Category: Early Reader

Posted in Early Reader, Non-Fiction

Colors of the Wind – “The wind is like a rainbow.”

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Layout 1Colors of the Wind: The Story of Blind Artist and Champion Runner, George Mendoza, by J.L. Powers (Sept. 2014, Purple House Press), $18.95, ISBN: 978-1930900738

Recommended for ages 7+

Colors of the Wind is one of those inspiring books that will take your breath away. Written for young readers and excellent for read-alouds in the classroom and the home, Colors of the Wind tells the story of George Mendoza, Olympic runner and painter.

As a child, George was always in motion. He was that kid that never stayed still; he wanted to be a basketball player when he got older. But his vision began to deteriorate, and he saw bursts of color. Suffering from a rare form of blindness called fundus flavimaculatus, his central vision has been destroyed, but he retains peripheral vision, which he refers to as “kaleidoscope eyes” because of the way objects reflect and are multiplied in his vision.

To take his mind off his blindness, George started running and ended up competing in two Olympics. He later began painting, remembering a priest who told him to paint what he saw. He uses fingerpaints, brushes – anything that will communicate to others the unique and beautiful way George sees the world.

This book is gorgeous. Illustrated with Mr. Mendoza’s paintings, this is a truly inspiring story of a man who literally changed his point of view. The text is enhanced with drawings by Hayley Morgan-Sanders. JL Powers presents Mr. Mendoza’s story with short sentences that are perfect for allowing young listeners to grasp the concepts presented and allows for deeper discussion on overcoming challenges and celebrating what gifts we have to work with.

The book includes a short biography on George Mendoza, and a list of paintings featured in the book. Two of my favorites are featured below: Purple Moon and Blind Man Touching the Sun.

purple_moon    blindmantouching

Colors of the Wind is available in stores now – ask your local bookstore, or order from Amazon!

Posted in Early Reader, Preschool Reads

The Angry Little Puffin clears up some confusion

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

puffinThe Angry Little Puffin, by Timothy Young (Sept. 2014, Schiffer Publishing), $16.99, ISBN: 978-0-7643-4387

Recommended for ages 5-8

“Oh, look at that cute little penguin!” This little puffin has had it up to HERE with being mistaken for a penguin, and he’s going to let everyone know the differences between puffins and penguins – RIGHT NOW.

What follows is an adorably illustrated lesson on puffins: where they live, what they eat, different types of puffins, and their ability to fly (versus flightless penguins). The puffin’s rant isn’t fruitless; he discovers that there’s at least one little girl out there who understands the difference between penguins and puffins, something that hopefully tides him over for the next round of onlookers ready to see the “happy little penguin”.

What a great way to conduct a nature lesson! I’d love to use this book in an animal storytime, and I’d love to see teachers using this book in their Kindergarten and first grade classes. The illustrations are adorable, eye-catching, and use bright colors (especially on the puffin’s beak!). Fonts are large, in word balloons to denote dialogue, and bolded for easy reading. The puffin has character, with facial expressions and body gestures that teachers can use for emphasis during a read-aloud, and that kids will immediately recognize, whether it’s frustration or happiness.

The Angry Little Puffin just published on September 28, so ask your bookstore to order a copy, or buy it on Amazon.com.

Posted in Animal Fiction, Early Reader, Fiction

Shaun the Sheep: Flock Factor – Not just any talent show!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

shaun the sheepShaun the Sheep: The Flock Factor, by Martin Howard (Nov. 2014, Candlewick Press), $4.99, ISBN: 9780763675356

Recommended for ages 4-6

There’s a talent show coming to Mossy Bottom Farm, and it’s sheep versus chickens to see who’s got the real talent!

Shaun and his friends are thrilled when they see a sign advertising a talent show – The Flock Factor! – at Mossy Bottom Farm. The only problem is, none of the sheep have much in the way of talent. Except for Shirley, who can belt out a soulful tune that would make Adele weep. The chickens, who have an enviable lineup, are the mean kids here, teasing Shirley, whose stage fright renders her unable to perform in front of anyone. Can Shaun the Sheep bolster Shirley’s confidence enough to get her on stage? Will the chickens win the talent show, or will the sheep pull it together?

Shaun the Sheep is an adorable Claymation show, spun off from the hugely successful Wallace and Gromit children’s show, coming to us from the UK. The series is getting its own, original illustrated fiction series, perfect for new readers who are ready to tackle the next level in reading. Parents who enjoy a good storytime cuddle will enjoy reading this to their preschoolers, who may have a longer attention span than their little siblings.

It’s not always easy to translate something so visual to the written word, but the illustrations help fill out the story. Familiarity with Shaun the Sheep isn’t necessary, but Shaun is likely to win some new friends and viewers if this book series takes off.

The Shaun the Sheep website offers games, videos, and a social media network that allows subscribers to post their game scores, sign up for newsletters, and enter contests.

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction

Connah Brecon’s Frank is always late… but he’s got a good reason!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

frank_breconFrank! by Connah Brecon, (Sept. 2014, Running Press). $16.95, ISBN: 978-0-7624-5423-5

Recommended for ages 4-7

Frank is a sweet bear who’s always late for school – but he’s got a good reason every time! Whether he’s helping a cat stuck in an ill-tempered tree, dancing in a charity dance-off, or saving a family of bunnies from a bullying ogre, Frank is there to lend a hand, even if it makes him late for school. But when he saves his classmates by calling for teamwork, everyone learns a valuable lesson – being thoughtful and friendly will always win in the end.

Frank! is a sweet book about a kind-hearted bear who can’t pass up the chance to help someone out, but his time management skills need a little work. He shows up at school after the school day is over on the first day and improves a little bit every day from there. The message here may be perceived as mixed – it’s okay to be habitually late, as long as you’ve been doing good deeds – but I see it as appealing to young audiences who can relate to a shorter attention span. Who could resist helping a family of bunnies out, right? The book communicates to children, and it’s all about big imaginations and wild excuses. Children will connect with Frank and his desire to do good.

The art is adorably cartoony, with a large, black typewriter font narrating most of the story. The pictures are bright and cheery, with both spreads and single pages chock-full of art and balloon dialogue to attract readers. This works as a storytime book and as an individual read for more confident readers.

Added note: My 2 year-old gives this book an enthusiastic, “I like this book!” and demands his own zombie lizard king.

Frank! hits stores on September 30, but you can get your pre-orders in now!

Posted in Animal Fiction, Early Reader, Fiction, Graphic Novels

BirdCatDog: A graphic novel for beginners, with multiple points of view

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

birdcatdogBirdCatDog, by Lee Nordling and Meritxell Bosch (Nov. 2014, Lerner Publishing Group). $25.26, ISBN: 9781467745222

Recommended for ages 5+

Three narratives, three separate points of view, all come together in this graphic novel by Lee Nordling and Meritxell Bosch. A bird, a cat, and a dog all start their day with different achievement – the bird, to find freedom, the cat, to explore his world, and the dog, to defend his home. Each character meets and interacts with the others throughout the course of the book – the bird chases the cat, who ends up on the wrong side of the dog’s fence – and other character come into play to lead to more pandemonium.

The stories can be ready separately – each character’s narrative is color-coded – or as a whole. The pages are split into three panels, facilitating the individual narratives. The animals are cartoony, but not exaggeratedly so. They have expressive faces and body language, and the story is straightforward, making it perfect for new readers and even pre-readers, with the help of an adult or older sibling.

The split narratives make this book useful in many different ways across different ages. You can talk about perspective and point of view; you can read the individual narratives; you can encourage children to talk about what they see happening on the page in any number of combinations. It’s a great way to introduce sequential concepts in reading to kids.