October Picks

Happy October! I had the fortune of bringing in fall by attending the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. the weekend of the Autum Solctice. What an amazing experience! Below is a link to the Library of Congress website, the organization that ran the event, where you can watch video speeches of all the authors who visit the festival. I was rather gidddy to come face-to-face with famous authors such as Jon Klassen, Oliver Jeffers, Grace Lin and, even though he writes for adults, Don DeLillo. Other authors who were giving speeches included Kevin Henkes, Lisa McMann, Suzy Lee and Holly Black plus many, many more! Check out the National Book Festival website for more information and videos. 

Click here to visit the National Book Festival website.

Below are some new books I have recently added the library collections. Please feel free to share them with your students. 


The First Drawing, by Mordicai Gerstein (K-3)

“Imagine you were born before the invention of drawing more than thirty thousand years ago.” A boy with shaggy red hair dressed in

jeans, his back to the viewer, becomes a boy with shaggy red hair dressed in animal skins on the next page. He lives in a cave with a large multigenerational family and spends his time watching deer and bears and looking at clouds. He alone sees shapes where others see, for instance, just a stone. A stare down with a woolly mammoth pushes the boy to recreate its massive shape on the cave wall. And though his family at first fears the drawing’s magic, before long they’re drawing, too. An author’s note introduces French cave drawings, and notes no one knows who made the world’s first drawing. ~Ilene Cooper, Booklist 



Baby Bear Counts One, by Ashley Wolff (Grades PreK-2)

First seen in Baby Bear Sees Blue (S & S, 2012), the curious cub returns in this fall-themed counting book. Mama Bear gently answers Baby Bear's questions about who is making a noise as he counts different animals gathering food, migrating, or dashing through the woods and fields in preparation for winter. Each spread includes onomatopoeic words to suggest the animal to both children and the bear. Wolff's stunning linoleum block and watercolor illustrations are suffused with autumn light and color, and the creatures appear to swim, fly, and jump off the pages. Extreme close-ups are juxtaposed with larger framing illustrations that celebrate the season, the creatures portrayed, and the playful bear. Successful as a counting book, an autumnal celebration, and a cozy book to share either one-on-one or in a group, this title will be warmly welcomed in all libraries. ~Marge Loch-Wouter, School Library Journal 



Robot, Go Bot!, by Dana Meachen Rau (Grades K-2)

A little girl assembles her own robot and speaks to him in short, rhyming phrases, beginning with “Bubble blow, Bot?” as she blows bubbles for him to chase, and “Throw, Bot” as they play catch. Gradually, she becomes more imperious, ordering him to hoe the garden, mow the grass, and tow her in a wagon. After Bot storms off, she leads him back and makes amends by pushing him on the backyard swing. Beginning readers will appreciate the brevity of the text and the predictability of the rhyming phrases. An appealing choice for young readers and robot fans. ~Carolyn Phelan, Booklist


The Year of Billy Miller, by Kevin Henkes (Grades 2-5)

Billy Miller is starting second grade, and though his teacher, Mrs. Silver, tells the class it is the Year of the Rabbit, Billy’s father tells him it will be the Year of Billy Miller. Billy isn’t sure. He’s even more worried when he gets off on the wrong foot his first day, but as the months go on, Billy begins to shine. There are some wonderful moments here: when Billy brings his teacher silver items—coins, a paper clip, a little rabbit—to show her he’s a nice boy; when he agonizes over how to tell his father that Papa is a babyish name; and a triumphant ending when poetry and self-confidence intertwine. But the school year also seems rushed, and some intriguing characters, like the annoying Emma, are barely touched. Harkening back to writers of an earlier era, like Eleanor Estes, Henkes never compromises his language. Words like replicated, diligently, and frustrated appear—and that’s on just one page. Since this is so age specific, older readers might pass it by. That would be too bad, because this is a story with a lot of heart and sweet insights into growing up. ~Ilene Cooper, Booklist 


Beryl: A Pigs Tale, by Jane Simmons (Grades 2-5)

Beryl's adventuresome spirit blossoms when she escapes from a truck on its way to market. Though initially befriended by a wild pig and her relatives, the pink porker is quickly ostracized from their wilderness community. Accompanied by her new found family, she goes on a series of travels that eventually lead them to a more accepting home. Beryl demonstrates significant growth as she challenges her assumptions along her perilous journey. Simmons interjects humorous episodes through her colorful cast of animal characters, providing a rich contrast to the serious topics she explores. ~Meg Smith, School Library Journal 
  

The Cup and the Crown, by Diane Stanley (Grades 4-6) 

When Molly’s friend, young King Alaric, sends her on a quest to find an enchanted “loving cup,” she discovers a hidden city, Harrowsgode, where magic is common and where she will find links to her own past and perhaps threats of a forbidding future. As in the first novel of Molly’s adventures, the well-received The Silver Bowl (2011), the former scullery maid is reluctant to reveal her own powers, which might prove her undoing or perhaps her salvation. Molly and her best friend Tobias continue to be thoroughly engaging characters. An open ending promises a third volume of Molly’s adventures, which will surely delight Stanley fans. ~Michael Cart, Booklist

Starry River of the Sky, by Grace Lin (Grades 3-6) **Autographed copy! :) 

This mesmerizing companion to the Newbery Honor Book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (2009) does not disappoint. Rendi has run away from home, stowed in the back of a merchant’s cart, until he is discovered and left stranded in the scarcely populated Village of Clear Sky. There he becomes the innkeeper’s chore boy and is

introduced to a cast of characters, including Mr. Shan, a wise older man; Madame Chang, a mysterious out-of-town guest with a gift for storytelling; and a toad whom Mr. Shan calls Rabbit. All the while, the moon is missing, and it seems only Rendi is tormented by the sky’s sad wailing noises at night. Madame Chang insists that for each story she tells—including one about ruler Wang Yi’s wife, who transformed into a toad and lived out the rest of her days on the moon—Rendi must tell one of his own. Unlike its predecessor, this novel is stationary in setting, but it offers up similar stories based on Chinese folklore that interweave with and advance the main narrative. Each of the tales reveals something important about the teller, and most offer a key piece of the mysterious puzzle: what happened to the moon? A few characters from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, including Magistrate Tiger, appear on the periphery of the action. Lin’s writing is clear and lyrical, her plotting complex, and her illustrations magical, all of which make this a book to be savored. ~Anne Kelly, Booklist  

***********APP OF THE MONTH***********

Wet, Dry, Try (updated!)

Make handwriting practice fun! With the Wet-Dry-Try App, children learn and practice correct formation habits for writing capitals, numbers, and lowercase letters. The app simulates our Slate Chalkboard and Blackboard with Double Lines and helps children learn handwriting skills in the easiest, most efficient way. The result truly is handwriting without tears!