Librarian’s Corner: Funny Books for Kids

Posted on 01/02/2014

If winter weather has you down, check out this silly sampling of funny books – warm smiles and giggles guaranteed!

For the youngest readers:

Silly Doggy by Adam Stower (Orchard Books, 2011)  Even the youngest readers will quickly see the silly mistake that Lily makes. The four-legged friend she found in her backyard isn’t a doggy – it’s a bear! Thankfully, Lily’s silly doggy is friendly and eventually finds the right home for him. But what about the “kitty” Lily finds next?

For the transitional readers:Arnie

The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut: Bowling Alley Bandit by Laurie Keller (Henry Holt & Co., 2013) Fans of Laurie Keller’s picture book “Arnie the Doughnut” will be thrilled to see Arnie starring in his own highly-illustrated beginner chapter book series. In this first installment, Arnie has to help Mr. Bing win the bowling tournament by finding the missing lucky charm – pink sprinkles.

For the older readers:EllieMcDoodle

The Ellie McDoodle Diaries: The Show Must Go On by Ruth McNally Barshaw (Bloomsbury, 2013) Ellie McDoodle is back – hooray! – and this time, she has signed up to help with her school’s production of “The Wizard of Oz”. Fans of Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid books will love Ellie’s  clever, doodle-filled journals.

Make Them Laugh. Help Them Read.

Posted on 12/31/2013

It’s Humor month at ReaderKidZ, my favorite time of year! Funny books have great power with children, especially emerging or reluctant readers. If you can get them laughing, we think you’ve got them hooked.

The idea that a group of letters, usually in concert with images, can kapow the funny bone and produce a laugh from deep in the abdomen of a six-year-old, is in itself a mind-blowing concept. We adults are used to it. But imagine discovering that power for the first time.

The Pigeon Needs a Bath

A fish searching for its hat, or a pigeon that throws a fit? Cows that type? Dinosaurs that cut up at Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Wattschool? A stinky cheese man? A squirrel more anxious and afraid than the reader? Regular old girls and boys who get in big trouble (or run around in underpants) and… a talking toilet?! Mwhaaahahahahah.

Yes, humor is subjective, but our favorite authors know where kids live when it comes to the giggles. Some of us adults live there, too. The bad news is that some children never outgrow potty humor. (I’m sorry, but they’re often males and some of them are in my family.)

You may have noticed that much of what gets young readers guffawing is characters acting up–questioning authority, and breaking rules, intentionally or un. Or at least being silly. Kids are struggling to get a grip on self-control, hygiene, safety, and group behavior that they must master in their families, schools, and peer groups. Their whole lives revolve around being told what to do. How reassuring and what a relief to see a character question and thwart all that, and then have everything come out okay in the end.

Whew.

Laughter looks fear and pain right in the face safely. It reminds us that we are all human (even disguised as cows and pigeons and dinosaurs).  Children can shrink their worries and the sometimes overwhelming and humiliating world, down to size for a bit, when they read a picture book with you and laugh.

Make them laugh. Help them read.

Librarian’s Corner Favorite: Clown of God by Tomie dePaola

Posted on 12/22/2013

A young Italian orphan learns to juggle to earn money. As his talent grows he is asked to join a traveling troupe and his performances attract great crowds. He even performs for royalty, juggling to spread happiness and joy. Growing older, and less skilled, the crowds thin and his performances are mocked as those of an “old clown.”  Giovanni puts away his colorful balls and costume and returns to being a beggar. Sneaking inside a monastery to sleep for a night, Giovanni is awakened by a procession of people bearing gifts to the Christ child. Giovanni wants to join the procession but thinks he has no gift to give. Or does he? His final performance before the statue of Our Lady and the Holy Child will touch even the hardest hearts. I’m not an especially religious person, but this retelling of a French legend is beautifully illustrated by Tomie dePaola and, although the holiday is never mentioned, perfectly embodies the spirit of Christmas.

Book-Give-Away Continues – The Hogan That Great Grandfather Built

Posted on 12/19/2013

Holiday time is family time.  Our next give-away book is hot off the press, released just this week, and presents an honoring of family and home:

THE HOGAN THAT GREAT-GRANDFATHER BUILT  (Salina Bookshelf, 2013) celebrates the home and beauty of the Navajo family. Illustrations by Peterson Yazzie glow with the warmth and vibrancy of the southwest. Reds, turquoise, vermillion, and gold saturate the images.  With each turn of the page, readers meet individual family members as everyone waits to hear the rumble-bump sounds of an approaching pick-up truck – sounds saying that father is returning home from market.  The simple text by Nancy Bo Flood introduces the importance of family, home, Hogan and place. The images by Peterson Yazzie invite the reader to step into the beauty that surrounds the Navajo Hogan. This is Peterson Yazzie’s first book and wow, his paintings are stunning.

Thanks to all those who entered. Books are on the way! For a chance to win a copy, email ReaderKidZ and put “The Hogan That Great Grandfather Built” in the subject line. Please include your name and mailing address in the body of the email.

Ho, ho, ho! A chance to win another wonderful book!

Posted on 12/17/2013

The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman, illustrated by LeUyen Pham.

As a young boy, he hated school and rules, couldn’t sit still, and turned everything in the world around him into a math game. Known as the Magician from Budapest by the age of twenty because of his extraordinary math skills, Paul Erdos was a man whose passion and generosity made him beloved of mathematicians around the world. This lively account of the life of one of the world’s foremost mathematicians (to say nothing of characters) brings the sometimes remote, staid, black&white world of math to colorful life with enough verve and vigor to make math a fun subject for the youngest readers.

Thanks for entering! Winners have been chosen and books are on the way. For a chance to win a copy, email ReaderKidZ and put “The Boy Who Loved Math” in the subject line. Please include your mailing address in the body of the email.

Little Santa by Jon Agee

Posted on 12/15/2013

Little Santa by Jon Agee (Dial, 2013)

Did you ever wonder what Santa was like as a small child? It certainly couldn’t have been easy growing up in the uppermost reaches of the northern hemisphere. As author/illlustrator Jon Agee tells it,  “Life was tough in the North Pole. Every day there was … wood to be chopped, …snow to be shoveled, … a fire to be stoked.” In fact, all the Clauses were miserable! All, that is, except for Santa. He loved living in the snow and was not at all happy to hear that his parents had decided to move the family to a warmer climate.

When a blizzard sets the family plans awry, Santa quickly steps in. “I can shimmy up the chimney!” Before long, he’s off to find the help his family needs. A chance encounter with a “special” reindeer and a house full of elves enable Santa to save his family from snowy disaster and uncover the key that unlocks his now-famous future.

Agee’s wonderfully imagined story and delightful illustrations make Little Santa one of the best new holiday reads of the year.

Congratulations to Jennifer W. of Utah. Your copy of Little Santa is on its way! For a chance to win a copy for your class or a young reader you know, email readerkidz (at) readerkidz (dot) com. Please include “Little Santa” in the subject line and your name and address in the body of your email.