Reviewed by Anika Denise

“The ocean is a big place, and I am just a little boat,” begins Thomas Docherty’s tale of a tiny boat making its way through a vast ocean.

From the start, it’s clear that the little tugboat’s journey is meant to parallel a young child’s experiences in the big wide world, but Docherty makes the connections in such a sweet and subtle way, children will find themselves simply enjoying the ride while subconsciously relating to the story’s overarching metaphor.

The text is rhythmic, yet spare, with short descriptive phrases. “The sea is always changing, and full of dangers, but I sail on,” says the little boat while skirting the edges of an ominous whirlpool.

Despite “terrible storms, rolling waves, and treacherous rocks,” the tiny boat seems to truly enjoy the adventure, and before long, befriends a whale, octopus, dolphins, and a pair of seagulls.

Docherty cleverly plays with scale—making the tiny tugboat appear miniscule in a sea of blue during the scary parts—and larger when the little boat is traversing a changing seascape accompanied by its ocean pals.

In the end, the boat has traveled quite a long way, past penguins on floating icebergs, and still—in a spirit similar to “The Little Engine That Could,” or “Tuggy the Tugboat”—our hero presses on.

What sets this story apart, however, is that its protagonist, the little boat, seems to have a healthy does of confidence from the get-go. There’s no “I think I can,” in this tugboat’s universe. On the contrary, the little boat declares: “Full Steam ahead, to the edge of the world… because no ocean is too big for a little boat like me.”

Way to go, little boat. Rock on.

Anika Denise is the author of “Pigs Love Potatoes” and the forthcoming “Bella And Stella Come Home.”  She lives in Barrington, RI with her husband, Christopher – a children’s book illustrator – and their two daughters, ages 8 and 5.  Anika is also the host of Thursday morning story hours at Barrington Books.  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.  For information on her books, visit www.anikadenise.com.

Reviewed by Katy Killilea

What a disruptive shock of connection Hand Wash Cold gave me! Written by Karen Maezen Miller, a Zen Buddhist priest who is also a mostly at-home parent, there’s no chance I would have finished it if it were what it seemed to be: another pop-Buddhism mommy book. Based on its publicity, I thought it would be skimmable, maybe kind of cute, mostly a waste of time. I thought—best case scenario—it might make me see with new eyes that mountain of laundry that springs up beside the washing machine within moments of being eradicated or guide me past the itchy failure of socks loss. This is not that kind of book.

There’s no escape hatch offered here. No Real Simple-esque laundry-room photo spread or encouragement to hire a housekeeper so you can concentrate on your heart’s desires. Instead of carrying your mind away in a spirituality-laced haze, the book leaves you more than ever in your own home with your dank heap of towels. Which is chilling. Or nauseating. Or maybe calming. It depends on your frame of mind.

In addition to laundry, Maezen Miller also writes about marriage, children, dirty dishes, weeding, and leaf-raking: “I am unable to accept my MacArthur Genius award at the present time because I am scooping leaves from the pond,” she imagines herself saying as she rakes endless autumn leaves. This is precisely the prickly feeling I get while crouching to reach way back into the dryer: my real life—my MacArthur Genius award—is being held hostage by this blah.

And the blah takes up such a giant hunk of my attention. Maezen Miller says, “Looking for greater meaning in life, some people think that housework is beneath them. Cooking and cleaning are beneath them…Sometimes they seem so far beneath me that I can’t see the bottom.” For those trying to square the hunk of time spent in drudgery with the belief that their life matters, this book is much needed food for thought.

Author photo credit: Denise Lynnette Andrade.

The details:
Hand Wash Cold
by Karen Maezen Miller
2010 by New World Library $15

I always welcome new book recommendations for storytime. Alison Paul’s Favorite Read-Aloud Books, listed below, include some of my favorites.

Alison Paul, author & illustrator of The Crow: A Not So Scary Story and her new book Sunday Love, will read her books and from a list of her very favorite read-aloud books at Kidoinfo Providence Storytime, Tuesday August 3rd at 10 AM.

BATS AT THE LIBRARY by Brian Lies, 2008 (Reviewed on Kidoinfo)
I great one for book lovers! It is written in beautiful sing-songy prose, not too long, good for all ages.

DONT LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! by Mo Willems, 2003
[Won a Caldecott Honor]
Simple and so funny. This is a face paced book, that is aimed a bit younger, but even the older kids (like us : ) will think it’s funny!

ACHOO! BANG! CRASH! THE NOISY ALPHABET by Ross MacDonald, 2003
A very fun read-aloud. It goes through the alphabet onomatopoetically!

THE SPIDER AND THE FLY by Tony DiTerlizzi, 2002
[Won a Caldecott Honor]
A beautiful Black and white illustrated version of Mary Howitt’s classic poem. It is drawn like an old silent film, and it’s a little dark, but not too scary for little ones.

BLACK CAT by Christopher Myers, 1999
[A Coretta Scott King Honor Book]
Set in Harlem, this concrete poetry book highlights the everyday beauty in a city. It also elegantly dances around subject matter that is too intense for little ones.

ACTUAL SIZE by Steve Jenkins, 2004
A fun non-fiction look at the varying size of animals. It is a surprisingly quick read too, with one or two [very large or very small] animals per spread.

THE STINKY CHEESE MAN AND OTHER FAIRLY STUPID TALES by Jon Scieska & Lane Smith, 1992
[Won a Caldecott Honor]
Last but not least is this hysterically clever take on fairy tales.
It is a collection of 10 short stories, and it could be left for the end since it is a good one to read just one or two stories out of if the kids seem antsy.

Today on Kidoinfo, Anika Denise shares her recent interview with Peter Mandel from her blog, Bookmarks. On Tuesday, August 3rd, meet Peter Mandel in real life at Kidoinfo Providence Storytime where Peter will read his new book, Bun, Onion, Burger. Alison Paul, author/illustrator of The Crow (A Not So Scary Story) and new book Sunday Love will also be at storytime, readiing from her list of ten favorite read-aloud books.

Providence-based writer Peter Mandel is an adventure travel journalist and the author of nine children’s books. His latest title, “Bun, Onion, Burger,” (Simon & Schuster) just earned a spot on this summer’s “Kids’ Next” list—a roundup of inspired reading recommendations from leading independent booksellers across the country.

Mr. Mandel took a moment to chat with me about his diverse writing career, what inspires and surprises him, and his love of the all-American culinary classic: A perfectly cooked hamburger on the grill.

Q: You’re an adventure travel journalist and a children’s book author. How does one career inform the other?

A: Well, for one thing, several of my kids’ books have travel themes: ‘Planes at the Airport,’ ‘Boats on the River,’ and ‘My Ocean Liner.’ So going on trips on assignment for newspapers and magazines helps get me the experience I need to make my children’s books feel authentic and, I hope, exciting. On the flip side, the language simplicity and clarity that’s needed to write for kids is something I care a lot about, and I try to carry it over into my journalism.

Q: Have you always had the adventure-travel bug? Did you travel a great deal as a child?

A: I can’t remember an age or a single day in my life when I didn’t have the urge to go somewhere or take part in an adventure. It stuns me when I hear people—both adults and kids—say that they’d just rather hang out around the house. As a kid, my brother and sister and I were lucky that we had parents who loved to go places and take us with them. I grew up in Manhattan, but my dad took a job in London when I was seven and we moved to England for two years. It was a life-changing experience, in part because we sailed over on one of the last real ocean liners, the original Queen Elizabeth. (more…)

Reviewed by Marcia Maynard

Looking for a perfect book for a new baby? Try Roberta Grobel Intrater’s Babyfaces series of board books.

Intrater captures expressions and actions of babies with her photographs. She fills her books with photos of irresistible babies and includes simple lines of rhyming text.

Smile is about trying to capture the perfect smile for the camera. It will put a grin on your baby’s face and make an older child giggle.
Splash is all about getting wet. Photos of babies covered in soap bubbles, wet with pool water and rain water fill the pages of this adorable book.
Peek-A-Boo is a cute story about babies laughing and smiling.
Sleep shows tired babies, ready for bed.  It’s a perfect bedtime story.

Infants through toddlers will enjoy holding, chewing and looking through Intrater’s books. Parents will enjoy sharing these cute stories with their children.

Details:
Available in board books, $4.95 each
Smile, Splash, and Sleep published by Scholastic, 2002
Peek-A-Boo published by Scholastic, 1997

Marcia Maynard is a former reading specialist and early childhood teacher who currently stays home with her two sons.  She blogs about preschool activities at www.readandraise.com

You may want to have supplies (cork, pencil, and cloth) available for your child to make their own boat after reading this book. – Anisa

Reviewed by Anika Denise

A boat is a wonderful literary device. It can serve as a backdrop for a great adventure, a symbol of an important journey or transformation—even a metaphor for the soul.

Plus, boats are just cool.

They have personalities as wide and varied as the people who captain them. It’s no wonder, then, that they appear prominently in children’s books, often serving as central characters in stories.

“Toy Boat,” written by Randall DeSève and illustrated by Loren Long, is one of my favorites.

Here, a boat plays metaphor to a boy’s first pangs of fear and longing for independence. It’s a toy boat, handmade by the boy from “a can, a cork, a yellow pencil, and some white cloth.”

The boy and his boat are inseparable, until, on a stormy day, the boy loses hold of the string and the toy boat is carried out into the wide lake. After encountering fierce waves and the giant rolling wakes of a grumpy ferry, a sassy schooner and a shark-shaped speedboat, the tiny toy boat finds itself frightened and forced to face the night alone.

DeSève’s simple text seems to hit just the right tone for this quiet coming of age tale, and Long’s deeply saturated acrylic paintings fill out the pared down language perfectly. Long (“The Little Engine That Could”) imbues the boats with distinct personalities and effectively communicates the toy boat’s vulnerability in the shadow of the larger looming vessels with sharp angled perspectives.

At last, in the light of day, a friendly little fishing boat helps guide the toy boat back to shore, making for a happy ending and a reassuring adventure for young readers.

Anika Denise is the author of “Pigs Love Potatoes” and the forthcoming “Bella And Stella Come Home.”  She lives in Barrington, RI with her husband, Christopher – a children’s book illustrator – and their two daughters, ages 8 and 5.  Anika is also the host of Thursday morning story hours at Barrington Books.  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.  For information on her books, visit www.anikadenise.com.

Despite the heat, we had a great turnout on Tuesday at Burnside Park for the first Kidoinfo Providence Storytime. Thank you to Jennifer Smith and Deb Dormody of Greater Kennedy Plaza and the City Providence for supporting this event! I enjoyed sharing my sons’ copy of Little Pea and meeting the illustrator Jen Corace.

Here’s a recap below in this weeks edition of Mayor Cicilline’s Providence City News:

Mayor David N. Cicilline and Greater Kennedy Plaza partners are pleased to announce KidoInfo Providence Storytime in Burnside Park! This week, the Mayor joined Anisa Raoof (publisher of Kidoinfo) and Jen Corace (illustrator of Little Pea, Little Oink, and Little Hoot, Mathilda and the Orange Balloon).

“KidoInfo Providence Storytime is the latest event in the summer initiative designed to foster a lively, fun atmosphere in the heart of our City,” said Mayor Cicilline. “I couldn’t be more delighted that this effort introduces the joy of reading to children of all ages, and at the same time promotes Creative Capital artists like Jen Corace.”

The Kidoinfo Providence Storytime is an all ages storyhour held outdoors in Burnside Park downtown every Tuesday from 10am – 11am throughout July and August.  Families bring a blanket and enjoy different weekly storytellers near the fountain in Burnside Park.

Kidoinfo (the popular parent guide) will feature books from local Rhode Island authors and illustrators each week this season.  Guest authors, illustrators, storytellers and performers will make books come alive for families and children.  Local businesses and organizations such as Books on the Square and the Providence Community Libraries and Providence Public Library will also be participating, making this a rich community event!

Click here for the Story Time schedule of events. And for more information about weekly programming, visit the Greater Kennedy Plaza website.

Photo Credit: Michael Christofaro

Families bring a blanket and enjoy different weekly storytellers under the trees near the fountain in Burnside Park. Kidoinfo will feature at least one book each Tuesday morning from a local Rhode Island author or illustrator (see list below).

Kidoinfo Providence Story Time
Tuesdays, July – August
10 AM – 11 AM
Rain/Heat location: Providence Public Library

more fun

• Weekly book swap. Donate a new or gently used book and pick out a “new to you” book from the “Leave a Book, Take a Book” bin!
• Games will be available for older children to play during the story hour.
• Weekly Raffle: Enter to win two passes to the Providence Children’s Museum or Roger Williams Park Zoo.
• Food Vendors: Local food carts/trucks will be selling sandwiches, hotdogs (beef and veggie) and juices. Look for “Betsy Loo” the fun new purple Like No Udder Truck featuring vegan ice cream!

(more…)

It’s time to sign the kids up (June 21st – July 2nd) for the awesome summer reading program at your neighborhood library. Sign-up deadlines  and details vary by branch.

The library encourages children to keep reading all summer long by sharing age-appropriate book recommendation and hosting a summer full of events and programs at libraries across the state.

Check out the developing Summer Reading Program listing of events and programs at the 9 Providence Community Library locations.

• Providence School Reading List

Visit the State of Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS) to find out what is happening state wide.

Summer Reading Double-Dog Dare is Borders’ bookstore way of encouraging reading this summer. If students read 10 books, they’ll get a book for free.

Jeff Kinney author of the popular book series, Diary of a Wimpy kids shares his favorite reads as a child along with a list of a wonderful new authors to follow.

A quick rundown of the details:

• Read any 10 books you’d like
• List them on the Official 2010 Reading form
• Bring in the form and use the coupon portion for your free book (choose from a selection of titles)