The Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are probably the foreign book awards American children’s librarians know best (I’d like to pretend it’s the Governor General’s Awards what with Canada being right next door and all, but alas in my experience that is not the case). The 2010 Kate Greenaway winner, Harry & Hopper by Margaret Wild […]
Award-Winning Books Challenge: Australia
by rovingfiddlehead on May 2, 2012
The Children’s Book Council of Australia grants Best of the Year awards in five categories: Older Readers (secondary school-age), Younger Readers (independent elementary readers), Early Childhood (pre-reading to early reader), Picture Book and the Eve Pownall Award for Information Book. The latter two awards are for any age up to 18. I choose two of […]
Nature Adventures by Mick Manning & Brita Granstrom
by rovingfiddlehead on April 30, 2012
Nature comes alive in springtime and with it many families resolve to spend more time outdoors in the coming year. Nature Adventures by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom is an effective field guide for family nature explorations. In heavily illustrated fashion, they show the plant and animal life found in a variety of settings such […]
Spine Poetry: Mischievous Rabbits
by rovingfiddlehead on April 1, 2012
With all the spine poetry 100 Scope Notes has been sharing, I find myself looking at book titles through new eyes. It happened again when I put together a rabbit storytime. A couple of chapter books helped capture the mischeviousness of Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! Be sure to visit the spine poetry gallery at 100 Scope […]
YA/MG Fantasy Reading Challenge Update
by rovingfiddlehead on March 21, 2012
I signed up for three reading challenges this year and this one has had the slowest start. Perhaps because I normally read a lot of kids’ and young adult fantasy I haven’t been as intentional about seeking out titles for this challenge. Better fix that once my travel reading binge is over! Froi of the Exiles […]
Nonfiction Picture Books: Chinese History, Culture & Folklore
by rovingfiddlehead on March 12, 2012
In preparation for an upcoming trip, I’ve been enjoying many books about Chinese history, culture and folklore. This is just a sampling that fits in with the Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge, but please leave suggestions for others in the comments! Mao and Me is a beautiful autobiography by Chen Liang Hong (author/illustrator of Little Eagle […]
Newbery Heavy Award-winning Books Challenge Update
by rovingfiddlehead on February 16, 2012
I really enjoyed my first read, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, the tale of a brave mouse mother trying to save her family from the impending spring plow and the colony of enhanced rats who have escaped from a research lab. Both storylines are filled with heroism and ingenuity. The 1972 Newbery winner, this […]
Nonfiction Picture Book January Releases
by rovingfiddlehead on January 30, 2012
January brought a whole slew of new nonfiction picture books. Perfect timing to give me a big headstart on the nonfiction picture book challenge before reading will have to take a backseat in February. A couple, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and The Worst of Friends I’ve taken time to review individually. Here’s a quick roundup of […]
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
by rovingfiddlehead on January 25, 2012
For a truly inspirational book, check out The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by inventor William Kamkwamba and journalist Bryan Mealer with pictures by Elizabeth Zunon. Forced to drop out of school when famine struck Malawi, fourteen-year-old William turned to the local library where the pictures of windmills inspired him to build his own. Hoping […]
January update: Award Winning Books Reading Challenge
by rovingfiddlehead on January 17, 2012
A rollicking picture book and two historical fiction Newberys started off this challenge.The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare George and Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck are both really good books with likeable teenage girls as main characters, but the similarities pretty much end there. The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a […]