Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

A friend just asked for a list of multicultural reads for 6th graders, and since reading multicultural books is so important I thought I would share it here. Multicultural Reads for 6th Graders: The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, Christopher Paul Curtis Esperanza Rising, Pam Munoz Ryan Brown Girl Dreaming, J. Woodson (LOVED this book) One Crazy Summer, Williams-Garcia Inside Out and Back Again, Lai The Cay, T. Taylor Ties That Bind, Ties That Break, Lensey Namioka Witch of Blackbird Pond, Speare Chains (Book #1, The Seeds of America Trilogy), Anderson Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor Birchbark House, Erdich Starry River of the Sky, Lin Threads, Polonsky Dancing, Alma Flor Ada Tiger Boy, Perkins Ninth Ward, Rhodes Star in the Forest (story about illegal immigrants--timely), Resau Boys Without Names, Sheth How I Became a Ghost, Tingle

 This is awesome. And a little sad, because it's true.  I love love love Richard Scarry's books, love his artwork, and love that I get to introduce my Savannah Banana to it soon! Back to work today after a wonderful week at the Farm. Missing it more than a little today.

We are always super pumped when a new Mo Willems book comes out, especially when it's that silly, funny duo, Gerald (Elephant) & Piggie. Willem's newest book, due out June 3rd, arrived at Sticks Library today, taken from the box by a very excited Prairie Dawn, who exclaimed, "ELEPHANT & PIGGIE ARE HERE!!" (She's pretty enthusiastic about most things--one of the things I love about working with her!) My New Friend is So Fun! is a story about friendship, both new and old, but also in wonderfully illustrated, simply and lovely laid out Mo Willems style, covers that feeling we get when our dearest friends hang out with someone new that's so fun, so so fun! That little voice in your head that makes you wonder if you're replaceable and maybe not as so fun, so so fun ! maybe not even best friends anymore...but also in Willems style there is sweetness and a lovely ending. I won't say more, because let's be honest, Willems' books are as much...

I know it's been around for years, but I finally got around to reading Gennifer Choldenko's, Al Capone Does My Shirts . The year is 1934, and Moose Flannagan's Dad has taken a job as a prison guard on Alcatraz, which Moose is none to happy about!  Though the story is a coming of age tale in some senses, it is more importantly an examination of a family struggling w/ having an autistic child--at a time when the condition wasn't understood--with the backdrop of life on Alcatraz. The universal themes of love and acceptance feel pertinent in today's bullying-concerned society, and also pertinent is the attention paid to Moose's relationship with his sister Natalie, who's autistic symptoms (though not referred to as autism in the book, but rather in the author's notes) would have today's kids baffled as well. Moose's frustrations with his mother, his responsibility for caring for Natalie, and at being taken a...

Anyone who's worked with me long enough has heard my bitter diatribe about how there are no GOOD Thanksgiving picture books to read with the K-2 grade crowd...yeah, there are a bunch out there, but for a variety of reasons--too long, too hokey, too boring--there are few that I actually enjoy sharing with the kids, and my philosophy is if I don't enjoy them the kids won't either, because I won't be putting my full gusto into the reading! So, getting down from my Thanksgiving book soap box, I'll share those books and be THANKFUL that they're out there! The first is obviously silly and geared toward the eating aspect, but the other two share a little more about the Indians and Pilgrims side of things--the best of both worlds! Based on I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly , Alison Jackson The kids LOVE this book. The rhymes are silly, but the pictures are downright RIDICULOUS! I laughed out loud at the picture of the kids bouncing on the old lady like a t...