parents – Page 3 – Mom Read It

My Dad is a Clown heals bodies and souls

Posted on November 17, 2016November 16, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

My Dad is a Clown/Mi papá es un paysaso, by José Carlos Andrés/Illustrated by Natalia Hernández, (Jan. 2017, NubeOcho), $14.95, ISBN: 978-84-944137-6-6

Recommended for ages 4-8

A boy with two dads is proud of what they do for a living, and wants to be like them both when he grows up. Both of the boy’s dads are healers: one dad, Pascual, is a doctor and heals his patients’ bodies; his other dad, whom he refers to as simply “Dad”, is a clown, and heals people’s souls. Pascual and the boy sneak into Dad’s rehearsal one day, where the boy realizes the hard work that goes into being a performer, and decides that he will combine the best of his fathers’ professions when he grows up.

This is a sweet story about a boy who loves and is proud of his parents. We also see a loving relationship between the boy’s parents, who happen to both be men. The cartoony two-color art, primarily black and white with reds added for visual interest and emphasis, is both sweet and dramatic. The family is tender with one another, unafraid to show affection. It’s a gratifying, emotional read, particularly when the family reunites after Dad’s rehearsal and they share happy tears.

This third edition of the story is a bilingual edition, translated into English and includes the Spanish text directly beneath the English text, both featured in a highlighted typewriter font that makes for easy independent and cuddle time reading. It’s good for English and Spanish language learners, and is a sweet story about family love to add to your bilingual collections and your storytime rotation. Put this 0ne on your shelves: there are families out there who need and deserve to have their stories told.

Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Pick your parents: The Parent Agency

Posted on June 17, 2016June 17, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Parent Agency, by David Baddiel/Illustrated by Jim Field, (May 2016, HarperCollins), $16.99, ISBN: 9780062405449

Recommended for ages 8-12

Are you parents sooo boring? Are they too strict? Like your brother/sister/dog better than you? Not wealthy enough to give you the lifestyle you want to become accustomed to? What would you do if you could pick your own parents: what would be on your wish list? Barry Bennett feels the same way. His parents are too boring, they’re not rich, they’re strict, they named him Barry, and after they mess up his perfect idea of a James Bond birthday, he’s fed up. He wishes he had new parents, and finds himself transported to an a parallel universe, where an organization called The Parent Agency helps kids test drive and select the perfect parents for them. The thing is, picking parents out, even when you have an incredibly detailed list of demands? Not as easy as you’d think.

The Parent Agency is a fun book, with a premise all kids will appreciate: kids who want new parents. Parents that will let them do anything, get anything, be anything they want, but there’s always a catch. Kids learn that just because someone looks good on paper doesn’t mean that they’ll be as wonderful in reality. Barry meets parents who fit a certain mold, but they expect their children to fit into that mold, too – and who wants to do that? That whole unconditional love business comes into play, and gives Barry the wake-up call he needs.

Kids will get a good laugh out of the book – the laid back, hippie parents gave me some laugh-out-loud moments, as did the talking posters in Barry’s room. Jim Field’s black and white illustrations throughout add to the laughs. Booktalk this one with The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling and Judy Blume’s Freckle Juice for “the other side isn’t always greener” type reading. Ask kids to come up with their own Parent Agency lists, and try to debunk them – playing devil’s advocate can be fun!

Originally published in the UK, The Parent Agency has finally reached U.S. shores. David Baddiel is a comedian, TV host, and author; The Parent Agency is his first children’s book.

Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

OCDaniel looks at compulsive behavior from a middle schooler’s point of view

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

OCDaniel, by Wesley King (April 2016, Simon & Schuster), $16.99, ISBN: 9781481455312

Recommended for ages 9-13

Daniel is a back-up kicker for his middle school football team, but he’s awful and he knows it. And he’d rather be arranging the water cups in perfect formation, anyway. Daniel has lots of rituals; behaviors that keep things copasetic for Daniel – in his mind – but that are wearing him down. He has a night time ritual that often takes hours to complete, leaving him exhausted and drained the next morning, but he works desperately to keep the rituals secret from his friends and family. When he receives a note from a schoolmate named Sara – nicknamed Psycho Sara – everything changes.

Sara believe she is a Star Child – children who have been sent here from other areas of the universe to help the people of earth. They are “different” from other kids; they have behaviors that set them apart. Daniel is a little concerned about Sara’s ideas, but she seems to understand everything he’s going through. She gets his rituals; the Zaps – the tics that herald the start of the need for a ritual; the Great Space; the Collapses. He starts talking more with Sara, who has an adventure planned for them both. Sara has answers that she needs, and she needs a fellow Star Child to help her.

Told in the first person from Daniel’s point of view, OCDaniel is a brilliant, heartfelt look into obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and other psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. King’s writing puts real faces on issues we often read about but hold at a distance. I appreciate the We Need Diverse Books movement for so much; most importantly, for making sure that the kids in my library have books with characters that look like them, but also for taking challenges like mental illness under its collective wing. Kids living with these challenges have been almost invisible in kid lit, particularly as empowered main characters. Here, Daniel and Sara are funny and likable; they are students, they have interests, they face adversity every day, but they don’t want to be poster children: they just want to be.

Pair this with Susan Vaught’s Freaks Like Us for older readers who are ready for a frank discussion on mental illness and reliable versus unreliable narrators. For tween and younger teen audiences, Joey Pigza Swallows the Key by Jack Gantos is a great choice, and the American Association of School Librarians has an excellent article, Unpacking Mental Health Issues in Middle Grade and Young Adult Literature, which includes a link to a spreadsheet of middle grade and YA titles. An author’s note from Mr. King includes information about seeking help for OCD. This is s solid, and important addition to middle grade collections. Must-add.

Wesley King is also the author of the tech sci fi/fantasy, Dragons vs. Drones, and The Incredible Space Raiders. His author webpage includes links to social media, the author’s blog, and media events.

Fiction, Middle Grade

Cybils Middle Grade Fiction – A Few Reviews

Posted on October 15, 2014December 10, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hey there!

I’m working hard, getting through my Cybils Middle Grade nominees – there’s so much good fiction out there! – so I thought I’d give a quick update on a few I’ve read so far.

The Red Pencil, by Andrea Davis Pinkney, (Sept. 2014, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers), $17, ISBN: 978-0316247801

Recommended for ages 8-14

Amira is a 12 year-old girl living in Darfur. She dreams of going to school, something her mother will not hear. She will marry a husband who can read for her, her mother tells her. That all changes when the Janjaweed come.

When her village is attacked by the Sudanese militia, her life is changed forever. She, and the survivors of her village, make their way to a refugee camp, where she grieves and learns how to start life anew.

Written in verse, The Red Pencil is one of the most powerful books I have ever read. It’s about time we see fiction about this time and place in history hitting our bookshelves. Children need to read this book, and teachers need to discuss it with them. If you don’t have access to this book yet, PLEASE – find it, read it, and share it.

The Crossover, by Kwame Alexander, (March 2014, HMH Books for Young Readers), $16.99, ISBN: 978-0544107717

Recommended for ages 8-14

Josh and his twin brother, Jordan, are lightning on the basketball court. The sons of a basketball player whose pro career was derailed by an injury and the assistant principal of their school, they have a strong family background that emphasizes teamwork and schoolwork.

Josh loves to rhyme, cranking out beats in his head as he plays. Jordan has other things in mind these days, though – namely, a girlfriend. Josh has a hard time with accepting this third party in his and Jordan’s relationship. Throw in their father’s health problems that he refuses to seek help for, and you’ve got a compelling read that will appeal to all readers, male and female, sports fans or not. There’s a flow and pacing to this novel, also written in verse, that just moves the pages on its own. Josh is a likable kid, and readers will see themselves in his shoes as he talks about his fears and frustrations.

The Crossover has been designated as a Kirkus Best Children’s Book of 2014, one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Children’s Books of 2014, and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.

Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Uncategorized

Maddy Kettle: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch gives kids a new heroine to follow

Posted on September 28, 2014August 29, 2020 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Maddy Kettle, Book 1: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch, by Eric Orchard (Sept. 2014, Top Shelf Comics), $14.95, ISBN: 9781603090728

Recommended for ages 8-14

Maddy Kettle is an 11 year-old on a mission. Her parents have been turned into kangaroo rats by the Thimblewitch, so she sets out with her pet space toad, Ralph, to find the witch and get her to restore them. She will have to evade goblin spiders and scarecrow soldiers, and she’ll meet a bear and raccoon team of cloud cartographers who map the skies as she sets out on her journey.

This story is a great illustration of people’s perceptions, and how they can be so very wrong. It’s a great story for parents and kids to read together, and one that teachers should be using in the classroom, accompanied by a discussion on perception versus reality, and how we judge people by those perceptions.

Without getting too far into spoilery territory, Maddy learns that her thinking needs some adjustment as she meets these “bad” characters and learns what the real story is behind the bits and pieces she knows. She grows as a person, and heads off into new adventures – adventures, I hope, that will teach us new lessons as she goes on.

There is some great art in here; kids and adults alike will be drawn into the story by the retro-futuristic artwork and the quick pacing and resolution. It’s an all-around great intro to a new series that gives kids another positive female role model, who’s also a relatable kid (Zita the Spacegirl fans, are you with me?).

Maddy Kettle, Book 1: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch will be available this Tuesday. Check it out in stores, or order your digital copy on the Top Shelf website.

In the meantime, check out some more of the art, courtesy of Top Shelf’s website.

Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Somebody on This Bus is Going to Be Famous – but why?

Posted on July 29, 2014July 29, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Somebody on This Bus is Going to Be Famous, by J.B. Cheaney (Sept. 2014, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $16.99, ISBN: 9781402292972

Recommended for ages 9-13

The bus picks the kids up every day, and heads to school. Someone, someday soon, is going to be famous. But why?

The story takes a deeper look into the lives of nine people on that bus – eight kids, one adult (the bus driver, Ms. B), twining their narratives, as their lives intersect, and leading to a taut climax. There’s Shelley, the wannabe pop star; Miranda, so desperate to have popular kids be her friend that she’ll let them walk all over her; Spencer, the nerd who’s having a crisis of faith in himself; Igor, whose dad is a big mystery that he wants to unravel; Jay, the jock whose grandfather – his biggest fan – is slipping away; Bender, the son who can’t get out of his brother’s shadow, Matthew, who’s just… average – at first; and Alice, who has some secrets of her own. Tied into these stories is the story of the high school graduation of 1985, where a prank was carried out, with tragic circumstances.

I had a rough time with this book. I didn’t like most of the characters, who just didn’t seem to be like good people. As I thought more about them, though, I realized that it’s not that they’re good or bad, they’re kids. They’re largely elementary and middle school students, and the depictions are pretty realistic-adolescence can be a hard time, and sometimes, tweens and teens and adults just don’t speak one another’s language. The narratives are largely depressing – there is some humor in the book, but most of these kids have some pretty awful stuff happening in their lives.

The ending was satisfying, and the overall story will draw readers in with the different narratives. The book can be used in a book group discussion on different personalities working together.

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.

Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Book Review: Rain Romp, by Jane Kurtz/Illus. by Diana Wolcott (Greenwillow Books, 2002)

Posted on August 24, 2013August 24, 2013 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 3-6

Preschoolers often deal with moods that they don’t know how to control; many will associate with this young girl who wakes up in a bad mood on a rainy day. Her parents try to boost her mood, but she wants none of it, until she decides to stomp her bad mood away in the rain. Her parents join her, and the bad mood goes away. The watercolor and gouache art is perfect to convey the both the weather and the girl’s moods, going from angry and gray, like the rain, to happy and content, as the sun peeks through the clouds. The text curves around the art and gets larger for emphasis when the girl vents her anger. As she and her family hug, mood lifted, the text curves underneath them, allowing the reader to join in the hug.

This would be a good addition to a read-aloud on moods. There could be a discussion on what preschoolers do when they are angry, or sad, or happy. If they feel sad or mad, what makes them feel better? A good storytime craft would allow the children to draw a picture of how they deal with a bad mood, and they could receive a smiley face handstamp at the end of the storytime.

Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Book Review: Mama Mama by Jean Marzollo/illus. by Laura Regan (HarperFestival, 1999)

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 0-4

The bond between mothers and babies is strong, as illustrated by different animals. Seven different animal babies tell their mothers, in rhyme, how they love them. Each spread features a realistic illustration of an animal mother and baby – lions, leopards, chimpanzees, koalas, pandas, elephants, and sea otters – and a four-line rhyme celebrating their love: “Mama, Mama,/Nuzzle, hug,/I’m your little/golden cub”. The font is simple and black, meant for mothers to read to their children during cuddle time. The book is a sweet tribute to mothers and their babies and should be a popular board book selection in any library.

This would be a good read-aloud for a family-related lapsit or a Mother’s Day lapsit. The Perpetual Preschool website offers many Mother’s Day songs and fingerplays that would work well with this type of lapsit.

The author’s website offers free ebooks and activities using her other books. She has written a companion book to Mama Mama called Papa Papa.

Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Book Review: When I Grow Up, by Leonid Gore (Scholastic Press, 2009)

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 2-4

A little boy asks his father what he will be when he grows up, and looks at the world around him for ideas. A raindrop tells him he could be “like me” and become the fastest river; a green sprout, the tallest tree; a caterpillar, the most colorful butterfly in the meadow. As the boy paints the images he sees around him, he ultimately makes his own decision: he will be like his dad. The artwork is a simple and soothing series of acrylics and mixed media, with a single die-cut image in each spread acting as a transition to the next spread. The die cuts may not hold up to repeated use and risk tearing, but the pages are thicker than usual and may last longer than expected with gentler use. Books that illustrate relationships between fathers and sons are not as common as mothers and sons or mothers and daughters, making this a good book to offer the community.

This would be a great addition to a family read-aloud or a Father’s Day read-aloud, as it features a positive relationship between a father and son. There are great Father’s Day crafts that are easily made available, including Father’s Day picture frames using heavy paper, glue and scissors available on Enchanted Learning’s website. Children can bring pictures from home or can use pictures from old magazines. The author does not have a website, but his publisher has an author page with a biography and the ability to become a “fan”.