Kid Lit Day: Mercer Mayer

I have always loved Mercer Mayer, well before the Little Critter books made him so popular. One of my favorite books growing up was East of the Sun and West of the Moon. I had never read that fairy tale until I had read his version and his illustrations are so amazing. Click on the images from this site to see some of them.

I adored so many of his books from when I was younger. Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-a-Zoo, Liza Lou and the Yeller Belly Swamp, the Frog books, Me and My Flying Machine (this was one of my favorites). There are so many things going on in his illustrations, kist packed with things to notice. I have been trying to get my own set of these books--some have been republished, but some are hard to find.

Kids now know of MErcer Mayer due to the Little Critter books, but that is just a good jumping off point to introducing them to his truly best work.

Here he is reading There's an Alligator Under My Bed (wouldnt' be he a fun grandpa)?

Kid Lit Book Alert: Hailey Twitch Is Not a Snitch

Age Range: 5-10 years
Page Count: 137
Release Date: May 1, 2010

I did a little market research when I got this book. My second grade niece was spending the week at my mom & dad's house for spring break. When she came over to say hi and let us know she was here she spied this book. An eye-catching cover is always an important first step to attracting readers, and my niece loved this cover. She wanted to borrow it and read it.

Once the cover has them hooked, the next step is engaging the reader. One way that can happen is if they identify with a character in the story. My niece found her kindred book spirit on the first page in the character of Addie Jokobeck. My niece is a rule follower. It hurts her stomach to have to break any rules. As Hailey tells us about Addie, "Addie Jokobeck is in love with rules." And one the next page we saw a picture of Addie with straight (I am going to assume) brown, hair it was all over. Well, here is my niece Samantha, with my sons on Easter--straight, brown hair. Loves rules. Hello, Addie! I let her read it first and she loved it. I couldn't wait to start it myself.

First of all, it is a fast moving, well written book that captures the spirit of being a second grader. Secondly, we need more books about excitable little girls. We do. Junie B. is kind of washed up, when was the last time a new one of those was published? Clementine is fantastic, but those don't come out very often either. And Ramona books are for a little bit older readers. Hailey does fill a void. Plus, her grammar is better than Junie B.

The twist for Hailey is that she has a little sprite named Maybelle encouraging her to make poor choices. Maybelle is working on getting her magic back after she lost it because she was no fun. But the things she tries to do to have fun tend to be things that get Hailey into more trouble. I am not sure that the book needed to have this element in it, Hailey was doing fine getting herself in and out of situations. There is also a little boy Hailey has a crush on a "mean" girl that she has to deal with while discovering how to be a true friend to someone.

Overall, this is a book I highly recommend for younger readers. It will be enjoyed by all and is a good start to a new series!

Here's a synopsis for Hailey Twitch from the author's website:

Seven-year-old Hailey Twitch knows three things for sure: who she’s the boss of, how to throw a tantrum, and above all, how to get exactly what she wants. But all that changes when Hailey gets paired up with annoying Addie Jokobeck on the class project. No matter what Hailey does, she can’t seem to change her teacher’s mind.

At home, a cranky Hailey is feeling sorry for herself when – poof! — Maybelle, a magic sprite, comes flying out of Hailey’s dollhouse. Maybelle’s on probation with the Department of Magic, and on a special mission to get Hailey to have fun.

The only problem? The invisible Maybelle starts causing a lot of trouble, and when Hailey’s teacher wants to know who’s to blame, Hailey takes responsibility. After all, Hailey Twitch is not a snitch! Now if only Hailey can convince the Department of Magic that Maybelle has reformed…

You can buy Hailey Twitch from amazon by clicking here, and find out how to win a free book from Lauren by clicking here!

Kid Lit Monday: My Father's Dragon

I have a son who will be 12 in about a week. TWELVE!? When did that happen? This is more where his brain is right now. So, this weekend when he pulled out his reading assignments for the trimester--the one that ends on Thursday--and we saw that he has yet to read 100 pages of non-fiction & a Newbery award or honor book, I was a little ticked off. He is my reluctant reader--not dormant, he does have books he will read, just normally doesn't want to. Non-fiction will be no problem due to this book. But a Newbery award or honor book in four days? Ugh!

So, while said child was upstairs reading his non-fiction title I was searching the Newbery list to find a book that he could read. Did you know Frog and Toad Together was a Newbery Honor book? I didn't and I almost picked that one knowing he could for sure get it done by Thursday, but he is a sixth grader and I am not sure this is what his teacher has in mind (although the first trimester he read 26 Fairmont Avenue by Tomie dePaola and she was fine with that). I kept looking when I found a gem...My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet.

This one is perfect. First of all, I have read it to him already, so he just needs a refresher read. Secondly, it's a quick read. And, it is a fun book. I first discovered this book when I was a tutor. A fifth grade student gushed about it so I picked it up and read it. It became one of my favorites, and kind of tugged at my memory, like I probably read it or had it read to me when I was younger, but I didn't fully remember it (I just remember the picture of the lion with all the ribbons). When I was teaching kindergarten this was always the first chapter book I read aloud (even though more experienced kindergarten teachers told me that kinders wouldn't sit still for chapter books--they always sat still for this one and for All About Sam).

The start of the book is a bit confusing for young kids to follow--it takes them a bit to understand who is narrating the book. The book is being told by a son or daughter, they are repeating a story their father told them about when he was young. He rescues a stray cat and keeps it hidden in his basement--but when his mother finds out she throws the cat out. Mad at his mother, the father (his name is Elmer Elevator) leaves with the cat, who, it turns out, is a talking cat. When Elmer wishes he could fly away from his home, the cat tells Elmer of an island inhabited by wild beasts, called Wild Island, who captured a baby dragon and use him as a ferry across the river that cuts through the middle of the island. But the animals are not kind to the baby dragon and the cat is sure that the dragon would fly whoever rescued him wherever he would want to go. So they make a plan for Elmer to rescue the dragon. How Elmer outsmarts all the beast he runs across ion the course of his rescue mission is what keeps kids engaged in the plot and keeps the book moving along at a fast pace.

This is a short book, with darling illustrations. Perfect for higher first or second grade readers and a great read aloud for younger children. This is one book not to be missed!

Kid Lit Mondays: Early Reader Series

If any primary teacher comes into my library looking for a good series book for their readers I point them to Cynthia Rylant. She has written quite a few excellent series for young readers. They are good for the higher kindergarten reader, for the strong first grade reader and for the weaker second and third grade readers. My favorite is Henry & Mudge, a good friend of mine prefers Mr. Putter and Tabby, but I also love the Mark Teague illustrations in the Poppleton books. You just cannot go wrong with any of these books for a young reader.

Henry & Mudge is a series about a boy and his dog Mudge. It brings to mind any number of books that celebrates the relationship between a boy and a dog and the friendship that grows there. The off-shoot set from Henry & Mudge is the Annie & Snowball books about Henry's cousin Annie and her kitty Snowball.

Mr. Putter & Tabby is about an older man and the simple adventures he has with his cat Tabby. I recently read the first one to a group of first graders and they loved it. The illusrations are fantastic and they are just sweet stories. A much nicer pace for some kids.

Poppleton is about a pig and his friends. I love Mark Teague illustrations so I always smile when I open up a Poppleton book.

Cynthis Rylant has also written a series of stand alone books, my favorite being The Relatives Came. I re-read this every summer before we have relatives visit so that I can remember to cherish their visit rather than dread it. She also wrote the Newbery Award winning chapter book Missing May.

Anyway, I just feel that matter how jaded the kid may be, they can still find something to like in one of these series of books!

Kid Lit Mondays: Clementine

I participate in Tween Tuesdays and love it. I love to spotlight books that I think will totally hook fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh graders. But last week as I was trying to pick out what book to spotlight I kept rejecting some of my favorites as being "too young" for tweens. So I decided to do a new series of posts called "Kid Lit Monday." Sometimes the books will be for very young readers (K-1) and sometimes for older (2-3). I will try and put down the reading level, but might sometimes forget.

Today I am going to spotlight Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. (higher first grade readers through fourth)

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I wonder why someone doesn't try to create a modern day Ramona type girl?" (Not that Ramona doesn't stand up to time, she totally does, but this post is not about her). Well, wonder no more, Clementine is here! I was reading chapter one to some second graders today and I was struck again by what a great voice Clementine has.

Some of you may say that Junie B. Jones fills the void of crazy little girls, and she is wonderful and always fun to read aloud for kids. But, the biggest gripe a lot of parents, and some teachers, have against Junie is her language and grammar. Clementine doesn't have that issue. She is more articulate, but gets into as much trouble as either Junie or Ramona. I know several little girls in the school I teach who have Clementine tendencies, things that happen that aren't solely their fault, but that they have a hand in.

Pick up a copy today either for your young reader or for yourself. I guarantee you will find yourself grinning the entire time you read Clementine!