Teddy Bear Picnic!

For several years now my library has hosted and annual Teddy Bear Picnic. As they enter, kids make a craft and find a place to sit on the floor. After everyone has a chance to eat their lunch we read a story. Then we play The Teddy Bear Picnic song and have a chance to dance with our special guest, a volunteer dressed up in a teddy bear costume (thanks Zeke!). Many of the kids like to have their photo taken with the bear. After that, all that's left is a special snack. 

Bears have a snowball fight.

 

Our bear mask craft - photo by Nicholas Navarre

photo by Nicholas Navarre

Story time! - photo by Nicholas Navarre

Dancing with the bear - photo by Nicholas Navarre

Photo by Nicholas Navarre

Photo by Nicholas Navarre

Enjoying cupcakes - photo by Nicholas Navarre

Book review - Since You've Been Gone

Title: Since You've Been Gone
Author: Mary Jennifer Payne
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Throwaway Girl by Kristine Scarrow
                     15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins
Rating:

fails to connect

Summary: Edie and her mother have been on the run for years, moving at a moment's notice. This is their most drastic move yet: from Canada to London. Edie tries to make the best of things but it isn't easy when she doesn't fit in at her new school. Bullies take a back seat, though, when her mother fails to come home from her night shift. Edie fears the past has caught up with them at last.

My opinion: From a strictly plot perspective, this is a pretty solid book. Events follow a decent level of logic and order. As characters, Edie and Jermaine could use a little more fleshing out. They have only minimal definition and very little emotional depth. A book like this, about a girl's desperate search for her missing mother, should really connect with the reader on an emotional level. We should feel Edie's fear, loneliness, and desperation vicerally. This book simply doesn't do that. Edie's search is almost meandering and haphazard. The lack of engagement makes this something of a disappointment.

More information: Since You've Been Gone releases January 24th.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Graphic Novel Spotlight: Fairy Tale Comics

Fairy Tale Comics edited by Chris Duffy

This collection gathers 17 fairy tales retold and illustrated by 18 cartoonists. Both well known and more obscure tales are recounted. Selections include: The Magic Porridge Pot, 12 Dancing Princesses, Hansel and Gretel, Puss in Boots, Little Red Riding Hood, The Prince and the Tortoise, Snow White, The Boy Who Drew Cats, Rumpelstiltskin, Brer Rabbit, Rapunzel, The Small Tooth Dog, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Baba Yaga, The Bremen Town Musicians, Give Me the Shudders, and The King and His Storyteller. There are a variety of artistic styles so there really is something for everyone in this book.

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?
Tear You Apart by Sarah Cross
For years, Viv has known that she has a Snow White curse, that some day her stepmother will send a huntsman to kill her. She always expected that her best friend-turned-boy friend Henley would be there to protect her. No one expected that Henley would turn out to be the huntsman. When Prince Jasper, one of the princes of the Underworld, offers her a way out, Viv must decide if being around Henley is worth the risk.
I love pretty much any fairy tale retelling. While this isn't my favorite so far it has plenty of time left to turn out amazing.
 
What did you recently finish reading?
The Other Side of the Wall by Simon Schwartz
When Simon Schwartz was born in 1982, his parents lived in East Germany. Having applied to emigrate to the west, life was not easy for the Schwartz family. They lived under a constant cloud of suspicion and disapproval and struggled to find work. This short graphic memoir recounts the years leading up to their decision to leave and the three years they were detained in the East.
While this memoir lacks the emotional impact of Maus or Persepolis, Schwartz relates a pretty interesting period in his family's life. This might be a nice supplement to a history unit.

What do you think you will read next?
The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence by Stan Lee, Stuart Moore, and Andie Tong
A book about superpowers from Stan Lee? Yes please!

Book review - When

Title: When
Author: Victoria Laurie
Genre: mystery
Similar books: Numbers by Rachel Ward
                     Vision by Lisa Amowitz
Rating:

A pretty solid read

Summary: For as long as she can remember, Maddie has seen the numbers: a date that hovers over each person's forehead. The date of their death. In an effort to save a boy, she tells his mother of his approaching deathdate. When Tevon vanishes that same day, all eyes are on Maddie.

My Opinion: For the most part, this is a pretty entertaining book. Maddie, at least, is a relatively rounded character. The plot resolution does come as something of a surprise. In fact, I'd have liked a little more foreshadowing for the killer's identity. There were plenty of suspects but no real direction. Some of the evidence and "cop talk" was a little stiff, clinical, or just plain hard to believe. Still, a nice level of tension kept the pacing at a near ideal level.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Another Puppet

This fall I posted a puppet I had made with my nephew (it's here if you missed it). At the time that we made Burt the Cow, we talked about possibilities for Burt’s goat assistant Fred. We wanted his eyebrows to be the only part of him that moved. So, here he is. Fred, the detective assistant. As planned, his brows quirk up and relax back down. Fred is made out of craft foam (for flexibility and resilience), fuzzy fleece, pipe cleaners, and some small black decorative bits. His eyebrow mechanism is made from floral wire and a piece of a broken plastic hanger.

 

Book review - Rat Runners

Title: Rat Runners
Author: Oisin McGann
Genre: dystopia/sci-fi
Similar books: Data Runner by Sam Patel
                     The Walled City by Ryan Graudin
Rating:

Pretty captivating

Summary: Scope, Manikin, Nimmo, and FX have been given a task that should be simple for thieves like themselves - collect a black leather box belonging to a murdered scientist. It's not so simple when the streets are patrolled by agents with x-ray vision and several different groups are after the box. It will take all their skills, wits, and a lot of luck to complete their mission and escape alive.

My Opinion: This book has a great undercurrent of tension through the bulk of the plot. The action is pretty much non-stop. I did feel like the end was somewhat abrupt and we don't particularly connect with the story on an emotional level. It is a great source of entertainment, if not particularly deep or thought-provoking.
More Information: Rat Runners releases January 13th.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.