Ms. Shirley's Staff Picks

Regretting a lost opportunity to offer friendship and kindness is the strong, thought-provoking message of Jacqueline Woodson’s Each Kindness, which won the 2013 Charlotte Zolotow Award. It is a simple story of young grade school children, Chloe and her friends, rejecting every attempt at friendship from their new classmate, Maya, because she appears poor and wears only secondhand clothes. When Maya suddenly stops attending her school, Chloe, begins to think about what she has done. The teacher presents a lesson on kindness and how even small kindnesses make a difference.   Chloe is left to ponder what kindness she should have shown. Recommended for ages 5-8. Note:  The Charlotte Zolotow Award honors the author of the best picture book text published in the United States in the preceding year that is aimed at children ages birth through seven.

Growing up in an isolated Middle Eastern village, sixteen-year-old Baz longs for his chance to become a weaver’s apprentice. His first master is cruel and sells him for a sword. Tadis, a wandering magician, offers him freedom and the opportunity to follow him on a journey to discover truth and wisdom. The challenging trek takes them across deserts, through small villages and up a strange mountain. Tadis speaks in perplexing riddles as they struggle against physical elements and suffer hunger, weakness and exhaustion. Baz learns to better appreciate food and other basic comforts after extreme denial. He learns to realize the truth in Tadis’ simple teachings which reflect Zen and Buddhist beliefs. Symbolic meaning and beautiful lyrical writing in this fable-like story will interest readers who enjoy introspective and thought-provoking works. Recommended for ages 10-14.

Booklover Morris Lessmore methodically records his life one page at a time until a terrible storm carries him away and destroys his words and his surroundings. A young woman, who is being pulled skyward by an array of colorful books, gives him her favorite, which leads him to an extraordinary library. The stories entice Morris who devotes his life to repairing the books and reading the stories to keep them alive. He grows old and the books care for him. When it is time to leave, a young girl replaces him, so that the books will live on. This is a booklover’s fantasy that parallels the author’s life, and also pays tribute to Bill Morris, promoter of children’s books in his 45 year career at what is now HarperCollins Children’s Books. William Joyce authored many children’s classic books and is known for his New York Times bestseller The Man in the Moon.

He cofounded  Moonbot Studios which combines storytelling and animation. http://www.moonbotstudios.com Moonbot’s first project, a film based on The Fantastic Flying Books, won an Academy Award for the 2011 Best Animated Short Film.

Recommended for ages 4 – 8.

Attention-grabbing large colorful pictures of dragons and a spirited plotline that parallels a child’s morning routine will win over young children in Jane Yolen’s latest picture book. A small knight awakens huge sleeping dragons, feeds them pancakes with a catapult, brushes their fangs and hurries them out so they can fly him to Knight School. Yolen is a prolific American author, a storyteller, a poet, a former teacher and an editor of folklore, fantasy, and children’s books. Children love her dinosaur titles including How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? and  How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? Her picture book Owl Moon won the Caldecott Medal in 1988 (the little girl in the book is modeled after her daughter Heidi). She is often called “America’s Hans Christian Andersen.”  http://janeyolen.com      Recommended for ages 3-8.

Logan suspects that missing pet dogs are being dognapped by invading aliens and forms the Intergalactic Canine Rescue Unit with his friends. He communicates with a female alien who speaks for the big Boss alien, is kidnapped himself, and through quick thinking and clever negotiating, Logan becomes a hero. Dognappers is a fast read appealing to middle-graders with its gross humor, surprising adventures with aliens and mysteries.

An intriguing action story for reluctant readers. Read more about the author and his books at www.patrickjennings.com.   Recommended for ages 8 – 12.

Superheroes must be strong and do good deeds. From the time he is born, Veggiebaby loves to eat lots of vegetables and play with his food, making broccoli bears and giant green gorillas. He quickly grows into Veggieboy and practices his superhero skills—flying, lifting and helping old ladies. His shape-shifting practice turns him into a carrot, and luckily, back to himself again. He eats more vegetables and becomes Veggieman. When he rescues a boy from a tall tree, twigs stick to his shirt to form a “W” from the “V” and the children immediately call him Wedgieman. Nonstop action, an engaging hero, and delightful humor attract young readers while promoting healthy eating.  Charise Harper, author of the Just Grace series, has created another great superhero for kids.

www.chariseharper.com

Recommended for ages 4-8.

Fourteen-year-old Mike, a mathematically-challenged young man with dyscalculia, unfortunately has a brilliant engineer/professor father. Mike is forced to live with relatives he has never met for six weeks in summer while his father teaches in Romania. Mike’s father hopes that his son will improve his math and engineering skills by working on a local project. Not only are Mike’s octogenarian great-aunt Moo and great-uncle Poppy from a different generation, they are eccentric, humorous, and dealing with the death of their adult son. Mike and his father lost Mike’s mother two years earlier in a car accident, and coincidentally, many people Mike meets in Donover (nicknamed Do Over), Pennsylvania, are struggling with loss. A homeless man, “Past”, has also lost his wife, and is not truly homeless, but afraid to go back home. Moo and Poppy are unbelievably making his house payments. Moo saves water in rain buckets around the lawn and recklessly drives a monster car even though her vision is very poor. Mike has no time to sulk, once he is thrown into the town’s problems. He rises to become an organizing and motivating force to help the town raise money to bring an orphan boy home from Romania to be adopted by the local childless, widowed minister. Poppy is immobilized by the death of his son and Mike works on stimulating him to return to his workshop to build boxes in order to raise money. Humor and a constant flow of events keep readers glued to the pages. Though a somewhat contrived plot with everyone dealing with private issues, the story is a wonderful read showing how a teen can develop self-confidence and become what he is meant to be. Mike is a social people engineer in sharp contrast to his self-centered father. The chapter headings reveal basic mathematical concepts that relate to the story. This is a funny, satisfying read for ages 10 and up. Author Kathryn Erskine won the 2010 National Book Award for her novel Mockingbird.

Young children will delight in this charming story of the famous American cook Julia Child living in Paris with her husband Paul and her mischievous tortoiseshell cat, Minette. Julia Child learns to cook with passion and endless energy. Minette inhales the delicious aromas and dines on the most scrumptious meals, yet being a cat, still prefers a good fresh mouse. Incorporating actual dialogue from other works on Julia Child, French expressions, genuine French dishes and the postwar Parisian lifestyle, this biography reveals the creative turning point of Julia Child before she became known as a chef, an author, and a popular television personality who introduced French cuisine to America. An afterword on her life, a glossary of French words, and a wonderful author’s note describing Reich’s meeting Julia Child at Child’s eightieth birthday party, at which Reich had the privilege of designing the extravagant floral arrangements, complete the book. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Julia Child’s birthday (August 15, 1912). Celebrate it by sharing this marvelous book with a young cat lover or an aspiring cook. Recommended for ages 3 – 7.

Baby Bat never wants to leave his cozy cave where thousands of little bats and their mothers sleep together like a huge furry coat and where Mother Bat provides warmth and milk. But Baby Bat grows bigger and must soon practice wing-flapping to learn to fly and hunt in the outside world. One night when he practices wing-flapping, he takes to the air, but falls down into the nest of Pluribus Packrat. P. Rat takes him on a flashlight tour of the dark cave to meet other creatures who live there including a phoebe, a blind salamander, a cave cricket, a cave crayfish, beetles, and centipedes,. The cave exploration is a learning experience. P. Rat explains that some creatures are white because they do not need color to hide from their enemies and that many are dependent on the bats for survival. This is an engaging and educational work in picture book format. The eye-catching art is created using mixed-media of colored pencils, crayons and paint.

A special

For Creative Minds educational section is included for classroom study. Free online resources and support are available at www.SylvanDellPublishing.com. including Life in Cave Zones, Hands On: Bat Echolocation, Teaching Activities (to do at home or school), and Interactive Quizzes. The author, award-winner Janet Halfmann, lives in South Milwaukee. Recommended for ages 4 – 9.

Fredle, a small house mouse, indulges in a delicious peppermint pattie, becomes ill, and is pushed out of the family nest. Tossed outside from the farmer’s wife’s dust pan, he is left to die or survive on his own. He befriends Sadie the dog (Sadie, a simple-minded border collie from Voigt’s earlier book, Angus and Sadie in the Davis Farm series) and a few field mice, who become valuable allies. New dangers await—owls, the barnyard snake, and an outlaw gang of raccoons planning to fatten him for their feast. Scared and lonely, Fredle scrambles to overcome challenges and succeed through his wits and resourcefulness. He figures out that the delicacies in the compost heap can only be eaten in moderation or he will be unable to flee. Who can he trust? Which way is home? The outside world is full of wonders like the rain, the moon, the stars, the grass and much more, but he yearns for his home and family. Voigt takes readers on a fascinating, nonstop adventure from a mouse’s view of the world. Fredle matures, while developing an awareness and appreciation for newfound independence. He adapts to life’s challenges and returns a hero. Readers will relate to his youthful spirit and fall in love with Fredle. This is a quality novel by award-winning author Cynthia Voigt (Newbery Medal for Dicey’s Song) that is comparable to Charlotte’s Web, The Tale of Despereaux and Stuart Little.  Visit the  website www.cynthiavoigt.com to learn more about the author and her books.

What young boy wouldn’t want a dog? Rufus, a fifth grader, argues persistently to justify his need for a dog. His dad stubbornly lists the many reasons why dogs are forbidden in their house: “They infest the house with blood-sucking fleas” and “They drag dead animals into the house” (p. 3). In an attempt to compromise, Mom brings home a guinea pig.  “Fido” turns out to be no ordinary guinea pig. In fact, she does everything a dog would do! She plays Frisbee, obeys commands, licks faces and fetches sticks. She even retrieves a CD from the player and deposits another in its place by poking her nose under it and up into the hole. This is a fast-paced, humorous romp narrated by Rufus in typical defensive and sarcastic boy style. Animal lovers and anyone who relishes a good fun read will enjoy it. This is a great transition to chapter books.

An inspirational and engaging biography of award-winning author, Avi.  The story of how he became fondly known as only “Avi”, which is not his real name, is revealed. It describes his poor childhood in New York during the war years and how he learned to survive. He fights a lifelong battle with dysgraphia. (“Dysgraphic people have trouble writing. They mix up or invert letters and misspell words.” p. 9).  Growing up in a family of professional storytellers, singers, musicians and writers, and being read to as a child, helped Avi to learn to love stories and history and to teach himself to read before he started school. Because of his dysgraphia, he was a poor student and his teachers did not understand. They believed he was just not trying hard enough. He painstakingly manages his dysgraphia and continues to write and to inspire young people, especially those with learning disabilities, when he speaks in schools and libraries. In spite of many early warnings that he would never succeed at writing, Avi proved critics wrong and through hard work and perseverance, won the Newbery Medal for Crispin: The Cross of Lead and numerous other awards.  Avi’s love of history and writing fueled his choice of a double major in history and playwriting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Avi pursued a Library Science degree from Columbia University and worked for many years as a librarian in New York and New Jersey. History plays a big role in many of his novels such as Captain Grey, Night Journeys, and Encounter at Easton which are set in the time of the American Revolution. He won a Newbery Honor for his historical fiction work The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. His works appeal to young people because of the common theme of children confronting obstacles in adult worlds, much like Avi’s struggles. He writes adventures, historical fiction, fantasies, mysteries, animal stories, ghost stories and more.

Illustrator Ed Young, winner of the Caldecott Medal for his book Lon Po Po, tells the unique story of his childhood in wartime China through award-winning author Libby Koponen. Young’s father, Baba, an engineer, devises a way of protecting his wife and five children and numerous other relatives and friends by constructing a bomb-proof house that becomes a playground for the children complete with a swimming pool. Lacking the funds for building, Baba makes an agreement with the landowner that he would build the extravagant home, live in it for twenty years, and then give it to the owner. Baba designs and constructs the home in the safest location in Shanghai in the vicinity of the embassies. Young’s imaginative play makes a riding horse out of the family rocking chair. The family shares many games, both physical and mental. The children hatch silkworms and force crickets to battle. When no money is available to refill the pool, the children ride their bikes and scooters in it. Baba tells stories in the protected room where they are allowed lights during air raids: it is really a bomb shelter. This is a fascinating recollection of a close family growing up in poor, dangerous times, yet safe from the destruction of war, and of the raising of an award-winning contemporary artist. Young’s graphics, drawings, photographs, and an architect’s renderings of the home’s floor plan recount the artist’s childhood in a captivating manner.

This is a tragic story of a wild, white Manchurian pony’s capture by men and his forced life of serving cruel owners, and later becoming part of an historic journey--the 1910 Terra Nova polar expedition to the South Pole led by Captain Robert Scott. James Pigg, as he is named after a book character, tells his story from his pony point of view. He finds kindness and friendship in Patrick, one of Scott’s men, and decides to work hard to help men accomplish their goal. Sadness, brutality and hardship follow, as men and animals suffer in the battle against the elements: Extreme bitter cold, shifting snowstorms that distort directions and ice cracks that open and close; killer whales beneath the surface that can rise up through two feet of ice in an attempt to make a meal of a man, pony, or dog; sickness, diminishing food supplies; sled dogs waiting to devour ponies. Captain Scott is determined to persevere, to beat his competition, the Norwegian Roald Amundsen, and be the first to arrive at the South Pole. This story is a page-turner, well told, well researched, but not for young readers who are too sensitive to animal suffering and death.

Tony Sarg (1880 – 1942) was the master puppeteer who invented the first huge animal puppets that floated in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. This is the story of a creative little boy who wondered at how things moved and worked, and who grew up to become the puppeteer of Macy’s parade. At age six he devised a way of remotely opening the chicken coop door with a pulley and rope, so that he could put feed on the ground the night before and pull the rope to open the door the next morning to let the chickens out to eat and quickly jump back into bed to sleep longer.  Sarg played with artistic ideas and mechanisms of marionettes all his life so that when he came to New York from Europe, he was an accomplished artist and puppeteer. Macy’s department store hired him to do moving window displays for which he designed storybook character marionettes that fascinated passersby. When asked to help Macy’s plan a large parade, Sarg recreated a carnival type parade that would remind European immigrants of home. Live animals were included, but the lions and tigers frightened children. The solution was for Tony Sarg to create balloon puppets on a grand scale. He commissioned a company in Ohio that made blimps from rubber to produce giant puppets from rubberized silk. Helium and air would keep the puppets rising high and puppeteers would control them from the ground with ropes. The giant puppets were so successful that the ideas are still used today in the annual Macy’s parade. An apprentice of Tony Sarg, Bil Baird, later became famous for his marionettes in the “Lonely Goatherd” in The Sound of Music. Jim Henson, an apprentice of Bil Baird, invented the Muppets. Children will enjoy learning the story behind the Macy’s parade puppets. This special book received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Kirkus, Horn Book and Booklist. It is a Junior Library Guild Selection.

This first book in the new Ghost Buddy series by authors Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver will capture readers with its genuine, good guy, but clumsy, protagonist Billy Broccoli. Moving into a new house, Billy finds teenage ghost Hoove in his room and learns to accept him and his suggestions. Hoove is determined to help Billy gain confidence and become cool. When Billy is totally embarrassed by the school bully, Hoove conspires with Billy to get even, yet Billy manages to maintain his ethics while coming out ahead. Humorous episodes throughout such as Hoove tricking the bully with TV switching antics, dumping his chips to get him in trouble, swatting him from behind with a broom, and stealing his very secret box (Ghosts can move through walls, of course) add to the fun. Being a 113- year-old ghost, Hoove believes that Gatorade is made from the juice of alligators and refuses to drink it. The book helps readers view ghosts differently and even develop a fondness for them. It teaches a good lesson in how to cooperate with people and solve problems for the benefit of all.

Newbery medalist (for A Year Down Yonder) Richard Peck pens an exciting, humorous mouse adventure - - a nonstop entertaining run of mice at sea, sailing with their people, the Cranstons, to England in search of a husband for daughter, Olive Cranston. Helena, the eldest mouse sister, and her family fear discovery, the perils of open water, and the menace of the ship’s cat. Helena narrates the story from mouse perspective (“. . . We mice dream of nothing but cheese and time running out.” p. 43).  The romances of mouse societies parallel the human pairings with surprising and joyous outcomes. Rich in detail and language, this is a delightful read for animal fantasy fans. Compare it to Kate DiCamillo’s The Tale of Despereaux.

In this sequel to Liar, Liar by Gary Paulsen, fourteen year old Kevin is broke from having to forfeit his allowance because of his earlier habit of lying. He now schemes to get rich fast by any idea that pops into his head such as starting a poker club, “borrowing” a golf cart that is in the repair shop to do nightly snack runs to college students, convincing his sister to charge her friends for beauty services, cleaning garages for pay and throwing the contents illegally into a company dumpster. Kevin justifies every step with rules he has read out of context from his mother’s business books such as “The successful person has vision that others lack.” He uses this logic to organize the poker games because the other guys are “terrible players” and therefore it is an easy way to make money. When this plan collapses, he maintains his optimism—“It’s looking on the bright side that sets the successes apart from the failures.” He reasons that it was a good thing because now he will have time to work for Amalgamated Waste Management, pay his debt to them and maybe even land a real job there. Humorous throughout, this will attract even reluctant readers who will enjoy a fast-paced, hilarious read.

Newbery award winner Avi (2003 for Crispin: The Cross of Lead) creates a captivating adventure set in his hometown of New York City in 1893. Life is a hardscrabble existence for Maks and his immigrant family: poverty, illness, threats of gangs, shortage of food, filthy living conditions, and dependence on an unfamiliar society. Thirteen-year-old Maks sells newspapers to earn a few pennies a day which sets him up as a target of the Plug Ugly Gang. He meets homeless Willa who saves him from an attack with a big stick she carries. Together they attempt to clear Maks’ sister, Emma, who is in jail in “The Tombs,” accused of stealing in the new luxury Waldorf Hotel. Terminally ill Lawyer Donck reluctantly agrees to help them. This fast-paced, thrilling detective story that peaks in a shoot-out in the Waldorf, is told in simple “tough guy” language. Readers will empathize with Maks and Willa and admire their strong-willed, resourceful spirits.

A clever fairy tale told in rhyme about a very short king who boasts constantly and forces his subjects to bow down to him. He meets his match in a common girl who turns out to be a sorceress. She casts a spell on him so that his head expands every time he proclaims his grandness. Young children will love to listen to this funny tale and to experience the bright colorful illustrations.

Heart-warming story of eight year old Johnny’s love for his grandparents’ Connecticut tree farm and a very special antique toy horse. He dreams of giving the toy horse to his little brother, Liam, but the horse is lost. Wishing for a Christmas miracle, Johnny realizes that no gift will equal that little white horse, but he searches for another just in case. A loving, family story to share during the Christmas season.

It’s Christmas Eve and Santa is on his way to deliver toys around the world. Suddenly his reindeer harness breaks, sending him downward “like a BIG, FAT, JOLLY RED SKYROCKET!” Santa crashes into a barn and recruits the barnyard animals. A magical journey ensues with an old dog, cows, sheep, a goat, a horse, and a pig pulling his sleigh. Bright, colorful, luminous pictures draw young children into this riotous tale.

Turning thirteen is not just about becoming a teenager for Mibs Beaumont. It is a milestone for her family members who turn the magical thirteen because it is the beginning of their unique savvy. Grandma Bomba can move mountains. Grandma cans radio waves to preserve her favorite songs in mason jars. Mother is perfect. Brother Fish creates wind, rain and hurricanes equal to the intensity of his anger and brother Rocket can spark electricity. What will Mibs’ special supernatural gift be? Follow her family as they deal with acquaintances and schoolmates who think they are strange, to greater circles of adventure when the children hitch a ride on a pink Bible delivery bus to join the critically injured and comatose Mr. Beaumont. Meet lively characters along the way like evil-minded Carlene and ever-so-nice Lill. Empathize with Mibs as she experiences what it is to grow up and learn not to prejudge people. Watch Mibs use her savvy to communicate and solve problems. Will it be of any value in helping her father survive? This heartwarming, family story with its supernatural twist will engage readers

The perfect summer adventure for curious readers who love nature and daring explorations. Owen Jester catches the biggest bullfrog in the pond in Carter, Georgia, and locates the lost Water Wonder 4000 submarine, but must keep both events secret. He miraculously discovers how to drive the sub to explore pond life underwater with the help of his friends. He must learn to trust their annoying acquaintance, Viola, whose knowledge proves crucial to success. Filled with humor, action, reality, disappointment, tough decision making, and the meaning of friendships.

A touching story of self-reliance and survival. Eleven year old Jack Martel is abandoned by his mom, who is close to him but suffers from episodes of mental illness. He is left alone at their camping site in Acadia National Park in Maine. Jack must find food in any way he can—digging through trash for lobster leftovers, eating carrots from an older lady’s garden, dining on employees’ lunches while spending the night in an L. L. Bean store. He avoids authorities for fear they will permanently separate him from his mom. His passion for elephants sustains him as he steals a small elephant figurine for comfort, ponders elephant words of wisdom, and seeks to view a very special elephant. Each chapter begins with an elephant fact. “It was once assumed that all elephants in a group were related. But not so. If an elephant family has been torn apart due to poaching, elephants will form new families” (220).  Jack meets many interesting characters in his journey and discovers that there are good people who sincerely want to help him. He learns to trust his own grandmother again even though his mother has forced him away from her. Readers will admire Jack’s determination and resourcefulness.