Picture books for everyone

The Wild Beast by Eric Walters

Small children enjoy explanatory stories like this one. I clearly remember enjoying How the Camel Got His Hump and The Elephant Child when I was small, and this tale is right in line with those. Even a small child understands that the "just so" of a just so story is not truth but a source of humor. For an older child, this book could be the starting point for any number of lessons in creation stories, conservation, even an art project.

More information: The Wild Beast releases September 25.

Non-fiction book review - Death Eaters

Death Eaters by Kelly Milner Halls

This is a classic case of using the gross or grim to get children to engage with the educational. Decomposition is disgusting. It's also fascinating and absolutely necessary. I have to give Halls a lot of credit. The exploration is clinical and straightforward. She doesn't dwell on the grosser details. She uses technical terms and lays out the process scientifically. One might complain ti's a bit too clinical. The vocabulary could be a bit challenging.
We meet a wide variety of scavengers and the stages at which they are likely to feed on a corpse. Educational and engaging.

More information: Death Eaters releases October 1.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Big Words Small Stories: The Missing Donut

Title: The Missing Donut
Author: Judith Henderson
Genre: early chapter book
Similar books: Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant
                      Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo
Rating:

mediocre plot, but unique format

Summary (provided by publisher): Here's a collection of short stories with a twist. The five stories all feature the misadventures of a boy named Cris, who “likes things all in a row,” and his cat, Crat, who “likes to mix things up.” Running within each of these lighthearted stories is another story, this one about the Sprinkle Fairy, owner of a word factory in Sicily, “where the best words in the world come from.” The Sprinkle Fairy has a team of helpers, called the Sprinklers, who have slipped one of her big words (like, discombobulated) into each of the small stories. Luckily, the Sprinklers provide warnings right before the big words appear (“Big word coming!”) and include their pronunciations and meanings afterward. Then, a bonus story at the end --- “A Small Play on Big Words” --- uses all the big words together. Judith Henderson has created an innovative approach to an early reader that involves children in simple, fun-to-read stories, while using a clever, playful device to enrich their vocabularies at the same time. The quirky stories are funny, with storylines that build on each other. The appealing blend of deadpan and slapstick humor in the text is paired with multiple spot illustrations by T. L. McBeth on every page. The tone and accessibility are pitch-perfect for emerging readers. This title is part of a three-book series --- each book with its own character duo, but all starring the Sprinkle Fairy and her Sprinklers.

My opinion:  I never have much in the way of expectations when it comes to easy readers because the focus is more on vocabulary than storytelling. This one is fairly standard for plot, in that there isn't much of one. The stories are very simple. The format is outstanding. Each story has a low level vocabulary with a single multiple syllable word. There is ample notice that the complex word is coming, a pronunciation guide, a simple definition, and a good amount of context to understand it's use. Each story's plot is essentially just prolonged context for the larger word. It's not much of a pleasure read but as an educational tool, it's spot on.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

K-9

This week's project is a happy combination of something I needed and an idea that struck me randomly.

I have a really nice wooden bookshelf in my room. It currently fills the only wall space that reaches the full ceiling height as one side of my room is under the eaves. That means that when my book shelf is full, like it is now, I don't have a lot of options for shelving. 

About the time I was realizing that I was running out of space, I decided I wanted to craft something K-9, the Doctor Who robot, themed. And randomly I thought of making a K-9 that would open up to reveal internal shelves. My first thought was to create 3 shelves for holding some collectibles but the need for book space over rode that. 

For this project, I decided my best option was cardboard. I started with a reference image and a straight edge and eyeballed my proportions.

 

quite a lot of hot glue involved, plus an orphan knitting needle for the tail

Most of a bottle of acrylic paint and a little duct tape for a handle finished it off.

And there's even room in the top for an extra shelf that holds my sonic screwdrivers.

 

Graphic Novel Spotlight - Bera the One-Headed Troll

Bera the One-Headed Troll by Eric Orchard

Orchard takes a traditional approach to folk tales. His trolls, witches, and mermaids resemble the darker, Northern European traditions. They are often cruel and capricious, or lazy liars. They are vulnerable to sunlight and have limits to their power. So, this is not a story for everyone. Very young children may not enjoy it, may find the story hard to follow, but that's okay. This story isn't intended for the very young. Its a story for fans of fairy tales. And the art is mightly impressive. They're very detailed line drawings.

Gods and Heroes blog tour

Title: Gods and Heroes
Author: Korwin Briggs

Summary (provided by publisher): Meet the Original Superheroes.
Before there was Batman, Wonder Woman, or Black Panther...there was Indra, Hindu king of gods, who battled a fearsome snake to save the world from drought. Athena, the powerful Greek goddess of wisdom who could decide the fate of battles before they even began. Okuninushi, the Japanese hero who defeated eighty brothers to become king and then traded it all for a chance at immortality.
Featuring more than 70 characters from 23 cultures around the world, this A-to-Z encyclopedia of mythology is a who's who of powerful gods and goddesses, warriors and kings, enchanted creatures and earthshaking giants whose stories have been passed down since the beginning of time—and are now given fresh life for a new generation of young readers.
Plus, You'll Learn All About:
Dragons: The Hydra, St. George's Dragon, and the Australian Rainbow Snake
Giants: Grendel, Balor of the Evuil Eye, Polyphemus, and the Purusha with the thousand heads
Monsters: Manticore, Sphinx, Minotaur, Thunderbird, and Echidne, mother of the Nemean lion that nearly killed Heracles
Underworlds: Travel to Hades, Valhalla, and the Elysian Fields 

My opinion: Ever since the introduction of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, mythology has been a guaranteed win with young readers. And not just mythology based novels. Such novels have opened up interest in anthologies like this one. Generally, anthologies focus on the myths of a single culture, usually Greek or Roman. Briggs has compiled myths from a wide variety of cultures. This book contains both the familiar, like Athena, and some readers will never have heard of, like Inanna of Sumeria or Sedna of Inuit culture. Each god or hero gets just a few pages, a few stories that typify their mythology. The stories are easy to understand. It's easy to lose hours just leafing through stories. Adding to the appeal are Briggs' dynamic, full color illustrations. His gods have a lot of character. I can't wait to share this book with the young readers in my life. Although they may have a hard time getting it away from me.

Want to buy a copy for yourself?  https://www.workman.com/products/gods-and-heroes-2

Gnome home

What do you do with an empty coffee can? Usually I use them to hold garbage but this particular can no longer had a lid. It was the perfect size for for a fairy house. Or, as I like to think of it, a gnome home.

First, turn the can upside down and cut a door and window holes.

Next, give your can a "natural" finish. I wanted mine to look like tree bark, so I pulled some corrugated cardboard apart. Glue the cardboard to the can, leaving voids for your windows and door. Add a roof made from lightweight cardboard and window crosspieces made from bamboo skewers.

Paint. Then add some decorations. I used artificial moss and pebbles. A few fairy house figures from the dollar store finish the scene.