Tiny Treasury

By Claudia McGehee
McGehee’s debut picture book offers iconic portraits of flora and fauna indigenous to America’s Midwestern prairies in the form of an alphabetic primer.

Stalks of grass towering over one’s head. Patches of yellow and purple wildflowers as far as the eye can see. Thousands of butterflies fluttering across an ocean of grass. Herds of bison plowing through deep snow. Scenes like this were familiar on the tallgrass prairie that once stretched across America’s heartland. Today, although most of the original prairie has disappeared, hints of its beauty still remain.

Claudia’s scratchboard illustrations depict old friends like white-tailed deer and the short-eared owl, as well as endangered species like the greater prairie-chicken, all living in harmony within their native habitat. Hikers, birdwatchers and other trailblazers who observe and explore in several scenes underscore the message about respecting and studying this habitat.For those wanting to learn more about the wonders of this rich environment, McGehee provides the common and scientific names of all the plants and animals she illustrates plus basic information about them. Anyone who has ever seen remnants of the tallgrass prairie-from child to teacher to tourist to prairie enthusiast- will appreciate the passion and warmth that leap from the pages of this beautifully illustrated alphabet book.

This is a nice enough alphabet book for beginning readers. Being an Oklahomanand having visited the Tallgrass Prairiea few times in recent years, I found the book a little outdated ( it was published in 2004), and would have preferred a bison representing the letter B instead of butterfly weed. Overall, it is a nice alphabet book and the Prairie Notes at the end of the book were a very nice and informative addition.

By Louise Yates

This book is dedicated to children too small to wipe their nose or tie their shoes or walk far without a rest…but not too small to make a BIG impression on others.

A triumphant and endearing tale to tickle the smallest listeners. A very small bunny wants to join the circus and is not put off by a sign reading “Small Animals Need Not Apply.” Though he is too small to wipe his nose or tie his shoes or walk far without a rest, he is not too small to make a BIG impression on the lion, the orangutan, and the other big animals of this circus troupe. This buoyant little tale is at turns funny, endearing, clever—and just right for the smallest child in any family. The brief text and expressive illustrations are great fun to share with a preschooler.

Louise Yates makes her picture-book debut with this buoyant little tale about a very small bunny who wants to join the circus and is not put off by a sign reading, “Jobs Available…Small Animals Need Not Apply.” How he endears himself to the big circus animals to become a very special member of the troupe will tickle the smallest child in every home.

Author Biography

Louise Yates began drawing pictures to go with stories she wrote at a very young age. A Small Surprise is the first published book from this talented young author-artist who obviously understands the art of communicating with the youngest child through words and pictures. She lives in London.

By Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Stephen Gammell

The relatives come to visit from Virginia and everyone has a wonderful time. In a rainbow-colored station wagon that smelled like a real car, the relatives came. When they arrived, they hugged and hugged from the kitchen to the front room. All summer they tended the garden and ate up all the strawberries and melons. They plucked banjos and strummed guitars.

The relatives’ station wagon: it smelled like a real car, looked like a rainbow, and was roomy enough for a crowd.

Lucky! Because a big crowd in all shapes and sizes piled into that old wagon at four o’clock one summer morning and piled out of it the next day at their relatives’ place on the north side of the mountains. All in good moods.

The visitors settled in everywhere throughout the house, laughing and making music and hugging everyone from the kitchen to the front room. And they stayed for weeks.

When they finally had to leave, they were sad, but not for long. They all knew they would be together next summer.

Cynthia Rylant’s words and Stephen Gammell’s pictures take warm delight in the time the relatives came–when two sides of a family made one roomy middle.

I’ve never had a family road trip or reunion go quite so well as this one. This is the family get together we all wish for, and yet never seem to quite get with our own families. It did remind me of some of the best moments from our own family’s “not-quite-so-perfect” gatherings.

Which is Full of Funny Stuff like Rotting Heads and Giant Gorillas and Zombies Dressed as Little Girls and Edgar Allen Poe, the book, we mean - not the cake.

 By Adam Rex

No one ever said it was easy being a monster.

Take Frankenstein, for instance: He just wants to marry his undead bride in peace, but his best man, Dracula, is freaking out about the garlic bread. Then there’s the Headless Horseman, who wishes everyone would stop drooling over his delicious pumpkin head. And can someone please tell Edgar Allan Poe to get the door already before the raven completely loses it? Sheesh.

 In a wickedly funny follow-up to the bestselling Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, Adam Rex once again proves that monsters are just like you and me. (Well, sort of.)

Frankenstein is getting married, and author-illustrator Adam Rex cleverly unites his new collection of monster poems around this anxiety-inducing event. After all, getting married is scary enough when your groom is a green-skinned monster—try being the caterer for a party attended by Dracula (Absolutely No Garlic!), the Creature from the Black Lagoon (don’t let him overeat or he’ll be floating belly up!), and werewolves (they hate silverware!). Including both classic, well-known creatures such as the Sphinx and Medusa and the lesser-known but equally sinister Mother-in-Law(”I’m not trying to be mean, but I never thought my little girl would be marrying someone green”), Rex deftly balances humor that will appeal to children and adults. Repeated appearances by an exasperated Headless Horseman via his blog titled “Off the Top of My Head,” and Edgar Allen Poe in the throes of writer’s block serve as subplots and add to the story’s narrative flow.

An assortment of other fright-related poems, including a brilliant advertisement for a weight-loss device for witches (think Wizard of Oz) round out the collection. From the hilarious cover image of Frankenstein caught with his fingers covered in frosting to Poe’s annoyed raven on the back jacket, Rex’s inventive illustrations and infinitely varied artistic styles are the icing on the wedding cake. Published just in time for Halloween, this highly-anticipated sequel to Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich will delight guys and ghouls, er, girls, of all ages, as a read-aloud during story time or on their own. Additionally, young writers and artists will find ample inspiration for their own projects.

This gifted artist, whose clever wordplay reveals a wonderfully warped sense of comedy, has whipped up another winner.

Rollicking Tales of Clever Females

Retold by Robert D. San Souci, Illustrated by Daniel San Souci

A collection of trickster tales from the American South, featuring such female animal characters as Molly Cottontail and Miz Goose.

We all remember the exploits of Br’er Rabbit and his cohorts Br’er Fox, Br’er Possum, and other sly characters. But while these tales were circulating among slaves in the southern United States, another set of stories was passed along just as enthusiastically … only here the clever tricksters were female. As Anne Virginia Culbertson, one of the early collectors of these stories, noted, ” A woman sees all ’round and over and underneath and on both sides of a thing [while] a man’s just trying to stare plumb through it.”

We are all very familiar with the classic male trickster characters such as Brer Rabbit, Anansi, and even Bugs Bunny. In this collection, Robert San Souci, the author of many award-winning retellings of legends and folktales for children, teams up with his brother, Daniel, to show us that the fairer sex can be just as clever and resourceful as their male counterparts.
Who better to tackle the stories of these sister tricksters than the San Souci brothers? Utilizing a contagiously rhythmic, pitch-perfect dialect, writer Robert gleefully interprets the exploits of Molly Cottontail, Miz Grasshopper, Miz Duck, and Miz Goose against worthy (and not-so-worthy) foes such as Mistah Slickry Sly-fox, Mistah Rooster, and Mistah Bear.

Brother David’s comically realistic paintings capture the slapstick frenzy of these characters engaged in battles of wits against the rural Southern landscapes that nourished the tales in their infancy.

By Steven Kellogg 

Nick-nack paddywhack, give the dog a bone…These boisterous fellows do a lot more than just roll on home!  

The first old man “plays one” on his drum, but then this popular nursery rhyme takes a mischievous turn and escalates into a slapstick adventure involving cobblers, cats, chickens, sled dogs, and even velociraptors. From Poodles to Great Danes, an ever-increasing number of clever companions adds up to a most unusual counting book. By the time the story ends, the last old man is surrounded by a loveable crowd of canine friends!

Steven Kellogg’s winning combination of fresh, funny text and hilarious illustrations make this irreverent twist on a traditional counting song into a rollicking good time that begs to be shared over and over again.

 I thought some of the rhymes were a little strained, but the artwork was lovely. We enjoyed the chicken’s “raptor revenge” plan, and laughed out loud at the great danes welcoming their “old man” home. Being a bit of a trivia nut, I loved this note about the song at the end of the book:

“This Old Man” is a popular nonsense counting song of uncertain origin (perhaps English, perhaps American) that seems to have first appeared in the early twentieth century. Hundreds of variations can be found, since improvisation is often the most entertaining part of any singing fame; this version takes off in an entirely original direction after the first verse. Some accompaniments include clapping, stomping, drumming, and motions such as tapping the shoe (for “on my shoe”) or revolving one arm around the other (for “rolling home”). As memorable as it is amusing, portions of this song have been used in joke-telling, pop music, and in the study of speech development. It teaches language, counting, rhythm, and coordination. So…”nick-nack paddywhack, sing the song below!”

By Charlotte Wilcox

Beautiful, full-color photographs draw readers to this fascinating series on popular breeds of dogs. Each book highlights the breed’s history , physical characteristics, demeanor, and special features. A chapter on pet care offers hands-on information. Photo-diagrams offer practice for getting information from graphical resources. 

The Collie

Collies are beautiful dogs originating in Scotland and England. They were bred by farmers to guard and herd sheep. But most collies are kept as family pets these days. Some dogs still work on farms herding cattle and sheep. Other dogs compete in dog shows and herding competitions. Still others work as service dogs for the handicapped. They are one of the most popular breeds in the world. The collie is a fearless, intelligent, loving, loyal, and generally friendly dog. They get along well with other animals and children, who adore them in return. The name collie came from the original dogs predominantly black coats earning them the name “coally” dogs because their coats resembled coal.

The Great Dane

Great Danes are one of the largest breeds known. They are descended from mastiffs and originated in Germany some 400 years ago. Great Danes can weigh as much as a grown man. They are friendly and playful and love children. They are giants, but loving, gentle giants with a strong sense of family. It’s amazing that these gentle giants were bred for hunting and trained to kill. Today’s great danes rarely hunt. They are still fast and strong, but their beauty and loving spirit is what draws people to them today. Despite their size, Danes are good with children, probably due to their very loving natures.

Silly Dilly Manners Songs by Alan Katz and David Catrow

You all know…”Do Your Ears Hang Low?” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” but what about “Are You Quite Polite?” and “Quiet in the Library”?! 

Songwriter and comedy writer extraordinaire Alan Katz has done it again! Turning his attention to the subject of good and bad manners, he has created a hilarious new guide to manners that kids will love to follow — laughing all the way! With brilliantly funny pictures by illustrator and cartoonist David Catrow, this new collection promises hours of well-mannered silly dillyness for kids everywhere! 

A collection of silly poems with equally silly drawings, Katz aims to teach good manners.All of the poems are written to be sung to songs—among them are “Polly Wolly Doodle” and “Pop Goes the Weasel.” For the most part, the music and words are an easy fit, although a few, such as “Writing Thank-Yous” to the tune of “Alouette,” might require some rehearsal. 

In the opening spread kids are told that it is not polite to put their mouths on the waterspout of a drinking fountain. In addition to the drinking fountain admonition, the book addresses other issues such as boogers, sibling rivalry, how to behave at a party, writing thank-you notes, not talking with food in your mouth, and the like. There are entries on lateness, table manners, sneezing, nose picking, and being quiet in the library, sung to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Catrow has a field day with his illustrations showing kids in their states of messy, bad behavior. A kid pleaser and a book that should instill messages about good behavior without feeling the least bit like a real lesson in proper etiquette from Emily Post.

 What makes our furry friends so lovable? 

Lyrical text describes the unique relationship that children and dogs worldwide share. Vivid photographs show dogs and children at work and play, caring, hugging, romping, and snuggling. It’s a bright, bold celebrations of one of the longest lasting friendships of all time!

This appealing series title is filled with cute kids and adorable dogs from around the world. A dog is a best friend for playing, and rolling, and running like the wind.” A collaboration between the Global Fund for Children, Planet Dog Philanthropy and photographers around the world, A Kid’s Best Friend by Maya Ajmera and Alex Fischer documents the bond between children and their dogs. Throughout, labels indicate where each photograph was taken (settings as varied as Nigeria, Poland, Argentina, Canada, Bulgaria, Bhutan, Russia, the U.S. and Indonesia are represented). The irresistible cover photo shows a cheeky Dalmatian planting a smooch on a cute African-American girl, and black-and-white Dalmatian dots decorate the endpapers to define the cheery, playful tone. Subsequent photos throughout the volume show children of different ages, ethnic groups, and countries enjoying outdoor interactions with dogs large and small.

I especially love that the pictures show a relationship between human and canine. The pictures capture my daughter’s attention and are clear illustrations of the symbiotic relationships in which both child and dog benefit. Additionally, many different cultures are represented and each time we read the book, the girls ask about different children and their lives so far away.

Campfire Song for Monsters

Lyrics by Kelly DiPucchio, and Pictures by Gris Grimly

In this howlishly fun collection of campfire songs, little monsters everywhere will love howling along to their favorite camp fire sing alongs, which have been altered for optimal original gross out effect!

Disgusting highlights and new releases include “99 Bottles of Blood on the Wall.” “For He’s a Stinky Old Fellow.” and the classic in the making, “Do Your Guts Hang Low?” So don’t wait another bloodcurdling minute! Gather your creepy crawly friends and get ready to slither and slink and howl and stink! Gather around the campfire to bellow out these rollicking and bone-tingly songs each sung to the tune of a familiar song. 

Playlist:

A-Camping We Will Go - “with our monster friends in tow”

Home of the Strange - “where the Boogie Men roam”

Sipping Spiders Through a Straw - “The biggest fly I ever saw was sipping spiders”

99 Bottles of Blood on the Wall - “Take a big slurp, and let out a burp”

Blow, Blow, Blow Your Nose! - “sick and stuffy ghost”

Harry Finnigan - “He grew whiskers on his chinnigin”

My Delicious Frankenstein - “You’re so yummy…in my tummy”

Take Me Out to the Graveyard - “take me out to the graveyard, take me out to the tombs”

Zombie Midge - “is falling down, rolling ’round, all through town”

For He’s a Stinky Old Fellow - “He’s got teeth that are yellow”

My Body Lies Over the Ocean - “oh, bring back my body to me”

Creepy, Creepy Little Jar - “how I wonder what you are”

Do Your Guts Hang Low? - “Do they wobble to and fro?”

I’ve Been Running Over Road Toads - “all the live long day”

Little Big Foot’s Boo-Boo - “Big Foot got a boo-boo running through the forest”

If You’re Scary and You Know It, Clap Your Paws - “if you’re scary and you know it, flap your jaws.”

Where, Oh Where Has My Little Frog Gone - “oh where oh where can he be?”

Slither and Slink - “and stink and wink” 

The songs are suitably printed in white on black and the sepia-toned watercolors with their Tim Burton feel are filled with googly-eyed monsters, toothy, long-nosed bats, zombies, mummies, dripping cauldrons, and spooky graveyards. With its handsome design and layout (the type is aptly named House of Terror) and deliciously gross songs, this is one of those “boy” books I wrote about last week.

How Your Pet Compares to Its Wild Cousin

By Jenni Bidner

He’s wagging his tail, fetching the Frisbee, and eager to get petted—in short, Fido’s living up to his title as “man’s best friend.” Is that a dog in your house or is it a wolf? The domesticated dog’s got a special secret: in many ways, he’s really a lot like a wolf. 

 Dogs are more wolf-like than you might imagine and there are many things your pet does that are linked to his wilder kin’s behavior.

Many of the things your dog does are really ancient wolf instincts. For example, did you know that when a puppy licks your face, he could be asking you to throw up your lunch so he can eat it?

Find out what it means to be part of a wolf pack, then see how that information can help you better understand your pet.

But you don’t have to head off to the wilderness with your pup to compare these awesome animals. Award-winning author and photographer Jenni Bidner gives you an up-close look at their fascinating behavior. Using amazing close-up images she shot inside a real wolf lair, as well as museum-quality historical pictures and illustrations, Jenni compares the pet pup with his wild ancestor. Why did dogs become dogs and wolves stay wolves? Should you ever have a wolf in the house—or a hybrid? And exactly why do dogs like to lick your face? Along the way, Bidner debunks popular myths about wolves and provides a true and fascinating look at their behavior. In addition to being an accomplished photographer and award-winning author of over a dozen books—including The Kids’ Guide to Digital Photography and Dog Heroes—Jenni Bidner is a canine (K9) handler with Illinois-Wisconsin Search & Rescue Dogs. This nonprofit organization assists police and fire departments in locating lost and missing people.

Wins a Prize

By Alyssa Satin Capucilli, with pictures by Pat Schories

 Biscuit, a small puppy, gets excited when he is entered in a pet show.

It’s the day of the pet show, and Biscuit has to look his best. All his old friends are at the show, and he sees so many new friends that he can’t sit still — even for the judge!

The lovable yellow puppy’s friendliness helps him win a big prize — and the hearts of his readers!

Biscuit and his mistress have been featured in several books. This time they are off to a pet show and the hope is that they will win a prize. Biscuit just can’t seem to stay put. He runs around visiting friends and checking out those he has not met such as a parrot and a goldfish, a hutch full of bunnies and even a basket of kittens. How can Biscuit possibly win anything when he is never where he should be. Well, he does garner a very special prize and one that most of us would like to win—the blue ribbon for Number 1 Friend. The illustrations are attractive and contemporary. Biscuit fans will certainly enjoy this new adventure and beginning readers will not have too much trouble with the text.

My daughter Maegan has moved past early reader books, but still loves to read the Biscuit books. It probably doesn’t hurt that Biscuit looks like a young golden retriever which is my daughter’s favorite dog of all time. Now if she could just talk Daddy into letting us get one.

 Women Pirates Around the World

By Jane Yolen, and Illustrated by Christine Joy Pratt 

Pirates appear in several works of children’s fiction. Though these larger-than-life villains are usually male, Yolen’s historical text clarifies that female pirates did exist. Yolen and Pratt’s nonfiction picture book gives historical accounts of several women pirates from around the world while also providing readers with the fictional stories about these brave, blood-thirsty, booty-plundering women.  

Throughout the ages, women from all classes and walks of life turned to pirating out of necessity, desperation, or greed. Most of what is known about the earliest “sea queens” is the stuff of story and legends. Acclaimed author Jane Yolen carefully examines the contradictions, what has been documented and what may be exaggeration, of these bold women’s lives and times. Meet Artemisia, the admiral-queen of Persia in 500 BC; Grania O’Malley, the Irish “pirate queen” who challenged Queen Elizabeth I’s British ships; Madame Ching, who sailed the South China Sea in the early 1800s; and then other female pirates on their ships, in battle, and in disguise.

Even though sailors often considered the presence of a woman on board a ship to be bad luck and the ship to be the only “lady” of the sailors’ affections, some exceptional women chose to conquer the man’s world of seafaring. Although this book celebrates these courageous women by telling their stories, it also maintains the reality that all pirates—women included—are vicious, if not villainous.

Yolen tells the tales of 13 female pirates, from Persia to China, from 500 years before the Common Era to the 19th century. Beginning with Artemisia in the 5th century BC and ending with Madame Ching in the 19th century, the profiles include Queen Teuta, Alfhild, Grania O’Malley, Charlotte de Berry, Lady Killigrew, Pretty Peg, Anne Bonney, Mary Read, Rachel Wall, and Mary Anne Talbot. Alternate spellings are listed, and sidebars provide supplementary and high-interest information. A concluding “Roundup” includes a list of women pirates about whom only a few sentences are known. A gold-embossed binding and black-and-white scratchboard illustrations give a period feel to this handsome volume.

Pirate Queens (and Kings) of all ages will enjoy this book.

books for boys…

Young boys are often the most difficult to convince that reading is fun. They feel there are no books that would interest them and many times have been forced to read books that they do not like. Popular children’s author Jon Scieszka recognizes this problem and has created a website, www.GuysRead.com, to address it.

One tried-and-true book series that has ignited the love of reading for many elementary age boys is Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey. First published in 1997, The Adventures of Captain Underpants: An Epic Novel documents the hilarious exploits of two fourth-grade boys and the superhero they create on accident when they attempt to hypnotize their school principal. There are eight books in the series so far, including the most recent Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People. These books have sold more than 14 million copies and remain a constant favorite at libraries.

Another similar series that has shot to popularity in recent years is Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray. These books follow the misadventures of a family and their loveable, but extremely flatulent dog. There are four Walter books, including Walter the Farting Dog: Banned From the Beach.

Many young boys express an interest in nonfiction and reference book titles. There are many wonderful gross-out books for them in the non-fiction section, some just as humorous as the fiction. For example, Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi teaches readers about the universality of this natural process while also being quite funny.

Burps, Boogers and Bad Breath by David Conrad is another excellent book that gives factual information about the cause and importance of things such as ear wax, sweat and mu(euww)cus. As far as reference and fact books, the Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley’s Believe It or Not books remain a popular draw for elementary- and middle-school age boys.

So next time you are at the library or book store, remember that the 8- to 12-year old boy in your life might prefer a book like Sir Fartsalot Hunts the Booger by Kevin Bolger over Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This is perfectly normal.

Encourage your children to read what they like and what makes them laugh. Nurturing their love of reading gross-out, silly stories could turn them into lifelong lovers of books. And that is one of the best things you can ever do for your kids.

Wants to Play

By Alyssa Satin Capucilli, with pictures by Pat Schories

The puppy Biscuit makes friends with two kittens. Meow! Meow!

When Biscuit meets two little kittens, he wants to be friends. He wants to play ball and run around. But the kittens are having too much fun with their own games to play with him—until they find themselves stuck in a tree!Woof! Woof! It’s Biscuit to the rescue as his barking brings the girls to effect the real rescue. This playful story is just right for young readers who are busy making friends of their own. The large typeface, basic vocabulary, short sentences, and simple plot are right on target for beginning readers. The soft watercolor illustrations, which feature a farm setting and a cast of appealing characters, help to convey the action of the text.