The "best of" lists were published in December. I looked through them and began thinking about some of our favorite books from this past year, not all of them new titles. Here are my choices from what we read in 2011, in no particular order:
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man by Michael Chabon
Everything On It by Shel Silverstein
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (I did not blog about this one, but I wanted to include it on my list anyway.)
Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O'Malley
If Rocks Could Sing by Leslie McGuirk
Art and Max by David Wiesner
Here are some other lists you may want to check out when looking for reading material in 2012:
School Library Journals Best Books of 2011
New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 2011
New York Times Notable Children's Books of 2011
ALA will be coming out with their Notables lists and awards in a couple of weeks. I am particularly interested in the Caldecott this year because I have a friend on the committee. I will post those when they are available.
Happy Reading.
Showing posts with label various. Show all posts
Showing posts with label various. Show all posts
02 January 2012
28 June 2009
Barack and Baseball
We are leaving tomorrow for a visit to DC and then to western Virginia to ride the Creeper Trail. I am trying to pack lightly for all three of us, but don't want to completely toss aside the normal routines for a week. So, we will be bringing one sleep-toy and some books with us to continue Isaac's bedtime rituals.
I asked Isaac to choose the sleep-toy and books he wanted to pack for our trip today. Surprisingly Froggy made the cut and Blackie Bear will be left at home. But this blog is about books and not my son's current favorite stuffy, so here is a list of books that Isaac chose to bring along (he was limited to five).
Oh, David! by David Shannon
The Okay Book by Todd Parr
The Pop-up Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae
Casey at the Bat illustrated by Christopher Bing
Marvel Adventures: Hulk, Misunderstood Monster
Since we will be gone for a week, and neither Matt nor I want to read these particular books umpteen times over the next few days, I added to the list.
Spiderman: Worst Enemies by Catherine Saunders
Amazing Tigers by Sarah Thomson
Duck On a Bike by David Shannon
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
Curious George Goes Camping by Margret and HA Rey
The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! by Mo Willems
These books should keep Isaac occupied for a little while in the car and provide some variety at bedtime. I considered bringing the Barack Obama biography that he has since we are going to DC, but wanted to conserve space. We haven't left yet, though, so it still might make it in. Isaac is very excited about seeing where the President lives.
When Isaac first brought his choices to me, he had The Memory Coat by Elvira Woodruff in the stack, rather than Casey at the Bat. He has pulled this one off the shelf a couple of times and I always encourage him to pick a different book. It is one that I had purchased as part of an author visit, so it has been added to his collection even though it is not an appropriate book for his age. I think he chooses it because the cover is a similar color to Casey at the Bat. It is not that I do not want to read the book to him. I do, when he is older. I just know that it is not a story he will understand and appreciate, or be able to sit through, right now. Today I asked him to look inside the book to make sure he wanted to bring it. He did, and after looking at a couple of pages of soft watercolors and lots of text, he closed it and said "No, I don't like this." Upstairs he went, and back down he came, this time carrying Casey at the Bat. A much more appropriate, if not more welcome, choice. By now I can almost recite the entire poem, we have read it so many times. After this week, I might be saying it in my sleep.
"The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day; the score stood 4 to 2 with but one inning more to play. And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same, a sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game. . . "
I asked Isaac to choose the sleep-toy and books he wanted to pack for our trip today. Surprisingly Froggy made the cut and Blackie Bear will be left at home. But this blog is about books and not my son's current favorite stuffy, so here is a list of books that Isaac chose to bring along (he was limited to five).
Oh, David! by David Shannon
The Okay Book by Todd Parr
The Pop-up Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae
Casey at the Bat illustrated by Christopher Bing
Marvel Adventures: Hulk, Misunderstood Monster
Since we will be gone for a week, and neither Matt nor I want to read these particular books umpteen times over the next few days, I added to the list.
Spiderman: Worst Enemies by Catherine Saunders
Amazing Tigers by Sarah Thomson
Duck On a Bike by David Shannon
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
Curious George Goes Camping by Margret and HA Rey
The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! by Mo Willems
These books should keep Isaac occupied for a little while in the car and provide some variety at bedtime. I considered bringing the Barack Obama biography that he has since we are going to DC, but wanted to conserve space. We haven't left yet, though, so it still might make it in. Isaac is very excited about seeing where the President lives.
When Isaac first brought his choices to me, he had The Memory Coat by Elvira Woodruff in the stack, rather than Casey at the Bat. He has pulled this one off the shelf a couple of times and I always encourage him to pick a different book. It is one that I had purchased as part of an author visit, so it has been added to his collection even though it is not an appropriate book for his age. I think he chooses it because the cover is a similar color to Casey at the Bat. It is not that I do not want to read the book to him. I do, when he is older. I just know that it is not a story he will understand and appreciate, or be able to sit through, right now. Today I asked him to look inside the book to make sure he wanted to bring it. He did, and after looking at a couple of pages of soft watercolors and lots of text, he closed it and said "No, I don't like this." Upstairs he went, and back down he came, this time carrying Casey at the Bat. A much more appropriate, if not more welcome, choice. By now I can almost recite the entire poem, we have read it so many times. After this week, I might be saying it in my sleep.
"The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day; the score stood 4 to 2 with but one inning more to play. And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same, a sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game. . . "
24 June 2009
Catching Up
Isaac will be 4 in a few weeks. We started reading to him and buying him books on Day 1, so I have a lot of catching up to do if I am going to discuss stories that have made a connection with him. There have been many favorites over the past few years, some of which have been read thousands of times, or at least it feels like it. Here is a list of some books that Isaac has gone back to over and over, in no particular order:
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Go, Dog. Go! by PD Eastman
Curious George by HA Rey (and various sequels -- Curious George Makes Pancakes has been the most popular)
Where's Spot? by Eric Hill
Owen and Mzee Best Friends (board book abbreviation of Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Craig Hatkoff)
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer, illustrated by Christopher Bing
Fun Dog, Sun Dog by Deborah Heiligman
The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
Corduroy by Don Freeman
We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
I Stink! by Kate and Jim McMullan
Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
Tickle the Duck by Ethan Long
Hulk, The Incredible Guide by Tom DeFalco
Spiderman, The Ultimate Guide by Tom DeFalco
Many in the list you probably recognize. And some are newer titles with which you may not be familiar. Some of them have become favorites because Matt or I enjoyed reading them, which translated to Isaac becoming attached to them. And there are those that Matt and I groan over when we see them being pulled off of the shelf. Then there are the "Daddy books" that I refuse to read at bedtime. You can probably guess what those are.
I thought that I would be able to find a common theme in the list when I started this post, but in looking at it now, I can't. Many of them get Isaac giggling so hard that he truly lives up to his name. Others are sweet, gentle stories. Some of them have a character that reminds Isaac of something in his own life and a few are just good "boy" books about superheroes or garbage trucks. But what I can say about them all is that Isaac has at some point picked them out as his book of choice. And that is probably what I would rate as the most important factor in reading with boys, or any children. Let them pick the books, at least some of the time. Even if it will take 30 minutes to read and you wanted storytime to last 10 minutes. And especially if it is a book that you would never pick out yourself. By validating his choices and supporting his interests, I hope that I am showing Isaac that reading is important to me. I have even suffered through a thorough reading of Hulk's various enemies and exploits during evening storytime because that is what he pulled off the shelf that night, and Daddy was conveniently absent.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Go, Dog. Go! by PD Eastman
Curious George by HA Rey (and various sequels -- Curious George Makes Pancakes has been the most popular)
Where's Spot? by Eric Hill
Owen and Mzee Best Friends (board book abbreviation of Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Craig Hatkoff)
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer, illustrated by Christopher Bing
Fun Dog, Sun Dog by Deborah Heiligman
The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
Corduroy by Don Freeman
We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
I Stink! by Kate and Jim McMullan
Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
Tickle the Duck by Ethan Long
Hulk, The Incredible Guide by Tom DeFalco
Spiderman, The Ultimate Guide by Tom DeFalco
Many in the list you probably recognize. And some are newer titles with which you may not be familiar. Some of them have become favorites because Matt or I enjoyed reading them, which translated to Isaac becoming attached to them. And there are those that Matt and I groan over when we see them being pulled off of the shelf. Then there are the "Daddy books" that I refuse to read at bedtime. You can probably guess what those are.
I thought that I would be able to find a common theme in the list when I started this post, but in looking at it now, I can't. Many of them get Isaac giggling so hard that he truly lives up to his name. Others are sweet, gentle stories. Some of them have a character that reminds Isaac of something in his own life and a few are just good "boy" books about superheroes or garbage trucks. But what I can say about them all is that Isaac has at some point picked them out as his book of choice. And that is probably what I would rate as the most important factor in reading with boys, or any children. Let them pick the books, at least some of the time. Even if it will take 30 minutes to read and you wanted storytime to last 10 minutes. And especially if it is a book that you would never pick out yourself. By validating his choices and supporting his interests, I hope that I am showing Isaac that reading is important to me. I have even suffered through a thorough reading of Hulk's various enemies and exploits during evening storytime because that is what he pulled off the shelf that night, and Daddy was conveniently absent.
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