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Celebrating Ignacio (Nacho) Anaya on National Nacho Day!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Nacho’s Nachos: The Story Behind the World’s Favorite Snack, by Sandra Nickel and Oliver Dominguez, (Aug. 2020, Lee & Low), $18.95, ISBN: 9781620143698

Ages 6-10

Not all heroes wear capes. Ignacio Anaya was born in Northern Mexico in 1895, and raised by a foster mother who made him delicious quesadillas. He grew up and became well-respected in the restaurant industry, handling everything from waiting tables to greeting guests and making sure everyone was well taken care of and happy. When a famous foodie asked him for “something different” one night in 1940, Ignacio – called “Nacho” for short – searched the kitchen until he noticed a bowl of fried corn tortillas. Thinking of his foster mother’s delicious quesadillas, he put his own spin on them, by melting cheddar cheese on them, topping each with a piece of pickled jalapeño pepper, and serving them up as “Nacho’s Special”. And, my friends, a legend was born.

Nacho’s Nachos tells Ignacio’s story, from the beginnings at his foster mother’s table through to his fame as the creator of a dish that appealed to everyone, everywhere, including actors and presidents; even allowing him to open a restaurant of his own. Ignacio’s original recipe is included in the back matter, along with an afterword on his life. There are sources and an author’s note addressing the somewhat tall tales that have arisen about Nacho’s life. Sandra Nickel creates a wonderfully inspirational biography, and Oliver Dominguez’s mixed media artwork is realistic and has gorgeous earth colors alongside colorful nightlife scenes. A fantastic addition to picture book biographies.

Warm up some cheddar cheese, have some nachos, and celebrate the life of Nacho Anaya today! Check out the National Nachos Day website for recipes and the history of the celebration.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Kindness is always on time when you ride Zero Local

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Zero Local, by Ethan Murrow and Vita Murrow, (Apr. 2020, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9780763697471

Ages 4-8

An above-ground train kicks off the week with delays, and tensions run high, but one passenger embraces the extra time and thoughtfully creates a thank-you drawing for the conductor. A young girl notices the act of kindness and decides that gratitude is the way to go; for the rest of the week, as moments of stress and tension creep back into the daily commute,

Zero Local shows the power of kindness and the beauty of paying it forward. Mostly wordless – the only text here exists to let readers know the day of the week and the train’s schedule status – the artwork does all the talking. Vita and Ethan Murrow capture the tension and stress of the daily commute while illustrating the power of art and empathy. Graphite illustrations derived from photos give a gritty realness to the urban commuters and bursts of yellow give us sunshine for those small, bright moments when kindness prevails. A nice addition to wordless picture books, and hopefully, an inspiration for understanding. Read and display with Melanie Hope Greenberg’s Down in the Subway, another book where a crowded, hot day on the subway turns into something magical.

 

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Halloween March! The Ghosts Went Floating

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Ghosts Went Floating, by Kim Norman/Illustrated by Jay Fleck, (July 2020, Farrar Straus & Giroux), $17.99, ISBN: 9780374312138

Ages 3-6

Inspired by the classic favorite, “The Ants Go Marching”, The Ghosts Go Floating is a Halloween counting story where ghosts, skeletons, witches, mummies, zombies, and more all join a march by the light of the moon. Where are they going? You can only find out if you read the story!  Colorful, friendly ghouls and ghosts march across the pages with with rosy cheeks and friendly faces. The repetitive text lets kids jump in and be part of the storytelling, calling out the “Boo-Rah!” cheer and “moon, moon, moon”, which leads into the next group of monsters to join the dance: “The goblins galloped, six by six, / Boo-rah! Boo-rah! / while waving clubs and pointy sticks. / Boo-rah! Boo-rah! / The goblins galloped, six by six. / They dragged their knuckles on pointy bricks / and they all trooped up the hill, / in the chill. / by the light of the moon, / moon, moon, moon”.

Halloween fun, and a must for readalouds. Just make sure to have treats ready for your little goblins and werewolves! Pair with Tony Mitton’s and Guy Parker-Rees’s The Spooky Hour for Halloween Party fun.

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Steve Pugh’s Harley Quinn poster promotes graphic novel love!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I love, love, LOVE, comic books, and I love, love, love, Harley Quinn, so I was super-excited to see that artist Steve Pugh has created a Harley Quinn poster for DC Comics’s “Be a Hero, Read a Book” campaign. Steve Pugh tweeted an unlettered poster last month, and somehow, I just found it, thanks to today’s Diamond Bookshelf e-mail. The Harley featured here is inspired by teen Harley from last year’s Mariko Tamaki original graphic novel, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass, which, if you haven’t read yet, you MUST.

I NEED THIS POSTER IMMEDIATELY.

I picked up a set of posters from last year’s campaign at ALA Midwinter earlier this year (wow… it feels like ancient history now), and they are GORGEOUS. You can find the posters and other resources for educators and librarians at DC’s page here.

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Terrific Toddlers understand your little ones

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I first found the Terrific Toddlers series at BookExpo two years ago, and I love the way they communicate feelings and action to both parents and toddlers in a way that’s constructive and instructional. There are three new books coming in November, and they look at some big topics for little people.

Potty! (Terrific Toddlers), by Carol Zeavin & Rhona Silverbush/Illustrated by Jon Davis, (Nov. 2020, Magination Press), $8.99, ISBN: +978-1-4338-251-2

Ages 1-3

JoJo, Kai, and Jack are all learning to use the potty! Parents are there to help, whether it’s to usher a toddler into the bathroom to take off a diaper, or to help a little understand that when we flush, the water takes away the poop – but not the toddler! Each toddler has a different experience with the potty, and Ava has graduated to undies. With short, informational sentences, readers learn that, whether wearing a diaper or undies, we all use a potty to poop or pee, and we learn to recognize the feeling that tells us to use the potty. A note to parents and caregivers provides guidance for potty training, including signs of physical and emotional readiness. Soft pastel artwork and a white background with occasional splashes of pastel provide a relaxing reading experience, and a multicultural group of children to appeal to all readers.

 

Time to Go! (Terrific Toddlers), by Carol Zeavin & Rhona Silverbush/Illustrated by Jon Davis, (Nov. 2020, Magination Press), $$8.99, ISBN: 978-1-4338-252-9

Time To Go! is all about that challenging moment in toddlerhood: leaving one place or task to go somewhere else. Ava is singing, but Daddy knows it’s time to head to the playground; once at the playground, JoJo’s mom tells her it’s time to go; at home, Jack needs to take a bath, but he’s playing with his trains. Each parent recognizes the pushback: “I busy!”; I singing!”; and the one we all know so well, “NO!” Each parent follows their little, acknowledges how they feel at the moment, and uses a bit of deflection to help ease feelings. Ava’s dad tells provides her with a routine: “first we put on our shoes, then we take our snack”; JoJo’s mom gives JoJo a choice: slide down the slide one more time, or Mom can catch her; Jack’s mom lets him drive his trains to the bath. Each time, the toddler has a choice in how to proceed, but the parent is making the decision. There’s no yelling, no lost tempers, no crying, giving us parents a realistic plan for handling that toddler pushback. The parent and caregiver note offers suggestions for setting limits, including giving a heads-up (I still give my 8-year-old the “5-minute warning”), having a routine, using transitional objects, and giving a choice. Having the same cast of toddlers in each book gives our toddlers familiar faces, letting them bond with the characters and see them as having a full range of experiences, like our own kids do.

 

New Baby!, by Carol Zeavin & Rhona Silverbush/Illustrated by Jon Davis, (Nov. 2020, .Press), $8.99, ISBN: 978-1-4338-32505

This book tackles the biggie: The New Baby. The opening sentences put it best: “Sometimes a new baby comes. Sometimes we worry about what will happen.” Kai’s mommy is about to have a baby, and Kai is not really sure how to feel about it.  Mommy and Daddy reassure him, but when Baby comes home, Kai is frustrated and wants the baby to go away! Mommy lets him get his emotions out, encouraging him to stomp and voice his anger, and then calms him down by letting him sit on her lap while Daddy shows him pictures of Kai when he was a baby. By letting Kai know that he will always be Mommy and Daddy’s baby, even when he’s their big boy, they are showing him that he is an important part of the family. New Baby! addresses fear and frustration that toddlers feel when a new baby joins the family. The parent and caregiver note encourages adults to acknowledge the possible regression, as toddlers try to revert back to baby behaviors; let toddlers help out by letting them get diapers, blankets, or toys for baby.

I’m really happy with this series of toddler books; looking forward to seeing how they do at my library.

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I’m MOMREADIT.COM!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hey, all! Quick update for today: after 9 years, I finally ran out of memory and needed to upgrade my blog, which came with a personal domain name. So now, I’m MomReadIt.com! (MomReadit.wordpress.com still gets you here, though.) This is exciting!

Okay, my book piles are looming, I just got book mail I need to look at, and I have 3rd grade STEM to play around with (with my 3rd grader). More posts – many more! – to come, including a tour through my other librarian friends’ Bitmoji-braries!

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The CYBILS Judges Announced!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’m running a little late on this one, but I wanted to make sure the word was out and about: the CYBILS Judges have been announced, and guess what?

I’m a Round One Graphic Novels Judge!! 

What does that mean? That means over the next few months, I am going to be reading A LOT of graphic novels. Like, a lot. But bring it! I haven’t been a Round One Judge in a few years, and I’ve usually been a Round Two Judge on Speculative fiction so this is exciting and new for me! Let me give some love to my co-judges in Round One; make sure you visit their blogs, too!

Maggi at Books for Squids

Rebecca at Sloth Reads

Cecelia at The Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia

Christa at This is a Metaphor

Josephine at Jo the Book Girl

Reshama at Stacking Books

 

Can’t wait to start reading and talking graphic novels with this fine group of folx!

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#HomesCool: New ABCs!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I love concept books that take the idea to the next level. These are two new abcedaries that make the ABCs a heck of a lot more exciting!

Eek! A Noisy Journey from A to Z, by Julie Larios and Julie Paschikis, (Sept. 2020, Peachtree Publishing), $16.99, ISBN: 978-1-68263-169-0

Ages 2-5

ACHOO! A mouse picks a flower, sneezes, and the adventure begins! This book of ABCs tells a story from A to Z, all using sound effects to illustrate the letters of the alphabet. There’s a startled Eeek! when the mouse sees a cat, a Fwump when a growling dog playfully knocks the cat off its feet, and a Kabonk when a bicycle-riding raccoon strikes a tortoise’s hard shell. The mouse and its flower are at the heart of the story, witnessing sweet acts of kindness, fun, and excitement, with Mouse ultimately completing its mission and delivering the gift of a flower to a friend. India Ink and gouache artwork in bright colors and patterns stand out out against colorful backgrounds; the sound words are playful and the letters of he alphabet are bold, standing out against the backgrounds, letting readers easily identify them. Bright yellow backgrounds decorate the endpapers, with letters of the alphabet standing out, in orange, across the pages.

What a fun addition to ABC books and concept collections! Publisher Peachtree has an activity kit with coloring sheets and a storytime activities.

Eek! has a starred review from Kirkus.

 

Not An Alphabet Book: The Case of the Missing Cake, by Eoin McLaughlin/lllustrated by Marc Boutavant, (Aug. 2020, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536212679

Ages 3-5

Oh no! As soon as you open the book, Bear is there waiting for you: there’s been a horrible crime and he needs your help! “The world’s most completely delicious, tongue-jinglingly chocolaty cake has been STOLEN” and we have to help find the thief! The ABCs lead readers through the clues and suspects they need to solve the mystery… but that bear looks like he’s hiding something, don’t you think? Readers will love this whodunit, and sharp-eyed observers will notice little details like a rather dark smudge across Bear’s face… and are those crumbs scattered across his table? The digital artwork makes for fun, expressive characters, and Bear is hilariously evasive as our unreliable narrator. The endpapers start off with Bear tracking crumbs, and end with… well ,the story’s conclusion. Absolute fun for storytime, this is an abcedary with a plot and a wicked sense of humor. Pair this with Audrey and Bruce Wood’s Alphabet Mystery for a whodunit storytime!

Not An Alphabet Book: The Case of the Missing Cake has a starred review from Kirkus.

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A quick update

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hi all, I just wanted to apologize for the sporadic posting the last few weeks. Life has gotten in the way over the last few weeks, and with my kiddo starting remote school tomorrow, things will continue being insane. I want to promise everyone I have NOT blog faded and have a ton of books and tours that will be reviewed and chatted about here. Thank you to all the super patient authors, illustrators, publishers, and publicists who are being patient. More to come. SOON.

Here’s a cute kitten .gif:

Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Teen, Tween Reads, Uncategorized, Young Adult/New Adult

Two more original DC graphic novels! Gotham High and My Video Game Ate My Homework

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I missed the boat on this one when they pubbed on April 7th, but now, you have no excuse: two more DC original graphic novels have been out for a month now, and I am about to rave them. I picked up these advance copies at ALA Midwinter earlier this year, and had the best conversation with the folks at the DC Booth. I hope you’re all safe and sound, if you’re reading this, and trust me, I’m working my way through the stack o’graphic novels you were kind enough to send me home with.

Gotham High, by Melissa de la Cruz/Illustrated by Thomas Pitilli, (April 2020, DC Comics), $16.99, ISBN: 9781401286248

Ages 12-17

Melissa de la Cruz is a YA powerhouse: my middle graders can’t get enough of her Descendents novels, and my teens and YA readers devour her Alex and Eliza books. She can navigate complicated relationships between her characters, and who gets more complicated than the Joker, Catwoman, and Batman? Right? Gotham High is a YA take on Bruce, Selina, and Jack as teens – no capes, no superpowers, just the baggage they already come with (SO much baggage). Bruce is 17, just kicked out of boarding school, and has too many ghosts, in the form of memories, inhabiting stately Wayne Manor. Selina Kyle used to be the girl next door, now a Gotham High student that hangs out with Jack Napier, class clown with a heck of a mean streak. Bruce falls in with the two, and finds himself involved in a love triangle of sorts. But a kidnapping rocks Gotham High, and Bruce is thrust into the role of detective to get to the bottom of things.

Taking away the capes, gadgets, and makeup, Melissa de la Cruz gives us three incredibly complex, flawed characters, and brings us into their contentious friendship. She gives us chilling moments and dread realizations about the people each character will eventually become – with or without a costume. She makes them easily relatable and recognizable, and artist Thomas Pitilli gives us realistic characters with his artwork, with all the rah-rah high school spirit we expect to find in a high school hallway to the anger always simmering below the surface for each character. He captures the spirit of high school, in all its internal chaos, with style.

 

My Video Game Ate My Homework, by Dustin Hansen, (Apr. 2020, DC Comics), $9.99, ISBN: 9781401293260

Ages 8-12

This is a fandom-filled graphic novel that kids and grownups alike will love Dewey is a 13-year-old kid on the verge of flunking science when he and his friends gets sucked into a video game adventure that presents them with challenges, fights with digital monsters, and puzzles to solve. Loaded with sight gags and wink-nudges to video games, con life, and overall fandom, kids (and big kids, like me) will see themselves in Dewey and Co.

The book encourages readers to problem solve and emphasizes the importance of cooperation and teamwork. The cartoony-realistic style and fantasy monsters are so much fun – perfect story to introduce if you have Dungeons & Dragons fledgling fans. If you have Secret Coders readers, give them this book, which will continue challenging their problem-solving skills and captivating them with a fun storyline.

Dustin Hansen’s also written the Microsaurs series, which never stays on my library shelves. (Which means I probably need to order them for my kid, because he would LOVE them.) I got to talk to him at Midwinter, and he’s one of the nicest people ever.