With the end of the year fast approaching, I decided to look through my Goodreads and see how I was doing with some of my 2009 Reading Goals.
One area that I wanted to work on this year was reading Newbery Winner and Honor titles since I am now working primarily with children and tweens at my library. I made it a goal to read at least one title per month.
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (Read in January)
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron (Read in Feburary)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Read in March)
Savvy by Ingrid Law (Read in March)
Holes by Louis Sachar (Read in April)
The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle (Read in May)
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (Read in June)
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt (Read in July)
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt (Read in August)
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson (Read in September)
The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgiesh (Read in September)
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (Read in October)
The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963 by Christoper Paul Curtis (Read in October)
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (Read in November)
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck (Read in December)
I was able to exceed my goal which is always great. In 2010 I plan on continuing this challenge for myself, since this will come in handy for library work with children and tweens.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Audiobook Review: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
It wouldn't be Christmas without the Herdmans. The Herdmans are just about the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke, swear, and hit little kids. But when the Herdmans hear about this thing called Church, no one is prepared for what will happen next.
The Herdmans never attend Church, so they have never heard the Christmas Story. So when they decide that they want to participate in the Christmas Pageant no one wants to get in the way. Their interpretation is down right hilarious, the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and King Herod is in of a good beat down. This of course has the whole town up in arms. But this will make this year's pageant the most memorable one and the best one ever.
The audio is even better since they got Elaine Stritch to narrate this crazy story. She has the perfect voice to make each character distinct and makes this an enjoyable book to listen too. I have read this one numerous times and this was the first time I listened to it, I think this will become a yearly tradition that will care over once I have children of my own. A perfect book to share with the family this time of year and will help remind us why we are celebrating in the first place. Highly recommended for all families.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Bad Kitty Gets a Bath
Preschoolers through adult will enjoy this humorous story!
Review copy provided by my local library.
I absolutely loved this book. It had me rolling on the floor laughing.
Kitty needs a bath, but cats HATE baths. Each chapter goes through how to prepare Kitty for a bath, where to find Kitty, how to give Kitty a bath and so on.
Some of the items needed for Kitty's bath are: a tub, warm water, vet approved cat shampoo, soap, washcloth, brush, towels, and of course a Kitty-shaped robe with hood. But don't forget you will also be needing the following if you plan on giving Kitty a bath: a suit of armor, doctor on speed dial, letter to loved ones, lots of plasma, lots of bandages, clean underwear, scratching post made to look like you, and finally an ambulance in your driveway with the engine running.
I loved the science facts mixed in the rest of the text, kids are learning a little something while laughing hysterically. Bruel's illustrations are off the wall and add another layer of humor to the story. A perfect chapter book to read to preschooler and older children alike.
*After reading this book, I made my husband read this one as well, since he is determined to give our kitty Steve a bath. Maybe he will think a little more about that important decision.
Picture Book Thursday: Dec. 24 [2]
Every Christmas Eve, Owen builds the very best snowman that he can. But by Christmas Day his snowman has melted away. Owen begins to think that there must be a way to make his snowman last longer.
This launches Owen on an adventure that will lead me to a magical place animals study his snowman by each piece in an effort to make the perfect snowman. But can you ever make a perfect snowman and that is what the animals find out. But Owen is able to supply the animals with the one thing that they need to make a perfect snowman, a heart.
Written and illustrated by a husband and wife duo, Heart of a Snowman will send readers on a magical journey about the importance taking enjoyment in the small things in life. Building a snowman is a fun way to spend a snowy winter afternoon. Each snowman is at the very heart of them a perfect snowball and it built upon that, if you have that then your snowman will have heart and will always be with you, even after the snowman has long since melted.
The illustrations a beautiful, perfect to share with young children as a bedtime story. A great story for this time of the year, curl up with a warm cup of hot chocolate and you loved ones and enjoy heart warming story.
Other Information:
- Reading level: Ages 4-8
- Hardcover: 40 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins (September 22, 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0061259268
- ISBN-13: 978-0061259265
- Source: My Local Library
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Picture Book Thursday: Dec 17 [1]
The minute I saw this one on display at my library, I had to check it out. A book about chickens and other barnyard animals, I'm there!
Marge and Lola are two chickens on a mission. They want to win the barnyard talent show, in order to win two tickets to see their hunky chicken Elvis Poultry. But first they must come up with enough talent to beat out the Ducks (who win every year).
They try everything from bowling to tightrope walking, to swimming, but everything fails. They have no idea what they are going to do until they get up on stage and start dancing like they always do. But is it enough to beat out the Ducks and win the tickets, maybe not, but they win the affection of the singer of their dreams.
The illustrations are beautiful, they a level of humor to the story that would make this book perfect for reading during a storytime. I will definitely adding this one to my storytime list. This would make a perfect gift for a younger reader and I'm sure they will love the humor. Inside the front and back cover there are dancing steps that readers can learn from Marge and Lola. Perfect to get kids up and moving and have a little fun dancing.
Other Information:
- Reading level: Ages 4-8
- Hardcover: 36 pages
- Publisher: Sterling (August 1, 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1402753667
- ISBN-13: 978-1402753664
- Source: My Local Library
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