Love

After a 2 year hiatus, I have come back to blogging about what I love most, books! 

Love by Matt de la Peña and Illustrated by Loren Long

This beautiful picture book is a celebration of love that will be enjoyed by readers of all ages. It shows love in very unexpected ways with small moments during our lives that help us to think about the feeling of love and recognize love within ourselves. It even brings about the question, what is love? Illustrator, Loren Long, has created realistic and diverse illustrations of people around the world with the use of color, texture and feeling. The illustrations show how we have small moments of love everyday in our lives with the good and the bad. This book will help develop resilience to push through the difficult times as well as understanding the moments of love within ourselves, with our friendships and within the world around us.

**** Stars

All Too Much for Oliver

A Must Read for all Highly Sensitive Children!

Oliver is a very quiet little boy. He is sensitive and likes to avoid places that are noisy or crowded, which is a lot of places. Oliver likes to be by himself, or he thinks he likes to be by himself because it makes him feel comfortable. What happens when Oliver decides to try something new? And maybe that might even involve making a new friend too.  How will that make him feel? Will Oliver discover that crowded and noisy places aren’t so bad after all?

This is a wonderful realistic story for a child who is highly sensitive. And what is a highly sensitive child? This is a type of person that has an innate trait of high sensory processing sensitivity.

To compliment the story, the illustrations are simple, done in soft pastel pencils and watercolors, which are calming to the senses. This sweet enduring story allows any child to have feelings of being overwhelmed in different situations and understanding that these feelings are common. It can also help build self-esteem in sensitive children and guide them to learn coping strategies.

I look forward to seeing more books for highly sensitive children by My Quiet Adventures!

Recommended for ages 4-6

Waggers by Stacy Nyikos

Some dogs have the most excitable tail. Meet Waggers, who tries to be good all the time, but his tail just can’t do it! It wags and wags and wags and does a lot of harm. Waggers is an adorable, newly adopted puppy that has been taken home by a special family who discover he has a tail that causes a lot of trouble. What is the family to do when chaos ensues just from a little tail? And how can they make it stop wagging, or can they? But then something special happens and Wagger’s tail does something good, which brings about a great theme in the story, that everyone is good at something.

Stacy Nyikos has written several adorable books for kids. She writes her stories so her young readers can easily relate to her characters. Illustrations by Tamara Anegon captures Waggers with her bright, whimsical illustrations that make readers want to read the story again and again.

This is a highly recommended book for animal lovers and those who love to giggle! A great read-aloud or read-alone. Recommended for ages 4-8. I give Waggers 5 Stars!

Roxy Rogers: Your Destiny is Calling

Meet Roxy Rogers, a young girl with a family full of hall of fame baseball players. While Roxy might have been born to play ball, her dream is to sing. She wants to do something different but she doesn’t know how to tell her family. She is afraid they won’t understand. Her destiny is not baseball.

The author has created a wonderful story that speaks about following your passions in life. Roxy Rogers has the courage to not follow in the footsteps of her parents or grandparents in the world of baseball but rather go into the entertainment business as a famous songstress.

The illustrator created whimsical and colorful illustrations that bring the story to life. As Roxy believes in her dreams, the colors transform on the pages and get brighter and bolder. They enhance her dream to sing and show her passion for song, not baseball.

The author has included some great historical baseball facts at the end of the story along with a game of hidden clues to keep kids going back to read the story over and over again!

Roxy Rogers is a fabulous 5 star book recommended for ages 4-8. The author makes the message loud and clear, it is important to do what makes you happy in life! Kudos to the author for creating a wonderful storybook for children.

Some fabulous picture books for summer reading!

Summer reading is upon us. Did you know that if children read at least five books this summer they will prevent learning loss, according to a White House study. If children don’t read or engage with stories over the summer they lose about 2-3 months of reading achievement. The best way to keep your children reading through the summer is to sign up for one of the fabulous summer reading programs. Reading is so important! Here are three of my favorite picture books to check out this summer! Recommended for ages 4-8.

Shoe Dog by Megan McDonald and Illustrated by Katherine Tillotson

The beloved author of the Judy Moody and the Stink series has created a fabulous picture book about a dog that loves to chew. What does he chew, but shoes! He isn’t a dog that chews bones, or toys, or smelly socks, but rather shoes. And lots of them! Especially brand new shoes! Clever and lively illustrations by Tillotson, are created with crayon and charcoal and then combined together digitally. An adorable read aloud story especially for dog lovers who understand dogs need to chew!

President Taft is Stuck in the Bath by Mac Barnett and Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

We have read about George Washington and his teeth and Abraham Lincoln and his top hat, but what about President Taft. Did you know that he got stuck in the bathtub?  A clever, silly but yet true story of how the 27^th President got stuck in his bathtub and how they got him out. The illustrations are expressive, bold and quite colorful. These gouache caricatures add silliness to a true story. A great Author’s note with facts pertaining to President Taft can be found at the back of the book along with an archived picture of the bathtub in the White House with President Taft and four men from his cabinet.

Share by Sally Ann Garland

Sharing isn’t easy; in fact most kids don’t like to share. Bunny is no different but when her cousin comes to visit she realizes just how much she doesn’t like to share. But her cousin wants to do everything like bunny and bunny doesn’t understand why. A sweet rhyming story that helps children understand the importance of sharing and why it can be so hard. Illustrations are digitally created with a soft pastel palette. This is a great read aloud or bedtime story. It also can be a  useful tool in teaching the importance of sharing.

Max Makes a Cake

Introducing a Passover PJ library book!

Meet Max, who wants to bake a surprise Passover birthday cake for his mom. Max is a big boy, he can almost tie his shoes, and he even knows the four questions for Passover in Hebrew and English. But everyone knows that baking a cake during Passover is not so easy and one must get really creative. So Max gets to work, only he really needs the help of his dad to pull this off. But dad is too busy with Max’s fussy baby sister and so Max decides to take matters into his own hands. And that is exactly what Max does, starting with the frosting first, just in case dad makes it down in time to help.

“Why is this cake different from all other cakes?” asks Max at the end of the story. The author ties this question in beautifully with the importance of the Four Questions during the Passover Seder. This is a sweet and clever story about baking a cake with lots and lots of matzah as well as capturing a moment when a young boy realizes he can be independent. The author, Michelle Edwards, includes Max’s ingenious cake recipe along with a very brief description of the Passover Story.

Illustrations by Charles Santoso are adorable with warm and cheerful animated expressions. The illustrations were rendered with pencil on paper and then scanned and colored digitally.

Max Makes a Cake is a wonderful story that is perfect for story time during the Passover holiday and welcome in any Jewish library as well as Public libraries collections too. Recommended for ages 3-6.

What is PJ Library®?  It’s a program that mails FREE, high-quality Jewish children’s books and music to families in the San Francisco Bay Area (and across the country!) on a monthly basis.  Sign up here: http://pjlibrary.org/Communities/Enroll-in-a-Community.aspx?id=12 to enroll.  More info at www.pjlibrary.org

Mousetronaut

Mousetronaut by Astronaut Mark Kelly and Illustrated by C.F. Payne

(Based on a partially true story)

Meet Meteor who is a hardworking friendly mouse. He is about to take his first trip to the moon with a bunch of astronauts. Unbeknownst to Meteor he actually saves the entire mission when a computer key gets stuck on the monitor. Read how Meteor saves the day and is declared a hero. He is presented with his very own mouse suit and his very own title of Mousetronaut.

This is a cleverly and charming story written by a four-time veteran of the space shuttle, Mark Kelly. This story is based on his experiences and of course his imagination while up in space. The illustrations, which are done in mixed media, are just truly fabulous because they really evoke the emotion of the mouse while traveling up into space. They are lively yet really show a story of courage and perseverance.

The author has included an Afterword and there a fabulous Bibliography, which includes games, videos and informational links. This story is based on the space shuttle Endeavor as mice were trained alongside the astronauts and accompanied them in the 2001 mission.

I loved this story and believe it to be an inspiration to young readers, especially those looking to travel to space.

A great gift for the holidays or better yet check it out at your local library!

Grades K-2

Little Cub

This story is not only tender and heartwarming but it is perfect for parents and children that make each other feel whole. This book is about a lonely old bear and a lonely little cub who find each other one day. Both don't like being alone yet they are. As they go through their days of eating and finding food, something is clearly missing. A friendship. And once they find each other they realize what they had been missing all along, each other.

One of the sweetest books I have ever read. This one is to be shared with your favorite little friends over and over again. An absolute must check out or even purchase!
Ages 2 on up!

Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah!

While we are resting our bellies from a grateful evening of our delicious Thanksgiving meals, we now have to quickly switch gears and prepare for Hanukkah. With only 14 days until the first candle is lit on the menorah (Saturday, December 8th), we must get ready for our holiday treats. It is time to get out those dreidels, chocolate gelt, menorahs and candles. Here are some fabulous Hanukah books to share with your family and friends. They make for some great presents too!

I have put asterisks next some wonderful stories for children who celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas in their homes. I have also included a short poetry list as well as the PJ library list.

Hanukkah Books in alphabetical order by author

Our Candle by Eve Bunting

Engineer Ari and the Hanukkah Mishap by Deborah Cohen

Hanukkah Moon by Deborah da Costa

Papa’s Latkes by Michelle Edwards

The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes by Linda Glaser

Mrs. Greenberg’s Messy Hanukkah by Linda Glaser

Just enough is plenty: A Hanukkah tale by Barbara Goldin

The Best Hanukkah Ever by Barbara Goldin

Latkes, Latkes Good to Eat by Naomi Howland

Asher and the Capmakers: A Hanukkah story by Eric Kimmel

The Chanukah Guest by Eric Kimmel

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel

The Magic Dreidels by Eric Kimmel

Zigazak: A Magical Hanukkah Night by Eric Kimmel

The Runaway Latkes by Leslie Kimmelman

Hanukkah at Valley Forge by Stephen Krensky

The Hanukkah Mice by Steven Kroll

A Great miracle Happened There by Karla Kuskin

Nathan Blows out the Hanukkah Candles by Tami Lehman-Wilzig

Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story by Fran Manushkin

Moishe’s Miracle: A Hanukkah Story by Laura Melmed

It’s Hanukkah by Jeanne Modesitt

* Light the Lights! A Story about celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas by Margaret Moorman

Runaway Dreidel by Leslea Newman

*My Two Holidays: A Hanukkah and Christmas Story by Danielle Novak

*My Two Grandmothers by Effin Older

The Miracle of the Potato Latkes: A Hanukkah Story by Malka Penn

The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco

Hanukah Money by Uri Shulevitz

Hanukkah: A Counting Book by Emily Sper

Beni’s First Chanukah by Jane Zalben

* Stories that celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas

  

Poetry Books:

Hanukkah lights: A Holiday Poetry by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Hanukkah Haiku by Harriet Ziefert

When my children were little Jewish books were hard to find. Now with the help and generosity of PJ library, Jewish books are getting to be so plentiful both in the bookstores and libraries. Here is a list of some fabulous Hanukkah stories to share with your children.

For those of you who have never heard of PJ Library, this is a fabulous FREE program sponsored by the Grinspoon Institute This outstanding program sends free Jewish books monthly to children ages 1-7 all over the world.  If you are interested and would like to sign up here is the link for our local PJ library chapter Northern California PJ Library. The PJ library books are categorized by age groups and all of these books on my can be found at Amazon, local public libraries as well as local bookstores. Most of the books on my list are recommended for children ages 2-8.

PJ Library Books: (over the past few years)

Chanukah Lights Everywhere by Michael Rosen (Baby and Toddler Books)

The Eight Nights of Chanukah by Leslea Newman (Baby and Toddler Books)

Hanukkah! By Ron Schotter (Baby and Toddler Books)

Hanukkah Lights by David Martin (Baby and Toddler Books)

Hanukkah OH Hanukkah by Olga Ivanov (Baby and Toddler Books)

Hoppy Hanukkah! By Linda Glaser (Baby and Toddler Books)

How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? By Jane Yolen (Baby and Toddler Books)

It’s Hanukkah by Santiago Cohen (Baby and Toddler Books)

Where is Baby’s Dreidel by Karen Katz (Baby and Toddler Books)

A Horse for Hanukkah by Myriam Halberstam (Preschool and Kindergarten)

Eight Winter Nights by Laura Melmed (Preschool and Kindergarten)

The Hanukkah Trike by Michelle Edwards (Preschool and Kindergarten)

When Mindy Saved Hanukkah by Eric Kimmel (Preschool and Kindergarten)

The Ziz and the Hanukkah Miracle by Jacqueline Jules (Preschool and Kindergarten)

Chanukah in Chelm by David Adler (Ages 6-8)

Jeremy’s Dreidel by Ellie Gellman (Ages 6-8)

The Golem’s Latkes by Eric Kimmel (Ages 6-8)

Lots of Latkes: A Hanukkah Story by Sandy Lanton (Ages 6-8)

All the Lights in the Night by Arthur Levine (Ages 6-8)

Like a Maccabee by Barbara Bietz (Ages 6-8)

The Bear in the Book

This story actually sums everything up that I have been saying about the importance of picture books. Right here in this book, the author has actually recreated a scene of reading a story to a child but incorporating the story within a story. It is brilliant! The story begins with, "Once there was a book..."

It is bedtime and a little boy chooses his favorite book on the shelf for his mother to read to him. A story about a bear, a big black bear who goes to sleep for the winter. As the mother is reading the story, the little boy turns the pages and asks questions about the bear. The fabulous rythmic text is brought to life by Georg Hallensleben's vibraint paintings.

We get a glimpse as a reader about the interplay between a child and his mother during their bedtime ritual of reading a story. The author has created a perfect model of how a mother and child share a book together, right down to the cuddling on the bed, looking at the pictures, and talking about the concepts in the book. And just as the bear is waking up from his long winter's sleep, the little boy begins to close his eyes for the night. Once again a picture book that truly shows the power that books have in connecting books to readers.

This could easily be one of the Caldecott winners for 2012. Recommended for ages 3 and up.

The Biggest Kiss of All

This is one of the most adorable read-aloud story about kisses. Big kisses, small kisses, wet kisses, kisses on the noses, kisses on the toes-es, high kisses, low kisses, all sorts of kisses. When I first read this story I thought of the beloved Dr. Seuss. This book could of been written by him. This story has such charm and such colorful, lively illustrations, you will want to read it over and over again. Everyone always needs kisses, kisses are so important. So what could be more important than a book on kisses for everyone! You will want to cuddle up with your favorite little person and read this story  again and again. A great bedtime story! Or an anytime story. Recommended for ages 3-8.

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man by Michael Chabon

Do you have a little boy who loves superheroes? Or who wants to be a superhero? Michael Chabon, best selling author and Pulitzer prize winning author has just published one of the best picture books yet on superheroes, called The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man with Moskowitz the Awesome Dog. Not only is the story packed with lots of punches, the illustrations by Jake Parker are just spectacular.

The story begins with awesome man having a secret. He can shoot positronic rays out of his eyeballs, fly straight as an arrow and hug mutant Jell-O. His cape is as red as a rocket and his mask black as midnight. Not to mention he has an awesome letter “A” on his chest. But who is this man? In his own words, he is basically awesome.

The story and illustrations are brilliant, it looks like a 21^st century comic book with brightly colored computer formed illustrations that literally want to pop off the page. This is a fabulous fantasy book for kids and adults, really! Hopefully we will see more from Michael Chabon and Awesome Man.

Learning how to fly

Calvin Can't Fly The Story of a Bookworm Birdie by Jennifer Berne is a gem of a book. This beautiful and touching story is about a little starling bird. He isn't like his brothers and sisters or his thousands of cousins. (Because starlings have big families). Calvin is different from the start. Instead of learning how to fly he learns how to read. He visits the library each day while his family learns how to swoop, fly and do figure eights in the sky. But Calvin is busy learning to read and learning about adventures, legends, folktales, poetry and facts about the world. He learns that books can take him places that his wings can't. But suddenly the weather is beginning to change and it will be time for the starling family to migrate but Calvin still hasn't learned how to fly. So the story continues with wonderful cartoon like illustrations using gouache by illustrator Keith Bendis. The colorful pictures are descriptive with wonderful facial expressions. I think this is a very original story, both heartwarming yet a little quirky but a definite must for library shelves. (Recommended for grades K-2)

My day at the public library

I had a lovely day working at the public library in the children's room. It always is good to be in another library setting that is different from my own to see other collections. Today I found some adorable picture books. I wish my children were still small so I could buy them, they are that wonderful!

For those of you who have children who are dog lovers I highly recommend this one!
RRRalph by Lois Ehlert
Ralph is a talking dog, really he is! In Lois Ehlert usual style with handmade illustrations made from zippers, wood, buttons, twine, metal, tree bark, handmade papers and textile fragments this humorous story is about Ralph the dog who narrates the book by talking with words such as: roof, rough, bark and wolf. Check this book out and meet Ralph the talking dog.

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? by Susan Shea
This is such a creative book. If a duckling grows and becomes a duck can a car grow and become a truck? If a kitten grows and becomes a cat, can a cap grow and become a hat?
This is a book about growth that actually encourages readers to interact with the question and answer format. There are comparisons with inanimate objects to objects that grow. The illustrations by Tom Slaughter are vibrant and sort of pop-out at the reader. A very special book for a very special child. This also makes for a great gift!

When a Monster is Born by Sean Taylor
Wow, this is really a fabulous read aloud. It is funny, creative and very engaging. It can be read during the day or at night before bed. "When a monster is born there are two possibilities, it can be a faraway monster or an under your bed monster." This particular monster explores all different possibilities and it isn't scary. It is a funny monster story with slapstick humor. The illustrations are bold in neon colors. The monster is lime green with a pink horn and pink toes and buck teeth. A very goofy monster indeed. The author, Sean Taylor, wrote this story based on a Brazilian poem called "When a Baby is Born" that the author heard many years ago. It was the reason why he wrote this book.

A must have picture book!

A must read for every little girl. My Name Is Not Isabella: Just How Big Can a Little Girl Dream? by Jennifer Fosberry. Why is this book so special because it opens the world to a little girl and her inner strength to do the impossible. Isabella wakes up one morning only to tell her mother that her name is not Isabella. Who is this little girl, asks her mother. With each page she becomes someone new. Isabella’s adventure begins with U.S. Astronaut Sally Ride, activist Rosa Parks, Madame Curie and many others. But in reality the biggest hero is of course Isabella’s own mommy. This book is a beautifully illustrated and well-written story that every little girl must have on her own bookshelf to look at over and over again.

 

Jennifer Fosberry is a Bay Area author and mother. My Name is Not Isabella was her first book that came out in September of 2010 and just recently the boy version of this book was published, My Name is Not Alexander. This story has the same premise about a little boy being anyone that he wants to be from Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison to Jackie Robinson. But of course in the end, who is the biggest hero, dad. Two fabulous picture books that are an inspiration to children everywhere! We can’t wait to see what Jennifer Fosberry has in store for us next.