From the Back Cover: "CAN IT TEXT? BLOG? SCROLL? WI-FI? NO...it's a book."
I can't say enough about what a delight this picture book is, so I'll just recommend it for grades five and up. This is one of those unique titles that will remind older children (and even some adults) what fun a picture book can be. It's a Book is by Lane Smith, the award winning illustrater of The Stinky Cheese Man and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.
If you can stand the irony, watch this teaser courtesy of youtube:
If you know someone who is feeling a little too small to start school - or not quite ready to start back to school - they may appreciate that Lola feels the same way. Lola is Charlie's little sister. She is small and very funny - as all the "Charlie and Lola" books by Lauren Child will tell you. But in I Am Too Absolutely Small for School, Lola explains that she is still really quite small and simply does not have time to go to school, as she is extremely busy doing important things at home. Lola's reassuring and exceptionally patient older brother, Charlie, points out all the advantages to going to school, including learning to "read books and understand secret messages written on the fridge." Now there's a powerful incentive - but Lola is unmoved until Charlie reminds her that her invisible friend Soren Lorensen will be going to school.
Recommended for ages 4 to 8, this Charlie and Lola book is just one of our favorite Starting School Stories. You can enjoy Charlie and Lola on DVD, too. For a sample, watch the YouTube video below of: I Am Really, Really Concentrating.
Take a look at this wonderful dvd, part of the Scholastic Video Collection. The Scholastic videos are based on high quality children's picture books, and they generally do an excellent job of bringing the books to life. The first story on this dvd is adapted from the book The Scrambled States of America, written and illustrated by Laurie Keller. What a fun, even wacky, introduction to U.S. geography! Entertaining for parents as well as children. The second track presents the book This Land is Your Land, words and music by famous folk singer Woody Guthrie, and paintings by Kathy Jakobsen. Jakobsen's artwork is gorgeous, and we get to hear Guthrie's voice sing his revered song about America, both its beauties and its injustices. This is a wonderful tribute to Guthrie and his music. The third story is adapted from the book The Star-Spangled Banner, illustrated by Peter Spier, with words taken from the poem by Frances Scott Key. This one is less successful visually, partly due to the jerky animation of the humans in the illustrations. (The pictures that are landscapes only are more appealing.) However, the crowning grace is that the anthem is soulfully performed by one of my favorite singers, Aretha Franklin. (See and hear Franklin singing the national anthem on this YouTube video, in Washington D.C. in July, 2009.)
Bonus features on this dvd include the Caldecott honor book John Henry by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, and the poetic Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindbergh, illustrated by Kathy Jakobsen. (Bonus features not yet viewed by this reviewer.) Recommended for ages 5-11.
The movie smashes together several of the books in the Ramona series. So if you fall in love with these characters and want to read more, here is a list of the 8 books in the series that are available at the Monroe County Public Library.
Homer P. Figg and his older brother Harold are orphans, and their sad lives are made even more wretched by their mean guardian, Uncle Squinton. "Squint" forces Harold to be conscripted into the Union Army even though he is underage, and Homer is compelled to try to rescue his brother before he is killed in the savagery of the Civil War. Thus begin The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg. (Mostly true, because to Homer, telling the truth "don't come easy.") It's unusual to have a humorous book that takes place in a time of war, and though plenty of sad things happen, the author (RodmanPhilbrick, who also wrote the famed YA novel Freak the Mighty)succeeds in keeping a lighter tone which kids and parents will appreciate. I hope you'll enjoy the folksy humor and fascinating characters as much as I did! (This book is a 2010 Newbery Honor book and is recommended for grades 5-8.)
