Posts Tagged ‘69’

Some good advice: “Never jostle a jellyfish.”

Caldecott award winner author and artist, Steve Jenkins adds to his already remarkable litany of nearly twenty picture books, with the recently published, Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember. With stunning paper collage visuals, readers are treated to practical and informative animal facts about possible threatening behaviors in nature.

If you are not familiar with Steve Jenkins, start with Actual Size and watch your kids eyes pop at the actual size of an elephant foot, Goliath birdeater tarantula and teeth of a great white shark. His imaginative use of paper results in a textured and delightful grouping of diverse animals that come to life in a new way. Readers are further engaged with detailed information at the end of the book like “The world’s largest frog is the Goliath frog of western Africa. From nose to toes, this frog is almost three feet long. It weighs as much as seven pounds, about the same as a housecat.”

Learn more about Steve Jenkins, science and how he makes his books.

Available at Amazon.com

“Mile-long skyscrapers are my trees.
The subways whoosh – my summer breeze.”

Lee Bennett Hopkins’ recently published poetry book for children, City I Love, is perfect for our urban crowd. For those whose childhood is firmly rooted in the landscapes of city structures, or for the children who only imagine the busy excitement and noises from their own rural or suburban footholds, these eighteen poems invite the reader on a journey.

The meaningful illustrations by Marcellus Hall contribute a visual dimension of storytelling to the collection as the reader follows a jaunting, backpacked dog and his bird companion to cities across the globe.

“Children must read and read and read. Reading comes first. . .then comes writing. Poetry should be read every single day of the year, at all times, for all times. Poetry is magical, mystical. I maintain that more can be said or felt in 8 or 10 or 12 lines than sometimes an entire novel can convey.” Lee Bennett Hopkins, HarperCollins Author Interview

Lee Bennett Hopkins is a distinguished contributor to children’s literature and is the 2009 winner of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. He has compiled numerous poetry anthologies for children throughout his career including America at War and Marvelous Math. In addition he has authored his own works of poetry, picture books, classroom materials and novels.

Join the discussion “Do you read poetry to your children? Who are some of your favorite poets?”
Available at Amazon.com

More Information
Recent interview appears at “Cynsations” Blog belonging to Cynthia Leitich Smith

At what age should a child be able to remove his glass eye and use the socket as a bottle-opener? When is it appropriate to plunder the neighbors, after or before family dinner? How can one turn an unassuming minivan into a pirate schooner? All these questions and more are answered in this complete Guide to Pirate Parenting, probably the only parenting guide you’ll ever read that neither has an opinion on sleep training nor time-outs.

There is advice both out-there (how to remove an octopus from your child’s hair) and strangely sensible: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to be a pirate, and he’ll steal other people’s fish for a lifetime.” There are pirate-themed nursery rhymes, checklists to chart your pirate’s developmental progress, and even suggestions for pirate-compliant discipline methods, such as smacking your teen in the head with an oar. Somehow this seems like a much more appropriate bridal-shower gift than one of Dr. Sears’ enormous tomes.

Guide to Pirate Parenting, $11.99

Little kids giggle when they’re talking about butts. So has it always been, and so will it always be. Endless repeating of the phrase “We talk about that when we’re in the bathroom” will not change it. So why fight it, when there’s a book like Chicken Cheeks? The simple picture book, written by Michael Ian Black of Michael & Michael Have Issues and I Love the 80’s fame, is just a series of pictures of animal’s butts, with alliterative names: penguin patootie, chicken cheeks, polar bear derriere. But it makes kids crack up.

“Chicken cheeks!” they’ll say, rocking back and forth with hysteria. “Turkey tushie!”

Ah, childhood. The sweet illustrations are by Kevin Hawkes, who’s probably best known for Library Lion. Apparently he did research at the zoo to figure out what each animals’ hindquarters look like. Now that speaks to the transformative power of literature!

You’re tired of hearing about the “right” time to have a baby. You seek advice from someone who knows that planning for a pregnancy is different these days.

In her latest edition of Dr. Miriam Stoppard’s New Pregnancy and Birth Book, the author takes into account the fact that women are becoming mothers later in life (”It’s now commonplace for a woman to pursue her career into her thirties and decide to have her first child somewhere around 35,” she writes). This updated version of the bestseller includes new info about the latest fertility treatments, antenatal tests, obstetric procedures and working during pregnancy. Also included is month-by-month pregnancy calendar highlights all the changes that are about to occur, sprinkled with tips on diet and exercise (plus the images are um, realistic).

It feels good to be acknowledged.

Available at amazon.com.

Rewind to 1974: The Dow was around 600, polyester was far too prevalent and Vogue featured Beverly Johnson on the cover. It was also the year actress Marlo Thomas released the kids’ cult classic Free to Be…You and Me, a book (the record actually preceded it) celebrating diversity and challenging stereotypes about gender, class and race.

How timely that the book’s 35th anniversary edition has just hit shelves, and Obama is now getting ready to take up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Free to Be has all your old faves — “Boy Meets Girl,” “William’s Doll” and Shel Silverstein’s “Ladies First” — plus selections from new contributors, including Tony DiTerlizzi of The Spiderwick Chronicles. A new CD and whimsical illustrations are also part of the makeover. Plus, all book proceeds go to the Free to Be Foundation, a subsidiary of the Ms. Foundation for Women, which benefits children and families.

Sometimes even the classics need a facelift.

Visit freetobefoundation.org.