The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

Of course, I preordered this one! My love for The One and Only Ivan cannot be squelched, so I just knew that this second book would be a new love. And, it was.

There is nothing better than Applegate’s beautiful "poetic prose." And, her mastery of voice is something that always amazes me. Who wouldn’t love Bob’s scrappy, somewhat self-centered, yet also loveable character? His voice is as clear as if I were hearing it as Ruby or Ivan or even Nutwit.

The story picks up where Ivan left off.  There is a little review and a little new for Ivan, Ruby, and Bob. But, this is Bob’s story, so it’s a lot of new for Bob. 

As we all know, Bob’s no saint.  He would prefer not to be called a pet and is definitely in charge of the leash. He has lived a rough life, and although he likes living with Julia, he won’t be any man’s best friend and definitely doesn’t believe in forgiveness…without punishment first.  He’s not a numskull or a nincompoop, of course.  He’s just looking out for numero uno.  And then!  There’s a hurricane.  Animals are hurt.  Animals are loose.  And, he hears a bark in the distance…the bark, and it’s a call for help.  What will Bob do?

You have to read it.  Kids have to read it.  Teachers and parents need to read it aloud to children.  This is a story to be shared and loved on.  Thanks, Katherine Applegate.  You are the best.

Ideal for elementary readers (or anyone who believes in change and growth and putting others first)

Applegate, K. (2020). The one and only Bob. New York: Harper Collins Children’s Books. ISBN#978-0-06-299131-7

All of a Sudden and Forever: Help and Healing After the Oklahoma City Bombing by Chris Barton, illustrated by Nicole Xu

Wow!  When I closed this book, the first thing I did was look at the publication date…2020.  I said to my kids who were sitting with me, “This will win awards in 2020!”

That may sound a bit corny, but this nonfiction, narrative picture book is amazingly beautiful.  Barton eloquently, yet simply, tells a story about the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City.  What is so special about this book is that the story that he crafts about the events of that day are centered around a lone tree that was left battered yet still standing after the bombing.  The injured tree mirrors the injured people who were connected to the tragedy.  As the tree grows healthier, its saplings are transported and cared for by visitors who come to the memorial that now stands in tribute to those lost, those who survived, and those who rescued and repaired the city.  There is hope in those saplings, hope that the people who were injured by the tragedy have also been filled with growth and strength. 

The word choices that Barton uses and the details that he chose to include and exclude are perfect.  Nicole Xu’s illustrations and color choices are a seamless complement.  Readers, just as I did, will want to know more about the Survivor Tree, its saplings that have been replanted all over the country, survivor stories, and more.  Hint: see the back of the book for interesting notes and resources for further reading. 

So, All of a Sudden and Forever is not only a beautiful story, but it can be the perfect opening to further inquiry about tragedy and triumph.  In my eyes, it’s an award winner.   

All of a Sudden and Forever: Help and Healing After the Oklahoma City Bombing by Chris Barton & illustrated by Nicole Xu, unpaged picture book from Carolrhoda Books (2020). ISBN # 978-1-5415-2669-3

Ideal for elementary and middle-grade readers (or anyone who loves nonfiction texts that don’t feel like nonfiction)

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Ok, so maybe I am a little behind the hype on this one, but here is what happened.  My daughter gave me this to read a year or so ago.  She had been begging me to read it so that she could talk to me about it.  I started it and would put it down and start it again…  It was the book that I would return to in between reading other things.  I liked it.  I just couldn’t get hooked, like I did with Meyer’s Heartless.  Until…I was hooked!

So, it took me over a year to read the first half.  I read the second half in two late-night, by-lamplight, trying-not-to-bother-my-sleeping-husband sessions.  Now, the next one in the trilogy is on the way to my house.  Thank goodness for Amazon Prime delivery.

This fantasy YA book is packed full of action, superheroes and villains (although I have yet to decide who is which), cool prodigy abilities, and of course, a sweet little romance.  I think Meyer must be a hopeless romantic like me; thanks for that.  Oh, and don’t forget the serious contemplation that readers must do about independence, freedom, helplessness, and hopelessness.  

At the point where I started my late-night binge reading was the point where the twists and turns really got fun.  There are so many “WHAT?” moments.  I loved them.  And, the ending.  Oh yes, she did!

Thanks, Marissa for another great one.  I’m sorry it took me so long to listen to my daughter’s rave reviews.  I cannot wait for that package to arrive tomorrow.  I will change the bulb and get the lamp light ready for more binge reading.

Renegades is a book for tweens and teens or dreamers like me who love superpowers and the butterflies of romance.

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton

At a time when many primary grade teachers are looking for books for their students to read independently, how about recommending a Narwhal and Jelly book?  Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea is the first in this series and is a beginning “chapter” book with a really interesting structure.  It is multimodal and multigenre, including both narrative, fictional action between Narwhal and Jelly and lists of facts about narwhals and jellyfish. 

This book could not only be the springboard that propels a reader into the other three books in the series, but it could also encourage other extensions of learning as well.  Readers might want to do more research about narwhals and jellyfish.  They might also want to try their own hand at writing a book that also merges genre and mode.  And, perhaps they might want to write their own book based on imaginative play.  Narwhal reads a book with blank pages and says that it is his imagination book; he has to make the story.  So, what better way to encourage prewriting for young children than to tell them to play, imagine, and have fun?  Then, after playing, put that imaginative play on paper as a story.

This super cute book about an overly excited narwhal and an unlikely friendship is very entertaining and is perfect for our youngest readers and anyone who just wants a little smile!

If I Had a Little Dream by Nina Laden and Melissa Castrillon

If I Had a Little Dream by Nina Laden and Melissa Castrillon

This sweet picture book follows a child as she explains what she would do if she had a little land, house, garden, pond, and so on.  Her dream begins with the musing of how if she had land, she would call it There and ends with how if she had a dream, it would be called You.  Her wonderings take her from a vast and vacant landscape to a lush world where anything is possible…because of You.

This picture book, with simple text that also carries depth of meaning, has beautiful illustrations that build in complexity and walk in alignment with the growing wonderings of the child.  It is a wonderful work of literature that is for all ages, including adults who need to be reminded of their power to bring a child’s dreams into reality.

Most importantly, though, this post is dedicated to teachers.  Your students may begin with no land, no home, no place to call their own…or, they may be born with a warm place to live and parents who provide all of the material things that they think will be needed.  Either way, those students will have dreams, some may be more substantial than others, some may be harder to realize.  Dear Teacher, they are looking to You to help make life magical, to make their wishes come true.  Find out what those are.  Ask them, “If you had a little __________, what would you call it?  What would it do for you in your life?  Now, more than ever, we have the power to be the Story that will teach them to believe.  Even the smallest act that you do can make history for that student. 

Thank you to my student who gave me this book and let me be her Story. 

Rump by Liesl Shurtliff

I know that I am really behind with this one, but I just finished Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff.  I heard about it on Twitter, on podcasts, and at conferences and bought it sometime back, but it wasn’t until a student was asking for recommendations for her new fourth grade classroom that I finally moved it up the stack on my nightstand.   

Rump is the charming story of the childhood of Rumpelstiltskin.  Readers get to see him as the innocent boy who struggles with the loss of his mother, poverty, and an unfortunate name in a world where names mean everything. The Rump readers get to know is not the traditional creepy, little man who appears out of nowhere, demanding favors for spinning gold.  The Rump in Shurtliff’s story is a boy who is searching for meaning in his life and a way to control his new-found magical powers.  Rump is caring and funny, and I loved his relationship with Red, who is definitely not the flighty, brainless girl who readers see in many traditional tales.  I also loved the way that Shurtliff presented new sides to other fairy tale characters as well, like the trolls for instance.  Who would have thought readers could love stinky, nasty trolls?

I completely believe that young readers will love this easy-to-read chapter book.  It would also make a great read aloud.  I think that teachers and students would have a fun time comparing Rump to other versions of the fairy tale, like Paul O. Zelinsky’s picture book version perhaps.  There are also so many opportunities for readers to use Shurtliff’s book to talk about the paths and decisions that could ultimately lead Rump to the more sinister Grimm’s version.  I just could not help thinking about all of the ways that I would love to share this book with students.

I hope teachers and students pick this sweet book up and share it with each other.  Then, as I am about to do, I hope they go out and read the next books by Shurtliff: Jack and Red.  

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff, 258 pages from Alfred A. Knopf books (2013). ISBN # 978-0-307-97793-9

Ideal for young readers (and anyone who loves a fairy tale)

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore & More

The last blog entry for me was 11/10/2016.  That entry date was just a few days after breast biopsy results revealed that I had HER2+ breast cancer.  That diagnosis set me on a path of brutal chemo and a bilateral mastectomy.  Although I still have many surgeries and some other treatments ahead of me, the chemo did its job, and I have had a pathological complete response.  These past six months have been the most trying in all of my life, and believe me, I had some real trials before this.  While it took me awhile to find the strength and focus, I returned to books and writing in my journal.  But, I had to put blogging on hold.  There was something sad about returning to this place in cyberspace since it represented much of who I was before cancer.  Today, when I reread a picture book that I had bought before my diagnosis, I knew that it was the perfect reintroduction to my book blog.  This book is beautiful, but it speaks even more clearly to me now.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce & Joe Bluhm is a book that is plump with beautiful illustrations, delicious words, and a decadent story.  It speaks to me, specifically, because my journey with cancer greatly affected my relationship with books.  Just like Morris, I loved words, stories, and books.  I wrote about my own life in a journal, just like Morris documented his life in a book.  But, a storm threw both Morris and me off of our path and left us scattered, confused, and always looking down.  When we finally decided to look up, a library of books came to us again, but our stories were still heavy and unable to fly.  For Morris, it took years of books whispering to him and of him sharing stories with others who needed them to be happy again.  For me, it was just months, but slowly books began to lift my spirits, engage my mind, and bring me back to life.  I talked with really close friends about the books I read, and just like Morris, I shared some titles “whose tale was seldom told” because all stories matter.  Like Morris, I learned that the books and stories had never changed; I had.  They were always there waiting for me when I was ready to get lost in them again.  The books took care of Morris and me.  Like Morris, I learned that books will be carried in my heart no matter what until the day that I too grab that beautiful bouquet of books and fly away.  At the very same time, I also know, just as Morris did, that at this very moment someone else is opening a book.  Those stories will impact that person just as they did Morris and me.  The books are there, the stories are waiting…for you too.

I want to encourage readers to share this beautiful picture book with others.  There is much to be explored and so much that could be inferred.  Joyce even has a wonderful website and fantastic short film based on the book (http://morrislessmore.com/).  Discover the story of Joyce’s journey as he was writing this book.  Think about whether more is less or less is more.  Most importantly, contemplate how books have buoyed you through life’s storms.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce & Joe Bluhm, picture book by Moonbot, an imprint of Atheneum Books for Young Readers (2012). ISBN # 978-1-4424-5702-7

Ideal for anyone who needs healing through books (and that’s all of us).