Reference Sunday: Math Books!

OK so by now you know that I like to have themes for my blog entries. I think this goes back to my days in the bookstore when I would try to do certain things on certain days. Part of that was because I knew customers would come back again & again in expectation.

So on Sundays I like to write about some sort of reference book. The only criteria is that they not be boring, dare I say they should be fun!

Today is a special day because it is my niece Erin's birthday. She loves numbers and is a whiz at Math. When I first met her (she is married to my nephew Michael) she was still in college and had just finished a paper which had a number theme. She was the first person I knew outside of the book world who actually understood what an ISBN number was. (For those who are not aware this is the "international standard book number" each book has.) Needless to say I was impressed. She is also the person I go to when I have math issues. I always say I am a book person not a number person. So the two following books are fun books about numbers and math~they should be enjoyed by all!

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Math Curse by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith
Great story to read aloud showing how numbers can cause anxiety but still learn in the end that numbers can be fun.

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Grapes of Math by Greg Tang & Harry Briggs

One of many Greg Tang's books that deal with numbers, math and problem solving. This too is told in an amusing way. I also love the title because I love the play on words.

Happy Birthday Erin!!!!

Fun Book of the Day: Runaway Mummy by Michael Rex

I was in the bookstore the other day and found this wonderfully funny new book: The Runaway Mummy by Michael Rex. I love to read parodies especially when they are done well. I also love when I read something that makes me laugh out loud. This clever book is a follow up to his Goodnight Goon which was also a parody.

Runaway Mummy I think I like a bit better because there are less parodies Runaway Bunny, on which it is based. I have seen many more takeoffs of Goodnight Moon so while I like Goodnight Goon it didn't have as much of an impact on me.

Like I said I laughed out loud while reading the Runaway Mummy~which always elicits stares. The funny thing is that Runaway Bunny always reminds me of a part-time employee when I worked in the bookstore. She used to complain about it because she felt it was a very co-dependent book and didn't send the right message. So this parody brought that memory to the forefront and actually made me enjoy it more.

Of course kids won't know that, they will just experience a fun book about a mummy that will make them laugh. The illustrations are wonderful and totally enhance the story. I would totally read this at storytime!

Maurice Sendak

Last night as I watched the documentary about Maurice Sendak on HBO I realized that children's authors are some of the the most complicated people. It was fascinating to watch and hear him talk about his life and influences. Of the many things that impressed me I loved how he thought about children. That we try to hide so much from them but in the end they know more than we think. I have always thought this. I try never to talk down to a child. Most children are more perceptive than we imagine, so when we talk down to them we are inhibiting their growth. I find most children to have better insights to the human condition than so many adults. Which is why we must always prevail on them to be kind and empathic to the world around them.

Maurice Sendak is brillant artist and author. I couldn't believe he is over 80 years old. His most iconic book~Where the Wild Things Are~is now a movie. Just last night I was talking to a friend who is so excited to see the movie because the book meant so much to him.

But this isn't the only book he wrote so I thought I would mention my two favorite books. They are known but not widely and they bring back nice memories for me.

A Sign On Rosie's Door was always one of my favorite books because she had a similar name to me. I also remember the musical which is probably why I liked it so much. I liked Rosie because she was quirky and fun.

The other book or I should say books, was the Nutshell Library. The first reason I liked this set of books was because they came in a tiny box, I have always liked cute little things~something I share with my sister. My favorite little book in this collection is Chicken Soup with Rice :A Book of Months.

This little book consists of poems for each month. When I was little I needed to take speech classes because I had a bit of a lisp. The speech teacher made me recite these poem's because they had lots of "s's" in them. For example:

Chicken Soup With Rice--January by Maurice Sendak

In January it's so nice,

While slipping on the sliding ice,

To sipping hot chicken soup with rice,

Sipping once, sipping twice,

Sipping chicken soup with rice

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So while everyone might just remember his more famous books these are what I think of when I think of Maurice Sendak. This is my childhood.

The Omnivore's Dilemma for Kids by Michael Pollan

In a previous entry I mentioned that I started a veggie burger business with my sister-in-law. We started the business because she makes great veggie burgers and we had been noticing how many people wanted to eat better. One of the things I did was read a book by Michael Pollan called In Defense of Food. I learned how to read labels and shop a supermarket correctly or at least more healthfully. I hadn't read his book The Omnivore's Dilemma but I discussed it with people who have read it. I thought it would be too much information for me and well I didn't want to stop eating everything. Turns out I should have read it but now I can do one better and read Michael Pollan's young readers version, The Omnivore's Dilemma for Kids. It is written for the average young reader to help them understand how and where their food is made. He uses lots of photos and graphs and writes in a plain straightforward language so that kids will not be overwhelmed. It is definitely a good read!

While selling our veggie burgers at the farmer's market we have been amazed at how many parents tell us that one or more of their children are vegetarians. Kids are making their own decisions about what they eat and that is a good thing. This book should help them make informed choices.

Flashback Tuesday: The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams

The fact that Halloween is a little over two weeks away has not escaped me. When I was in the bookstore this was always one of my favorite stories to read during this time of the year. It isn't specifically a Halloween tale even though it has a pumpkin on the cover. It is just meant to be a "scary" story that is fun to read.

I have always enjoyed reading The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything because it is the kind of book that gets the children involved. There is repetitive text that is great to have the kids repeat. There is also the activity part....I always had the children "clomp, clomp" or "shake, shake" or the best one "wiggle, wiggle". By the end of the story they were all laughing and giggling which is a sound I love.

It is a great book to add to your child's collection because it can be read at other times of the year. Most Halloween books deal with the holiday with talks of trick or treating, candy and costumes. This book is just a rollicking read!

You Wouldn't Want to Sail With Christopher Columbus! Uncharted Waters You'd Rather Not Cross by Fiona Macdonald

I was trying to think of a great way to honor Columbus Day. Do I recommend books about Columbus or do I suggest titles that are historical or about exploration? Then I remembered this great series of books that are a humorous way to learn about history.

The series is called "You Wouldn't Want to ..." which makes history fun for kids. They explore such historical times as the Civil War, the American Revolution, the Boston Tea Party, Vikings, and Egyptian Pyramid builders, to name a few.

This title on Christopher Columbus is an amusing way to explain to children what it really was like to sail the open seas in 1492. It really brings into focus how people lived in those days without being boring.

These are great titles for reluctant readers and to help make history interesting.

Reference Sunday: Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan Illus by Brian Selznick

Today is the 125th Anniversary of the birth of Eleanor Roosevelt. She is one of our most celebrated first ladies having been first lady from 1933 to 1945. She was a courageous and strong woman who's life is still an inspiration.

If I were in the bookstore and a customer came in looking for books on Eleanor Roosevelt I could show them a multitude of books about her life. There are many biographies for children on Eleanor Roosevelt and any of them would do for a child to read about and/or do a report on. That being said I would also show the customer this wonderful picture book based on a true incident in Eleanor Roosevelt's life.

It happened in 1933. Mrs Roosevelt had invited her friend, the celebrated aviatrix Amelia Earhart, to dinner at the White House. This story tells of how the two women decided to have some fun and go for a plane ride around Washington DC. Again, it is a true story. At the end of the book, there is an author's note explaining the actual event because some details were changed for the story.

Brian Selznick's wonderful illustrations enhance this special tale by his warm black & white sketches of the time. This is truly a beautiful book about two incredible women.

Happy Birthday Eleanor!