Book Review

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney

It’s New Year’s Day, and since Greg Heffley is “already pretty much one of the best” people he knows, he resolves to help the less than perfect people in his life improve themselves. So begins the latest journal in Jeff Kinney’s hilarious “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series. This latest installment documents six months (January to June) of Greg’s middle school life through diary entries and simple sketches. We follow Greg through numerous laugh-out-loud situations as he warms the bench for his soccer team, attempts to romance classmate Holly Hills, tries his hand at becoming a Boy Scout, and faces getting shipped off to military school. Fans of the series will not be disappointed, and newcomers will be able to jump right into the story without having read any of the previous books.

Kinney promises a fourth book, which he can’t publish soon enough. (jmv)

Percy Jackson series nearing a close

From PW Children's Bookshelf 1/22/09 e-newsletter:

After a four-year run, Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series—about a boy who discovers he is a son of Poseidon and embarks on a string of modern-day adventures involving ancient Greek gods, heroes and villains—will draw to a close this spring. But arriving ahead of the fifth and final book is a companion title, The Demigod Files. The paper-over-board title aims to make readers experts on the Percy Jackson universe, offering interviews with characters from the series, games, puzzles and two original short stories by Riordan.

American Library Association Medal Winners Announced!

Winners of this year's most prestigious medals in children's literature:

Newbery Medal
"The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman

Newbery Honor Books
"The Underneath" by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small
"The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom" by Margarita Engle
"Savvy" by Ingrid Law
"After Tupac and D Foster" by Jacqueline Woodson

Caldecott Medal
"The House in the Night," illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie Swanson

Caldecott Honor Books
"A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever" by Marla Frazee
"How I Learned Geography" by Uri Shulevitz
"A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams," illustrated by Melissa Sweet and written by Jen Bryant

Geisel Award
"Are You Ready to Play Outside?" written and illustrated by Mo Willems

Geisel Honor Books
"Chicken Said, 'Cluck!'" written by Judyann Ackerman Grant, illustrated by Sue Truesdell
"One Boy" written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
"Stinky" written and illustrated by Eleanor Davis
"Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator" written by Sarah C. Campbell, photographs by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell

Sibert Medal
"We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball" written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Sibert Honor Books
"Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and Rediscovery of the Past" written by James M. Deem
"What to Do about Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!" written by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

Jeff Smith’s Bone Saga Ends—Again

This complete story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on January 27, 2009. Follow the link above to read the entire article.

Graphix, the Scholastic division focused on comics and graphic novels for children, released the ninth and final color volume of Jeff Smith’s epic fantasy adventure series Bone this month. PW Comics Week spoke with Smith and interviewed David Saylor, v-p, associate publisher and creative director of Graphix, via e-mail regarding the significance of the milestone and their future publishing plans.

Plans for promoting Crown of Horns, the final volume, which has an initial print run of 100,000, include a Bone floor display at retail stores, trade and consumer advertising, and a national media campaign. Scholastic's Bone web site has been updated with information about the final volume well as an excerpt and a new Bone game that will launch on the site this spring.
The Graphix edition has been published in thirty countries. In 2006, a release of the first color volume was coordinated across Europe. Smith recently conducted a three-week book tour of India, where the first four volumes are in print.

More reasons to interact with your babies

Read this short, but interesting article from the Seattle Times about recent research about how infants best learn. This research offers even more support for reading with your babies!

Importance of Play

The American Academy of Pediatrics published this lengthy report on how important play is in the lives of children. Despite its length, it is worth reading. The report defines the many ways play benefits children in all aspects of development and encourages parents to spend time interacting with their children through play.

More great resources about play in the lives of children:
- Alliance for Childhood
- Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America
- National Public Radio

Arthur's looking for a new friend and you can help!

Between February 1st and March 31st, 2009, Arthur is on the hunt for a new friend who can show the gang in Elwood City that children come in all shapes, sizes, and abilities. Children between the ages of 6 and 12 are invited to take part in the search. Follow this link to see how you can help.

Make sure you check out books about Arthur and his friends at your Dakota County Library! We have Arthur chapter books, picture books, and more!

Curious about Graphic Novels?

Visit Get Graphic, a new website stemming from a two year project designed to introduce teens, parents, librarians and teachers to the exciting and extremely popular literary format of graphic novels. Although created for inhabitants of Western New York, you will find lots of universal information about the graphic novel format, including an excellent list of graphic novels for kids through adults. Read more about the website and the project that led to its creation here.

Preschoolers and Letters

This advice column, from the Duluth News Tribune, answers a parent's question about teaching his 4-year-old how to create more than scribbles when writing. The article includes a Head Start teacher's advice on expanding your child's Print Awareness, one of six early literacy skills kids need before they learn to read and write.

More Award-Winners!

The Cybils are announced! The Cybils are voted on by Children's and Teen Literature bloggers. The purpose of the award is to reward the children’s and young adult authors (and illustrators) whose books combine the highest literary merit and “kid appeal.”

The 2008-2009 Cybils Winners:

Easy Readers
I Love My New Toy written by Mo Willems

Fantasy & Science Fiction
Middle Grade
The Graveyard Book written by Neil Gaiman

Young Adult
The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins (a current fave among Galaxie librarians!)

Picture Books
How to Heal a Broken Wing written and illustrated by Bob Graham

Graphic Novels
Elementary/Middle Grade
Rapunzel's Revenge written by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, illustrated by Nathan Hale

Young Adult
Emiko Superstar written by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Steve Rolston

Middle-Grade Fiction
The London Eye Mystery written by Siobhan Dowd

Non-Fiction

Middle Grade/Young Adult
The Year We Disappeared: A Father-Daughter Memoir written by Cylin Busby and John Busby

Non-Fiction Picture Books
Nic Bishop Frogs written and illustrated by Nic Bishop

Poetry
Honeybee written by Naomi Shihab Nye

Young Adult Fiction
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks written by E Lockhart

An Organized House = Better Reading Skills for Kids

A recent article in School Library Journal highlights the results of an interesting study. The findings indicated the more organized your home is, the better your 5 or 6 year old will read. What an interesting connection!

This excerpt from the article is a great synopsis of what all parents can do to improve upon their children's literacy skills:

“Cultivate an interest in reading through role modeling, visits to the library, and finding new and attractive books that are age-appropriate. And minimize distractions while you're reading together, and let the child spend time alone with books if he wants to even before he can read.”

The Leader of the Free World Says You Should Read to Your Kids

In President Obama’s address last night, he pointed how important it is for parents to engage with their children, particularly by reading aloud to their kids. See the relevant excerpt below:

OBAMA: These education policies will open the doors of opportunity for our children, but it is up to us to ensure they walk through them.

In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a parent, for a mother or father who will attend those parent-teacher conferences, or help with homework, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, read to their child.

(APPLAUSE)

I speak to you not just as a president, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children’s education must begin at home. That is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. That’s an American issue.

Exercise Fuels Kids' Brains

A recent article, The 3 R’s? A Fourth Is Crucial, Too: Recess, in The New York Times points to the value of exercise when it comes to kids' cognitive abilities.

"New research suggests that play and down time may be as important to a child’s academic experience as reading, science and math, and that regular recess, fitness or nature time can influence behavior, concentration and even grades."

So, encourage your kids to shake their sillies out, and they'll be able to focus better when it comes to school.

Happy 40th, Very Hungry Caterpillar!!

Eric Carle's beloved picture book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, is celebrating its 40th anniversary on March 20th. Mark the occasion by reading the book aloud to your kids. Perhaps eat some of the foods he eats in the book. The options for celebrating are limitless.

Download a printable activity kit here: http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/yr/pdf/caterpillar.pdf

If you have a few dollars to spare, check out some of this great Eric Carle merchandise. Mr. Carle only recently made his work available for merchandising, but there is now some great stuff out there for purchase. Check out the links below:

Chronicle Books -- flash cards, gift sets, decorative prints, and more

Loew Cornell -- art-based activity kits

Lunt Silversmiths -- high-end baby gifts, featuring Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear

Mudpuppy -- fun-n-games featuring Eric Carle's books, plus many more kids' classics

Ty's Toybox -- one-stop shopping for Eric Carle merchandise

In honor of the anniversary, Philomel has released a special pop-up version of the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Five Questions for Mo Willems

I loved this brief interview with Mo Willems, conducted by Roger Sutton of The Horn Book. It was featured in the "Notes from the Horn Book" March 2009 e-newsletter:

* * * * * * * * * * *

Five Questions for Mo Willems
Mo Willems has now won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award twice in a row for his easy-reader books about best friends Elephant and Piggie; There Is a Bird on Your Head! won the honor in 2008 and Are You Ready to Play Outside? in 2009. With his books equally popular with kids, parents, and critics, Mo also has three Caldecott Honor Books to his name, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and the two Knuffle Bunny books. Mo knows books and friends and fun, so I decided to ask him about all three.

1. How is constructing an easy reader different from making a picture book?

Both essentially entail engineering a vehicle to get you from point A to point B.

A picture book is a motorcycle: small, loud, fun, and zippy.

An easy reader is a chartered bus: obliged to carry a rather dull passenger roster of sanctioned curriculum, plus the baggage of an approved, limited vocabulary.

The trick is to design your chartered bus to be as cool and sexy as a motorcycle.

2. What do you think Frog and Toad might make of Elephant and Piggie?

Lobel’s great innovation was to give early reader characters a full emotional life, an innovation that I have merrily attempted to appropriate.

I can only hope that if Frog and Toad were ever to run across Elephant and Piggie they would all head down to the local café to commiserate about the ups and downs of friendship.

3. Who do you think Elephant and Piggie will be when they grow up?

Elephant and Piggie are already grown up. It’s just hard to tell because they’re still willing to learn new things.

4. What is your favorite game to play outside?

Petanque (also known as jeu de boules) is a lovely game involving friends taking turns tossing heavy metal balls into dirt. More a pastime than a sport, it can be played by young or old with matches won utilizing either serious accuracy or casual luck.

I’m such a fan, I built a boules court in my yard and can be found on pleasant afternoons engaged in matches with the neighborhood kids.

5. What has being a parent taught you about playing that you didn't know (or had forgotten)?

From personal experience with my daughter, I can tell you that playing requires an intensity well beyond that of mundane activities like work. To play, you must be completely engaged physically, emotionally, and intellectually at all times just to keep up.

No wonder kids need to go to bed earlier than we do.

Get Ready for Spring -- Free Tomato Seeds

To get your home garden off to a good start, you can buy any Campbell's condensed soup and visit HelpGrowYourSoup.com after March 15th to request FREE CAMPBELL'S TOMATO SEEDS. With each request, Campbell's will make a donation to help grow gardens in communities and schools across America.

What a great opportunity to read books with your children about gardens, fruits & veggies, flowers, farmer's markets, and more. Talk to your local Dakota County children's librarian for recommended titles about these or any other topics of interest.

When the ground thaws enough, plant a garden together as a family.

Check out this website for ideas, instructions, and more: My First Garden.

Website Links Movies and Family Outings For You!

Looking for some interesting adventures to get you and your kids talking and exploring together? Kids Off the Couch is a free, weekly e-mail (and archive of past emails) that provides families with fresh ideas for getting kids off the couch and into the world. It combines fun, family-friendly movies with suggested follow-up adventures for real-life learning experiences.

Take this a step farther and combine books and family adventure. For example, read E.B. White's "The Trumpet of the Swan" aloud, then road trip to Monticello's Mississippi Drive Park for the Trumpeter Swan's annual visit.

Don't be afraid to go across the river. Explore what Minneapolis & St. Paul and all its suburbs have to offer your family.

Passing on love for favorite children's books

A recent article on cnn.com highlights how parents have a tendency to share favorite children's books from their own childhoods with their kids. Beloved titles like Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are and Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar endure because each generation passes them on to the next.

Here's an excellent -- but by no means complete -- list of other timeless picture books to share with your children.

Also try New York Public Library's list of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know.

Useful online resource for parents & caregivers

Reading is Fundamental has a great component to their website called Leading to Reading. Split into sections for babies & toddlers, preschoolers, and parents, it is full of games, videos, books, and more to entertain and inform. The babies & toddlers section features videos of people acting out fingerplays and action rhymes so there's no guesswork as to how to share them with children. The preschoolers section includes books read aloud so kids can follow along. The parents page offers book recommendations, articles of interest, and much more. It's a site worth visiting.

Kids & teens vote for their favorite books of the year

Kids and teens choose their favorite books of the year by voting for the Children's Book Council's Children's Choice Book Awards. Voting is open from March 16 through May 3.

This year’s Children’s Choice Book Award finalists are:

Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year:

The Donut Chef written and illustrated by Bob Staake

Katie Loves the Kittens written and illustrated by John Himmelman

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! written and illustrated by Mo Willems

Sort It Out! written by Barbara Mariconda, illustrated by Sherry Rogers

Those Darn Squirrels written by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year:

Babymouse: Puppy Love by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

One Million Things by Peter Chrisp

Spooky Cemeteries by Dinah Williams

Underwear: What We Wear Under There by Ruth Freeman Swain

Willow written by Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan, illustrated by Cyd Moore

Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year:

100 Most Dangerous Things On the Planet by Anna Claybourne

Amulet, Book One: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi

The Big Field by Mike Lupica

Swords: An Artist's Devotion by Ben Boos

Thirteen by Lauren Myracle

Teen Choice Book Award:

Airhead by Meg Cabot

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Paper Towns by John Green

Author of the Year:

Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Stephenie Meyer, Breaking Dawn

Christopher Paolini, Brisingr

James Patterson, Maximum Ride: The Final Warning

Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth

Illustrator of the Year:

Laura Cornell, Big Words for Little People

Robin Preiss Glasser, Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly!

Mo Willems, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!

David Shannon, Loren Long and David Gordon, Smash! Crash!

Jon J Muth, Zen Ties

The Children’s Choice Book Awards winners will be announced live at the Children’s Choice Book Awards gala on May 12 in New York City as part of Children’s Book Week (May 11-17, 2009), the oldest national literacy event in the United States.

The awards ceremony, hosted by National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jon Scieszka, will include the presentation of an Impact Award to Whoopi Goldberg, in recognition of her vast contribution to the promotion of literacy and the love of reading among young people. Last year’s Impact Award recipient, Al Roker, will present the award.