Tag: Kids Can Press

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Fiction, Preschool Reads

A little boy learns to tell A Squiggly Story

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

squigglyA Squiggly Story, by Andrew Larsen/Illustrated by Mike Lowery (Sept. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771380164

Recommended for ages 3-6

A little boy wants to write a story, just like his big sister, but he’s got one problem: he doesn’t know that many words! Big sister knows just what to tell him: start with what you know. Every word starts with a single letter, after all! When he writes the letter “I”, he’s on his way; with his sister to help guide his thought process, he’s on his way to creating an exciting adventure!

What a great way to encourage new learners to create their own stories! The little boy is unsure about himself at first, but his sister quickly allays his fears by empowering him to just go with what he knows, guiding him through the stages of writing a story: the beginning, the middle, and the end. When he proudly brings his finished story to school, his teacher encourages him to think even more deeply, and turns the story into a class project. It’s a great storytime concept and a great way to introduce creative writing and art to new learners.

Mike Lowery’s cartoony art is filled with interesting styles to capture a young readers’ attention. There are word bubbles, emphasis on words like BIG and small, comic-style panels, and callout sketches that invite readers into the characters’ imaginations. The children are multiethnic, making the story accessible for all.

This is a good addition to creative picture book collections. Pair A Squiggly Story with Written and Drawn by Henrietta for a creative storytime and crafternoon.

Posted in Animal Fiction, Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Lucy and Company tells three sweet stories of friendship

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

lucyLucy and Company, by Marianne Dubuc, (Sept. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771386623

Recommended for ages 2-5

A young girl spends time in a forest with her animal friends, where they share food, celebrate a birthday, and help a bunch of baby chicks in three separate stories by author and illustrator Marianne Dubuc.

Marianne Dubuc’s books are loaded with special little elements for readers with a sharp eye. Here, it’s more an attention to detail rather than little winks here and there. The animals’ tiny playing cards are clear; the map in the beginning of the book matches up with a map detail in The Treasure Hunt. The animal companions are adorable and fun to spend time with, as is their human friend, Lucy. The stories are sweet and beginning readers and parents will love cuddling up together at storytime. Display this one with Little Bear and Winnie the Pooh to attract readers who love animal and human adventures. The shorter stories make this easy to split up for shorter storytimes and mix-and-match themes.

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-Fiction, Non-fiction, Tween Reads

Could Dracula make it in today’s world? Monster Science gives you the scoop.

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

monster scienceMonster Science, by Helaine Becker/Illustrated by Phil McAndrew, (Sept. 2016, Kids Can Press), $18.95, ISBN: 9781771380546

Recommended for ages 8-12

Monster Science takes a look at some of our favorite monsters – Frankenstein’s Monster, vampires, Bigfoot, werewolves, zombies, and sea monsters – and, using science smarts, discusses the plausibility of these monsters’ ever being able to exist in our world. If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you should really start stockpiling food and weapons for the upcoming zombie apocalypse, or stared for a little too long at those blurry pictures of Bigfoot and Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster,  you’ll love this book.

The book devotes a chapter to each monster, provides background info, incorporating the history of the monsters, and using science, history, literature, myths and legends, helps readers work through whether or not these creatures could have ever existed or could exist today. There are colorful, cartoony illustrations, seriously groan-worthy jokes, and pop up facts throughout the book, and a quiz tests finishes up each chapter and challenges readers to remember what they’ve just read. There are enough gross facts – the stages of decay; electric shock bringing making dead body parts jerk and move, dead people who sat up at their own funerals – presented with a humorous bent, to delight middle graders who want something fun and gross to read, yet will also give them some cool facts to bring to their science class.

This is the kind of book I love booktalking to kids, because my awesome nonfiction selections are sadly underappreciated. When I put a coding book out, I get interest, because I have a library full of Minecraft mouse potatoes, but when I try to get them excited about science, I usually get eyerolls, or – zounds! – blank stares. A book like this will help me explain how wonderful and gross science can be! We can talk about The Walking Dead (no, they’re not old enough to read the comics, but you know they’re watching it at home), we can talk about Dracula and Frankenstein, and I can terrify them with repeated viewings of Mad Monster Party and the Groovie Ghoulies, because ’70s monster claymation and cartoons are aces with me, but they leave the kids bewildered. They don’t know what they’re missing.

In all seriousness, the book is fun leisure reading and a good companion to science, history, or ELA classes. There’s so many interesting facts, presented in a fun, light, manner, that kids will end up reading and remembering more information than they can imagine. Add it to your library collections, or make it a fun gift for a monster fan you know and love.

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Imagination steers one boy past The Storm

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

stormThe Storm, by Akiko Miyakoshi (Apr. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771385596

Recommended for ages 3-7

A young boy is planning on a weekend trip to the beach with his parents, but a storm threatens otherwise. When the storm arrives, the boy tries not to be scared, imagining himself on a ship that’s strong enough to drive the storm away. When he wakes up the next day, will his dream of smooth sailing come true?

This is a perfect rainy day read. The gray charcoal illustrations with bright spots of blue (the boy’s shirt, the rain puddles) communicate the overall mood of the coming storm and the hope that it will pass in time to enjoy a trip to the beach. When the storm arrives in all its fury, the boy finds a safe place for himself: curled up in his bed, covers over his head, so he can’t hear the rain. He waits out the storm by imagining himself on a ship with propellers powerful enough to blow the storm away. He faces his fears by finding a safe place and through visualization.

The book provides a great opportunity to talk to young readers about overcoming fear and using positive imagery to steer them past any storms – negative thoughts or fears – in their own lives.

Read this one with Mercer Mayer’s There’s a Nightmare in My Closet or Lemony Snicket’s The Dark to talk about overcoming fear. Or just curl up on a rainy day with The Storm and a copy of Taro Yashima’s Caldecott Honor book, Umbrella, for a rainy day read.

The Storm has received a starred review from Kirkus. The Storm is writer and illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi’s first picture book, and won the Nissan Children’s Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix. Her book, The Tea Party in the Woods, was published by Kids Can Press in 2015.

Posted in Uncategorized

Mr. King’s Machine needs to stop!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

kings machineMr. King’s Machine, by Geneviève Côté (Apr. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771380218

Recommended for ages 3-7

Mr. King loves flowers! He notices that a caterpillar has taken a munched on a flower, he is NOT happy, and takes it upon himself to construct a Caterpillar-Catcher. But Mr. King trades one small problem for much bigger ones: his Caterpillar-Catcher is making a mess of the environment! It’s trampling flowers and grass, it’s belching awful gray smoke into the air, and most importantly, it’s stopping the caterpillar from doing his work: becoming a butterfly that will help flowers grow as they fly from plant to plan! Mr. King’s friends confront him, and he listens; then, he decides on a new invention, and takes apart his Caterpillar-Catcher to create a much more environmentally friendly machine: the Flower-Fan!

This is the third book in the Mr. King series; the first one I’ve read. You don’t need to pick up any of the other books to know what’s going on, just dive into this fun Earth Day-friendly tale for our youngest learners! Mr. King is a sweet, well-meaning lion (but he’s got no mane – maybe he’s still young?) who has a knee-jerk reaction and tries to take action. Toddlers and preschoolers will understand this, and they’ll understand how Mr. King’s friends see what he’s doing wrong. Use this as an interactive read-aloud and ask your readers what Mr. King’s doing wrong, too – it’s a great learning opportunity, especially if you’re talking about Earth Day, conservation, and pollution.

The mixed media artwork is adorable, with Mr. King standing out as a crayon-drawn character, set into what looks like collage backgrounds. It’s a great read-aloud book that toddlers and preschoolers can enjoy, and allows for a lot of interactivity: talk about what we can do as a community to make our neighborhoods nicer; how we can make our world a better place as a global community (a better discussion for school-age readers).

Mr. King’s Machine has received a starred review from Kirkus.

Geneviève Côté is a Montreal artist whose illustrations have graced the pages of publications such as the New York Times and the Boston Globe. Her books have received three nominations for the Governor General’s Award for Illustration, one of which went on to win, and she has also won the the Elisabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award.

 

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Intermediate, Realistic Fiction

Is Jasper John Dooley Public Library Enemy #1?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

jasper john dooleyJasper John Dooley: Public Library Enemy #1, by Caroline Adderson/Illustrated by Mike Shiell (Apr. 2016, Kids Can Press), $15.95, ISBN: 9781771380157

Recommended for ages 7-10

Poor Jasper! He borrowed a book from the library, so he could practice reading. He wanted his skills to be sharp when it was his turn to sit on the big, comfy chair at the library and read to Molly the dog, that’s all! But Jasper accidentally dropped the book in the tub and drowned it, and THEN, his father set it on fire by trying to dry it in the stove. And THEN, he shot it with a fire extinguisher! Now, Jasper and his dad are Book Killers, and he’s terrified that he owes the library $2500 for the book! How can he raise that much money before Wednesday, when it’s his turn to read to Molly?

This is the sixth book in the Jasper John Dooley early chapter book series, and it’s adorable; great for young readers who are ready to advance from Easy Readers to chapter books. Jasper is very likable, and his reasoning will click with readers: his mom reads in the bathtub, so it should be easy, right? He misjudges a decimal point when trying to determine the price of the book he needs to replace, and comes up with $2500 instead of $25. He feels huge responsibility for the library book in his care, which provides opportunities for discussion about responsibility and taking care of others’ belongings, as well as realizing that everyone makes mistakes – even parents – and that, yes, accidents happen.

This is the first Jasper John Dooley book I’ve ever read, but I would like to get these on my library’s shelves, because they’re great reading. Like most series fiction for emerging and newly independent readers, you don’t need to read from book one to pick up the series; they’re independent stories with characters that you’ll get to know right away. Black and white llustrations add to the enjoyment of the story. You can easily have a read-aloud with this book: classes will get a kick out of it! Good role models, sweet humor based on misunderstanding, solid discussion points make this a good addition to your series collections.

Learn more about the Jasper John Dooley series on the Kids Can Press webpage.

Posted in Intermediate, Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Non-Fiction

That’s Not Fair! introduces kids to rights, freedoms, and making choices

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

notfairThat’s Not Fair! Getting to Know Your Rights and Freedoms, by Danielle McLaughlin/Illustrated by Dharmali Patel  (Apr. 2016, Kids Can Press), $18.95, ISBN: 9781771382083

Recommended for ages 7-11

The latest book under Kids Can Press’ CitizenKid imprint, That’s Not Fair! is a companion introduction to civics for middle graders. Using a series of six case studies/short stories starring Mayor Moe and his fellow councilors, each study looks at a problem that arises, a decision to address the issue with a new law, and the consequences – intended or, more usually, unintended – of that law. Bug, the only councilor that seems to think things through, is the first to exclaim, “That’s not fair!” and points out why proposed legislation is unfair, leading to a deeper discussion on the topic. It’s a smart way of explaining the often convoluted legal process to kids, who are quick to point out when something is fair versus unfair (bedtimes were big battlefields in my home).

Each story concludes with talking points for readers: Why did the councilor(s) make their decision? Did the new law achieve its purpose? Were there any unexpected results? These aren’t right/wrong answers; they’re jumping off points for discussions to provide understanding. A Note for Parents and Teachers and definitions of the rights and freedoms covered in each story are included at the end of the book. Dharmali Patel’s illustrations are brightly colored and fun, keeping kids’ interest as they visualize each scenario. Bug is depicted as a somewhat literal lightning bulb literary reference, buzzing and lighting up to call attention to problematic legislation and ideas.

A good companion book for collections that feature books on how communities work and function, and the legislative process.

 

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Willow’s Smile is great for Picture Day jitters!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

willows smileWillow’s Smile, by Lana Button/Illustrated by Tania Howells, (April 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771385497

Recommended for ages 4-8

Willow can smile without even trying, but sometimes, when she’s supposed to smile, the smile just slips right off her face. She’s so worried that she’ll lose her smile during Picture Day at school, but the photographer knows exactly what to do – he enlists her help in getting the other kids to smile! When it’s Willow’s turn in front of the camera, all of her friends pitch and to make sure her smile stays just right.

This is an adorable little book that’s a great choice to read before a class picture day, or a big picture taking event, like a birthday party or holiday. Kids will identify with Willow, who has trouble smiling on demand – who doesn’t? The simple art will draw kids’ attention, too – it’s a child’s story, and could have been hand drawn by Willow herself. The plain black font lends itself to an easy read-aloud where the images will hold an audience’s attention.

When the photographer asks Willow to help him cheer her classmates up to get them to smile, we see community at work – maybe that could be a job for a helper or two on Picture Day, to connect to the story and assuage nerves about smiling for the camera.

A sweet addition to collections, especially for school and classroom libraries.

Posted in Animal Fiction, Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Marianne Dubuc retells the story of Noah in The Animal’s Ark

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

animals arkThe Animal’s Ark, by Marianne Dubuc (Apr. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771386234

Recommended for ages 3-6

It’s raining! The animals huddle together to try and stay dry, but the rain keeps coming and the land is filling up. Thank goodness, a nice man named Mr. Noah shows up with his boat and lets the animals on, two by two, to stay warm, dry and safe. At first, the animals cuddle together and sleep, play games, and get along, but the rain keeps falling and things start to get a little cramped. When are they going to find dry land?  When is this rain going to stop?

This is an adorable retelling of the story of Noah’s Ark by an illustrator with a gift for telling entire stories within her art. Marianne Dubuc is wonderful with putting little winks and nudges to readers in her illustrations: she told us the story of Little Red Riding Hood in The Bus Ride, where we saw a little girl riding a bus to her grandmother’s house; in Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds, she told us the story of a postmouse making his mail delivery rounds, while her illustrations told us the stories of all the animals who lived in the forest. Here, we see little touches that tell us volumes about life aboard the ark; predator and prey all living together and having fun at first, grateful to be out of the rain. We see a chameleon blending into a tiger, attached to his hind quarters while the tiger naps; snails draw mazes with their snail slime; the elephant helps bail out the ark when a leak springs up. We also see what happens when a hedgehog’s prickles get… prickly, and a cat sharpens her claws in a very inconvenient spot. The animals’ postures go from relaxed to combative, and a crocodile is ready to snap! Ms. Dubuc’s pencils and crayons provide a soft, colorful story that kids will love to read and have read to them, over and over again.

While The Animal’s Ark is a retelling of the biblical story, this is a book that can be read to all audiences. Noah is a kind man with a boat, offering to shepherd the animals through the storm. The rain and flood are just a heavy storm. It’s a good introduction to the story for Christian readers; parents and teachers can lead children into a deeper discussion at their leisure. This makes the book work well for public storytimes with diverse audiences; kids love animals stories, and that’s exactly what this is.

Get out your stuffed animals and make your own story arc around the carpet or the bed. Talk about what animals you’d let board the ark – would you let an alien board the ark? What about animals like the dodo bird, or a dinosaur? And what other things did the animals do on the ark? Did the chickens lay eggs and the bees make honey to help feed everyone? Get creative, and let the kids get creative; you can turn this into a lesson on animals or you can turn it into a wacky storytime. It’s up to you.

Posted in geek culture, Graphic Novels, Teen, Tween Reads, Young Adult/New Adult

YALSA releases their 2016 list of great graphic novels!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Great news! Last week, YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) published their 2016 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list. There are some brilliant titles on the list, making gift purchases and library collection updates a lot easier, by the way. I was really excited to see so many great books on the list, from a diverse mix of major publishers and smaller independents.

Some highlights:

Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War. By Michel Chikwanine & Jessica Dee Humphreys/Illus. by Claudia Davila. Kids Can Press, $18.95, (9781771381260). A young man tells the story of his kidnapping by rebel militants and his time as a child soldier in the Congo.

Doomboy. By Tony Sandoval. Illustrated by the author. Magnetic Press, $24.99, (9780991332472). A teen with an active imagination and a love of heavy metal mourns his girlfriend the best way he can: through his music.

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1952. By Mike Mignola and John Arcudi. Illustrated by Alex Maleev. Dark Horse Books, paper, $19.99 (9781616556600). Hellboy goes on his first mission.

Human Body Theatre. By Maris Wicks. Illustrated by the author. First Second, $14.99, (9781596439290). A skeleton teaches the reader about the human body and its functions.

Last of the Sandwalkers. By Jay Hosler. Illustrated by the author. First Second, $16.99, (9781626720244). A tribe of insects goes on a voyage of discovery to explore the land beyond their borders.

Princess Ugg, vol. 1. By Ted Naifeh. Illus by the author. Oni Press, paper, $15.99, (9781620101780). Warrior Princess Ulga attends the prestigious Princess Academy at her dead mother’s request.

Roller Girl. By Victoria Jamieson. Illustrated by the author. Dial Books for Young Readers, $12.99, (9780803740167). A tween signs up for roller derby camp and learns about herself, friendship, and sacrifice.

The Scarlet Letter. By Nathaniel Hawthorne, Crystal Chan, and Stacy King. Illus by SunNeko Lee. Udon Entertainment, hardcover, $24.99, (9781927925348). A manga retelling of the classic story of a Puritan woman caught in adultery and forced to publicly bear her shame.

The Suspended Castle: A Philemon Adventure. By Fred. Illus by the author. TOON Graphics, hardcover, $16.95, (9781935179863). Bartholomew has been rescued from an alternate dimension but now misses it and wants to go back, little suspecting the adventure in store for him and Philemon.

Now, go forth and read graphic novels, and check out the rest of YALSA’s list!