Saturday, May 31, 2014

Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School by David Mackintosh

Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School by David Mackintosh

Rating: 5 stars

I love when people recommend books to me.  Regardless of the length of my to-do list, or the hunger level of my children, it suddenly becomes my mission in life to find that book and review it.  And so it was with Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School.  An old coworker/pal of mine (we used to sell furniture together, and now we read picture books to our babies miles apart) found it and thought it special, and I totally agree!

The pint-sized kid in the front row has news for us: Marshall Armstrong is new to his school.  He is quick to point out (and the talented David Mackintosh is quick to illustrate, literally and figuratively) all the differences:

  • His school supplies are different--much more elaborate and fancy.
  • His face is different--his skin redder and pastier, his eyes always focused on teacher.
  • His arm is different--more mosquito-bite food-like.
  • His lunch is different--it is wrapped in silver packages like space food.
  • His activity in recess is different--his doctor says reading is enough activity for him.

After all these observations, the young narrator arrives at this conclusion: Marshall Armstrong does not fit in at his school.  Not one bit.
"He looks different to me."

Yet Marshall Armstrong is having a birthday party, and the narrator's parents are making him go.  Sigh.  Ugh.  Man.  The injustice!

And then: the party happens.  The house is unique and cool!  The party is even unique-er and cool-er!  It involves stilts, monkey bars, a train set, a piƱata, a bike that runs an electric lightbulb, a microscope, a fireman's pole that goes from the top of the house to the bottom… In other words, a whole slew of neat-o things.

Our young narrator's perspective has, um, changed a little.  The next time a new kid arrives at the school, he offers that she sit next to him for the first few days so he can kindly show her around.

Now that this review is done, I guess my kids can eat now...

The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

Rating: 4 stars

Crocodile and I have something in common: we both looooooove watermelon.  He chomps and slurps and bites this juicy wonderful-ness with his eyes closed, savoring every bite.  Yummmm!  I might just might do the same, thinking I am able to get in my mouth the same amount as Crocodile...

But then: He swallows a seed and totally freaks out.

He is completely convinced that there will soon be a watermelon growing in his guts.  Or vines will come out of his ears.  His stomach will stretch.  His skin will turn pink.  And he will turn into…fruit salad!

But then: He burps and the black seed pops out.  He's okay!

This is a bright, silly book sure to get a laugh the first few read-throughs.  Hopefully it'll inspire some serious watermelon eating, and maybe a watermelon seed spitting contest like my cousins and I had during the summers of my childhood.

But then: Kids these days usually eat hybrid watermelons that don't have black seeds.  Or they have one or two tiny ones that are easy to pick out.  Might there be kids out there who will pick up The Watermelon Seed and ask, "Why does that watermelon have dots all over it?"

Whatever your preference--traditional or seedless--let the watermelon eating begin!


P.S.  Ever wonder how to carve a lego out of watermelon?  Me neither, but I was impressed and amused with this watermelon-y website/blog and the instructions!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Mr Magee and his dog Dee books by Chris Van Dusen

Rating: 15 stars!  (or, 5 each)

Here are the facts about all three of these books, before I get to the details of them individually:
  1. I've had them from the library for far too long. Two are due today!  But I really don't want to return them.
  2. Kiefer and I have read them every-which-where, including but not limited to: the gas station, Ben's gymnastics class, the library, and carpool.
  3. They are fun, fun, FUN--wonderfully silly and witty read-aloud books that just do not get old!
  4. The word choice is just perfect, with mostly known words he bends into a rhyme and creative, stretch words sprinkled throughout.
  5. The illustrations are fantastic, jump-out-from-the-page, retro masterpieces.
  6. Van Dusen lives in Maine, so each of these books has hints of Maine, which is a nice twist if you're heading there this summer or if you live there year-round or if you wish one/both of these were true.
And now, to a few details about each book (though you really don't need details.  Just get them--order them or buy them or swipe them from my library bag Thursday afternoon if you're feeling especially wily)…

Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee

Oh to have a picture book debut like THIS!  With big, splashy pictures and a wonderful rollicking rhyme Van Dusen tells the tale of a man and his dog (that's Magee and Dee) who like to take little jaunts on their boat.  This little jaunt goes awry when a curious whale checks out their boat and, with a mighty spray, sends them up in the air and then right into a tall, tall tree.  They're stuck.  Yikes!

But it's the whale and his pals who come to their rescue by smacking their tails down all at once to create a tidal wave that makes the man and dog un-stuck.  They fall down safely and decide that their uneaten lunch should become dinner once they've returned to their cozy cabin up the hill…
From under the sea the little whale spied
Magee and Dee's boat--but not them inside
He longed for adventure.  He wanted to play.
So he bumped at the boat in a most friendly way.
Then the whale placed his blowhole directly below
And ever so gently he started to blow.

Learning to Ski With Mr. Magee 


I think this is my favorite.  Mr. Magee decides he wants to learn to ski, so he packs Dee on his back and decides to try his luck on a rather large hill by his house.  Things are going surprisingly okay until a moose meanders across their path in search of a succulent birch.

Magee tries to ask him to move, but the big old moose does not; man and dog wooooosh under him and, when their skies get snagged by a branch, they get stuck at the top of a ravine.  They do get out, with the help of said moose using their upside down skies as a bridge.  Seeing man and dog fly through the air is definitely a riot!

It's a silly tale told with gusto, and I read it once four times one morning when Kiefer was on a Magee kick.
The moose turned around and what did he see?
Mr. Magee and his little dog, Dee!
The moose was so shocked he stood frozen in fear.
But Mr. Magee hadn't learned how to steer!
And he knew very soon they were going to collide,
So he called to the moose, "Would you please step aside?"

A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee

This is definitely Kiefer's favorite.  He loves how Magee and Dee head off with their retro camper (okay, Kiefer doesn't describe it as "retro" but…it is) and park very happily and a little cluelessly near a little stream that--this only happens in children's books, or does this happen in Maine?--turns into a raging waterfall just a smattering of feet later.

After they tuck in for the night, a bear with bad eyesight stumbles along looking for treats.  He finds an open bag of marshmallows, but on his way to the bag he ducks under the trailer hitch and un-hooks the camper from the truck!  Dog and man roll back into the stream and are kept from going over by a big rock.  The bear's bad eyesight is actually the reason they escape a watery adventure (whew!!) and man and dog decide to return home a little early from their camping trip.
They were caught in the rapids--but that wasn't all.
They were headed smack dab for the big waterfall!
Dee and Magee both started to quiver,
As faster and faster they headed downriver.
But just when they thought they'd fall over the edge…
Their camper got stuck on a rock at the ledge.

Is it bad that I think the look of panic on Magee's face is downright hilarious?  Van Dusen gets his facial expressions so right--a mixture of clueless and adventurous and shock at finding himself in yet another disastrous position.  Clearly I hang around kids all day. 





Tuesday, May 27, 2014

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Camping Primer by Jennifer Adams

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Camping Primer by Jennifer Adams, illustrated by Alison Oliver

Rating: 5 stars

In typical Kate fashion, I purchased a bunch of books for a baby born to my husband's colleague that I actually wanted to read first.  I've been careful with the book, but I need to get this review out soon or the baby will be three years old before I get it to him!

This is another in the BabyLit series of books by Jennifer Adams, and it makes me realize: There are some good options for boys in here. I mean, some GREAT options for boys.  This one might just be my favorite of all this clever little board books!

Each page has one word on it, one word that introduces a part of camping, followed by a quotation from Huckleberry Finn that describes that word.  For example:

RIVERBANK "I laid there in the grass and the cool shade thinking about things."
RIVER  "I'd go down the river about fifty mile and camp."
FRIENDS  "We took my canoe and went over the river a-fishing."
FISHING LINE  "Then I set out a line to catch some fish."
"Everything we had in the world was on our raft."

The reader puts together these little pieces and has a nice image of what a nice camping trip might feel like--not just look like, not just sound like, but feel like.

And the images of Huckleberry and Jim with their opposite skin color but same certain stroke, same grins, same ease, same contentedness lying on the green grass…  It's just priceless stuff for some of a baby's first images.

Another neat book by Jennifer Adams.  And now I'll be going…to reread Huckleberry Finn...

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

She Loved Baseball by Audrey Vernick

She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Don Tate

Rating: 4.5 stars

Have your kids ever watched the credits after a show or movie, and asked you who all those people are?  It's always a good moment for me when one of my kids gets to this stage of questioning.  I like helping them realize that it takes a lot of people to make one of their favorite shows.  It takes a team of people to do nearly anything, really, even if there's just one person who seems to get all the credit.

For that reason, I am grateful that we stumbled upon She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story. The book tells the story of a behind-the-scenes woman.  Young Effa moved to New York City after high school at a time when Babe Ruth and the Yankees were all people talked about.  She fell in love with the team, the sport, and with a young man who also loved the Yankees and baseball--Abe Manley.

After the two married they lived in Harlem.  During that time, even in black communities, most businesses were owned by white people, and white people worked in those businesses.  People told her "That's how things are, Effa," but she didn't listen. She organized rallies and protests and boycotts until black people were working in white businesses in Harlem.

Also after they married, they started a team--the Brooklyn Eagles--in the new Negro National League.  Despite the fact that women usually weren't usually part of a business, Effa did all the behind-the-scenes work: "organizing schedules, ordering equipment, arranging transportation." She took care of the men on the team; they called her their "mother hen."

In 1947, Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers--the first black player in the major leagues.  This was a huge achievement, but…what did it mean for the Negro League?  Major league teams started to turn to Negro League teams for players.  They didn't bother asking whether or not these black ballplayers had contracts.  They didn't bother paying the Negro League team for the ballplayer.

Effa was outraged.  "That's how things are, Effa," people told her.  She refused to believe it, and talked to the press about it.  When Cleveland Indians owner knocked on the Brooklyn Eagles' door for one of their players, Larry Doby, she stood up to him and insisted the team get paid for his contract.  The Indians paid $15,000, and Doby became the first black player in the American League.  After that, Negro League teams always got paid.

Long after this turning point in baseball history, and probably because Effa wrote long letters to them about how much they added to the sport, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted many Negro League players.  And, in 2006, Effa Manley was the first woman to also be inducted.  "She was recognized for all she did for her players, for her civil rights work, and for getting the major leagues to treat Negro League teams with respect."  Pretty amazing, pretty cool.

There's so much kids can learn from this not-so-traditional baseball story… I would stick around to say more, point out the obvious here and there, but I've got to return this baseball book and all the others I've had on loan from our library.  It's baseball season and I think I've got them all!

P.S.  We like this book by Audrey Vernick.  But we love her Brothers at Bat even more!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

H is For Home Run: A Baseball Alphabet by Brad Herzog

H is For Home Run: A Baseball Alphabet by Brad Herzog, illustrated by Melanie Rose

Rating: 4.5 stars

Maybe because I'm a cheapskate, I really like this series of alphabet books published by Sleeping Bear Press.  They appeal to a wide level of readers, so they are wonderful books to grow with and grow into.

Take H is For Home Run.  Newly 3 year old Kiefer can sit and page through it by himself, looking at the bright, big illustrations by Melanie Rose about a sport about which his family is currently focused.  He can pick out the letters that he knows--K, L, B, M, and D…  I can read the first layer of story to him. That first layer is the rhyming text, the two lines dedicated to each letter and, therefore, each baseball-themed thing.  In these lines, Herzog has thrown in as many words that start with that letter, so Kiefer hears that letter again and again, reinforcing the sound the letter makes, as he also looks at the letter on the page.
D is for the diamond, a delightful design
That gives us daring double plays and doubles down the line.
5 1/2 year old Ben can read most of these words himself, so this is a challenging read-alone book for him.  He's still happy to have me read it to him (and I'm happy to read it to him).  And alongside each letter, next to each wonderful illustration, are a few paragraphs that give more details about that baseball-themed thing.  For D, for example, readers learn that a baseball field
is called a diamond because the infield is a square turned on its edge with a base located at each corner. D is also for dugouts.  Generally, the home team's dugout is on the third-base side of the diamond and the visiting team's is on the first-base side. 
The double play is a fielding play in which two outs are recorded.  It might be an infielder "forcing out" a player at second base before throwing out the batter at first base.  Or it might be an outfielder catching a fly ball and then throwing out a runner trying to advance to the next base.  It might even happen when a batter strikes out while a runner is caught stealing. 
D is also for designated hitter (DH).  Since 1973 the American League has used a DH in the lineup to bat in place of the pitcher.  In the National League and Little League, the pitcher bats for himself.
And 7 year old Lorelei can read all of this, maybe to herself or, if he's lucky, to one of her little brothers.

There's something for everyone.  Cheapskate me and Parentingkate me are both happy!


For a complete list of titles of these alphabet books by Sleeping Bear Press, please click HERE.

Take Me Out to the Bat and Ball Factory by Peggy Thomson

Take Me Out to the Bat and Ball Factory by Peggy Thomson, illustrated by Gloria Kamen

Rating: 3.5 stars

A few weeks ago, at my sister's 40th birthday party, I found out that my Uncle Bob and his high school friend are making baseball bats in their garage.  I listened, totally intrigued and fascinated, at the whys and the hows of the story.  I watched a few videos of his bats being turned and smoothed and was just entranced.  This was a part of baseball--a nitty gritty detail that could so easily get overlooked--I really didn't know much about.

I could hardly believe my eyes when, the very next day, the kids and and I were at our local library and this book was propped up on the stacks.  What a coincidence!

I have to be honest: It's not the most well-written book and it's certainly not for everyone.  Thomson tries to create a story around how bats and balls are made in a very The Magic Schoolbus sort of way.  A group of kids travel together (without a parent or teacher, I amusingly noted) to this bat and ball factory to meet Hank.  Hank guides them around the factory, giving them a ton of facts that they smilingly lap up with a few important questions to help Hank tell them even more.

To me, the back history of bats is really interesting: what sort of wood is used and why, what is the history of the size of bats, how long they are dried, which players had out-of-the-ordinary relationships with bats (for example: The Padres' Tony Gwynn used an extra small bat, just 29 inches long; Roberto Clemente got his first bat from a guava-tree branch)?  Thomson also explains how aluminum bats are made, too--with plenty of interesting comparisons between wood and aluminum, and why players choose one over the other.

Then Hank guides the kids to the ball section, and he explains how a chemical, gooey mix is put into a sphere-like mold.  After it hardens, the ball is covered with either fake or real leather and these covers are sewn into place.  Interestingly, when a worker starts to stitch a ball, it takes nearly 45 minutes.  After a whole lot of practice, that time is reduced to 8 or 9 minutes!

There's a lot of information in this book.  I admit: I think it put Ben to sleep--I read it one night to him, and while I was genuinely enthusiastic about and fascinated by nearly every sentence, he didn't protest when I turned the light out after the last page.  His eyes were already closed.  So…maybe this book is best for a slightly older reader.  Or maybe this just is not the best bedtime book!

There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived by Matt Tavares

There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived by Matt Tavares

Rating: 5 stars

Ben read the title and retorted: "Wait.  I thought Babe Ruth was the greatest hitter who ever lived!"

Ah, another chance to enhance his life with a little life lesson: the difference between fact and opinion.  And Matt Tavares, in his afterward, explains his bias: His father loved Ted Williams, and grew up following Williams' every move.  How fitting, then, that Tavares wrote an homage to Williams.  Or was it an homage to his father?  Let's face it: both.

And it's a very positive, very respectful homage indeed, full of life lessons for Ben and other kids like the one above.  I admit not to know a whole lot about Ted Williams.  I've not read the recent book The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams by Ben Bradlee, Jr.  But I've read enough reviews of it and listened to enough of my grandfather's stories to know that he's not exactly my first choice for one of Ben's heroes.  While he was a sensational hitter and his batting average remains to be beaten, he was a brutal, mean man outside of baseball.

The book, of course, says nothing of that.  And that's okay. His life has good lessons for Ben and other boys and girls in this generation.

There Goes Ted Williams speaks of Ted Williams' commitment to baseball--his insistence at being excellent at it.  He practiced and swung and practiced and swung hours a day because he wanted to be the best.  And--whaddya know--he achieved his goal.  He really did become the best.  But his baseball career was interrupted by war: In May 1942, Williams walked away from the spotlight to become a pilot in the navy's V-5 training program.

Williams begins another commitment: this one to his country--and he focuses all of his energy on being excellent at it.  After he finishes his training and is awaiting his orders for combat duty, Japan surrenders.  He can go back to baseball.

And so he does.  In a terrific way, he picks up the bat right where he left it.

Yet his career is interrupted again, this time by the Korean War.  The navy needs pilots, and the navy needs him.  After 39 successful missions, after one emergency landing (which serves as the climax of the book in a gripping way), he goes home.

And Ted Williams picks up the bat once more.

For kids today (am I old enough to start a sentence like that?!), I think there are many good lessons in this great book.  I like how the book teaches how success takes time and effort: it involves a whole lot of practice, a whole lot of putting-in-the-time to achieve a goal.  I like how the book shows how Williams threw himself into his time as a pilot just as much as he threw himself into baseball.  I love how it illustrates his commitment to something even bigger than baseball: his country.

Ted Williams was, just as we all are, terribly and wonderfully human.  Bravo to Matt Tavares for selecting a lot of the good and presenting it so well, in both words and pictures.


Friday, May 16, 2014

Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs Rookie Joe DiMaggio by Robert Skead

Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs Rookie Joe DiMaggio by Robert Skead, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Rating: 4 stars

Most of this book flew over my children's heads like one of Satchel Paige's fast balls.  They just aren't old enough.  They are still learning America's history.  They are still learning what prejudice is, let alone how deep racial prejudices once were--and still are, in many ways.  They are only beginning to understand the concept of "proving something," though I sure hope that they are mostly proving that something to themselves.  But let's face it, it'll be more than themselves at some point in their lives.

Satchel Paige was a sensational black pitcher in the 1930s.  Some say that he was the best pitcher that was around during that heyday of American baseball, and still others say he was the best there ever was--then and now.  He pitched in the Negro League, but he was known to anyone who knew anything about baseball.

That included a young, rookie Joe DiMaggio, who was just getting started in his baseball career.  We turn our heads at the name now, but in the late 1930s he was still being watched, still trying to prove his greatness to agents and team managers and other players and, of course, to himself.

"Now I know I can make it with the Yankees. I finally
got a hit off Ol' Satch," he said.  Satch overheard.
Something to Prove chronicles one game in the life of these two men, when their two lives and two careers crossed paths.  New York Yankees general manager Ed Barrow wanted to see how good DiMaggio was, so he wanted DiMaggio to "face the best."  He called Paige.  He was the best, but "because of the color of his skin, he was not permitted to play in the major leagues."

When they do meet--a black team against a white team (the illustrations by Cooper are beautiful works of art)--it's memorable.  Their meeting is eye-opening; the great DiMaggio fares well, but he shows a deep reverence for the greatness he sees and experiences in the awesome pitches that fly his way.  He hits one of four, and is completely proud of that record because, as DiMaggio himself said throughout his career, Satchel Paige was "the best and fastest pitcher I ever faced."

What happens after this one game is sad and unfair, and hard for kids today to really comprehend (in a good way--they don't yet realize that some things are impossible): DiMaggio goes on to become Great, and Satchel Paige returns to the Negro League to be great.  After Jackie Robinson becomes the first black man to play for the major leagues, Paige finally plays for the major leagues for a brief time--at 42!--for the St. Louis Browns.  It is a book that my kids could walk away from, but the sad and unfair aspects to the story are still with me, weeks after I first read it.  That's how you know a good book from a just-fine one: it gets under your skin.

There's so much to be learned in baseball.  So many conversations with our kids to be had about all of this important history, and while Something to Prove is really a book for second and third graders, I'm still grateful it exists to push us to start talking with our kids, and keep talking with them.

P.S.  For more books by Robert Skead, click HERE.


Thursday, May 15, 2014

Three Strikes for Rotten Ralph by Jack Gantos

Three Strikes for Rotten Ralph by Jack Gantos

Rating: 3.5 stars

Throwback Thursday…sort of…!

I just don't know about this Rotten Ralph guy.  I'm totally on the fence.  On the one hand, it might be fun to have a character that is naughty and rotten and "makes bad choices" (to use today's parenting lexicon) in order to point out his flaws to my kids.  So that they avoid being naughty and rotten and so they don't "make bad choices."

On the other hand, Ralph is so selfish, haughty, and full of himself I don't like his example lying around my house!

On the other hand (hmm…somehow I have three hands this morning…), I am a huge fan of Jack Gantos' middle grade books.  I think Deadend in Norvelt is a masterpiece of story-telling and writing and I couldn't put down his autobiography Hole In My Life.  But Rotten Ralph and I are not friends--despite Ralph being as old as I am.

Ralph was still dreaming when
the ball thumped him on the head.
In this book (a beginner reader with short, manageable chapters) Ralph and the ever-patient Sarah go out for the team.  Whereas Sarah tries hard, practices, and shows up on time, Ralph is certain of stardom even before he dons a uniform.  Instead of practicing his swing, he practices writing his autograph.  Instead of paying attention on the field, he dreams of stardom and gets bonked with the ball.

Therefore, the outcome is no surprise to the reader: Sarah makes the team while Ralph gets cut.  But Ralph gets a second chance when Sarah's teammate is sick and the coach needs Ralph, now the bat…er, cat…boy, to step up and step in.  He actually gets a hit but doesn't remember to run hard and make the play BEFORE you celebrate your greatness, so…he is tagged out at home plate.

It's Sarah who is the hero with the winning home run.  "You are my superstar," purrs Ralph.  "Oh, no," replies Sarah.  "I'm a team player.  But don't worry, Ralph.  You will always be number one on my team."

I appreciate how Sarah still loves him despite his rotten, ego-driven behavior.  And I like how the book gives ample examples of what NOT to do--I get that sometimes kids listen and learn better that way.  Ben and Kiefer would give this a higher rating because they think Ralph is bad but his full-of-himself ways are hilarious.  Alas, I'm in charge of the typing for now, and I don't love Ralph.

What about you--whose side are you on?

The Lucky Baseball Bat by Matt Christopher

The Lucky Baseball Bat by Matt Christopher

Rating: 5 stars

Throwback Thursday!

Written fifty years ago, this book is hardly cutting-edge.  But it is sweet and classic and wholesome in a "swell" sort of way.  This is the first book by the prolific sports author Matt Christopher--who has a whole shelf of books at our local library.

Marvin is the new kid in town, and he wants to play baseball but doesn't have a glove or bat.  And…Marv is the opposite of talented.  He seems destined for only strike outs.  He misses most balls that come his way.  Then, a nice, older kid down the street gives him the bat and glove that he recently outgrew, and Marvin starts to hit.  He gets really good.  He credits his bat for his good fortune--it's easier to explain good luck than improved skill in Marvin's head.

The inevitable happens (and it's really clear that this is going to happen in this very beginning chapter book): the bat breaks, and Marvin loses his confidence.  Despite feeling low, he rescues a toddler from being hit by a car.  This might seem like a happening from left field, but it is tied in nicely with the story and is actually pretty realistic.  I love how Marvin doesn't just watch an accident happen--he jumps in and tries to help.

While Marvin shrugs off the parents' insistence that they help him in some way, the father of the little boy makes a bat.  He says it's Marvin's lucky bat, just put back together again, all Humpty-Dumpty like.  Marvin believes him and helps his team win the last game of the season--the game that wins all the boys on his team a trip to one game of the World Series.  Only then does the father of the little boy break the news to him: It was a new bat, not his lucky bat.

Marvin realizes that it was his skill and confidence in himself--not luck--that won the game, and he is even more proud of himself.

A simple story, right?  Ben was on the edge of his seat.  "One more chapter, Mommy!"  and "Can we read another?"  We finished it yesterday morning after breakfast while his brother was sleeping off a sleepless night (no comment on the sad fact that I did not get to do the same!).

The nostalgic glimpses made me chuckle: When Marvin is at the height of his hitting with doubles and tripes flying off his bat, a local TV reporter invites him to be on the news.  Marvin's little sister Jeannie gasps in delight and says, "I'm going to tell my two friends!  They even have television sets!"  It was a wonderful opportunity to a) shake my head at the changing times and b) explain to Ben that the then and now realities are very, very different.  Marvin is a good guy--earnest, honest, and takes the high road every chance he gets.  It's great to have a character in a book be this kind and uncomplicated.

This is a great read-aloud book for young kids, especially sports-crazy Ben.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Brothers At Bat by Audrey Vernick

Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brothers Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Steven Salerno

Rating: 5 stars

I love this book.  Love it!

Meet the Acerras: The best way to meet them, methinks, is to go back in time and stand outside their house on a nice Spring day like today (here in Northern Virginia) and count how many boys run out.  Count how many gloves and bats fly out the door with those boys.  Count how many times the back door slaps against the frame as they come out, running, to the ball field.

It'll slap twelve times.  Twelve.  Twelve!  There were twelve baseball-playing brothers.  (And four sisters, too.  They didn't play ball because "back then, most people thought sports were just for boys.")

Their uniforms all said the same thing: Acerras.
Their story is fun and sweet and full of SO many little and big opportunities to compare and contrast today's childhood and yesteryear's childhood. The Acerras' house was crowded, and they entertained themselves, mostly with outdoor sports.  (Those two things are certainly related!)  Smaller house equals more outside play time.  In 1938, the brothers ranged in age from seven to thirty-two.  Their was an Acerra on the high school baseball team for twenty-two years in a row.  The facts are mind-boggling, and smile-inducing.

There were so many brothers that they formed their own semi-pro team and competed against other New Jersey teams.  Their coach?  Dad.  Each brother had their own nickname that matched his own personality. There was no rivalry or fighting--"we stick together," Freddie said.  And when that same guy, Freddie, suffered an accident and lost an eye, his brothers helped him through it and helped him get back on the field.

This is a feel-good book of all feel-good books.  The tight-knit, huge family; the all-American game of baseball; the nostalgic illustrations by Steven Salerno; the gut-wrenching moments when they all went off to war (and came back--each and every one--I have to spill the beans so you don't worry)…  All of this makes for a great read and a huge appreciation for the type of childhood that built characters I know and love.  Characters like my two grandfathers, my dad, my uncles.

The all-brother team always drew big crowds.
I kinda want to buy Brothers At Bat for those characters.  For my Grandpa K, whose excellent playing put him in the Pennsylvania Baseball Hall of Fame (but he went to serve his country rather than join the major leagues).  Or maybe for my other Grandpa, who coached--baseball on the field and life lessons off the field--his three boys and  all the neighborhood boys.  Or maybe for those three boys, who are now my dad and my two uncles.  Or…

Or maybe I'll just read it to Ben, who leapt off the sofa just a dozen minutes ago, where he was comfortably watching an afternoon cartoon, because the neighborhood brothers (all three of them) plus their cousin (all one of him) invited him to play baseball.  And he's out there now on this warm Spring afternoon, throwing and catching and hitting like so many boys before him.





Barbed Wire Baseball by Marissa Moss

Barbed Wire Baseball by Marissa Moss, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu

Rating: 4 stars

There's just so much you can learn through baseball.  I'm talking about sobering American history: what happened to Japanese-Americans during World War II after Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Kenichi Zenimura was born in Japan then immigrated to America when he was eight.  He was small and slight--barely five feet tall and only one hundred pounds!--but fell in love with baseball the first time he saw a ball game.  His parents wanted him to become something more serious and important--a lawyer or doctor, perhaps--but "Zeni" coached and managed and played baseball. He was selected to play with star members of the New York Yankees, and even arranged for Babe Ruth to play in Japan.

But that world collapsed for him when the Japanese
attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941.
But in 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, his world changed.

As you probably know, but as your children probably yet do not, Japanese-Americans were sent to camps in the west because the government considered them possible spies.  Zeni was heartbroken not to continue his work in baseball, but since that was what gave him joy and made him feel happy, he brought it to the camp.  Zeni mobilized his friends and family and, with many hours of hard labor, built a true baseball field in the dry Arizona camp.

Most of the book is about the building of the field--Moss writes how Zeni was focused on creating a real ballpark, not just a thrown-together one.  "We have to do this right," he explained.  I love the focus on doing a job well and right, with a focus on excellence.  All of this gets you, and got Zeni and his helpers, a huge sense of pride when the job is done.

Zeni is between Lou Gehrig (second from left)
and Babe Ruth at an exhibition game in Fresno, CA
The mood around camp shifted as the first game approached, as people had something to look forward to and enjoy.  People filled the bleachers and spilled over onto the ground, excited to watch as Zeni, his sons, and their friends simply played ball.  And felt free.

This is a really good book, though definitely for an older reader and best read while in your lap--it is sure to raise a few very good, very serious questions, and hopefully a patient parent or grandparent or teacher can answer those questions.


Friday, May 9, 2014

Rain! by Linda Ashman

Rain! by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Christian Robinson

Rating: 5 stars

At first glance, you might think, "See?  Picture books are so easy to write."  This is a simple book--a simple idea, written with sparse words; a picture book written with, well, pictures.

It's raining.  And from a tall apartment, two characters get ready for a little walk to a little bakery.  One is a young boy, happily dressed in a hoppy frog outfit, a smile on his face, boots made for splashing in puddles on his feet.  Frog-Boy is celebrating the rain, and his excitement is contagious.  Every person with whom he interacts soon has a smile on his face.

The other character is a grumpy old man whose furrowed brow dives down deeper at the sign of the blasted rain.  "Nasty galoshes.  Blasted overcoat. Dang puddle." he complains.  His grumpiness is contagious.  Every person with whom Old Grumps interacts sobers up and gets serious.

The first page says it all...
The two meet at the Rain or Shine Cafe.  Frog-Boy bumps into Old Grumps, who spits down at him, "Watch out!"  He alone is immune to the cuteness of the boy.  But then Old Grumps forgets his hat, so the Frog-Boy runs after him.  He puts on Old Grumps' hat and mimics him.  Old Grumps realizes right then and there what he looks like.  So he takes the Frog-Boy's hat, squeezes it on his big bald head, smiles, and says, "Ribbit!"

Cheerfulness wins the day!  Hooray!

Linda Ashman was wise to write such a simple, perfect little book about something we parents rant about all the time: attitude.  Have a good one, and not only will you be light and happy, but you'll have a good effect on those you touch during the day.

A simple, sweet book that my kids and I just love.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Becoming Babe Ruth by Matt Tavares

Becoming Babe Ruth by Matt Tavares

Rating: 5 stars

I suspect that this will only happen once, and it's happening now: Lorelei and Ben are playing the same sport, and they're on the same team.  They're both playing for the Cincinnati Reds in our local Little League--at the t-ball level.  Lorelei likes it, Ben loves it; they are both soaking up some of the rich history of the oh-so-American, oh-so-tradition-rich sport by the stories they are reading.

Dozens of wonderful nonfiction books exist about baseball that bring out the excitement of a previous era, teach about a famous sportsman, and hold the interest of almost any age of reader.  This is one of those books.

Becoming Babe Ruth came out last year--I read about it in the NYTimes Book Review (click HERE) one Sunday when I actually did read the paper.  The story starts off with a slightly shocking image and with a fact I didn't know: In George Ruth's early years in Baltimore, Maryland, he was a rascal of a kid who skipped school and caused trouble.  Yikes! What else was I about to read my kids?! I wondered as I read this page out loud.

But then the story unfolds: in an effort to straighten him out, George's parents send him to the strict St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys.  There, he first chafed under the tight control...until he found baseball.  He was soon slugging away nearly every afternoon, and the balance of finding something he loved (and that something he loved came along with someone he loved, the brother/coach of the team) made the strictness of the school bearable.  Years later, after he'd been playing baseball there for a decade or so, a scout came to watch him.  He was signed onto the Baltimore Orioles the next day.  While he played for them (for just half a season, before being traded to the Red Sox), he often returned to St. Mary's to play with his pals after practicing all day.  Also while playing for the Orioles, he got his nickname "Babe," which obviously stuck.

He got traded to the Red Sox, pitched less and slugged more, and became a sensation unlike any other ball player had before.  Tavares doesn't highlight his trade to the Yankees, and doesn't bring up the curse that trade famously causes (you and your child can--and should!--read about that in the fine, informative The Legend of the Curse of the Bambino).

Instead, Tavares highlights a story that highlights Ruth's character--which gave me the opportunity to talk with Ben about the importance of being a good man while also being a fantastic ball player.  While Babe Ruth was at his peak, out slamming balls left and right in any field in which he played, he got word that there had been a fire at St. Mary's.  Everything burned to the ground.  He was shocked and concerned--this was his home for so many years, and he loved it.  He returned and figured out a way to help.  He took the St. Mary's baseball team on tour with him--letting them lap up hot dogs and ice cream like they never had before, and letting them soak up games as they traveled around with the Yankees for a good part of the season. At the games, Babe Ruth asked people to donate money to have St. Mary's rebuilt.  They did, and St. Mary's was, in fact, rebuilt.

This is a fantastic book about a sportsman every kid needs to know about--a must-read for sure.

There's so much to love about this sport even if, like me, all the joy of playing it comes from pitching to your kid and watching the joy and pride wash over his face when he actually hears the SMACK of the bat meeting the ball.  It's really the first time in parenting when I've sat on the side and watched my children being coached (by my great friend and great coach for this sponge-like yet attention-challenged age group).  I'm learning so much about it all.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park

Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Matt Phelan

Rating: 5 stars

If you want to read a book to understand how some authors make rhymes work--I mean really work--for them, just pick up Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park.  It is, quite possibly, the best rhyme within a picture book I've ever read.  Each time I read it, I'm just floored by the twists and turns in the poem.  It's like riding a pleasant, not-too-crazy lyrical roller coaster.  When accompanied by the sweet illustrations by Matt Phelan, and once you realize the story itself is wonderful, you've got a pretty flawless book.

The story adds to this flawless feel because it's a feel-good, lesson-underneath story.  Xander is a panda who wants to throw a party (for himself), but he's the only panda.  So he decides to invite all the bears.  Including Koala Bear.  But wait!
From her tree, Koala hollered, "Zander, I am not a bear."
Xander didn't understand her.  "Koala Bear, you're not a bear?"
He stared at her in consternation.
"Sorry for the complication.
I know I'm called Koala Bear, but I am not a bear, I swear.
I am a marsupial.  Marsupials--we're rather rare.  Will I not be welcome there?"
Xander cutely distributes invitations to every animal...
He adjusts his invitation list to include marsupials by inviting all the mammals.  But…cranky-looking rhinoceros sends him a note:
It may sound a bit absurd, but I won't come without my bird.
So…  Zander broadens his guest list once more to include mammals and birds.  And then crocodile (with a most beguiling smile) begs politely to have the reptiles included.  Finally, with excitement rather than exhaustion and with the help of Amanda Salamander, the final invitation includes everyone.  And the first gift to Xander (from the zoo): another panda!

This book is quality, no doubt.  I can feel the hours it took to get every word just right, and now you have a rhyme that sure sounds effortless as I read it out loud to my children.  It is just flawless--because of its rhythm and rhyme and illustrations, but most importantly, the story.  And a teachable moment sort of story, too--a nice lesson on including everybody, even the animals you didn't think of first.  (I always forget to invite the crocodiles to my parties, too, Xander…)

Baby Bao Bao

P.S.  This book is great for anyone in the Northern Virginia area as we've been seeing adorable images of baby panda Bao Bao, born at the National Zoo some months ago.  So the kids are already panda-crazy and appreciate Xander a little bit more than usual.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Wuthering Heights: A Weather Primer by Jennifer Adams

Wuthering Heights: A Weather Primer by Jennifer Adams, illustrated by Alison Oliver

Rating: 5 stars

Of the six board books I've borrowed from a librarian-friend in this clever BabyLit series, this one is my favorite.  As "fashionable ways to introduce your toddler to the world of classic literature," the board books are actually books on colors, counting, opposites, animals…and like this Wuthering Heights board book, weather.

The illustrations all have the same backdrop of Mr. Heathcliff's castle-like home, Wuthering Heights, and the same gnarled tree and same climb-up-me hill.  Yet each one, of course, is used to show that specific type of weather, so the sky above is either bright or stormy, full of clouds or lightning bolts.  The individuals in the picture are either basking in or hiding from what's happening above them.

And I think it's so neat.  With each type of weather, there is a sentence from the book that describes that type of weather. Not only does this provide a more sophisticated text than toddlers are used to these days, it gives us parents a nice change of pace with classic, poetic, descriptive sentences from another era, and often from our own bookshelf.  For example:

"The first feathery flakes of a snow shower."
BREEZY "The weather was sweet and warm."
SUNNY  "The place was filled with sunshine."
CLOUDY "Bright white clouds flitting rapidly above."
STILL "The mild glory of a rising moon."

I was talking about these books with someone recently and I said that I thought one drawback to them was that they seemed easy to buy for little girls, but…not so little boys.  I have Anna Karenina: A Fashions Primer in mind, mostly…  Then I looked up what other books are available and now I'm currently sitting on my hands trying not to order them to have them:

Sherlock Holmes: A Sounds Primer
Dracula: A Counting Primer
Jabberwocky: A Nonsense Primer
The Jungle Book: An Animals Primer
Huckleberry Finn: A Camping Primer

As you read these books to your little ones, it's a nice reminder that there are more things to read than board books--but that's where this love of reading all starts: board books.



Thursday, May 1, 2014

Alice in Wonderland: A Colors Primer by Jennifer Adams

Alice in Wonderland: A Colors Primer by Jennifer Adams, illustrated by Alison Oliver

Rating: 5 stars

Have you heard about this BabyLit series?  They are board books--or, as their website explains, "fashionable ways to introduce your toddler to classic literature."  The first books in the series, Moby Dick came out over a year ago…I read a review of it in the New York Times and definitely shook my head at these literature-for-babies series.

I thought: Pretentious.  Obnoxious.  Is this what parents read to their babies while driving them from preschool to their Mandarin lessons?

Yup, that's what I thought.  Until I got them in my hot little hands (thanks to our librarian who, intrigued by the books and frustrated that they aren't yet part of the collection, ordered them on her own dime and loaned them out to me…it's nice to have friends in literary places!).

red hearts
I now think: They aren't so pretentious.  They aren't so obnoxious.  They are pretty genius.  They are very cute.  They are great for parent book-lovers to read to their baby bookworms.

Let it be known: I was wrong.  These are creative, cool, cute board books.  I REALLY love them!

Each book in the series is a different genre (I think there's a better word but it's escaping me right now…forgive me, I'm out of coffee…): colors, opposites, weather, even fashion (again, sounds obnoxious but I think it's done well and I'm not super girly-girly).

Take Alice in Wonderland: A Colors Primer.  The text reads:
white rabbit
black shoes
purple bottle
orange cat
blue caterpillar
brown hat
red hearts
If you're familiar with the story, the images probably jump to your mind.  And those images, produced by Alison Oliver, are fantastic--bright and clean, simple and interesting.  This book was one of the kids' favorites among the stack we've borrowed from Miss Daniella because they have read the picture book version of the story and watched the old Disney movie.  So they had fun remembering the characters and stories, and they liked how Jennifer Adams boiled down the huge story to such a simple text for little guys and girls.

Check 'em out!  I'm curious what you think.

But you can't check them out at Fairfax County Library, at least not yet…unless you want to request that they are added to the collection!  Click HERE and then scroll down to the bottom of the page to request this book, or any other.