Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby
Margaret K. McElderry Books | 78-1534469884
One of the things I love about social media is the way it often leads me to new books I haven’t heard about yet. Such was the case with CRANKY CHICKEN, the first chapter book in a new illustrated series by Katherine Battersby.
Who is Cranky Chicken? A fussy, curmedgeony chicken who is bothered by everything. Bright sunshine. Itchy feathers. Dirty dirt. Even a fallen leaf she finds on the ground.
“Leaf, you are in my way.
Move now, or else.
Ok, I warned you….”
Suddenly, Cranky Chicken takes a running start, comes speeding towards the leaf and KICKS it out of the way!
The last thing she expects to see hidden beneath the leaf is a friendly, optimisitic worm named Speedy. Polite and persistent, Speedy quickly befriends Cranky.
“I like you. Why?
Because you saved me! I did?
Yes! From the EVIL leaf.”
In charming pale-toned colors rendered digitally using custom chalk, pastel and watercolor brushes, CRANKY CHICKEN is a perfect chapter book/graphic novel for emerging readers.
MARTY by Rachel Noble, illustrated by Zoey Abbott
Holiday House | 978-0823446629
“This is Marty.
Marty is a Martian.
He lives on Earth now.
You’ve never noticed him before because is undercover…”
Marty is a master of disguises and can fool just about anyone. Is he lonely? Yes, sometimes. People tend to be afraid of others who are different from them. What would Marty’s friends do if they discovered he was a Martian? Scream, that’s what.
One day, Marty joins a costume parade. It’s nice being part of something. When the parade ends, it’s hard to say goodbye to his new friends. And that’s when Marty knows something will need to change. Instead of blending in, Marty will do something to stand out!
It works for a while, and Marty likes the extra attention, but then…
“Curiosity turned into suspicion.
Suspicion turned into investigation.
Investigation turned into…”
Well, you can imagine. Marty’s cover was blown!
Whimsically illustrated by Zoey Abbott, MARTY, by Rachel Noble is a sweet story about what it means to be completely yourself and to find a friend who knows and accepts you exactly as you are.
Marly loves a good mystery. She’s listening to THE WESTING GAME and just as she’s about to find out the truth about Sam Westing, the doorbell rings. A man, who does not identify himself, delivers an envelope addressed to: MARLENA MARIE DEAVER.
“What’s this about?” her mom calls to the man. But before she has a chance to get an answer, he hops in his red car and drives away.
Soon, Marly learns that her presence is requested at the reading of her eccentric next-door neighbor’s — Mr. Harry Summerling’s — will. Mr. Summerling is known around town for his quirky ways and his walks sweeping the ground with a metal detector. Might he have left Marly money or buried treasure?
On Monday, Marly and her soon-to-be-new friends, Isla Thomson and Sai Gupta, gather in the attorney’s office to hear the reading of a single sheet of paper – a letter from Mr. Summerling:
” ‘If you’re hearing this letter, then I am missing, dead, or perhaps I’ve been abducted by aliens… It’s time to give away some of my earthly possessions – ‘ “
Mr. Summerling has created a series of puzzles for the three kids to solve! And so the journey begins. Each of the kids has unique skills that they will have to use to solve the puzzle and find the treasure. Can they crack the code?
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | 978-0759557420
Something bad has happened at school. Someone has written hateful words on the girl’s bathroom wall and all the girls from Mr. Gilbert’s class are called into principal Martínez’s office. When asked if they have any information, some of the girls say no. Others look down at the carpet.
“Mrs. Martínez took her time looking at each of us. She seemed very serious and very sad. She said quietly but firmly,’ This kind of thing won’t be tolerated at our school.’ “
Everyone wanted to know what the bad something was and, even though the principal had told them that no one was allowed to return to the bathroom, after lunch a few of the girls snuck inside. They looked:
“around, and over, and on, and under.
Until we saw it.
The bad – something.”
One girl cried. Another ran out. “Kiyoko kicked a stall really hard, and the sound made us cover our ears.”
The next day, the principal speaks to all the students reminding the kids that “the bad-something had no place” in their school. Later, Mr. Gilbert tells the class they’ll create a beautiful mural on the bathroom wall, each child adding something special – flowers, dragons, rainbows and lots of smiling people. Then, the kids write poems “about the world outside the painting…. about how there was more good than bad, more love than hate.”
We all know that something good isn’t always the end result when something bad happens. As Campbell writes in her Author’s Note – “… just as there are varied reactions, there are also varied solutions. This book portrays just one way a school might deal with an incident of hate speech.”
something good, by Marcy Campbell illustrated by Corinna Luyken is a thoughtful, sensitively handled story inspired by real-life events at the author’s children’s schools. This powerful book is one way to begin conversations and healing after a hateful incident in a school or larger community.
These helpful resources can supplement discussions:
If you’re familiar with Kate Messner‘s OVER and UNDER series, you may have already seen the newest, OVER AND UNDER THE CANYON. Living, as I do, in Arizona, this was a book I wanted to read. Inspired by the Anzo-Borrego Desert State Park, south of Palm Springs and west of Ramona, CA, it’s a landscape I’m familiar with, not too far from the homes of several members of my family.
Readers are introduced to several animals who make their homes in the desert canyons – there are jackrabbits and golden eagles, red diamond rattlesnakes and roadrunners. As the sun fades, “Bobcats prowl the shadows, and great horned owls call through the sky.
Even if it’s not possible to travel to the canyon and experience it in person, don’t miss Christopher Silas Neal‘s gorgeous mixed media illustrations and this rich introduction to desert canyon life.
To learn a little more about other of Kate’s books and how she juggles different writing projects, enjoy this January 2021 interview with Kate and author Lisa Bullard.
Nuzzle nose, breathing deep
Plodding, nodding off to sleep
With these gentle words, FARM LULLABY opens and, already, I can feel my breath slowing, the rhythms of the nighttime farm settling in. Young readers will be calmed, too, drawn into Karen Jameson’s beautiful text with endearing illustrations reminiscent of favorite books from our own (adult) childhoods.
As wooly lambs, drowsy piglets, and downy ducklings make their way to their respective bedtime spots, little ones everywhere will find it hard to resist the urge to curl up with a soft pillow, lay down their heads, and heed the call to sleep. Beautifully illustrated by Wednesday Kirwan in dreamy jewel-toned colors, FARM LULLABY is sure to be a classic!
It’s a pleasure to welcome Karen to ReaderKidZ to share a little of the journey of this, her 3rd picture book.
DIANNE: You have an amazing talent for finding just the right soothing text to prepare young ones for sleep! You’ve already published a number of bedtime books (MOON BABIES, WOODLAND DREAMS) and I know you have more coming out in the next few years. FARM LULLABY will be your third, but it was actually the first lullaby manuscript you wrote. Can you share with readers a little about what drew you to this type of picture book?
KAREN:Thanks, Dianne! In trying to find my niche as a picture book writer, I decided to revisit the books I’d saved from my children’s early years. In doing so, I found a common thread among our favorites – bedtime books! As a parent, I coveted those cozy up moments at the end of the day. Calm and quiet would settle over us as we shared treasured tales, often rereading the same ones night after night. Those are the books they remember to this day. With that in mind, I set out to create my own.
FARM LULLABY was inspired by my own overnight visit to a relative’s farm when I was about five. Imagine my surprise when I saw the animals bedding down for the night! I had no idea that they had bedtime routines just like my brother and I.
I can’t wait to share more about FARM LULLABY and hear all about your newest book, WINTER LULLABY, at our double book launch through The Writing Barn on November 6th! Find more information HERE!
DIANNE: You’ve had lots of success writing heart-warming bedtime books, but you’ve also been busy crafting engaging rhyming nonfiction. Can you talk about your upcoming nonfiction picture books and give readers a peek into the process of discovering a topic that interests you, doing the necessary research, and deciding what format or structure will best serve the text?
KAREN:I wish there was a magic formula for discovering a topic! Ha! For me, it’s more of an unpredictable process. Out of the blue something will strike me as novel or interesting, and I’ll go down the research rabbit hole to see if there’s enough there to carry a book. If the concept proves promising, I’ll dig in and try some different structures to see what gels. Along the way, I’ll check to see if there are any other children’s books on that same topic. In the case of TIME TO SHINE (Groundwood, 2022), I couldn’t find a single book about iridescent animals, so I made the leap! With A LLAMA IS NOT AN ALPACA!: And Other Mistaken Animal Identities (RPKids, 2023), a question about telling similar animals apart led to a literal rabbit hole (of rabbits and hares). More animal pairs followed and I ended up with a fun, interactive text structure.
DIANNE: Writing nonfiction has its own set of challenges, but writing nonfiction in rhyme adds one more level of difficulty to the project. Do you have any tips on how to handle research roadblocks? How do you manage to successfully weave information into a rhyming text so that the end result delights and engages your young audience?
KAREN:I actually love the challenge of writing in rhyme and find it enjoyable. My process is brainstorming lots and lots of words, so I have a word bank at the ready. Then, it’s plenty of trial and error as I piece things together – like a puzzle of sorts. I find that roadblocks require seeing something in a new light and using a different part of my brain. Stepping away from the computer and visiting a museum or garden, taking a walk, listening to music, etc. are great ways to reframe my work-in-progress. During the pandemic, I’ve taken advantage of virtual tours to wander and explore. Mostly, I try to have fun with it. Hopefully, that fun transfers into the book.
DIANNE: Share with readers what you’re working on now and what we can look forward to next!
KAREN:Without giving too much away, let’s just say that one of the virtual tours I mentioned provided inspiration for my current nonfiction project. It’s an animal themed, meta type book. Intrigued? I hope a future editor is, too!
DIANNE: Thanks for hopping on ReaderKidZ today, Karen! Tomorrow, October 5th is release day! I can’t wait to pick up my copy at my favorite indie bookstore, Changing Hands!
Look for two new books from Karen out in April, 2022 – TIME TO SHINE (illustrated by Dave Murray) and WHERE THE WEE ONES GO (Chronicle), illustrated by Zosienka. A LLAMA IS NOT AN ALPACA!: And Other Mistaken Animal Identities (illustrated by Lorna Scobie) releases in 2023 and WAKE UP, WOODLANDS (illustrated by Marc Boutavant) publishes from Chronicle in 2024.
I learned about Carter Higgin’s new book CIRCLE UNDER BERRY a few months ago and knew right away it would be one of the books I would use for a virtual workshop I was preparing for.
It’s a book about shapes, position words and where things are relative to other things, but it’s so much more.
Interactive, inviting a child into the book to describe and answer questions like: What’s the name of this shape? What color is it? What does this shape remind you of?
It’s accessible and multi-leveled. Basic questions about colors and shapes can be extended to ask more difficult questions. Where is berry in relation to orange? What shapes are below orange? What’s in-between? Do you know the name of the shape above the lion?
It’s creative and playful. If a circle can be a lion, can you make a lion out of a square? Can you make something with three shapes? Four? Which shapes would you choose?
This book invites multiple readings, supporting early literacy skills, oral language development, creative exploration, and so much more!
For a sneak peek, enjoy the trailer below!
Mission Statement
To provide teachers, librarians, and parents with the resources and inspiration to foster a love of reading in kids, K-5.
CLICK TO ENLARGE © illustrations by Katherine Battersby
