I would like to welcome Anika Denise as a new regular contributer to Kidoinfo. The author of “Pigs Love Potatoes” and the forthcoming “Bella And Stella Come Home”  will review children’s books; new ones, well-loved classics, and overlooked gems. Anika lives in Barrington, Rhode Island with her husband, Christopher and their two daughters, ages 8 and 5.  You might know her from Barrington Books where she hosts the Thursday morning story hour.  You can read more of her children’s book reviews and story hour suggestions at www.bookmarks-ri.blogspot.com and at www.anikadenise.blogspot.com.

Today: Story Corner Friday: Lions-to-Lambs

March “comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb,” the saying goes, and here in Rhode Island, it seems to be doing just that. For a fun way to celebrate the month of March and the first day of spring with your children, try these seasonal story hour selections.

“Little Cloud and Lady Wind,” – Toni Morrison (Author) Slade Morrison (Illustrator)
A beautiful story by famous novelist Toni Morrison (illustrated by her son) about a little girl cloud who at first, does not want to join the other clouds in making storms that rain down on the earth. Then, Lady Wind explains that she does not always have to be stormy—she can be whatever kind of cloud she’d like. Children will appreciate the dreamy, blue-hued illustrations as well as the story’s gentle message about the connectedness of all things in nature.

“Birds,” – Kevin Henkes (Author), Laura Dronzek (Illustrator)
“If birds made marks with their tail feathers when they flew, think what the sky would look like,” says the narrator in Henkes’s lovely book about birds. With charming text and colorful paintings of birds in all their variety and splendor, it’s a perfect choice for springtime-themed reading.

“Forever Friends,” – Carin Berger (Author, Illustrator)
A simple, quiet story about a little brown bunny and a bluebird, this book contains paintings that feel like gorgeously designed wallpaper. Children and parents will find it a lovely book to see, hear and hold.

“Here Comes Gosling!” – Sandy Asher (Author), Keith Graves (Illustrator)
Froggie can’t wait to meet Goose and Gander’s new baby Gosling. But when baby Gosling “Hoooooooooonnks” endlessly, his excitement diminishes considerably. In the end, it’s Froggie who figures out how to soothe Gosling, to everyone’s delight. Any kid who’s had to contend with the noisy cries of of a new baby will relate to this sweet and funny tale.

For a fun craft to go with your springtime-themed story hour try:
“Baby Birds in a Nest”
(Ages: 3 and Up)

Thanks to the folks at Busy Bee Kids Crafts this super-cute craft project is a snap!

materials:

• Plastic egg (one half for each bird)
• Construction paper
• Paper plate
• Brown paint
• Paint brush
• Scissors
• Glue

how-to:

1. Paint your paper plate brown. If your plate has a waxy finish on it you may need to put on 2 coats of paint.

2. Now you will make your baby birds. Fold a small piece of orange construction paper, cut out a triangle on the fold, this will make the bird’s beak.

3. From construction paper cut out two wings for each of your birds. Make a small fold at the bottom of each wing, this will give your a place to put the glue.

4. Glue your beak and wings onto your birds. Most plastic eggs have air holes on them, which will look great as your bird’s eyes. If your eggs don’t have air hole, you can draw some on with a permanent marker.

5. Put some glue on the bottom of your eggs and glue your birds into their nest.

6. Cut some brown strips of paper.

7. Glue the brown strips around the lip of the paper plate.

Providence Public Library’s (Central Library, 150 Empire Street, Providence) visiting author series continues with Rhode Island author Christine Carr, who will present Mother Daze: Tales from the Imperfect Playground on Sunday, March 21 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm (Barnard Room, 3rd Floor).

Mother Daze is a truthful account of modern motherhood, a virtual high five offered to the women of the world, written by a girl who thought she had life well under control until kids came along…

This heartfelt story, told through entertaining anecdotes from Carr’s own adventures as a 37-year-old mother of three young children, coupled with her 15 years as an elementary physical education teacher, will provide smiles and sunshine for women who honestly question “What happened to my life?”

About the Book and Author
Christine Carr began her teaching career as a physical education teacher in East Greenwich, RI, and as a coach. Eventually she left coaching in order to pursue her Master’s in the Administration of Physical Ed. and Health Ed. Her entire thesis research project was based on the over-scheduling of today’s youth and how it related to future burn-out rates among athletes. Married for 12 years to Andrew Carr, they have three children Nolan (9), Jane (6) and Finley (4) and live in South Kingstown.

Reviewed by Marcia Maynard

Pop the popcorn, pour the juice. Get ready for a G-rated book by New England resident Gail Gibbons:  Lights! Camera! Actions! How a Movie is Made.

The story begins with an excited producer waving a book that’s destined to become a hit movie. Gibbons explains the pre-production stage of hiring script writers and casting directors and finding actors and actresses for the show. As this crew grows, designers and technicians become involved. Soon, rehearsals begin.

After months of work and rehearsals, production begins. Gibbons writes how scenes are not shot in order, but instead scenes in the same location are shot together. Eventually, after shoots and reshoots,  final scenes are selected and edited. Post-production begins. A soundtrack is added, the movie is completed, and it’s on to opening night.

What is a lengthy process in real life is summed up clearly in this 32-page children’s picture book. With her colorful illustrations, Gibbons gives detailed visual information to support and enhance her story. Young readers will understand new terms such as gaffers and camera operators. They’ll see behind the scenes and realize how many people are involved in making a movie.

Gibbons leaves her readers in the audience of opening night, just as the movie begins, wishing for a sequel to her story.

Lights! Camera! Action! How a Movie is Made
by Gail Gibbons
For grades 1-4
1985 Harper Collins
This book is out of print but available through the Ocean State Library system and on Amazon.com.

For more information about Gail Gibbons, go to www.gailgibbons.com

Reviewed by Marcia Maynard

Looking for a biography for your preschooler? The Story of Rosa Parks, by Patricia Pingry is a perfect fit. In her board book, Pingry tells us the story of Rosa Parks’ life from birth to the Supreme Court ruling that segregation on city buses was unconstitutional.

The story begins,  “Do you know Rosa Parks? She is called the mother is civil rights.”  Each page has one or two simple sentences stating the basic, yet important facts about Rosa Parks. There’s enough information for a young child to learn about her, but not be overwhelmed with details.

Steven Walker, illustrator, starts us with a painting of children on a field trip. The multi-racial class  is  looking at a statue of Mrs. Parks. He ends the book with a group of modern day children sitting in the back of a school bus, smiling and chatting. Walker focuses on faces, bodies and colors to set the tone of the famous Alabama bus event.

Pingry writes of a complex topic with appropriate language and style for young children. The Story of Rosa Parks is published by Candy Cane Press and if you search this site, you’ll find a series of biographies by Pingry in board book version, ideal for a young children.

Details:
The Story of Rosa Parks
Board Book
Copyright 2007
Candy Cane Press
$6.99

By Kristen Swanberg, Senior Director of Conservation, Audubon Society of Rhode Island

Did you know that some animals live out the winter beneath the snow?  Scientists use the word subnivean to describe the world under the snow cover.  Snow acts as a thermal blanket, protecting animals like mice, voles, and shrews from the winter cold.  These animals build elaborate tunnels and nets under the snow.  The tunnels are like little roadways that they travel through protecting them from predators.  However, this frosty covering does not always hide them completely.  Owls, foxes, and coyotes can hear mice moving through the tunnels from above and often pounce through the snow catching an unsuspecting mouse.

Snow is very important to the survival of these small mammals.  This winter when there is a nice layer of snow on the ground, think about who may be living under it.  And in the spring as the snow starts to melt you many find many of these tunnels scattered through out a forest, field or even your own backyard.

Resources for more information:

Under the Snow by Melissa Stewart
Discover Nature in Winter by Elizabeth P. Lawlor

Situated on a 28-acre wildlife refuge in Bristol, Rhode Island, Audubon’s Environmental Education Center is open year-round and provides walking trails, nature programs, and exhibits for the whole family to discover.  For more information and a complete calendar of events, visit www.asri.org or call (401) 245-7500.

Artwork by Mary Lamb Greene. Provided by Audubon’s Environmental Education Center

Reviewed by Marcia Maynard

Flannel Kisses is a cozy winter story about a family of five. Linda Crotta Brennan uses rhyming text to take her readers from morning to night on a snowy day.

“Flannel sheets, Cold floor,” starts the book, as a girl wakes and leaves her bed. “Hot oatmeal, Out the door!”  We feel the warmth that surrounds the family as they eat breakfast together before playing outside in the snow.

Mari Takabayashi’s use of colors and detail brings the reader right into this country scene. We can relate to wearing a slippery snowsuit and hanging wet socks to dry after being outside all  morning. One of my favorite pages reads, “Fireside story.”  The illustration is of the living room filled with toys and wet clothes. Children are sitting on Dad’s lap as he reads a bedtime story and mom is holding the baby on a rocking horse.

Flannel Kisses reminds me about the best part of parenting: the love of family time. Playing, snuggling, and eating together are joyful parts of our life that are sometimes overlooked. With her experience as a mom and a writer,  Brennan shows us the story in life that brings the most meaning.

Linda Brennan lives in Rhode Island and can be reached through her blog, lcbrennan.blogspot.com, or her website, lindacrottabrennan.com

details:
Flannel Kisses
Written by Linda Crotta Brennan
Illustrated by Mari Takabayashi
2008 Houghton Mifflin

Marcia Maynard stays home with her two sons and plays. Prior to her current role as mom, she was an elementary school teacher and reading specialist.

The Rhode Island Center for the Book at Providence Public Library announces the 2010 title in this year’s statewide read project.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

About This Year’s Book

Written with warmth and humor, the novel begins in 1946 beneath the hovering WWII cloud of departed German troops who had occupied the island of Guernsey, one of the UK Channel Islands. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society affirms the power of books and their ability to sustain people in difficult times. It transports us, as is the nature of good books, and carries us away, improbabilities and internal logic notwithstanding.  It also revives the lost art of letter writing, empowered by deeply human characters who literally leap out from the pages as they contrast a dark period in history with wit and wisdom, and in doing so, demonstrate the power of the human spirit.

Author Mary Ann Shaffer, a librarian and editor, nurtured the tale about Guernsey for 20 years before committing pen to paper. Sadly, Ms. Shaffer passed away in February, 2008 before the final edits to the manuscript were complete.  She asked her niece, Annie Barrows, to complete the revisions. Annie Barrows, author of the popular children’s series Ivy & Bean and The Magic Half, nominated for the 2010 Rhode Island Children’s Book Award, has agreed to come to Rhode Island for the project’s finale in May.
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Reviewed by Marcia Maynard

Spotting the first snowflake of a storm brings excitement to a boy in Uri Shulevitz’s Snow. If you’re a parent in Rhode Island, you’ll feel a connection to this Caldecott honor book. The opening pages show  the gray world that’s seen before a snowstorm. But soon, one snowflake falls. A boy smiles, looks out his window, and says to his dog,  “It’s snowing.” The reader feels his spark of energy.

As the boy and his dog run outside, they meet cynical adults who ignore the joy of snow. As more flakes fall, the city becomes whiter and the boy, happier. Soon, Mother Goose characters leap from a bookstore window to share the magic with the boy. Once the storm is finally over, the boy and his dog are the only two outside playing in the snow-white city.

Regardless of  how tired you may be of winter,  Shulevitz’s drawings and use of  bright colors  will make you want to share one more day of snow with your child.

The Details:
Snow by Uri Shulevitz
1998 Farrar Straus Giroux

Marcia Maynard stays home with her two sons and plays. Prior to her current role as mom, she was an elementary school teacher and reading specialist.

Reviewed by Katy Killilea

I have no daughters, but I’ve gathered that Bratz dolls and spangled Barbies are as inevitable as light sabers and Nerf gu—Nerf dart propelling devices are for boys. I grew up with loads of Barbies in the 1970s, and I remember my mom diligently balancing my Barbie lust with Free to Be You and Me (book and album) and a story book called Girls Can Do Anything. I remember my mom telling me, “You know you won’t look like Barbie when you grow up. You’ll probably look like me.” I was happy–what little girl doesn’t think her mom is the most beautiful woman in the world? Until…the disembodied Barbie head with makeup kit came on the market. That sealed it: I wanted makeup! Skimpy clothes! And to be an ice angel on Donnie and Marie!

For parents looking to balance out their home’s collection of–what precisely is the real offense?–slutty/pornographic/unrealistic body image-inducing/etc. toys, consider Girls Are Not Chicks. This is the coloring book with a Rapunzel who rescues herself, using duct tape and a Tina Turner album, and a Little Miss Muffet who matter-of-factly tells an encroaching spider, “I ain’t moving from this tuffet.” There are girls and boys–or girls with short hair. Or boys with long hair. Probably boys and girls. Without all of the stereotypical gender signifiers, it’s impossible to say–riding a school bus together to a place with lots of drums and co-ed ice hockey.

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Reviewed by Katy Killilea

Who doesn’t like their dinner hot, ready, and waiting? For this and many other reasons, slow cookers make people happy. The notion of slow cookers as frumpy pot roast factories is completely outdated, if Facebook is any kind of bellwether. There all the cool kids are swapping secrets for transforming ingredients, slowly and effortlessly, into amazing meals. This year cookbooks are finally catching up to the humble appliance’s current batch of adoring fans.

Make It Fast, Cook It Slow is the astounding collection of recipes from the (also astounding, if you’re into this kind of thing) home cook who resolved to use her slow cooker daily for an entire year. The collection started as a blog and makes a surprisingly useful and very diverse book. There are quite a few of the “dump in a jar of this and a glop of that” recipes (e.g. Applesauce Chicken or Cheeseburger Soup–featuring Velveeta!) that people pretend to hate (but love) as well as many more that use whole ingredients, prepared from scratch (like Quinoa Casserole or Chipotle Chicken with Sweet Potatoes). All this plus cool ideas like brownies baked–slow cooked, that is–in coffee mugs, then topped with ice cream. Did I mention instructions for making crayons and air freshener? Most of the recipes are geared toward families, and it’s all gluten free, since one of the author’s children has a wheat intolerance.

Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever is the first slow cooker book I’ve seen that is huge, comprehensive, and beautifully designed. The typefaces and photography make this great couch-time reading, and there’s a nice balance of lowbrow and high-ish brow cooking here. In our house the Refried Bean Casserole is given an A+ and can be made with the refried beans of your choice–whether that means you sort and start soaking the beans a day ahead, or crank open some cans. New classics  (Veggie Cassoulet, Chicken Braised in Stout) and old favorites like chicken pot pie and brisket are all here. This is, after all, a book with over 400 recipes–along with your pot’s instruction manual, it may be the only book you need.

Art of the Slow Cooker is just as gorgeous, less diffuse, and more showstopper than family-oriented. No shortcuts here: bar from your mind the bowls and skillets that will require washing once the Chevre and Pumpkin Lasagna is assembled in the cooker–it will be hot, ready and waiting at dinnertime, and the cleanup will be in the distant past by the time you dig in. And there are plenty of simpler recipes to knock one’s socks off. Curried Coconut Chicken Soup is made almost entirely from pantry ingredients and feels just right when stumbling in from a cold, dark, interminable soccer practice. Fancy or simple, the recipes here will convince any slow cooker skeptics that slow is the way to go.

The details:

Make It Fast, Cook It Slow
by Stephanie O’Dea
2009 Hyperion $19.99

Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever
by Diane Phillips
2009 Chronicle $24.95

Art of the Slow Cooker
by Andrew Schloss
2008 Chronicle  $24.95

The publishers of these books provided copies for review. Kidoinfo has no undisclosed relationship with the publishers and does not accept payment for reviews.