Book Bucket List | Gift Books!

It's December 20th. I have only three real days of shopping left.  I'm still not done and I'm trying not to completely freak out.  (Brothers of mine, I promise you won't go without!) Since I always end up scouring the internet for gift ideas last minute, I thought I would make a list of my own. 

Here's a few bookish gift ideas:

The picture book This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen is not only hilarious, but  imparts some helpful life lessons as well.  It is the 2013 winner of the Caldecott Medal from the American Library Association too.  Follow the journey of a little fish who just happens to "find" a hat. Yikes!

Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan is the Newbery Award winner for 2013.  The story is about Ivan, the gorilla happily living at a mall.  He loves his fellow animal friends and likes to focus on his art.  However, when Ivan meets the baby elephant Ruby, who was taken away from her elephant family, Ivan's perspective on life quickly changes.  This chapter book would be perfect for a young reader. (The cover is also one of my favorites this year!)

Teens are almost the easiest to buy for this season.  There are so many popular series out that appeal to fans of multiple genres.  Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Games series is still huge, especially with the recent release of Catching Fire in theaters.  Veronica Roth's Divergent series is another good option, as the movie in that series will be coming out this March. (Yay!)  And as always, there's Harry Potter. (Shameless plug, I know)

One of my favorite books I read this year was James McBride's The Color of Water.  This year, McBride's new book The Good Lord Bird won the National Book Award for Fiction from the National Book Foundation.  The story begins in 1857 when the young slave, Henry Shackleford, leaves the Kansas territory with abolitionist  John Brown after a violent argument.  However, after a case of mistaken identity, Brown believes Henry is actually a girl.  The pair eventually end up at Harper's Ferry, one of the many catalysts of the Civil War.

Vader's Little Princess and Darth Vader and Son are some of the funniest Star Wars books I've ever seen.  If Lord Vader ever knew about the existence of his children (sorry spoiler alert), then maybe the scenes in these books may have actually happened.  Very funny and good for all ages!

For lovers of non-fiction, the recent release of Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields by Wendy Lower is really fascinating.  Lower has done quite a bit of research on the involvement of the much ignored presence of women in Nazi Germany.  This is a must read for any history buff.

4 Kids | And the Oscar Goes To...

Ok, not the Oscar, but yesterday, the American Library Association did announce several awards I just have to talk about! Admittedly, we library types get a little over-excited about these awards. But when I heard two of the winners, I simply had to write about them.

First of all, the Caldecott Award. This is awarded each year to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. (It's like Best Actor Award at the Academy Awards.) This year -- drum roll, please -- the award goes to Jon Klassen for his book This is Not My Hat. You may recall I was singing the praises of this great picture book not too very long ago in this very blog! So I guess that means I picked the winner! 

And if you missed my praise earlier, I will repeat. This is a GREAT book! Aside from its good moral about how it's wrong to steal, the pictures really, really help tell the story. In fact, the reader who is paying attention will know more about what's going on in the story than the poor little narrator. Well, perhaps the "poor little narrator" doesn't deserve all our sympathy.

It's a great book....great for all ages....and my hat's off to Jon Klassen for being awarded this very prestigious honor!

And the other big award yesterday was the Newbery Award. Now this goes to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. And this year, the Newbery goes to The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. This is one of the most beautiful stories I've ever read. It's told from the point of view of Ivan, a gorilla at a run-down mall circus. He's funny, very smart, and really, really knows the value of true friendship. Full disclosure: this one might make you tear up just a little. But it's ok. You'll come away feeling pretty darn good.

And just so you know, SSJCPL will be buying lots of copies of this great book very soon, so stay tuned!

That's all for today. Happy Reading to you all!

4 Kids | Do Not Steal

Stealing is wrong. We all know that. The guilt can eat away at you. And then you'll probably get caught. And when you get caught, you'll get punished. Oh, stealing is so wrong. 

So please don't think I'm promoting stealing when I say my favorite book of 2013 involves stealing. Stealing a hat, to be exact.

I didn't think I could love a book more than I Want My Hat Back. It's laugh out loud funny, even if the ending might be a tad bit upsetting to some of you gentle readers. The illustrations are awesome, and that bear. What can I say? You just gotta love him.

But that author, Jon Klassen, has done it again! My new favorite book of 2013 is This Is Not My Hat. Once again, there is a hat theft. At the beginning of the book we meet a little minnow wearing a blue hat. But it's not his hat. And trouble could be right behind.

In both of these books, you've got to pay attention to the pictures. They help tell the story, because sometimes our dear narrators aren't too swift.

So pick up a copy of one of Klassen's books and enjoy! If you don't find them on the picture book shelves at a SSJCPL branch library near you, just place a request! We'll get one to you!

And since this is my first post of the New Year, I thought I would pay tribute to a few kids' book I read and loved during 2012. Perhaps one will strike your fancy and you'll want to read it too!

Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry. Second grade Gooney Bird Greene has some very interesting, and somewhat unbelievable, stories to share with her classmates.

Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker. Two very different girls, living together under the care of an elderly woman, barely speak to each other until the woman, Louise, unexpectedly dies. Fearing they'll be placed in another foster home, they bury her body in the garden and try to hide that she has died.

Walter, the Story of a Rat by Barbara Wersba. A rat that can read and write! What's not to like about this?

I can't wait to see what books the New Year has in store for me! Let me know what you're reading. Post a comment below....and don't forget, if you recommend a book to me, I'll read it! And I'll write about it! I promise!!

Happy New Year....and Happy Reading!