So, when you have kids in school, they get sick.  They get you sick.  You pass it back to them.  This has been a brutal winter for the flu, and in our house, someone had been out cold with something violent for the last 2 months.  Knock wood, it’s over with.  On the downside, we watched a lot more TV in our house than we usually do.  On the upside, we also read more.  And there were times when we were all sick, and I didn’t feel up to reading, so they watched TV, and I read.  And when I read comfort books, I read YA.  So I did a fair bit of catching up this winter.  I read lots of sequels in series I already love, but I also discovered two new series that I’m enjoying, and as they have some nice similarities, I thought I’d put them together.

Neither is set in a dystopic future, rather in more of a old fashioned world of the past.  Both concern rulers, but not princess-in-disguise ones (well, one is a prince in disguise) as it’s actually about the making of a ruler.  Both have a love interest, but those are incidental, not central.  And one features a boy, one a girl.  So pick your pleasure.  I recommend them both.

Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Elisa is the heroine, and at the beginning, a very unlikely, unlovely and unworthy one. At least that’s how she sees herself.  And since she’s our narrator, that’s also how we see her.  Set in a world of magic and divine right, Elisa was born with a godstone, meaning she is blessed (or cursed) with the charge of being “the one” to do something great.  Overweight, pampered and cosseted, yet slightly useless, she lives in the shadow of her beautiful and dynamic older sister.  We meet her on her wedding day to a handsome prince of a near by kingdom.  And while she does undergo a transformation, it’s mental (the physical changes are secondary).  The ugly duckling doesn’t necessarily become a swan, but she becomes a strong duck who sees her own capabilities and worth.  Interesting for it’s exploration of religion without being a treatise on religion, this book makes you think.  And for all that heroines like Katniss or Tris are every/any girl, their strength and beauty somehow sets them apart.  Yet for all that Elisa is the God-chosen one, she somehow feels like a very real and relatable girl.  And hoo-boy, there’s a shocker of a twist… The sequel, Crown of Embers, is equally compelling.  The third book in the trilogy comes out later this year, so it’s an excellent time to catch up!

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Again, what makes this book good is the journey.  Here’s the log line: The entire royal family has been killed.  No one in the kingdom knows.  To save the country, a noble man finds three boys who look like the youngest son of the family, who was in fact killed by pirates years ago.  These boys compete to convince him that they can impersonate the second son and rule the kingdom before it spirals into chaos and civil war.  The winner becomes prince.  The losers die.  The biggest problem with the book is SPOILER ALERT (I’m not actually going to tell you the spoiler, but telling you that I figured out the twist, tells you there is a twist, so now you know) is that the twist is something that anyone who has ever read a book, ever, has figured out by about page 2.  Seriously, if it takes you to page 5, you’re skimming and not paying attention.  Actually, if you haven’t already figured it out, you’re not paying attention.  YET – I like this book.  I like the way the reveal happens.  I like the main character and how we see who is he is as a person and who he will become.  And it sets us up nicely for the next book (The Runaway King)…  oh, and I like that he’s a boy!

So somehow, I managed to give away the whole book, while telling you nothing pertinent.  Useless!  But here’s what’s useful – if you want a break from dystopic future leader/princess of the revolution books (and I say that with lots of love), these are fabulous books to put on your summer reading list, introduce to the young teen in your life, and then indulge in a fabulous and deep conversation about our very inner natures and secret selves.  Enjoy.

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Circus by Lois Ehlert

We are big fans of Lois Ehlert’s books, with their bright bold colors and enticing cut-paper collage.  Circus is Ehlert at her best, with quirky but spot-on choices to represent circus magic.  The ring-master tells the story by introducing each amazing animal or act, like the Pretzel Brothers, a pair of leaping lizards, Hugo, the world’s largest elephant, and marching snakes.  There is even a very lovable clown (which is good, because clowns tend to be a bit creepy for many of us).  The text and pictures capture the sounds, sights, and smells of the circus ( in a good way!), and can lead to terrific dramatic play for little ones as they act out the story.

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The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen

This delightful adventure is set in the 1800′s, and allows young readers to see circus life from the circus animals’ point of view.  On a steamship on their way to perform in Boston, the animals are shipwrecked on an island off the coast of Maine.  It’s a great escape for the animals from their cruel circus boss, but the people on the island are not so happy to find elephants walking through their gardens, monkeys hanging from their clotheslines, and exotic snakes wandering through their pantries.  But the tide turns when the tiger saves a young child, and the townspeople come together to do the same for the animals.  The illustrations are bright, energetic, and humorous, and children love the rhyming text.  Thanks to Ben and Jake for introducing Aunt Ruth to this great book!

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Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer

We love Olivia’s expansive and magical imagination!  In this Olivia tale, she tells her class how she spent her summer vacation–under the circus bigtop!  She explains to her classmates that when “all the circus people were out sick with ear infections,” luckily she was able to take over because, modestly put, she knew how to do everything!  She walks on stilts, juggles, and best of all, she is Queen of the Trampoline.  Olivia is always hilarious,  from her funny facial and body expressions to her fashion sense (here, as the temporary tattooed lady), to her droll story-telling.  Olivia is quickly becoming our family’s favorite pig in literature!

We are bike riders in this family–for commuting, for pleasure, to get to places on mountain bikes we couldn’t enjoy otherwise.  Our latest bicycle fanatic is Jacob, who recently mastered the two-wheel challenge sans training wheels.  As you can see in this picture, he is already attempting junior ramps!

So it’s about time we celebrated May as National Bike Month.  There are, of course, lots of non-fiction books about bikes, but it’s also fun to include a little fiction in our bike-celebration reading diet.  Enjoy the following, with something for every member of your family.

Picture Book:

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

This has been a favorite book with the twins since they were babies.  Of course, we all love anything written and illustrated by David Shannon.  Molly and Jacob loved it so much, we bought if for their cousin Hazel–and it soon became a favorite for her, too.  Why do they all love it?  Well, it’s a great readaloud as Duck  gets the crazy idea to borrow an appealing red bike and learn to ride it.  Along the way, she meets all kinds of animals, who think it’s very silly to see a duck on a bike.  The quirky humor, funny illustrations, and of course, the chance to shout out animal sounds throughout the book make this book a winner.  It’s even fun for the adults reading the book to their appreciative audience, and a great introduction to talking about bike-riding experiences.

Tweens:

Hokey Pokey by Spinelli

In this fabled world, there are no adults.  It’s a land where children make the rules without adult concerns, and the joy of riding a bicycle, racing like the wind, is a kind of supreme ecstasy.  But one day Jack, the leader of the kids and the protagonist of the story, wakes to find his beloved bike, Scramjet, has been taken by Jubilee (an enemy largely because she is a girl).  The story is a kind of sci-fi, fantasy allegorical tale of childhood, coming of age, and accepting a new world that was always there. It starts slow, I found, but really grows on you and I’ve seen it used very successfully as a read-aloud with 5th and 6th graders (both at home and school).  Now is the perfect time to dip into the latest Spinelli novel–and take a carefree spin on your bike.

Teens and Older:

The White Bicycle by Beverly Brenna

Taylor Jane travels to France for the summer and chronicles her trip in her journal.  Since her diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome at age 11, she has learned to use her writing as a tool to help her process her experiences, and as readers, we are able to eavesdrop on her thinking as we read those journal entries.  The White Bicycle figures prominently in her dreams, where the “the speed and wind on my face as I ride is exhilarating.”  The book is the third novel about Taylor Jane, and in my mind, the most compelling.  The respect for the gifts as well as challenges of autism is refreshing and informative.

Adults:

The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

In our not so distant past, bicycles were a daily means of transportation.  References to bicycles, then, figure prominently in many of our literature classics.  Two Sherlock Holmes stories, for example, feature bicycles and bicyclists.  You and your family might enjoy these Arthur Conan Doyle short stories as part of your National Bicycle Month celebration. You can find them at the following links as well as in the complete collected works.

The Adventure of the Priory School by Arthur Conan Doyle

Part of the fun of this story is Holmes’ clever deductions based on the bicycle tire tread tracks.

The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist by Arthur Conan Doyle

Watson chronicles the story of the lovely Violet Smith, who has taken up the hip trend of women cycling in the 1890′s.  Unfortunately, she is stalked by a lone bicyclist and Watson takes up this challenging case by himself at first.   Mystery and marriage schemes abound.

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Magritte’s Marvelous Hat by D.B. Johnson

“Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see.” —Rene Magritte

The intriguing surrealism of Rene Magritte is captured in this fabulous new picture book that features Magritte as a dog, painting his masterpieces  thanks to a magical, floating,  very mischievous hat.  The 4 translucent pages are an amazing addition, as they help show the way Magritte alters the way we see the world through his paintings. Kid-tested by Hazel (age 6) and Charlotte (age 4),  Magritte’s Marvelous Hat is a sure winner.  We read it over and over, with fresh discoveries each time for kids and grown-ups alike.

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The Obstinate Pen by Frank W. Dormer

When authors sit down to write, they expect their pens to behave and write the words they tell it to.  What happens when you have an obstinate pen with a mind of its own? And what if the pen really enjoys insulting the writer with its writing?  An imaginative book with lots of insights about the writing process–not to mention some hilarious situations. The reactions of the different characters is beautifully captured in the watercolor and ink illustrations.  A laugh-out-loud book, great for read alouds.

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Penny and Her Song by Kevin Henkes

Penny is a delightful little mouse with a big imagination and a song in her heart.  A song she is eager to sing at home, but her parents are afraid she’ll wake the babies.  She sings it to herself, to her toys, but that’s just not enough.  When she finally performs for her family, they are thrilled and the whole family joins in, costumes and all.  I predict this book will inspire new songs from its young readers.  A warm and funny book with Kevin Henkes’ always winning illustrations.

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Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

When you think of the color green what comes to your mind?  Forest green?  Pea green?  Aquamarine?  Laura Vaccaro’s latest concept book is an ode to creativity with cut-outs on each richly painted page.  Thanks to her brilliance as an artist and book designer, the book becomes a true celebration of the multitude of hues of green.  And it’s not just the beautiful images that appeal to the senses, but the lyricism of the simple rhyming text.

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We love retellings of classic tales, especially fairy tales and folk tales.  We’ve even blogged on it–check out Tellings and Retellings.    So imagine our delight at the series introduced in 2012 called The Lunar Chronicles, which debuted with the novel Cinder, a contemporary sci-fi/fantasy YA retelling of Cinderella.  Well, I loved it, and I invite you to read all about why here: Cinderella Revisited:  Cinder by Marissa Meyer

A few weeks ago, Book II in the Lunar Chronicles was published:  Scarlet.    Of course, I got my hands on it as soon as possible.  I often turn the first pages of an anticipated sequel with mixed feelings:   eager to get back into the story and read what happens next, and–if I loved it–a bit of trepidation that this book won’t live up to the first.

I won’t keep you in suspense; I love Scarlet as much as Cinder–both the main characters themselves and the novels that bear their names.  The sequel began with some surprises for me.  First, I had assumed the novel would pick up on the story of the cyborg princess, Cinder and the other characters we met in the first novel.  Don’t worry, it does–but the main story is a retelling of the Little Red Riding tale, with a new main character, Scarlet herself, whose grandmother is missing.  Scarlet soon meets Wolf, who agrees to help her search for her grandmother.  While she is drawn to him, she isn’t quite sure she can trust him.  Their paths cross, of course, with Cinder, Prince Kai, and the Lunar Queen from Book I, and the intrigue, exciting plot, and hints of romance are all there.

Now, I’m waiting for Book III–and wondering what classic tale will be at the heart of it?  Stay tuned!

The month of April brings many wonderful causes for celebration.  Including. . (drum roll) National Frog Month!  

There is such a wealth of picture book frog characters we always recommend, from some of the most respected names in children’s literature:  Arnold Lobel (Frog and Toad books), Leo Lionni (It’s Mine;  An Extraordinary Egg); Irene Livingston (Finklehopper Frog books); David Wiesener (Tuesday).

In addition, this year, we are focusing on lesser-known but equally terrific non-fiction frog books for young readers. Frogs are simply fascinating creatures, and April is a great month to learn more about them.

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Frogs, Toads, and Tadpoles, Too by Allan Fowler

This is the perfect picture book as a complement to studying tadpoles  as they morph into frogs. The photos are large, clear, and compelling, and the information intelligently yet simply written.  It’s part of the Rookie Read-About Science Series,  a fine resource for primary classroom curriculum.  Great for early readers, and as a read-aloud for toddlers, too.

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Frogs by Nic Bishop

While this picture book is also enhanced by its photos, it’s a very different approach.  In photographer Nic Bishop’s world, we get to see frogs in extreme close-ups.  Bishop knows his stuff, too, with a doctorate in biological science.  He manages to convey interesting and odd facts about the amphibian world in simple accessible text perfect for early readers. A very nice introduction to non-fiction texts, too, with a terrific glossary  and basic index.  Well-written–and entertaining, too!

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National Geographic Reader:  Frogs!  by Elizabeth Carney

Another frog book filled with photos and intriguing facts about frogs.  Pictures of frigs that I have never heard of before, or seen, like the dancing frog who “dances around” because he lives by very noisy waterfalls and needs to warn the other frogs about dangers by his dances.  Or the microfrog that is only as big as a fingernail.  Kids also like the pop out boxes of facts over beautiful photographs and illustrations, instead of just a block of text. Part of the wonderful National Geographic Readers series.  If you like Frogs! you may want to check out Sea Turtles, Lizards or some of the other titles from this collection.

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Face to Face with Frogs by Marc Moffett

Yes, it is another photo-illustrated book written by a top-notch science writer.  (Moffett is a tropical ecologist who popularizes his scientific work with the likes of Conan O’Brien and Steven Colbert.) This book is so gorgeous it’s worth having as a coffee table book for adults as well as little ones to read and pore over.  How’s this for fascinating?  A poison dart frog mom is a fantastic parent. She carries a tadpole on her back up a tree and gently deposits it into a bromeliad pool. She takes each of her 20 tadpoles to a different spot. Then she visits each of them once a day to feed them an unfertilized egg — an omelet — until they transform into tiny frogs.  And who can top a review like this?   “This book is gorgeous. I wish I was in it!” –Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report

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Kids are attracted to the visuals, yes–and also the themes and range of topics. Not only are they are great resource for reluctant readers, but they are very popular with highly motivated teens and creative kids , too.  If you haven’t dug into the great new graphic novels, you’re in for a treat.  The high quality ones are like good picture books for all ages, a creative and artistic interplay between words and pictures to tell a a story.  Recommend the following to teens you know–and enjoy them yourself!

Yummy:  The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G.Neri and Randy DuBurke

This true story is fittingly retold as a graphic novel from the honest and insightful point of view of a fictional neighbor of
Yummy.  It’s a gritty and truthful investigation of the life–and death–of an 11-year-old gang member whose involvement in a gang shooting accidentally kills a neighborhood girl.  The book asks hard questions about Yummy, the social network that let him down, the gang violence, and the tragic community consequences.  The black-and-white graphics are both beautiful and fittingly paired with the well-told tale.  It’s a riveting and emotional book that we can’t recommend highly enough.

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Anne Frank:  The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon

This compelling and definitive biography is a wonderful companion to Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl.  Told as a story that spans her parents’ youth, through the war and ultimate publication of Anne’s diary, readers see the context of Anne Frank’s experiences in hiding as well as those of her family, friends, and community.  The authors don’t spare us the details of her life in the concentration camps Auschwitz and  Bergen-Belson.  The illustrations are amazing, copied from archival photos and rich in detail.  Fitting for teens, this book is really for all ages.

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Foiled by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mike Cavallaro

Many of the contemporary–and popular– urban fantasy graphic novels have boiler plate plots and so-so graphics.  Not so Foiled by award-winning author Jane Yolen.  The title is a play on words; the heroine is a teen competitive fencer.  The story begins grounded in the reality:  sports practice (in this case fencing), role-playing, homework, science labs.  And it’s there that the story begins to take a twist into fantasy, when the “cute boy” who is her lab partner becomes her love interest. . .or is he really more interested in her magical new ruby-handled foil?  Aliera is a feisty and compelling heroine.  Warning:  this is the start of a series, so don’t expect all the loose ends to tie together at the end of this book.  You’ll want to read the continuing saga in Curses! Foiled Again.

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Kampung Boy by Lat

In 1950′s rural Malaysia, village life is changing and the traditional ways of his community–the kampung–is shifting for Mat.  In stead of the farming his family and neighbors have traditionally relied on, Mat’s life on his family’s rubber plantation is shifting as tin mines and factory work expands.  But life is not all hardship in this affectionate and often laugh-out-loud funny story of Lat’s adventures.  Along the way, readers learn about many Muslim rituals and customs of South Eastern Asia from mid-20th century.  The illustrations are simple, but compelling and there is a real element of charm in them.   A great addition to your library, for all ages.

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Zebra Fish by Sharon Emerson by Fabervision and Peter H. Reynolds

Zebra Fish is a mutli-media extravaganza of a  graphic novel, showing the potential and possibilities of the art form.  The storyline is fun, interesting, and at times, even inspirational.  What happens when Vita, a lonely girl living with her older brother (who happens to be a cancer researcher) decides to make friends by starting a garage band?  There is the problem that she doesn’t play an instrument, of course. . .Lots of interesting and diverse characters, and a touching storyline and complex storyline that grabs teens and tweens–and their parents.

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Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge

Teen-aged Paige makes sense of her life through drawing in her sketchbook–which becomes the graphic novel we as readers to be share. It’s wonderful to be able to eavesdrop on Paige’s new “secret identity” as an artists as she tries it on. Her sketchbook becomes a tool for her as she adjusts to her new life in New York City.  Very creative artwork–both elegant and detailed.  They perfectly match the mood and emotions of the text.  A hit with girls and boys alike.

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I got to go to this amazing charity event last weekend for an LA based group called Milk & Bookies.  We’re big into book charities (obviously), and I’d heard of them before, seeing the tables at the LA Times Festival of Books, and places like that.  I just have focused my book giving into my immediate circle of family, friends, donating used books, and raising funds for the kids’ school library.  But this charity event really put Milk & Bookies on my radar, and I think it should be on yours.  Here’s why.

I love that their goal is two-fold: to get books in the hands of kids that need them, but also to inspires kids to give, and use books as the “currency” of their giving.  Six years old is also a fabulous time to introduce this concept to kids.  (Not that it’s ever too soon or too late, but still, this is the perfect time!)  If six-year-oldness can be extrapolated from the two examples I live with (and I’m going to do just that, as they are very opposite little people, who behave the same way when it comes to charity), it’s a set of opposing values.  They are unfailingly generous and warm hearted, wanting to give money and bursting into tears at the idea of hungry and homeless people; they are also rather myopic and selfish, thinking the world begins, ends, and revolves around themselves.  So I loved the idea of books as “currency”, and as a way to explain people going without, and also a way to teach them to give.  And love giving.

I can tell you more about the cool charity event – wait, I’ll do that with pictures:

There were celebrity readers (Julie Bowen was our favorite, a little because she read Elephant & Piggie, but mostly because she clearly has young kids and knew how to read to them!).

There were awesome arts and crafts, all made out of recycled books.

There were characters meeting and reading to the kids (Tinkerbell was the only one Molly would pose with, but Max from Where the Wild Things Are was their #1 favorite.)

Of course there were milk & cookies everywhere (best way to get a kid to love you!).

Everything was bookie, even the decor.  Like this giant bear, made of old books.

BUT, the best thing was the emphasis on giving.  With all that going on, Molly & Jacob’s favorite activity was the “donate” room.  It was brilliant – a room filled with books that you could pick out, create a bookplate for:

And then donate it to kids who need books by putting it in a big blue box.  Then you could ding a big bell and everyone would clap for you.  Then you got a sticker, which Jacob was inordinately proud of:

And I, in turn, was crazy stupid proud of them (and grateful to Milk & Bookies for inspiring them and me) when we drove home and I asked them their favorite part of the day, and they chorused, without thought: “Donating books!”  (That won out over unlimited cookies, which I had thought impossible.)

So, Milk & Bookies reminded me how important it is to give books, not only to those we know, but also to those we don’t.  And also how important it is to instill a love of giving in our kids.  And they inspired me to make a Milk & Bookies drive one of our goals for the year – hosting one at our home, or school, and implementing all the tricks I learned at the charity event.  I hope it’s inspired you, too.  (Here’s where you can learn how to host one at your home or school, too.)

One last thing.  Milk & Bookies also instituted a new award this year,  the Bookies Bravo Award to books that reinforce the message of giving. The first recipient of the Bookies Bravo Award is Mimi & Maty to the Rescue! by Brooke Smith, illustrated by Alli Arnold.

They gave us a copy, which we came home and read.  And loved.  It also came with a notebook, which makes sense when you read the book, and Jacob began writing in it right away.  The book is wonderful for kids (the pictures and notebook entries make it fun for them visually), perfect for the learning to read crew, but also a fun read aloud.  It makes the point of helping others (animals, in this case) without preaching or batting you on the head, even the tiniest bit.  Molly & Jacob were both inspired to become animal rescuers, and it also inspired another great giving idea – we had a birthday party to get a gift for, and they agreed instantly that this book is a perfect gift.  Don’t skip the “about the author” pages at the end – the book was written by the real Mimi’s mom, and they are both wonderful inspirations in giving.

(The photo to the right is Jacob, writing in his Mimi & Maty notebook.)

This year, we want to highlight a couple of gorgeously illustrated Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales  that are true to the original story:

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson, illustrated by Vladyslav Yerko

The illustrations by award-winning Ukrainian artist Vladyslav Yerko make this book truly one of the most beautiful picture books you hold in your hands. The story of friendship, venturing out into the world, and the magical elements of the magic mirror, evil demons, how our memories shape us are timely today in this classic tale.  This is a wonderful coffee-table book; adults and children alike are drawn to it and can’t put it down.

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The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson, illustrated by Charles Santore

This is definitely not the  Disney-fied version so many expect.  Instead, this is the original tale–one of love, hope, sacrifice–and not a happy ending, though one that keeps working on readers and sparks rich discussions.  The illustrations by award-winning modern artist Charles Santore are gorgeous–kids we know don’t want to hurry to turn the page. There’s simply too much captivating art to tempt the eye to wander and linger.   We’re often asked what age this book and story are most appropriate for.  You know the children in your lives best to make that decision, but in our experience, around 8 years old and older are particularly intrigued and ready to dig into the tale as told  by master storyteller Hans Christian Anderson.

I grew up fascinated by Wonder Woman, the comic book version.  What’s not to love?  She’s the perfect hero, IMHO:  brave, strong, courageous, a true feminist, and gotta love her outfit.  She continues to be an inspiration to women of all ages–and she is experiencing a kind of renewed interest with the popularity these days of both comics and graphic novels.  Our own Molly is a perfect modern-day Wonder Woman hero, as you can see from last fall’s Halloween costume.  She’s even got the attitude down!  So enjoy sharing the history and adventures of Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman.  Read the picture book first, to re-acquaint yourself and share the original story with your little ones–then dig into the comprehensive and fascinating adult version.  You’ll be hooked!

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Wonder Woman:  The Story of the Amazon Princess by Ralph Cosentino

This excellent picture book is a terrific introduction to Wonder Woman.  The text is clear and straightforward, and the pictures are bright, bold, and captivating.   The Amazon Princess’ mission to promote peace and kindness is still timely, and the story of how Diana became a hero dedicated to protecting humanity is presented in a way that gives power to her legend.   Of course, it’s great for girls–but also for young boys to learn about this amazing and intriguing woman hero.

AND

Wonder Woman:  Amazon.  Hero. Icon. by Bob Greenburger

What a history Wonder Woman has! From serving in the Army in World War II to helping launch Ms. magazine with Gloria Steinem, she was and is a trailblazer for women in the 20th and 21st centuries. The illustrations alone make the book worth your while:  over 250, beginning in the 1940′s and through the book’s publication a year ago in 2012.  The excerpts from essays across the decades show Wonder Women’s changes and impressive impact over the years. I especially love the large reprinted sections from original comics.  Dig into this one, and share with all ages.