Mom Read It

The Ugly Dumpling puts a new spin on a beloved fable

Posted on March 17, 2016January 21, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Ugly Dumpling, by Stephanie Campisi/Illustrated by Shahar Kober (Apr. 2016, Mighty Media), $15.95, ISBN: 978-1-938063-67-1

Recommended for ages 3-7

There once was an ugly dumpling who didn’t look like the other dumplings. This made him feel really badly, until along came a cockroach, whose heart reached out to the dumpling’s, and showed him the beauty of the world.

Sounds familiar, right? Well… kinda. The latest update of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fable The Ugly Duckling, The Ugly Dumpling looks beyond the surface to tell a sweet story about friendship, being different, and being proud of it. The dumpling, living in a restaurant, was uneaten and ignored because he didn’t look like the dumplings around him, but when he takes up with the cockroach, he realizes that the world around him is beautiful and so is his place in it – and he learns that he’s not a dumpling like those boring other guys after all! But the sweetest part of the story comes when the cockroach is discovered by the other food and the customers – and Dumpling realizes that it’s his turn to reach out to a friend in need.

Told in short, sentences with key words emphasized by beautiful artwork, like the “hiss” of a wok and a “thwack” of a cleaver, The Ugly Dumpling teaches kids not only that it’s okay not to fit in, but encourages them to accept one another’s differences – celebrate them! – and reach out to anyone who may feel ostracized and alone. I can’t think of a kinder, more valuable message to teach our kids these days.

Shahar Kober’s art is a perfect complement to Stephanie Campisi’s sweet story. I’m not a bug fan by any stretch of the imagination, but he manages to create a bug companion that is adorable and as touching as the cockroach in Wall-E (and that’s a HUGE thing for me to say). And think about it – what creature is as reviled as a roach? Ratatooie made mice in the kitchen a cute thing, we all love Desperaux, so by taking a cockroach – no doubt someone who’s all too aware of being an outsider and disliked – and having him reach out to a poor dumpling to say, “It’s okay – there’s so much beauty in the world around you,” is a beautiful gesture borne out of a true understanding of The Golden Rule. Kober manages to make a dumpling sympathetic and emphathetic, with kind words wrapped around him to give him life.

I love this story and can’t wait to read it with my preschoolers. It’s a great add to libraries and collections that promote tolerance and kindness among children, and maybe some adults could stand to learn a thing or three from its message, too.

Adventure, Animal Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Intermediate, Science Fiction, Uncategorized

Finally! Ricky Ricotta and the Naughty Nightcrawlers from Neptune!

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot vs. the Naughty Nightcrawlers from Neptune, by Dav Pilkey/Illustrated by Dan Santat (Jan. 2016, Scholastic), $5.99, ISBN: 9780545631440

Recommended for ages 5-10

FINALLY, the last two books in the Ricky Ricotta series are here! You don’t understand; about a decade ago, my son – now a junior in high school – devoured the first seven Ricky Ricotta books. He loved them. I loved them. And then, there was nothing. We were down two planets! We waited. We watched. We hoped. We saw new Captain Underpants books hit the shelves, but Ricky remained silent. And then, a glimmer of hope: the entire line of existing Ricky Ricotta adventures were re-released, with Dan Santat’s amazing and colorful art taking the whole series up a notch. I ordered two sets for my library and booktalked this series like my rent depended on it (which, kinda, it does).

VINDICATION! In January, we got Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot and the Naughty Nightcrawlers from Neptune! Patience pays off!

Ricky and Robot are finally back, and trying to think of something fun to do that won’t cause a giant mess. They find an old building that they can use material from to make a giant fort, and it looks like they’re going to have a great, stress-free day after all. Nah, just kidding: grumpy Farmer Feta next door is annoyed about the noise the two friends are making, and lets the evil Neptunian scientist, Nimrod Nightcrawler, use his property to dig a tunnel over to Ricky’s property to wipe them out! With some help from Ricky’s cousin, Lucy, and the now-tame Jurassic Jackrabbits from Jupiter, Ricky and Robot have to save the day again.

The adventure is laid out like the other Ricky adventures, with Dan Santat’s art really rebooting this whole series. He’s managed to leave in the most fun part of the books, though: the Flip-O-Rama fight sequence, where readers can flip the right hand page back and forth to make the picture look animated (and add their own sound effects). Nimrod ends up in jail with the seven previous bad guys, and we see one more cell waiting…

My son now considers himself too old for Ricky Ricotta. I, however, am just the right age; I’m also a completist – how could I not finish the series? I had a great time reading this book and revisiting a series that I enjoyed then and I still chuckle at now. Kids are drawn to Dan Santat’s art, and when I tell them that the same artist write and drew Sidekicks AND Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, they’re even more excited, because they love seeing how they can recognize his art and yet spot the subtle differences in a picture book, graphic novel, and a chapter book.

Bottom line: this is a great series for libraries and collections. If you’re familiar with the series, you’ll love it; if you’re not, and you like fun humor with over the top robot fights and villains, you’ll love it.

Be on the lookout for Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot vs. The Unpleasant Penguins from Pluto in May!

Intermediate, Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Non-Fiction, Tween Reads

Let’s Sew: DK helps you get started

Posted on March 15, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Let’s Sew, by DK (March 2016, DK Children), $15.99, ISBN: 9781465445087

Recommended for ages 6-10

Ready to get crafty but need a little bit of help? DK to the rescue with a step-by-step guide to beginning stitches, the tools you’ll need to begin sewing, easy, fun projects, and templates, too!

DK books are great because they’re beautifully photographed, incredibly detailed, and full of simple, explanatory text. Let’s Sew has bright, fun crafts projects, many made by using household items like that one missing sock that always seems to emerge from the dryer, or with affordable materials you can find at your local craft store.

Let’s Sew is a kid’s book, but it’s a great resource for any age. When I started knitting, I’d borrow children’s project books because of the simpler language and projects: books are for everyone, after all! Just starting up a sewing club or looking for a quick maker space project? This is your book. There are helpful templates for projects like a whale and a bird in the back of the book: just photocopy, trace onto your material, and begin!

The book includes a warning that kids will be working with sharp needles and scissors, and strongly suggests that an adult oversee or handle the tools as necessary. This is a fun, affordable addition to crafting collections; a good purchase.

Uncategorized

Take Action Tuesday: Spreading the Everyday Advocacy Word!

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

My ALSC Everyday Advocacy challenge this week is to champion the efforts of school librarians. I have a lot of teacher and librarian friends; one very close friend is a teacher-librarian. Today, I had a class visit for a school that has no school librarian. As common as that’s sadly becoming, I can’t wrap my head around it. I had a fantastic school librarian in my elementary school; I can’t imagine a kid not having that now. She taught us how to use a library, how information is organized, and most importantly, how to respect books and the information in them. I see my friend, N, taking time from her vacations and breaks to decorate her library and get it ready for every school year; the love and yes, frustration, that goes into lesson planning when your position is considered disposable by elected officials and a lot of the population.

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“You can find all that on the Internet now.” Riiight.

So for this Take Action Tuesday, I made sure to give the teachers at my class visit my contact information, and offered to come visit the school to booktalk, conduct storytimes, talk about citing sources and how to use library databases for their older students – anything they’d need. They seemed enthusiastic, so here’s hoping we can work together and show our community how vital libraries are INSIDE the schools as well as within the communities.

Middle Grade, Non-Fiction

DK shows kids how to eat the rainbow with Eat Your Greens, Reds, Yellows, and Purples!

Posted on March 15, 2016February 20, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Eat Your Greens, Reds, Yellows, and Purples: Children’s Cookbook, by DK Children (May 2016, DK Children), $12.99, ISBN: 9781465451521

Recommended for ages 8-12

Article after article tells adults and kids alike to “eat the rainbow”, but what does that really mean? Skittles, after all, tells us to “taste the rainbow”, but I’m pretty sure that’s not exactly the same thing. Simply put, to eat the rainbow means to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables; each color comes with different benefits. DK’s newest cookbook, Eat Your Greens, Reds, Yellows, and Purples teaches kids and adults alike what it means to eat the rainbow, with fun facts and 25 vegetarian recipes for kids to try. There’s a section on food prep: how to slice an avocado, seed a tomato, or dice an onion. Knife skills and cooking instructions are noted with an exclamation point, so readers know to get an adult to help.

There’s something for everyone here – honest! Detailed, step by step instructions and photos let readers know what materials we need – equipment as well as food! – and tasty recipes, including spinach and phyllo tarts, black bean and guacamole quesadillas, red pepper hummus, cornbread, and mango-pineapple ice pops.

Helpful callout signs and arrows provide fast facts on the benefits of each food color; for instance, did you know that greens like spinach and broccoli provide vitamins and fiber, while red foods like tomatoes and cherries protect your body’s cells? Purples help fight disease, yellows boost the immune system, and oranges contain beta-carotene, which helps keep your eyes, skin, hair, bones, and teeth in working order.

A good addition to a children’s collection where you have older kids that are ready and able to start making simple recipes with adult assistance. You can also check out this printout from the Whole Kids Foundation on “eating the rainbow”. It would make a good class handout!

gaming, geek, geek culture, Guide, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Tween Reads, Video Games

Yogscast: The Book!

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Yogscast: The Diggy Diggy Book, by The Yogscast, (Feb. 2016, Scholastic), $8.99, ISBN: 9780545956635

Recommended for ages 8-13

Yogscast is an insanely popular YouTube channel by gamers, for gamers. They have skits, animations, videos, songs – it’s like SNL on crack for gamers, and it’s pretty kid-friendly (otherwise, Scholastic wouldn’t be putting this book out). If you have Warcraft and/or Minecrafters in your household, library, or classroom, you’ve likely heard of Yogscast, or the kids in your life have.

My gamer boy was a faithful Yogscast fan when he was 7 or 8; I’d see him curled up with his iPad and headset in, cackling and snorting, and wondering what in the world he was listening to. So I asked him, and he told me, and then he showed me.

Yogscast is HUGE. The channel has over 4 BILLION views. If they were a movie, they’d be Deadpool PLUS Avengers, and that is just something that warps my fragile little mind. When I saw that they had a book out, I knew I’d need to check this out.

The Diggy Diggy Book is for people who know this channel and know it well. You will meet the creators and explore different areas. There are tons of in-jokes, a tour of YogTowers, a the tourist’s guide to Datlof, and the chance to become a JaffaQuest cadet. I was pretty clueless reading this book, because it is such an inclusive community (yes, I know calling a community of millions and billions inclusive is hilarious), but if you’re a fan, you’ll love the book. Carry it in your library at your own risk, though – there are workbook-type pages in here and they’ll most likely get written on. This book will do gangbusters at the Scholastic Book Fairs, bet on it.

Animal Fiction, Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Babymouse comes to picture books!

Posted on March 14, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’m a huge Babymouse fan. She’s smart, she’s a bit sassy, she’s a great read for kids. The Babymouse graphic novels do gangbusters, no matter what library I’m at, and my kids’ book club had a Babymouse discussion that ended up being more about laughing and talking about the crazy things Babymouse (and Squish, her graphic novel counterpart) come up with. Today, I’m super excited, because Babymouse is coming to picture books!

Little Babymouse and the Christmas Cupcakes will be out in October, but I was able to get a sneak peek at a few pages, thanks to Edelweiss, where I get a lot of my advance reader copies. The book is colorful, as opposed to Babymouse’s 2-color graphic novels, so this will get me a lot of mileage at storytime. The book is still set up like a graphic novel, with word balloons, narration boxes, and mini panels popping up here and there.

Here’s the story: Babymouse ate all of the Christmas cookies her mom made for Santa, so now she can make him something he really wants—CUPCAKES! But a dragon rears its fiery head, and Sir Babymouse has to defeat him to save Christmas – or, you know, a cupcake or two.

I love that the Holms are bringing graphic novels to different formats. Their board books, I’m Grumpy and I’m Sunny, are adorable and perfect introductions to the graphic novel medium for babies and toddlers. Get your kids started on comics early!

Little Babymouse and the Christmas Cupcakes, by Jennifer L. Holm/Illustrated by Matthew Holm, (Oct. 2016, Random House Kids), $16.99, ISBN: 9781101937433

Early Reader, Fantasy, Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

How to Catch a Leprechaun tries… but they’re awfully sneaky!

Posted on March 12, 2016March 12, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

How to Catch a Leprechaun, by Adam Wallace/Illustrated by Andy Elkerton, (Feb. 2016, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $9.99, ISBN: 978-1492632917

Recommended for ages 3-7

Do you think you’re ready to catch a leprechaun? It doesn’t matter how long you’ve planned or what you think you’ve got ready for him, this is one wily leprechaun!

Told in rhyme from the leprechaun’s point of view, we see various houses all ready for him, determined to trap him and find the secret place where he keeps his gold, but we also see how easily he foils each attempt. The story’s light, fun, and quickly paced, perfect for St. Patrick’s Day storytime. There’s a great event kit from Sourcebooks, with activities and printouts, that I’ll be incorporating into my storytime on Thursday!

A fun addition to your holiday shelves!

Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Do Not Open the Box: A Picture Book Guessing Game!

Posted on March 12, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Do Not Open the Box, by Timothy Young (Dec. 2015, Schiffer Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9780764350436

Recommended for ages 3-6

A little boy named Benny sees a box with a sign taped to it that says, “DO NOT OPEN”. Well, that just sends Benny’s imagination into overdrive: what could be in the box? Could it be something cool, like the robot he’s wanted? Or could it be something scary, like a monster? Maybe his sister put something in there to scare him!

The cartoony artwork is printed against a background made to look like corrugated cardboard, making the story look like it’s been written and drawn on a cardboard box. Sentences are simple and short, written in a rounded font and in blue to stand out against the brown cardboard background. Each spread has Benny wondering what could be in the box, and a rendering of his imagination. Kids will have loads of fun with this book: especially with the end reveal.

Bring out your own box for storytime, and have kids guess what could be in it! They can draw what they think, or they can call it out, but it’ll get their minds working and they’ll learn more about how guessing can lead us to the answers, if you provide hints and information as you go along. I could hide a teddy bear in a box and tell the kids that something furry is in the box; using trial and error, they can figure it out.

I read this book with my 3 year-old, and he loved it. He had a fun time guessing what was really going to be in the box, because nothing was too outlandish for us! “Could there be an OCTOPUS in the box? How about a REAL DINOSAUR?” Have fun with a read-aloud!

Timothy Young also wrote The Angry Little Puffin, which is an adorable book that G-man (my little guy) LOVES. Now that I’m remembering that, I need to order that for my library, too; that’s a great storytime book, and so is Do Not Open the Box. Give your readers’ imaginations a workout and add this one to your collection.

Fiction, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Tween Reads

Beetle Boy makes bugs lovable!

Posted on March 12, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Beetle Boy, by M.G. Leonard (Feb. 2016, Chicken House), $16.99, ISBN: 9780545853460

Recommended for ages 8-12

Darkus Cuttle is worried about his dad, a Director of Science at the National History Museum, who disappeared over six weeks ago. He vanished from a locked room in the museum, and no one has seen or heard from him. Darkus is living with his uncle for now, but he just knows his dad is out there – he’d never leave him, and he’d certainly never kill himself, like some people are suggesting. One day, he spots the two crazy cousins next door arguing about a beetle infestation and discovers that these beetles are pretty special. Baxter, a rhino beetle that befriends him, can understand him! Soon, Darkus and his friends Virginia and Bertolt find themselves on the trail of Darkus’ dad; Darkus is about to find out some secrets about his dad, fashion icon/villainess Lucretia Cutter, and the beetles next door. Can the kids find Darkus’ dad and keep themselves safe in the meantime?

I’m an avowed bug-phobic, so the fact that I wanted to read this book so badly should be a sign of how good I thought it would be. I’m very happy to tell you I was right: Beetle Boy, the first book in a new series by debut author M.G. Leonard, is so much fun. Darkus is a bit of an outcast, but never a wimp. He falls in with two other school misfits who can match him in intelligence and bravery (even if they may need some prodding), and they plan out their rescue mission after careful observation and research. Darkus’ Uncle Max is more than just a plot device to give Darkus a place to live while the story happens around him; he’s an uncle who’s learning how to be a guardian and he’s ready to jump in and get involved when it comes to his brother’s and his nephew’s safety.

There’s adventure, excitement, genetic modification, and a battle involving flying poo that is NOT to be missed. Boys and girls with a sense of adventure are going to LOVE this story and hopefully, like me, be waiting impatiently for the next installment. We’ve got some solid science, with facts about different sorts of bugs that will please any budding entomologist.

Beetle Boy has been designated an Independent Booksellers’ Debut Pick of the Season for Spring 2016.

A great pick for middle grade collections! I love fic that mixes realistic fiction with a touch of science fiction to get kids’ attention.