The Friendly Mouse - Sharing a Debut Plus A Giveaway

       Midst all the pain in these recent weeks, those of us who are not near the war can only watch and hope and do what is possible to help. One thing possible is really not a new idea but it feels like a boost of kindness is again needed. Sophia R. Tyler has written and illustrated such a book and The Friendly Mouse is a debut! 

The Friendly Mouse lives in a lovely place as you can see by the cover. He gets going every morning to work, a friendly small soul, happy in his home. However, there is a bit of trouble beneath that smile. He has a long, long walk to work which makes him tired, often desperate for help. Some days, he sees a seagull flying high above, yearns for a "lift" that would be so much nicer than his lo-0-ong walk. He calls out to ask for a ride but Seagull says he's too heavy, NO WAY can it happen!

The story takes place mostly at Mouse's work, where when a tiny bit late, the boss, Mr. Roo, yells at him. On other days, Seagull continues to refuse a ride. Mouse can barely work, he is so, so tired. 

One day, Mouse notices Mr. Roo speaking of the stress of his paperwork. Even Mouse, tired that he is, feels bad for Mr. Roo. And the rest of this story will make readers smile. Doing kindnesses does not mean one should be rewarded yet there are moments when good things happen, for everyone! Some acts take courage, something Mouse's actions show. He takes a risk knowing it could mean he loses his job. Nevertheless, he chooses to help. 

I love the book's cover 'spread' showing this wonderful neighborhood. Colorful illustrations make a joyful book amid the troubles. 

A Giveaway for Learning!

GIVEAWAY ENDS NEXT SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH!

Thanks to Candlewick Press for this giveaway opportunity! My granddaughters chose to do some specific studies early in the summer with me and the eleven-year-old chose to examine urban archaeology, specifically the layers of history in Denver and in Paris. It was a fascinating time for me, too, and I wish we had had this marvelous book for her to use in her research. Nevertheless, I have shared it with her and she loves it!

Cities in Layers - Six Famous Cities through time, by Philip Steele showcases those cities from their origins to today.  Rome is the oldest; New York the youngest, but each have their histories made fascinating as Steele shares three double-page spreads from the beginning, a middle time, and today. There is also an introduction to each city that includes where it is in the world, famous residents, and a summary of the time of each. For instance, Paris Today, Paris in 1793, and Paris 1380. Each has a 'cut-out' to peek through showing one thing that has stayed throughout the years. With Andrés Lozano's highly detailed illustrations and a key at the bottom of landmarks shown, I imagine poring over every page for a long time, making notes, then researching for further information.  

One example of the city pages - Paris Today

The introduction explains "What is a city?" including those beginnings and then changes made with innovations like "water and drains" and "roads and rails". Then, before the city studies, there is a timeline of all cities placed together giving the highlights of each history. Finally, the city studies themselves. so much information given in an easy-to-access way. 

To enter the giveaway, comment with a favorite landmark of the city of your choice. It can be contemporary or from long ago. I will draw from this list next Sunday and announce the winner on Monday!

NF Picture Books Reveal the Night - Blog Tour & Giveaway

   Visit Alyson Beecher on Wednesdays for Non-Fiction Picture Books at Kidlit Frenzy -- hashtag #nfpb2020! Thanks to her hosting and sharing and those who add their posts, you can discover and celebrate terrific nonfiction picture books! 

      

                  I'm on a blog tour today, excited to share a new book of poetry written by David L. Harrison, illustrated by Stephanie Laberis that is out February 25th. It's After Dark, poems about nocturnal animals. And, you have a chance to win a copy of this book!

           Vincent Van Gogh said, "I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day."  For this book, David has written twenty-two poems about animals who live and ensure their survival in the night and Stephanie Laberis shows their unique hues and markings in her own "richly colored" illustrations. When you read and see examples below, I imagine you will say that Van Gogh is right.

            Sometimes, I sit outside (longer in summer) to see if I can be still enough to spot a creature moving nearby, to hear an animal's cry. Most often I see a rabbit hopping, stopping for nibbles. Sometimes I hear owls, and one very surprising time, I saw a coyote walking down the street, readying itself for night work. Here is one view from my porch. We humans can't see much, but many animals can and need to.

        I don't fool myself, however. I know that other creatures are out there, living their night lives, just as David shows us through his poems, as Stephanie has illustrated those words. In this book, they've offered a peek at the magic "After Dark". As I read the poems, I imagine sharing them with students, excited that David cleverly includes so much of each animal's behavior in his words, including clues in the titles. For example, the very first one, "The Rehearsal" includes the behavior of grey wolf adults who hunt for food to feed young pups, keep them safe for now as they grow. I.E., they rehearse!

                   "For now, 

                     play tag,

                     pretend grr,

                     pounce ferociously

                     on your siblings."

Stephanie creates three scenes from the comprehensive poem with a double-page spread, a wolf howling at the moon, allowing the moon to light up the entire two pages; the wolf mom nursing her pups; and the pups themselves playing in the night. Here are those pups and the poem:

        This opening poem's delight sets the stage for more questions, this time about wolves, but also a wonder about what's next, what else can be discovered in the night? If only for a time, we can explore the night through David's and Stephanie's "night eyes"!

It's Monday - Blog Tour & Giveaway!

         I'm excited to join a blog tour in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and HarperCollins!

             From Sara Pennypacker, writer of the beloved Pax, comes a story of introverted, only-child Ware, whose parents want only for him to have friends, lots of them! They're working double shifts to gain enough money to buy their home so Ware, again, is expected to give up his dreams of a summer on his own and go daily to the 'rec center' where mobs of kids only show Ware how alone he is. Despite his parents' expectations, he likes being alone! But then he spies an abandoned church early one day, and sees a girl doing What??? -- making a garden of papayas. This adventure sometimes seems a bit farfetched, but dreams, even outlandish ones, can become real, and Ware, with new, maybe friend Jolene? and a welcome intruder, bird-lover Ashley, might help Ware be re-born? Ware follows the knight's creed about fighting unfairness and with help from the girls and a few adults that come into his life, too, plus his own self-awareness begins to like who he is, at last! I imagine there will be kids who say, maybe secretly, that's me!

            Thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books for the advanced copy!

Enter for a chance to win a Sara Pennypacker book prize pack!

Five (5) winners receive:

• A hardcover copy of Here in the Real World
• A paperback copy of Pax

Giveaway begins January 21, 2019, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends February 21, 2019, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, who are eighteen years of age or older in their state or territory of residence at the time of entry. Void where prohibited by law.

HarperCollins is responsible for prize fulfillment.

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It's Monday - Book Gift Ideas PLUS A Double Giveaway!

              Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they've been reading, along with others who post their favorites.
            Thanks to Candlewick for the following books. The giveaway is at the end and I'm sharing the others as terrific gift possibilities. I hope you find some ideas for special gifts this season!

         Meet Hillary, a multi-colored sheep whose wool supplied Santa with the makings for a sweater. He says it's just getting too cold on that all-night ride. Readers first get a taste of the "companion sheep" in Hillary's flock. There are the sweet ones, like Marian who loves hugs or Liz, "who loved reading. Anytime, anywhere." Then there is Brian, the sour one, always making remarks that aren't good, maybe especially to Hillary who loves lists and Christmas! Each one is uniquely characterized, including a startling friend. The sheep's owner, Farmer Jimmy,  seems caring and always happy to be with his sheep. He eats jelly beans by the pocketful, loves tractors and the sheep. A real adventure happens to Hillary, and along the way Ryan Tubridy sneaks in some outrageous "sheepy" puns, adds a few pages of riddles at the end for more fun. For example, one chapter title is "Are Ewe Ready for This?" and another is "Fare Thee Wool". It's a chapter book for beginners who will have fun with it. Chris Judge adds to the humor with a few illustrations once in a while.

           I'm not sure our lakes and ponds are thick enough, but we've just had a big snow and people are out sledding and cross-country skiing this week. Here in this book, Sarah Sullivan poetically describes a marvelous day out on the pond, learning, warming up in the snack-bar hut, back out again. It's an all-day happy adventure shown by illustrator Madeline Valentine with diverse people of all ages in a beautiful winter setting. They're doing a very favorite thing - ice skating. "Good friends gliding in a row./Holding on and letting go." Then, "Couples waltz./Children Race./Happy people./Happy place." Of course, the day ends with bath to warm up the toes, and a surprise ending, that beautifully illustrated nighttime pond, now inhabited by "others". Such a nice book that will both introduce the fun of skating or the good memories of past times.

        Take any young child along Alphabet Street and they will love visiting all the shops, like Alphie's Bakery and Super Toys, or discovering what's inside King's Laundromat and that store with the interesting name, Yackety Zach's! (It's a Beauty Shop.) To see inside all one needs to do is to "lift the flap". That's where the Alphabet hides. A is for Alphie's Bakery, but inside, "B is for Bear, who is baking some bread." It's a color-filled fun journey Inzela P. Arrhenius creates in the illustrations as many kinds of animals take this ABC trip written by Jonathan Emmett. 

Here's a peek inside 'Alphabet Street'!

         I suspect readers only need to see the cover of Matt Tavares' new story of a favorite Christmas character to want to read it. A young reindeer named Dasher lived and worked with his family for J.P. Finnegan's Traveling Circus and Menagerie and he loved the story his mother told of her early life where it was always cold and snowy. There you only had to look up to see the North Star. Where they were was warm and that star seemed so far away. With night scenes that seem to jingle with magic (like that cover), readers learn just how Dasher met Santa and ended up helping deliver toys one Christmas with Santa's horse, Silverbell. You'll need to find the book to discover what's next, but it holds my favorite line, spoken by Dasher: "You're not going to believe this part." This will become a Christmas favorite, I'm sure!

It's Monday - All About Love

Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they've been reading, along with everyone else who post their favorites. 

        This week, I seem to have chosen books whose underlying theme is love, even with inanimate objects!


        And there is more to love this week. The winner of my giveaway posted last Monday here is--drum roll, of course--  Casi Wildeman. I've contacted her so I can give her address to the publisher. Thanks to everyone who entered.


And Cathy Mere & Mandy Robek remind here that it's nearly time for #PB10for10! Are you getting ready?

            When I read a book and love it, I want to tell it all. I want to be sure to write enough so that everyone reads it. But I cannot. This is one to experience, to savor the warmth of the family of Mason Buttle, his grandma and Uncle Drum who, though with few words, show how much they cherish their 'best boy'. And, Mason's story is all his, as I imagine Leslie Connor wanted it to be. Come meet him and those in his life this particular time in his life, his seventh-grade year. You will fall in love.

       

         Crafted by Paris Rosenthal and her father Jason as a companion to Dear Girl, a "dear" book she wrote with her late mother Amy Krouse Rosenthal. It's a book to boost you if you're a boy, a book that gives a hug to all things boys can be. I like the lines later in the book that "whenever you need an encouraging boost, remember you can turn to any page in this book." It's a hug for boys, might just be what is needed sometimes! Holly Hatam also illustrated this book, filled with her signature line drawings and collages. 

           This is what a loving Papi does, comes home after a tough day of work, and takes his daughter for a ride past all her favorite places. They rumble, they nod, they wave and smile. There is Abuelita's church and Joy's Market. There are the murals that tell their history. It's sad that Don Rudy's raspado shop is closed. No flavored shaved ice today. There is more told from Isabel Quintero as she writes a sweet author's note of her town of Corona, poignant and important to read. Zeke Pena's illustrations come alive on the pages. It's almost possible to hear that motorcycle zoom. Quintero and Pena also wrote the beautiful Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide.

It's A Giveaway - It's All About The Money!

Read about this wonderful book, then Enter to Win a copy!

            A long time ago when I was a little girl, grandparents and other family gave me two-dollar bills for different occasions. I had a special box that held them. One day, my grandpa was on his way to the bank and asked if I wanted to put the money in the bank, explained that it might be safer there. I didn't ask questions, just thought it was exciting to do that important thing. Well, it was only later when I wanted to buy something, we went to get some money. They gave me dollar bills. Where oh where were my two-dollar bills? That's when I discovered how banks and money (saved or spent) worked. 
            It would have been wonderful to have read Okeoma Moronu Schreiner's book, The Missing Money when I was little. Things have changed since then, certainly. There are different things to learn, to figure out! Okeoma says after having children: "Basically, I wanted to create a book that would help children understand the concept of money in a way that reflected the world in which they would be growing up." This time, there is a monster ATM who ate this young child's money. Before we know it, motivated he is. He devises a plan to find that monster and get his money back! As he tells Mom and Dad, he sees they aren't very concerned. It is then they realized that Kai needs to understand a few things.
With colorful, cartoon-themed and kid-friendly illustrations, Sandhya Prabhat enhances Okeoma's story that introduces a diverse family. Both words and pictures help tell Kai, and readers, about ATM machines, how they work, how they are emptied by "super-duper secure" armoured trucks that take the money to the bank. He learns about earning interest and the app that can be checked to see how much his money is growing. Whew! Kai feels lots better about his money!
To help parents and teachers use this book with children, there is an illustrated glossary and a page titled "Conversation Starters". Or, children who can already read can answer the questions in those "Starters" themselves and ask more questions if needed.

Thanks to Okeoma and FinKidLit books for the advanced copy. You can find FinKidLit here on Instagram. Okeoma plans two more books in this new series that will add to financial knowledge for younger kids.

Here's one peek inside at this helpful and fun book.

            If you'd like your own copy of this new book out this month, enter the Rafflecopter below.

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A Giveaway Is Flying Your Way!

        Thanks to Peachtree Publishers, I have the pleasure of offering a giveaway of this marvelous book, Superlative Birds by Leslie Bulion and Robert Meganck. With poems that vary (just like birds) in using the facts to tell about the birds who are the biggest, loudest, stinkiest, fastest, and more, here is the book for bird lovers, enhanced with extraordinary illustrations, both realistic and humorous. When I began to write this post, I marked too many pages I wanted you to see, looked again and chose only a few favorite parts. That's the challenge when reviewing a wonderful book, choosing what to share!

     
              Added to the book filled with poetry and science is a small chickadee guide, the Master of Ceremonies! Let me introduce you.

    Among the amazing facts, the reason for our chickadee guide is that scientists have found "that many other species of birds and some species of other animals living near chickadees can understand chickadee calls--especially warnings about predators in the area." They even lengthen their calls to show that a threat may be large!  Still another intriguing thing about these chickadees is that they can enlarge a part of their brains per a need. The part that needs to remember where those seeds are stored enlarges, or if the memory of a mating call is needed, that part enlarges. Fantastic, right?
          Robert Meganck's chickadee cartoons add to the information with its comments given in speech bubbles. On the page sharing about the wandering albatross, with the widest wingspan of all birds, a bat spreads its wings, too, showing the fact that not only birds have wings. Another page tells about the shrike, with Leslie's poem titled "Ghastly Pantry", a poem showing a way that this bird stores its food. It hangs it on a wire fence or thorny tree to allow it to rot until it softens, until the shrike's small beak can eat!

            Favorite birds, so hard to choose! While I don't know much about many birds, I do know most names, but then I turned the page to hear about the Timberdoodle and to read "Timberdoodle Blues". Here's the beginning:
                                           "Look at me. I've got eyes set above my brain,
                                            Not behind, on the sides–but 'above' my brain.
                                            Looks wierd, but I see three-sixty and can't complain."

It can see 360 degrees without moving its head!

This time, Bulion focuses on the looks, but the poems can show unique traits or behavior examples. Here is one wonderful double-page spread so you can learn about one more bird, enjoy Leslie's unique poems,  as well as Robert's gorgeous digital illustrations.

         The poems are delightful to read aloud, sometimes with rhythm and rhyme, sometimes free-verse, and for a few, forms unique to the bird's geographical area, like the tendi, "a four-line stanza with Arabic origins used in traditional Swahili poetry." for "A Billion Queleas".
         

           There is something special in every part of the book. The above spread is a picture of the opening inside cover, showing the birds inside with their unique description. The back two covers name the bird!

          Added in the back matter are a glossary, Poetry Notes about each poem, and additional resources to learn more about the world of birds. Bird lovers everywhere need to add this "superlative" book to their collections!


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It's A Giveaway, It's a Pop-Up, It's Shakespeare!

No problem here, just a taste of this fabulous giveaway/Shakespeare/pop-up!

             Thanks to Candlewick Press, I've have the pleasure of a giveaway, offering this pop-up book created by veteran pop-up artist, Mennie Maizell to TWO lucky winners. 

Written by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, two members of The Reduced Shakespeare Company,  (a troupe that specializes in first condensing and then performing works of literature and film), it's a pop-up that includes an enticing overview of Shakespeare’s work and times. There are five double-page spreads illustrated by veteran pop-up book designer Jennie Maizels and including numerous lift the flaps. The first spread introduces the world of Shakespeare. It is thought that he may have been an apprentice to his father, a glove-maker and written rhymes to be put into the gloves. One small rhyme was discovered in a pair for a man named Aspinall. "The gift is small./The will is all./Alexander Aspinall." Small facts like this are spread among the flaps and art, along with the pages for the plays and poetry described below.

The bulk of the work is contained in the next four spreads which present summaries and comments about all of Shakespeare’s plays, divided into four categories: comedies, histories, romances, and tragedies. It is humorous, even on the tragedy pages, and accurate. To include all the information, one must turn these pages around. You can see an example below. I'm sure it will be terrific for upper elementary and middle school classrooms for a beginning study of Shakespeare. 

the front

the back

Jaques:
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

As You Like It Act 2, scene 7, 139–143

        Fill out the rafflecopter entry form below and be sure to leave a comment sharing your favorite play by Shakespeare.


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Blog Tour and A Giveaway! Elephant In A Bathtub?

            It's always fun to know of a new book and offer a giveaway! I'm happy to share in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Connie Bowman.

Here's a picture of the cover! Every child will like imagining this and giggle!

On my first read, I laughed and loved this cumulative tale of a father who happens to be the one who found that elephant! And, calm as can be, he takes the elephant, the one with "sharp shiny tusks" who doesn't "make a trumpet sound" or "charge at all" off to someone's bedroom. This father tells the story to an unknown person, says that creature "followed me quietly to your bedroom." 
Hmm, then I read the story to my young granddaughter, seven, and she was immediately in a hurry, laughing and saying things like "hurry up, turn the page". She had a tough time waiting to see what was next. The father in the story, however, continues to be calm as calm can be, even when he discovered a camel in his study, a cobra in front of his bedroom window, and a rhinoceros in the laundry room. Colorful and realistic illustrations by Kelly O'Neill add to the story's matter-of-fact pace. Those animals behave with surprising calm although I spied a bit of eye-rolling from the father. The story will be a favorite as kids gather ALL their favorite stuffies while getting ready for a dream-filled sleep.

Here are some stars from Broadway singing about an elephant in the room and showing the book.

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Enter to win a copy of There’s an Elephant in My Bathtub by Connie Bowman, and a menagerie of stuffed animals!

Poetry Friday - Evening Theater

          It's been a poetry week filled with great words from NCTE (from afar for me), and lots of food, poetry there, too! Our host this week is Irene Latham at Live Your Poem. She's back with a fun post of all her special adventures at NCTE here. It includes a little bit about Irene's and Charles Waters' book Can I Touch Your Hair?, illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko earning a Charlotte Huck honor. Congratulations all! And thanks for hosting, Irene!               
                 Find all the poetry goodness at Irene's post today here with a sneak peek at Laura Purdie Salas' new poetry book and a giveaway!

         We've had unusually warm weather this week, 50's or 60's every day, but still cool at night. That warmth means the kids are out playing all over the neighborhood, trying to get in as much "outside" time as possible, considering night comes at five. I've shared before that my mail comes very late so that usually means walking down to the bank of boxes near dark, and often, it still isn't there, but I like the final short walk and the "evening theater". Thus Monday evening inspired this. 

last sky pink,

basketball’s sweet swish,

Mom calls “Supper!”

Linda Baie © All Rights Reserved

Ta Da!           Last week I hosted and posted a giveaway of this new book for bedtime by Rosemary Wells and a signed print from it! Here are the pictures of the pot of names, and the winners I drew. Thanks to everyone who shared a favorite bedtime book or lullaby. I learned some new ones from you!

Congratulations Robyn Hood Black and Diane Mayr! 

If you message or email me your addresses, I'll send one prize and the other will be sent by Candlewick.