This Librarian's Quick Picks: When Green Becomes Tomatoes

When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons 
by Julie Fogliano
Roaring Brook (Mar. 1, 2016)
Nonfiction Poetry

Summary:

Flowers blooming in sheets of snow make way for happy frogs dancing in the rain. Summer swims move over for autumn sweaters until the snow comes back again. In Julie Fogliano's skilled hand and illustrated by Julie Morstad's charming pictures, the seasons come to life in this gorgeous and comprehensive book of poetry.

Why You'll Love It:

• The artwork has a cozy, inviting feel. The height of each time of year is encapsulated in universal images: children playing on the beach in August, for example, and playing in the snow in December. Full-spread illustrations are particularly striking, such as one of a boy and girl sitting on a hill and gazing up at a starry sky.
• Featuring forty-eight poems broken into four sections, the collection is ideal for dipping into throughout the year and will reward multiple reads. 
• This is a perfect arrival for both the changing of the seasons here in Tennessee and a celebration of poetry month!

Who Should Read It:

Great for 1st-4th graders.

What Else You Should Read:

• Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems by Paul B. Janeczko
• Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold by Joyce Sidman
• Hi, Koo!: A Year of Seasons by Jon Muth

This Librarian's Quick Picks: Wet Cement

Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems
by Bob Raczka
Roaring Brook (Mar. 8, 2016)
Poetry

Summary:

Who says words need to be concrete? This collection shapes poems in surprising and delightful ways. Concrete poetry is a perennially popular poetic form because they are fun to look at. But by using the arrangement of the words on the page to convey the meaning of the poem, concrete or shape poems are also easy to write!

Why You'll Love It:

•  While short, the poems are by turns amusing and thoughtful and make excellent use of figurative language devices. Plus, it makes an excellent mentor text for poetry units!
• A few layouts may test some readers, such as one about a home run in which one whole line is printed backward, but most students will enjoy the challenge.
• Readers will enjoy turning the volume upside down and every which way to catch every word and nuance and won't miss illustrations a bit. 

Who Should Read It:

Great for 2nd-6th grades...and here's a resource to use as you write!

What Else You Should Read:

• Ode to a Commode: Concrete Poems by Brian Cleary
• Santa Clauses: Short Poems from the North Pole by Bob Raczka
• Firefly July by Paul Janeczko

This Librarian's Quick Picks: Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold

Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold
by Joyce Sidman; illustrations by Rick Allen
Houghton Mifflin (November 4, 2014)
Nonfiction poetry

Summary:

A collection of poems that explores how animals survive the cold during the winter season. Provides additional facts about the animals and the season. 

Why You'll Love It:

• While most poems address familiar topics (snowflakes, moose, trees, chickadees), springtails (snow fleas) and skunk cabbage (an early flowering spring plant) will be new to many.
• Each poem is accompanied by facts as well as a glossary in the back of the book.
• This book perfectly marries poetry, science, and art! Check out the hand-colored linoleum blocks used in the illustrations:

Who Should Read It:

Great for grades 1-5...and here's the educator's guide.

What Else You Should Read:

• Pug: And Other Animal Poems by Valerie Worth
• Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman
• Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors by Joyce Sidman

This Librarian's Quick Picks: Santa Clauses

**I know, I know...it's not even Halloween yet, but I've been chomping at the bit to blog about this book since seeing a galley of it at ALA this summer. Also, if you work in an elementary library you know that kids NEVER stop checking out Christmas books ;)

Santa Clauses: Short Poems From the North Pole
by Bob Raczka
Carolrhoda Books (Sep.1, 2014)
Poetry

Summary:

Santa can fly a sleigh, squeeze down chimneys, and circle the globe in a night. But did you know he also writes haiku? These twenty-five short poems--composed by Santa himself--give you a peek into life at the North Pole. 




 Why You'll Love It:

• An engaging picture book that offers a fresh take on classic Christmas themes.
• The haiku form proves an effective and evocative vehicle for capturing both the snowy environs of the North Pole (“December 13th: Mother Nature trims / her trees with icicles, snow, / pinecones, and moonlight.”), and the wonder and magic of the holiday season (“December 4th: Sprinkling sand on my / snow-covered steps, thinking of / nutmeg on eggnog.”).
• Chuck Groenink’s artwork hits all the right notes. His warm, bright illustrations of life inside Santa’s house are intimate and lively, while his striking night scenes trade the homestead’s reds and browns for crisp, wintry whites and blues.
• A gentle sense of humor permeates a number of the poems: “December 20th: Workshop warning / in effect, heavy sawdust / accumulation.”
• Readers may be inspired to create their own winter- and holiday-themed haikus.

Who Should Read It:

Great for PreK-4th grade.

What Else You Should Read:

• The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore (the Robert Sabuda pop-up edition!)
•  Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems by Paul Janeczko
• Little Santa by John Agee

This Librarian's Quick Picks: Elementary Edition

The Loud Book

by Deborah Underwood
Houghton Mifflin, 2011

Summary:

From the blare of an alarm clock in the morning to snores and crickets in the evening, simple text explores the many loud noises one might hear during the course of a day.

Why You'll Love It:

• Deborah Underwood invites young readers to think about sound in intriguing ways. Her catalog of loud moments includes things that sound loud (alarm clocks, fire truck sirens), as well as things that feel loud (burps during quiet time, a mother’s disapproval).
• The book’s world feels cozy and lived-in, thanks to Renata Liwska’s adorable animals and soft color palette.
• Readers will have fun comparing The Loud Book to The Quiet Book, which shares the same playful sensibility and appealing cast of characters.
• Children may be inspired to think about the different kinds of moments that make up their days.

Owly and Wormy, Friends All Aflutter!

by Andy Runton
Athenum, 2011

Summary:

Good friends Owly and Wormy are disappointed when their new plant attracts fat, green, bug-like things, instead of butterflies, until a metamorphosis occurs.

Why You'll Love It:

• Andy Runton conveys his story entirely through illustrations; even the characters’ “speech” bubbles contain only images and easily recognizable symbols. This approachable format will attract pre-readers, beginning readers, and reluctant readers.
• The simple tale is full of heartwarming details and subtle humor, such as the nuanced expressions on Owly’s face and the appearance of a compact fluorescent lightbulb over his head when he has an idea.
• Cute characters and saturated backgrounds give the bold artwork wide appeal. The design will also draw in lovers of comic books and the existing Owly graphic novels.
• Attentive readers may notice cocoons gradually getting bigger on Owly’s plant. When Owly learns the relationship between caterpillars and butterflies, readers will, too. Or, if they already know the connection, they’ll have the joy of solving the mystery of the green bugs’ disappearance before Owly does. 

Queen of the Falls

by Chris Van Allsburg
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011
Genre: Biography

Summary:

Recounts the stunt performed by sixty-two-year-old retired charm school instructor Annie Edson Taylor, who went over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel in an effort to gain fame and fortune.

Why You'll Love It:

• It's Chris Van Allsburg! He's back! Do you really need any other reasons??? 

What's For Dinner? Quirky, Squirmy Poems from the Animal World

by Katherine B. Hauth
Charlesbridge, 2011
Genre: Poetry

Summary:

A collection of illustrated poems for children that explore the dietary preferences of animals, describing the menus of turkey vultures, archer fish, baby wasps, and more.

Why You'll Love It:

• Biology, verse, and colorful cartoons make a fun combination in this collection of 29 poems in which the wordplay is sometimes as gruesome as the science.
• Delectable poetic lessons on the food chain designed to help young readers rather literally digest the natural world. 
• Ink-and-watercolor images balance grotesque or absurd touches (think bulging eyes, sharp teeth, lolling tongues) with bright colors and attractive details.

 

This Librarian's Quick Picks: Elementary Edition

Miss Lina's Ballerinas
by Grace Maccarone
Grades PreS-1


Ballet instructor Miss Lina has a solution when her eight students, who always dance in pairs, are distraught when a ninth girl joins the class.


Why You'll Love It:

• Davenier’s free-spirited drawings and color washes add a sense of music as well as movement to the scenes.
• It reminds me of the Madeline books.
• Makes a great introduction to a math lesson on number groupings.

Rain School
by James Rumford
Grades K-3


The children arrive on the first day of school and build a mud structure to be their classroom for the next nine months until the rainy season comes and washes it all away.


Why You'll Love It:

• This book gives young children a glimpse into the school life of children in another part of the world.
• The message of the story is clear-while the school structure may be temporary, education is permanent.
• Rumford's illustrations make great use of color, dark brown skin and bright shirts, shorts and dresses against golden backgrounds, the hues applied in smudgy layers that infuse each scene with warmth-until the gray rains arrive. 

Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems
by Kristine O'Connell George
Grades 1-4


A collection of poems in which Jess explores the joys and aggravations of being Emma's big sister.


Why You'll Love It:

• The straightforward, honest poems contain a whole range of feelings: embarrassment, fury, affection, and pure terror.
• The poems and art tell an absorbing story -- complete with a few tense moments and a warm, believable conclusion.
• Spring-colored line drawings in pen-and-ink and digital media are filled with engaging details, expressive characters, and lots of humor, and bring the family dynamics to life.

Gold! Gold from the American River!
by Don Brown
Grades 4-6


Introduces young readers to the history of the California gold rush, describing the journey to California, the process of panning for gold, and the fortunes that this gold brought many different people.


Why You'll Love It:

• The author does not hesitate to reveal the darker side of mining communities. One illustration vividly depicts the shotgun murder of an American Indian, with a description of the tragic fate of many Indians in the goldfields through violence, disease, and enslavement.
• The inventive page compositions and scratchy watercolor cartoon figures carry small, telling dramas (the tiny grin that punctuates a successful panner’s face is priceless), and sweeping western landscapes come into full relief.

Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret UFOs
by Donald J. Sobol
Grades 2-4


Ten brief cases allow the reader to match wits with ten-year-old crime-buster, Encyclopedia Brown, as he investigates such cases as whether a diary of George Washington's mother is authentic, or if a UFO picture supposedly taken by the army is real.


Why You'll Love It:

• Each of the ten chapters is a brief, self-contained mystery; readers might choose to dip into the book, reading a case or two at a time, or they may devour the book in one sitting.
• James Bernardin’s detailed illustrations enhance the stories, showing Encyclopedia Brown in action.
• Young sleuths can consult the solutions at the back of the book—whether they’re stumped or to confirm their exceptional detective work.

This Librarian's Quick Picks: Elementary Edition

Welcome Home, Mouse

by Elisa Kleven

Summary:

Stanley, who is very clumsy, accidentally smashes Mouse's house, then promises to try to make a new one.

Why You'll Love It:

• Lovingly detailed artwork will draw children back to the book again and again. Elisa Kleven’s collage illustrations are a rich tapestry of color, texture, and pattern.
• The plot reads as a how-to for Kleven’s artistic process. Stanley collects small objects throughout the story, and pieces them together to make a beautiful new home for Mouse. Children, in turn, may be inspired to create their own collages or dioramas.
• Kleven shows that good deeds matter a whole lot more than mistakes. Stanley’s clumsiness costs Mouse her home, but Stanley’s thoughtfulness gives her both a new home and a new friendship.

A String of Hearts

by Laura Malone Elliot

Summary:

Sam's friend Mary helps him make a special valentine for the girl he likes, but when that girl does not notice him Sam realizes he already has a special person in his life. Includes facts and information about the history of Valentine's Day.

Why You'll Love It:

• Laura Malone Elliott’s big-hearted story nudges Sam toward the realization that his friends are the people who appreciate him—which is why it’s important, in turn, to appreciate his friends.
• Lynn Munsinger’s watercolor art is cheery and simple without being simplistic. Doing away with most background detail, Munsinger uses white space and light washes to draw attention to the characters and their body language. Mary Ann, for example, has an adorably oversized tail that often clues readers into her emotions; it perks up when she spots Sam, then sags when Sam admits his crush on Tiffany, a popular classmate.
• Teachers can use A String of Hearts as a jumping-off point for Valentine’s Day history lessons—an end note explains the origins of the holiday—or craft and writing projects. As Mary Ann says to Sam, valentines are unique opportunities to reflect on “why you like a person” and “what’s special about her.”

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fables to Read Together

by Mary Ann Hoberman
Genre: Poetry/Fables

Summary:

A collection of short retellings of Aesop's fables, each told in two voices designed especially for young children and adults to read together.

Why You'll Love It:

• Mary Ann Hoberman and Michael Emberley combine talents to wonderful effect in thirteen clever retellings of Aesop’s fables.
• An author’s note and a brief introduction explain the book’s concept and how to read the text in two voices: clear, color-coded typography and page design make it easy for readers to know when it’s their turn.
• Begs to be read aloud! Hoberman uses an impressive economy of words for each fable; her brief lines of text brim with simple rhymes, alliteration, and repetition.
• Readers will enjoy Emberley’s characters, which exude liveliness and humor in expression and body language.

Elsie's Bird

by Jane Yolen

Summary:

Young Elsie must find a way to adapt to her new home on the Nebraska prairie after she and her father leave their comfortable city life in Boston.

Why You'll Love It:

• A touching story about family, loss, change, and what makes a house a home.
• Throughout her lyrical text, Jane Yolen refers to everyday noises including human voices, church bells, and bird calls, effectively drawing attention to the pervasiveness and emotional power of sound. “Sitting there by the burbling creek, in the green-gold grass, under the sun-washed sky, Elsie finally heard the voice of the plains.”
• With striking beauty, David Small’s watercolor and pastel illustrations perfectly capture the contrasting city and prairie environments. The people, animals, and buildings of Boston give way to vast expanses of plains and sky. As Elsie comes to see Nebraska as home, greater detail and more color enter the artwork.

The Taxing Case of the Cows: A True Story About Suffrage

by Iris Van Rynbach
Genre: Nonfiction

Summary:

 Sisters Abby and Julia Smith attract the attention of women's suffrage supporters across the country when they refuse to pay property taxes on their cows because they are not allowed to vote--a case they say is taxation without representation.

Why You'll Love It:

• This engrossing true story highlights the importance of advocacy and community involvement in bringing about change. It also shows how the efforts of just a few people can affect many people.
• Emily Arnold McCully’s richly detailed paintings reveal extensive historical research, accurately portraying the dress, technology, and customs of the time period.
• A useful starting point for a variety of civics discussions, including women’s suffrage, tax law, and property rights.
• An author’s note provides more information about the “"feisty and independent” Smith sisters and the rest of their remarkable family.

This Librarian's Quick Picks: Elementary Edition (K-3)

The Desperate Dog Writes Again 
by Eileen Christelow

Summary:

Emma e-mails "Ask Queenie," an advice column for dogs, when her owner George begins spending too much time with a new girlfriend.

Why you'll love it:

• Emma's misinterpretation of events and her attempts to oust her owner's new girlfriend from their lives—by stealing cookies and e-mailing an advice column for dogs, among other things—are hilarious. Equally entertaining are comments from an also-exasperated cat, the canine columnist's responses, and the girlfriend's dog's enthusiastic friendliness.
• Eileen Christelow's energetic comic-book-style artwork effectively illustrates Emma's unflagging approach to her chosen task.
• Children may identify with Emma's feelings of jealousy and her concern that a new family member will take her place in George's life.

Doggy Slippers

by Jorge Lujan
Genre: Poetry

Summary:

A collection of poems about pets inspired by children who sent the author humorous anecdotes about their pets.

Why you'll love it:

• An unusual approach to the subject matter: children contributed to the book by sending Jorge Luján ideas over the Internet.
• The artwork has a childlike aspect that mirrors the poems. Isol incorporates scribbles and colors that often stray outside her drawn lines. A muted palette also contributes to the unique and memorable illustrations.
• The clever, accessible poems offer moving descriptions of everyday interactions between children and their pets. For example, “Life is good. / Kitty makes it better / when things go wrong.”

Hamster Magic

by Lynne Jonell

Summary:

When the Willows move into a new house, Celia, the youngest of four children, traps an enchanted hamster, who reluctantly agrees to grant the children one wish in exchange for his freedom.

Why you'll love it:

• Lynne Jonell interweaves magical (animals that can talk and grant wishes) and realistic elements into an entertaining story.
• Celia is amusing and convincing as a large-dog-sized hamster. Though she can still speak, she otherwise acts as a rodent would, with a sudden affinity for gnawing on wood, eating nonstop, and running wildly in circles. “You don't know how it feels!” she tells her siblings. “I’m a hamster! I was born to run!”
• Younger siblings especially may relate to Celia’s feelings about being tired of being the baby of the family and being ignored just because she’s the smallest.
• Perfect for readers who have recently graduated to chapter books. The satisfying ending leaves room for a sequel.