Christmas Giveaway Winner!!!!

We have a winner!

Brizmus

has won our giveaway of The Christmas Magic and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.

An email has already been sent your way, Brizmus.  Please reply with your mailing address for me to pass on to the competition organizers.

Thanks to everyone who participated.  We will have more book giveaways in the future, so don't wander too far away.

Happy holiday wishes to you all!

Giveaway The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and The Christmas Magic

Hello all, has the season spirit managed to catch you yet?  Well, maybe the picturebook giveaway we're participating in will help.  Over the past several weeks, Monica and I have posted reviews of The Christmas Magic and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.

To see a preview of The Christmas Magic, you can watch the video below:



Looks good, right?  I wish I could have read it, but alas, my partner in book hunger-y wouldn't share.  So, I am left out in the winter cold, magic-less.  That is, until I visit Monica in a few weeks and steal the book.  Wahaha!  Don't tell her I typed that, guys.

Do not feel bad for me, dear readers, because I still have The Nutcracker and the Mouse King to keep me company.  And they have a bit of magic of their own:

As you can hopefully see.

Now, a mere 24 hours remain in our book giveaway.  So, to have a chance at winning a copy of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and The Christmas Magic, just leave a comment on this post, or one of the other posts about this giveaway and your name will be added to the stocking that holds all of the names I'll be drawing from tomorrow.

Good luck and happy holidays!

Giveaway The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and The Christmas Magic

As you hopefully know, Monica and I are participating in a holiday giveaway through Big Honcho Media for The Christmas Magic and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.

To have your name entered for a chance to win copies of the books, just post a comment on one of the posts mentioning the giveaway.

Today, I'll be sharing my review of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.  This new picturebook shares the original words of E.T.A. Hoffmann's original story with new illustrations painted by Gail de Marcken.  She used watercolors and ink for the details to create the elaborate and historical illustrations:

I was particularly fond of the endpages, which show a town quite possibly built of candy. That's the kind of page I would have stared at for oh, 20 minutes as a kid, trying to decide what it would be like to live in the town and which building/road/flower I would eat first.  Alas, I will not be including a picture of said end pages.  You're just going to have to comment to the post to try to win your own copy of the book.

For those unfamiliar with the general story of The Nutcracker, the story revolves around a young girl receiving a Nutcracker doll for Christmas.  Her (as I remember him PURE EVIL) brother attempts to play with the doll, breaking his jaw and the girl, Marie, cares for him.  Then, in the night the mouse king arrives to destroy all of Marie's toys.  The Nutcracker fights to protect the toys and Marie.  The next day, Godfather Drosselmeier arrives to tell Marie more about the Nutcracker's history.

This story holds a special place for me in the realm of somewhat positive to awesome childhood memories.  My school performed a version of the story when I was in...fourth (fifth? third?) grade?  I was lucky enough to be one of the Arabian dancers, which was awesome because they had the BEST music in the ballet.  But I'm not bias at all.

I also wanted a nutcracker doll of my very own for years and years.  My mom finally got me one when I was in sixth-ish? grade.  Alas, no rat king emerged from our walls for the nutcracker to save me from.  Sometimes life is SO unfair.

Activities:

Since seeing or listening to the music of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet is often a seasonal tradition, a teacher could use this picturebook as an introduction to the story.

One drawback of this story is the amount of text on most of the pages.  It may send many young readers and some time-strapped parents running in the other direction.  And the amount of time it would take to share the book as a read aloud may take too long for many kids' attention spans.  Of course, a teacher or parent can easily balance that by using it as a longer read aloud drawn out over several days.  With everyone drinking hot chocolate.  And sitting near a crackling fire place.  And with a nutcracker.  Do it!  These are precious childhood memories here.

Quotes of Note:

"Once upon a time, on the magical night before Christmas, the now fell gently against the windows of the Stahlbaum house.  Two children, Marie and Fritz, were playing with their toys in the back parlor room."

"Meanwhile, Marie noticed an unusual object in the corner.  It was a small wooden doll with a very strange shape.  He looked like a soldier and had a sword, but his uniform was a rich royal purple.  He wore gold tassels at his shoulders, yet this was not the most eye-catching part of him, nor was it the miner's cap upon his head or his white beard made of cotton or his bared teeth.  For Marie only noticed the sweet nature of his face and instantly fell in love.

"Papa," asked Marie, "whose present is this sweet little man?"

"Ah, my dear Marie, that is a nutcracker doll.  It belongs to the entire family and will crack nuts for us all," said Papa."

"As the clock rang out in the empty room, another strange noise started.  Small scratching and rustling sounds and whispers came from every direction.  Marie looked up to the clock, and the hand-sculpted own atop it was moving its wings.  Then she heard an eerie voice singing:

     "Stop the clocks from ticking....

      Be there no sounds tonight....

     This is a silent warning....

     The Mouse King's ears are to fine...."

"Do you know the story of the Nutcracker?  It all started with a king, a queen, some mice, and a young princess named Pirlipat."

Tasty Rating:  !!!

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT AND WE'LL ADD YOUR NAME TO THE STOCKING I'LL BE USING TO DRAW NAMES FROM ON DECEMBER 6TH.

Scholastic Contest and REVIEW: The Christmas Magic

Thompson, Lauren and illustrated by Jon Muth. The Christmas Magic.
978-0-439-77497-0

Thirty second summary: As the days until Christmas grow shorter, Santa prepares for the coming of the Christmas magic which will allow his reindeer to fly.


Friends, it’s time for one of our Scholastic Christmas Book Contest reviews! Remember, for every comment on one of these reviews, you'll be entered into a drawing to win copies of both Christmas books! So comment, readers. You know you want to.

The Christmas Magic is a delightful holiday book, featuring a somewhat nontraditional (or perhaps simply European) Santa. Sporting a reasonably slender waistline and decked out in blue robes, he leads the reader from the first moments of the holiday right up to the moment the sleigh hits the atmosphere. By the time the book ends, you'll be so ready for Christmas that you'll practically be able to smell the pine trees. Or maybe that's just the new book smell. (Mmm, new book smell. Other than chocolate and roller skates, I'm pretty sure there's not anything I love more.)

Mrs. Claus and the elves are noticeably absent from this story. Instead, Santa wanders around his house in his bunny slippers, darning his own socks by the fire and packing the giant bag of Christmas gifts by himself. It’s a strangely lonely existence, and in my opinion a little sad, but he seems content enough. (One wonders, though -- What does he do the rest of the year, when the reindeer are out in the fields and the sleigh is in the barn? Does he make toys with no one but the cat for company? Does he go for long walks and daydream about Christmases past? Am I thinking too much about this?)

The illustrations are simple and whimsical, and go wonderfully with Thompson's writing. Santa is one hundred percent perfect, and children will love the scenes of him feeding parsnips to his reindeer, and allowing his cat to climb on his shoulder and play with his mustache. Muth is one of my favorite illustrators -- and as a fun nod to the readers, if you look closely in one of the scenes, you'll see the somewhat awkward panda from his Zen books making a guest appearance.

Now, I’m the kind of person who will love a book based solely on its illustrations, and I didn’t think this was fair to the author. So I called in backup. Yes, that’s right. I handed The Christmas Magic to my mother and had her read it out loud to me.
The verdict?
“Oh, I like this book. This is a good book.”
So there you have it, friends. Kid tested. Mother approved.

Quotes of note:
“The reindeer raise their heads when they hear the music of the bells: Is the magic here?”
“’No, not yet,’ Santa tells them. ‘It’s not here yet.’”

“Then this deep winter’s night, the stars begin to shine more brightly than ever. They fill the dark night with their flaming light.”

Tasty Rating: !!!!

Christmas Giveaway

I know, friends. I know.
You all were thinking to yourselves, "Gosh, I wish *I* had won the Winter's Tale contest! There were so many plans I had for that gorgeous hardcover filled with photos of smiling dolphins. My life... is meaningless without it."
Well sulk no more!
I am proud to announce the beginning of a NEW contest, straight from our friends at Scholastic.
Over the next few weeks, Shel and I will be reading and reviewing The Nutcracker and the Mouse King illustrated by Gail De Marcken, and The Christmas Magic, written by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Jon J Muth.
All you need to do?
Comment on one or more of the related posts.
For every comment, you'll get your name put into Shel's Hat o' Wonder, and when the time comes, two lucky winners will be picked to receive a copy of each book!
Think of how handy this will be come Christmastime. Instant gifts!
Look for a review of The Christmas Magic later this week.
In the meantime, start thinking preparatory holiday thoughts, so you'll be in the mood for snow and Santa.
It's never too early!!

Announcing the Winter's Tail Giveaway Winner!!!!!!!!

We have a winner!  After drawing a name from my favorite OSU hat...

 Theresa N. has won our Winter's Tail giveaway prize pack.

Thank you to all of you who participated and commented.  We will have more book giveaways in the future.

Congratulations again to Theresa.  If you could email me your shipping address so you can actually receive your prize, well, that'd be wonderful.

Thanks again, everyone!

Book Giveaway!!!! Only a few days left and a review of Owen & Mzee

Tick-tock.  Our Winter's Tail giveaway is coming to an end in a couple of days.  Leave a comment on this post or any of the book reviews dated after September 29th and your email address and you'll be entered to win the prize pack.  You can also find out more about Winter's story here.

Since the Hatkoffs have quite a successful information book series about inspirational animals, we're reviewing a few of their other books to help get you enthused for Winter's Tail.   And today I'll be focusing on Owen & Mzee.

Hatkoff, I., Hatkoff, C. & Kahumbu, P.  (2006).  Owen & Mzee:  The true story of a remarkable friendship.  New York: Scholastic Press.

0439829739

PLOT SUMMARY:  During the flooding season, a young hippopotamus is separated from his pod.  Through rescue efforts, the Malindi people had the hippo, named Owen for one of his rescuers, sent to an animal sanctuary.  Young Owen immediately bonds with an old prickly tortoise named Mzee.  And although Mzee is at first reluctant to be friends with Owen, the two become inseparable.

As with the rest of this information book series, Owen & Mzee feature huge photos; one or two to a page.  (And the pictures where Owen and Mzee are together definitely have an "Awww!  Adorable!" factor).

The Hatkoffs do an excellent job of showing how unusual Owen and Mzee's relationship is, adding more meaning to the story and describing typical behavior of hippos and tortoises.

The story of these two animals can help provide hope that a (600 lb) youth can overcome tragedy or loss with time and the help of a friend.


ACTIVITIES:

Owen & Mzee can be used to trigger a discussion about the nature of friendship and how people from different ages can still have a lot in common.  Students could journal about some of their own friendships, how they met, how they have helped one another through difficult situations, ways that friends can be there for one another in the future.

Other options include researching African geography and flood seasons--which students can then compare to seasonal patterns they've experienced in their own community.  Students could also research animal imprinting, hippos, tortoises and their behavior patterns.  Students could also work on looking up news articles about Owen, Mzee and other famous animals.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

"This is the true story of two great friends:  a baby hippopotamus named Owen and a 130-year-old giant tortoise named Mzee."

"Before the baby hippopotamus became known as Owen, he lived with his mother in a group, or pod, with about twenty other hippos."

"The villagers now saw only one hippopotamus in the sea--a baby without his mother, stranded on a sandy coral reef among the sea grass.  Tired and frightened, he was unable to reach the shore on his own."

"Owen scrambled from the truck directly to Mzee, resting in a corner of the enclosure. Owen couched behind Mzee, the way baby hippos often hid behind their mothers for protection.  At first, Mzee wasn't happy about this attention.  He hissed at Owen and crawled away.  But Owen, who could easily keep up with the old tortoise, did not give up."


TASTY RATING:  !!!


P.S.  This book giveaway is sponsored by scholastic.  They approached me and asked if I would like to participate.  They also sent me a copy of Winter's Tail for me to review and keep.

Book Giveaway!!!! More information on the authors and a review of Looking for Miza

Hopefully you've heard by now that we're doing a book prize giveaway of Winter's Tail that includes the book, keychain, plush toy and Nintendo DS game.

In the meantime, we thought we'd share more about one of the authors, Craig Hatkoff:

"Craig Hatkoff, the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, is the cofounder of the Tribeca Film Festival and of Turtle Pond Publications. He has appeared on various national media outlets, including NBC’s Today Show and CNN. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Manhattan."

This is not the first information book that the Hatkoffs have written together.  So, we're going to be doing reviews of both Owen & Mzee and Looking for Miza, starting with the ladder:

Hatkoff, J., Hatkoff, I., Hatkoff, C.,  & Kahumbu, P.  (2008).  Looking for Miza.  New York:  Scholastic Press.

0545085403

PLOT SUMMARY:  A young gorilla named Miza is missing from her gorilla family group in a national park.  As her family looks for Miza, so do the park rangers who are intent of keeping her alive and well.

As with the rest of this information book series, Looking for Miza features the real and recent story of a young animal that middle grade students will be able to relate to.  This book pays special attention to sharing information about gorilla behavior.

The photos show gorillas from a number of different angles and show the adults that helped search for Miza.  African maps and information about park rangers' duties are included at the end of the picturebook.  I did find myself wishing that a map had been included earlier on with the narrative to help situate the story a little more.

As with the rest of the series, this book is relatively text-heavy, lending itself to be used with young readers who excel or middle grade students.

*SPOILER*  Since no human knows exactly where Miza was rescued from, what feels like what should be a central plot point--Miza's rescue and return--is reduced to once sentence.  This made the story less inspiring for me.  Plus since *someone* doesn't return from searching for Miza, this book lacks the sense of complete optimism and security that so many other picturebooks that depict child-like creature being lost share.


ACTIVITIES:

As with the rest of the Hatkoff information book series (Winter's Tail especially!) there are multiple lessons a teacher could incorporate this book into.  This book lends itself to discussion of helping each other or a community.

A teacher could lead discussion on endangered species, starting with mountain gorillas, or African geography.  A teacher may also want to mention the dangers of hunters poaching on the animals in parks like Virunga, since at least one of the photos shows a ranger with a gun strapped to his back.

On a practical level, if younger students hear a portion of this book as a read aloud, they could learn about what to do if they become lost.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

"Almost every day several hundred Congolese Rangers patrol the beautiful forests and jungles of Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa.  The vast park, which spills over into Rwanda, is home to about 380 mountain gorillas, just over half of the planet's remaining mountain gorilla population."

"A baby mountain gorilla named Miza was missing from her family group.  They realized that she might be lost in the forest."

"It shows that family care and protection can help one get strong and feel secure.  It shows that dedicated people can help endangered animals survive."


TASTY RATING:  !!!

Book Giveaway! and REVIEW: Winter's Tail: How one little dolphin learned to swim again

Hatkoff, J., Hatkoff, I., & Hatkoff, C.  (2009).  Winter's Tail:  How one little dolphin learned to swim again.  New York:  Scholastic Press.

0545123356

PLOT SUMMARY:  From the moment a young female dolphin is discovered tangled in a a fisherman's crab trap, Winter's Tail follows the dolphin's rescue and recovery through to the time when technology gave her a new prosthetic tail.

The photos are well done, incorporating many angles (including some from under the water) of Winter in her recovery process, but completely avoiding any bloody or disturbing images.

There is quite a bit of text on most pages, but there's also a bit of white space with at least two pictures on each page.  Here's a sample page, to help you get the visual:

In terms of the amount of text, it may be too intimidating for many second or third graders, but with a teacher's urging they could tackle small segments.  Showing younger students a TV segment on Winter might help to keep readers motivated.

The authors (I'm sorry, but there are too many Hatkoffs writing this book for me to list them all by name AGAIN) do an excellent job of presenting Winter as a sympathetic, but strong figure without anthropomorphizing her.  The authors use simple language, without traveling too far over the line of "talking down" to young readers, as so many information books do.


ACTIVITIES:

There are a number of different topics that a teacher could use Winter's Tail to discuss.  Some good starting places are dolphins' habitats, anatomy and behavior, the dangers human technology can pose to animals, the recovery process from a life-threatening injury or the process of adjusting to a prosthetic limb, the process of how a prosthesis is prepared, the importance of having a friend around to help someone through a trauma.

The fact that Winter's Tail:  How one little dolphin learned to swim again lends itself to so many discussions, both in therms of formal education and practical relatable concerns is a great strength.  Plus there's the extra bonus that Winter is an endearing media sensation, that may be able to sway the more hesitant readers into giving her story a try.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

"One cold winter morning, just off the east coast of Florida, a baby female dolphin managed to get tangled up in a crab trap."

"It was not clear she would survive.  and even if she did survive, how would a dolphin manage without a tail?  How would she swim?  How would she thrive?"

"...the night air was cold.  It was so chilly that the group decided to name the dolphin Winter."

"Winter lost her tail.  What was left was a fleshy stump that would heal over time.
Would Winter be able to swim without her tail?"

"Winter did start to swim on her own, but she did not swim like other dolphins."

"The charming young dolphin also started to receive letters from her new fans, including many people who knew someone who had, or had themselves, lost or been born without a limb or had other disabilities.  Everyone could relate to Winter."


TASTY RATING:  !!!!


Don't forget!  We're doing a Giveaway of a Winter's Tail prize pack that includes the book, a plush toy, keychain, and Nintendo DS game of Winter's story.  To enter just leave a comment between now and October 18th.  And check back for the announcement of the winner on October 19th!

Book Giveaway!!!! More Information on Winter's Tail

This month we're giving away a Winter's Tail prize pack to one lucky reader who posts in the comments on posts made between September 28th and October 18th, 2009.

We'll each post our review on either Monday, October 5th or October 12th.

But, for the time being, we'll leave you with the official description of Winter's Tail:


"Winter is a dolphin. Just over two years ago, when she was a baby, she was rescued from a crab trap, her tail seriously damaged. Winter was rushed to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a marine animal hospital. It wasn't clear that she would survive. She did, but eventually the tail fell off and Winter compensated by swimming more like a fish than a dolphin which was seriously damaging her spine.


But for the last year, Winter has been learning how to use a prosthetic tail. The idea came from a company that makes prosthetics for humans. It was very challenging but Winter is thriving and using her new tail with great command. The word has gotten out about Winter. Visitors are traveling in droves to Clearwater to visit Winter who has become an inspiration to adults and children alike, especially to children who are amputees themselves. The tale doesn't end there. The special technology used for Winter's prosthetic tail is being used to develop prosthetics for Iraq war veterans who have especially sensitive injuries."


So, Check back here next Monday (or sooner!) to read more about Winter's tail:  How one dolphin learned to swim again or check Scholastic's website here.

BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!! Winter's Tail

Over the next three weeks, we're going to we're going to be entering names from those readers who leave comments to win a special Winter's Tail:  How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again prize pack.

Commenters have a chance at winning their own copy of Winter's Tail, a dolphin plush toy, a dolphin keychain AND a copy of the Nintendo DS Winter's Tail game.

Chances are good, dear readers, that you have heard of Miss Winter the dolphin previously on the news:



So check back here each Monday and Thursday to learn more about Winter's Tail.  Each of us will be posting a review.

You can also find out more about the book at its official website here.

To qualify for the prize, you must leave at least one comment on one of the posts made between, hmmm, NOW and October 18th.  If you post an anonymous or don't want to link your account to a blogger profile, please leave your first name and last initial, an email address or both so we can announce the winner on the blog by name or contact him or her.

The more comments you leave, the more times your name or email will be entered into the drawing.

We'll announce the winner on the afternoon of October 19th, but check back over the next few weeks to learn more about Winter!

Banned Book Week REVIEW: The Stupids Die

Allard, H. (1981).  The Stupids Die.  New York:  Houghton Mifflin Company.

0395303478

The Stupids series are a group of picturebooks that are relatively light in plot and share the silly misunderstandings the Stupid family has as they go about their day.  Luckily the Stupids are cared for by their rather intelligent pets.

The big misunderstanding the Stupids have in The Stupids Die is that during a power outage, the Stupids assume they have died.

The Stupids series is a romp into the absurd, likely to make some readers a little uncomfortable and others uproariously amused as societal norms are violated.

Often the illustrations are essential in understanding how one of the Stupids have misinterpreted a simple activity.

Reasons Censored:

The Stupids are listed as 27 on the most challenged books of the 1990s.  But that particular list doesn't share the most common reasons why the series was challenged.  But I can imagine that it has do with age appropriateness or casual way the word stupid is thrown around.

Potential Counter-arguments:

While adults may find this series a little inappropriate, young students will love the fun with language and nonsensical behavior.  An adult can calm all of their concerns over sharing this book by reminding children that while it's okay to laugh at the Stupids and call them 'stupid,' it's not okay to use that word with real people.

An adult could also encourage readers to think of synonyms for the Stupids behavior.  A key word to embrace would be "silly."

Uses in the Classroom:

The Stupids can be used to show that everyone makes mistakes.  These books provide a fun little rebellion for young readers, providing them an opportunity to say "stupid" without getting in trouble and to poke fun at a lot of societal norms, like sleeping in beds instead of under them (much more fun!).


Quotes of Note:

"One morning Stanley Q. Stupid woke up with a funny feeling.  "Something really stupid is going to happen today," he said."

"The Stupids all had breakfast in the shower, as usual."

"After breakfast the two Stupid kids had chores to do.
Buster mowed the rug."


On a non-banned book related topic, check the site again tonight!  We're going to be launching a book giveaway that will last through October 19th.