love – Page 4 – Mom Read It

Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Our Love Grows: Perfect for Moms and Dads to read-aloud!

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Our Love Grows, by Anna Pignataro (April 2016, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $16.99, ISBN: 9781492634188

Recommended for ages 2-6

Pip is a sweet little panda who can’t wait to grow up. He asks his mother, “When will I be big?” and his mother reminds him that he’s already grown from when he was a baby. The story takes place as Pip’s mother remembers important moments: his tiny paw prints in the snow, his blanket covered all of him, playing hide and seek and the passing of seasons; how his tiny face fit in her hands. As she goes back over how Pip has grown, Mother Panda reminds Pip that as he’s grown, so has her love for him.

This is the sweetest book. Pip is actually not assigned a gender in the story; I think of Pip as being a little boy because I have three of my own, and reading this story reminded me of many similar moments in my own children’s lives. Snuggling with my toddler as I read this, I remembered when his blanket covered all of him – the same blanket that his feet now stick out from under; I remember he and his brothers fitting so snugly in my arms; I remember how little their snow angels looked in the winter; and yes, I may have gotten a little teary-eyed. My little guy didn’t notice it, but I did get an extra tight hug when I read the line about my love for him growing as he grows.

Our Love Grows is one of those books I recommend for parents, because it’s a parent’s eye-view of our babies growing up. It’s bittersweet, yes, but books like this remind us of the sweet moments, and when we’re lucky enough to still have the little ones that sit on our lap when we tell stories, books like this also let them know that they’ll get big, eventually – don’t rush it. And we’ll be right there with them.

The art is sedate and intimate, with Pip, Mom, and Pip’s stuffed bird the main focus of the book, surrounded by nature. The text is a plain black font that doesn’t call attention to itself, making the characters the central point of attention.

A good choice for new parents, toddler parents, and preschooler parents whose little ones are desperate to be big, when we want them to stay small for just a little longer.

Anna Pignataro is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. Visit her author webpage to find out more about her books and artwork.

Animal Fiction, Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Uncategorized

Mutt’s Promise- Animal Fiction about family, journeys, and finding your home

Posted on October 15, 2015September 17, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Mutt’s Promise, by Julie Salamon/Illus. by Jill Weber (March 2016, Dial Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9780525427780

Recommended for ages 8-12

A tired dog wanders the woods and saves a cat from a weasel attack. She’s taken in by the cat’s human, an older man living on his own, and he christens the dog, “Mutt”. The son of the migrant family working for the man bonds with the dog, who gives birth to a little of four puppies. He names them, cares for them, but when the family has to move on and tells their employer that they won’t be back, he gives the puppies away, saying they’re too much to take care for. Two puppies are adopted by one loving family, but the other two – a female named Luna and a boy named Chief – end up living a nightmare in a horrific puppy mill. Will they be able to keep their spirits and their bodies healthy enough to survive and escape?

Mutt’s Promise is an unexpected book. It starts in a most idyllic setting, only to move pretty quickly into some heavy social issues. While the idea of migrant worker families is lightly touched on, it’s there, showing that this is not something that died out with The Grapes of Wrath. The heavier topic here is animal cruelty, most notably the kind of cruelty that takes place in puppy mills. Luna, a spunky little female pup, also deals with crushing depression and post-traumatic stress disorder from her time in the puppy mill. All of these topics are handled in an age-appropriate manner, framed within the animals’ story and using vocabulary that doesn’t try to sugar-coat what happens in these places, but makes the situation comprehensible to younger readers.

The writing and illustrations made me think of the animal fiction I read as a child; books like Margery Sharp’s The Rescuers series, and one of my all-time favorites, Rosemary Weir’s Pyewacket. Kids who love animal fiction will enjoy this book, and it provides a gentle introduction to hot-button social issues today. For kids who have experienced trauma in their own lives, reading a book like this may help facilitate a discussion; guidance counselors and therapists should give this a read and have available to talk over with parents and children.

Author has written nine books for both adults and children, including Cat in the City (also illustrated by Jill Weber). Jill Weber is a children’s book illustrator and designer, and has worked on two other books by Julie Salamon.

Enjoy a glimpse at some of the art from the pages of Mutt’s Promise.

Fantasy, Science Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

The Temple of Doubt brings fantasy, magic, and a struggle with faith

Posted on July 12, 2015July 11, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Temple of Doubt, by Anne Boles Levy (Aug. 2015, Sky Pony Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781632204271

Recommended for ages 13+

A falling star crashes into the marshes on a planet called Kuldor and a young woman’s life is forever changed. Fifteen year-old Hadara is the wilder child of her parents’ two daughters, the “natural” to her younger sister’s “pious”. Living under a strict religious rule, where medicine is heresy and only magic provided by their god, Nihil, is acceptable, Hadara longs to join her mother, who clandestinely gathers herbs and plants to keep handy for quiet requests.

The star brings religious leaders and soldiers to Port Sapphire, where Hadara and her family live. The leaders insist that a demon inhabits the star, and they must go into the marshes to retrieve it: and Hadara and her mother are pressed into service to lead them there. Hadara, whose faith has already been tested by the priests and the soldiers’ presence, finds herself chafing under the continued requests put upon her and the behaviors she witnesses, but this is only the beginning. The things she will discover on her journey will throw everything she’s ever been taught to believe into chaos. Is she strong enough to emerge unscathed?

The Temple of Doubt is sci-fi/fantasy, but readers will find many parallels to our current religious and socio-political climate today. The reliance on a deity to heal – but only if you have enough faith – versus faith in medicine and nature; the right of the religious right to tread wherever they feel is necessary to root out evil, and the struggle of a young woman dealing with coming of age and questioning her faith and beliefs are all very familiar scenarios that will draw readers into Ms. Levy’s story.

There is a great deal of world-building that will appeal to some readers, but may not catch reluctant or struggling readers. Focus on the teenage aspects of the story – rebellion, frustration, sibling rivalry, and questioning – to spark a lively booktalk. The Temple of Doubt an interesting first book in a series that should appeal to sci-fi and fantasy readers.

Preschool Reads

Book Review: Grandparents are the Greatest Because… by Adele Aron Greenspun & Joan Schwartz (Dutton, 2003)

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 4+

A photo album of grandparents and grandchildren provides readers with many reasons as to why grandparents are the best. The book features actual, hand-tinted photographs of grandparents and grandchildren in coordinating pastel frames. The phrase, “Grandparents are the greatest because” runs throughout the book, with reasons why – “They cheer you up with smooches/and big warm squeezes… elephants don’t scare them,/and neither do dinosaurs with big, sharp teeth” – running along the bottom of the photos. Embedded in the illustrated frames are quotes from either the adult or the child featured in the photo. The photos are affectionate (a grandmother hugging her grandson at what looks like a family wedding) and inspiring (a grandfather shows his grandson his army uniform as his grandson wears his hat). The endpapers feature different ways of saying grandmother and grandfather in different languages and different nicknames for them, like “Mamaw” and “Papaw”. Children will enjoy these loving photographs of grandparents and this celebration of grandparents and grandchildren alike.

This would be a great addition to a read-aloud on families, specifically grandparents. National Grandparents Day is September 8; this may be a good reason to get grandparents into the library with their grandchildren. The Perry Public Library has a Grandparents Day storytime theme that includes songs and rhymes, and the children can get up and dance with their grandparents at the conclusion, perhaps doing the Hokey Pokey or Ring Around the Rosie.

Preschool Reads

Book Review: Blue Ribbon Dad, by Beth Raisner Glass/Illus. by Margie Moore (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2011)

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 2-6

The book, a love letter to dads, shows a young squirrel counting down the hours until his father gets home from work. As he works on a craft project to have ready for his father’s arrival, he thinks of all the things his dad does with him: he wakes him up in the morning, packs his lunch and brings him to school, and watches his swimming lessons. When Dad comes home, his son presents him with a blue ribbon, for being a Number 1 Dad. The story, told in rhyme, will appeal to young readers and audiences. The illustrations are made with black pen and watercolors on cold press paper and provide soft images with enough definition that the characters stand out against their backgrounds. The faces on the family members are gentle and expressive. The endpapers feature all of the craft supplies used to make the blue ribbon plus the clock, an important part of the story as the squirrel son counts each hour down until his father comes home. The book comes with a detachable blue ribbon that should probably be removed before putting circulating, rather than invite theft and damage to the book.

This would be a good addition to a Father’s Day read-aloud. The blue ribbon is an easily made storytime craft. The Perry Public Library has a Daddy storytime theme that includes songs and rhymes that would enhance any read-aloud.

Fantasy, Fiction, Tween Reads

Book Review: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press, 2009)

Posted on September 4, 2011October 30, 2011 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 9-12

I normally try to stay away from reading multiple books by the same author in a row, but after coming off of The Tale of Desperaux, I really wanted more, so I picked up The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

Edward Tulane is a stunning china rabbit with real fur ears and wires enabling movement in his arms and legs, and a fashionable silk wardrobe. He is the apple of his owner’s eye, 10-year old Abilene. Abilene changes his outfits daily annd dotes on him. He lives a comfortable life and knows it, but he’s cold and keeps Abilene at a distance, never allowing himself to love her as she loves him; her purpose in his life is to take care of him and coddle him.

Abilene and her family go on a cruise where Edward, as a cruel prank by two boys on the ship, is tossed overboard; thus begins a journey where he finds himself in the company of an old woman, a homeless man, and a dying little girl and her older brother. Each of these people teaches Edward a little more about love, loss and longing.

The reader journeys with Edward, experiencing his growth and heartache through each subsequent companion’s story. Despite the affection – even love – he feels with each new owner, his thoughts always stray back to Abilene, finally understanding what love is and he regrets not reciprocating her affection.

The them of second chances is a dominant theme in the book, leaving the reader with the message that there’s always a chance for redemption – it just make take some time. It is a powerful and relevant theme for middle grade children, who need to understand at this delicate age that their actions can and do have consequences, but that almost nothing is unforgiveable, and reconciliation is always down the road.