Deb Nance
My Thoughts:
Here's the truth: I'm prejudiced against small presses. Why? I've been given a lot of freebies from small publishers. For the most part, there is a reason why a book is only published by a small press; big presses aren't impressed and the book is passed on.
So I anticipated that this book would be a bust. Not so. This one is a keeper. Brilliant illustrations. Terse yet action filled text. Additional information provided for those who want to know more. A nice bibliography.
And the children loved it. Ten, they shouted, when I asked for ratings, and I had to remind them that five was a top score. I can't wait to share this with teachers and other kids. It will be checked out. A lot.
A Sample:
“Lots of food.
Hungry brood.
(bottom of page) Three days after the queen lays an egg, it hatches into a hungry larva. Nurse bees feed it a rich supply of food from glands in their heads. During its egg and larva stages, nurse bees will feed it more than 100,000 times.”
Children's Comments:
Aryn, 6, said, “I liked the rhyme. I liked the pictures. I liked how the story went with the pictures.”
Kaylin, 6, said, “I liked the color of the pictures.”
Joaquin, 6, said, “I liked the part where the bees were in the hive.”
Stevie, 6, said, “I liked how everything was so close.”
Children's Ratings: 5, 5, 5, 5
Loujain wants to be able to fly. But others laugh at her...Only boys can fly, they say. Nevertheless, her father dares to teach her. And one day she flies.
A beautiful and inspiring story based on the life of activist Loujain Alhathloul.
The Barefoot Books World Atlas Sticker Book makes a world atlas an interactive experience. Children are invited to use the 450 stickers in the back of the book to label the oceans and continents, to show where they have traveled and where they want to travel, and to mark the fascinating animals and people and places around the world. It's a fun adventure of a book.
Fear is a hugely debilitating force in the world. In this book of twenty-five poems, written by the Waterstones Children's Laureate for 2022-2024, Joseph Coelho encourages children to take action against fear, to act with courage—to dare to jump from the diving board, to say no sometimes, to dare to be a friend, to stand up when you fall and try again, to apologize, to cry when you need to, and to write stories and poems of your own. Coelho writes a lot of different types of poems—pantoums and limericks and ballads and more—and he encourages his children readers to try these, too. This is a fabulous collection for all of us who would like to face and overcome our fears in the world.
Children need to hear stories about heroes, people who work for causes larger than their own interests, and Jeannette Rankin was a hero.
“Jeannette Rankin was a take-charge girl.”
At a time when women could not even vote, when people worked in dangerous conditions, when children lived in unhealthy and crowded places, Rankin worked to make things better. She became a social worker, worked for women's right to vote, and ran for the U. S. Congress.
This story will inspire children (maybe even some grownups!) to work to improve the lives of people in the world.
When I finish a 1001 Children's Book You Must Read that is as wonderful as this book, I am happy to think I still have 408 more to read. William is a devil of a little boy, a Dennis the Menace, a Leave It to Beaver, a Henry Huggins. He drives his mother and father and sister and brother and aunt and cousin...everybody, in short, crazy with his antics.
This is the book I have most wanted to read over the last year, but, sadly, I was able to find a copy in my usual book places. I was joyous, exuberant, ebullient to see it at the Enchanted Lion booth at TLA this year, and how happy I was to be allowed to buy a copy and take it home. It did not disappoint. Written in Spanish and translated into English, this is a book of thoughtful and surprising questions from one of the world's greatest poets of the last century, Pablo Neruda. The illustrations illuminate the questions and add to the complex simplicity of this amazing book. I can see this book being read by children, of course, but also by adolescents and young adults and middle-aged folks, and even old ladies aged 66. This book is a keeper.
A crazy summer
Delphine and her two younger sisters are off to California to spend a month with their mother. Their mother who they haven't seen in seven years. Their mother is a poet who has renamed herself and she is active with the Black Panthers. It's the sixties and it's a crazy time with a crazy mother the girls really don't know...will they connect?
I love the sixties, and I loved this story about a black family in the sixties during the Black Power movement. It's a wonderfully new point of view for me. It was a delightful story with dynamic and fascinating characters.
Lots of takeaways from How to Hug a Porcupine...
The brilliant pioneering psychologist, Albert Ellis PhD, taught that no one can upset us unless we allow them to. Instead we can choose to think rationally, feel calm, and act with consideration, kindness and empathy. We can learn not to think and act irrationally and not to automatically stick our quills out during threatening or provocative situations. Even if the Porcupinely-acting person who you are dealing with resists, your open-hearted approach will not be wasted. Every time we practice kindness, compassion and unconditional acceptance of others, we are reinforcing it within and for ourselves.
How to Hug a Porcupine (Little Book. Big Idea.) . Hatherleigh Press. Kindle Edition.
As should be clear by now, dealing with your porcupine will require your very best effort. You will need to be patient, kind, and loving. You will have to be generous, understanding and empathic. In short, to love a porcupine, we must be the best that we can be.
How to Hug a Porcupine (Little Book. Big Idea.) . Hatherleigh Press. Kindle Edition.
By listening, you are transformed from a potential adversary to an ally. By listening, you become someone to be trusted. By listening, you cease to be part of the problem and become, instead, someone who has the information to offer a solution.
How to Hug a Porcupine (Little Book. Big Idea.) . Hatherleigh Press. Kindle Edition.
Set a good example for your porcupine as well as the other members of your family. Your willingness to talk openly about relationships, and to accept criticism of your own behavior, will help shape how your porcupine learns to handle uncomfortable situations.
How to Hug a Porcupine (Little Book. Big Idea.) . Hatherleigh Press. Kindle Edition.
At times, it may feel like you are the only one who is really trying. But know that your porcupine is always watching. Demonstrate your love by practicing patience and empathy and by being supportive. Love is what will teach your porcupine to keep his quills down. Just when you are about the give up ... your porcupine will surprise you.
How to Hug a Porcupine (Little Book. Big Idea.) . Hatherleigh Press. Kindle Edition.
I've been participating in a citizen science project for three years about butterflies. This book is the ideal first book about butterflies for kids. (Maybe even for us grownups!)
The book explains the differences between moths and butterflies. It describes the process of change that all butterflies go through. It explains how some butterflies migrate.
It's the illustrations that put this book, and this series, over the top. The illustrations are stunning.
Crocodile has narrowly escaped the paws (or, to be more accurate, jaws) of Napoleon, who dragged the reptile from Egypt home to Paris, planning to make a meal out of the beast. Crocodile learns Napoleon is off to Venice, and he decides to hitch a ride to the beautiful city.
It's a new adventure for fans of book one, I, Crocodile. I delighted in this tale of action and fun, with silly illustrations and unexpected plot twists.
Dinosaurs will always be a fascination for children, and libraries will always need new books with the latest fascinating information for children. Incredible Dinosaur Facts makes a wonderful new addition to school and public libraries. It's filled with almost unbelievable facts about dinosaurs (Did you know that Kosmoceratops had fifteen horns on its head?! A T. rex's bit could crush a car!) The text is readable, even for the youngest learners and weakest readers, and the pictures add much to the text.
Children will fight to check out this book.
You love to read books about the extraordinary exploits of extraordinary people, right? How about the extraordinary exploits of animals? Who are the most famous animals in history? And what have been their accomplishments?
Animals have had some pretty amazing accomplishments, it turns out. You may have heard of Balto, the sled dog who led the team of dogs who brought medicine to children with diphtheria in Alaska. Extraordinary. What about Seabiscuit, the small horse that ended up being a champion racehorse? Koko the gorilla who learned sign language? Pale Male, a red-tailed hawk who nested in New York City? Elsa the lion? Now read about Ozy, the octopus who could open a jar in seconds, and Kamunyak, the lion who adopted baby antelopes, and William Windsor, the goat who served in the British Army, and many more.
This would be fun for third to fifth graders who could read it themselves, but it would also be fun as a read-aloud for younger children.
I read this book. In French. I did. Really.
Somebody needs to help me with this: Why did it take me ten years to be able to figure out anything in Spanish and here I am, a couple of months into French, and I can read children's books?
Inexplicable.
A group of children heads off on their own for a series of adventures.
It sounds a lot like some of the most popular English children's books of the first half of the 1900's, doesn't it?
One of the novelties of this book is that the authors themselves were teens when they wrote the book.
The children travel on horseback around the moors of England (and, later, aboard a raft down the river to the sea) without adult supervision. It's that lack of adult supervision that might seem most shocking to contemporary readers.
A 1001 Children's Books You Must Read.
Louis the teddy bear is upset. “Since day one,” he tells us, “things have gone downhill. I've been a pillow...a hankie...and lunch for a prehistoric beast.”
He wants out.
He's had it. He can't bear it anymore.
A wonderfully silly little story of a toy that longs to escape from all the travails of being a bear...but somehow also loves being exactly where he is.
Dachshund brothers Augie and Perry are left alone every day and they find themselves bored. Their solution? They escape from the house and do everything they are not supposed to do.
The dog brothers seem to be exactly like children. And the dog mother accepts whatever the dogs do with love. Charming.
Let's join the children in Room 6 and follow the development of butterflies eggs over four weeks in their classroom. Watch as the children look carefully at the eggs and caterpillar food. See what happens after the eggs begin to hatch and caterpillars crawl out. Take a look at the changes that occur as the caterpillars develop into pupae, and then chrysalises. Share the delight of the children as the butterflies emerge and, finally, begin to fly.
An ideal read aloud for any primary science classroom.
Yes, there have been many books about birds for children (there are at least three in this batch of Cybils nominees) but this book is the definitive children's book for one aspect of birds: bird talk. Lita Judge shares all the quirky little-known information she could find with us, her readers, about where and when and how and why birds communicate. Add to the fascinating information big bold drawings of birds and you have a book that children will linger over. Wonderful book.
Oh I like this so much.
It's winter and Bear is awake. He finds his way into a cabin and meets a surprised little girl.
So they spend the day together, with all sorts of bear-kid fun.
The illustrations are superb, and the whole story is told using a word for each letter of the alphabet in ABC order, which adds a lovely and challenging structure, almost like writing a classic poem.
Tom Moran wanted to visit the West. He was a painter who longed for adventure. Unfortunately, he had never ridden a horse nor camped out. So when he decided to travel with a group bound for Yellowstone, he experienced many trials. It was all worth it to him when he finally arrived and was able to paint the wonders of the West for those back East who would never get to visit Yellowstone themselves.
The book is illustrated with pictures that imitate Moran's style. The author includes both a bibliography and an author's note that explain where she obtained her information.
A little:
“Tom Moran had dreams as big as the Montana sky.
He stood in a camp in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, waiting nervously. Though Tom knew the men in the camp were scientists, they looked more like bandits. They eyed him suspiciously. He worried he must look like a greenhorn, but he wasn't about to admit that he had never ridden a horse, never shot a gun, and never slept in the open air. Tom had just traveled two thousand miles to join this expedition into the land called the Yellowstone. He had to convince the team's leader, Dr. Hayden, to let him join them.”
I'd heard of Pete Seeger—of course I had, I'm a child of the sixties—but I really didn't know much about him. Until now. Now I've read this book, and now I have a new hero. What a force for good! Oh my! This is a book you need for your home or school library if you like a powerful story, beautiful illustrations, and a person with a vision for justice.
About Penguins is just that: about penguins. Each two page spread contains a picture that is as detailed as a photograph and a sentence about the picture. Each sentence is clearly written and is an interesting fact that kids want to know.
In the afterword to the book, the author expands upon the sentence and provides a paragraph of information about each picture.
Here are three pages of text from the book:
“Some penguins build nests on top of the ground.
Others dig burrows under the ground.
Others have no nest. They hold the egg and then the chick on their feet.”
Children's comments:
This book was perfect for the children at my school, PreK to second grade. Even some of the kindergarteners could read it. The pictures were inviting. The subject matter is popular with this group as well. Everyone rated it very high, with all 5's and 4's.
Pauses for Lent is a book of simple meditations on key words during the Lent season. The words include Listen, Poor, Forgiven, Peace, Love, Light, Rest, and more. Each meditation includes a Bible verse, a reflection, and a call to action.