Another Busy Week, the Friday Countdown

It's been another busy week in the library, after closing down the book fair and getting the room back to normal, we were able to visit Wonderopolis again.  If you haven't looked at this free web site yet, you really need to.  Every day is a new wonder and they run the gambit.  This week alone, we wondered about leukemia (awesome, goose bump video), going on a quest, predicting the future and wrist watches.  Lots of great predicting,  wondering and questioning by all grades.

In THE PIT we enjoyed the book Paul Meets Bernadette a story of goldfish love by Rosy Lamb.  Paul's life is pretty boring, swimming in circles all day until Bernadette "drops in" and shares her view of the world.  It's fun to look at the world through a gold fishes eyes and one 4th grader came up with an interesting observation about the final thoughts, I love it when kids see through the words and think on a higher level.

Last weekend was the Dublin Lit Conference and I got some big news to share with the 3rd, 4th & 5th graders.  While talking to Tami from Fundamentals Book Store in Delaware, OH I learned that Natalie Lloyd, author of A Snicker of Magic, one of my all time favorite books, is coming to the Delaware Library.  I mentioned that I would like to get up to hear her and Tami mentioned that she would like to visit a couple of elementary schools while she is here and I mentioned that Bailey would love to host her!  So now, we are in the preparation stages to host Natalie Lloyd on her visit to central Ohio, very exciting!

We've been observing a run on the Who Was...series of biographies, so my super aide Yvonne and I made a move.  First we ordered about 25 new titles that we didn't have and then we found an empty shelf where we can feature them.  They tend to get lost in with the other biographies so by pulling them out the kids will be able to find the ones they are looking for more easily.  I love that they will read any book in the series regardless of who it is about.  They are learning about great people from history that they wouldn't normally be interested in.  I really love it because as a kid, the biographies were my favorite books at the Ashland Public Library.  I think I read every one of the junior biographies on the shelf several times.  I still love a good biography.

That pretty wraps up the week, now we are all on Storm Watch to see if yet another blast of the white death is headed our way over the weekend.

Picks From THE PIT Times Infinity!

Have you ever heard a conversation like this between students or even your own kids?

"I know the names of 100 dinosaurs!"
"Oh yeah! Well I know the names of infinity dinosaurs!"

It was something like this that inspired Kate Hosford to write the book Infinity and Me, and let me tell you, I like it infinity times 100 + 1!

Uma starts talking about her new red shoes that she is so excited about that she can't sleep.  When she begins star gazing she wonders how many stars are up there and eventually goes to infinity which she thinks is a WAY bigger thing than she should be thinking about.

She asks friends and family what they think of infinity and gets some wonderful, non-fiction type answers that make her think even more.  Her friend Charlie relates infinity to numbers, her friend Samantha explains the symbol for infinite as a figure eight that fell over for a nap and Grandma says it's like family with great grandparents, grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and it could go on and on!

The one common theme to all of the definitions is the word "forever" which makes Uma try to come up with something she would like to do forever.  For example, recess, but then she asks:

 If there is no school before recess, and no school after recess, is really recess?

I love that!

The school cook asks Uma if how many times she can cut a noodle in half and the music teacher compares it to a song that goes in circles with no end and no beginning!

AWESOME!  It's hard to find good literary non-fiction books to read out loud, but this one works infinitely well and the kids love it.  The illustrations by Gabi Swiatkowska were recognized on the NY Times Best Illustrated Books of 2012 list and they are wonderful, unique and interesting enough that kids find new things to look at and discuss on every page.

I'm adding this really smart book to my all time favorite books list!

Dragons Love Tacos in THE PIT

On our recent Central Ohio Bloggers day at Cover to Cover, my friend Beth showed me the galley of Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri, you know, the guys from Those Darn Squirrels another PIT favorite. That's me holding it in the photo.

I read it in the store and of course, there I was laughing out loud in the store. The book will be released in June so place your orders now, you won't be disappointed.

Obviously the book tells of the dragons' love of tacos, it doesn't really explain why they love tacos, it doesn't even really matter why they love tacos. It does, however, explain in detail that they hate spicy salsa. All kinds of spicy salsa, spicy green salsa, spicy red salsa, spicy chunky salsa, spicy smooth salsa, all kinds of spicy salsa. It makes their ears smoke, their noses snort sparks and gives them the tummy troubles.

Most of the kids predicted the ending of the book, but it didn't take anything away from the fun, colorful illustrations. Just like Those Darn Squirrels, the book made all of us laugh and that's a good thing.

3 Picks From THE PIT

It's been a busy year in THE PIT, I've already shared 10 fun read alouds with the kids, and some are already coming out on top as favorites. Here are three that have been HUGE hits in THE PIT!

Dinosaur vs. The Library by Bob Shea: I read Dinosaur vs. Bedtime a couple of years ago and it was so much fun (that means LOUD) that when I saw the dinosaur was taking on the library, I had to read it in THE PIT. It doesn't disappoint and probably my favorite part are the baby chicks that look a lot like tennis balls with legs that follow the dinosaur through the story. When the dinosaur arrives at the library and the text says something about roaring where no one has roared before, there was always at least one of my kids that said, "Except for this library, you roar all the time!" I guess I've earned the title of The Loud Librarian and I wear it proudly. This is the second Bob Shea I've read this year, we also did I'm a Shark to the delight of the Bailey students. I can't wait until February when Bob Shea will visit Dublin for our annual Dublin Literacy Conference. After viewing his video about the Dinosaur books, I'm pretty impressed with his roaring!

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen: I LOVE THIS BOOK! The bear loses his hat and walks through the woods asking various animals if they have seen it. The rabbit is wearing a red pointy hat but denies everything. In the end the bear solves the mystery and gets his hat back. This creates a new mystery, what happened to the rabbit? We discussed this in THE PIT, does he eat the rabbit? sit on and squash the rabbit? stuff the rabbit back in the hat and put it on his heat? It's up to the reader, but the bear does have a bit of a denial problem just like the rabbit. My favorite reaction to the book came from Franki at A Year of Reading. As she read the book she kept saying that she didn't see what was so funny, when she got to the end, she totally cracked up and was hooked! It was such a sudden change in responses to the book that it made me laugh too!



King Hugo's Huge Ego by Chris Van Dusen: I love a good rhyming story and this is a good rhyming story. King Hugo is a little man with a, well, you probably guessed it, a huge ego. He goes around making people bow down to him and speechifying about how wonderful he is. When he crosses a sorceress, she casts a spell that causes his head to swell every time he brags. By the end he's looking like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. As with all fairy tales, he finds out the reason for his fat head and changes his way. Just a heads up, this one has a bit of a romantical ending that made me break into a little bit of "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" and caused a good bit of squirming in THE PIT!

Busy September!

I told my blogging partner Karen that I hadn't posted in a while, just wasn't inspired and didn't feel like I had much to say. As I look back on the first month of school, however, I realize how busy and frantic it has been, that may have had something to do with my lack of inspiration.

In the first month of school, Super Aide Yvonne moved every book in the non-fiction and fiction sections of our library. They installed an Epson Brightlink system and we had to make room for the board. Oh yeah, I've been trying to figure out this new system which I think I really like!

I reviewed and purchased nearly 60 new titles for the library. We then had to catalog and process them for library use.

I chose and read 6 new books in THE PIT;
Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door by Adam Rubin
SkippyJon Jones: Class Action by Judith Schachner
The Book that Zack Wrote by Ethan Long
You Will Be My Friend by Peter Brown
I'm a Shark by Bob Shea
The Greedy Sparrow by Lucine Kasbarian

I have been working on updating the Amazing Library Race using QR codes hidden in books for clues. I've run into a bit of snag in that I can't find a reader that works consistently on the desktop computers in the library. I'm working on getting some iPods with cameras but if anybody knows of a good QR reader for Mac desktops, please let me know.

In addition to all of these things I've been teaching the early library skill units, keeping up with things at home and this week book fair gets delivered and set up.

WHEW! I think I need to sit down with a stack of good books and watch the Buckeyes play football!

10 for 10; 10 Days Late 10 Books I had to Buy TODAY!

So I missed the 10 for 10 picture book celebration 10 days ago, and this morning the Central Ohio Blogger got together over granola. Cathy and Mandy both reminded me that they noticed that there was one person that didn't participate in the event. I tried explaining that I was out of town on a college visit to Ball State, but when Mary Lee reminded me that she was in Belgium, I knew I owed them a list. Mary Lee even came up with the 10 for 10, 10 Days Late title. Once we had been to Cover to Cover, I knew what my 10 would be. I haven't been to the book store all summer so today, I was like a kid in a candy store, so here's 10 that I came out with.

1. Bailey by Harry Bliss: I read this one from the library this week and it immediately made it to my list. When I walked into Cover to Cover and saw the feature display, I knew I had a winner. It sold faster than Northstar Cafe Granola does to Central Ohio Kidlit Bloggers! Of course I love the name, Bailey, like my school, but the little dog going to school and being, as Sally says, "a little off" make Bailey a new fave and will be well received in THE PIT!

2. Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door by Adam Rubin; Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri: I already reviewed this one here and can guarantee that it will be one of the first books I read in THE PIT this year. I still haven't gotten Franki to fall in love with the squirrels, but I'm not giving up! Old Man Fookwire is one of my all time favorite characters and grumpy old men.

3. Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin; Illustrated by James Dean: Pete's back and he is ROCKIN' in his school shoes, in the cafeteria, the library, the playground, all over the school. As big of a hit that the first Pete the Cat was, I had to buy this one to ROCK THE PIT.

4. Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat by Philip C. Stead: From the same creator of 2011 Caldecott Winner A Sick Day for Amos McGee Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat is the adventure of a boy looking for his lost teddy bear, Frederick. Only, the bear isn't really lost, his parents traded him for a toaster. The story builds with interesting animal characters as the crew of the big blue boat and collage illustrations are fascinating to look at.

5. Wiener Wolf by Jeff Crosby: Wiener Dog is bored with his cooped up life and chases the call of the wild. He hooks up with a wild wolf pack and runs with the big boys...until they go hunting and catch something. Wiener Wolf longs for his quiet life back home and his friends in the dog park. When he arrives home he is welcomed with open arms and a new sweater. The story is fun and the pictures made me laugh.

6. Cookiebot: A Harry and Horsie Adventure by Katie Van Camp; Illustrated by Lincoln Agnew: The first Harry and Horsie was a huge hit in THE PIT, especially with the younger kids, so I couldn't resist this one either. Harry wants cookies but the cookie jar is too high. He and Horsie build a robot to help get the cookies but when things get out of control, it's Horsie to the rescue.

7. Blackout by John Rocco: I read this one quite a while ago and sort of forgot about it. I'm so glad my friends reminded me today. It's a hot night in the city and the family is too busy on their electronics cooking to spend time together. When the lights go out the whole block comes outside to spend some quality time together. Very few words in this beautiful picture book. It's definitely on my Caldecott List.

8. I Will Not Read This Book by Cece Meng; Illustrated by Joy Ang: I'd never heard of this one, but my blogging partner Karen found it and knew I would love to read it out loud in THE PIT. I took one look and knew she was right. A boy gives every reason in the world why he will not read this book, needs a drink, to scratch his nose, to feed his fish. He gives all sorts of ways that will not force him to read this book, hanging upside down by his toe, over a cliff while tickling his feet! The book keeps building and building until he fears being dropped and then he may read the book.

9. A Place to Call Home by Alexis Deacon; Illustrated by Viviane Schwarz: The little critters are born in a small dark hole, but quickly outgrow it. They have to look for another small dark place to live, and that's where it gets funny. As they emerge into the world they are afraid they will never find another small dark place to live until one puts a cup on his head, another a straw, another a book, another a spigot, the picture of this is TOO FUNNY! Done sort of in a graphic novel style, I still haven't finished reading the book because every time I look at those critters with those things on their heads I laugh out loud! I think the kids in THE PIT will too. I almost didn't buy this one, but super sales person Beth made me take a look at it. She and I share a similar sense of humor when it comes to picture books, so she was pretty sure I would like it. She's good!

10. Time to Eat by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page: I reviewed it here. You can't really go wrong with anything this team puts together! Every one is high quality non fiction.

That's my 10 for 10, 10 days late. There were more purchases made today and I also picked up a couple ARCs, so all in all it was a good morning with the Central Ohio Bloggers.

More Potential PICKS FROM THE PIT!

I'm still building my list of read alouds for the year, constantly on the lookout for the books that will make the cut for THE PIT! Here are three more candidates.

Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake by Michael B. Kaplan; illustrated by Stephane Jorisch: Betty Bunny is a picky eater who doesn't enjoy trying new things. Her mom talks her into trying chocolate cake and of course she falls in love saying,"I'm going to marry chocolate cake!" As the story goes on she is obsessed with chocolate cake and will go to any length to get it. She becomes quite contrary over chocolate cake and has to learn some discipline and patience waiting for more. Very fun story and excellent illustrations. The surprise ending will make it a fun read aloud.

More Reviews:
Waking Brain Cells
Read it Again Mom! (cool blog name)

A Pet for Miss Wright by Judy Young; Illustrated by Andrea Wesson: Miss Wright is an author who works alone. When she wishes for some companionship Miss Wright heads to the pet store and goes through several different animals that just don't seem to work out. Finally she picks out a dog who not only is good company, but also an inspiration for her writing. The adventures with the animals that don't make the cut provide some very funny stuff and I love the illustrations.

More Reviews:
Buckeye Bookworm (cool blog name)
Through the Looking Glass

The Pig Kahuna by Jennifer Sattler: Two pig brothers wander the beach looking for "treasure." The treasure they find is probably trash to most people, but they find uses for the stuff they find. When a surfboard washes up on the beach they collect it, give it a face and call it Dave. Neither one of them thinks to actually surf on the board, that's dangerous, however, when the board washes out to the waves with one of the pigs aboard, the brothers are introduced to a whole new beach adventure. Jennifer Sattler's other books, Sylvie and Chick n' Pug have been very popular in THE PIT so I'm pretty sure The Pig Kahuna will be loved and not stay on the shelves very long.

More Reviews:
Jen Robinson's Book Page
Time Out New York Kids

Future PICKS FROM THE PIT

I've read quite few new picture books this summer and just realized I hadn't posted any of them. I'll try to get a few of them done over the next week or so. When my budget opens again, I'll be headed to my favorite book store, Cover to Cover, to make some purchases.

13 Words by Lemony Snicket: I've never been a fan of Lemony, I thought the Unfortunate Event books were just weird and creepy. I know, kids loved them and that's great, but they weren't for me. This book is a bit out there too, but what else would we expect from this author. Lemony takes 13 random completely unrelated words and turns them into a totally random story about a dog, a bird and an opera singer. While I'm not a huge fan of the book myself, I can certainly see some uses in the classroom for creative writing. It might be fun to choose a number of words in some random fashion and see what the kids come up with. Sort of like Mad Libs only different.

Skippyjon Jones: Class Action by Judith Schachner: I'm a HUGE fan of the Siamese cat who thinks he's a chihuahua, he makes me laugh every time! This episode is no exception. Skippy goes to school to help his friends the chimichangas take on the bully, a teacup chihuahua that wears a sweater and rules the school. Plenty of PIT sing along and clapping will follow. Check out this muy cool website!

The Crows of Pearblossom by Aldous Huxley Illustrated by Sophie Blackall: When I was a kid, my mom signed me up for the Weekly Reader Summer Book Club. As a member I received a new hardback book each month or so. There were some real classics, Fredrick, Lyle the Crocodile and The Crows of Pearblossom. I loved them all but I haven't seen a copy of the crows in forever. I was very excited to see that Sophie Blackall has released a newly illustrated version. In the story, Mr. and Mrs. Crow fool the evil rattle snake that keeps eating their eggs. I was fascinated to read in the back that this is the only children's story written by Huxley, the author of Brave New World. He wrote it as a Christmas gift for his niece. Thankfully it was illustrated and published because the original manuscript was lost in a fire. Now I just have to find my copy from the 1960s!

More Bears are Making More Noise in THE PIT!

Things got a little noisy in THE PIT today. I started reading a book I found called More Bears by Kenn Nesbitt and there really is only one way to read it...LOUD!

The story starts out quiet enough with an author writing a nice lovely story that has absolutely no bears. But then, sort of like me when I come across a book I really like, the author begins to hear voices. The voices are asking for, "More bears!"

As the story goes along and the demands for more bears become more enthusiastic, the author begins to add more bears, starting slowly at first with a cuddly-wuddly baby bear, a mama bear named Stella and a papa bear named Captain Picklehead. The voices demand even MORE BEARS and the author begins adding bears at a frenzied pace. Bears riding pink bicycles, playing ukuleles, surfing, wearing lederhosen and the list goes on and on and on until there isn't room for anymore bears on the page. All of them expertly illustrated by Troy Cummings with lots of things to look for and at on every page.

When reading this book aloud, it's hard for me to keep myself from working into a wild frenzy and it just keeps getting louder and louder and the kids all join in yelling for MORE BEARS and IT IS AWESOME!!!

The surprise ending leads to lots of laughter and giggles in THE PIT and I am reminded why I love my job!

More reviews at;
Lit for Kids

Mr. President Goes to School is What It's All About in THE PIT!

I know this book would have been better in February, for President's Day but I was reading this year' Caldecott, A Sick Day for Amos McGee at the time and sort of forgot how much I liked this story. Anyway, a week or so ago I found it on the shelf instead of the new book rack and remembered how much I like Mr. President Goes to School by Rick Walton and illustrated by Brad Sneed.

When the stresses of the most difficult job in the world begin to get Mr. President down, he puts on a disguise and returns to school. His teacher greets him at the door and Mr. President learns how to solve the world's problems, kindergarten style. He finger paints, plays with friends at recess, builds an imaginary castle, eats milk and cookies and finally, most importantly of all, he does the Hokey Pokey and remembers "that's what it's all about!"

He returns to the White House where the troubles haven't gone away, but now he has a new strategy for making peace between the leaders of Bulrovia and Snortburg, it's the old sticks and stones issue you know. Mr. President employs the tactics used by super teacher Mrs. Appletree and world peace is restored.

I'm thinking of offering the services of kindergarten teachers everywhere to solve the world's conflicts using a blend of song, finger paints, nurturing, napping and dancing. I think we'll call it Hokey Poke Diplomacy because after all, that's what it's all about!

Mary Lee reviewed it at A Year of Reading.

Return of PICKS FROM THE PIT

I haven't done this in a LONG time but I recently shared to books in THE PIT that would fit my list of books I never get tired of reading.

Fandango Stew by David Davis; Illustrated by Ben Galbraith: It's a retelling of Stone Soup only set in a wild west town. The main cowboy characters Slim and his grandson Luis ride into the town of Skinflint without a peso between them. When they are collared by the local sheriff, they offer to whip up a batch of fandango stew by using a pot of boiling water and on little ol' fandango bean. Of course the good folk of Skinflint are talked out of salt, pepper, a purple onion, and lots of vegetables...including the okra!

GASP! NOT THE OKRA! YUP, THE OKRA!

With each ingredient the group of harmonizers grows until it reaches 47 part harmony. Is that possible?

I love the Tex Mex lingo and the colorful pictures, but probably my favorite part is the little ditty that is sung over and over and makes for some awesome audience participation.

CHILI'S GOOD
SO IS BARBECUE,
BUT NOTHIN'S FINER THAN,
FANDANGO STEW!

We sang it LOUD for all to hear in THE PIT and was a bunch of rip roarin' rootin' tootin' fun!

10 for 10 Picks From THE PIT

Since I had such a hard time coming up with my 10, so many books, so little time, I decided to put my own twist on it and go with 10 of my favorites that I have read in THE PIT in the last 3 years. In no particular order:

1. Chicken Cheeks by Michael Ian Black: There aren't too many things funnier than Hound Dog Heinies and Gnu Wazoos! Lots of laughter in THE PIT with this one and still a popular check out.

2. Are You Ready to Play Outside by Mo Willems: It could have been almost any Elephant and Piggie book, but this one was the most popular. I just re-read my post and the idea of a readers' theater with Elephant and Piggie is a good one!

3. Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey: It's a classic that I remember from when I was a kid, I read it to my two when they were little and it's about Boston, what could be better?

4. Fredrick by Leo Lionni: Another classic that was one of my favorites as a kid. In fact, I still have the copy I received as part of the Weekly Reader Summer Book Club when I was in about the second grade. Once a book lover, always a book lover!

5. Pippo the Fool by Tracey E. Fern: What a great story. I was a little nervous about how it would go over in THE PIT, but the kids liked it, even the first graders! I was amazed at how well they sat still for a long one like this.

6. Beware of the Frog by William Bee: Surprise endings are always good in THE PIT. Especially when they take a while to set up and then I can spring it on them real sudden like. This one got lots of great response when I made it to the end. Very fun!

7. This is the Teacher by Rhonda Gowler Greene: It was my very first book in THE PIT so it will always be a memorable one for me. It was also a very loud book and it really set the tone for what the library would be like under my watch!

8. Punk Farm on Tour by Jarrett Krosocka: I nearly blew my vocal cords on this one, but THE PIT WAS ROCKIN' and the kids were DANCIN' and my friend Joyce was looking down from her room above LAUGHIN' ahhhh good times!

9. Big Plans by Bob Shea: I thought the message about having big plans for the new year was a good way to start. I love the attitude of the kid with the plans and his friend the mynah bird. It was also one of the first books I took on the road to my sister's class in Ashland.

10. Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter: At last, a little non-fiction! The story of the wandering barge of garbage told with fun pix and humor. I don't do much non-fiction in THE PIT but this one worked well and the video that shows how the pix were created is fun to watch too.

So there you have it, my list 10 for 10 list of favorites from THE PIT!

Garbage Barge in THE PIT

A few weeks ago a third grade teacher sent me an email looking for "literary non-fiction." Confession time, I've never been into the teacher lingo, and am not always up on the current terms for things, so I had to go to my friend Maria for a definition. She described it as a non-fiction book that is written like a story, now that's a definition I can understand, and amazingly, I was a big fan of these kinds of books as a kid. I also realized that literary non-fiction is what Karen and I screened for the CYBILS this year. However, one that we didn't screen, that I just discovered on a recent trip to Cover to Cover is Here Comes the Garbage Barge written by Jonah Winter.

Remember the story of the barge from New York that traveled all over 6000 miles looking for a home? It was all over the television and newspapers in 1987. Comics were getting big laughs talking about the little tug boat named Break of Dawn pulling over 3100 tons of Islip, New York's smelliest leftovers from NYC to Mexico to Belize and back again. When it arrived back in Islip, they refused their own garbage! You can't make this stuff up!

So Jonah Winter takes this news story and turns it into a fun story with illustrations by Red Nose Studio. Each harbor from North Carolina to New Orleans to Florida has it's own personality shown both in the illustrations and Winter's brief descriptions. For example, Florida is describes as "The Sunshine State, home of alligators, beautiful beaches and grandparents." A large number of my students say, "Hey, my grandparents are in Florida!" and then laugh at the old guy floating in his ducky tube in the ocean shaking his fist at the garbage barge. Very funny!

As the barge gets turned away in port after port, and finally ends up back in Islip, NY, the kids are always disgusted and surprised when the city who created the garbage actually has the nerve to turn it away. Of course, justice is served, when the trash is incinerated in Brooklyn and buried in land fills in Islip, and the kids leave with a feeling of closure, but also disbelief that this is actually a true story.

Great writing and awesome artwork make this fun read aloud in THE PIT! I found this awesome You Tube video on the making of the illustrations, way cool!

Little Mouse Gets Ready in THE PIT

The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winners are quickly becoming favorite read alouds for me. Named for Dr. Seuss, the award is given for the best beginner reader books of the year. The award was started in 2006 and winners include Are You Ready to Play Outside and There's a Bird on Your Head by Mo Willems, One Boy by Laura Vaccaro Seeger and a couple of Fly Guy books by Tedd Arnold, just to name a few.

One of this year's honor choices was Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith, the creator of Bone, and fellow OSU alum. Little Mouse Gets Ready was published by Toon Books which is quickly becoming one of my favorite publishers for early readers. They are also responsible for the Geisel winner this year, Benny and Penny in The Big No-No by Geoffrey Hayes and past honor book Stinky by Eleanor Davis. The graphic novel/comic book appearance make them very kid friendly regardless of reading level. They also tend to have humor on several levels which makes them very reader friendly.

Anyway, this week I had some extra time in THE PIT so I actually read two books to most classes and after reading Little Mouse to the pre school and kindergarten classes, I knew the older kids would like it too. The story revolves around Little Mouse getting ready for a trip to the barn with his family. Mama continues to encourage him to hurry up from out of the picture and Little Mouse gets dressed in the picture as he tells the reader what he likes best about going to the barn.

The illustrations are cute without being cutsey, if that makes sense, and watching Little Mouse get dressed is hilarious. The first thing to go on is the underpants and as everybody knows, as soon as a teacher says the word "underpants" out loud laughter follows! The great thing about the book is the amount of detail that Jeff Smith gets in just a few words, for example Little Mouse tells us to be sure to look for the tag because "that's the back" and "be sure to put your tail in the tail hole" which always brings out the giggles and smiles from a group of kids.

I'm not going to spoil the end here, but just let me say that the surprise ending when Mama actually does show up, makes me laugh EVERY TIME! This book will be great for all readers, easy to read, fun illustrations and a great sense of humor.

Not Last Night, But the Night Before in THE PIT

I discovered this one on the new book table at my local library, Not Last Night, But the Night Before by Colin McNaughton, and I've been reading it to everybody, pre school through fifth grade, and it's been fun.

Each page starts of with "Not last night, but the night before" and then someone is knocking at the door. Each time it's a fairy tale or nursery rhyme character. One time it's three little pigs, another time it's Goldilocks, or Little Bo Peep, or Little Miss Muffet. Each time the door is opened, the characters come in, knock the story teller down and take their gifts upstairs.

When the knocks on the door end, the narrator goes upstairs where all of the characters sing:

Happy Birthday to you
Squashed tomatoes and stew
Bread and butter in the gutter
Happy Birthday to you

I still laugh every time I sing it, the kids laugh too. It's just plain silly fun. Another fun feature to the book is guessing who will come with the character at the door. For example, the big bad wolf comes with the three little pigs, the three bears come with Goldilocks, and a big fat spider squishes the narrator with Little Miss Muffet.

The illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark are bright and fun and make the reader feel like they are at a party with all of their favorite characters.

Finn Has a Fit in THE PIT

My friend Beth at the best little bookstore I know, Cover to Cover on High Street in Columbus, put this one in my hands on my last visit. She knew how much I liked Necks Out for Adventure by Timothy Basil Ering and thought I might like this one too. Boy was she right, I LOVE IT! I have moved it right to the top of my Caldecott short list.

Finn is a toddler having a VERY bad day! Usually he is happy and likes peaches, but not on this day, on this day he is CRANKY! Something sets him off and we never really find out what it is. The kids, all ages, get this, it never fails, when the short read aloud is over, someone asks, "What was wrong with him, anyway!?" which leads to a discussion of little ones having temper tantrums for no apparent reason. Of course, none of them have ever done this, ohhhhhh, noooooo!

David Elliot's simple words that compare Finn's actions to various natural disasters, blizzards, floods, earthquakes, avalanches, match perfectly with Timothy Basil Ering's Weeble like Finn. I love the way that the pictures and words build together to a crescendo of a fit, and then, just like a real toddler tantrum calm, just like that. The really cool effect between the words an pictures is right at the height of the action, Finn calms on one page while right next to it his parents are still holding on for dear life. A perfect depiction of what happens when a toddler loses control for no obvious reason. I LOVE THIS BOOK!Every kid in THE PIT has laughed and commented on the pictures, it has been a fun week of read aloud. I would definitely add this to Franki's list of books I could read over and over and over.