Kid’s Corner: Remembering Maurice Sendak

 Do you have a favorite book written or illustrated by Maurice Sendak? Here are some favorites from Cedar Mill Library staff:

“My favorite has always been Outside Over There.  It was my first banned book, sort of.  When I was 5 or 6 it was my absolute favorite thing. I wanted to crawl inside it and live in the illustrations, and I wanted a dress just like Ida’s.  My mother hated it because she thought the story was too dark.  She got it for me from the library a bunch of times, anyway, but eventually got tired of it and said we had to take a break from Outside Over There for a while.  So I got my own library card and checked it out myself.  I now own my own copy and I still kind of want to live in those illustrations.” -Amy, M.

“Ah, In the night kitchen!  I sang this rhyme to my kids when we baked in our kitchen.  Happy, happy!” -Nancy F.

 “Milk in the batter! Milk in the batter! We bake the cake!  And nothing’s the matter!”

“As much as I love the ones he wrote, my favorite is one he illustrated because of the memories associated with it:         Sarah’s Room written by Doris Orgel.  It was given to my daughter Sarah on her birthday at a time when she was discovering both books and that many other children share her name.  We read and acted out this book.”  -Rucker, G.

“As a young person, Little Bear story illustrations and as an older person, the Illustrated Nutcracker.” -Lisa D.

“Argh! My favorite ?….in which category ???

Favorite for reading aloud to children:  Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotow

Favorite for reading to myself: The Bee-man of Orn by Frank Stockton

The visual world I want to slip into and stay: The Moon Jumpers by Janice May Udry

The illustrations that crack me up (esp. the hen’s expressions):  A Kiss for Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik 

The character I’d most like to come back as in another life: The Sign on Rosie’s Door by Maurice Sendak

The one I’m most haunted by:  We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy by Maurice Sendak”

-Nancy S.

What Do You Do, Dear? Proper Conduct for All Occasions was big at my house, I think. Sendak’s illustrations for a book about manners. –Jen A.

                                        

“The Nutshell Library – you get 4 books in 1!”

Contains Alligators All Around, Chicken Soup with Rice, One Was Johnny, and Pierre. -Dawn A.

Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue  -Ann K.

          

Charlotte and the White Horse by Ruth Krauss

A Very Special House by Ruth Krauss

-Marianne C.

A Hole is to Dig: A First Book of Definitions and Open House for Butterflies by Ruth Krauss

“I love reading this pair of books to myself. Together  Krauss and Sendak were the perfect author/illustrator pair!” -Jenny F.

        

Kid’s Corner: Dig In: Picture Books About Gardening

Inch by inch, row by row,                                                                                                                                                    

Gonna make this garden grow. Gonna mulch it deep and low,

Gonna make it fertile ground.

Inch by inch, row by row,

Please bless these seeds I sow.

Please keep them safe below

‘Til the rain comes tumbling down.

 

Pete Seeger

 

My Garden by Kevin Henkes
After helping her mother weed, water, and chase the rabbits from their garden, a young girl imagines her dream garden complete with jellybean bushes, chocolate rabbits, and tomatoes the size of beach balls.

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
Liam discovers a hidden garden and with careful tending spreads color throughout the gray city. 

The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen
Poppa’s move to an apartment brings his gardening to an end– until granddaughter Theo comes up with an idea to grow a new, imaginary garden!

Mortimer’s First Garden by Karma Wilson

Little Mortimer Mouse, longing to see something green at winter’s end, follows the lead of the big people and plants, waters, and weeds his last sunflower seed until, finally, with God’s help and a lot of patience, he harvests his crop.    

Quiet in the Garden by Aliki
Sitting quietly in his garden, a little boy observes the eating habits of birds, bugs, butterflies, and other small animals. Includes instructions on how to make your own garden and a detailed illustration of plants typically found in a garden.    

Counting in the Garden by Kim Parker
Invites the reader to count the inhabitants of a garden, from one to ten, such as four bunnies and nine inchworms.  

Riki’s Birdhouse by Monica Wellington
Riki, who loves to watch, feed, and listen to the birds that come to his garden, decides to build a birdhouse.

Yucky Worms by Vivian French

While helping Grandma in the garden, a child learns about the important role of the earthworm in helping plants grow.    

   

   

Ginny W., Youth Services

Kid’s Corner: Thank-you Earth!

Earth Day is April 22^nd.    Say a big thank you to our planet with some stories about taking care of the earth.

  

Ants in Your Pants, Worms in Your Plants: Gilbert Goes Green by Diane De Groat

Gilbert seems to be the only one in his class who cannot think of any ideas for an Earth Day project.    

 

Stuff:  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle by Steven Kroll
Pinch is a pack rat who does not want to give up the possessions that are cluttering his house, but when he finally is persuaded to sell them at a neighborhood tag sale, he discovers the beauty of recycling. Includes tips on “reducing, reusing, and recycling.”    

Earth Day-Hooray! By Stuart J. Murphy

A drive to recycle cans on Earth Day teaches the children of the Maple Street School Save-the-Planet Club about place value. 

Curious George Plants A Tree by Monica Perez
The mischievous monkey learns about protecting the environment by planting trees and recycling paper. Includes tips on conserving energy and resources.

OK Go by Carin Berger

In this almost wordless picture book, car drivers stuck in traffic under smoggy skies seek “greener” alternatives to driving, including riding bicycles, walking, and playing.    

Miss Fox’s Class Goes Green by Eileen Spinelli
The students in Miss Fox’s class lead their school in making choices to help keep the planet healthy, such as turning off lights when leaving a room, taking shorter showers, and using cloth bags instead of plastic ones.  

We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers by Lauren Child
Lola learns about recycling and enters a recycling competition. Includes recycling tips as well as a tree poster for kids to keep track of their own recycling projects.

Recycle Every Day by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

When Minna has a school assignment to make a poster about recycling, her entire rabbit family spends the week practicing various kinds of recycling and suggesting ideas for her poster.

Bag in the Wind by Ted Kooser
One cold, spring morning, an ordinary grocery bag begins blowing around a landfill, then as it travels down a road, through a stream, and into a town, it is used in various ways by different people, many of whom do not even notice it.    

Stories For a Fragile Planet by Kenneth C. Steven
Presents ten myths, traditional tales, and real-life stories speaking to the heart and mind of everyone who is concerned about our fragile planet.    

       

    
Ginny W., Youth Services

Kids Corner: New Picturebooks

Your favorite picturebook characters  are back…       

Froggy Builds a Tree house by Jonathan London.  The always popular  Froggy returns, this time with the objective of constructing the “coolest” treehouse where he and his friends  can play cards and order out pizza—oh, and no girls allowed either, especially “pesky “little sisters like Frogilina. Will Froggy succeed? Just ask Frogilina.

Five Little Monkeys Reading  In  Bed  by Eileen Christelow.   Lights out—the five little monkeys are supposed to go to sleep—after all, their mother had just finished reading four stories to them; now it is  truly bedtime. But the books—they look so good—couldn’t they read just one more, and one more becomes one more, becomes one more—reading is endlessly enjoyable! Once again told in rollicking rhyme, this monkey tale is sure to please.

And get ready for Springtime fun…

Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman. All she wanted to do was help paint the barn, but now look—blue paint is everywhere! Chicken hadn’t meant to spill anything—can’t the encroaching hue be stopped? Seemingly not as cow, duck, and cat are each bathed in blue. What to do? It’s chicken to the rescue after all!

Don’t  forget  Easy Nonfiction…

Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr. (E 513)   A simple rhyming text , accompanied by watercolor  collage illustrations, depicts ten different caterpillars—will they become moths or butterflies ?

Finally, worthy of repeat  applause is one of this year’s Caldecott Honor books, Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell, (E 921)—check it out!

Alyson J., Youth Services.

     

Blurbs from the Branch: Fabulous Felines: Picture Books for Young Cat Lovers!

As any cat owner will attest, cats are delightful and complicated creatures.  I enjoy reading picture books with my daughter that depict these wonderfully entertaining pets in their many different moods and emotions.  Here are some of our favorites:

Ginger by Charlotte Voake

Ginger the cat is less than pleased when a new kitten joins the household and the kitten tries to play with him, eat his food and sleep in his bed.

Grumpy Cat by Britta Teckentrup

A grumpy, lonely cat finds an unlikely friend in a very persistent kitten.

I Don’t Want a Cool Cat! by Emma Dodd

A little girl describes all the types of cats she doesn’t want in her search for the perfect pet.

Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Thinking the moon is a bowl of milk, Kitten tries everything she can think of to reach it.

Posy by Linda Newbery

Posy the kitten’s busy day is told through simple rhyming text and beautiful pencil and ink illustrations.

Where is Tippy Toes? by Betsy Lewin

Although everyone knows where to find Tippy Toes during the day, his nighttime destination is a secret to all except one.