Tiny Treasury

I read an article that suggested that you buy kids’ books for mom on Mother’s Day. A number of moms took issue with the article and thought it was rude to recommend buying a gift for mom that was really for someone else (the kids). I disagree. Those must be moms with more time, patience and money than I have.

I think buying kids’ books for mom on Mother’s Day is a super idea if you get books that mom will enjoy. Let’s face it, we all have those dreaded books that we just can’t stand reading… I have hidden the dancing pig book (I won’t even give it a nod by mentioning the real title) more times than I care to admit just to have it out of the way. As a mom, I don’t want to spend the half hour before my kids’ bedtime reading annoying books. I prefer to have fun.

So, if my kids decided to buy a few interesting reads to share with me for Mother’s Day, I say “THANKS!” I would love to spend time with my children reading books that we can all enjoy.

Mother’s Day, books, reading

I had mentioned earlier that I would post about the transition from book to movie, which hardly ever works. Well, I still haven’t penned that post yet.

But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to comment on the new Nancy Drew movie, in theatres in June. I just saw the trailer. I can’t say that I’m pleased. You know that I love Nancy. Sigh. What have they done?

Nancy Drew

It’s War of Words Wednesday! Cal Ripken, Jr., recently released a children’s book about adversity, The Longest Season.

Which modern day baseball player would you most want to pen a children’s book:

the Phillies’ Ryan Howard or the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez?

Cal Ripken Jr., The Longest Season, baseball, A-Rod, Ryan Howard, Phillies, Yankees

Knut is about to hit the big time! The baby polar bear who was rejected at birth by his mother and is being raised by zoo keeper Thomas Dorflein will make his book debut in fall 2007. Turtle Pond Publications, an entertainment and media company, and the Berlin Zoo in Germany have signed an agreement for the publishing rights to his story. Turtle Pond owner Craig Hatkoff and daughters Juliana and Isabella, will co-author Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World in cooperation with the Berlin Zoo.

Knut, polar bear, Berlin Zoo, Craig Hatkoff, Thomas Dorflein

It’s Tell Me True Tuesday!

A reader wants to know, “Has a Newbery award winner ever won multiple times?”

Okay, my eyes are actually crossed from counting this one… In terms of medals, E.L. Konigsburg (The View from Saturday and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler), Joseph Krumgold (Onion Stone and And Now Miguel), Lois Lowry (The Giver and Number the Stars), Katherine Paterson (Jacob Have I Loved and Bridge to Terabithia) and Elizabeth George Speare (The Witch of Blackbird Pond and The Bronze Bow) have all been awarded two Newbery Medals.

A number of authors have been the recipient of multiple Newbery honor awards including Russell Freedman, Nancy Farmer, Gary Paulsen, Virginia Hamilton, Padraic Colum, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Laura Ingalls Wilder, each of whom have won at least three honor awards.

For a complete list of winners, visit the American Library Association’s web site.

The Sight, authored by Erin Hunter, is billed as “a dazzling feline twist on classic epic fantasy” and is the first book of an arc of the national bestselling series Warriors: The Power of Three.

Fantasy is not my thing, but I was willing to give it a whirl. After all, the praise for the series was positive. “Action-packed. Certain to please any young reader who has ever wondered what dreams of grandeur may haunt the family cat” claimed Publishers Weekly. And “A suspenseful adventure story that urges readers onward” touted ALA Booklist. Even the reviews on amazon.com were overall positive, though there was some grumbling about the original series being much better - isn’t it always?

And I like cats. I like fiction. I was ready to embrace the book.

The beginning of the book is a just over four page summary of the characters, the “allegiances” - literally a laundry list of who’s who. And the who’s who was lengthy. There are more than forty cats classified as leader, deputy, medicine cat, warriors, apprentices, queens and elders for each of four clans. This was my first inkling that I wasn’t going to love the book. As a rule, I don’t like books that require flow charts.

The book spends a lot of time setting up story lines that never seem to take off. I assume that many of the questions raised in the book will be resolved in the remaining two books of the series - and that the purpose of this book was to whet your appetite for those that follow. And herein is my second gripe: I’m not a big fan of series that purposefully set you up to buy more books. Now wait, don’t get me wrong. I like series. As a kid, I was a big fan of Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, you name it. I like stories that build on each other. But I am not crazy about those that just feel like they’re written in order to sell another book. And that’s what this feels like to me, pretty much from top to bottom.

The basic story line of the book is that three kittens from the ThunderClan (Hollykit, Jaykit and Lionkit) are set to more or less take over the next generation. Each of the the three has a special power or talent that will allow them to take their rightful place in the Clan. About halfway through, the kittens become warriors and thus change their names to Hollypaw, Jaypaw and Lionpaw. With the number of characters in the book, I’m not crazy about the switch - I’m surprised that children aged 10 (which is the recommending reading level) and up can keep them all straight…

The one aspect of the book that I did find compelling was the determination of Jaypaw to become a “medicine cat” despite his disability (I’ll let you read it to find out what it is). The underlying principles that you can do anything if you work hard enough, and the admonition to Hollypaw (Jaypaw’s sister) to follow your heart and do what it is that you love and not what you feel is simply your lot in life are good lessons for children to learn.

But all of the good principles and plot twists couldn’t make this an enjoyable read for me. I couldn’t find that moment in the book where it all clicked for me and made me want to read more. Instead, I found myself flipping the pages backwards trying to recall which cat was which, and wondering when it was going to end…

Fans of the books (and there are a number of them despite my take on the book) can visit the web site to find out more information about the series, the characters and the authors. That’s right, authors plural. Despite the name “Erin Hunter” on the book, the series is actually penned by a group of three children’s authors, Victoria Holmes, Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry. You can read their bios on the site.

Warrior Cats, Power of Three, Warriors: The Sight, Erin Hunter, Victoria Holmes, Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry

I have never intended for this site to be a “rah rah” site for all children’s books. I want to give honest, thoughtful reviews and advice about what I like and what my kids seem to enjoy. Sometimes, that means I’ll have great things to say about a book. And sometimes, it means that I won’t.

All of that said, I will mention that when I go through the books in my own house, it’s more likely than not that I’ll like the books because I’ve chosen a book based on a recommendation from another parent or because my child has expressed an interest in the book (in the case of the latter, sometimes that means that my child will like the book and I won’t). However, I’ve been getting more and more books to review as of late which I love because it has exposed me to a lot of different genres, age levels and authors that I might have otherwise passed by. That’s good for the site and it’s good for you, as my audience, because you’ll have the benefit of a broader range of books than I might otherwise review.

When it comes to reviews, I did want to point out that I don’t follow my mother’s ideology of “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it.” Instead, paraphrasing a baseball phrase: I call ‘em the way that I see ‘em.

Books are subjective. I might love something that you hate and vice versa. If you don’t believe me, check out my review of The Rainbow Fish, possibly the most controversial picture book that I’ve ever read in terms of feedback and parent reviews. Likewise, many parents panned No, David as being too negative, while I really liked it.

And I don’t always enjoy the same genres as you might. I have confessed (over and over) to not reading Harry Potter (if you’re into all things Harry Potter, I would suggest you check out Hogwarts Herald). But I try to keep an open mind about new books and hope that you do the same.

Oh, and to keep things as balanced as possible, I have enlisted the help of some guest bloggers. My guest bloggers are, um, a little younger than me and will offer a unique perspective. Keep watching for the debut of my first guest blogger (other than my own kids, of course), coming soon!

reviews, children’s books

A couple of years ago, someone gave us No David by David Shannon. Katie loved it. She wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it as it earned a nod as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1999.

It’s really interesting to see the feedback on the book. On some of the European sites, it garners near perfect reviews. In the US, the feedback is more mixed: people either loved it or hated it. Those that hated it tend to focus on the perception that the book is “too negative.” As you can probably surmise from the title, the book largely revolves around David not behaving as he should. My humble opinion? Those parents are reading waaay too much into it. Katie loves it because she, too, has a wild streak. She breaks things. She doesn’t always sit still when she should. She gets herself into trouble a lot because, well, that’s what four year olds do. And I think she can relate to David. She giggles at his behavior and tells me solemnly what he should be doing. And in the end, she knows, like David, that misbehaving doesn’t mean that you’re not loved. So when David’s mom tells him, “Yes, David, I love you” - no matter how badly he’s acting - Katie understands that, similarly, while I may not always love her behavior, I love her. I don’t see the negativity in that at all.

I know that there are a lot of parents who have difficulty telling their children “no” because it’s somehow perceived as bad parenting. I happen to think that those parents are wrong. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with setting boundaries and creating ground rules (and if you knew how wildly liberal my own parents think I am in this respect, you’d be amazed) for children. And that’s the reason why this book is a hit with me, too. As a parent, it gives me a great springboard for discussion with my girls about David’s behavior - such as why he shouldn’t play with the bat and the ball inside the house - that they can relate to and talk about.

So say “yes” to No, David. I think you’ll be glad that you did.

David Shannon, Caldecott

I confessed to my book spree on yesterday. There was absolutely no getting round that we were going to have to get the newest Jane O’Connor Fancy Nancy book. My daughters are solidly Fancy Nancy fans.

The idea behind the Fancy Nancy books is that Nancy is the only posh person in her family (posh is a fancy word for fancy). She looks for the fancy things in life - whether clothes, food or, as in this latest book, a dog. Nancy’s parents have decided that she can have a dog. She wants a papillon. Her family isn’t so sure.

In the end, Nancy gets her fancy dog. And it’s the perfect dog for her. As to whether it’s the papillon - hey, I have to leave you something, right?

The story is great. I’ve been forced to read it no fewer than ten times in 24 hours and I don’t hate it yet. If you’re a parent, you absolutely know what I mean. Bad children’s books grate on your nerves immediately.

Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy is beautifully illustrated. Just like its namesake, the book is fancy. Lots of pinks and purples to keep it appealing to the toddler set without being overly girly. Nancy’s family is not fancy so there’s not too much fancy going on…

The story flows with no insipid rhymes or goofy dialogue. Nancy’s conversations are a bit posh, but the other folks in the story talk as though you’d expect them to. O’Connor’s asides to explain the fancy language are the highlight of the book.

Fancy Nancy is a hardback which means I had to shell out $17 for a toddler book. That’s expensive (expensive is a fancy word for costs a lot). But my girls love it. It’s worth it.

My youngest daughter had an appointment at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on Tuesday. She was a trooper. It was followed up by an appointment at Chestnut Hill Hospital for X-rays. The verdict? Likely surgery (I am on hold with Children’s as I blog this). She is not yet 3 years old.

So what’s a mother to do? Go shopping, of course!

You have to understand that I am not a clothes horse. I love books. And my girls love books. So when I shop, I shop for, well, books. With that in mind, on Tuesday, the University of Pennsylvania bookstore and the Borders on Germantown Avenue were both glad, I’m sure, to have not only me but my husband exercise our respective book addictions.

I have a slew of new kids’ books - in addition to those forwarded to me for review - to get through. Expect a number of reviews over the next few days!

I’m a huge Nancy Drew fan. You’ll probably pick up on this eventually - that’s why I was so excited about the Tell Me True question on yesterday.

I owned all of the hardback books as a kid - and my older brother owned all of the hardback books in the Hardy Boys series. I read both and I used to argue with Rob about which was better (Nancy, hands down).

And that’s exactly the question today: it’s War of Words Wednesday! Today’s question is:

Which is the better detective series, the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew?

It’s Tell Me True Tuesday!

A reader wants to know, “How many books did Carolyn Keene write? And is it true that she also wrote the Hardy Boys books under a different name?”

I’ll answer the second question first. No, Carolyn Keene did not author the Hardy Boys books. I’ll post about those in the future.

The reason that I can say that emphatically is because (and hold onto your hats, you Nancy Drew idealists) Carolyn Keene isn’t a real person. And she’s not just a pseudonym for one person. She is a pseudonym for many people. (more…)