Grumpy Bird January 21, 2010

Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
Cute, cute, cute! Grumpy Bird woke up grumpy and is stomping around, all the while meeting friends along the way who ask what he is doing. He gets snarky with them (“I’ll give you a hint! I’m putting one foot in front of the other!”), and none of them are bothered by this at all. Instead, they just join him in his walk and create a big line of happy animals following the grumpy leader. Finally, he forgets about his grumpiness when everyone begins copying his movements. 

The illustrations are amazing in this book. I read it with kinders last week and it was a hit. We then made a list of what makes us feel grumpy and then read the book again, looking deeper at the illustrations.

Scaredy Squirrel November 30, 2009

Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt

 

Truly one of my favorite new characters living in the library (do I say that too much?!), Scaredy Squirrel is wonderful on many levels. First off, it’s HILARIOUS in that Scaredy Squirrel is petrified of the ‘unknown,’ which means anything outside of his nut tree. He prepares himself for the worst always, and has a plan A and plan B and even a plan C in case of emergency. His fears are mostly ridiculous but help kids feel ok about their fears, I think. Melanie Watt’s illustrations are key and perfect for teaching procedural writing as well. It’s also on Tumblebooks, so that is a good introduction to the character. When I read one of the sequels today, Scaredy Squirrel Finds a Friend, with the 2nd graders, we all were howling with laughter.

 

A sneak peek at the wonderful illustrations and some of Scaredy Squirrel’s fears…see what I mean?

Roscoe Riley November 21, 2009

Roscoe Riley Rules by Katherine Applegate

 

I read about this new series on another blog and ordered all seven titles. Mind you, I haven’t seen more than one title in the library because they leave with another kid the minute they get checked in. And that doesn’t count the huge number of holds that are put on it as well. It’s a hit for a number of reasons: it’s funny and those are always popular, it’s written for a middle-level reader (perfect for grade 2-3), and the character makes all these mistakes but he doesn’t really mean it. I’m thinking lots of kids are connecting with this text. Another thing I love is that both boys and girls are raving about this series.

 

An interesting note is that the same Katherine Applegate wrote one of my favorite novels in verse, Home of the Brave. The two books couldn’t be more different, and I like that she has a serious side and a silly side.

Silly Stuff for Older Kids October 6, 2009

I’m a ham. I love to make people laugh. It’s a complete rush to be in a group, crack a one-liner and hear the laughter wash over you. So this post is about funny picture books for upper elementary kids. Actually, the first 2 titles below appeal to younger kids, too, but they are those rare funny picture books that get the 4th and 5th graders howling! If anyone has other suggestions for the upper kids, please let me know. I could always use more  material for that audience!

The first title I recommend is Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey of Captain Underpants fame. Hally has unbelievable bad breath. The Tosis family doesn’t know what to do. (Get it? Hally Tosis! The kids won’t get that part without explanation, but it’s nice to have some adult humor thrown in there!) The kids try everything, including going to a breathless sunset, but nothing works. Then one night something unexpected happens which makes Hally the town hero. Woo-hoo! Go Hally! The story is funny, the pictures are silly, the kids will eat it up!

Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin is another silly story. Worm is your typical, garden variety worm – he goes to school, hangs out with his friend Spider, has dreams and desires that include becoming a Secret Service Agent. The illustrations by Harry Bliss (I like to call him Harry Happy!) are perfect. If you read this one, you’ll have to remove the cover so you can show the kids the photos and keepsakes underneath, including Worm’s report card – he got an A in Dirt! This is a kid crowd-pleaser. Cronin also wrote Diary of a Spider. Unfortunately it’s not nearly as funny as a read aloud. Not sure why. It just doesn’t get them giggling like Diary of a Worm. I’ve ordered Diary of a Fly for next year. Hopefully it’s a zinger!

Jon Scieszka is another upper elementary school favorite. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales doesn’t disappoint! Lane Smith’s crazy illustrations add to the silliness and frenetic feel of this book. Kids crack up at the zany spoofs of classic fairy tales, such as Little Red Riding Shorts, Little Red Hen and, of course, The Stinky Cheese Man. (Who wants to chase something made of smelly cheese?!?) This book is good to use when teaching parts of the book because every part of the book is brought under scrutiny, even the ISBN! Also try The True Story of the Three Little Pigs; Science Verse; and  Math Curse all by the same team.