Month: April 2024

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

Happy Book Birthday to VP Anderson & Tatiana Hill’s Blood City Rollers!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Blood City Rollers, by V.P. Anderson/Illustrated by Tatiana Hill, (Apr. 2024, Labyrinth Road/Random House Graphic), $13.99, ISBN: 9780593485712

Ages 8-12

What do you get when you a human ice skater joins a vampire roller derby team? A fun story about found family and discovering not only who we are, but what we really want from life. Mina Murray is a 13-year-old figure skater whose mom has big plans for her: the Olympics, the breakfast cereal boxes, all of it. Mina’s not so sure about her place in this world, so when two vampires “kinda sorta” kidnap her to be part of their Paranormal Roller Derby team, the Blood City Rollers, Mina is surprisingly quick to go with the new flow. The vamps need a human jammer for their team, and they need to win the Derby so they can maintain their status and keep their home. As Mina practices and becomes a part of the team, she feels like she’s finally found somewhere she belongs. A queer-friendly mashup of paranormal/horror and comedy, Blood City Rollers is for everyone who loved Roller Girl, with just a bit more spooky added in. Mina explores a crush on Val, the team captain, and skaters’ pronouns are included on the rosters; the skaters are a diverse group in terms of gender identity, race, and ethnicity. This is the first in a new graphic novel series and looks like it will be a popular one.

Blood City Rollers has a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Posted in Librarianing

Solar Eclipse resources

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Yes, the solar eclipse is upon us… again. We thought we’d get a break after the 2017 Eclipse Glasses Madness, but it’s back and libraries everywhere are  besieged with phone calls and visitors asking the eternal question, “Do you have any of those eclipse glasses?”

We’re out, but we’re getting more on Monday, just in time for the event itself. For those of you still in the heat of handing out glasses, stay strong. In the meantime, here are links to fun eclipse activities and resources for you to share.

TeachersPayTeachers is a treasure trove. Here are a few I’ve downloaded:

Traci Clausen has a very cute informational activity and craft.

What’s an eclipse day without a cool hat? Katie Mense has a cute hat kids can color in and wear.

Amanda Richardson has a hat AND props to re-enact your own solar eclipse!

Teaching Tiny Smiles has a word search.

Need coloring pages? Check out Looped Into Literacy and In Our Middle School Era.

TeachersPayTeachers has a language filter, so make use of it! My community is primarily Spanish-speaking, so I’ve downloaded some crowns from Dee Teaches, activity sheets from Angie’s Schoolhouse, and crowns and coloring pages from Bilingually Ever After.

Crayola has a fun activity showing kids how to create an eclipse with chalk and construction paper.

NASA’s Space Place has games, videos, and activities for kids and NASA Scope through Arizona State University has activities for grownups and kids alike. Check out some great photography on NASA’s Eclipses Gallery!

Above all, be safe and enjoy your eclipse experience.

Photo courtesy of Jongsun Lee on Unsplash

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Blog Tour: I Am Gravity, by Henry Herz

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

In 2021, Henry Herz and Tilbury House published I Am Smoke, a lyrical meditation into our world as seen through the eyes of Smoke: its presence in history, science, and culture. Now, we can look forward to its companion, releasing on April 16th: I Am Gravity.

I Am Gravity, by Henry Herz/Illustrated by Mercè López,
(Apr. 2024, Tilbury House), $18.95, ISBN: 9781668936849

Ages 4-8

Narrated by Gravity, I Am Gravity reveals its existence in our lives from the very beginning, at once revealing the beauty and the power of its force: “Over millions of years, I pack molecules into planets… I have existed since the dawn of time. I am gravity” and balances with its ethereal beauty: “You can feel me but not see me. I reach / everywhere, touching everything… / … a butterfly landing on your outstretched palm, / a whale diving deep, the moon far above.” López’s exquisite illustrations paint Gravity as a deep pink presence, guiding a whale underwater and wrapping around a planet in formation. A fantastic companion to I Am Smoke and an essential addition to picture book STEM collections.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night? Fun for bedtime and storytime

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night?, by Steven J. Simmons & Clifford R. Simmons/Illustrated by Ruth E. Harper, (Apr. 2024, Charlesbridge Publishing), $17.99, ISBN: 9781623542979

Ages 3-7

Ocean animals sleep just like land animals do – and like kids do, too! This rhyming story is nonfiction that reads like a bedtime story and will appeal to younger learners. Beginning and closing with human children to place the reader in the story, Simmons and Simmons weave a playful rhyme that delves into the sleeping habits and underwater areas of a plethora of sea creatures including stringrays, whales, sharks, and octopuses. The story educates as it charms, giving readers interesting facts like “A clownfish can wiggle and do a dance. / It eats tiny animals and also plants. / It lives in anemones that keep away foes; / these homes are poison, and other fish know. / But for the clownfish it’s safe to stay, / and here it sleeps at the end of each day”. Harper’s realistic watercolor illustrations show the colorful range of different underwater flora and fauna, with gorgeous texture that brings life to every spread (seriously – I want a print of the octopus spread). Beginning with a group of children enjoying a day at the beach and playing with toys of the very animals we meet throughout the story, and closing with the kids winding down for a good night’s sleep – with their sea friends nest to them as they drift off in their “nice, dry bed[s]”, this is a great choice for bedtime, pajama storytimes, or under the sea-themed storytimes. Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night? is the third book in a series that includes Where Do Creatures Sleep at Night and Where Do Big Creatures Sleep at Night? and is a fun addition to early nonfiction collections.

I Heart Crafty Things has adorable Sea Creatures coloring pages for a post-storytime activity. LucyJaneLovesLearning on TeachersPayTeachers has free sea creature student name tags, if you have large storytime groups and do name tags.

 

EDITED TO ADD: There’s a downloadable activity kit for Where Do Creatures Sleep at Night? Download it here!