tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89484080299999029342024-02-06T18:15:55.214-08:00Booky KidsA blog about what kids, 0-18, are reading TODAY and great new and upcoming books.BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-47726070444397386802014-03-15T15:24:00.001-07:002014-03-16T07:36:30.328-07:002013 Picture Books I Want for My FamilyBelieve it or not booksellers cannot buy every book we want for our families. Generally we don't earn a lot of money, and even though most of us get books at a discount we still have to pay money for our books. So while there are a ton of picture books that I would love to get for my family I have to weigh that against paying for bell peppers or gymnastics lessons. But if I could buy all the books I wanted, these are the picture books I would add to my family's collection this year.<br />
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<i><b>The Day the Crayons Quit</b></i></div>
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By Drew Daywalt</div>
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Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers</div>
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Ages 4-9 </div>
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This is a story told by crayons, specifically Duncan's crayons. The different color crayons have written him different letters of complaint about how they are used. Grey wishes Duncan would color some small pebbles instead of large elephants. Peach feels naked after Duncan tore off its wrapper. Yellow and Orange both feel that they are the true color of the sun, etc. The book is hillarious and is one of those bestsellers that deserves its status completely! It is fairly sophisticated conceptually, I think there are a fair number of 4-year-olds out there who won't get it, but most children will enjoy by age 5 or so. This is one of those stories that parents and children can enjoy together!<br />
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<i><b>The Dark</b></i></div>
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By Lemony Snicket</div>
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Illustrated by John Klassen</div>
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Ages 3-7</div>
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The dark always lived in the basement, until one night it visited Lazlo in his room, and showed him how to keep it from visiting him again. This book has an air of quiet nighttime about it, and though it is still and gloomy, it isn't scary. It turns the dark into something comforting and regular. Lemony Snicket books are almost always funny, but sometimes they tend toward the snide side of things. This book isn't snide, in fact it is surprisingly loving. I wish I owned it.<br />
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<i><b>Everything Goes by Sea</b></i></div>
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Written and Illustrated by Brian Biggs</div>
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Ages 18 months - 8</div>
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We have Brian Biggs' <i>Everything goes on Land</i> and <i>Everything Goes by Air</i>. We love them, especially Everything Goes by Air. Henry (who will be 2 in December) loves airplanes. In fact I think it might have been his first word. But he and Oscar (who will be 5 in December) love boats too. They are boys. The books remind me of Richard Scary in that the pictures are intense and children can get lost staring at them. Also like Richard Scary the books are educational with re-occuring jokes (instead of goldbug we have birds in hats and the author who always draws himself somewhere in his books). But unlike Richard Scary though the books are full of people instead of animals, and the stories can be read in 15 minutes. If I allowed it I'm sure my kids could sit in front of one Richard Scary book for 30 - 45 minutes, and while that would be great for THEM, it is less fun for ME. I have a feeling these Brian Biggs books will also be fun for the boys to wade through as they start to read on their own, it is full of aside jokes that I skip over as the boys don't quite understand them yet. For example Oshkosh and Katetown are two of the destinations in <i>Everything Goes by Air</i>. Oh, and I forgot to mention the best part of these stories - the main character, a little boy, is named HENRY.<br />
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<b><i>That Is NOT a Good Idea!</i></b><br />
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Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems</div>
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Ages 3-6</div>
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I have yet to read a bad Mo Willems book, but some of them are better than others, and this one is exceptional. And while I'm dreaming of the books I wish I had I would also like his Knuffle Bunny - the first one. We borrowed it from a friend and Oscar thinks the baby talk is hilarious.</div>
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<b><i> Journey</i></b></div>
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By Aaron Becker</div>
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Ages 2-99</div>
This wordless book is almost like a steampunk Harold & The Purple Crayon as it follows the tale of girl who uses her own red crayon to draw her way through a magical castle world. My five year old is ENTRANCED by the intricate pictures. Because the pictures are so AMAZING the book appeals to both adults and children.<br />
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<b><i>Chu's Day</i></b></div>
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Written by Neil Gaiman</div>
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Illustrated by Adam Rex</div>
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Ages 2-5</div>
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This vivid book tells a humorous but simple story of a little panda with VERY BIG sneezes.</div>
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<b><i>Mr. Wuffles</i></b></div>
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By David Wiesner</div>
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Ages 3-7</div>
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Another fabulous wordless book for 2013. Illustrated in panels (like comic books) Mr. Wuffles tells the story of some very small aliens who align with household insects to escape the fearsome Mr. Wuffles. </div>
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<b><i>Princess Tales : Once Upon a Time in Rhyme with Seek-and-Find Pictures</i></b></div>
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Written by Grace Maccarone</div>
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Illustrated by Gail De Marcken</div>
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Ages 3-8</div>
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The pictures are enthralling with seek-and-find loaves and what not that small eyes will love finding, but what I really love about this book are the fairy tales! Each tale is told in rhyme with most only taking up one or two pages. It is amazing to me that someone can tell the tale of Beauty and the Beast in less than two pages of print, much less in rhyme, but it can be done and it is done well!<br />
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BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-17028834605134035432013-09-12T14:40:00.001-07:002013-09-12T20:31:37.971-07:00Interactive Board Books - Lift the Flap, Pull the Tab, Touch the Feather, It's Fun!<b>INTERACTIVE BOARD BOOKS:</b><br />
These are the books that encourage infants and toddlers to actively participate in the story. It starts with touchy feeling books around six months. Babies graduate to lift the flaps at around a year, and at 18 months or so toddlers can finally pull the tabs to make tails wag. Some of these books are works of art - but don't get too attached, because if you let your child play with these books, they will get destroyed. It is a catch 22, the books are designed to be touched, but when children touch them flaps are torn off the page, feathers are slobbered on, and movable heads are simply removed. Just remember the book is for the child, not you. <br />
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David A. Carter</h4>
Feely bugs, space bugs, fairy bugs; Mr. Carter is famous for his bugs. But he isn't all bugs, my family's favorite David A. Carter is <i>The Happy Little Yellow Box</i>. Henry (my 20-month-old) has been a big fan for about three months now - I've already had to repair it twice.<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781416903260?aff=takemetog">FEELY BUGS</a><br />
AGES 6 MONTHS TO 2<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3EfEsz-7yVN7iw1vh3dDmuPI0ytcUCzL_eHLWDQ4LBVfDKw0BL-NYwkr9QLLcOWAIaqK7814y43FOZrfl8TvFPQHkQ130m34_8Shz-FKuhsBkxXjbIXzpzPk396AWfSj6sqKN-_3E_Y/s1600/2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3EfEsz-7yVN7iw1vh3dDmuPI0ytcUCzL_eHLWDQ4LBVfDKw0BL-NYwkr9QLLcOWAIaqK7814y43FOZrfl8TvFPQHkQ130m34_8Shz-FKuhsBkxXjbIXzpzPk396AWfSj6sqKN-_3E_Y/s1600/2.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>Feely Bugs</i> is a great book to give at a baby shower, or for a child's first Christmas. Kids start enjoying it around six months old and continue to love the book until around two. It is a touchy feely book of the ultimate sort. It has feather, crinkles, and some really cool bugs. <br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781416940968?aff=takemetog">THE HAPPY LITTLE YELLOW BOX</a><br />
AGES 1 TO 3<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMH4uKnufD9NUIGY-CVJmnYGof9eAmzoH62JTifJ-jMo9RC_i6Y0YZuueF0Q02bXsedV8trvqXL_AzOF4XNo-oRWU9hqjEEVOeJWF380okra6KbCcEtbb_3PkmXnB-cAbG8gVQmbuC8vw/s1600/1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMH4uKnufD9NUIGY-CVJmnYGof9eAmzoH62JTifJ-jMo9RC_i6Y0YZuueF0Q02bXsedV8trvqXL_AzOF4XNo-oRWU9hqjEEVOeJWF380okra6KbCcEtbb_3PkmXnB-cAbG8gVQmbuC8vw/s1600/1.gif" width="200" /></a>This interactive gem has flaps to lift, tabs to pull, and even some pop-ups. However, it is much simpler than many pull tab books and is appropriate for kids as young as 12 months. The super duper cool page, or at least Henry's favorite, is the giant pop-up box with the smaller pop-up box inside (to illustrate large & small). Henry has torn the box half-way off the book, but fortunately some scotch tape put it right again. Henry saw the picture of the book on the screen just now, so of course I had to read it to him. He pointed to the Box's eyes and said "eyes". It is so exciting when they start to speak! Kids are so much fun! And the books just add to the joy.<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781442426481?aff=takemetog%22%3EBUILDER%20BUGS%3C/a%3E" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781442426481%20?aff=takemetog">BUILDER BUGS</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781442426481?aff=takemetog%22%3EBUILDER%20BUGS%3C/a%3E" target="_blank"></a><br />
AGES 2-4<br />
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<i>Builder Bugs </i>is a lift the flap, pop-up book. Unlike <i>Feely Bugs</i> or <i>The Happy Yellow Box</i> it is too delicate for younger toddlers, and is really geared towards kids two to four years old. I can't wait to give it to Henry for Christmas.<br />
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<b>Matthew Van Fleet</b></h4>
I've seen Mr. Van Fleet's gorgeous books recommended for kids ages 1 and up, but personally I would hold off until the child is at least 18 months old. The books are so beautiful, I can't stand to see them destroyed on their first reading, and destroying these books is exactly what a 1-year-old will do. But at 18 months there is hope, the heads and tails might not last for ever, but hopefully they'll last longer than a single reading.<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781416978008%20?aff=takemetog">CAT</a><br />
AGES 18 MONTHS TO 4 <br />
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Though Matthew Van Fleet became famous for his book <i>Tails</i> (below) I first took notice when <i>DOG</i> came out and the publisher sent a promotional party package to my bookstore. Unlike most promotional packages, this one was great. There were dogs masks to color and even instructions on conducting a barking contest with awards! So we had a dog party, it was awesome; kids really know how to bark! Alas my family are not dog people, we like cats. Thus we (or really Oscar) fell in love with <i>CAT</i>. The swatting paw didn't last long, but I actually saved it in our desk drawer and re-attached it for Henry. At this moment the paw is still in the book, but who knows for how long...<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780152167738%20?aff=takemetog">TAILS</a><br />
AGES 18 MONTHS TO 4 <br />
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<i>Tails</i> is the book that made Van Fleet famous, and it is still one of his most popular titles. Its colorful, fuzzy, and clunky all at once, of course people love it!<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781442435032?aff=takemetog%22%3EMOO%3C/a%3E" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781442435032?aff=takemetog">MOO</a><br />
AGES 18 MONTHS TO 4 <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeyN8orXmzyUpPZKIPViNiGkGGkhgVrUn-5dg2uJ_PeU0nNuZBiJdFhiXuqhMmZtiFXJb3j13l3Zmj3OKxruKVA_VPqtXIuhFozrdgEmsEY5WSZPyh4ky-e_mBGtxiBXQSAYamZcTQms/s1600/6.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeyN8orXmzyUpPZKIPViNiGkGGkhgVrUn-5dg2uJ_PeU0nNuZBiJdFhiXuqhMmZtiFXJb3j13l3Zmj3OKxruKVA_VPqtXIuhFozrdgEmsEY5WSZPyh4ky-e_mBGtxiBXQSAYamZcTQms/s1600/6.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
We have three Van Fleet books, and this is Henry's favorite. It isn't that Oscar doesn't like it, but we didn't get it until Oscar was 4 and as it didn't have any sharks or dinosaurs in it he wasn't interested. As kids get older they get pickier. Henry likes photos more than illustrations, and he's at the age where he is still learning animal sounds. Basically this book is perfect for him. Our chicken lost its head and no longer pecks, but so far that is the only casualty. If you are looking for a book to give as a gift <i>MOO </i>would be a good choice.<br />
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The Weird and Beloved</h4>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780761156109?aff=takemetog%22%3EPAT%20THE%20BEASTIE%3C/a%3E" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780761156109?aff=takemetog">PAT THE BEASTIE</a><br />
AGES 18 MONTHS TO 4<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJZjFSFAWvNgBXk6GB856L6kmVV4_oghxl_tQBQqGi4zDsPtlUJc1cVaoi-NcmHeMepuiT5gX6za1s_Bt3HNoigbnYBgfNwZZwRmiuvUXdUkyQuXc46IE2-L0q7czA-t0iKUc_7MigIY/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJZjFSFAWvNgBXk6GB856L6kmVV4_oghxl_tQBQqGi4zDsPtlUJc1cVaoi-NcmHeMepuiT5gX6za1s_Bt3HNoigbnYBgfNwZZwRmiuvUXdUkyQuXc46IE2-L0q7czA-t0iKUc_7MigIY/s1600/7.jpg" width="154" /></a>In <i>Pat the Beastie</i> two mean children pull a beast's worm boogers, bonk his nose, yank is fur and so on until he eats them up. It is not your typical children's story, but the kids love it and there are plenty of adults who get a kick out of it as well.</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780761161097?aff=takemetog">LOVE THE BEASTIE</a><br />
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AGES 18 MONTHS TO 4 </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJzrVrAaVZ_WV9YBJEEz5Vum1gOYkwbobfmQD74A_6Jbmn5-DuXR5x4ZeF9q-1QVBysNog3NFJgy1iktZNXoi7dkLhq7sskvKb4bV2rcMSppw-nwUeHzzh_g6fZcG2hYy-Hc07t8SAZ0/s1600/8.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJzrVrAaVZ_WV9YBJEEz5Vum1gOYkwbobfmQD74A_6Jbmn5-DuXR5x4ZeF9q-1QVBysNog3NFJgy1iktZNXoi7dkLhq7sskvKb4bV2rcMSppw-nwUeHzzh_g6fZcG2hYy-Hc07t8SAZ0/s200/8.gif" width="157" /></a>In the follow-up to <i>Pat the Beastie</i> the two naughty children promise to be good so the Beastie spits them out and they play at the park together. There are plenty of tabs to pull and flaps to lift at the playground, though there isn't a lot of hair to tug.</div>
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<h4>
Dr. Seuss</h4>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780375830112?aff=takemetog%22%3EALL%20ABOARD%20THE%20CIRCUS%20MCGURKUS%3C/a%3E" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780375830112?aff=takemetog">ALL ABOARD THE CIRCUS MCGURKUS</a><br />
AGES 6-MONTHS TO 4<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKkT0UVE2CNEUSO9K0YZuM8oEZMnT3JhrGb1oGly2r5gsRbk0dS1xuDZGmknoby0klUqjO-K7uuOMNl3BMbEdLBwG2sG567urH4d2xOjhe9szts9EqIdXLGtRo-biPghP8sBqF13Pwso/s1600/9.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKkT0UVE2CNEUSO9K0YZuM8oEZMnT3JhrGb1oGly2r5gsRbk0dS1xuDZGmknoby0klUqjO-K7uuOMNl3BMbEdLBwG2sG567urH4d2xOjhe9szts9EqIdXLGtRo-biPghP8sBqF13Pwso/s1600/9.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
This lift the flap book appeals to a surprisingly large age group. The book pulls out like a train with different creatures in each car performing different tricks beneath the flaps. Oscar, who will be five in three months, stops to listen and help with the flaps when I read this to Henry.<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780375833861?aff=takemetog%22%3EWET%20PET,%20DRY%20PET,%20YOUR%20PET,%20MY%20PET!%3C/a%3E" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780375833861%20?aff=takemetog">WET PET, DRY PET, YOUR PET, MY PET!</a></div>
AGES 6-MONTHS TO 3<br />
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<i>Wet Pet</i> (etc) is a touchy feely book with some extra flair. There is one pull tab that not even my four-year-old can manage on his own, and one lift the flap that is especially easy to tear off. Despite these pitfalls the book is still good enough for me to share it with you. It has fabulous feathers, fur, and even rings. And it is fun to read, in general, Dr. Seuss is fun to read.<br />
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Peter Rabbit</h4>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780723259954%20?aff=takemetog%22%3EPETER%20RABBIT%20WHO%20LIVES%20HERE?%3C/a%3E" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780723259954%20?aff=takemetog">PETER RABBIT WHO LIVES HERE?</a><br />
AGES 6 MONTHS TO 3 YEARS<br />
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I love Beatrix Potter, I love her tales and I especially love Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny. That said the stories are too complicated to read to babies and toddlers and I feel the constant references to all the Beatrix Potter tales in board books are for the parents and not the kids. But I included this book because it is one of the most durable interactive books I have ever seen!The pages are especially thick with sliding tabs that are easy for little fingers to maneuver. This is one interactive book that might actually make it through multiple children!<br />
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Henry's Favorite</h4>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780547449272?aff=takemetog%22%3ETONS%20OF%20TRUCKS%3C/a%3E" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780547449272%20?aff=takemetog">TONS OF TRUCKS</a><br />
AGES 18 MONTHS TO 4 YEARS<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DHOUiih0ML5RbXdDh8mfskftjzRABOmx9iTU6VIJWNYCrlyYWXgF_jvjWDvcL0EAaIc5AnJHQfXppHH-wTkLzJ7sgQ90BX9eOGSP-OgUhNPYCrg7xmQpUzyM4aDquwa7NlWE99w_WzA/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DHOUiih0ML5RbXdDh8mfskftjzRABOmx9iTU6VIJWNYCrlyYWXgF_jvjWDvcL0EAaIc5AnJHQfXppHH-wTkLzJ7sgQ90BX9eOGSP-OgUhNPYCrg7xmQpUzyM4aDquwa7NlWE99w_WzA/s1600/12.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>Tons of Trucks</i> is modeled on the Matthew Van Fleet style of books. However, it isn't as beautiful or clever as Matthew Van Fleet books usually are. But Matthew Van Fleet doesn't yet have a book about trucks, I wish he did. Despite not being FABULOUS, <i>Tons of Trucks</i> is a cute book, and Henry LOVES it. It has tabs and flaps AND it has trucks. He is a fan. <br />
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<br />BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-37945148340703249462013-08-18T20:26:00.000-07:002013-08-19T22:25:30.138-07:00Dinosaur Books<div style="text-align: left;">
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Oscar, my preschooler, is obsessed with dinosaurs. Oscar came to this obsession in a somewhat round-about way, which I'll discuss at the end of this post, but for now let me just say that I encourage his dinosaur obsession whole heartily. In the last six months we have gone from two dinosaur books to 16. </div>
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<b>Testing The Dino Waters</b></h3>
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Maybe your child only kinda likes dinosaurs or maybe your child could care less and you want to encourage<b> </b>a dinosaur passion. If any of the above fits your family you don't want to shell out a lot of money for a big dinosaur encyclopedia - yet. Here are some good options for books you can purchase to encourage the dino romance.</div>
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<u>Level Readers</u></h4>
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Level Readers are thin rectangular paperback books that generally retail for $3.99. Each book is assigned a reading level from 1 to 4. Ideally they exist to purchase for children who are starting to read on their own and their number is supposed to correspond to the child's reading ability. This is great for your child if they are indeed reading on their own, but you don't have to wait until your child can read to purchase level readers. They are a great source of fun non-fiction for preschoolers, and there are a lot of level readers about dinosaurs. I wouldn't worry too much about what level the book is; while some Level 1 Readers have a single word per page, others have multiple sentences; some Level 4 readers are divided into chapters, while others have a single paragraph on each page. Ideally you would look for a cover you like in a book store and scroll through the book to see if your kid would sit through it, but if you can't do that and you take a gamble you are only out $3.99. The odds are in your favor. <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/user/2768/list/9" target="_blank">This link will take you to a LIST of dino Level Readers.</a></div>
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<u>Dinosaur Picture Books</u></h4>
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These Picture Books feature dinosaurs, but you don't have to be a dino fanatic to appreciate the story. The joy your child feels when listening to the story could be transferred into a joy for dinosaurs; at least that is the hope.</div>
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FOR AGES 2-6<b><i> </i></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763638870" target="_blank"><b><i>Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp</i></b></a></div>
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<b>by Carol Diggory Shields</b></div>
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<b>illustrated by Scott Nash</b></div>
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This rockin', rollin'<b> </b>rhyme about a dinosaur dance party is not only fun for the kids, but it is witty enough to entertain the adults as well. Dance-o-holics will love it just as much as the Dino fans.</div>
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FOR AGES 3-7</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780375851193" target="_blank"><i><b>Harry and the Dinosaurs</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Ian Whybrow</b></div>
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<b>illustrated by Adrian Reynolds </b><i><b> </b></i></div>
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<u><i>(Some editions of this book are titled Sammy and the Dinosaurs)</i></u></div>
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This is a sweet story about a little boy who finds a box of old dinosaurs in the attic, removes them to a bucket, and takes them everywhere he goes. It includes a multigenerational family, a single mother, and less than perfect sibling dynamics. Oscar adored this story, and for about three months we read it every day.</div>
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FOR AGES 2-8</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780670014309" target="_blank"><i><b>Tea Rex</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Molly Idle</b></div>
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This tale of a tea party gone wrong combines proper wording with hysterically improper illustrations. The text will not be enough for younger readers, so be prepared to expand, but the older kids will understand perfectly. What I especially like about this dino-inclusive tale is its appeal to all genders. There aren't enough dinosaur books that feature female protagonists. If you know of some please pass your knowledge on in the comments.<b> </b><i><b> </b></i></div>
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FOR AGES 4-8</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780689718328" target="_blank"><b><i>Dinosaur Dream</i></b></a></div>
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<b>by Dennis Nolan</b></div>
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This tale of a boy going back through time to deliver a baby dinosaur to its family is endearing and fascinating. The concept of time is such a part of the story it makes the story as a whole seem endless.<b><i></i></b> It's just beautiful.</div>
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<b>You Have A Dino Fan On Your Hands: </b></h3>
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Once your child has truly gotten the dinosaur bug you are going to need something more substantial than a level reader or picture book story. To satiate the dinosaur lust you are going to need something more encyclopedic in nature.</div>
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<u>The Biggest Bang for Your Buck</u></h4>
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These books won't break the bank, but they will give your dino fanatic enough to chew on to be a good meal.</div>
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<u> </u>FOR AGES 3-7</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780881064667" target="_blank"><i><b>The Dinosaur Alphabet Book</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Jerry Pallotta</b></div>
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<b>illustrated by Ralph Masiello </b><i><b> </b></i> </div>
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26+ Dinosaurs with corresponding dino facts, and fantastic illustrations. You learn your alphabet, and you scratch your dinosaur itch. Perfect!</div>
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FOR AGES 3-12</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780753468623" target="_blank"><i><b>Dinosaurs</b></i></a></div>
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<i><b>by David Burnie</b></i></div>
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<i><b>Part of the Kingfisher Navigators series.</b></i></div>
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This thin but large paperback explains fossil creation & excavation, dinosaur biology & sociology, and the end of their world, all with outstanding graphics and illustrations.</div>
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FOR AGES 5-99<i><b> </b></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780756693152" target="_blank"><i><b>Pocket Genius Dinosaurs : Facts at Your Fingertips</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by DK Publishing</b></div>
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This small hardcover has 147 pages of dinosaur knowledge (not including the glossary or index). It also has more dino illustrations than I can count; there can be as many as four illustrations of different dinosaurs on a single page. It covers a lot so don't expect any in depth knowledge on any one species, but considering it's price (currently the book retails for $7.99) you're getting a spanking deal.</div>
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<b>Your Child Deserves the Best, Give it</b></h4>
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<b> </b>You could of course buy your child a fantastic hardcover Dinosaur Encyclopedia that can be passed on to your grandchildren. Sure more knowledge will be gained by that time, but my family has been joyfully looking at a Dinosaur encyclopedia from the early 90s, because even though it is 20 years old, the dinosaurs are even older.<b> </b><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/user/2768/list/10" target="_blank">Here is a list of the numerous beautiful Dinosaur Encyclopedias you can invest in.</a></div>
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<b>Best Dinosaur Gifts</b></h3>
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If you're heading to a birthday party or need a treat for a trip these books are sure to be a dinorific hit!</div>
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<b> </b>FOR AGES 1-5</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307976437" target="_blank"><i><b>Rumble! Roar! Dinosaurs!</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Matthew Reinhart</b></div>
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This small interactive paperback pop-up book is loads of fun. Kids can tug the T-Rex tail to make it roar<b> </b>and more! And because the book is inexpensive hearts will not be broken if pieces get torn, but thankfully the book is made of some pretty thick paper.</div>
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FOR AGES 3-6</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781780655932" target="_blank"><i><b>I Explore Dinosaurs</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Sarah Creese & Tracy Hare</b><i><b> </b></i></div>
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They are dinosaurs and they are in 3-D. It is hard to be any cooler than that.</div>
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FOR AGES 4-9</div>
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<i><b>Color and Play Dinosaurs</b></i></div>
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<b>by Silver Dolphin</b></div>
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This sets includes a surprisingly good book, colored pencils, and 4 cardboard puzzle dinosaurs you can color by number and put together. My son and his 9 year old cousin had a great time coloring the puzzle dinosaurs and my son loves to play with them. The T-Rex is always eating the other dinosaurs arms off. The book has surprisingly in-dept information about 15 different dinosaurs, and includes a map showing where the dinosaurs fossils have been found. That's my favorite, the maps. As maps go they are pretty basic, but they are great for the younger set.<b> </b><br />
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AGES 5-10<br />
<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780756652326" target="_blank"><b><i>Dinosaurs Sticker Encyclopedia</i></b></a><br />
<b>by DK Publishing</b><br />
These sticker encyclopedias are fun. The pages have shadows on them where the stickers go and you have to match the right sticker up with the right shadow. Each sticker has a description next to it, so when you are done you get a paperback encyclopedia. Of course you also get some extra stickers and play scenes to fool around with, so it isn't all learning.<b> </b><i><b> </b></i></div>
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FOR AGES 3-99</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763622282" target="_blank"><i><b>Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Robert Sabuda & Matthew Reinhart</b></div>
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If you like dinosaurs, you are going to like a dinosaur pop-up book. Sabuda and Reinhart are masters of paper art and they do not disappoint. <b> </b><i><b> </b></i></div>
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FOR AGES 7-99</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780756697884" target="_blank"><i><b>Smithsonian Make Your Own T.Rex</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Jon Richards</b></div>
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Build your own model T.Rex - pretty cool!<b> </b><i><b> </b></i></div>
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<b>Recommended Watching</b></h3>
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Clearly my family loves books, but we do watch T.V. I will never argue that T.V. is better than a book, but I can say that my son has learned a lot from the dinosaur documentaries<b> </b>he loves:</div>
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<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/tv_radio/wwdinosaurs/" target="_blank"><b>BBC Walking with Dinosaur Series</b></a></div>
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Walking with Monsters</div>
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Walking with Dinosaurs</div>
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Walking with Beasts</div>
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Chased by Dinosaurs</div>
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Chased by Sea Monsters</div>
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Allosaurus </div>
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<a href="http://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain/" target="_blank"><b>PBS Dinosaur Train Cartoon Series</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur_%28film%29" target="_blank"><b>Disney Dinosaur the Movie</b></a></div>
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<b>Recommended Toys</b></h3>
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Go out and buy some dinosaur models. The quality doesn't matter, your kids won't care. Oscar loves the little bag of cheap party favor dinos almost as much as our fancy<b> </b>Safari brand hand-painted replicas. But if YOU care Safari is a good brand, it is expensive, but all the good brands are expensive. Look around garage sales for model dinosaurs, check out Ross or other discount stores. You are going to find better deals in stores than you will online. The toys help, Oscar loves to hold a toy dinosaur while reading a book about dinosaurs. He loves playing with his dinosaurs, it's like playing dolls, but cooler.</div>
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<b>Our Path to Dinosaur Fanatics</b></h3>
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My son Oscar loves sharks. One day while I was working at the bookstore someone brought in a box of used books that included an adult book on prehistoric ocean monsters. Because Oscar liked sharks I thought he would like the book, so I bought it and took it home. HE LOVED IT, and he loves it still. We looked at the pictures, we read the little boxes, and finally we just started reading the the whole book, chapter by chapter, cover to cover It was loved not just by Oscar, but also by me and my husband. For the first time I was learning about prehistory, about the earth, the air and the sea BEFORE the dinosaurs. For the first time I started to understand that we were just a speck of life on this planet, one little dot in a long line of creatures and events that started long before we arrived and would continue long after were gone. I found that knowledge liberating, and I encouraged Oscars obsession with our prehistoric past not only for his gain, but also for mine. Months later we discovered that the book we all loved was based on a documentary (it is amazing that it took us this long to figure that out). We watched the documentary, LOVED IT and became even more entrenched in our new found prehistoric passion.</div>
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BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-5502378522219031382013-02-24T15:01:00.000-08:002013-02-25T21:54:57.696-08:00A 14-Month-Old's Favorite ReadsMy younger son, Henry, is now 14 months old. Being a younger sibling has its advantages, one of which is that Henry has more books to choose from. And Henry is choosy. Henry regularly shoves books into my face WHILE I am reading to him, generally a sign he likes the book in his hand better than whatever drivel I've chosen to read. This is occasionally annoying, especially when I've already read <i>Brown Bear Brown Bear</i> four times that morning - but you gotta humor a bibliophile, especially when he is only 14 months old.<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/user/2768/list/13" target="_blank">Henry's Favorites at 14 Months</a></h2>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780805047905" target="_blank"><i><b>Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle</b></div>
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Henry adores this book. His older brother was never really a fan, but they are different children. This book has simple cut-outs of animals on each page, with the phrase <i>animal animal what do you see? (I see a (the next page's animal) looking at me).</i> Of course every parent thinks her child is a genius, and I am no exception. I feel like Henry is especially smart. He seems to understand 85% of what we say, and I bet he just loves knowing that red bird, yellow duck, blue horse, etc. is going to turn up on the next page. I could be fooling myself, he is only 14 months old after all. But if fooling myself makes it easier to read the book 5 times in one sitting, I am happy to be a fool.</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780590058964" target="_blank"><i><b>Baby Faces Peek-A-Boo!</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Roberta Grobel Intrater</b></div>
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I have to thank Inyo County's First Five for giving us this book. So really I need to thank all the California smokers for paying an extra $0.25 a pack. That sin tax has given my family a lot of joy. We had a couple of other books with pictures of babies and kids, but this book is by far Henry's favorite. He loved it when he was 9 months old, and he loves it still. This book is part of a series, that includes <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780439420051" target="_blank"><i>Splash!</i></a>, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780439420037" target="_blank"><i>Hugs & Kisses</i></a>, and <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=Roberta+Grobel+Intrater&x=0&y=0" target="_blank">more</a>. They are fairly thin board books, and if I hadn't been given the book I probably wouldn't have spent the $4.95 on it, but that would have been my loss. It is worth every penny.</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780547366203" target="_blank"><i><b>Ten Little Fingers & Ten Little Toes</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Mem Fox</b></div>
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<b>illustrated by Helen Oxenbury </b><i><b> </b></i></div>
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The truth is I primed Henry to love this book. I memorized it and from the time he was three weeks old I would recite the book to him while looking into his eyes and tickling his fingers and toes. By five months old he would giggle whenever I started reciting the book. But now at 14 months he is no longer happy with just a recitation, he wants to read the actual book. I'll start <i>There was one little baby...</i> and Henry will get up, find the book and throw it into my lap. If I take too long to start turning the pages he gets upset.</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780547577692" target="_blank"><i><b>The House in the Night</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Susan Marie Swanson</b></div>
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<b>illustrated by Beth Krommes</b></div>
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This beautiful book has a lot of graphic contrast with bright spots of gold amid richly shaded black and white scratchboard. If you don't know what scratchboard is, don't worry, I don't either, but it looks like woodcuts and in Bette Krommes' hands it is beautiful. Because of the contrast I thought Henry would like it right away, but interestingly he was never very fond of it until a couple of months ago. He loves to point at the gold within the illustrations, be it a book, star, the sun, or the moon.<b> </b><i><b> </b></i>I'm happy he now loves it, because I get lost in the illustrations and I love the poem. It is always nice when Mommy's favorites are appreciated.</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781416978329" target="_blank"><i><b>Airplane Flight</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Susanna Leonard Hill</b></div>
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<b>illustrated by Ana Martin Larranaga</b></div>
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This is a simple lift-the-flap book that describes an airplane flight. Henry likes looking at airplanes in the sky, but I'm fairly sure he has no idea what lifting the wing flaps for departure actually means. Nevertheless he loves lifting those flaps. We have other lift-the-flap books, but this one is his favorite. Perhaps it is the simplicity of the illustrations? Or perhaps it is because his older brother enjoys this book as well? Regardless of the reasons, Henry, who has never been on a plane, loves the book.<br />
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<i><b> </b></i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780547575742" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780547575742" target="_blank"><b><i>Little Blue Truck Leads the Way</i></b></a></div>
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<b>by Alice Schertle</b></div>
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<b>illustrated by Jill McElmurry</b></div>
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This book is part of a series that starts with <i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780152056612" target="_blank">The Little Blue Truck</a>. </i>We have both books, but <i>Little Blue Truck Leads the Way</i> is the one Henry prefers. While<i> The Little Blue Truck </i>takes place in the countryside and is full of animals, <i>Little Blue Truck Leads the Way</i> takes place in a city with lots and lots of other cars, people, and buildings, NONE of which we have where we live. We live in the rural desert with a view of sage brush out our front door. Perhaps that is why Henry loves the book so much, it is so different from what he knows.<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780399229190" target="_blank"><i><b>The Very Busy Spider</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Eric Carle</b></div>
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All the animals ask Spider if she wants to play with them but spider doesn't answer as she is very busy spinning her web. We have plenty of books full of animals and the noises they make, but Henry only moos with the cow when we read this book, and he also meows with the cat; this is adorable of course.<b> </b>He also likes to touch the spider's web, which is bumpy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780375833861" target="_blank"> <i><b>Wet Pet, Dry Pet, Your Pet, My Pet!</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Dr. Seuss</b></div>
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Henry has two favorite touchy-feely books, but this is the one I like the best and so I put its picture on the blog. It is Dr. Seuss, so it is full of funny words and wacky rhymes, as well as yellow hair, blue feathers, pull tabs, and lift-the-flaps. The other touchy-feely book that Henry loves is <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781423141839" target="_blank"><i>Furry Friends</i></a> by Disney. <i>Furry Friends</i> has a lot of fur, and simple drawings; it's a good book, but it doesn't have the zest of <i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780375833861" target="_blank">Wet Pet</a>.</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780811826020" target="_blank"><i><b>Peek-a Who?</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Nina Laden</b></div>
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My two boys may be different, but they both love this book. Henry is especially fond of the choo choo page. He can sort of make the sound and he will stare at the page upside down, sideways, and right side up. Henry also loves the die-cut pages throughout the book, which are easy for him to grab and turn.</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780375827785" target="_blank"><i><b>I am a Bunny</b></i></a></div>
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<b>by Ole Risom</b></div>
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<b>illustrated by Richard Scarry</b></div>
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When I think of Richard Scarry I tend to think of humanoid animals and cars that are often flipped upside down, I don't think of nature scenes. But it is Scarry's ability to depict nature and its seasons in lush, glorious detail that will astound you with this book. Oscar loved this book. Henry loves this book. All our friends who have this book, love this book.<b> </b><i><b> </b></i></div>
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<h3>
<i>Honorable Mentions</i></h3>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780517800577" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFU1SYfelNlIAYkO_ACXG7vrwZMHkoBMNCin47Ay4ArHA9ov4EyUB5Ixo0vVZx1-SkVFxhpr0tXvtZiTx2vQIiwx_vpPWUQ3BpXF6xBj3MdouYDGH83mC8yVJhrwBtGkVu-qjKxpiwwA/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-48362588282441489262013-02-04T23:06:00.000-08:002013-02-05T13:49:22.034-08:00Early Chapter Books<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Fun & Easy to Read</b></div>
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<b>CHAPTER BOOKS</b></h2>
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<b><i>With Pictures!</i></b></div>
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A bookstore customer inspired me to create a list of chapter books that would not intimidate local third graders. She was especially interested in books that incorporated many pictures. Fortunately in addition to a great many well loved classics, the success of the <i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid</i> series has encouraged publishers to put out more and more easy to read books that appeal to both younger and older kids. <i> </i>Reluctant readers will hopefully be reluctant no more!</div>
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<b> <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=magic+tree+house&x=0&y=0" target="_blank">The Classic Magic Tree House Series</a></b></div>
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by Mary Pope Osborne<br />
48 books and counting as of Feb. 2013 </div>
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Best for grades 1-4</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=geronimo+stilton&x=0&y=0" target="_blank"><b> The Geronimo Stilton series</b></a></div>
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by Geronimo Stilton (of course!)<br />
52 books and counting as of Feb. 2013 </div>
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Best for grades 2-5</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/user/2768/list/5" target="_blank"><b> The Time Warp Trio series</b></a></div>
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by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith<br />
16 books as of Feb. 2013 </div>
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Best for grades 1-4</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/user/2768/list/6" target="_blank"><b>The Big Nate series</b></a></div>
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by Lincoln Peirce</div>
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(Big Nate started out as a comic strip. The Hardcover books in this series are actual chapter books while the paperbacks are the comics).<br />
5 chapter books as of Feb. 2013 </div>
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Best for grades 3-6</div>
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<b> <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=diary+of+a+wimpy+kid&x=0&y=0" target="_blank">The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series</a></b></div>
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by Jeff Kinney<br />
7 books and counting as of Feb. 2013 </div>
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Best for grades 3-8</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/user/2768/list/7" target="_blank"><b>The Popularity Papers series</b></a></div>
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by Amy Ignatow<br />
4 books and counting as of Feb. 2013 </div>
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Best for grades 3-8 </div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=babymouse&x=0&y=0" target="_blank"><b>The Babymouse Series</b></a></div>
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by Jennifer Holm & Matthew Holm<br />
17 books and counting as of Feb. 2013 </div>
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Best for grades 2-6 </div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/user/2768/list/8" target="_blank"><b>The Origami Yoda series</b></a></div>
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by Tom Angleberger<br />
3 books and counting as of Feb. 2013 </div>
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Best for grades 3-8 </div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=ricky+ricotta&x=0&y=0" target="_blank"><b>The Ricky Ricotta series</b></a></div>
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by Dav Pilkey<br />
7 books as of Feb. 2013 </div>
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Best for grades 1-3 </div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=nick+bruel&x=0&y=0" target="_blank"> <b>The Bad Kitty series</b></a></div>
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by Nick Bruel</div>
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6 chapter books and counting as of Feb. 2013 </div>
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Best for grades 1-4</div>
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BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-45276507786870552442013-01-23T20:29:00.000-08:002013-01-24T07:42:02.298-08:00Best Toy Brands<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm a book buyer, but our store cannot survive on a customer base of only bibliophiles these days, so we also sell toys. These are some of my favorite brands. We don't sell all these brands in our store, but I wish we could.</div>
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Playmobil</h2>
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Playmobil is a German company that has been creating high quality plastic toys since the 1950s. These are toys that you can pass on to your grand kids, and the great grand kids beyond. Their 1.2.3. line (pictured here) does not include any choking hazards.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNSlP9m19TCllxErv8GgPhO0Ye6PH1yWPV1x-cR62FnbUGCDyLC-20NJlRJCNdlBQQi_EkDA27Gl5BDgPNXd7LktzDf6MN6_O7ZHoM5qzYB93msK-QDymQUuqEGdYpsheuEVvWG2clXg/s1600/P1030346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNSlP9m19TCllxErv8GgPhO0Ye6PH1yWPV1x-cR62FnbUGCDyLC-20NJlRJCNdlBQQi_EkDA27Gl5BDgPNXd7LktzDf6MN6_O7ZHoM5qzYB93msK-QDymQUuqEGdYpsheuEVvWG2clXg/s200/P1030346.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMY1m2Drr19Lm2xVzN5Kx2DUj7eelx7Uu9yOhhGNUVHvcYwEfM_TXE7u8hVAiFxhfE1jdxe7uKNIAPatwpszSThg58x06vDELVp9kWuDQkavejNx__JiI4wF-1_mX67ZP8SynDxPruHA/s1600/P1030343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMY1m2Drr19Lm2xVzN5Kx2DUj7eelx7Uu9yOhhGNUVHvcYwEfM_TXE7u8hVAiFxhfE1jdxe7uKNIAPatwpszSThg58x06vDELVp9kWuDQkavejNx__JiI4wF-1_mX67ZP8SynDxPruHA/s200/P1030343.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvPCV1aJ0Imd43uT6OOa4pCWUU1E59dss5cYZfX4fwimiz6wVUZziYVvqPgNMmcXjSirsLYihF-5kNnNP6QAIinPR8Vu2jt50l9fEGT0mH-XpSgPkaoGWuDkum1V0k4EQsizgq6N-1Ak/s1600/P1030354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvPCV1aJ0Imd43uT6OOa4pCWUU1E59dss5cYZfX4fwimiz6wVUZziYVvqPgNMmcXjSirsLYihF-5kNnNP6QAIinPR8Vu2jt50l9fEGT0mH-XpSgPkaoGWuDkum1V0k4EQsizgq6N-1Ak/s200/P1030354.JPG" width="150" /> </a></div>
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For Christmas my son Henry got the Playmobil 1.2.3. Noah's Ark. The whole set fits inside the ark. Although it has small pieces, none of them is a choking hazard. Above right there is a picture of their dove NOT fitting inside my choking hazard tester. You may have heard that you can use a toilet paper tube as a choking hazard tester, but in truth a toilet paper tube is a lot wider than most adult mouths can fit around. The tester I have is what is used by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkCJqzbxM2YuKAaTiKwJkglPNMXu0njS-uLgXo75Mga7k7Swg_sIgExZntAFh-mkmB2vzfdA78o0SmxrZ7dYXHXO4KS_Oyn0MT-lJ5yVSASEV7cBMBSqop8X8YFqvWA-r62Ex1ljs9Lc/s1600/P1030337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkCJqzbxM2YuKAaTiKwJkglPNMXu0njS-uLgXo75Mga7k7Swg_sIgExZntAFh-mkmB2vzfdA78o0SmxrZ7dYXHXO4KS_Oyn0MT-lJ5yVSASEV7cBMBSqop8X8YFqvWA-r62Ex1ljs9Lc/s200/P1030337.JPG" width="200" /></a> <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2Ociqy5q2auEhU7C_LnajfthD2EO_w0hZoCgTC7NUd-ilHDdSXDg6COYj4AWSBXKFt-EzLt0O7PDK0kSFyfbokX02krTBQl83KZbiH5jE6i0hPLwXUNMJ_BsEvbLrOSzdJ0H26AMWGk/s1600/P1030338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2Ociqy5q2auEhU7C_LnajfthD2EO_w0hZoCgTC7NUd-ilHDdSXDg6COYj4AWSBXKFt-EzLt0O7PDK0kSFyfbokX02krTBQl83KZbiH5jE6i0hPLwXUNMJ_BsEvbLrOSzdJ0H26AMWGk/s200/P1030338.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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These are some of our non-1.2.3. Playmobil toys. The viking boat we picked up at a thrift store two years ago; we play with it in the bath almost every night. Oscar received the fire boat for his birthday this year. He loves it but because it has so many choking hazards it stays up on a high shelf until Henry takes a nap. I think of Playmobil as making toy dolls for boys. Of course they have things for girls too, but I don't have girls.<br />
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Green Toys</h2>
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Green Toys is a relatively new company that makes colorful toys out of
recycled milk bottles. The toys are incredibly durable, well designed,
and they are all made in the U.S.A. We sell them at our store and often
have their pizza and sandwich shop kits out on our play tables. The kids
love them and amazingly after a year of heavy use those toys do not
even look worn. This doesn't surprise me, as I have seen first-hand
how well their trucks hold up. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwqcS_uFycFLHEjR8scCZ7W0AZj2EYcnLbcSWmLp-KPYaFfBiO36X6BjEqyRj8vDbaXFeRBv4fn9J31CFuVPzoTdrrgWVKOtnKMP42jVIf-Ufd9No1IOXTmM6Pr3RCh9haEEpTQNZXao/s1600/P1030305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwqcS_uFycFLHEjR8scCZ7W0AZj2EYcnLbcSWmLp-KPYaFfBiO36X6BjEqyRj8vDbaXFeRBv4fn9J31CFuVPzoTdrrgWVKOtnKMP42jVIf-Ufd9No1IOXTmM6Pr3RCh9haEEpTQNZXao/s200/P1030305.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0K13XEim9scfanvcEboDLScHdj_JWR0gtlrlCbMh0wtgkz-Auz-23sISKS9Rf8kudnArRnQpMn4viVSHzzkj2WvnYcPu6Cy0l1iLP5vpLTY1_Bo1y4VupsPjbrFSauNLGD5Tpb6ffwo/s1600/P1030304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0K13XEim9scfanvcEboDLScHdj_JWR0gtlrlCbMh0wtgkz-Auz-23sISKS9Rf8kudnArRnQpMn4viVSHzzkj2WvnYcPu6Cy0l1iLP5vpLTY1_Bo1y4VupsPjbrFSauNLGD5Tpb6ffwo/s200/P1030304.JPG" width="200" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lTHaBZkIjQHfsqEXM5ECvDwvPCH1lw82G0ivyOYuspOYhKg0tUUWgLtH8Js0F_BorI9gX4RWQrYund8Ak618O8tT7mS66TesG1WZ45_Bscl7o7zbjgE2W-xnLsGmzy13XRlQBglytDg/s1600/P1030371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lTHaBZkIjQHfsqEXM5ECvDwvPCH1lw82G0ivyOYuspOYhKg0tUUWgLtH8Js0F_BorI9gX4RWQrYund8Ak618O8tT7mS66TesG1WZ45_Bscl7o7zbjgE2W-xnLsGmzy13XRlQBglytDg/s200/P1030371.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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We live in a small rental house in the high desert and we keep many of our toys outside, year-round. The dump truck on the left has been kept outside in the hot sun and cold snow for three years. The dump truck right next to it is brand new. You can see some fading, but that is it. NONE of our other outdoor toys have fared as well. The bath toys also last; the submarine is brand new and the tugboat is three years old. The tugboat does have some hard water build-up on it, but I suppose I could scrub that off if I cared enough. If you aren't impressed yet, let me show what happens to OTHER toys after three years.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4dGNIkNIveHarrVu0sR6-uv1hj5cwO7S8_hCHwojcI_K_Iq9484SQjEIMqBwU5OQkE4wDI-qXPYcxJnsWvIS0B2QCp7Pktp_0zCNgpBAnlCQmF0siK8VLRlZo0Mvsme_gaRbjXmtCcA/s1600/P1030307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4dGNIkNIveHarrVu0sR6-uv1hj5cwO7S8_hCHwojcI_K_Iq9484SQjEIMqBwU5OQkE4wDI-qXPYcxJnsWvIS0B2QCp7Pktp_0zCNgpBAnlCQmF0siK8VLRlZo0Mvsme_gaRbjXmtCcA/s200/P1030307.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfO_stnsv_kkucxCPGL3fFlfPN5zSmp2TJHNbZUIB1wovu_Chc1cMTCIVA0YQm7foQbDk0BRliJGy6gU4M2LV99PmfBYC9BUuZBRo8Z7zkdM5LAAkOSwqReiBI26t11pDJP1Mbu01X6Gk/s1600/P1030313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfO_stnsv_kkucxCPGL3fFlfPN5zSmp2TJHNbZUIB1wovu_Chc1cMTCIVA0YQm7foQbDk0BRliJGy6gU4M2LV99PmfBYC9BUuZBRo8Z7zkdM5LAAkOSwqReiBI26t11pDJP1Mbu01X6Gk/s200/P1030313.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUD_HpGZaiwm1dXXEC3HlGIO05gckNcYq4cRjtvU4GIIqzEyt_QUD0hlL4t_QNNo-MxMqn4VoDO35K07tt3sIB2IAyKmIUTE2BrF61SxA-rSUZ_D21ca_9OCH6wsG4j5siovSB5xKChM/s1600/P1030317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUD_HpGZaiwm1dXXEC3HlGIO05gckNcYq4cRjtvU4GIIqzEyt_QUD0hlL4t_QNNo-MxMqn4VoDO35K07tt3sIB2IAyKmIUTE2BrF61SxA-rSUZ_D21ca_9OCH6wsG4j5siovSB5xKChM/s200/P1030317.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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The toy on the left didn't even make it through one summer. It is in pieces and seems to crumble every time it is touched. The Excavator in the middle doesn't look like an excavator any more. It is two years old, but the excavator arm didn't even last a year. We have continued to use it, pretending it is a snow plow but now that part has chipped and is breaking off as well. This is annoying, because this was an EXPENSIVE toy. The front loader on the right is actually doing pretty well. It is three years old, nothing has chipped and it still works. However it very faded and looks beat-up. When it comes to desert wear, Green Toys wins hands down.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Plan Toys</h2>
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Plan Toys has been making high quality wooden toys since 1981. Their
toys can be colorful, but they don't chip. Their designs are not only
attractive, but well thought out. Like Playmobil, these are toys that
can be passed down to the grand kids and beyond.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiksG9uz6eg3GbgaK2_q050-GQMPT3y23paE-8Ozx5BvGQCUVs4bkJ25Oeo5C6AIHqAW7bBI_R-1eBWPJ0juVwDVPagKQswsK7t-UEPwOAQ4KJU7Wr4hGdI6oW6QYtbO9bPT5kmF5Aszg/s1600/P1030358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiksG9uz6eg3GbgaK2_q050-GQMPT3y23paE-8Ozx5BvGQCUVs4bkJ25Oeo5C6AIHqAW7bBI_R-1eBWPJ0juVwDVPagKQswsK7t-UEPwOAQ4KJU7Wr4hGdI6oW6QYtbO9bPT5kmF5Aszg/s200/P1030358.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRD6mGfkWdWMCvf2Nvo_vnjYq9SuSKo_zJroWQu5l5rvUbfdgrhsud7o3VLFmsE96AkSpwXBDJMexwgdzV4eys0yp1VpyGY9F7DAdZBi943_L9f0fVMGpJNY6B4smfWIgJyYg0EHT8-xg/s1600/P1030356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRD6mGfkWdWMCvf2Nvo_vnjYq9SuSKo_zJroWQu5l5rvUbfdgrhsud7o3VLFmsE96AkSpwXBDJMexwgdzV4eys0yp1VpyGY9F7DAdZBi943_L9f0fVMGpJNY6B4smfWIgJyYg0EHT8-xg/s200/P1030356.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrYl4BOHtVBZFJxkBTVazZCu7Qdx-gvQZPKH3iW5l0WgXZhLsIuUSQkIoEyz6qd6vpdv_vJr86Om3aRoLOpn03hNeHCSxnm1B0X6nUifbeHQWbW0txOJR_t5tzDHOyFK6AbbVivCCW_4/s1600/2012-11-28+139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrYl4BOHtVBZFJxkBTVazZCu7Qdx-gvQZPKH3iW5l0WgXZhLsIuUSQkIoEyz6qd6vpdv_vJr86Om3aRoLOpn03hNeHCSxnm1B0X6nUifbeHQWbW0txOJR_t5tzDHOyFK6AbbVivCCW_4/s200/2012-11-28+139.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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We have had a plan toys tea set and fruit slicing set for about two years now. They look as good as the day we got them. The Toaster is new; Henry (the 1-year-old) enjoys putting the bread slices in and out of the slots. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsLV8S9D0mqtY5VnnhBqKP0-Q5Z8CWqjvVZoGPLXdcr6P9_vzGFgryDRYA6aAFJ5aOtaOB9DnNd8HJUI250TQUCARLtMqlhuYq2pgH4ds_6j5XzfM5WAoaxGPKE5kQIAugsMzwslka7g/s1600/P1030206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsLV8S9D0mqtY5VnnhBqKP0-Q5Z8CWqjvVZoGPLXdcr6P9_vzGFgryDRYA6aAFJ5aOtaOB9DnNd8HJUI250TQUCARLtMqlhuYq2pgH4ds_6j5XzfM5WAoaxGPKE5kQIAugsMzwslka7g/s320/P1030206.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nOpc_OKtn_IOQqUUwRX3frU5VKJx2aMEJlB-mNKXqcIJJNTLEp3bwjsmYD_sMvxsHndLZtiuht0EAruQaBkGvrS3XDNV52KszYcR6E0x8NKcyVhyE7L1s6bv_BegscYSveQxT9VskQg/s1600/P1030359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nOpc_OKtn_IOQqUUwRX3frU5VKJx2aMEJlB-mNKXqcIJJNTLEp3bwjsmYD_sMvxsHndLZtiuht0EAruQaBkGvrS3XDNV52KszYcR6E0x8NKcyVhyE7L1s6bv_BegscYSveQxT9VskQg/s320/P1030359.JPG" width="320" /> </a><br />
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We also have a dollhouse filled with Plan Toys dolls and furniture, including this adorable baby and crib. We made the cardboard fire station ourselves because our Plan Toys fire engine needed a home. If we don't lose these toys they will last for generations.</div>
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Green Start</h2>
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Green Start is a division of Innovative Kids, a company that makes books and puzzles and games. I can't find exact info on how long they've been around, but I'm under the impression that they are a fairly young company. Their Green Start line is made of 98% post consumer recycled materials and printed with eco-friendly ink. That's all nice and good but it made this list because their puzzles are genius. They have different levels for different ages and abilities and they are cute and inexpensive. These puzzles and books may not last for generations, but your child won't care, he (or she) will just be excited to play. </div>
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The picture on the left shows Henry playing with the simple two piece puzzles. The puzzle in the middle is one that Oscar recently mastered; it has simple 4 piece puzzles. We've been playing with it for a year and a half and you can start to see some wear along the edges of the puzzle pieces. The picture on the right is of Henry playing the memory cards that came with a counting board book. Oscar and I have been playing with those cards for two and a half years now, though he only learned how to play memory with them last month. Mostly we just matched them up, and then made tracks for his cars to drive down. There are a lot of things you can do with memory cards, as well as with boxes. The box the set came in has been used as a purse or a suitcase for imaginary trips to grandma's house many many times.</div>
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BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-30117437552424960072013-01-23T10:24:00.001-08:002013-01-24T07:36:17.497-08:00Funny Fun Picture Books for Ages 3-4A friend lamented that she hated all the books she was reading to her three-year-old and asked for suggestions. Her son only liked books with plot and a resolution and was not a fan of rhyme or extreme silliness. Knowing this I couldn't recommend Dr. Seuss or the Dinosaur and Shark books my son currently loves, but I could give her some other titles that have been open a lot over this last year. I made her a list: <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/user/2768/list/4" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1358952809097_5671" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1358958996_3">http://www.indiebound.org/user/2768/list/4</span></a> Looking at my list I realized that almost all of our favorites had a common theme HUMOR. The following books (taken from that list) are all funny, but the silliness is kept in check by great plots. <br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Funny Fun Picture Books </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
with a Plot</h2>
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<b>for 3-4 year olds</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780142404034" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiri_SHj7I_L5iCRAEtiFmpNx1-XuVhVg_K2DatvffWjN38Du1SFz-Wds-wIyCL-Kj_GxWj5t2rkOefdyC_hNT3bhyphenhyphenClEsh1yCiiFqigqlwusVq_seXGY6JwczsLYnBShAcLiO8EzTAb4E/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
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Skippyjon Jones</div>
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by Judy Schachner </div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780142404034" target="_blank">Skippyjon Jones</a> is a Siamese cat who pretends he is a chihuahua. In his pretend world he has fantastic adventures while singing goofy rhyming songs. True, my friend's son isn't a fan of rhyme, but the plots of these stories are so fun and the character is so mischievous and lovable that I'm pretty sure her son will love the book despite the rhymes. Oscar is certainly a fan. Skippyjon Jones is a series, which means there are multiple adventures to be had for his fans. </div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780803734074/michael-kaplan/betty-bunny-loves-chocolate-cake" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Kr6F7vWgv42_qGYLCa48O7xa_4GPn_AYAjS4flZXfC6YhoM_MkjtQGhz9JTjab0oHLMvhgwsGibRmLIuc09MSYtP73IPAkeB2OU3tK8FDj_4jrol1qRJtSc3jcZvPsHF3eeQiNYteYw/s320/4.gif" width="319" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780803734074/michael-kaplan/betty-bunny-loves-chocolate-cake" target="_blank">Betty Bunny</a> is a goofball, a strong-willed stubborn goofball who in this story decides she loves chocolate cake so much that she is going to marry it. The moral of this particular tale is that you can't stick chocolate cake down your sock. Like Skippyjon Jones, Betty Bunny is a series so that fans can keep the laughter coming.<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781423114376" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieKpg5KAgbYD7Tk5P4JhzaI2xrhcup4UyRbq9v8AxC9SHTNUw1HS4rsV_tpvu7MSAtMclu8PTD2eYS_YOK_RTMmcnvqyXEYjYcWiUTyXNuML7l_ysvwwIaM2XdIoXwcHbefCk6Ma9ttOc/s320/5.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
Author Mo Willems has lots of fans, and Oscar is one of them. <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781423114376" target="_blank">This</a> is perhaps our favorite Mo Willems tale. Naked Mole Rat doesn't like being naked and likes to wear clothes, this creates consternation among his peers, but fortunately they realized that if it doesn't hurt anyone, fun is harmless. It's a perfect tale for youngsters who like to dress up and pretend. <br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780786849581" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEp_QEAZH-0ifU9mBx65gh88axpgC_-u4HSCMA3u8O6_IeIs8oO4Z8nl96kJ_hxm6ygiA410a1CH4SGQ1mCDWKqB5cQUM3geSyEGD_3vzYgnXdFju0mro67bdkG8XYNszSXaiEXh4dX9Y/s320/3.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
The fantastic illustrations in this book have kept Oscar interested since he was about two, but it is only now, when he is four, that he is finally understanding it. The plot of <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780786849581" target="_blank">this book</a> is essentially that blue whales are big. They are too big for the classroom, too big for swimming pools, but big enough to move into.<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780811872379" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNOBdjd361fVM8OlWjXrJ3Qh3T0DEVan_AjoIV3UAaMJEXx7mMYc41gdk-LdMSLmtJJnWpeBTyYewyOmetqcFNdcberFWp1eaNOmTlreY2aHUvrrOmnU7B00lGx8C3izZKPdamKxACVQ/s320/6.gif" width="220" /></a></div>
Slowly but surely the chickens discover that the giant chick is not an elephant, an umbrella, or a squirrel, but actually is a chicken. It takes a long time though; chickens aren't very smart. <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780811872379" target="_blank">This</a> is a hilarious re-interpretation of Chicken Little that has enough jokes for both the adults and the kids to get a giggle.<br />
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This humorous tale of a<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763645793" target="_blank"> Bear</a> who has to be convinced to enjoy his birthday is unbelievably sweet. I'm sure we all wish we had a friend like mouse.</div>
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BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-38608805527154263662012-12-20T23:14:00.000-08:002012-12-20T23:16:04.262-08:00Thank You Jan Brett!Last year at this time I welcomed my second son, Henry into our family. This glorious occasion had an unfortunate side effect, apparently after two children one looses the ability to focus on the printed word. Okay, that is an exaggeration, but after a year of minimal sleep and hectic days it is true that my reading has decreased dramatically. This lack of reading led to a lack of blog posts. I knew I wouldn't be able to do my 5 BEST Lists this year, but I was hoping put out a good Christmas post. I was looking forward to sharing new and beautiful tales of snow and Santa with you. Alas that is not to be, while I do love the board book edition of <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780374370930" target="_blank">Uri Shulevitz's <i><b>SNOW</b></i></a> I was generally underwhelmed by this year's Christmas picture book production. Fortunately I have past years to draw on, and fortunately one talented author and artist is so prolific and so fond of snowy scenes I don't even have to try hard to put up a good display.<br />
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Thank you Jan Brett. Thank you for allowing me to put up displays every Christmas that not only sell books (so very important for our struggling little store), but allow me smiles every time I pass by. It seems that every time I look at Jan Brett cover, I see something new, a little detail I missed before. Your books look beautiful on our store tables, and I am so happy to have them to rely on.<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780399219207" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEcGhIZnWqGJzLTBRk1xz-clGe5devNfnhpNf7jsmgl5xJTyPaHUGDLzk8AaXBPDJKAUH9kxKTApCTUQF-fNL0xX3XZJUzGg6wLvqHUfvjOMd7Sk0RL9SteUx9cO9JljUUh8gH2xVIac/s1600/1.gif" /></a></div>
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<br />BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-77519336712533126912012-09-12T02:56:00.000-07:002012-09-12T03:12:52.412-07:00Halloween Board Books!<div style="text-align: center;">
2012 is a stellar year for the Halloween Board Book Fans (I may be the only fan, so in that case it is a stellar year for me)! This season we've seen the publication of not one, not two, but THREE fantastic chewable readers that will hopefully never go out of print.</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781596437258" target="_blank">1. <b>Ghost in the House!</b></a> by Kazuno Kohara</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofZiD8F9tbav57ne5aml3IhQ0_Ai_TIQ50sbbNl-OzEFFMuJwl-_WkZ-y4j9zQzwF3j91mQRos1SSn0DBCIx2NHcd4pxEdDWAIu1JKPKbmWx5uYbYTAgLZrJP7zzAagI_LoTmhUpgIog/s1600/1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofZiD8F9tbav57ne5aml3IhQ0_Ai_TIQ50sbbNl-OzEFFMuJwl-_WkZ-y4j9zQzwF3j91mQRos1SSn0DBCIx2NHcd4pxEdDWAIu1JKPKbmWx5uYbYTAgLZrJP7zzAagI_LoTmhUpgIog/s1600/1.gif" /></a></div>
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This graphic masterpiece appeals not just to the youngest of readers (great contrast) but toddlers, pre-schoolers, and parents as well. While the illustrations are captivating and the story is sweet, the book is just odd enough to give mom and dad a good chuckle. In a nutshell, a girl moves into a house, it is haunted, but it turns out she's a witch, so she washes the ghosts and uses them as curtains and sheets. He he he, ghost sheets. The hardcover edition was named a best illustrated children's book by the New York Times in 2008. The author is/was a Japanese student in the U.K. studying printmaking. I think she's found a job.</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780803738416" target="_blank">2. <b>Room on the Broom</b></a> by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Sheffler</div>
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A Halloween Classic joins the board book club! This story of a witch, who can't seem to keep it together but is kind enough to offer everyone a ride, has been well loved since it first came out in hard cover in 2001. That is over 10 years of adoration! While the story has more words than the typical board book, this more durable format will be appreciated by families with more than one mini reader (a book that can entertain the 4-year-old but won't be destroyed by the 8-month-old - yeah!). Just like <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780547385662" target="_blank">Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel</a> and <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780152062873" target="_blank">Stellaluna</a> this story is loved by all ages in all formats.</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780399260117" target="_blank">3. Goodnight Goon: A Petrifying Parody</a> </b>by Michael Rex</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvib6OH3Gcpyg7aQ5hdy7D1N2al6z0qdK_RAPQgukDyyk_MCKIGH7Uf9xauIkwcVj3Y8T4F6WG8QegpdN5CF9FhZbIij7toAh108yqpdjgOuwqgE51bZVh5YlfxD7v8mOccPM2soMgnE/s1600/3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvib6OH3Gcpyg7aQ5hdy7D1N2al6z0qdK_RAPQgukDyyk_MCKIGH7Uf9xauIkwcVj3Y8T4F6WG8QegpdN5CF9FhZbIij7toAh108yqpdjgOuwqgE51bZVh5YlfxD7v8mOccPM2soMgnE/s1600/3.gif" /></a></div>
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This parody of <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780694003617" target="_blank">Goodnight Moon</a> is creepy enough to stand on its own! Mesmerizingly detailed illustrations will enchant all readers, even those who won't be able to get the joke. Lots of ghoulish critters and simple text make this a keeper for years to come.</div>
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<b>OTHER GOODIES</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780824918682" target="_blank"><b>Halloween 123s</b></a> by Patricia Reeder Eubank</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbjp9bHk5IE2bGfFzXr0M2csOOhL_5lsBfVZc0A5RNiwvgj1v7tTHp5BEbwgJnol9WbS1s_jcfwkve2yZ6cy1rjq6YHAaVrFpdxcFbWozgjB0XeMfmVuTeIPWhjk1k3u0Hs6deg25bo0/s1600/4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbjp9bHk5IE2bGfFzXr0M2csOOhL_5lsBfVZc0A5RNiwvgj1v7tTHp5BEbwgJnol9WbS1s_jcfwkve2yZ6cy1rjq6YHAaVrFpdxcFbWozgjB0XeMfmVuTeIPWhjk1k3u0Hs6deg25bo0/s1600/4.gif" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780689859168" target="_blank">Halloween Bugs</a></b> by David A. Carter<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlUeiY9vd007ME-nonq672kI02XbsPhd4FyRJF1WUkI5bklLDulQoi4hwHUpMXFaN086AbbBvL-eNjc3QG24AkV8MiBODncHdg516Hq1FymZjYDnHb6YjzkVillEJl3EFQr5rC5ARR3Q/s1600/5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlUeiY9vd007ME-nonq672kI02XbsPhd4FyRJF1WUkI5bklLDulQoi4hwHUpMXFaN086AbbBvL-eNjc3QG24AkV8MiBODncHdg516Hq1FymZjYDnHb6YjzkVillEJl3EFQr5rC5ARR3Q/s1600/5.gif" /></a></div>
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<span id="goog_46860184"><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780312509187" target="_blank"><b>Halloween Lift-the-Flap Shadow Book</b></a> by Roger Priddy</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-iw0AN2-giUcfhygkKGa4bOQCXz8z8d0fMWCRtgIjxDDcsWQkNzbzvH-1Q1pun6hUoGw_EuxcWWJD0lIq29wyCuwmv4X5Iu_z7s4N81LPqQ0IilSzAy9pkbinyJWVcmX5e8IAGS0Z9o/s1600/6.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-iw0AN2-giUcfhygkKGa4bOQCXz8z8d0fMWCRtgIjxDDcsWQkNzbzvH-1Q1pun6hUoGw_EuxcWWJD0lIq29wyCuwmv4X5Iu_z7s4N81LPqQ0IilSzAy9pkbinyJWVcmX5e8IAGS0Z9o/s1600/6.gif" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780811861045" target="_blank"><b>Little Spider Finger Puppet Book </b></a>by Chronicle Books<br />
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BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-56453710656527215252012-08-10T17:47:00.000-07:002012-08-10T17:53:37.379-07:00Best Books & Gifts for a 6 Month Old!<span style="font-size: small;">First apologies, it has been way too long since my last post. In my defense, I've had little sleep or time and we've been on two long vacations. I really enjoyed the vacations, but still it is nice to be back home, and back to blogging.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>BEST BOOKS & GIFTS </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">FOR 6 MONTH OLDS</span> </b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.workman.com/search/search.pl?query=indestructibles&x=0&y=0" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Indestructibles</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">These fabulous little books are made of a strong paper-like material similar to that used in some postal mailers. They are small "paper" books that babies can grab, slobber on, and chew without choking, or worse, without destroying the book! Alas these were not available when my first son was born, but my second son, Henry, LOVES them! Henry loves to grab paper, and he is very good at it - I couldn't find my boarding pass as we were getting on a plane, turns out it was in Henry's mouth. Unfortunately paper, boarding passes included, are choking hazards, Henry started to gag and the boarding pass remnants were quickly finger swept out. He cried only for a moment, because I grabbed an Indestructible out of my purse and all was well. He still had fun crinkly paper to play with and I didn't have to worry about him dying.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The artwork used in these books are very colorful and full of contrast. None of the books have words in them, this is a benefit to many who like to make up their own stories or simply point to things in the pictures. I, however, am not always feeling that creative so my favorite Indestructibles are the ones that illustrate nursery rhymes because then I always have something to say. They currently retail for $4.95 each (a bargain in the baby book world) and are available nearly everywhere books are sold, except the grocery store, which sells books now too I suppose (but not Indestructibles).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.maplelandmark.com/montgomeryschoolhouse/rattles.lasso" target="_blank">Rattles</a> & <a href="http://www.yoyo.com/buy?s=Vulli%20%20teethers%20natural%20rubber" target="_blank">Teethers</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">To parents of six-month-olds this might seem rather obvious, but I have learned that adults quickly forget what babies play with and are often at a loss of what to give as presents. </span><span style="font-size: small;">Of course not all rattles are equal. The plastic rattles you can get almost anywhere aren't bad, but they aren't the rattles Oscar or Henry reached for the most. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Henry's favorite rattle is about as classic as they come, in fact it's official marketing title is <a href="http://www.maplelandmark.com/detail.lasso?sku=72007" target="_blank">Standard Bell Rattle.</a> His brother picked it out for him before he was born. Currently Henry enjoys not only it's tinkling bell rattle, but also it's ability to be a drum stick and a teething toy all in one go. The paint has yet to chip and I feel totally safe that he isn't going to end up with little bits of wood in his gums This rattle is so well made I'm pretty sure that Henry will be able to give it to his own children. Maple Landmark, the company that made his rattle, makes numerous rattles in many shapes and sizes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Both of my sons loved and love the natural rubber teether toy <a href="http://www.yoyo.com/p/vulli-sophie-the-giraffe-teether-in-natural-rubber-15640" target="_blank">Sophie the Giraffe</a> by Vulli.In addition to inheriting his older brother's Sophie, Henry was blessed with an additional rubber teether toy by Vulli called </span><span itemprop="description" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.yoyo.com/p/vulli-chan-pie-gnon-natural-rubber-teether-soft-toy-chan-blue-15641" target="_blank">Chan Pie Gnon Blue</a><i>,</i> which looks like an alien boob; he loves it, and yes, I do breast feed. There is something about the texture of the rubber that my children love, I'm really glad we got them as gifts, they are appreciated. Vulli natural rubber teethers are available many many places, but I put in links to YoYo.com because I know they have good customer service.</span></div>
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<span itemprop="description"><b><span style="font-size: large;">String-Alongs Board Books</span></b></span></div>
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<span itemprop="description" style="font-size: small;">Chronicle Books makes two different sets of small shaped board books with holes in the middle through which you can put a string (or shoelace really). They are books, beads, and little blocks all in one. These books have a fabulous slick texture that both of my children LOVE. We have multiple little board books, but these are by far their favorites. I taught Oscar the shapes using the <a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/kids-teens/subject/art-music/moma-string-along-books.html" target="_blank">Moma String-Alongs</a> set and currently Henry loves to eat the little books as well as play with them as a rattle when they are all strung together in a circle. Oscar still loves to open the books up, peer through their holes, and pretend that he is wearing fancy glasses. This year Chronicle came out with an <a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/kids-teens/by-age/pre-school-2-5-yrs/the-very-hungry-caterpillartm-string-alongs.html" target="_blank">Eric Carle String-Alongs</a> set. We don't own it, but it sure looks cute!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.ammobooks.com/books/harper_nestingblocks/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZ3F-AegunxsAvkJD83NfuGbtROUXhI26Sx0QIOOlb29dsO9sBwPZCU3YxxldByU4mpoTSjAcZ6Wq0BHzlPNe-BEz5DEtnSQPbAR4qhD2ZbgDX0wb4jikzqprbRqMxbqSdpVDqecmirU/s320/5.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.oompa.com/index.php?page=seek&id[m]=pattern&id[q]=nesting+blocks" target="_blank"><span itemprop="description"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Cardboard Stacking & Nesting Blocks</span></b></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span itemprop="description" style="font-size: small;">At six months Henry cannot stack or nest our blocks, but he can grab them easily and surprisingly the cardboard is not harmed by his slobber. The nice thing about the nesting blocks, rather than cups, is that they will be enjoyed for years and years to come. Oscar, at three and a half, is just conquering the art of stacking them in the correct order and as ours are colored with bright graphics, numbers, and letters, we've been using them for number recognition as well. In addition to their traditional uses, they make excellent multi-story garages for little cars and are fairly decent toy containers. I advocate cardboard over wood because they don't hurt if they fall down on you. <a href="http://www.ammobooks.com/books/harper_nestingblocks/" target="_blank">The set we have</a> is rather expensive ($25), but it is worth it. Avoid Melissa & Doug versions, they look great but the quality is awful - they probably would not be able to withstand the drool.<b> </b></span></div>
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<span itemprop="description"><br /></span></div>BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-56253217835790348302012-05-20T05:09:00.004-07:002012-05-23T08:13:48.133-07:00Gardening Books<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="huge"></span></b></span><span class="bodybold"></span>I love my garden. I don't have any great fondness for digging or weeding, but the joy I feel eating a tomato off the vine that I PLANTED is real. I want to share this joy with my children. Fortunately there are some adorable books that can help.</div>
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<a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/24632" target="_blank"><b>In the Garden</b></a></div>
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<b>by Elizabeth Spurr</b></div>
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<b>illustrated by Manelle Oliphant</b></div>
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<b>Ages 0-3 </b></div>
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This little board book is actually my favorite gardening book to come out this season. Each page has only one to two words on it, yet the book rhymes AND it actually explains the entire gardening process. Author Elizabeth Spurr has accomplished something incredible, yet she made it so simple it looks easy. The illustrations are clear and cute and perfect. This is a book every gardening family should own.</div>
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<a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/24633" target="_blank"><b>Plant a Little Seed</b></a></div>
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<b>by Bonnie Christensen</b></div>
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<b>Ages 2-6</b></div>
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The illustrations in this book are jaw-dropping. Gardens become works of art (which is sorta what they are). The story, told in spare verse that sometimes rhymes, is about two friends who work on their garden throughout the entire year. The story ends with a Thanksgiving feast and a final page with notes about growth processes. The final page is really very good. This is a beautiful and informative book for pre-schoolers.</div>
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<a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/15328" target="_blank"><b>And Then It's Spring</b></a></div>
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<b>by Julie Fogliano</b></div>
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<b>illustrated by Erin E. Stead</b></div>
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<b>Ages 3-7</b></div>
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As much a book about longing as it is a book about gardening, <i>And Then It's Spring</i> is a whimsical masterpiece whose best-seller status already defines it as well-loved.<b> </b>It is about a boy who waits, and waits, surrounded by brown, hoping for a hint of green. There is one spectacular illustration in which the boy listens for the hum of green and you can see his little seeds, planted in mounds, growing roots underground, but without shoots yet. You can also see ant and mice tunnels burrowing beneath the little seed roots. The book does not give much information on gardening, but that isn't really it's point. The focus of the story is on the waiting, longing, and yearning for your plants to GROW.</div>
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<a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/24638" target="_blank"><b>Grandpa's Garden</b></a></div>
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<b>by Stella Fry</b></div>
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<b>illustrated by Sheila Moxley</b></div>
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<b>Ages 3-8</b></div>
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This story of a boy helping his Grandpa with his garden has all the gritty details. Compost - Grandpa's got it. Slugs - Grandpa's got those too. The book really gives you the sense of a garden as a year-long pursuit with Grandpa out there in every season. After reading it you will feel like you've got dirt under your fingernails. If you actually want to get some dirt under those fingernails there is an informative back section with crop rotation info and more that will help you get started.</div>
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<a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9781559719803" target="_blank"><b>What Do Roots Do?</b></a></div>
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<b>by Kathleen Kudlinski</b></div>
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<b>illustrated by David Schuppert </b></div>
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<b>Ages 2-8</b></div>
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This is not a new title, and it is not a book about gardening, but it so perfectly illustrates how plants grow that I felt I had to include it. With remarkably entertaining text <i>What Do Roots Do? </i>shows us how all plants live and survive through their roots. The illustrations are marvelous. This book makes the science of plant growth a lot of fun!</div>
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<br /></div>BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-83440914595842677482012-04-27T22:16:00.000-07:002012-04-27T22:16:15.913-07:00The Cloud Spinner - This Time the Moralizing is Okay...<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I'm a Hypocrite...</span></span> </div>
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I HATE books with obvious political messages. In the adult world I am baffled by peoples' desire pay money for books that simply confirm what they already believe.. When authors try to politicize kids books I usually throw a tantrum. One aspect of youth, is that the young don't believe their books are lying to them - if it is written, it is true. A story, a story is true, but politics...one man's truth is another's lie.<br />
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But I'm a hypocrite. I'm a hypocrite because I like <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/23691" target="_blank"><b>The Cloud Spinner</b></a>. It could be argued that the message contained within this charming picture book is not political. Many things could be argued about the book; in fact this book makes me argue with myself. But unarguably, <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/23691" target="_blank"><b>The Cloud Spinner</b></a> has an obvious message, and I like it all the same.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1kPvpZitT1mIvE-A76ThGPiHZSCYLYOiDtketOMSxIipVP7VYv9Dn823zMl73QePExnDDTpqK7UjmG1h_nxsqRoWQqI6wglX4R4sFYeGvMUBOs7wBWAAPkevWRrLHmKZRAeWmrEkEW08/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1kPvpZitT1mIvE-A76ThGPiHZSCYLYOiDtketOMSxIipVP7VYv9Dn823zMl73QePExnDDTpqK7UjmG1h_nxsqRoWQqI6wglX4R4sFYeGvMUBOs7wBWAAPkevWRrLHmKZRAeWmrEkEW08/s320/1.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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Here is the story in a nutshell:<br />
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<i> A young boy spins cloth from the clouds, he spins himself a head covering for hot days and scarf for cold days, and this is okay because it is just enough. But then the king sees his scarf and wants an outfit made of the same material, he also wants an outfit for his queen and princess as well. So the boy spins the cloth from the clouds for all these outfits, and he uses up the clouds, causing a drought. The princess brings the fancy clothes back to the boy and he spins them back into clouds and everyone is happy even though the princess is now wearing a plain dress.</i><br />
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The story is a philosophical colander. For example what is "enough"? Why is okay for him to have a cloud scarf? Surely if everyone had a cloud scarf the clouds would disappear just as they did for the royal outfits. The boy cannot be the only one who gets a cold neck in winter. But despite the holes, the overarching message, that we should not take from the world what we don't need, is clear.<br />
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This is a message that I take to heart. I battle my personal consumerism on a daily basis. Have you heard of <a href="https://www.zulily.com/auth" target="_blank">Zulily</a>? If you are willing to wait 6 weeks you can have adorable clothes and toys for up to 80% off. Every morning I go shopping on Zulily, I pick out what I want and put it into the shopping cart, and then I talk myself out of it. <i style="color: #073763;">Oh that item is imported, I bet it is from China, I'm trying not to buy things from China. Think of all the transportation costs that went into that. And if it is only costing you $10 you can be sure that the poor factory worker who made it in China isn't getting a penny for it. Yes that is cute and yes your mother-in-law would love that color but if she really needed it she would have bought it herself and you don't have the money to be buying gifts. Oscar has ENOUGH TOYS... no really, who is it for, you or the kid?</i> You see I WANT STUFF, but I know I shouldn't want stuff. I believe that if I do really want the stuff I should be willing the pay the fair price for it so that everyone (the creator, the transporter, the seller) makes a decent living.I have this idea that we should all be spending more money on less stuff, but it is hard to live by my ideal, especially when the deals are so good. I battle my personal consumerism every day.<br />
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<a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/23691" target="_blank"><b>The Cloud Spinner</b></a> tangibly ties consumerism (the kings wants) into the destruction of the world. That is pretty impressive for a kids book. It is preachy, it does have a political message, but I like it all the same. <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/search/apachesolr_search?author_filter=Jay%2C%20Alison" target="_blank">Alison Jay's</a> fantastic artwork doesn't hurt. The pictures are not quite as jaw-dropping as <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/23690" target="_blank"><b>Listen Listen</b></a>, but they are still mighty impressive. Therefore I think everyone should ignore the message of the book and go out and buy it!BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-51925008606443821682012-04-15T22:50:00.000-07:002012-04-21T16:58:34.337-07:00Great Spring Reads<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><b>2012 is shaping up to be a great year for Children's Literature! </b></u></div>
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<b>FOR TEENS </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH00xsVmrz2csIYd3TBQiLuhQhcmeySwYJdDdAI2eHMpa9hL7_E6g2UxybPdtHgb7yXRB6H6wCJZeNUy-KMUnpxSOX0nLCjcGsfnOuJlwGtDY7_QYcIxb9v4GeHW57t4VG21kpvlnWSqg/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH00xsVmrz2csIYd3TBQiLuhQhcmeySwYJdDdAI2eHMpa9hL7_E6g2UxybPdtHgb7yXRB6H6wCJZeNUy-KMUnpxSOX0nLCjcGsfnOuJlwGtDY7_QYcIxb9v4GeHW57t4VG21kpvlnWSqg/s1600/1.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/18461" target="_blank">Me and Earl and the Dying Girl</a> </b>by Jesse Andrews (14 & up)<br />
Refreshingly humorous and poignant this book by first time author Jesse Andrews introduces us to the surprisingly lovable anti-hero Greg, whose only goal in life is to remain invisible. I could not stop laughing through the first two-thirds of this book. I loved the ending, but most of all, I loved Earl, Greg's only friend.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMEGsR7btP0TMhfOfiHV5qHMXMU__fvI-0ky7vJkDVm2EYk4-32zYvMPKsKLWlFCzqMkux3b4vGLMtnbxOgYg5_ObZZXQun3ILUP_NtGQfhdRcry-ejYCyWnrruvuhtk3CkcSeCH1dMY/s1600/1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMEGsR7btP0TMhfOfiHV5qHMXMU__fvI-0ky7vJkDVm2EYk4-32zYvMPKsKLWlFCzqMkux3b4vGLMtnbxOgYg5_ObZZXQun3ILUP_NtGQfhdRcry-ejYCyWnrruvuhtk3CkcSeCH1dMY/s1600/1.gif" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/21106" target="_blank">The 10 PM Question</a> </b>by Kate De Goldi (12 & up)<br />
A friend traveled to New Zealand (where this book was originally published) and brought it back for me to read. She loved it, and I loved it, and now it has finally made it to our country! Alas, like many other great titles, this one is hard to describe - but in a nutshell it beautifully illustrates the love between friends, and between members of families that fall outside the narrow range of normal.<br />
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<b>FOR MIDDLE GRADES</b> (ya know - all those kids who read chapter books but aren't yet teens)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyDD73iv64ocjXr1rDWsyfxaZomcHuo6wYawy_InQhoJoFGBS295TSfFz5AlMtqzCXUp6MCL851-Jf0dPPHYHfjolXKFXWb7jZVgjRE39qk4oOMXRsN0KDhWcCdoBhJjiiBJudE4oQ3E/s1600/1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyDD73iv64ocjXr1rDWsyfxaZomcHuo6wYawy_InQhoJoFGBS295TSfFz5AlMtqzCXUp6MCL851-Jf0dPPHYHfjolXKFXWb7jZVgjRE39qk4oOMXRsN0KDhWcCdoBhJjiiBJudE4oQ3E/s1600/1.gif" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/21878" target="_blank">A Greyhound of a Girl</a> </b>by Roddy Doyle (8-12)<br />
Four generations of Irish women gallivant around town. Oh! And one of those ladies is a ghost. This book makes me wish I was Irish just so I could join in on their fun. Actually the situation, which revolves around a dying grandmother, isn't really fun, but with fantastic humorous dialogue Roddy Doyle (the author of <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/21880" target="_blank"><i>The Commitments</i></a>) makes you wish you were there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPKHv-wGo9Uk5Q8tFbWLTsn8HPxpFc6rZR-TDBRKoGJk2ZlRJTVYQOwu2HcV3NBPZo4ReIb96Oez2cMSB2IbOpr84l63bfHv_R6cn4P6y2xkLjpFPOl6DFcL3Ip3Dt9rK6tAtJ0OFc2c/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPKHv-wGo9Uk5Q8tFbWLTsn8HPxpFc6rZR-TDBRKoGJk2ZlRJTVYQOwu2HcV3NBPZo4ReIb96Oez2cMSB2IbOpr84l63bfHv_R6cn4P6y2xkLjpFPOl6DFcL3Ip3Dt9rK6tAtJ0OFc2c/s1600/1.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/21878" target="_blank">Fake Mustache</a> </b>by Tom Angleberger (8-12)<br />
What can you do with a good fake mustache and a "man about town" suit? Oh, well if you are in 7th grade, you can take over the world. Or you could have taken over the world if your best friend and an actress from a cancelled pre-teen TV show hadn't gotten in your way. Actually, Fake Mustache is told from the point of view of the best friend, but I have to admit my sympathies lie with the mustache wearer. Like Anglebergers fantastic <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/search/apachesolr_search?author_filter=Angleberger%2C%20Tom" target="_blank">Origami Yoda series</a>, this book is chock full of humor, but unlike Origami Yoda, it leaves reality far far behind.<br />
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<b>FOR YOUNGINS</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-04CXfnr5kt5qS77A41HYRIQSiGAaVlPoupIEMJ8BADPbMGVi6THbh9wcnzShyphenhyphen3ZDa_KRCIC5AYZMcYn7H1-lwkaSTx3zq39dN4JP0P8YPEi2fMLnR5VFfjir7fBpwWwvYX1bhrfB0w/s1600/1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-04CXfnr5kt5qS77A41HYRIQSiGAaVlPoupIEMJ8BADPbMGVi6THbh9wcnzShyphenhyphen3ZDa_KRCIC5AYZMcYn7H1-lwkaSTx3zq39dN4JP0P8YPEi2fMLnR5VFfjir7fBpwWwvYX1bhrfB0w/s1600/1.gif" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/21885" target="_blank">Betty Bunny Wants Everything</a> </b>by Michael Kaplan, illustrated by Stephane Jorisch (4-8)<br />
Betty Bunny is like the <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/21886" target="_blank">Berenstain Bears</a> with an artistic upgrade and a sharp edged sense of humor. Her books (of which there are now<a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/search/apachesolr_search/michael%20Kaplan%20betty%20bunny" target="_blank"> two</a>) have morals, but Betty Bunny is a reluctant learner. In fact it could be argued she doesn't learn the moral at all. But the reader will learn the morals, even if the protagonist misses the big picture. Speaking of pictures, I LOVE the artwork, and I love the bunny family's sense of style.BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-75386609766205229262011-12-05T12:26:00.000-08:002011-12-05T12:59:26.580-08:00Best Gifts of 2011!<div style="text-align: center;"><b>My Favorite Gifts of 2011!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWCawBBWQXQagVcwfQs4Koy7tp5uWy3pgXmyk79_w1A1Oa6JVjWa1ENMrkg3bOdcPbcNT9VDKkoBR9bAxO53l-RrBTDwGBxL_YKPHR4sWng17BC6Y67iIZha8FQ1HWFw1gemlkQS5O7Y/s1600/1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWCawBBWQXQagVcwfQs4Koy7tp5uWy3pgXmyk79_w1A1Oa6JVjWa1ENMrkg3bOdcPbcNT9VDKkoBR9bAxO53l-RrBTDwGBxL_YKPHR4sWng17BC6Y67iIZha8FQ1HWFw1gemlkQS5O7Y/s1600/1.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/greatgifts2011">Topsy-Turvy Stacking Blocks</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">by MoMA</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 1-5</div><div style="text-align: center;">These stacking blocks are different in that they balance at an angle, creating a fantastical topsy-turvy tower that toddlers will love to create (and destroy). What sets this set of stacking and balancing blocks apart are their bright colors, and their smaller shape, making them easier to stack and store.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2dFaEK1uZbJB1wAcH3oU6QD-74mnBKJa5JTJUGYNe5z-n6JvZF6kcsLwGyR_aAu_MFTo35qCZ_Gae4N8AqvPVR5iRrjbF4seAsWSK4vBvCYkcSYWna6hmOOh8kxOoZdzeOWiFQ_DODU/s1600/2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2dFaEK1uZbJB1wAcH3oU6QD-74mnBKJa5JTJUGYNe5z-n6JvZF6kcsLwGyR_aAu_MFTo35qCZ_Gae4N8AqvPVR5iRrjbF4seAsWSK4vBvCYkcSYWna6hmOOh8kxOoZdzeOWiFQ_DODU/s1600/2.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/greatgifts2011"><b>Guess How Much I Love You Pop-Up Book</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Sam McBratney</div><div style="text-align: center;">illustrated by Anita Jeram</div><div style="text-align: center;">paper engineering by Corina Fletcher </div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 3-99</div><div style="text-align: center;">A classic story is now available in a pop-up edition!</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYej7vLUgj11YkSPynoY55jsf7yOElzksXya4c2iX7bh8lj-xGjCPAWnZFtmkkIsvVoLAet_VtECp1Jr6uKZ0Du7NSThdIG0fQBiy5RXw2bV4Pku9PJ9n8WyDiJ1YAOI1bwTe-viWmK6g/s1600/3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYej7vLUgj11YkSPynoY55jsf7yOElzksXya4c2iX7bh8lj-xGjCPAWnZFtmkkIsvVoLAet_VtECp1Jr6uKZ0Du7NSThdIG0fQBiy5RXw2bV4Pku9PJ9n8WyDiJ1YAOI1bwTe-viWmK6g/s1600/3.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/greatgifts2011"><b>Lego Brickmaster Ninjagq</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Lego & DK publishers<b> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 6-99</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Lego Brickmaster series gives you a set of Legos combined with full-color book that shows you all their different combinations. Combine this with ninjas, and you get a toy that is sure to please!</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnHJfj17_T2j_W80KaXZl4N1gHYoR0CnyZkzwGa63A2WK7vZ9-UhWmJajSWSVZdU1J59UAmuYZn21QeEe3S5rxu1jMJN6aTwRUI9hAFOb9AjzUlFxXJSeQzoGmUfHsfMLt7Al4YV9Z-o/s1600/4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnHJfj17_T2j_W80KaXZl4N1gHYoR0CnyZkzwGa63A2WK7vZ9-UhWmJajSWSVZdU1J59UAmuYZn21QeEe3S5rxu1jMJN6aTwRUI9hAFOb9AjzUlFxXJSeQzoGmUfHsfMLt7Al4YV9Z-o/s1600/4.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1293836109"><b>shains</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/greatgifts2011"><b>Recycled Bracelets </b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by shains</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 6-99 </div><div style="text-align: center;">Shains are bracelets made of rubbery plastic that you can modify with your own<br />
letters, symbols, & words! So much fun! They are a great gift for<br />
boys and girls!</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SyXLEdnySheKKQ_tXaC_vGLeCErDRokTsEvmZ10uwRylHhL-ReODdJwJ8gml6WfIbB4Ztw0i5WDt9Scr-4bm5gryPYHW1YS619cPN2OKyDFgdf9-uAgqAespEkORjN9A9UusWwAcCWM/s1600/5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SyXLEdnySheKKQ_tXaC_vGLeCErDRokTsEvmZ10uwRylHhL-ReODdJwJ8gml6WfIbB4Ztw0i5WDt9Scr-4bm5gryPYHW1YS619cPN2OKyDFgdf9-uAgqAespEkORjN9A9UusWwAcCWM/s1600/5.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/greatgifts2011"><b>Watercolor Postcards Portable Studio</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Chronicle Books</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 13-99</div><div style="text-align: center;">A wonderful set for beginning artists and those on the go. The materials provided include high quality paints and paper, thus this is not a set for the younger child.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-16421953309348307612011-12-05T12:02:00.000-08:002011-12-05T12:05:38.831-08:00Best Board Books of 2011!<div style="text-align: center;"><b>My Favorite Board Books of 2011!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSiHHEJJk1ZcwFM2oOrMyktVekcCkc38Fix6cnDTRrmcdwE3EKa7PNgyOFutqCi49W48FEI_S1uYz4V4z3Eie8vgCgkigxbJg7r_1RG9hv4pWXdJOZIu1ACHvx9vsXfrd4xvuoZw63fE/s1600/1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSiHHEJJk1ZcwFM2oOrMyktVekcCkc38Fix6cnDTRrmcdwE3EKa7PNgyOFutqCi49W48FEI_S1uYz4V4z3Eie8vgCgkigxbJg7r_1RG9hv4pWXdJOZIu1ACHvx9vsXfrd4xvuoZw63fE/s1600/1.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/BestBoardBooks2011">It's Time to Sleep My Love</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Eric Metaxas</div><div style="text-align: center;">illustrated by Nancy Tillman</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 0-3 </div><div style="text-align: left;">Richly illustrated dreamscapes combined with lyrical text make this an entrancing story for little eyes to behold! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfdz0Eoq6CWztr5-xVc1TucmCiwxZuTsHYru8hubDbetESTVOnqIF0kzB-a6wt7l_YP0UA7xzCyxFn3ESmK9RsGWXonCwdMaL-TlQuMABnb2zXFMvaI5Sy2g0cKs5vjOLy8wbgIdVOkw/s1600/2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfdz0Eoq6CWztr5-xVc1TucmCiwxZuTsHYru8hubDbetESTVOnqIF0kzB-a6wt7l_YP0UA7xzCyxFn3ESmK9RsGWXonCwdMaL-TlQuMABnb2zXFMvaI5Sy2g0cKs5vjOLy8wbgIdVOkw/s1600/2.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/BestBoardBooks2011"><b>The House in the Night</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Susan Marie Swanson</div><div style="text-align: center;">illustrated by Beth Krommes</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 0-3</div><div style="text-align: left;">Finally the Caldecott winner of 2008 is printed in a board book format! The black and white illustrations with spots of gold are high in contrast and grab even the youngest reader's attention. These fantastic illustrations combined with a magical poem that seems tailor-made for bibliophiles make this book a winner for children and adults alike!</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVqlLDqc3L_j3m-E-ANy5riQOerzSuX8WpnvS9GcgUyNRyQ0NxQBvO_GPh7l6mLrh0Z2Q-27B-B6EB5dqpgKGzxrYa0Zui6DxPTo2fNNGQPHLD7edBilrCGqECZB2mSrmSg8QcYtQsPM/s1600/3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVqlLDqc3L_j3m-E-ANy5riQOerzSuX8WpnvS9GcgUyNRyQ0NxQBvO_GPh7l6mLrh0Z2Q-27B-B6EB5dqpgKGzxrYa0Zui6DxPTo2fNNGQPHLD7edBilrCGqECZB2mSrmSg8QcYtQsPM/s1600/3.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/BestBoardBooks2011"><b>Orange Pear Apple Bear</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Emily Gravett</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 0-6</div><div style="text-align: left;">A concept book for a wide age range! Youngest readers will enjoy the whimsical illustrations while older pre-schoolers will enjoy bears that turn orange, apple, and pear! Oh the difference a comma can make!</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3QHJe_pPElxR60qrUY0bb86Gtn_6UQb9RWbDWxglvW90W8erHN5dnb8oAvuSu-hot0jHhZmmXcwgxLbCEtEjcxWzOjChlsZ_GcNCYTTNUkeRLaqZZnVby-J3Y2kb4Xdr42-RHmQVAr4/s1600/4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3QHJe_pPElxR60qrUY0bb86Gtn_6UQb9RWbDWxglvW90W8erHN5dnb8oAvuSu-hot0jHhZmmXcwgxLbCEtEjcxWzOjChlsZ_GcNCYTTNUkeRLaqZZnVby-J3Y2kb4Xdr42-RHmQVAr4/s1600/4.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/BestBoardBooks2011"><b>A is for Apple</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Tiger Tales</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 2-5</div><div style="text-align: left;">So simple and yet so brilliant , A is for Apple takes the basic alphabet book, combines it with lift-the-flaps, and tracing tracks to create a book that really makes those letters stick! Tracing the letters with little fingers is really going help certain youngsters understand letter shapes. And hiding under the flaps are additional words that start with the letter, re-enforcing the sound of the letter and the concept of words. A is for Apple is a great tool for teaching the alphabet!</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcDX0Gccx9hqN6JmgIOzapJoa4bxxTD-RUvARVWF1OajWrbglmSnZPVPPHt4e2CI6dipDhpqQwEwOb2b7BBb-cfGhBYMKBrpU79f3G6EYZf-jlvdex7QY2KX2zswlyBfzH84ugo7bll0/s1600/5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcDX0Gccx9hqN6JmgIOzapJoa4bxxTD-RUvARVWF1OajWrbglmSnZPVPPHt4e2CI6dipDhpqQwEwOb2b7BBb-cfGhBYMKBrpU79f3G6EYZf-jlvdex7QY2KX2zswlyBfzH84ugo7bll0/s1600/5.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/BestBoardBooks2011"><b>The Wizard of Oz</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/BestBoardBooks2011"><b>A Scanimation Book</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Rufus Butler Sedler</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 1-6</div><div style="text-align: left;">Watch scenes from the Wizard of Oz come to life! The youngest readers will enjoy the scanimation though this book will really appeal to toddlers and pre-schoolers familiar with the movie. Toddlers will enjoy the basic story retelling on the bottom of the page while pre-schoolers and adults will undoubtedly enjoy all the classic quotes scattered throughout.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-46367991845154036512011-12-05T10:46:00.000-08:002011-12-05T12:57:28.997-08:00Best Picture Books of 2011!<div style="text-align: center;"><b>My Favorite Picture Books of 2011!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipx6jTOG10oC7FfkcpxEUSqgjkL68a0i4d_8ya9JJotGiYtmZR6tPaPUl2WvlCkZl3UT8-HSke5BXBW_UiQjotPuSuFBt46Et9uhnVEH23oVtHvnlmiP6cuFQj7f23vwdYn_QR8ewlPM/s1600/1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipx6jTOG10oC7FfkcpxEUSqgjkL68a0i4d_8ya9JJotGiYtmZR6tPaPUl2WvlCkZl3UT8-HSke5BXBW_UiQjotPuSuFBt46Et9uhnVEH23oVtHvnlmiP6cuFQj7f23vwdYn_QR8ewlPM/s1600/1.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/bestpicture2011"><b>Bone Dog</b> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Eric Rohmann</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 4-8</div><div style="text-align: center;">Eric Rohmann's illustrations are fantastic, but it is the heartwarming story of the love between a boy and his dog, a love which lasts beyond grave, that makes this my favorite picture book of 2011! This can be used as a Halloween tale, or a tale for those dealing with the loss of a pet, but in truth it is just a great story. I should make it clear that I'm not a dog person, since having my own child I am actually scared of most dogs. Still I have nothing but respect for the bond that children and their pets share.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegztkE424qB1uaDoIJjwGTmcllH08Q2uqRafd0vugqpzawtQ0DN5n_VtDUVeo55PxxS-A6Z0x-_0Rh7HBA6gYPE1XOQQaCpgLE9w3ItLquirSVOVux_eeLU2ehNBRsg2Xw_iQEOCNclA/s1600/2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegztkE424qB1uaDoIJjwGTmcllH08Q2uqRafd0vugqpzawtQ0DN5n_VtDUVeo55PxxS-A6Z0x-_0Rh7HBA6gYPE1XOQQaCpgLE9w3ItLquirSVOVux_eeLU2ehNBRsg2Xw_iQEOCNclA/s1600/2.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <b><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/bestpicture2011">The Man in the Moon</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">by William Joyce</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 4-8 </div><div style="text-align: center;">Fantastical illustrations accompany this lovely steam-punk tale of how the moon, the man in the moon, and the Guardians of Childhood (Santa, Mother Goose, etc) came to be.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghL2Mja-QWASt4DkC93MfxFeNTF5qqJSFSZlEVsq8cWb8XJdv76ta9YclnGUo0S41gSgi0PhwgNnY2PKWZpUzBgQJWdPtnsW8K2UVy-yol_1WIsNesKZy56arDXXgOankFQJYmDLxnaAg/s1600/3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghL2Mja-QWASt4DkC93MfxFeNTF5qqJSFSZlEVsq8cWb8XJdv76ta9YclnGUo0S41gSgi0PhwgNnY2PKWZpUzBgQJWdPtnsW8K2UVy-yol_1WIsNesKZy56arDXXgOankFQJYmDLxnaAg/s1600/3.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/bestpicture2011"> <b>Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Michael B. Kaplan</div><div style="text-align: center;">illustrated by Stephane Jorish</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 2-6</div><div style="text-align: center;">Betty Bunny is a handful, a handful who loves chocolate cake, and has to learn how to be patient so that she can eat her chocolate cake. Betty Bunny's family, particularly her siblings play a big role in her story, and the illustrations make the Bunny family look like fashion models, in a good way. Betty Bunny is one of Oscar's favorites, thus this is not the first time I've mentioned the book. To read my first review about Betty Bunny click <a href="http://bookykids.blogspot.com/2011/07/oscars-favorites-at-275.html">here</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6a4Idxauz0DutZt6y4Nhea0Nzonio86OXYzzkBV75p_o-2sVVE6yjmJB3FZ1w_7zyyDYPpoNPm_ULlDei9pHx8pxqI8Q_QOAJHl4T2zj_n4td4Z0sHpGjem_VnxZJeq-8_D6SYx-GiZs/s1600/4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6a4Idxauz0DutZt6y4Nhea0Nzonio86OXYzzkBV75p_o-2sVVE6yjmJB3FZ1w_7zyyDYPpoNPm_ULlDei9pHx8pxqI8Q_QOAJHl4T2zj_n4td4Z0sHpGjem_VnxZJeq-8_D6SYx-GiZs/s1600/4.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/bestpicture2011"> <b>Home for Christmas</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Jan Brett</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ages 2-8 </div><div style="text-align: left;">This is perhaps the best Jan Brett book to come out since <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/15101"><i>The Mitten</i></a> in 1989. The story is of a wayward troll looking to find a home with all the animals except his own. In all honesty, Christmas comes up at the end, but it didn't have to be a Christmas book - alas I'm not Jan Brett's editor, I don't get a say. However, if you are going to have a Christmas story this is certainly one of the best out there. It is about family, it is about love, its got all the things the holiday should be about.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPfjgEMyi_KqKT7SY5n4KuL3V2HFZbi3cGXZRP8LKW-oL0mYC_13_djnBKnXF_jdUBW1k0A2MUcekq1xnwZnYpE_IqfAbbzwL2soCWzuA4QJt7MCxrX6ohr1Gd1B6JrG3hc3FvEYIsOE/s1600/5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPfjgEMyi_KqKT7SY5n4KuL3V2HFZbi3cGXZRP8LKW-oL0mYC_13_djnBKnXF_jdUBW1k0A2MUcekq1xnwZnYpE_IqfAbbzwL2soCWzuA4QJt7MCxrX6ohr1Gd1B6JrG3hc3FvEYIsOE/s1600/5.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/bestpicture2011"><b>An Annoying ABC</b><b> </b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Barbara Bottner</div><div style="text-align: center;">illustrated by Michael Emberley</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Ages 2-6</div><div style="text-align: center;">An alphabetical romp through mischievous pre-schoolers! I'm always on the lookout for books with fun ways to bring the alphabet into an actual story and this book certainly fits the bill!</div>BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-49180125289907251492011-12-05T10:02:00.000-08:002011-12-05T12:53:40.855-08:00Best Books for Youth from 2011!<div style="text-align: center;"><b>My Favorite Books for Youth from 2011!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>(Youth = ages 8-12)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7RsFKE332vyDuCoVuQPGpSgBHkgWfH4M8e45Fwav_a1RZ_MKfI2OYsDjoz52ulk89Art5SZcp0OXP7T8P5aWEovejSul_xunn4rXY1pFwCMvXXjTAzNVXcf9RemwfWVVP-tmpFDV64k/s1600/1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7RsFKE332vyDuCoVuQPGpSgBHkgWfH4M8e45Fwav_a1RZ_MKfI2OYsDjoz52ulk89Art5SZcp0OXP7T8P5aWEovejSul_xunn4rXY1pFwCMvXXjTAzNVXcf9RemwfWVVP-tmpFDV64k/s1600/1.gif" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/bestyouth2011"><b>Every Thing On It</b> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">by Shel Silverstein</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This new compilation of Silverstein poems is just as funny and touching as <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/15093"><i>Where the Sidewalk Ends</i></a> and <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/15092"><i>A Light in the Attic</i></a>! Although I have this categorized as Youth, this book is wonderful for all between the ages of 4 & 99!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOZi0raVQiy1T5_9P6uasf5-ZxsvA4kwfKcGoWdZygy5eKvRB0iqC9zJfr7V2-Xu8iHuURKNaxsnALu6bW1ECORZuBwdhi2yyUhoWwwiZ027G_krI8wEzDXrVnCE936haTZL23qt9oPs/s1600/2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOZi0raVQiy1T5_9P6uasf5-ZxsvA4kwfKcGoWdZygy5eKvRB0iqC9zJfr7V2-Xu8iHuURKNaxsnALu6bW1ECORZuBwdhi2yyUhoWwwiZ027G_krI8wEzDXrVnCE936haTZL23qt9oPs/s1600/2.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/bestyouth2011"><b>The Trouble with Chickens</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Doreen Cronin<b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">You can read all about my love for this title on my earlier blog post by clicking <a href="http://bookykids.blogspot.com/2011/03/refreshing-breeze-of-good-work-in-early.html">here</a>, but to recap - <i>The Trouble with Chickens</i> is a crime noir for kids! J.J. Tully is a retired search-and-rescue dog looking forward to a life of relaxation in the yard, so of course he gets roped into finding a chicken's missing chick. There's villains, adventure, daring escapes, and lots and lots of laughs. This is the BEST crime book for grades 3-7 EVER WRITTEN! </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILhOPjB0Q3rpHF8aYLxFe9Mygdk58xAtX9xb6Lx4yUfFO43cK8-5IW-fn-XfBN7BDq_IaS4S5LnCBJKuGNt9PxjBnpXBXpUaHqfRO1-sCMv5KzadO60pIZbU5_aaX6_4lfMKXEJxS_0w/s1600/3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILhOPjB0Q3rpHF8aYLxFe9Mygdk58xAtX9xb6Lx4yUfFO43cK8-5IW-fn-XfBN7BDq_IaS4S5LnCBJKuGNt9PxjBnpXBXpUaHqfRO1-sCMv5KzadO60pIZbU5_aaX6_4lfMKXEJxS_0w/s1600/3.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/bestyouth2011"><b>The Night Fairy</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Laura Amy Schlitz</div><div style="text-align: left;">I first wrote about this book in <a href="http://bookykids.blogspot.com/2010/05/spring-reads.html">May of 2010</a>, when it came out in hardcover. Well now in 2011 the paperback is available! This tale of an injured fairy is the best of the many fairy stories I've read. It isn't sweet, it isn't sappy, but it is touching, endearing, and very very memorable. Author Laura Amy Schlitz is a <a href="http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/aboutnewbery/aboutnewbery">Newbery</a> winner, and they don't give that award to just anybody.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9wd5MXtjLTJuY8FbgwC9hUh8h-Z58GCQK01ZF-_lBM5KIg1oLbYwfGccEWn4Cyeb3lPUAkBSo04TQHu1MfWC5SThyinsy2r5YCyKDQBT2P8RhyalkFxJgKNsTP9J2RaYsx10_Hr28tc/s1600/4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9wd5MXtjLTJuY8FbgwC9hUh8h-Z58GCQK01ZF-_lBM5KIg1oLbYwfGccEWn4Cyeb3lPUAkBSo04TQHu1MfWC5SThyinsy2r5YCyKDQBT2P8RhyalkFxJgKNsTP9J2RaYsx10_Hr28tc/s1600/4.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/bestyouth2011"><b>Pippi Longstocking</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Astrid Lindgren</div><div style="text-align: center;">illustrated by Lauren Child</div><div style="text-align: left;">Question: What's better than Astric Lindgren's world-famous story of an unusual girl of unusual strength named Pippi Longstocking?</div><div style="text-align: left;">Answer: Her tale of an unusual girl of unusual strength illustrated by the accomplished artist & author Lauren Child. <i>Pippi Longstocking</i> is even more fun when bright and colorful illustrations greet you on every other page.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdk3NN-O6Lu8Gu79bVotUrRoZTFH09IdOGVWAs8H78mrK5JO9QIxMC96OMkZxedeCenPhB2EyLwxzNacXt5yEexfNPfcDL4-NCoCROVdSZOpq9wZtks0LwpCUjWErymdp3wWnNXRM-oU/s1600/5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdk3NN-O6Lu8Gu79bVotUrRoZTFH09IdOGVWAs8H78mrK5JO9QIxMC96OMkZxedeCenPhB2EyLwxzNacXt5yEexfNPfcDL4-NCoCROVdSZOpq9wZtks0LwpCUjWErymdp3wWnNXRM-oU/s1600/5.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/bestyouth2011"><b>Pathfinder</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Orson Scott Card</div><div style="text-align: left;">The famous author of <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780765342294"><i>Ender's Game</i></a> has written a smashing fantasy/adventure novel for youth 10-14! A medieval world with space-age secrets is the backdrop for a young runaway king just learning to handle his magical powers. Originally published in Hardcover in 2010 this fantastic fantasy is now available in paperback.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> </b></div>BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-35176608016260401342011-12-05T09:22:00.000-08:002011-12-05T12:49:12.436-08:00Best Young Adult Books of 2011!<div style="text-align: center;"><b>My favorite Young Adult Books of 2011!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOHO4mf_Fc2NmvxsX363JWnVqhBoUezxrt1_Sm6LwlP7xKspuIEQWq4YY4w6e2PxPM1HjphyphenhyphenUtU5YWD6HPuXYqHVynIQA7jvaNf9XHxf3To4zj2dYL-_JBhEjS1vM5FxuFjhAj9beLW8/s1600/1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOHO4mf_Fc2NmvxsX363JWnVqhBoUezxrt1_Sm6LwlP7xKspuIEQWq4YY4w6e2PxPM1HjphyphenhyphenUtU5YWD6HPuXYqHVynIQA7jvaNf9XHxf3To4zj2dYL-_JBhEjS1vM5FxuFjhAj9beLW8/s1600/1.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/bestya2011">Glow </a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Amy Kathleen Ryan</div><div style="text-align: center;">A suspenseful action/adventure novel set in the claustrophobic confines of two dueling spaceships in outer space. Black and white meld into ever confusing shades of gray as two groups of teens try to survive the consequences of their elders' past decisions and current desires. This book provides a lot of food for thought on the nature of power, gender, and religion, but it doesn't give you any answers. Be warned this is only the START of a trilogy, so you will be left hanging.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0P5wYvjlk3p3xpOVbuYgX_ZYNK-rSORTVuGHfmsR4SR4ul8NXlszvf1xSuZDXq1EPKyiL1OAaBLp2wdFwouJAxh_2Ra5wDbeZ4iTJmSG50w7sIgQ8oKEn3ape_Tm57vdu79z_5dNFeM/s1600/2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0P5wYvjlk3p3xpOVbuYgX_ZYNK-rSORTVuGHfmsR4SR4ul8NXlszvf1xSuZDXq1EPKyiL1OAaBLp2wdFwouJAxh_2Ra5wDbeZ4iTJmSG50w7sIgQ8oKEn3ape_Tm57vdu79z_5dNFeM/s1600/2.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/bestya2011"><b>Shine</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Lauren Myracle</div><div style="text-align: center;">A young teen decides to face the dark underbelly of her small Southern town head on as she tries to solve the mystery of who beat her openly gay friend to the point of near death. I particularly loved how her need to help a friend ended up helping her overcome her own rape of two years prior. This book has a lot to say about sexuality, friendship, family, and drugs, but despite the heavy subject matter it is an engaging and adventurous read with unexpected turns and twists!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkRUYjYv9Z-EoQrW5MNIh_6FiUvcMq0-KX_oBtgZ0b_SzpFE2Bm1uUDV3Mhoz4f06JaVIdtE0bhZuV49gOMDButCKZJ0bMg7UCCs-SxJ7CZMdh2nM2I7i5c9TmNxJdLjEKP762QunkPw/s1600/3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkRUYjYv9Z-EoQrW5MNIh_6FiUvcMq0-KX_oBtgZ0b_SzpFE2Bm1uUDV3Mhoz4f06JaVIdtE0bhZuV49gOMDButCKZJ0bMg7UCCs-SxJ7CZMdh2nM2I7i5c9TmNxJdLjEKP762QunkPw/s1600/3.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/bestya2011"><b>Where Things Come Back</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by John Corey Whaley</div><div style="text-align: center;">This is a first novel from an author I'm sure we'll be hearing more from. Don't be fooled by the cover, this book has mature content and is definitely for teens! Sometimes publishers make artistic mistakes, fortunately the same cannot be said of the author. The book tells the story of a teen's struggles to make sense out of a summer of romantic pitfalls and a missing brother, while the town he lives in becomes a sort of avian Disneyland due to the supposed sighting of an extinct woodpecker. Trying to remain sane in a crazy world is a feeling most readers will identify with.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-84059120957627989862011-10-15T02:58:00.000-07:002011-10-15T03:03:25.261-07:00Haunted Reads for Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> There are some GREAT Halloween books out for kids this year!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlsGL2VaK-gxaAqMITkWqFimifzzRMzR8VaB_RAq_cNrh5zcxO3-wnI0DXrAwHCuEc689vn2-VSlCCbPOAyTaXiScolZvzX-lmq6XFMuGgpgfpasQfeBFSQI0LqzuUMvGsCNENOuaT6c/s1600/8.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlsGL2VaK-gxaAqMITkWqFimifzzRMzR8VaB_RAq_cNrh5zcxO3-wnI0DXrAwHCuEc689vn2-VSlCCbPOAyTaXiScolZvzX-lmq6XFMuGgpgfpasQfeBFSQI0LqzuUMvGsCNENOuaT6c/s1600/8.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11482"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Night of the Pumpkinheads</b></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">by Micheal J. Rosen</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ages 4-8 </span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Fantastic photos of carved pumpkin and squash leap off the page in this simple tale of vegetables trying (unsuccessfully) to give kids a scare on Halloween. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRA7_UIGsCf1z23AdDQR3dwP4FWGvcciXCLQdtezKX3Cic9rjrxj1yWGZnbwSQBes35F8tisvGD3U0DVjE8odMsF3Agh4X2fA8OFFI1fa4r9JnO5v-EsyBepBEnXFjgZ3bef-a3CM9TYw/s1600/1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRA7_UIGsCf1z23AdDQR3dwP4FWGvcciXCLQdtezKX3Cic9rjrxj1yWGZnbwSQBes35F8tisvGD3U0DVjE8odMsF3Agh4X2fA8OFFI1fa4r9JnO5v-EsyBepBEnXFjgZ3bef-a3CM9TYw/s1600/1.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11481"><b>Bone Dog</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>by Eric Rohmann</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ages 4-8</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">One of my favorite books to come out this year, <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11481"><b>Bone Dog</b></a> uses the Halloween holiday to illustrate how the love between a boy and his dog can last beyond the grave. The story can be read year-round and will be especially good for those grieving the loss of a beloved pet. After his dog dies a young boy doesn't feel much like trick-or-treating, but he dresses up and goes out anyway. He encounters scary skeletons and his dog (now Bone Dog) rescues him by calling to all the living dogs; living dogs, of course, love bones and the skeletons flee.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hCPdQEHu_O0KnwO-X8xInXM9pJi8PiAGwM_ploTGVm-8tx1uTlxYUG1PsM8Q7l2ROAnvUJOqGh70mw-FarmUHhOBq2UdVm6B0qgN7euCMECZa4ZnY2koiH_n1sNoQ_faU-RaZDyokGs/s1600/4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hCPdQEHu_O0KnwO-X8xInXM9pJi8PiAGwM_ploTGVm-8tx1uTlxYUG1PsM8Q7l2ROAnvUJOqGh70mw-FarmUHhOBq2UdVm6B0qgN7euCMECZa4ZnY2koiH_n1sNoQ_faU-RaZDyokGs/s1600/4.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11480"><b>The 13 Nights of Halloween</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>by Guy Vasilovich</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ages 3-8 </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The 12 days of Christmas gets a spooky re-do in this Tim Burton–esque picture book. As Halloween gets closer the creatures get creepier.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZzThzdCpj99vWXhAAQyXrVRDTSsu8JF96Y0p6KzUrVtg0bAJcnPsBw895soELGATVRbUf3Fg-tXBB5nc7-EH2VrCfnioKfw4BTPgiuSk0TEIriuLNbJxVTFdk0uM7nyv5dKOK6wAzCs/s1600/3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZzThzdCpj99vWXhAAQyXrVRDTSsu8JF96Y0p6KzUrVtg0bAJcnPsBw895soELGATVRbUf3Fg-tXBB5nc7-EH2VrCfnioKfw4BTPgiuSk0TEIriuLNbJxVTFdk0uM7nyv5dKOK6wAzCs/s1600/3.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11479"><b>One Spooky Night</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>by Kate Stone</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ages 3-8</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Gorgeous! This book's awesomeness is proven by the fact that the publishers are ALREADY out of stock and are frantically printing more to get it back into stores before Halloween. <span class="text">The story about a little monster's walk through the woods is cute, but it is the intricately cut pages that are overlaid with shadowy vellum that make this book graphic masterpiece.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="text"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_jpz87orJcUNuSOUaWCerKE0TZHj-cXPWPATPnFRNrBcNFtk14xr4x6U-J5oBu4cg9nk6R9_iFjxv-5zVdnsXxjEQYULWSt0IpibMISiYy_OqB-e0vL1rf_4eT2altjNE-3JSZE6vHOg/s1600/6.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_jpz87orJcUNuSOUaWCerKE0TZHj-cXPWPATPnFRNrBcNFtk14xr4x6U-J5oBu4cg9nk6R9_iFjxv-5zVdnsXxjEQYULWSt0IpibMISiYy_OqB-e0vL1rf_4eT2altjNE-3JSZE6vHOg/s1600/6.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11478"><b><span class="text">The I'm Not Scared Book</span></b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="text">by Todd Parr</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="text">Ages 2-6</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="text">This isn't really a Halloween Book, but it certainly can be used as one. Todd Parr simply illustrates a number of fears and gives kids a way to re-frame the situation.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="text">"</span>Sometimes I'm scared of dogs.<br />
I'm not scared when they give me kisses. <br />
Sometimes I'm scared I will make a mistake.<br />
I'm not scared when I know I tried my best."</div><div style="text-align: left;"> You could call this a self-help book for pre-schoolers; everybody needs some help sometimes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvkSMN0af4A4KXgkL6sTrZgj3KD7hxLV355Gfa7lNP-4gOOKXTK4l-G6fezNJoHW4PO9PiGB44AgzeDwufscvRKO09gSmeNv3sGCwVplMBALYN4zSYL1wcOsWwm5zFyHurc669mDVhuc/s1600/2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvkSMN0af4A4KXgkL6sTrZgj3KD7hxLV355Gfa7lNP-4gOOKXTK4l-G6fezNJoHW4PO9PiGB44AgzeDwufscvRKO09gSmeNv3sGCwVplMBALYN4zSYL1wcOsWwm5zFyHurc669mDVhuc/s1600/2.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11477"><b>Halloween 123s</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>by Patricia Reeder Eubank</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ages 1-4</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This cute board book is a favorite of customers. <span class="text">One little witch plans her Halloween party, with the help of two brooms, three ghosts, all the way up to ten guests.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-n3g6cOE1AXCmQt2gqfCjJzM698pEnACi6FDE7fpWHND4V-nP4PQczvtVMKZjizzNyVNV4l8HaJLL373jajgMnArsEuaSbhmwjN5kfAyUhGl3WchHUSBeeQSE14m1-0s8ikLH8ZNgNiM/s1600/5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-n3g6cOE1AXCmQt2gqfCjJzM698pEnACi6FDE7fpWHND4V-nP4PQczvtVMKZjizzNyVNV4l8HaJLL373jajgMnArsEuaSbhmwjN5kfAyUhGl3WchHUSBeeQSE14m1-0s8ikLH8ZNgNiM/s1600/5.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11476"><b>Hello Dudley</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>by Sam Lloyd</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ages 1-4</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This book doesn't even pretend to be for Halloween, but I stuck it here because it DOES have a monster, and it is super cute. Puppet Monster Dudley has bad manners and is exhausting to take care of, but he sure is fun! <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11476"><b>Hello Dudley</b> </a>is actually part of a series of puppet board books; I haven't read them all but if they are all as good as Dudley I'm sure they will be a huge success.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdl2YbvhsVSmSg4OluhBAc5XliRsfN-6Z563_rrYE7q0ok5UbKz_d0NvTETRRrhjOcz9og_83EDUe4qOwQY7yJwMolb9pbOrYGm-T6M5ZSVbnaon1zCXpTlfTMmcG0ClJGDo6Z-tzxLU/s1600/7.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdl2YbvhsVSmSg4OluhBAc5XliRsfN-6Z563_rrYE7q0ok5UbKz_d0NvTETRRrhjOcz9og_83EDUe4qOwQY7yJwMolb9pbOrYGm-T6M5ZSVbnaon1zCXpTlfTMmcG0ClJGDo6Z-tzxLU/s1600/7.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11475"><b>Little Spider</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>by Chronicle Books</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ages 0-3</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">I confess this book didn't come out this year, but this year was the first time I saw it, and I just had to include it in our spooky reads. These small board books with little finger puppets peeking out through die-cut holes are simply beloved by babies, toddlers, and their parents. <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11475"><b>Little Spider</b> </a>is a great way to bring some Halloween fun to a six-month-old.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-79949226964015945582011-09-22T07:26:00.000-07:002011-09-22T08:15:38.275-07:00What can the Man in the Moon teach you?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuc5ELUihm1u9v_WfXOuVKA5RdMv_WaP0B3qzmAJ2lV7sN6KeNhFDCHRVAB7zt34_c8Qokt9479Gy68ZA7Bu6a5e2qv_qxTdOfuR2578u15Ko12oZtJTMt-IrMXayrwniuy1xOjoJQtY8/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuc5ELUihm1u9v_WfXOuVKA5RdMv_WaP0B3qzmAJ2lV7sN6KeNhFDCHRVAB7zt34_c8Qokt9479Gy68ZA7Bu6a5e2qv_qxTdOfuR2578u15Ko12oZtJTMt-IrMXayrwniuy1xOjoJQtY8/s1600/1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11217"><b>The Man in the Moon</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>by William Joyce</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Many once upon a times ago </i>I used to manage not one, not two, but THREE parent educations programs for those with children 0-5. I had a staff of around ten that was supposed to serve the entire Inyo County, including far flung Death Valley, a four hour drive south. I was 28-years-old and had NO management experience - that is what you get for $12 an hour, no experience. When all is said and done I can say that I gave the job my all and tried my best; I may have even done a better job than others in the same situation would have. But I was inexperienced in management doing a job that normally would be done by two (in some cases even three) people, and I wasn't yet a parent. When I found myself crying every weekend I quit, I lasted a little less than two years. But while I was there I went to a great many trainings, and they all said the same thing <b>READ TO YOUR CHILD</b>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">At the time I fully embraced group think and never even thought to question the great educational dogma. But now that I have Oscar, and I read to him, and read to him, and read to him, sometimes I think back to all those trainings and wonder if there wasn't something I may have missed. Of course my reading to Oscar will help him become a future reader, but what other than job security for me will that accomplish. I know in truth, that it is all about school success, but after school, how important is reading, really, in the adult world?<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">A woman came into the bookstore the other month to buy something for her son, she couldn't remember what she wanted to buy so she called her husband on the phone, "I'm in the bookstore" she said over the phone. I could hear his reply, "Why, you don't read?". "Yes", she laughed, "I'm picking up something for Robbie....". I looked at this woman, was her life really so much less than mine because she didn't read. She looked happy, she had a family, she had money, at least she looked like she had more money than me. So she didn't read, she probably never read for pleasure, but was she less happy because of that? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Is it better for adults to read a James Patterson mystery novel or watch a movie? Is reading <b><i>Twilight </i></b>superior to seeing the film? Is it better to read a story to my son or have him watch Dora the Explorer? Dora teaches my son another language, she teaches him to remember instructions and complete them. Is she really so inferior to <b><i>Goodnight Moon</i></b>? I have never stopped reading, and reading, and reading to Oscar, but for the last six months my mind has sorta wondered - WHY?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And then two days ago, I read Oscar William Joyce's new picture book <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11217"><i><b>The Man in the Moon</b></i> </a>and suddenly everything clicked. <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/11217"><b><i>The Man in the Moon</i></b></a> is too old for Oscar, it has a rather complicated plot and takes place in outer space, a concept beyond many a two-year-olds' capabilities. But the bookstore got an advance copy of the book, and I took it home. Oscar saw the picture on the cover and I shrugged and started reading it to him. It took us half an hour to read the book through the first time, and most of the story went in one Oscar ear and out the other. But the kid LOVED it.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Oscar wouldn't let me just read the story and turn pages, instead he would stare at the pictures. At least 15 minutes was spent on one spread, a visually simple spread all in blues. The Man in the Moon (MiM) was a baby, his parents had just been killed in a battle, and he was alone on the moon looking up at a new constellation of stars and seeing his parents in the constellation. That's pretty heavy for a 2-year-old, and in all fairness the book is not written for two-year-olds. Oscar had me read the page over and over and over again. He was pouting, but he never cried, and I realized this was his first brush with the concept of death. He may have been introduced to the idea before, but now he was starting to understand it. And we talked about it, about how the baby felt, about where the parents were...I was scared I was going to scar my child with this book, but at the same time I was grateful to be having his conversation now, and NOT when something horrible actually happened. Because something horrible will happen, Oscar has four grandparents, is he going to have four grandparents when he's 20? Death is an important part of life, and I prefer to slowly introduce my son to the idea of it before it touches him.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">While reading this book with my son, while introducing him to these big concepts to him it hit me - the book is letting us do this. The book is helping me raise my child. A T.V. show could never do this, not so effectively, not so delicately. My son is smarter and wiser than he was two days ago and I have a book to thank for that. Rarely when watching T.V. do people stop to THINK about what they are seeing, but it is hard to be blind to that in a book, because while reading the words you already are in your mind, it's harder to ignore your own questions.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Most of the book was over Oscar's head the first time we read it, but now he understand almost everything. He understand outer space, he understands stars, spaceships, oaths... Much of what I thought was beyond his capabilities is not. It's been a big learning experience for Mommy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-24020487335136089682011-07-31T12:50:00.000-07:002011-08-01T07:01:39.293-07:00Oscar's Favorites at 2.75!Fortunately for me, Oscar loves books. He loves rhymes, and he loves a good story. Below are the titles most frequently requested at bedtime.<br />
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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/10467">Mother Goose Poems</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPg6ITSBA3KaMFSGg6At4pZjwgOLI0NPu3vw0K-ubV31bfQTms44s57NuX9esc2owHN4-DHBnhFg6yk8ZXU8ZZbyn2YasdSUKjSyChfw9Jbq7oVrjr_RMbgwywEGn6j9RdcIdkCHzJVI/s1600/1.gif" t$="true" /></div>It doesn't actually matter which book of Mother Goose poems it is, as long as there are some pictures Oscar will like it. We have, and Oscar adores, the fancy <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780811820882">Sylvia Long edition</a>, but it doesn't include as many poems as some of the other budget friendly compilations. Grandma has the edition pictured above, and when we go to her house Oscar seems to like it just fine. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/10468">Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1c3JbwWXFBlmrNpiqij49ZYWsekFcmHXLEbjlIIWspFgvyBJaT8ZI7cO_I8FpVFPeahMU6Old15CcsU5YvkaIduMOqkjaj6LIw9-qtsetf7KKmtAaBaXJAnSLsYpw2lXs-utaiGu2EV8/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1c3JbwWXFBlmrNpiqij49ZYWsekFcmHXLEbjlIIWspFgvyBJaT8ZI7cO_I8FpVFPeahMU6Old15CcsU5YvkaIduMOqkjaj6LIw9-qtsetf7KKmtAaBaXJAnSLsYpw2lXs-utaiGu2EV8/s1600/2.jpg" t$="true" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">When Betty Bunny eats chocolate cake for the first time, she declares, "I am going to marry chocolate cake." She loves it so much that she takes a piece to school with her in her pocket and refuses to eat anything else. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm a sucker for well-meaning but misbehaving children, and Betty Bunny is one of our favorites. I also love her wise-cracking big brother Bill. The only thing I don't like about this story is that Betty Bunny's mom makes me look like a frumpy dumpy mess! If only I could dress as fashionably as the Bunny family.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/10469">That Cat Can't Stay</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysdJp_B7T57AjzdB8CJFKBYkKmXQZ59vDWsNdxQSMAbDdrrWROgQEKZxYA0HxLMWmV1BN5dHPzb-kyyBcHVphVuSP4hIHG3cvrVfeHZKuAyS_g60chp3-Stc9Y2gJE4PU386j839sbt4/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysdJp_B7T57AjzdB8CJFKBYkKmXQZ59vDWsNdxQSMAbDdrrWROgQEKZxYA0HxLMWmV1BN5dHPzb-kyyBcHVphVuSP4hIHG3cvrVfeHZKuAyS_g60chp3-Stc9Y2gJE4PU386j839sbt4/s1600/3.jpg" t$="true" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">This entertaining book about a family with a penchant for cat adoptions is filled with fun illustrations and repetitive rhymes that Oscar loves. I only hope he never starts to take the book too seriously as we are renters and therefore we are NOT planning on getting any cats or dogs in the future.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780811872379">Chicken Big</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiysMX1x4Bnjr-PiVys5Zsn1VFToD2KAJV1l-JaPsq1tvsky8yeuAG5CIuO5W5TBe1-fgRyzVjzkhhIk5_6xLOVYrWf4VHvi0bPnUf8jJGRRubxt_5kndLcu5_9jtmut7STIHTnACIsDs/s1600/4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiysMX1x4Bnjr-PiVys5Zsn1VFToD2KAJV1l-JaPsq1tvsky8yeuAG5CIuO5W5TBe1-fgRyzVjzkhhIk5_6xLOVYrWf4VHvi0bPnUf8jJGRRubxt_5kndLcu5_9jtmut7STIHTnACIsDs/s1600/4.gif" t$="true" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Chicken Big</i></b> is a hilarious twist on the classic Chicken little. With all it's word bubbles and jokes it should be too old for Oscar, but he likes it anyway - hopefully he'll like it for a long long time.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/node/10470">Tugga-Tugga Tugboat</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CPletLtIJJhjrWiMA6G8kV3OGetiyiTZ0g2wXH4HvwdhiHYdThyphenhyphenxE9lHY0dLvpd6e-xrVQF6yT4px9IengCVY1Dm0ZLHbP1_tss5IeozkAvxRkXAPCnHkaWsVmNuRLOzg8i-KGZXFpw/s1600/5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CPletLtIJJhjrWiMA6G8kV3OGetiyiTZ0g2wXH4HvwdhiHYdThyphenhyphenxE9lHY0dLvpd6e-xrVQF6yT4px9IengCVY1Dm0ZLHbP1_tss5IeozkAvxRkXAPCnHkaWsVmNuRLOzg8i-KGZXFpw/s1600/5.gif" t$="true" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">The other night in the bathtub Oscar asked me to sing him the tugboat song. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I asked him to sing it for me, and he started reciting the words to our book <b><i>Tugga-Tugga Tugboat</i></b>. We started reading <b><i>Tugga-Tugga Tugboat</i></b> to Oscar before he was a year old, and he loved it. I thought that he would have outgrown the book by now, but he hasn't, in fact this last month <b><i>Tugga-Tugga Tugboat</i></b> has seen a resurgence in popularity in our house and has become his most asked for book at nighttime.</div>BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-27448840531678081102011-05-17T17:38:00.000-07:002011-06-12T20:42:04.056-07:00Good Book!<b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780375849732">Dark Water</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>By Laura McNeal</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The following is a shortened version of the dust jacket liner: Fifteen-year-old Pearl doesn't pay much attention to the migrant workers on her uncle's avocado grove...until Amiel. After coming across Amiel's makeshift hut near Agua Prieta Creek Pearl falls into a precarious friendship-and a forbidden romance. Then the wildfires strike. Pearl knows that Amiel is right in the path of the fire, so slipping away from safety and her family, Pearl moves toward the dark creek, where the smoke has become air, to warn him.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The dust jacket makes this National Book Award Finalist seem like a modern Romeo & Juliet with a climatic fiery ending. And I suppose it is, but yet it really isn't. Pearl's relationship with Amiel is only half the story. The other half is her relationship with her family: her cousin, her aunt and uncle on whose charity she and her mother live, and her father, who left them. There is also the ever present but never discussed relationship between these (white) people and the dark-skinned, Spanish-speaking people who surround them. The fact that this difficult relationship is not openly discussed gives the book a depth that would have been lost had the author, Laura McNeal, decided she had an axe to grind. There is no preaching, there is simply a description of what is.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the things I love about this story is that Pearl makes no excuses for her behavior, or her feelings. Introspection is not one of her stronger personality traits (nor is it for her age group in general), and her lack of questioning oddly makes her likable. Unlike most of the human race, Pearl is a girl who knows what she wants; Pearl wants Amiel, even if she doesn't really know why.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Laura McNeal has written a number of other books with her husband Tom. Their books include<i> <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780375830983">Zipped</a>,</i> <i><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780375841910">Crooked</a>, <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780375831218">Crushed</a></i>, and my personal favorite <i><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780375831225">The Decoding of Lana Morris</a></i>. All of these books feature teenagers in love. Another common theme I've noticed has been parental infidelity. I haven't read every book they've written, but from the ones I've read it seems as though they cover serious issues (foster care, disabilities, homosexuality) through the lens of teen love. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780375849732">Dark Water</a> </i>is different from their previous books, it was not written by Laura & Tom McNeal, it was written by Laura herself. And unlike their previous books, <i>Dark Water</i> is not so much a look at serious issues through the lens of teen love, but rather a look at teen love through the lens of serious issues. Amiel, Pearl's love, doesn't talk, he mimes. It was his miming that first drew her to him. He tells people he can't talk because of an accident, but later Pearl discovers the accident was his abusive grandfather choking him when he still lived in Mexico. So Amiel can't talk. That's a pretty serious issue: he was abused and now he has a permanent disability. Yet, Amiel's difficulty with speech makes the communication between Amiel and Pearl all the more interesting and endearing. And their communication, is the point of the story.</div>BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-74632886344627152642011-04-03T21:39:00.000-07:002011-04-04T14:20:12.584-07:00Oscar's Favorites at 2.5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9781402767937"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoyGvNDhrFwnu46595RG-uvZfvrswI-U4jL7UyXRPnTyLmN7cG4-JQzCWX_CdT_1LPwu1G8B3njCeFH8LR5i7WWlJA_Ga_60_ZSEG42QX1G5MrVPcn_bF-pjJI9M-8b4ZbDVX5M88grM/s1600/lcjack.JPG" /></a></div>For the past couple of weeks Oscar has asked for one thing at bedtime:<a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9781402767937"> JACK</a>. Sometimes he says "Read Jack?" and other times he'll make it more complicated by saying "Little Critter Jack now?" but the desire is always the same. He wants us to read him the Little Critter version of <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9781402767937"><i>Jack and the Beanstalk</i></a>. Little Critter, is, of course, the furry beast created by Mercer Mayer in the late 70s who, 30 years later, is still with us. (A couple of new books are published every year.) I love Little Critter because he is not perfect, (in fact sometimes he is downright naughty), but he tries, and the mouse or insect friends who follow him around from page to page are irresistible.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9781402767937"><i>Little Critter Jack and the Beanstalk</i></a> is a lift-the-flap book; it is hardcover and the pages are surprisingly sturdy for a book that retails for only $7.95. The words underneath the flaps are essential to the story, which is nice for 2.5-year-olds who want to feel like they are helping mommy read the book. I enjoy reading the book because it is FUNNY. The crow atop the cow asks if "this kid was born yesterday" when Jack trades the cow for a bag of beans. The little mouse is an adorable, doubting best friend to Jack. Every page has something to make you laugh or smile. At the end of the book Jack is a hero not because he brought riches to his poor mother, but because the hole that the giant made when he fell became an excellent wading pool that all the neighborhood kids can use.<br />
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<a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9781402767937"><i>Little Critter Jack and the Beanstalk</i></a> is actually one of a series of lift-the-flap Little Critter fairytale re-tellings. There is also <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9781402767944"><i>Little Critter Red Riding Hood</i></a> and <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9781402767920"><i>Little Critter Hansel & Gretel</i></a>. Oscar doesn't have them all, right now; they are hidden away as treats for future dates. But I'm sure, given his reaction to <i>Jack and the Beanstalk</i>, that the other Little Critter lift-the-flap fairytales will be well loved.BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-3055067203757311832011-03-16T10:49:00.000-07:002011-03-17T21:36:26.347-07:00A Refreshing Breeze of Good Work in the Early Chapter Books<div style="text-align: center;"><b>RANT</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I have read too many early chapter books in which nothing happens. The writing can be beautiful, poetic, exquisite; the books can have fantastic, complicated, 3-dimensional 7-year-old heroes and heroines;<b> </b>and the books can be utter bores. It seems as though a number of good authors have decided that because children like very simple picture books when they are young, they will like very simple chapter books when they start reading on their own. It is a logical conclusion, but it doesn't work. Early chapter books should have simple sentences, so beginning readers can read them, but the story doesn't have to be dull. Picture books are perhaps the ONLY works of fiction that don't need plot, but for all other forms, for adults, and for kids, plot is pretty essential.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>A REFRESHING BREEZE</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Fortunately there are some authors out there writing page-turning, hilarious, heart-felt early chapter books, and most recently the best one has come from an author famous for her picture books.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.doreencronin.com/doreencronin/index.html"><b>Doreen Cronin</b></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Doreen Cronin is best known for her picture book <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780689832130"><i>Click Clack Moo</i></a> which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 2001, but my personal favorites of her many picture books are the books in her Diary series: <i><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780060001506">Diary of a Worm</a>, <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780060001537">Diary of a Spide</a>r, </i>and the truly hilarious<a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780060001568"> <i>Diary of a Fly</i></a>. <b> </b> She has now taken her excellent sense of humor and put it in chapter form with the exceptional <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780061215322"><i>The Trouble with Chickens.</i></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_346184911"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRGLm5bzx9hAmPQSMmrP5ZrRYeGNp-RVgWywGMQ3zmbc9jsaWW1XJW_a6cVE1uBo2qBt39NY0enw4vafMuZJn0uOwVCF7_IcllYaGXKXJKUx7bOzHD9TDbX5NP9DZthhdpL9IHPu99xM/s1600/2.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780061215322"><i>The Trouble with Chickens</i></a> is a crime noir where J.J. Tully, a hard-boiled, retired search-and-rescue dog agrees to help track down a missing chicken. There is adventure, a villain, an impossible escape, and more laughs than I ever would have expected. The last time I read a crime noir this good it was Michael Chabon's <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780007149834"><i>Yiddish Policemen's Union</i></a>, and that won the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebula_Award_for_Best_Novel">Nebula Award for Best Novel</a>, the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locus_Award_for_Best_SF_Novel" title="Locus Award for Best SF Novel">Locus Award for Best SF Novel</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel">Hugo Award for Best Novel</a>, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidewise_Award_for_Alternate_History">Sidewise Award for Alternate History</a> for Best Novel. It was shortlisted for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BSFA_Award" title="BSFA Award">British Science Fiction Association Award</a> for Best Novel and the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe_Award" title="Edgar Allan Poe Award">Edgar Allan Poe Award</a> for Best Novel.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yiddish_Policemen%27s_Union#cite_note-0">[1]</a></sup> As of December 2008<sup class="plainlinks noprint asof-tag update" style="display: none;"><a class="external text" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Yiddish_Policemen%27s_Union&action=edit" rel="nofollow">[update]</a></sup>, a film adaptation is in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-production">pre-production</a>, to be written and directed by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coen_brothers">Coen brothers</a>. My point is, I can pick 'em, and I pick <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780061215322"><i>The Trouble with Chickens</i></a> as the best crime novel for grades 3-7 EVER WRITTEN.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.robertpaulweston.com/"><b><br />
<br />
<br />
Robert Paul Weston</b></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">In 2009 Robert Paul Weston made an incredible early chapter book debut with <i><a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9781595142955">Zorgamazoo</a>. <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9781595142955">Zorgamazoo</a></i> is a fantasy adventure novel for grades 3-7 that rhymes. THE ENTIRE BOOK IS WRITTEN IN RHYME! It is funny and fun, and when you are done your will not think in simple sentences but rather in iambic pentameter. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNPJPb5aF3f-MFh5gYk41RmVLEq5ASe0i7AFBEBhcOM2klwvhqmXDmvnc68FqXRD9GWU06XXvufNwgzQ1x3eJyVOUZCVdwkN8UpyagAGvLUAOcfv_hSguY4D9SJ84FtxC9k7z9t4MSkQ/s1600/3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNPJPb5aF3f-MFh5gYk41RmVLEq5ASe0i7AFBEBhcOM2klwvhqmXDmvnc68FqXRD9GWU06XXvufNwgzQ1x3eJyVOUZCVdwkN8UpyagAGvLUAOcfv_hSguY4D9SJ84FtxC9k7z9t4MSkQ/s1600/3.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <b>Publisher Marketing:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Are You a Believer in Fanciful Things? In Pirates and Dragons and Creatures and Kings? <br />
Then sit yourself down in a comfortable seat, with maybe some cocoa and something to eat, and I'll spin you the tale of Katrina Katrell, a girl full of courage (and daring, as well!), who down in the subway, under the ground, saw something fantastical roaming around . . .<br />
What was it she saw? I'd rather not say. (Who's ever heard of a Zorgle, anyway?)<br />
But if you are curious, clever and brave, if intrepid adventure is something you crave, then open this book and I'll leave it to you to uncover the secret of ZORGAMAZOO!<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_671781972"><br />
</a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ursulakleguin.com/UKL_info.html"><b>Ursula K. Le Guin</b></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ursula K. Le Guin is a lion in the science fiction world<b>, </b>and she also happens to have written one of my favorite series for kids, <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780439551892"><i>Catwings</i></a>. <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780439551892"><i>Catwings</i></a> is a series of little chapter books about cats with wings. The stories are not funny - in fact they can be heart-breaking - but they are all exciting, with happy endings and fantastic, classic illustrations that you remember forever. The books are for grades 1-5, though in truth the sentences are more complicated than most 1st graders could read on their own.<b> </b> Each little book retails for $4.99, but personally I'd recommend buying the <a href="http://www.spellbinderbookstore.com/book/9780439551052">set</a> (while it is still in print).</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcS0L8DlKNaasJP2bVHWVj2E6HNKAPvQklXAFNBauSnfLXaHBfO9ahvF0vhKqiaQZwSA_KzItf83GqrDO-8M2nMcr2roc8qey0jZbQ9bt2qbrkgzGnEXaBpH_fLh7h72-LguGgzKf6O4/s1600/1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcS0L8DlKNaasJP2bVHWVj2E6HNKAPvQklXAFNBauSnfLXaHBfO9ahvF0vhKqiaQZwSA_KzItf83GqrDO-8M2nMcr2roc8qey0jZbQ9bt2qbrkgzGnEXaBpH_fLh7h72-LguGgzKf6O4/s1600/1.gif" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div>BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948408029999902934.post-7358590361516117452011-01-28T22:51:00.000-08:002011-03-16T11:15:43.030-07:00Watch out Vampyres, the Wolves are on the prowl!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94A37lIAGxZIunFZ_OVLdswI3C__R0WbjbKOHRvwQYtYdAy1mCQh-UuKcfhGogGZrbd9NPaa20fjmACXBlXw1ojlhsOUVhCUJUM3H39aOy_5tt0rFQRb8ebBRz9hG4TdLXrD_mjo-M-c/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94A37lIAGxZIunFZ_OVLdswI3C__R0WbjbKOHRvwQYtYdAy1mCQh-UuKcfhGogGZrbd9NPaa20fjmACXBlXw1ojlhsOUVhCUJUM3H39aOy_5tt0rFQRb8ebBRz9hG4TdLXrD_mjo-M-c/s400/1.jpg" width="264" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsrDvp3SnS_izs4QXxp-pS-uonWLpXeZSBWwGbWoy1tPa6jojHg79nRr_5RCzbpfJtLWFOhamJq6ro_NNTbNhlIT6SRYp-WcHZ_cns4cjTXCnAtubzRbbDW-H2gPhuCmNMyi1PxcOoSI/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsbIPgvROgI496MM7mC4ttSCwn_l8lRCBSVNO8bfftSPBXCZ6CBgrr9a3gL8QzsTcS8CUBdRJvQeeF_5DU8K7MfP_P0fHpdih4Og5NKFSa-DWIjFMkv4Hupw-8YoFvsjBJjmADo77A5Q/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsbIPgvROgI496MM7mC4ttSCwn_l8lRCBSVNO8bfftSPBXCZ6CBgrr9a3gL8QzsTcS8CUBdRJvQeeF_5DU8K7MfP_P0fHpdih4Og5NKFSa-DWIjFMkv4Hupw-8YoFvsjBJjmADo77A5Q/s400/2.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsrDvp3SnS_izs4QXxp-pS-uonWLpXeZSBWwGbWoy1tPa6jojHg79nRr_5RCzbpfJtLWFOhamJq6ro_NNTbNhlIT6SRYp-WcHZ_cns4cjTXCnAtubzRbbDW-H2gPhuCmNMyi1PxcOoSI/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>When vampires, or excuse me vampyres overtook pirates (with the exception of the <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316033220">Vampirates</a> series) I thought it would just be a phase. In 2008 I thought the vampires were heading into extinction with zombies coming in to take up the mantle. I was wrong. Don't get me wrong, the zombies came, and are still around, as are the faeries (gotta be cool, spelling it f-a-i-r-y would be a sure sign you hadn't been a book store for five years or more - but that said I've never been cool so from this moment on I'm going back to the fairy spelling). Vampyres are still around, and, these days, so are the wolves. Apparently the actor who played Isabella's werewolf boyfriend in the Twilight movie was hotter than her vampire true love. At least that is what I was told, I didn't see the film, and I haven't read the books. I know, shame on me. But don't worry, I've made up for my lack of Twilight reading by setting my eyes on numerous other vampire and mythical creature books. And lately I've fallen in love with the wolf.<br />
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To be clear, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781595142962/robert-paul-weston/dust-city">Dust City</a>'s fabulous wolven creatures are NOT werewolves.<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781595142962/robert-paul-weston/dust-city"> Dust City</a> goes the fairyland route with humans, goblins, ravens, donkeys, wolves, and fairies occupying the same dirty sprawling metropolis. Except in <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781595142962/robert-paul-weston/dust-city">Dust City</a> the fairies have been killed, and what's left of their fairy dust is a rare drug, bought and sold on the black market, and highly addictive. <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781595142962/robert-paul-weston/dust-city">Dust City</a> practically opens up with a description of a saliva filled wolf kiss; this is not a book for the faint of heart, but it is a great book! My 12-year-old neighbor LOVED it, as did her mother. It has not yet become a top seller at the bookstore, but give it time, with word of mouth I am certain this title will spread all over our small town like the latest cold. It's a Blade Runner fairy tale, and is perhaps the most creative book that came out in 2010.<br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781423116653">Red Moon Rising</a> does have werewolves, and vampyres, and humans. All races have formed an uneasy alliance where they live and work next to each other, but not happily. Vampyres and humans are the elites, and the wolves are the poor & downtrodden. Essentially the story unfolds in a time of a civil rights battle and Dante (Danny), our 1/2 vampyre and 1/2 wolf hero would have a much easier time of it if his wolf side would disappear. Of course, that doesn't happen. In <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781423116653">Red Moon Rising</a>, author Peter Moore has created a world of with vampyres, werewolves, night-time high schools, lesbian best friends, first kisses, and equal rights rallies that is utterly familiar. In a somewhat disturbing way I think this book about werewolves gives one a better sense of the civil rights movement than most history tomes. Perhaps that is because most people don't read history tomes.BookyGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239216887599784580noreply@blogger.com0