Month: December 2014

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want to give a sincere thank you to AJ Irving at ajschildrensbooks for nominating me for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award. AJ is an award-winning children’s book author. She likes to inspire children to use their “mighty imaginations” and her children’s book Mama’s Purse does just that. I’m thrilled that she found Frog on a Blog worthy of mentioning on her site.

The award rules:

  • Display the award on your blog
  • Link back to the person who nominated you
  • State 7 things about yourself
  • Nominate 15 bloggers, link to them, and notify them about their nominations

Seven (positively boring) facts about me:

  1. If I wasn’t a writer and a Library Assistant, I think I’d like to be a dog trainer.
  2. I’m addicted to chocolate and eat it every day.
  3. My mom has Parkinson’s disease.
  4. I was a floral designer for ten years.
  5. I was voted “quietest girl” in my high school class.
  6. When I was thirteen, I got a parakeet that I named Birdie; she lived to be thirteen years old.
  7. I get mega motion sick in just about any moving vehicle.

My fifteen nominations for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award (Check them out!):

Blogger awards are a great way to spread the word about blogs that you enjoy. We can all use a bit of help getting the word out about our blogs. If I’ve nominated you and you’d rather not participate, that’s okay, but please consider giving a shout-out for some of the blogs you follow. Those bloggers will appreciate your support. 🙂

The Boy Who Couldn’t Cry Wolf By Caldric Blackwell

23550756

Title: The Boy Who Couldn’t Cry Wolf

Author: Caldric Blackwell

Illustrator: Emma Phillips

Publisher/Year: Icasm Press/2014

Summary: Six-year-old Byron Woodward is a werewolf who can’t howl. Determined not to embarrass himself after being chosen to lead a full-moon ceremony, he embarks on a mission to learn how to howl. He learns a lot about howling during his journey, but more importantly, he learns a valuable lesson about believing in himself.

Despite being a story about a werewolf, The Boy Who Couldn’t Cry Wolf is not at all scary, and it’s not meant to be. It’s about a young boy named Byron who happens to be a werewolf and who lives with his werewolf parents in a village full of werewolves. The only fear present in the book is felt by Byron when he is selected to lead the full-moon ceremony, but since he cannot howl, he is afraid he will embarrass himself in front of everyone.

Well written and charmingly illustrated, The Boy Who Couldn’t Cry Wolf succeeds in helping children see that fear and worry about what others think of us will keep us from being ourselves. And if we stop worrying, we are free to enjoy life. Sounds good for adults too, don’t you think? Overall, it’s a cute story with positive themes: courage, determination, and self-acceptance.  

Picture Books At The Library: Christmas Edition

In my position as a technical processing assistant at the DeWitt Community Library, I catalog a lot of picture books. Unfortunately, I cannot review them all, but I do read them all and have assigned a :) to my favorites. Below are a few I've cataloged recently. (Whenever possible, summaries have been taken directly from the books.)

In my position as a technical processing assistant at the DeWitt Community Library, I catalog a lot of picture books. Unfortunately, I cannot review them all, but I do read them all and have assigned a 🙂 to my favorites. Below are a few I’ve cataloged recently. (Whenever possible, summaries have been taken directly from the books.)

I love Christmas, so I am super excited to share a sleighful of wonderful Christmas picture books, newly available At The Library!

🙂 What can a small angel give a most important baby? A Christmas story about the greatest gift of all.

Anticipating he will be eaten, a gingerbread boy cookie nervously awaits Santa’s arrival. When rough-housing puppies threaten Christmas morning joy, the cookie comes to the rescue, earning the Night Watchman job at the North Pole.

🙂 Sidekick Chick’s new mission for his best friend-and hero-Pug, who would rather sleep, involves dressing as Santa and spreading joy to everyone at Christmas.

🙂 Although the other reindeer laugh at him because of his bright red nose, Rudolph proves his worth when he is chosen to lead Santa Claus’ sleigh on a foggy night.

🙂 A lyrical invitation to watch for signs of the season’s approach-and revel in the homespun rituals that warm each family celebration.

Explores Latin American traditions for celebrating Christmas Eve in a text that combines English and Spanish words and follows the rhythm of Clement Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas”.

This delightful parody of The Night Before Christmas will leave readers of all ages shrieking with laughter.

🙂 An eager little Christmas tree, not very tall or well-shaped, is the last on the lot, but when it seems all hope of being covered with lights and ornaments is lost, a special person comes to take him home.

🙂 Little Blue Truck is spreading cheer by delivering Christmas trees to his animal friends.

A teddy bear in the toy department of a big store receives a new name and a new home from Santa.

These twenty-five short poems-composed by Santa himself-give you a peek into life at the North Pole as the December days tick down to Christmas.

A newly illustrated version of the traditional song.

🙂 In this not-so-silent night, God’s unique creatures come together for the singular purpose of celebrating the birth of Jesus.

🙂 With Duvoisin’s glorious artwork accompanying Clement C. Moore’s classic text, families now have a new edition of the story to treasure-and enjoy for generations to come. The special size makes this a perfect stocking stuffer.

Picture Book Pass it On

Looking for a great cause to support? Check out Picture Book Pass It On!

ajschildrensbooks's avatarPaint with Words

picturebookpassiton

Picture Book Pass it On is a literacy initiative that encourages folks to donate new or gently used picture books to children. Picture Book Pass it On was founded by Michelle Eastman in November 2014. Michelle is a teacher and a mom who is passionate about children’s literacy and the power of picture books.

Picture Book Pass it On 3 calls to action:

#1 Post a “shout-out” to celebrate your favorite picture book. It can be anything from posting a selfie of you and your fave picture book kickin’ it, to tweeting a line from one of your favorite characters or scenes, or post a picture or video of you reading a favorite picture book with a child, pet, or loved one. Or blog about a favorite picture book memory from your childhood.

#2 Pledge to donate a copy of your favorite picture book to a local children’s charity or cause…

View original post 310 more words

Picture Books At The Library

In my position as a technical processing assistant at the DeWitt Community Library, I catalog a lot of picture books. Unfortunately, I cannot review them all, but I do read them all and have assigned a :) to my favorites. Below are a few I've cataloged recently. (Whenever possible, summaries have been taken directly from the books.)

In my position as a technical processing assistant at the DeWitt Community Library, I catalog a lot of picture books. Unfortunately, I cannot review them all, but I do read them all and have assigned a 🙂 to my favorites. Below are a few I’ve cataloged recently. (Whenever possible, summaries have been taken directly from the books.)

Grandpa Tu is famous for his special noodles, and as the emperor’s birthday approaches, he encourages his granddaughter, Mei, to find her own noodle magic.

🙂 A cat finds the courage to climb again after a frightening fall from his owner’s apartment balcony.

🙂 An exploration of the four seasons, told through each season’s distinct sounds.

Through a fishing trip with her grandfather, a young girl discovers that she can conquer her deepest fears: of the dark, of scary movies, and of trying new things.

🙂 A pirate and a Viking fight to become the very best friend of a kid scientist, who meanwhile devises the perfect formula for all three friends to play happily together.

When silent movie director Larry Trimble decides to put Strongheart, a police dog, into his movies as the lead actor, he must first train him to play with toys and walk like a regular dog, but Strongheart becomes a sensation until his military training leads to trouble, and possibly the end of his career.

{Bow-Wow’s Nightmare Neighbors} 🙂 Bow-Wow, an expressive dog, tangles with some unruly neighbors in this wordless, spooky picture book.

Join Herman as he embarks on one epic journey to deliver a very special letter and to make sure his friendship with Henry really is forever.

The Wish By Ken Elliott

Title: The Wish

Author: Ken Elliott

Illustrator: Whitney Gardner

Publisher/Year: Adamo/2014

Summary: A father and daughter share a simple tradition and an enduring bond that spans the decades.

The Wish is a tender tale that will tug at your heartstrings. It’s about a young girl and her father and their daily walks to the park to toss coins into the fountain and make wishes. It’s also about a father watching his little girl grow up into a teenager and then into a woman and seeing her less and less, until one day, when both father and daughter are old, she comes home again.

The carefully rendered black and white illustrations pair nicely with the gentleness of the story and I like how they beg to be colored in by the reader’s imagination. Any parent who has watched his/her child grow up and move away will most certainly relate to this story, but so will anyone who has a special connection with another person. What I like most of all is the full-circle ending, the reunion of father and daughter and the affirmation that no matter how far away you go or how much time has passed, your special bonds with loved ones will never break. The Wish is a sweet, sincere story ready to be shared with the special people in your life, children or adults.

Picture Books At The Library

In my position as a technical processing assistant at the DeWitt Community Library, I catalog a lot of picture books. Unfortunately, I cannot review them all, but I do read them all and have assigned a :) to my favorites. Below are a few I've cataloged recently. (Whenever possible, summaries have been taken directly from the books.)

In my position as a technical processing assistant at the DeWitt Community Library, I catalog a lot of picture books. Unfortunately, I cannot review them all, but I do read them all and have assigned a 🙂 to my favorites. Below are a few I’ve cataloged recently. (Whenever possible, summaries have been taken directly from the books.)

Stanley is working at his garage today. From filling up Hattie’s red sports car with gas to changing the tire on Shamus and Little Woo’s blue car, it sure is a busy day. As his friends each come in with their car problems, Stanley knows just what to do to get them back on the road.

🙂 A band of hunters go off on a mysterious but worthwhile expedition in this wordless picture book.

🙂 Dump trucks, fire trucks, and even garbage trucks join in a race through the streets of Trucktown

When the Berlin Wall went up, it separated not just a city but friends and lovers, parents and children. One little boy was determined to reunite his family, despite the danger.

Travel to Guatemala and join a busy bus as it journeys to the town on market day!

When a dragon in need of an egg discovers one on an abandoned sheet of ice, it’s a perfect fit. But then the egg hatches, and the little baby doesn’t look at all like the other dragons. Will Little One find a way to fit in?

Everyone is welcome in Mr. Fox’s balloon, and everyone brings something special. But look out! A surprise is in store for everyone too!

Join Maya, Sam, Crunchy the crocodile and the rest of the Palabra family as they go about their day. See and name all the fun things they do, the places they visit and the people they meet.

🙂 Love Monster is determined to give his best friend, a lovely girl monster, the perfect present on Gift Day, so when he discovers he cannot afford to buy anything special enough, he has an idea to make something, instead.