Category: Uncategorized

Posted in Uncategorized

Little Whale has a long voyage ahead of him…

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Little Whale, by Jo Weaver, (Oct. 2018, Peachtree Publishers), $17.95, ISBN: 9781682630495

Ages 4-8

Little Whale and Gray Whale are heading off to the North to join the rest of their family. It is not an easy journey, and Little Whale doesn’t know where this place called “home” is; the only thing he knows is that his mother is next to him, keeping him safe. Through underwater forests and midnight skies, cold and dark waters and menacing orcas, Gray Whale urges Little Whale on, keeping him safe and guiding him home, until they hear their family welcome them home.

Little Whale is as much a story for parents as it is for children. Gray Whale is a strong, silent presence, leading her little one through an exhausting journey. Little Whale is afraid of the unknown – he’s surrounded by it! – but implicitly trusts his mother. Like a child on a long journey, he often asks, “are we there yet?”, but Gray Whale never grows impatient; she just keeps swimming. Little Whale is also an exploration of the ocean: the gray-blue and white charcoal art reveals shadowy coral reefs, murky underwater plant life, schools of fish, and a mother guiding her baby on. A brief author’s note talks about gray whale migration.

A nice cuddle-time story that sea life fans will enjoy. See more of Jo Weaver’s artwork on her website.

 

Posted in Uncategorized

The Snow Lion: An imaginary friend provides courage

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Snow Lion, by Jim Helmore /Illustrated by Richard Jones, (Oct. 2018, Peachtree Publishers), $17.95, ISBN: 9781682630488

Ages 4-8

Cora is a little girl in a new house. She’d like to have someone to play with, but she’s terribly shy. Luckily for her, a friendly snow lion introduces himself and invites her to play. He disappears against the white, white walls of the house, making for a fun game of hide-and-seek. The Lion manages to nudge Caro out of the house to go play in the park, where she meets a boy named Bobby; from there, Bobby introduces her to his friends. When Caro’s mom decides to invite Caro’s new friends over to paint the house, the Snow Lion smiles and tells her that it’s time for him to move on – but that she’ll always know where to find him.

The Snow Lion is a comforting tale about moving and being the new kid. Caro’s imaginary friend – we see her reading a book about lions on the title page – is there to support her while she gains the courage to make new friends. The paint and Photoshop artwork is subdued, and the Lion is a quietly supportive presence, first blending into walls, then standing out against blue, yellow, and red backgrounds as he and Caro play together. Even though the Snow Lion moves on, he’s a guiding presence by the story’s end. Gray and white endpapers feature snow lions, snowflakes, and geometric shapes.

A gentle story for kids who have recently moved, are about to move, or just need a little something to lean on.

Author Jim Helmore’s author website has free downloadables related to his other books. Illustrator Richard Jones’ webpage has more to say about The Snow Lion and his other work.

Posted in Uncategorized

Rick Riordan Presents: The Storm Runner, and the Mayan Pantheon!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Storm Runner, by JC Cervantes, (Sept. 2018, Disney-Hyperion), $16.99, ISBN: 9781368016346

Ages 8-13

The next Rick Riordan Presents book is out! The next Rick Riordan Presents book is out!! I’m as excited as my library kids are, because The Storm Runner has got the GOODS.

Middle schooler Zane Obispo is an ordinary kid. Kinda. I mean, he’s being raised by his single mom, hangs out with his pro wrestling-loving uncle, and loves exploring with his 3-legged dog, Rosie. But he also has his own volcano – there’s a dormant volcano right near his New Mexico home – and he tries to avoid the jerks at school who make fun of him, because one leg is shorter than the other. When a new girl named Brooks shows up at school and tells him he’s destined to release an evil god from the underworld, he thinks she’s crazy: until it really happens. Brooks is a shapeshifter than can turn into a hawk, Rosie is lost to the underworld while trying to protect Zane from a Mayan god who smells like puke, and Zane? He’s the son of another Mayan god. And now, with Ah-Puch unleashed, there’s a war brewing between the gods, including Zane’s father. Zane’s the only one who can put things right, but all he wants to do is save Rosie and leave them to it.

The Storm Runner is SO. GOOD. It’s a brilliant introduction to the Mayan pantheon, for starters. Narrated by Zane, we get some real talk about the awesomeness of a people that worshiped a goddess of chocolate (Ixcacao) and a Mayan giant who likes to tinker and invent things that would make the As Seen on TV people drool. There’s action and adventure, and a strong bonds of family and friendship that run through the book. The worldbuilding is fantastic, with delightfully gross descriptions of gooey, oozing gods and poisoned meatballs. There are key elements that fantasy fans will look for and love: the bonds of family and friendship, a strong sense of humor, and a disabled character who discovers the true nature of his disability as a source of power. (In Percy Jackson, kids with ADHD were descended from the Greek gods. Here, Zane’s leg is directly linked to his heritage, and the reveal is outrageous and fantastic.) There’s a glossary of Mayan terms, including pronunciation help.

Look at Irvin Rodriguez’s cover! That artwork is incredible! Want a program-in-a-book idea? Scholastic has some good activities; there are Mayan gods coloring pages. and The British Museum has good ideas. Spice up your library programming or ELA/History lessons!

This trend of exploring cultures through different pantheons is such fun and such a great learning experience. Give this to your Percy Jackson/Kane Chronicles/all the Riordan fans; your Aru Shah fans, your Serpent’s Secret fans – all your action, adventure, and fantasy fans. See what else is coming from Rick Riordan Presents here, and check out award-winning novelist JC Cervantes’ website here. The Storm Runner has starred reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal.

Posted in Uncategorized

Just Breathe… Mallika Chopra brings meditation to kids

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Just Breathe, by Mallika Chopra/Illustrated by Brenna Vaughan, (Aug. 2018, Running Press Kids), $12.99, ISBN: 978-0-7264-9158-2

Ages 7-12

Self-help guru Deepak Chopra’s daughter, Mallika, began meditating at age 9. In Just Breathe, she introduces mindful meditation practices to a younger audience. She discusses stress, how stress affects the body, and how meditation can help in her introduction; she ends her introduction with a baseline meditation; something to allow readers to create a “safe, happy place” inside them. Other practices in the book build on this base. Divided into subsequent sections on breathing, moving, being silent, noticing, asking, and creating, she leads readers through breathing and meditation exercises that help reduce stress and anxiety, cope with pain, and get them moving. There are sections on walking meditations, and on yoga, with each breathing exercise lasting anywhere fromn one to five minutes (the introductory exercise is the longest at 15 minutes, but she emphasizes that even one minute of meditation can greatly help).

The artwork is calming, featuring kids of all colors and genders in various stages of mindfulness, from yoga to walking to laying down. The muted colors and gentle expressions add to the calm, meditative feel of the text. Chopra provides prompts for thought throughout the book, which could be really helpful in a guided session where a reader can gently prompt meditative thoughts. Chopra encourages face-to-face interaction and disconnecting from devices, even for a little while; she also brings attention to our inner voices, the power of journaling, and the joy that comes with creativity. She applies these lessons to everyday stressors kids encounter, including bullying or test jitters, providing solid context.

Just Breathe is a solid introduction to mindfulness and meditative practices for kids. I’m looking forward to adding it to my yoga collection, and want to see how a meditation program for school-age kids will go over at my library. I miss my yoga storytime!

 

Posted in Uncategorized

I’m Back! Plus, some news.

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’m back after a week of radio silence! It wasn’t intentional; I was just enjoying a few days off and hanging out with my kids before the hectic new school year starts up.

 

I’ve got loads of books to talk about, and I want to get back into talking about programming, too. But first… I have a confession to make.

I received a promotion, and just passed my 6-month probation. I’m an assistant manager at my community library now, and we have a wonderful children’s librarian who’s inherited the room, and the kids. She’s a programming whiz, too, so the kids are having a ball over there, whether they’re learning Harry Potter coding or chasing bubbles at storytime.

I was terrified to write about my promotion, because for the longest time, I worried that no one would see me as a children’s librarian anymore. But I still love kidlit, and I am still passionate about children’s librarianship and early childhood literacy. Being at my small community library allows me the luxury of being able to still keep a toe in the children’s librarian world – the current children’s librarian knows I will gladly take on storytimes and class visits when she’s off – while still exploring this profession, and for that, I’m truly grateful. Plus, Carla Hayden started out as a children’s librarian, so if she has any advice for me, I’m listening!

Bottom line: I am still voraciously devouring kidlit and playing around with programming. I’ll always find a way to talk about children’s literacy and programming here, and nothing here at MomReadIt will change. Honest. I’m always going to be a children’s librarian at heart, because my heart is what led me to change careers and pursue children’s librarianship. Please stick around for more reviews and articles; I’d like to think that MomReadIt still has things to say.

With that… my manager got a big laugh out of this picture, so I’ll share with you, too.

Posted in Uncategorized

Happy Pride! This Day in June

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

This Day in June, by Gayle E. Pitman/Illustrated by Kristyna Litten, (May 2014, Magination Press), $14.95, ISBN: 978-1-4338-1658-1

Recommended for readers 3-7

It’s a parade, and you’re invited! This rhyming story about a Pride Parade taking place in June is vibrant, fun, and loaded with visuals to delight readers of all ages. It’s a celebration of equality, community, and love. Everyone is represented here: the artwork reflects a truly multicultural crowd of all genders, and children play alongside the bikers, sailors, mermaids, and out and proud marchers. Kids hold onto their proud parents; moms lovingly hug their sons and sons-in-law; everyone is happy and full of joy on this beautiful day.

Image courtesy of School Library Journal

The artwork and accompanying text reflect the excitement and lively atmosphere of the Pride Parade, and couples and singles alike dance and demonstrate affection. Weaving families, children, and pets into the action really communicates a loving community feel. A reading guide at the end provides a couplet by couplet explanation of the images – there’s so much to discover! – and a note to parents and caregivers provides a way to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity with kids for age groups 3-5, 6-12, and 13-18.

Image courtesy of The Baby Book Worm Blog

Author Dr. Gayle E. Pitman is a professor of psychology and women’s studies; her teaching and writing focus on gender and sexual orientation, and she has worked extensively with the LGBTQIA community. She received the American Library Association’s Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Book Award for This Day in June in 2015.

There is so much to love about This Day in June. Put this at the top of your Pride Storytime list!

Image courtesy of Electric Literature

Posted in Uncategorized

Peeking in, catching up

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hi, all. I’m sorry it’s been a few days since I’ve checked in – believe me, it’s not for lack of books. I’ve still got another BookExpo wrapup, and lots of new books to gush over, but the truth is, I’ve been a little overwhelmed. I had a bit of a crash after the high of two days at BookExpo; add to that, the wackiness of being out of the library for two days, and you have a bit of an idea.

Current events from this week have also thrown me for a little bit of a loop, so please allow me to soapbox for a moment. You are important. You are necessary. If you feel sad, depressed, anxious, or are thinking about things that may scare you, you don’t have to feel alone. Someone is always a phone call or a text away. The Samaritans are a wonderful group of volunteers, available in the US, the UK, and Ireland; and there’s a list of international hotlines here. Here in the U.S., there’s also the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Be well. Be safe. And, to lighten things up just a little bit, here’s some important words from The Eleventh Doctor :

Posted in Uncategorized

BookExpo Day!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

It’s like my Christmas and birthday rolled into one. I’ve got my comfy Doc Martens on, and hitting the floors of the Jacob Javits Center, in search of the best upcoming kidlit. So far, I met Brian Selznick, who’s done the art for the updated covers fornthe Harry Potter series, and I only fangirled a little bit.

I dropped by Capstone’s booth to say hello to Saadia Faruqi, author of Here’s Yasmin!, which I adore and will gush over in a separate review. She was away, but I’ll be back, because I’m dying to tell her how much I love her book.

Jen Calonita signed her new Misfits book; she’s interested in coming back to my library, so I need to start nudging my program department ASAP. Squee!

There are great books coming our way in the Summer and Fall. More as I go!

Posted in Uncategorized

Just an update and a coming soon…

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hi all, I know it’s been six whole days since I’ve updated. I haven’t run out of books – exactly the opposite; I’ve got tons of them to get to. Life’s gotten a little hectic – it’s that time of year – and I’ve got BookExpo tomorrow and Friday, so expect some posts about all the great new books we’re going to be seeing over the next few months.

 

 

I have so much I want to write, and so little time for the next few days. Bear with me!

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized

Books for Pride: Julian is a Mermaid

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

June is coming up quickly (yikes!), so let’s get our Pride collections ready to read and booktalk! I’ll be spotlighting a few new books, and some favorites, this month. Let’s start with a relatively new book: Julian is a Mermaid.

Julián is a Mermaid, by Jessica Love, (Apr. 2018, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9780763690458

Recommended for readers 4-8

I love this gorgeously illustrated story of a little boy who embraces his inner mermaid. As Julián rides the subway home with his abuela, he spies three women, dressed and gorgeous, and pronounces them mermaids. He daydreams about his own transformation into a mermaid; shedding his tank top and shorts (he keeps his undies on); letting his hair grow wild and free, and develops a fabulous pink and yellow mermaid tail as he heads off to swim with a group of fish. When he and Abuela arrive home, he tells her that he’s a mermaid, too. When she goes to take a bath, Julián transforms himself: he sheds his clothes (keeping those tidy whities on), gives himself a fierce head of hair using Abuela’s fern and some flowers, gets into her makeup, and wraps a curtain tail around himself. Voila! Abuela takes one look at him, hands him a necklace, and takes her fabulous and fierce mermaid to the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island, telling him, “Like you, mijo. Let’s join them.” And they do, following right behind the trio of mermaids the two met earlier on the subway.

What an empowering, fantastic story. I love the New York flavor: the street scenes are pure New York, from the green subway entrances to the faces and body language of every character in this book. A group of girls plays at an open fire hydrant; a seagull hangs out on the street by an older man, sitting out on his chair, with his dog in his lap. The Mermaid Parade is full of fanfare, and the colors pulse off the page. Abuela accepts Julián and takes her grandson to be with his fellow mermaids, but most importantly, Julián accepts himself. The endpapers give us a little more of the story, too: Abuela, Julián, and four older woman enjoy themselves at the public pool; at the end, the same group are all mermaids, enjoying themselves in the sea. Put this on your Pride reading lists, and read this in your storytimes and to your kids often.

Julián is a Mermaid has five starred reviews and is a Junior Library Guild Selection.