Month: January 2021

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

A warm welcome to Champ and Major, and an Inaugural ReadAloud

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Let’s celebrate this big day by coming together to welcome Champ and Major to the White House! You can watch the highlights from Major’s official “Indoguration” here. Fans of the First Pups can also enjoy Champ and Major: First Dogs, by Joy McCullough and Sheyda Abvabi Best.

Champ and Major: First Dogs, by Joy McCullough/Illustrated by Sheyda Abvabi Best,
(Jan. 2021, Dial Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9780593407141
Ages 3-6

 

A Friends group in my library system held an Inauguration storytime yesterday; two of the selections were Dr. Jill Biden’s Joey and Kamala Harris’s Superheroes are Everywhere. If you’re planning a similar event, consider adding these to your lineup.

 

Joey: The Story of Joe Biden, by Dr. Jill Biden with Kathleen Krull/Illustrated by Amy June Bates,

(June 2020, Paula Wiseman Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9781534480537

Ages 5-8

 

Superheroes are Everywhere, by Kamala Harris/Illustrated by Mechel Renee Roe,

(Jan. 2019, Philomel Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781984837493

Ages 3-7

 

 

Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Measuring Up brings together two worlds

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Measuring Up, by Lily LaMotte/Illustrated by Ann Xu, (Oct. 2020, Harper Alley), $12.99, ISBN: 9780062973863

Ages 8-13

Twelve-year old Cici is a Taiwanese girl whose parents are moving to Seattle. She’s not thrilled about leaving her life behind in Taiwan, especially her A-má, the grandmother that helped raise her. While she and A-má video chat, she misses her grandmother terribly and wishes she could bring her to the States. School is okay, but there are the inevitable comments from bullies; even her new friends tend to lump her in with “Chinese” as opposed to “Taiwanese”. Cici wants so much to bring A-má to Seattle to celebrate her 70th birthday, and a kids’ cooking contest offers her the perfect chance to do it: the grand prize will pay for A-má’s ticket! Cici has a few hurdles to overcome, though: her father’s insistence on prioritizing schoolwork over everything else, including cooking; the fact that she only knows how to cook Taiwanese food, and being intimidated by one of the other contestands, a girl named Miranda, whose family owns a popular restaurant and who was practically raised in kitchens. With some help from a friendly librarian (hi!) who introduces her to Julia Child, Cici begins finding her own “courage and conviction” – and that inspires her as she finds herself in her new country.

Cici navigates two worlds in Measuring Up: her Taiwanese world and her new, American world; neither of which make her entirely comfortable all the time. She struggles to “fit in” with her American friends, with new activities like sleepovers – that don’t sit so easily with her parents – and her discomfort with her friends seeing “how Taiwanese” her home life is. Learning to cook with Julia Child’s recipes, and Child’s willingness to not be perfect, gives her the confidence to step outside her comfort zone. Working with Miranda is intimidating at first, but with her newfound confidence, Cici begins trusting herself and finds her voice in the competition and with Miranda, too. It’s an exciting development to watch unfold across the pages, and the colorful artwork is eye-catching. Readers who enjoy slice-of-life, coming of age books like Shannon Hale’s Real Friends books, Victoria Jamieson’s All’s Faire in Middle School, Remy Lai’s Pie in the Sky will love Measuring Up. The New York Times has a great article on food-related novels for kids, too; it’s a great piece on how we connect food, family, and culture. and and Visit author Lily LaMotte’s webpage and find out more about the book, including a recipe from the story.

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction

Orca re-releases Chinese New Year in time for the Year of the Ox

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Chinese New Year: A Celebration for Everyone, by Jen Sookfong Lee, (Jan. 2021, Orca Book Publishers), $12.95, ISBN: 9781459826434

Ages 9-12

Originally published in hardcover in 2017, Orca’s nonfiction Orca Origins series releases the paperback version of Chinese New Year: A Celebration for Everyone this month, just in time for the Year of the Ox celebrations beginning February 12th. Filled with fast facts, color photos, and quotes from prominent members of the Chinese community, author Jen Sookfong Lee details the history of Chinese New Year from its mythic origins to current-day celebrations, with memories of her own childhood and the childhoods of others adding a personal touch. The emphasis on family, how the holiday evolved from earlier days through upheavals in Chinese history, and how the holiday spread throughout the world give readers an idea of how Chinese New Year achieved such a global scope. Recipes throughout encourage readers – with adult supervision – to try out some New Year treats, and stories about the globalization of the holiday provide an welcome, inclusive invitation for all to enjoy. A glossary and index add to the back matter. A nice addition to holiday collections.

Posted in Librarianing, professional development

Adventures in Canva: Romance Flyer

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I know it’s not kidlit-related, but I made a thing and wanted to share! I’m still trying to play around with templates in Canva, so I tried my hand at a contemporary romance flyer that I can display at my little teller window at circulation. Here’s what I came up with:

I didn’t put in titles, QR codes, authors, because I want to keep it unfussy and hope it sparks conversation. If this works, I’ll give it a shot with some YA titles, some MG titles, and display them by our pick-up station, where patrons grab the books they requested. I’m trying to create opportunities for browsing in a space were we can’t browse for the moment, if that makes sense. Let me know what you think, please!

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Little Box of Emotions: Great for communication, great when kids struggle to find the words

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Little Box of Emotions: Matching and Memory Cards, by Louison Nielman , illustrated by Marie Paruit, (July 2020, Schiffer Kids), $19.99, ISBN: 9780764358975

Ages 2+

Twenty-four cards with colorful and expressive animals and items make for a memory game and teaching tool. A 32-page guide book explains represented emotions and offers some game ideas, from matching colors to memory games. What I appreciated most is the opportunity to use these cards to teach children how to recognize emotions in themselves and others; to use these cards to define what they may not have had the words to describe before. I work in a community of English language learners; for me, having cards like this available to my kids is great: when we reopen, I would use these in storytimes to deep dive into emotions experienced by different characters; I’d leave the box by my desk, so anyone wanting to talk to me without having the words, regardless of language capability, can use these little cards to communicate feelings and thoughts. They’re a good choice to have available for toddlers, who are learning more and more words by the day, and experiencing very big emotions that may scare or frustrate them. It makes for a fun game for parents and children to play together, and the adorable animals are eye-catching and colorful. Consider making some crib notes for yourself, describing these emotions in different languages to help language learners get a firmer foot in their two worlds. For those of us with big infant populations, have some baby sign language books around to enhance language, and make yourself familiar with ASL signs for emotions.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Get ready for your 100 days of school with Miss Mingo

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Miss Mingo and the 100th Day of School, by Jamie Harper, (Nov. 2020, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536204919

Ages 4-8

The latest Miss Mingo story celebrates that school milestone, the 100 Days. Miss Mingo’s kindergarten classroom is excited: “One hundred is a big number, so we will celebrate BIG!” Miss Mingo tells her class, and invites the class to share their 100th Day projects, and each of the students show off their projects: 100 shells, a 100-pound baby sibling (it’s a hippo!), 100 teddy bears, even 100 footprints from five different classmates! Loaded with interesting factoids throughout the story, Miss Mingo and the 100th Day of School has great ideas for 100th Day celebrations, many of which will likely take place over Zoom, Google Classroom, or other video chat. My favorite? Making a silly face for 100 seconds! Watercolor and ink illustrations show expressive, happy animal classmates and their exuberant teacher showing off their talented projects. A good book to have ready for 100th Day storytimes.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Ellie’s Dragon and childhood magic

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Ellie’s Dragon, by Bob Graham, (Nov. 2020, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536211139

Ages 3-7

Little Ellie discovers a tiny dragon atop an egg carton while at the grocery store with her mother, and immediately takes him home and names him Scratch. Ellie’s mother doesn’t see him, nor does her teacher, but all her friends do. As Ellie gets older, her relationship with Dragon begins to change: she’s paying less attention to him, more interested in birthday parties and music, and he begins fading away. A bittersweet story about the magic of childhood and growing up, Ellie’s Dragon is a good reminder to us grownups not to let the spark of magic fade as we grow up, and a reassurance to kids that they are absolutely clued in to moments that adults overlook. Award-winning author and illustrator Bob Graham tells a magical story, accompanied by his dreamy watercolors; Scratch is a tiny green dragon with bits of yellow and pink; his wings gently flap and he gives off a little plume of smoke. Ellie leads him along on a leash, attracting the attention of kids everywhere she goes, and Scratch lovingly indulges them, eating birthday candles and snuggling with them at naptime. You’ll ache when you see Scratch left behind as Ellie grows up and away from him, but don’t worry – our childhood friends don’t fade away; they move on to someone else who needs them. A gentle story for kiddos moving up from toddlerhood to preschoool and Kindergarten. Remind your Kiddos to always look for their dragons and unicorns, and to keep their everyday magic close.

Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels, Humor, Middle Grade, Middle School, Tween Reads

Chef Yasmina and the Potato Panic

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Chef Yasmina and the Potato Panic, by Wauter Mannaert, (Feb. 2021, First Second), $14.99, ISBN: 9781250622051

Ages 10+

Yasmina is a young chef who loves to work with food. Her dad works in a french fry restaurant (frites! frites!) where he coworkers eat their fill of fast food, while Yasmina makes sure to send her father healthy greens, spring rolls, and vegetable dishes. The family is strapped for cash, so Yasmina gets her fresh ingredients from her wacky friends at the neighborhood garden and, occasionally, from the mysterious neighbor’s rooftop garden. But something weird is afoot when the community garden is bought out by a wealthy corporation and plowed over with scientifically enhanced potatoes that cause some strange behavior in anyone who eats them! Not only are they obsessed with the taters, they’ve started barking, slobbering, and howling at the moon. Yasmina needs to find out what’s going on, fast!

Yasmina is quirky, but tends to be a little hard to follow. The smaller panels contribute to this; it’s hard to see what’s going on and subtle nuances may go missing with a first read. The artwork is fun and colorful, with exaggerated facial expressions and body behavior, but the main point of the plot – the genetically modified foods versus the small community garden – may get lost. Overall, an interesting read that I’m going to put in my library and talk up, because I think it’s a good book for discussion, but this may be an additional purchase for strapped budgets.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Hooray! It’s Garbage Day!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hooray, it’s Garbage Day!, by Eric Ode/Illustrated by Gareth Llewhellin, (Jan. 2020, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 9781684641147

Ages 3-6

More truck and vehicle books! More community helpers! This rhyming concept book is all about the excitement of hearing the big garbage truck rumble down the street, lights flashing, hissing and sighing, as it grabs cans and dumps them into its maw to crunch and crash up the trash. Fun sounds in the story make for fun read alouds: let your kiddos stomp and smash, rumble and crash as you read along. Kids can count from 1 to 5 along with garbage truck workers, garbage cans, neighborhood kids waving, and more. When the kids in the book make up their own garbage crew using art supplies, encourage your kiddos (if you’re virtual) to make their own signs and trucks, or (if you’re in person) hand some out! If you’re grab and go, like I am, you can make some make and take craft bags with some pieces of cardboard, this cool recycling printable, and some truck coloring sheets, along with a few crayons. Digital artwork is colorful, bright, and cartoony.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Eyes that Kiss in the Corners is an ode to loving yourself

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Eyes that Kiss in the Corners, by Joanna Ho/Illustrated by Dung Ho, (Jan. 2021, Harper Children’s), $17.99, ISBN: 9780062915627

Ages 3-7

This gorgeous book is an ode in verse to loving oneself and the connection to one’s heritage. A little girl notices that some of her friends have blue eyes and long lashes, but she looks different. She has “eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea”, and they look just like her mother’s, her grandmother’s, and her sister’s. The love and hope and history in these eyes are carried from generation to generation, and they communicate volumes. Not for one moment does our little protagonist worry about not having “sapphire lagoons with lashes like lace trim on ballgowns”, because her eyes “find mountains that rise ahead and look up when others are shut down… lashes like the swords of warriors..” Each page reveals beautiful determination, self-love, and self-worth, and Dung Ho’s digital illustrations are warm, yet powerful, with strength through grace. Touches of Chinese history unfold through the spreads, with references to the Chinese culture and mythology; clothing, and imagery.

This book is breathtaking, and I can’t wait to read this at storytime. Add this to your shelves, your storytimes, and your collections.

Eyes that Kiss in the Corners has starred reviews from School Library Journal and Kirkus. It was also one of the top ten picks for the Winter 2020-2021 Kids’ Indie Next Great Reads.