Posts tagged Abrams

Tracey’s Dozen (or so) Favorite 2012 Picture Books

December 25, 2012 · Filed under Picture Books, Primary (K-2) · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

First of all, a very merry Christmas greeting from the bloggers at Mackin Books in Bloom.  We hope that you are enjoying the holiday season with your friends and family!

I thought about asking my fellow blog writers if I could do a “Favorite 100 Picture Books of 2012,” but I figured they would just roll their eyes at me.  Picture books are the hardest for me to narrow down, because I love them so much.  I couldn’t even get this “Top 10” list down to a dozen.  Could you?

HappyIt's a TigerMore

Happy by Mies Van Hout.  9781935954149. 2012. PS-1.

Children are often confused by any emotions beyond happy, sad, mad, and bored.  The expressions on the brightly colored fish in this picture book go beyond these basic feelings, showing kids how they look when they are nervous, shy, furious, brave, confused, astonished, and more.  Click here to find other picture books on emotions.

It’s a Tiger!Mackin Picks by David LaRochelle (ill by Jeremy Tankard).  9780811869256. 2012. PS-1.

As the young narrator tells a story of a walk in the jungle, suddenly a tiger jumps out!  He tries to hide, but—there’s the tiger again!  No matter where he tries to hide, the tiger is there.  Will he get eaten?  This funny, interactive picture book shows that you shouldn’t make assumptions.

MoreMackin Picks by I.C. Springman (ill by Brian Lies).  9780547610832. 2012. PS-2.

If having something is good, then getting several is better, right?  And having lots is even nicer.  But what if you get a bit much?  A magpie thinks he needs more and more—until he ends up with way too much. Thank goodness he has little friends to teach him a lesson that is good for all of us to learn.

This Is Not My HatThis Moose Belongs to MeMinette's Feast

This Is Not My HatMackin Picks by Jon Klassen.  9780763655990. 2012. PS-2.

A tiny fish has just stolen the hat from a big fish, but he’s not worried.  The big fish is sleeping and probably won’t wake for a long time; and when he does, he won’t notice that his hat is missing, and if he does notice, he won’t know who took it or where he is hiding…and on and on.  But the pictures show that the big fish does wake up and he DOES notice that his hat is missing—and the little fish is about to get his comeuppance.

This Moose Belongs to MeMackin Picks by Oliver Jeffers.  9780399161032. 2012. PS-2.

Wilfred has a pet moose named Marcel.  And since Wilfred prefers things to be just so, he has a lot of rules for his pet.  Marcel is not always so good at following all the rules, unless there are apples involved.  Though Wilfred thinks the moose is his, the moose has other ideas, and when they meet up with a lady who claims that “Rodrigo” is her moose, Marcel stays with her (she has an apple).  What will Wilfred do without his pet—and friend?

Minette’s Feast : The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat by Susanna Reich (ill by Amy Bates).  9781419701771. 2012. PS-2.

While Julia Child and her husband were living in Paris, she adopted a cat and named her Minette.  As Julia practiced her cooking skills, she would offer left-overs to Minette.  (Sweet!) Though Minette enjoyed these treats, her preferences ran to other tasty things—like freshly-caught mice and birds!  This cat’s-eye view of the famous chef includes an author’s note.

Birthday for BearDog in ChargeZ Is for Moose

A Birthday for Bear by Bonnie Becker (ill by Kady MacDonald Denton).  9780763658236. 2012. PS-2.

Bear refuses to acknowledge his birthday. (Does anyone else have this problem?)  But Mouse is determined that Bear will celebrate it.  First Mouse tries a fake birthday invitation, then he pretends to be a balloon deliveryman and a postman with a birthday card.  Even when Santa comes down the chimney with a present, Bear insists, “I DO NOT LIKE BIRTHDAYS!”  But can he resist that present?

Dog in Charge by K.L. Going (ill. by Dan Santat).  9780803734791. 2012. PS-2.

Dog is a good dog—the very best dog—and his people award him lots of treats. But when he is left alone in the house with five wily and messy cats, he finds out that he is not really in charge at all.  When his people get home and see the mess, they won’t call him “the very best dog.”  And will he ever get a treat again?

Z Is for Moose by Kelly Bingham (ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky).  9780060799847. 2012.  PS-2.

Zebra lines up all the animals in alphabetical order to present themselves in the book, but Moose is too excited to wait his turn.  He interrupts again and again, until finally it is time for M.  But…M is for Mouse!  Disappointed and upset, Moose behaves badly, just like every other little kid that just wants to be noticed.  Zebra feels sorry for Moose, so there is a happy ending. Click here for more alphabet picture books.

Beetle BookUnspokenOne Cool Friend

The Beetle BookMackin Picks by Steve Jenkins. 9780547680842. 2012. PS-3.

I am a big fan of Steve Jenkins, and though I really hate bugs, I am fascinated by them (and I’m also an admirer of the art of Christopher Marley.)  So I think this is my favorite Steve Jenkins’ title yet (though What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? and Just a Second are close runners-up).  Jenkins provides lots of information about beetles, including life cycles, defenses, behaviors, and senses, along with his trademark collages of greater-than-life-sized creatures.

Unspoken : A Story from the Underground RailroadMackin Picks by Henry Cole.  9780545399975. 2012. K-2.

This beautiful wordless book tells the story of a young girl in mid-19th century Virginia who discovers that there is an escaped slave hidden in her family’s barn.  At first she is scared, but then she sees the frightened eye of the slave peering out of the stored cornstalks.  When Confederate soldiers arrive with a wanted poster for the fugitive, she must search her conscience to decide if she has the courage to help him.

One Cool FriendMackin Picks by Toni Buzzeo (ill. by David Small). 9780803734135. 2012. K-3.

While visiting the zoo one day with his father, Elliott falls in love with the penguins (they are so much like himself) and decides to take the smallest one home.  The problem then is to keep the penguin happy…and hidden from his father.  Fortunately, his father is clueless—or is he?  I was, though I shouldn’t have been, because illustrator David Small had left plenty of hints to the fun ending!

Meal of the StarsRock Is Lively

A Meal of the Stars : Poems Up and DownMackin Picks by Dana Jensen (ill by Tricia Tusa).  9780547390079. 2012. 1-3.

Tricia Tusa’s pretty illustrations give a clue how to read Dana Jensen’s clever poems in this unique poetry book.  Each poem is about something that either goes up or goes down.  If it goes down—raindrops, for example—the poem reads from top to bottom.  In the poem of the ladybug crawling up the dandelion stem, you start reading the poem from the bottom to the top.  An excellent marriage of text and illustrations.

A Rock Is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston (ill. by Sylvia Long).  9781452106458. 2012. 1-4.

Aston and Long have combined their talents again in this fascinating look at earth’s lively rocks and minerals.  Lively?  Yes, as melted magma.  Rocks are also helpful and sneaky and creative and more.   This beautifully illustrated, poetic, and informative book explains how rocks are made, how they help us, and how people and animals use them.

What’s your favorite picture book from 2012?

Blogger:  Tracey L.Tracey

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Exploring Character Education with Picture Books

November 7, 2011 · Filed under Picture Books, Grade Levels, Primary (K-2), Formats · Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Among the sessions I was able to attend at the recent AASL conference was one that focused on character education through picture books.  Most of the books that the presenter discussed in the session were oldies-but-goodies, so they were already on Mackin’s character education lists.  But I was inspired to think about some of the picture books I’ve come across recently with character traits in mind.  After all, as the presenter pointed out, picture books are a great way to focus a conversation with kids and help make intangible concepts more concrete.

Chris Rashka’s latest book, Ball for Daisy, is a gentle wordless story that begins with a dog playing with her favorite toy—a red ball.  She is delighted to have another dog join in her game, but when the other dog accidentally deflates the ball, it doesn’t take words to express Daisy’s sadness. Raschka’s watercolor and ink illustrations capture the action in panels that resemble a graphic novel, and he skillfully conveys Daisy’s feelings.  You can use this book with younger readers to talk about being courteous with other kids’ toys or to talk about the emotions Daisy is feeling and how they relate to them.

Dream Something Big tells how we shouldn’t be so quick to judge.  It begins with one little chip of tile that inspires Simon Rodia to create the Watts Towers in Los Angeles, which are now U.S. National Landmark.  In this book, he is called “Uncle Sam” and his story is told from the perspective of a fictional young girl who watches the towers go up in her neighborhood, when people thought the man was foolish and crazy.  She grows up and takes her children to see the towers, and she notes that people no longer think he was crazy. They think he was a genius. This is a wonderfully inspiring book that will be at home in an art class as well as a character education lesson.

The young girl in I Had a Favorite Dress finds dealing with change isn’t so bad  with a little creative thinking.  When she out-grows her favorite dress that she wears every Tuesday, her mother advises her not to make mountains out of molehills, instead make molehills out of mountains.  With this advice in mind, mother and daughter make something new out of that old favorite dress every time it becomes too small or out of season, until finally there’s nothing left to snip or sew. Even then, change can’t get the best of her.  She captures the memory of her favorite dress (and all its incarnations) with a picture she draws herself.  Share this picture book with your young fashionistas for a subtle lesson in adapting to life’s changes.

I Want My Hat Back is one of my personal favorites of the year.  Readers watch as a bear looks for his hat.  He asks animal after animal if they have seen his hat until a deer asks what his hat looked like.  As he describes his hat, he realizes that he has seen it, and that is when readers realize that one of the animals was lying (though observant readers may have already picked up on some suspicious behavior from the rabbit).  Bear gets mad, and he goes back to confront the rabbit. Then it is the bear’s turn to act suspicious when he is questioned about the whereabouts of the rabbit. A unique picture book that looks at honesty and guilty behavior that will have kids laughing and, hopefully, talking.

These are just a few that I thought of.  What are some of your favorite titles to use in character education lessons?

Bibliography:

Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka. Scwartz & Wade. May 2011.

Dream Something Big by Diana Hutts Aston. Dial. August 2011.

I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn. Abrams Books for Young Readers. January 2011.

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. Candlewick. September 2011.

Blogger: Mindy R.

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Stomp Out Bullying

October 3, 2011 · Filed under Fiction, High School, Nonfiction, Novels, Realistic · Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

“Stomp Out Bullying” is a campaign whose initiative is to stop bullying and cyber-bullying. I first heard about this on author Heather Brewer’s blog, and I thought the idea was worthy of a blog posting. Most everyone has been affected by bullying at some point in their lives. It has been 10 years since my high school days, but I can still remember in vivid detail some of the things that my friends and I witnessed and experienced. Many of the graphic images that are described in these novels are very true to life. This imagery might be hard to stomach, but I hope that the included titles will help inspire you and your students to take a stand against bullying. Please wear blue today (October 3rd), in order to support the anti-bullying message.

Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen. 2011.

Danny’s small size makes him a target for the hormone-driven football team more often than not. Unfortunately the bullying gets even worse when gruesome revenge is taken upon one of his gymnast teammates. Luckily Danny finds a comrade in Kurt, the new fullback who stutters and has a scarred face. As you can imagine, Kurt and Danny have quite the fight ahead of them in order to survive.

Shine by Lauren Myracle. 2011.

Cat’s best friend, Patrick is found tied to a gas pump (at the convenience store he works at) and beaten unconscious. A gas pump is duct-taped inside his mouth, and some choice words are illegible on his chest in blood. The police believe it was a random hate crime, but Cat knows better. In order to help Patrick, Cat needs to face her own demons and uncover some dark secrets about the town she thought she once knew.

Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones. 2011.

An amazing compilation of talent from YA authors in response to the huge impact that bullying has on teens. These authors have dealt with bullying as observers, victims, and perpetrators and have decided to share their deeply personal stories with you. My favorite entry is from Vladimir Tod author, Heather Brewer (aka Auntie Heather) and here is a snippet from her particular admission:

“Bullying is a horrible thing. It sticks with you forever. It poisons you. But only if you let it. See, there’s a secret that no one ever tells you when they’re filling your head that this “will build character” or just completely go away when you’re an adult. You have the power to decide what hurts you and what doesn’t, what sticks with you, and what you use as fuel to pull yourself out of the muck. You can make the needed change in your life and give yourself happiness and joy, despite what the bullies have tried to instill in you. You can succeed at anything, at everything. But you can’t let them see you cry. Instead, when they want to see those tears, when they’re doing everything possible to break you down, I want you to smile and remember that they’re just picking on you because they wish they were just like you, but they don’t have the guts. Remember that, minion, because everyone deserves a happy ending.”

Blogger: Kristin J.

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Book Review : Horton Halfpott and the Extremely Long Title

May 16, 2011 · Filed under Fiction, Humor, Intermediate (3-5), Mackin Picks, Novels, Reviews · Tagged , , ,

Horton Halfpott : or, The Fiendish Mystery of Smugtick Manor; or, The Loosening of M’Lady Luggertuck’s Corset by Tom Angleberger. 2011. (ARC)

I must admit—I love long titles.  So when we received an ARC of Tom Angleberger’s newest book, I liked the book as soon as I read the title.  And the rest of the book did not disappoint.

M’Lady Luggertuck has always run a tight ship at Smugtick Manor.  Meals are served on time, firewood is stacked neatly and quietly, and all the servants, especially Horton the kitchen dishwasher, know their place.  But as the book begins, something inconceivable happens that changes everything at the Manor.

M’Lady told her servant not to pull her corset as tight as usual.

As a result of not being so pinched and grumpy, M’Lady agrees to invite her nephew, for a visit. He is in love with Celia who is visiting near Smugtick Manor, and he wants to be closer to her.  In fact, M’Lady even agrees to have a ball for them.  Her son, Luther, decides to steal the girl from his cousin, because she is extremely wealthy, and he comes up with an Evil Plan.  When the Luggertucks’ famous treasure disappears (as well as a Valuable Wig), M’Lady hires a famous detective, who is so ineffective that Horton and the snooping stable boys start investigating.  Luther, meanwhile, makes a deal with some Shipless Pirates to kidnap Celia during the ball.

And the chaos goes on…and all of it is a result of the Loosening.

Horton Halfpott is a entertaining and funny mystery, and it reminded me of Charles Dickens, if Mr. Dickens wrote tongue-in-cheek comedies for kids.  In fact, the endnote says that, of the authors that helped inspire Angleberger, the most important was Dickens, “who is funnier than you would think.” The story is written in third person with lots of asides, the characters have delightful names (the trio of stableboys are Bump, Blight, and Blemish), and Angleberger’s witty descriptions of their personalities are a hoot. Give Horton to intermediate teachers who are looking for an entertaining read-aloud as well as to reluctant readers, mystery lovers, and anyone else who just wants a laugh.

Blogger: Tracey L

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