February 16, 2013

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Pick of the Day: Mice

By on December 17, 2012 Leave a Comment
mice

FYLEMAN, Rose. Mice. illus. by Lois Ehlert. 40p. S & S/Beach Lane. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5684-6; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5686-0. LC 2011020555.
PreS-Gr 1–This storytime winner brings a new twist to the classic poem. The simple verse describes mousey attributes: “their tails are long,/their faces small,/they haven’t any chins at all.” Ehlert’s quirky, handmade paper-collage rodents (resplendent with hot pink circle ears, big front teeth, and string limbs) demonstrate by holding up a ruler, crafting a self-portrait, and peering into [...]

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Pick of the Day: The Diviners (Audiobook)

By on December 14, 2012 Leave a Comment
Blue cover with eye

The Diviners. By Libba Bray. 15 CDs. 15:15 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2012. ISBN 978-0-449-80875-7. $60.
Gr 10 Up–Printz winner Libba Bray’s latest literary masterpiece (Little, Brown, 2012) is stunning, suspenseful, and sure to leave listeners utterly breathless. Thoroughly modern flapper Evie O’Neill’s psychic ability to divine secrets from inanimate objects gets her exiled from her stuffy Ohio town. Sent to stay with her Uncle Will in Prohibition-era New York City, the last thing [...]

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Pick of the Day: Crush: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Love (CD)

By on December 13, 2012 Leave a Comment
Illus of boy holding crushed bouquet behind his back

Crush: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Love. By Gary Paulsen. 2 CDs. 2:28 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4692-0311-9. $39.97.
Gr 5-8–Once again, Kevin Spencer (Liar, Liar and Flat Broke) tackles the problems of his world, this time with careful, scientific logic, and no lies. Kevin still has a crush on Tina Zabinski,. He’s sure that he is her perfect match, but he won’t approach her until he’s 100 percent positive that he can win her heart. This doesn’t [...]

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Pick of the Day: The Encyclopedia of Me

By on December 12, 2012 Leave a Comment
girl standing on books

RIVERS, Karen. The Encyclopedia of Me. 248p. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-31028-4; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-46951-7. LC 2011046292.
Gr 5-8–Diminutive, biracial, freckled Isadora “Tink” Aaron-Martin is grounded for most of the summer after an incident with her best friend. She decides to write an encyclopedia, and in spite of the artificiality of the alphabetical format, Rivers has created a warm, funny, fast-paced story about an endearing middle schooler who keeps her cool and sense of humor when events [...]

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Pick of the Day: Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Extra Credit (CD)

By on December 11, 2012 Leave a Comment
Illustrated audiobook cover of teen boy

Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Extra Credit. By Tom Greenwald. 4 CDs. 4:29 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4558-0309-5. $49.97.
Gr 5-7–In this followup (2012) to Tom Greenwald’s Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading (2011, both Roaring Brook), a poor report card and a reputation for cutting up in school land Charlie Joe in his middle school counselor’s office. Things go from bad to worse, causing Ms. Ferrell to recommend that Charlie Joe attend “Camp Rituhbukkee,” a summer camp that [...]

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Pick of the Day: Twelve Kinds of Ice

By on December 10, 2012 Leave a Comment
skaters in foreground

OBED, Ellen Bryan. Twelve Kinds of Ice. illus. by Barbara McClintock. 64p. Houghton Harcourt. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-618-89129-0.
Gr 3-6–The coming of winter in the rural north brings ice. The first ice “came on the sheep pails…a skim of ice so thin that it broke when we touched it.” Gradually as the weather grows colder, the ice becomes field ice, “short-lived but glorious…,” stream ice, black ice from “water shocked still by the cold before the snow.” The ice and [...]

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Pick of the Day: Victor Hugo’s ‘Les Miserables’ (DVD)

By on December 7, 2012 Leave a Comment
Two men in period dress

Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. 2 DVDs. approx. 3 hrs. Prod. by Upside TV/France. Dist. by Worldwide Academic Media. 2010, 2012 release. ISBN 978-1-59163-942-8. $19.95.
Gr 9 Up–Once again, Victor Hugo’s 1862 story of perseverance, love, and personal redemption finds its way onto film. A timeless masterpiece, the story follows the ex-convict Jean Valjean as he emerges from a 19-year prison sentence and returns to an outside world that is just as cruel. Driven by a desire to reform, Valjean is caught [...]

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Pick of the Day: Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie (DVD)

By on December 6, 2012 Leave a Comment
Man sitting at a bonfire

Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie. DVD. 93 min. Prod. by Entertainment One and National Film Board of Canada. Dist. by Bullfrog Films. 2012. ISBN 1-93777-234-9. $295.
Gr 10 Up–Scientist and TV personality David Suzuki is well known in Canada where he is revered as the host of the long running science program, Nature of Things, and as an environmental activist. This film honors his career by weaving together the story of his life with his last lecture outlining the [...]

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Pick of the Day: In Darkness

By on December 5, 2012 Leave a Comment
red background, profile in silhouette

LAKE, Nick. In Darkness. 352p. Bloomsbury. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-59990-743-7; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-59990-820-5. LC 2011022350.
Gr 9 Up–Trapped in the rubble of Haiti’s massive 2010 earthquake, teenage Shorty desperately waits for rescue. While in darkness, events of his traumatic, violent life replay in his head. He is haunted by his father’s brutal murder, his twin sister’s disappearance, and the armed gang activity that has been his means of survival in Site Soléy (Cite Soleil), a very real and dangerous [...]

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Pick of the Day: The Day Carl Sandburg Died (DVD)

By on December 4, 2012 Leave a Comment
Carl Sandburg b & w photo

The Day Carl Sandburg Died. DVD. 84 min. Prod. by Bonesteel Films. Dist. by PBS Dist. 2012. ISBN 978-1-60883-701-4. $24.99.
Gr 8 Up–Carl Sandburg, one of the most celebrated American poets of the 20th century, lived an incredibly colorful life which was reflected in his work. Born into an indigent family of Swedish immigrants in western Illinois, Sandburg initially held a series of manual labor jobs. Later he became a union activist, a social orator, and even a self-proclaimed anarchist. His [...]

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Pick of the Day: Sleep Like a Tiger

By on December 3, 2012 2 Comments
tiger wearing crown

LOGUE, Mary. Sleep Like a Tiger. illus. by Pamela Zagarenski. 40p. Houghton Harcourt. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-64102-7.
PreS-Gr 1–The common theme of a child not ready for bed receives fresh treatment here. When a young girl repeatedly declares that she is not sleepy, her parents remain calm. She dutifully dresses in pajamas and washes up. After climbing into bed, she again proclaims that she is wide awake and questions her parents about how things in the world go to sleep. [...]

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Pick of the Day: Welcome to the Village! (CD)

By on November 30, 2012 Leave a Comment
Aaron Nigel Smith beating on a drum

Welcome to the Village! CD. approx. 37 min. Prod. by Aya World Prods. Dist. by NewSound Music. 2012. ISBN unavail. $13.98.
PreS-Gr 4–The voices of hundreds of children can be heard on Aaron Nigel Smith’s latest recording. Best known for his work on the PBS show Between the Lions, Smith will surprise listeners as he skillfully mixes original songs with traditional and classical tunes that he arranged in this well-programmed, charming album. Opening with the traditional Nigerian song, “Fanga Alafia” (the [...]

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Pick of the Day: Carter’s Unfocused, One-Track Mind

By on November 29, 2012 Leave a Comment
Teen on stage acting with girl

Carter’s Unfocused, One-Track Mind. By Brent Crawford. 7 CDs. 8:06 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-61106-285-4. $59.97.
Gr 9 Up–Will Carter returns as a sophomore to Merrian High after summer vacation, and his 15-year-old male hormone induced ADD is at a record high. He’s still in love with Abby, who has been accepted into the prestigious New York Drama School. She encourages Carter to apply, much to the initial dismay of his mother—he’s leaving “just when he is getting fit to [...]

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Pick of the Day: Summer of the Mariposas

By on November 28, 2012 Leave a Comment
summer of the mariposas

MCCALL, Guadalupe Garcia. Summer of the Mariposas. 354p. Lee & Low/Tu. 2012. RTE $17.95. ISBN 978-1-60060-900-8.
Gr 7-9–While swimming in the Rio Grande, the five Garza sisters find a dead man, and, against the better judgment of Odilia, the eldest, decide to return his body to his family in El Sacrificio, Mexico. Their decision is partly altruistic and partly personal, for their paternal grandmother, whom they have rarely seen, lives nearby. Thus begins their journey, guided by supernatural forces, both [...]

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Pick of the Day: World of Wonder (CD)

By on November 27, 2012 1 Comment
Illustrated CD cover with brunette on orange background

World of Wonder. CD. 32 min. CDBaby.com. 2012. ISBN unavail. $12.97.
PreS-Gr 3–San Francisco-based singer/songwriter Alison Faith Levy, formerly the lead singer of the kindie band The Sippy Cups, returns to the kid music scene with her first solo album. Each song has Levy’s trademark big production sound, whether a sensitive ballad, an up-tempo rocking number, or a middle-of-the-road tune. Lyrics of the ten original songs are smart and have lots of kid appeal. Highlights include a large-sounding rendition of “Itsy [...]

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Pick of the Day: Colorful Dreamer

By on November 26, 2012 Leave a Comment
figure on left wearing glasses

PARKER, Marjorie Blain. Colorful Dreamer: The Story of Artist Henri Matisse. illus. by Holly Berry. 32p. further reading. CIP. Dial. Nov. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3758-7. LC 2011035446.
Gr 2-5–This picture-book biography covers Matisse’s entire life but focuses on his career aspirations and achievements. The straightforward text takes a lighthearted approach by including details such as young Henri’s dream of becoming a magician and his skill with a peashooter. Berry’s illustrations are the star of the show; dignified black-and-white drawings [...]

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Pick of the Day: Nightsong

By on November 21, 2012 1 Comment
bat against black background

BERK, Ari. Nightsong. illus. by Loren Long. 48p. CIP. S & S. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-7886-2; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-8552-5. LC 2009026608.
K-Gr 3–Not since Janell Cannon’s Stellaluna (Harcourt, 1993) have readers been introduced to such a charming young bat learning to navigate his world. Night closes in and Chiro’s mother tells him it’s time for him to fly alone; he will succeed if he uses his song, otherwise known as his “good sense,” to guide him. Though timid [...]

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Pick of the Day: Otto Frank, Father of Anne (DVD)

By on November 20, 2012 Leave a Comment
B & w photo of Anne and Otto Frank

Otto Frank, Father of Anne. DVD. 75 min. MVD Entertainment Group. 2012. ISBN unavail. $119.97.
Gr 9 Up–Anne Frank’s diary has been translated into more than 67 languages and, as a result of her father’s persistence, it has become the world’s greatest single document about the Holocaust. In David DeJongh’s revealing documentary, we meet Otto, Anne’s father, who was an officer in Germany’s army during WW I.   The family fled to Holland during Hitler’s reign, and Anne’s diary was written while [...]

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Pick of the Day: Unspoken

By on November 19, 2012 Leave a Comment
girl with lantern

COLE, Henry. Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad. illus. by author. 32p. CIP. Scholastic. Nov. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-39997-5. LC 2011043583.
Gr 3-8–Gorgeously rendered in soft, dark pencils, this wordless book is reminiscent of the naturalistic pencil artistry of Maurice Sendak and Brian Selznick, but unique in its accurate re-creation of a Civil War-era farm in northwestern Virginia. On the dedication page, readers see a star quilt on a split rail fence, symbolizing the North Star. Confederate soldiers [...]

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Pick of the Day: Read and Sing with Hap Palmer: Musical Picture Books for Young Children (DVD)

By on November 16, 2012 Leave a Comment
Animated Characters dancing out of a open book

Read and Sing with Hap Palmer: Musical Picture Books for Young Children. DVD. 30 min. Prod. by Hap-Pal Music. Dist. by AV Café. 2012. ISBN unavail. $14.98.
PreS-Gr 2–You know when you see the name Hap Palmer that you’re in for a treat. This program contains 12 of his original songs, with the words on the screen so you can read, or even better sing along. Bright illustrations and colorful photographs accompany each song and show children from all around the [...]

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