Tag: friendship

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Can friendship can make Spiky less prickly?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Spiky, by Ilaria Guarducci/Translated by Laura Watkinson, (June 2019, Amazon Crossing Kids), $17.99, ISBN: 9781542040433

Ages 4-8

Spiky is one of the new books from Amazon’s new imprint, Amazon Crossing Kids, publishing children’s books in translation. Originally published in Italian, Spiky tells the story of a rather prickly fellow named Spiky. He’s brown and covered with spikes, and he’s a big bully. His spikes keep everyone around him at arm’s length, and he just revels in being mean; he pulls the wings off butterflies, he puts birds in glass jars, and he pokes holes in snail shells, all for the sake of being mean. But one day, his spikes start falling out. Before he knows it, Spiky is now a big, pink, spikeless marshmallow who isn’t scary at all. How the tables have turned! Bernardo, a kind bunny, befriends Spiky and shows him how nice it is to be surrounded by friends, especially when there are no spikes to stand between them. Eventually, Spiky’s spikes come back and he begins to re-embrace the Bad Side, but his heart just isn’t in it anymore. Bernardo still sees his friend under all those spikes, and that kind gesture is all Spiky needs to realize that feeling good is pretty darn awesome.

Spiky is a sweet story about a bully who changes his ways and the difference having one good friend can make. Spiky is raised to be mean – the story even notes that his father sends him to “the best school for badness in the whole country” – giving readers a heads-up, particularly us grown-ups, that children learn what they live. Raised and encouraged to be mean, Spiky’s badness runs unchecked until he finds himself in a vulnerable position. From here, Bernardo the bunny comes in and nudges the story into a sweet one of redemption and friendship, leading Spiky down a very different, upbeat path by showing him kindness.

A cute story for storytime, and offers some good moments for discussion with preschoolers to second graders. Ilaria Guarducci’s Facebook page also offers some adorable Spiky artwork that you can have your kiddos easily create: get some brown (and pink) construction paper, a box of toothpicks, some glue, and voila!

See more of Ilaria Guarducci’s artwork at her blog.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

When Pencil Met Eraser… a story of friendship

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

When Pencil Met Eraser, by Karen Kilpatrick & Luis O. Ramos, Jr./Illustrated by German Blanco, (May 2019, Macmillan), $17.99, ISBN: 9781250309396

Ages 3-6

Ever wonder how Pencil and Eraser met? This adorable story provides the origin story for one of history’s most enduring dynamic duos. Pencil loves to draw and he likes to work alone; that is, until Eraser shows up and starts “enhancing” Pencil’s work. Pencil, challenged, starts creating more and more, only to have Eraser put finishing touches that make everything more dynamic, with more depth and interest. Eraser is relentlessly upbeat, making him an adorable and amusing foil to the grumpy Pencil. When the two collaborate on a maze, their future together is sealed: together, they’re unstoppable.

When Pencil Met Eraser is a story about teamwork, about friendship, and about creativity. It’s very similar to Max Amato’s Perfect, and I love both books’ use of erasure to create art. Pencil is adorable, with a wide-open smile and who performs acrobatic moves throughout the story, as he buzzes around Pencil’s creations; Pencil is a sweet curmudgeon, with hands pressed to his hip area and a slash for both eyebrows and mouth. He softens up and reveals a sweet smile all his own.

Macmillan offers a free, downloadable activity kit for When Pencil Met Eraser that makes a great storytime enhancement! Try some erasure art with your storytime groups, and see what the kids come up with. Add this to your friendship storytimes for laughs.

 

 

Posted in Fantasy, Teen, Tween Reads

Keira Gillett wraps up Aleks Mickelsen’s trilogy with the Eighth Fox Throne War

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Aleks Mickelsen and the Eighth Fox Throne War, by Keira Gillett/Illustrated by Eoghan Kerrigan/maps by Kaitlin Statz, (May 2019, self-published), $14.99, ISBN: 9781942750123

Ages 10+

The second trilogy in Keira Gillett’s Zaria Fierce series is loaded with the epic battles, dragon fights, and complex relationships that have defined the series, but most important, the friendship between the core characters: Aleks, Zaria, Christoffer, Geirr, and Filip, the original group of friends from Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest, have been through a lot together: kidnapping by trolls; magical fantasy worlds and the discovery that Zaria and Aleks are royalty within this magical realm; fantastic beasts (who always seem to know where to find them), and epic battles, just to name a few. In this last Aleks Mickelsen adventure, Fritjof, the chaos dragon, is still causing trouble in Niffelheim, and Aleks and his friends – the original gang, plus stag lord Henrik, Airi the raven, Aleks’s fey sister, Nori – are ready to take him down. If they can get through the army of dwarf ravagers on their trail and past the warring fey courts, that is.

Aleks continues to grow as a character in the Eighth Fox Throne War. Ever conflicted over whether to embrace his fey gifts or abandon them to remain human, he makes decisions based on the good of a people who don’t want him: he’s a changeling, and is on the receiving end of a lot of prejudice and anger. The fact that he’s king isn’t helping. There’s intrigue and war on a previously untold level here, so upper middle graders and middle schoolers are more the target audience for this series. The characters have grown up, are experiencing first love (Filip and Zaria, now Aleks and Saskia, a Winter Court fey and love interest), and are in fights for their lives and the lives of both Niffleheim and the modern world.

Relationships are at the heart of every Keira Gillett fantasy, and that’s what makes these books so good. The high fantasy aspects – the dragons, the epic conflicts, the grandiose ceremonies – they’re brilliant, but the emotion, the investment in these characters and their ties to one another, is what makes it all come together. Eoghan Kerrigan’s artwork is as fantastic as ever, bringing Keira Gillett’s incredible creatures and characters to life ; Kaitlin Statz’s maps help readers place themselves in the story.

Aleks Mickelsen and the Eighth Fox Throne War is a strong conclusion to another character arc in the Zaria Fierce series. Give this series to your high fantasy fans and watch them ask for more. (Ahem… nudge your Magnus Chase readers to explore this one!)

Author Keira Gillett is having a virtual book launch party on May 23 from 10:30-midnight! Put on your pajamas and join for a book reading, trivia, bingo, and a Q&A session!

Posted in Uncategorized

Two picture books about summer… and life

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Waiting for Chicken Smith, by David Mackintosh, (May 2019, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536207712

Ages 4-8

A young boy waits for his friend to show up at the family’s summer rental in this story about summer, relationships, and change. The boy, a child of color, narrates the story as he waits for Chicken Smith to show up. The boy talks about Chicken Smith, his dog, Jelly, and the fun summers the two friends have had in the past as he waits, holding a “crazy shell from the gas-station shop” as a gift. Where the heck is his friend? Readers know; in the beautifully detailed pages, we see an empty cabin with a “Summer Rental” sign. The boy’s sister finally manages to get his attention, and the two glimpse a whale: something he and Chicken Smith have never been able to catch together, not even with binoculars. The boy and his sister head back to the cabin and enjoy their evening together, and he wonders if he’ll see Chicken Smith next year.

Originally published in the U.K., Chicken Smith is a story about change and summer friendships. Readers feel the boy’s longing as he waits for his friend; it’s in his voice as he recalls summers past, the cool shell he found for him, and the fact that he’s so focused on waiting for Chicken Smith that he ignores just about everything going on around him. His sister is finally able to get through to him through sheer persistence, and that’s when the Chicken Smith spell is broken: there’s a whale to watch. The story is almost achingly sad at points; when the boy askis, “What is taking Chicken Smith so long, anyway? We’re missing out on everything”, we just know he won’t be there this year – and sure enough, the next page shows an empty cabin, and the boy describes the windows being shut and seeing a cobweb with a fly in it. David Mackintosh pulls readers and the narrator back from the brink by giving us a new relationship to discover: the relationship between the boy and his sister, brought together by the whale. The two go back to their cabin and look at his whale book, then make plans to go on a shell hunt. The boy ends on an optimistic tone, hoping he’ll see Chicken Smith next year, but deciding to enjoy his sister’s company for this year. The pen, pencil, ink, watercolor, and kraft paper artwork come together to create a child’s scrapbook-like feel for summer memories.

Waiting for Chicken Smith has a starred review from Kirkus.

 

Sea Glass Summer, by Michelle Houts/Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, (May 2019, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9780763684433

Ages 5-8

A boy named Thomas explores the beach by his grandmother’s seaside cottage. Using his grandfather’s magnifying glass, he discovers the complex beauty in nature: grains of sand look as big as rocks, and clamshells have swirls of color. But the discovery of sea glass is what really fascinates Thomas. Learning how sea glass is made – a piece of glass, dropped into the sea, becomes worn smooth and cloudy over time – and that his grandfather said that “every piece of sea glass has a story all its own” fuels his imagination; he finds himself dreaming of ship christenings and ships caught in storms; stories that could give rise to the found glass on the beach. When he and his grandmother head back to the mainland, the magnifying glass shatters, and he tosses the glass into the sea. Years later, a girl named Annie discovers sea glass on the beach, and brings her discovery to her grandfather, an older man she calls Papaw Tom.

Sea Glass Summer is a moving inter-generational story that beautifully recreates the feel of summer: warm, lazy days on the beach; the smell of the sea air, the grains of sand, rough against your fingertips, the smooth sea glass in the palm of your hand. In between these cozy summer memories, there’s a story that reaches across decades, linking a grandfather and his granddaughter, in a story that stirs the imagination and tugs at the heartstrings. An author’s note notes that sea glass was more common in the days before recycling awareness.

I loved Sea Glass Summer. This one is a summer classic.

Sea Glass Summer has a starred review from Kirkus.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Patience is hard: Now? Not yet!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Now? Not Yet!, by Gina Perry, (June 2019, Tundra), $17.99, ISBN: 9781101919521

Ages 3-6

Peanut and Moe, the two monster friends from Too Much! Not Enough! are back in another story of negotiation. The two buddies are on a camping trip, and Peanut wants to go swimming. Moe has other plans, though; thus begins the back and forth of “Now?” and “Not yet”. Peanut is dying to get in the water, but Moe is methodical: Moe wants to hike; snack; set up camp, all while Peanut bounces up and down, asking the same question, until finally, in a burst of frustration, yells, “NOW! NOW! NOW!” Moe, just as frustrated, yells back, “NOT YET!” The two friends take a break from one another, during which Peanut gets camp set up, and Moe dashes by, ready for a swim. The two finish their day by a campfire, happily enjoying one another’s company over s’mores.

Now? Not Yet! beautifully captures toddler and preschooler (okay, and many, many adults) behavior. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been out with my kids, having this same scenario play out. Every parent and caregiver will see themselves and their little ones in this story, and every kid will empathize with Peanut’s desire to do what he wants, only to be made to wait. Frustration? Kids and adults feel it, so the meltdown spread will resonate with your storytime group for sure. I’ve asked the kids in my storytime how many times they’ve felt like Peanut, and gotten loads of hollers and stomps; when I’ve asked parents if they have ever felt like Moe, I’ve gotten knowing nods and smiles. The moral of the story? Patience and compromise pay off.

Gina Perry’s books are popular with my storytime crowd: Small is still in high demand, and Now? Not Yet! really got through to kids and caregivers alike. The artwork is adorable, bright, and cherry. Peanut is small, peanut-shaped, and has floppy ears; Moe is big, blue, kind of boxy, with a long pink nose. They both have big, expressive eyes. The endpapers look like layouts of the camping excursion, each laid out by one of the duo: the front papers is more orderly, with defined art and a dotted line path to show the duo’s trip; the back papers are a hand-drawn memory of the day, with dotted lines, circling birds, campfires, s’mores, and a big lake with flippers, a beach ball, and a life preserver.

I love Now? Not Yet!, and will be putting this into regular storytime rotation. If you have toddlers and preschoolers are regular storytimes, consider adding this one. There’s a free, downloadable activity kit that includes a fun nature scavenger hunt, coloring sheets, and fun instructions to make your own indoor camping site, which I need to do with my kiddo, stat. Gina Perry’s author page has more free printables, including instructions on how to draw both Moe and Peanut.

Want more Peanut & Moe? Of course you do. Check out this adorable trailer!

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate

More Nocturnals! Who will win The Chestnut Challenge?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Nocturnals: The Chestnut Challenge, by Tracey Hecht/Illustrated by Josie Yee, (April 2019, Fabled Films Press), $12.99, ISBN: 978-1-944020-23-1

Ages 5-7

The latest Nocturnals easy reader is a story about playing fair. Sugar glider Bismark just loses a game of chestnut checkers to Tobin the pangolin, when a chinchilla named Chandler shows up and declares himself a chestnut champion, challining poor Tobin to a game. Tobin just likes to play for fun, but Bismark nudges him into play. Chandler causes distractions that get the group to look elsewhere so he can cheat, but Bismark finally catches him and calls him out! After confessing to cheating because he wanted to win, Tobin gently reminds him that practice makes perfect, and Dawn invites him to play with them as a group. The Chestnut Challenge addresses cheating, but it also looks at being sore losers and sore winners: we see Bismark being a sore loser, and Chandler, when cheating, gloats over his moves. Tobin doesn’t want to be in cutthroat competition, he just wants to have fun; it’s a point we should all be making when we read this with our kiddos. Winning can be fun, but cheating to win isn’t really winning. That said, being gracious and offering someone a second chance is winning, all on its own. (And, naturally, with Bismark keeping an eye out.) Back matter includes an introduction to each of the core group of Nocturnals, plus a fun fact about chestnuts.

I’m a dedicated fan of this series. Tracey Hecht has a way of reaching kids by using adorable animals with distinctive personalities to get to the heart of real-life situations kids find themselves coping with, and how to start discussions about those situations. These books are a great go-to for us grown-ups, too. The Nocturnals World website has great, free downloadables, including activity kids, coloring sheets and games, videos, and educational resources.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Croc and Turtle are supportive best friends

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Croc & Turtle! The Bestest Friends Ever!, by Mike Wohnoutka, (Feb. 2019, Bloomsbury USA Kids), $17.99, ISBN: 9781681196343

Ages 3-6

Croc wants to show off for his best friend, Turtle, but keeps getting one-upped: an elephant easily flips a rock he struggled to lift; a rabbit soars over a rock right after Croc manages to clear it, and do we even need to mention the cheetah racing Croc? Disappointed and sad, Croc laments that he’s “not the best at anything!”, but Turtle reminds him that he’s stronger, leaps higher, and runs faster than him, which makes Turtle feels sad that he’s not the best at anything, either. Luckily, there’s one thing Croc and Turtle are both the best at: being each other’s best friends. Croc & Turtle! The Bestest Friends Ever! is great for storytime and independent reading for new readers; it has a sweet message about supporting one’s friends, and not having to be the best at everything. The gouache artwork is kid-friendly; cartoony, expressive, and played for laughs. The colors are soft, and the text changes color with the narrator, to help kids keep straight who’s speaking. This one is a sweet addition to picture book collections.

 

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate

The Bossy Pirate is facing a mutiny!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Bossy Pirate, by John Steven Gurney, (Oct. 2018, Schiffer Publishing), $16.99, ISBN: 9780764356254

Ages 6-8

A little boy who goes by the pirate moniker “Salty Jack” plays pirate in his room, and invites – well, commands, really – his friends to come on board as his crew. As the title suggests, Salty Jack is not the greatest captain or playmate, continually reminding his friends that “I’m Captain! I give the orders!” and not letting anyone else have a say in their pirate game. When he tries to boss his sister, Millie the Mermaid, around, thought, she merely says, “Mermaids don’t take orders”, and leaves. Shortly after that, Jack’s other two friends have had it with his bossiness and leave, too. Jack broods, and blames his friends for ruining his fun; when Millie returns to ask him if his friends were having fun, too, he doesn’t answer. Jack discovers that being a solo pirate is no fun, and has a change of heart that brings all his mates back on board, where they hunt for lost treasure together.

A smart easy reader story about sharing and playing well together, The Bossy Pirate is a good read-aloud and a good independent book for newly confident readers. The sentences are slightly longer than beginning easy readers, and include imaginative words like scuttlebutt, barnacle, and nautical. Back matter includes a list of nautical terms that come up in the book, and a list of “nonsense words” that the pirate friends use. The artwork combines realistic and imaginative, with action going from Jack’s room to the high seas, where whales and dolphins glide and leap around a pirate ship. The group of friends is multicultural.

The Bossy Pirate is good fun with a smart message: it’s always better to play well together. Let the kids make their own newspaper pirate hats and have a pirate storytime.

 

 

 

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

More Hazy Dell Monsters Fun with The Cyclops Witch and the Heebie Jeebies

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Cyclops Witch and the Heebie Jeebies, by Kyle Sullivan/Illustrated by Derek Sullivan, (Apr. 2019, Hazy Dell Press), $17.95, ISBN: 9781948931007

Ages 3-7

Hazy Dell won me over with a set of adorable monster board books last year, and now, they’ve got a full-length picture book! The Cyclops Witch Meets the Heebie Jeebies is all about a witch who isn’t afraid of anything… except a group of creepy Heebie Jeebies! The Witch tries to pawn them off on other monsters, but those Heebie Jeebies confound her at every turn! When the chips are down, and things get scary, though, those Heebie Jeebies may just be exactly what the Cyclops Witch needs.

I love this adorable rhyming story and these adorable monsters! Cyclops Witch learns to face her fear, and not to make rash judgements in this sweet story, and readers will love reading about monsters who aren’t really so scary after all. If you’ve read the previous Hazy Dell board books, you’ll notice a few familiar faces, and meet a bunch of new ones! The illustrations are gentle, with soft colors and adorable, wide-eyed expressions. Sesame Street introduced us to friendly monsters – Hazy Dell is keeping with tradition!

The Cyclops Witch and the Heebie Jeebies will be in demand, come Halloween, for sure – get your readers in on it NOW. More Monster Adventures, please!

Posted in Uncategorized

Circle, by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen brings the Shape Trilogy to a sweet close

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Circle, by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen, (March 2019, Candlewick Press), $15.99, ISBN: 9780763696085

Ages 5-10

Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen’s Shape Trilogy has been hilarious reading, and the final book in the trilogy, Circle, wraps things up in a sweet, silly, perfect way. The three shape friends – Triangle, Square, and Circle – play a game of hide and seek; Circle only asks that no one hide behind the waterfall. So, naturally, the second Circle closes her eyes to count, Triangle takes off and hides behind the waterfall. Circle heads off to fetch Triangle, and heads into the deep dark area behind the waterfall, where she vents her frustrations at Triangle: “Why do you always break all the rules? Why do you always spoil our fun? Why are you such a bad friend?” When Triangle doesn’t answer, Circle takes a moment, apologizes for her angry words, and Triangle thanks her – but Triangle isn’t standing where Circle expects her to be! So whose eyes do the shapes see, glimmering in the dark? Not waiting to find out, the two dash back to the safety of the outside, where they ponder what could have been with them in the dark. “It might have been a good shape”, says Circle; “We just could not see it”.

Circle is a story where kid see themselves, and parents and caregivers will see their kids. Who among us hasn’t said, “Okay – you can play ANYWHERE in this area, but don’t go there”, knowing full well that the second you finish that sentence, one of your little ones is charging directly for that one forbidden spot? Kids will understand the frustration of a friend who doesn’t listen to them, and the spillover that can lead to. Circle also has an important message, quietly included in the storyline: don’t make snap judgements without more information. Don’t jump to conclusions or make decisions about others based on fear. (That being said, stranger danger is also worth a mention here.)

Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen can do no wrong in my book. The Hat Trilogy and the previous Shape books are instant storytime go-tos for me, and my son knows that, left to my own devices for at-home reading, those are the books that are likely to get pulled off the shelf. I love the way these two creators work together; the sharp, dry humor that speaks volumes; the spare artwork that communicates so much with a mere shift of a pair of eyes, and the enjoyment I see when the kids reading along with me get the jokes. Finish your collection and get Circle on your shelf.