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko.
Thank You, Moon
Night is my favorite time of day, so I was entranced by this book about the many ways in which moonlight affects animal behavior ... including humans.
Odd Bods
One of my favorite nonfiction picture books so far this year is Odd Bods: the World’s Unusual Animals by Julie Murphy.
Here’s a brief description:
Long snouts, bright-red lips, pointy heads … the animal kingdom is full of critters with unique features. Learn about the incredible adaptations that help these animals – and their odd bods – survive and thrive all around the globe!
Crossings
Why do I love this expository literature book so much? Because it cleverly combines environmental science and engineering in a way that’s bound to engage a broad audience of young readers.
An Antidote to Holiday Cookies
The Nature’s Yucky! three-book childrens non-fiction series features animals doing what we humans perceive as gross behaviors. My co-author Karen Shragg and I then describe how these yucky actions help the animals survive.
Karen likes to cook and does a lot of experimenting, whipping meals together. Since she likes cooking so much, we include a kid-friendly recipe in every book.… more
Dogs and Cats, Part 1
It is almost guaranteed that children will respond favorably to animal stories, especially stories with dogs and cats. Two-thirds of American households own dogs or cats. Nineteenth century British illustrator Randolph Caldecott seemed to understand the natural affinity between children and animals. Before science documented the importance of pets in children’s lives, he included animals in most of his illustrations, and they added to the frolicking fun that animated his scenes.… more
Humanimal
This book is a page-turner in all of the right ways. It's an immensely readable nonfiction book that delivers memorable information. Best of all, I believe it will change hearts and minds about our relationship to animals, a necessary step in our evolution if we're engaged in saving our planet.
McDuff Moves In
When I was young, my mother and I lived in a succession of apartments, none of which allowed pets. I had a fervent hope for a dog or a cat, an animal friend to love. Every year for Christmas, I received a new stuffed animal, usually a dog because my mother didn’t care for cats. I still have those stuffed animals, but I’ve never had a pet. Even when we finally moved into a house 20 years ago, we were traveling so much that we wouldn’t have made a good home for an animal.… more
The Night the Forest Came to Town
A city can be all hard surfaces, concrete, brick, pavement, and glass. Adults can be preoccupied with their devices. Billboards, street lights, every kind of distraction. There's a distinct separation from nature, a disconnect.
The Animals in The Stuff of Stars
When I first read The Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer and Ekua Holmes, I was captivated by the beauty of the book and its lyrical thoughts about the earth and our environment. Ms. Holmes’ illustrations invite us to look closer, to discern the creatures she’s so artfully included. Ms. Bauer’s text includes a list of animals that roam the earth, bringing to mind all of the stories and facts about these specific animals, birds, insects, and reptiles.
… more Paws and Read
Celebrating Our Furry Friends with a Pet Reading Program
“Animals are such agreeable friends — they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.”
—George Elliott
In October 2011, I was in a state of transition. I had just returned from interning at the Library of Congress to a full-time job as head of a children’s department. I was excited about this new adventure but, to move forward, I was missing a furry friend.… more
Bookstorm™: The Stuff of Stars
Before the universe was formed, before time and space existed, there was … nothing. But then … BANG! Stars caught fire and burned so long that they exploded, flinging stardust everywhere. And the ash of those stars turned into planets. Into our Earth. And into us. In a poetic text, Marion Dane Bauer takes readers from the trillionth of a second when our universe was born to the singularities that became each one of us, while vivid illustrations by Ekua Holmes capture the void before the Big Bang and the ensuing life that burst across galaxies.… more
I’ve Been Enchanted
This is a rare admission from me because it’s about a book whose main characters are animals. I’ve stated before in this column that animal books have never been a favorite of mine, even as a child. Surely there are others of you out there who are too shy to admit the same thing?
In my determination to read older children’s books that I haven’t read before, I’ve just finished a book that has shown me I can adore books about animals: The Hotel Cat by Esther Averill, a Jenny’s Cat Club book.… more
One North Star, Three Creative Artists
Betsy Bowen’s book, Antler Bear Canoe: a Northwoods Alphabet, has been a favorite alphabet book for the last 25 years, reminding every reader about the things they love in their unique environment.
Now, a counting book will sit alluringly on the bookshelf next to that title. One North Star: a Counting Book (University of Minnesota Press) has been written by Phyllis Root, and illustrated with woodcuts by Betsy Bowen and Beckie Prange.… more
Jennifer A. Bell
In this interview with Jennifer A. Bell, illustrator of many endearing books, we’ve asked about the process of illustrating Little Cat’s Luck, our Bookstorm™ this month, written for second, third, and fourth graders as a read-aloud or individual reading books.Jennifer was also the illustrator for Marion Dane Bauer’s earlier novel-in-verse, Little Dog, Lost.
What media and tools did you use to create the soft illustrations in Little Cat’s Luck?… more
The Jungle Book
The word exquisite once won the game for me while playing Password. I have been fond of that word since that time and look for instances where it applies. That is surely the illustrated edition of The Jungle Book, written by Rudyard Kipling all of those years ago, and newly illustrated by Nicola Bayley. Candlewick published this edition of the classic stories and their classics are worth collecting, reading, and treasuring.… more
Marion Dane Bauer
In this interview with Marion Dane Bauer, we’re asking about her novel-in-verse, Little Cat’s Luck, our Bookstorm™ this month, written for second, third, and fourth graders as a read-aloud or individual reading books. It’s a good companion to her earlier novel-in-verse, Little Dog, Lost.
When the idea for this story came to you, was it a seed or a full-grown set of characters and a storyline?… more