Love the Library!

Many things are celebrated in the month of February, but one celebration that is really close to my heart this month is the focus to "Love the Library." So, here are a couple of library-related Royal Reads to check out:

The Legend of Spud Murphy
by Eoin Colfer

CATEGORY: Realistic Fiction
TYPE: Novel

Will and Marty are carted off to spend the summer in the library - home of Spud Murphy, the legendary librarian who uses a spud gun on misbehaving children. But as Will and Marty soon discover, books aren't as bad as they had originally thought (and neither is Spud Murphy)!

ONLINE CONNECTIONS:
Eoin (pronounced "Owen") Colfer shares his thoughts on this Royal Read:
http://www.meettheauthor.com/bookbites/222.html

Author website

http://www.eoincolfer.com/about/

KEYWORDS: library, reading, brothers, summer, legends

The Library Dragon
by Carmen Agra Deedy

CATEGORY: Fantasy
TYPE: Picture Book

Miss Lotta Scales, a fire-breathing, smoke-blowing dragon, believes it is her job to protect the school's library books from the children and their grubby hands. Things change when a young student, Molly Brickmeyer, helps her realize that books are meant to be read, turning Miss Lotta Scales from overprotective library dragon into Miss Lotty, friendly librarian and storyteller.

ONLINE CONNECTIONS
Listen and read along
http://www.booksprogram.com/readalong/library_dragon.htm

Author website:
http://www.carmendeedy.com/news.html

KEYWORDS: librarian, reading, school, dragons

Gone to the Dogs!

It seems that life got a bit busy and my blog has gone to the dogs! I am trying to get back on track with sharing the great Royal Reads I have enjoyed, and to embrace the "gone to the dogs" theme, share some fun doogie-themed reads!


Today's Royal Read # 1: Poor Puppy by Nick Bruel

In this alphabet book, Nick Bruel returns with a playmate for Bad Kitty, but Kitty doesn't want to play. Poor puppy! Puppy wears himself out finding things to play with and after a nice nap, wakes up to find Kitty, who looks like he is ready to play! Or is he?

Nick Bruel has again created an enjoyable and playful read, intertwining counting and alliteration with the alphabet. The illustrations showcase the text, bringing to life Puppy and Kitty and offering extra insight into their relationship.

KEYWORDS: alphabet, counting, alliteration, pets, friendship

Today's Royal Read # 2: Move Over Rover by Karen Beaumont

illustrated by Jane Dyer

"Rover's in the doghouse..." all alone enjoying his bone on a nice day when suddenly the weather changes, bringing in an unexpected thunderstorm and some unexpected house guests. One by one, other animals show up looking for a place to get out of the storm. As the doghouse becomes more and more crowded, the last animal to show up causes everyone else to scatter into the storm!

Filled with rhyme and repetition, this cumulative tale is great for reading aloud. The repeated refrain of "Move over, Rover!" is one that invites audience participation. The storyline is reminiscent of the folktale The Mitten, beautifully illustrated by Jan Brett, in which one animal after another snuggles into a child's lost mitten to stay warm during the winter.

The Mitten and Move Over, Rover! would be great companion books for sharing and comparing.

KEYWORDS: rhyming, weather, animals, cumulative tales

Today's Royal Read #3: Dogku by Andrew Clements

illustrated by Tim Bowers

Through the use of haiku, Andrew Clements explores how a wandering, homeless dog becomes the newest addition to a family. Through haiku, the dog narrates his adventure in being accepted into this family, and while mom and the kids are eager to keep him, dad is not so sure. Has "Mooch" found his home or will he have to say goodbye?

In the author's note at the back, Clements explains that choosing haiku to tell this story helped him to "pick the perfect words and arrange them just right." He also explains that he choose the picture book format for this story for the same reason he chose haiku: "a picture book is a small container - not many pages, not many words. Adorable dog + haiku = Dogku. Simple."

The illustrations created by Tim Bowers are fantastic works of art, depicting "Mooch" with all the personality he has and providing a visual backdrop for the words of Clements' haiku story.

Clements and Bowers
have created a story
that makes me smile.

KEYWORDS: poetry, haiku, pets, dogs

ONLINE CONNECTIONS

Links to author Nick Bruel:
http://www.teachingbooks.net/pronounce.cgi?name=Bruel%2C%20Nick
http://www.nickbruel.com/

Links to author Andrew Clements:
http://www.andrewclements.com/

How Much is That Doggie in the Window?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-zXsqrA-9s

Today's Royal Reads = Picture Books

For those of us who live in Texas, today's Royal Read #1 is a daily thing during the summer! After all, summer in Texas usually feels like a....

Heatwave by Eileen Spinelli

The blazing summer temperatures reach unbelievable highs in the town of Lumberville, and in a time without air conditioning, the townsfolk must be resourceful and creative to keep cool. Some of the solutions to staying cool throughout the week include: soaking in the bathtub, eating cold foods, splashing in the water hose, getting short hair cuts, and sleeping outside. Anything goes while trying to stay cool until the heatwave breaks!

The author and illustrator team of Eileen Spinelli and Betsy Lewin combine their talents to create an entertaining and realistic look at how one town handles a heatwave. This is a book that is sure to be appreciated by all who have experienced the blazing heat of a long, hot summer!

KEYWORDS: summer, heat, community

Today's Royal Read # 2:

In this collection of illustrations, fourteen children's book artists share their answer to the age-old question, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" Each illustration reveals the individual personality traits of the illustrator as he or she depicts the answer to this classic joke. The end of the book contains blurbs about each artist.

A great book that has many "laugh-out-loud" moments that can be enjoyed by a variety of ages.

KEYWORDS: jokes, chicken, illustrators

Some fun chicken-related links to check out:

Chicken Tic-Tac-Toe
http://www.gamezero.com/gamezero/games/1998/chicken/index.html

The Chicken Dance
http://www.whydidthechickencrosstheroad.com/sounds/chicken-dances/chickendance.mid

Picture Books

Picture books have so much to offer! Great storylines and fantastic illustrations work together to create a literary experience that is a feast for the eyes as well as an enjoyable reading experience. Here are a couple of fun ones that recently made their way home with me from the library!

Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel

Warning! This book contains a dangerous kitty-turned-criminal! The cause of this event... no cat food in the house! Augh, the horror! The misery! The mess that occurs when kitty finds out that the only available food options are healthy foods.! Thus begins a 4-part alphabetical adventure that is often more naughty than nice!

This cleverly concocted alphabet book comes to life through the brightly colored illustrations that clearly show the menacing meanderings of this rampaging kitty. Kitty, who is less than pleased with her owners wrecks havoc around the house, but returns to her loving "good kitty" self when the right kinds of food are reintroduced into the household.

Nick Bruel creatively romps through the alphabet on four separate occasions and his alphabetical choices such as: "Plotted against us" for the letter P and "was Violent with the vet" for the letter V, twist and turn this book into an entertaining and over-the-top exploration of alphabetical fun that children from kindergarten through 2nd grade are bound to enjoy.

KEYWORDS: picture book, alphabet, cats, pets, mischief, humor

One Dark and Dreadful Night by Randy Cecil

At the Wayward Orphans Theatre, the melancholy Maestro Von Haughty stands ready to present "three tales of terror and misfortune." However, the "talented tots" who live in the orphanage have their own idea of how the evening's entertainment should unfold and humorously and happily set their plans in motion, much to the dismay of the Maestro.

The mood of this book is double-sided, with the Maestro Von Haughty trying diligently to create a feeling of gloominess and dismay, and the orphans working hard to change each production into something more light-hearted and enjoyable for the audience. With cleverly placed asides as part of the dialogue and illustrations that not only extend the text, but clue the reader into what's happening behind-the-scenes, the reader enjoys the unfolding of a happier tale.

I enjoyed the conversational dialogue of the orphans that occurs as an undercurrent to the more polished and severe dialogue of the Maestro. I found myself laughing at the antics of the orphan performers as they work to undo the terrible tales of the Maestro and would recommend this book to be shared with children ages 8 and up, as they will appreciate the underlying tones of humor and wit that are based on some popular fairy tale stories and that lead up to a quite satisfying ending.

KEYWORDS: picture books, theater, fairy tales, orphans, humor