GreenBeanTeenQueen

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

2013-05-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Contemporary/Humor

Release Date: 2/5/2013

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About the Book: Thirteen-year-old Nate is from a small town in Pennsylvania and he dreams of being on Broadway. When his best friend Libby tells him of an open audition of ET: The Musical, Nate and Libby devise a plan for Nate to run away to New York City and audition. Will this be Nate's chance to move out of his small town and become a star?

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I knew I was going to love this book from the moment I heard it booktalked at ALA. I love musicals, I love show tunes, I love Broadway. I spent every summer from fourth grade into college attending and working at a fine arts summer camp. I was a drama and choir kid all throughout my school years. I knew Nate and I would become kindred spirits. And I was not disappointed one bit.

Nate is a kid that I would love to have in my library and we would talk Broadway and it would be awesome. I love Nate that much. He has the perfect blend of humor and heart that you just have to adore in a main character. He's from a small town, so he's a bit naive at times, but I believed it all-this is the first time Nate's ever been out of Jankburg PA (except for that trip to Disney) and this is first trip to a big city. His innocence about New York is part of his charm-he sees the good in everything which makes you want to cheer Nate on.

In New York, Nate discovers what Broadway is like-from auditioning in a room full of adults to pushy stage moms and incredibly talented kids up for the same role as you. Tim Federle is obviously writing about a subject he knows-and knows well. He captures the craziness of a show, the excitement and nervousness of auditions and the painstaking wait as you wonder if you'll hear more.

This isn't just Nate's journey to New York, but also to accepting who he is. Nate is teased back home for liking musicals. He's a bit of an outsider and doesn't feel like he fits in. He's teased for being gay, but as Nate says, he's thirteen and he doesn't know who he likes and why should it matter anyway? Nate's journey to New York opens him up not only to the world of Broadway, but to a larger world outside the small minded town he's used to. What I appreciated about Nate's story was that it was a story about Nate learning that he's awesome and it's OK to love musicals-gay or straight-and that he can be a boy who loves to sing and use Broadway flops and curse words.

I was lucky enough to listen to this one on audiobook and there are some authors that are just meant to narrate their books and Tim Federle is one of them. He gives Nate a wonderful voice and blends his optimism, innocence and passion for musicals in a brilliant way. He also plays the jokes well and really adds to Nate's humor. I'm sure I would have laughed if I had read this book, but listening to it I was laughing out loud the entire time. It's well worth listening to!

A funny and heartwarming read that has worked it's way into my heart. It's the perfect book to hand over to kids who feel as though they a bit of an outsider and are looking for a place to belong. I hope this debut isn't the last from Federle-he's a writer to look forward to.

Book Pairings: Withering Tights by Louise Rennison, Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt,

Full Disclosure: Reviewed from audiobook provided by the publisher for review

Caldecott Storytime: Week 14 & Week 15

2013-05-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'm doing Caldecott themed storytime for preschool storytime in January-April.Check out all my Caldecott Storytime plans here.

So I did two storytimes with this years winner, but silly me forgot to keep my full plan for Week 14. That week I introduced the winners from this year and read Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, and Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds. My group was a little young, so I abridged some of Extra Yarn. I also wasn't sure if they really liked Creepy Carrots, but we made our own carrots for a craft and after I heard them playing in the department saying "my creepy carrot will get you!" so it must have been a hit!

For Week 15, I saved this year's winner for last. It was lots of fun and a great way to end our Caldecott series. Here's what I did:

Open: Where Is Thumbkin and Shake My Sillies Out by The Wiggles

Read:

Swimmy by Leo Lionni

-A couple of the kids new this one because they had read it before and they were excited to talk about the big black fish the fish make in the end.

Song: These Are My Glasses by Laurie Berkner

Read:

Have You Seen My Duckling by Nancy Tafuri

Song: Octopus by Charlotte Diamond (the kids loved this song!)

Read:

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Song: Ten Little Fishes (I got this from my mom and I'm not sure where she got

it!) I printed out little fishes and had each kid hold a fish and walk around so their fish could swim. My mom uses this in her music class and tells the kids that the fish swim around and greet each other by getting very close to another fish and saying "hello". So as the kids walk around with their fish, they can go around the room and greet the other kids and their fish. As we walked we sang:

"One little, two little, three little fishies

Four little, five little, six little fishies

Seven little, eight little, nine little fishies,

Ten little fishes in the sea."

Then I added a verse about the "fishies swim high" and "fishies swim low" and had the kids move their fish higher in the air and then low to the ground.

"Fishies swim high in the water

Fishies swim high in the water

Ten little fishies in the sea."

"Fishies swim low in the water

Fishies swim low in the water

Ten little fishies in the sea."

The kids loved this song and loved having fish props to use. I plan to use it again in storytime.

Activities:

-Rubber Ducks in a tub of water

-Blocks with bubbles inside

-Reading station (I put out other Caldecott winning titles and had a mat set up where the kids could read and check out other Caldecott titles)

-Puppets-we made fish puppets to go with our story

Overall this was a great storytime and I loved doing the Caldecott theme with the kids. As the weeks went by the kids knew what the award was and become more interested in checking out Caldecott winning titles. It was a great success!

All About Summer Reading

2013-05-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

I love this photo of Nedd Stark warning everyone that Summer Reading is coming! It makes me laugh every time.

So Summer Reading is coming! I love learning how libraries run their summer reading programs, so I thought this summer I would do a weekly breakdown of what exactly it is librarians do during the summer. I've learned that my non-librarian friends have no idea how much time and effort goes into summer reading-and it's a ton of work and also a ton of fun. So after giving my summer reading spiel to thousands of kids over the past few weeks, now I'll give it you! (Sorry, this will be a long post!)

About Summer Reading Program:

-Kids can read anything they want! Books from home, school, library, bookstore, friends, etc. ANYTHING! We let them read various formats as well-fiction, nonfiction, comics, ebooks, audiobooks, reading aloud to someone, being read aloud to-all that counts for summer reading.

-We count hours, not books. Each level is four hours of reading.

-Participants do not need to have a library card, live in the county, or check out books from the library to participate. We of course encourage summer readers to get library cards and check out books, but it's not required.

-Program attendance is not required. Again, we encourage it, but it's not required to take part in summer reading.

-Our program runs for 11 weeks which I'm learning is a crazy long summer reading program in the library world. We start Saturday May 18 and end Saturday August 3. Nothing is passed out or ready to be picked up until the start date and the end date of the program is the final day to pick up prizes.

Tiny Tots (birth-36 months): This is a new program we're trying this year, so we'll see how it goes. In years past, I would get frustrated when parents were surprised they could do the summer reading program babies and toddlers. "But they can't read yet!" And I would say, "yes, but it's the summer reading & listening program-you can read to your baby!"

So this year, the Tiny Tots program features a simplified reading program. Adults will receive a brochure-type piece with a place for baby's photo, a place to list ten books they read this summer, and a fun flow-chart-type of activities for various moods. After reading ten books and five activities, babies receive a board book of their choice from the prize book cart. They are also entered into a drawing for a gift basket that includes a rubber ducky, board books, blocks, and more. There's one drawing per branch (we have 10 plus a Mobile Library).

Kids Program (ages birth-grade 5): Since Tiny Tots is new this year, we're easing everyone into it by giving them a choice. For the kids program, kids pick up a game board and complete three levels. Each level is made up of four hours of reading and three activities. The activities are listed on the back of the game board and include things like "write the library a postcard about what you did this summer" or "check out a library book on dinosaurs" or "build a reading fort" or "get a library card" or "attend a library program".

Level 1: The Food and Fun Flip Card. I'll be honest and say that I have love/hate relationship with this card. The Flip Card is a card that offers free and discounted offers all around town-free bowling, skating, ice cream, cupcakes, swimming, discounts at the local arcade, the zoo, and local inflatable places are all included. It's a great idea and it gets the kids excited, but sometimes people sometimes get greedy about it and that's not the point of summer reading. This card has become very known in the community and it's why people start gearing up for summer reading in March-they want this card!

Level 2: Choice of a bookmark, coloring sticker, or tattoo and a Fine Waiver Card-good for waiving overdue/late fees on your library card one time during the summer. Also a very big prize that people can't wait for!

Level 3: Free Book! (The best prize of course!) And as I tell the kids-"do you have to bring this book back to the library? NO! Do you just get whatever book I hand you? NO! You get to pick out whatever book you would like from the book prize cart and keep it forever!!!"

Each child can only do the game board once during the summer, but if they finish the game board and want to keep going, we have what we call the Eager Reader Challenge. It used to be just read another four hours and you get entered into a drawing, but this year we changed it up to be a challenge of five things like "read a book of poetry" or "listen to a book" or "read a book that became a movie" or "tell a librarian a book you read this summer". I love the extra challenges and I think the kids will really like it too. At the end of summer, all the eager reader entries are entered into a drawing for summer reading t-shirts and gift cards. And again, these are done by branch, so because I'm at the headquarters branch, we end up with a bunch of prizes to draw for at the end.

Teen Program: Our teen program has been online now for about five years and it's really made a difference in our numbers and helping the teen summer reading program grow. As I tell the teens, "you can do the summer reading program at home, in your PJs at 2:00 in the morning!"

The teen program is all about reading and there are no activities. The level one and level 2 prizes are the same as the kids program, except the teens get something from the treasure box in addition their Fine Waiver Card (these things include tattoos, pencils, various other tchotchkes)

The big difference in the teen program is that after 8 hours of reading, they have two entries into the drawings. Any additional four hours of reading earns them another entry. We pull names for weekly prize drawings (books, journals, movie size candy, water bottles, backpacks, pens, earbuds). At the end of summer reading, we do a grand prize drawing (which is system wide) for a Kindle Fire. (Last year it was a Nook Color and we've done iPods in the past). We also do a drawing at each branch for a gift basket of books, candy, and various other prizes-one per branch.

So that's our Summer Reading Program! In addition to all that, my branch hosts seven weekly storytimes (three for toddlers, three for preschoolers and one for ages 4-8), will do outreach to two offsite locations once a month, host a weekly performer for two performances, host monthly Baby storytimes and play group, monthly dance parties, monthly evening storytimes, and a huge crazy amount of other special programs happening throughout summer.

And to give you an idea of the population we serve, last year we had 3,609 kids participate in the summer reading program and 962 teens participate in the summer reading program-just at my branch alone!

So if you see a librarian this summer, you know why we always look so exhausted! Give us a hug-and maybe some chocolate!

How does your library run their summer reading program? Anything you like or dislike about it?

YA Movie News

2013-05-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Lots of exciting movie news this week!

Tris goes Dauntless in the newest photo from Divergent thanks to Entertainment Weekly:

-Catching Fire has a new poster:

-Ansel Elgort has been cast as Gus in The Fault in Our Stars opposite Shailene Woodley. Both actors are starring in Divergent, in which they play brother and sister. Hollywood is a small world!

-Downton Abbey Seasn 4 will premier in the US on January 5th.

-Vampire Academy has added more actors to the cast.

-Lionsgate is making a nice little niche with YA novels turned movies and Wonder by R. J. Palacio is next on their list. Early Word reports that the film has been optioned.

-Debut novel School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani has been optioned for a film.

It's the time of year when TV Networks announce their Fall lineup, which includes several book and comic based shows. Fox has passed on Delirium and it doesn't look like The Selection will be happening at The CW either.

Several of the shows have released trailers, so here's what's coming up based on books (or loosely based on books this Fall):

And while Reign on The CW is not based on a book, it looks ripe for YA novel tie ins, don't you think? Plus, I might just watch it because it has Anne Shirley in it!! :)

Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks

2013-05-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Graphic Novel

Release Date: 5/7/2013

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About the Book: Nate and Charlie have an unlikely friendship. Nate is the president of the robotics club and Charlie is the popular basketball captain. The two friends find themselves pitted against each other in a student council election-and it's war. The cheerleaders, including Charlie's ex-girlfriend, want money for new uniforms and the robotics club want money to attend a robotics competition. Only one can win-and it's up to student council to decide who gets the money. And what will happen if the two decide to team up?

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I love a fun graphic novel and Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong is a very fun graphic novel! The premise is hilarious and unique-when have you seen robotics club represented in YA and when have you seen robotics teams partnering with cheerleaders? It's a heartwarming and laugh out loud funny story of friendship and the unexpected with high school politics.

Nate and Charlie are both great characters and Faith Erin Hicks helps show their personalities with her illustrations. I love Prudence Shen's characters and story and the illustrations just add to the format, showing off Nate's neurotic side and Charlie's shyness. The supporting cast of characters is well done and even if we don't get to see some of them very often, the storytelling and the artwork blend well to make them fully fleshed characters. The robot action scenes are fantastic and the illustrations really excel at showing what a competition is like, how much blood, sweat and tears goes into building a robot, and the teamwork that happens throughout.

What I really loved and appreciated about this graphic novel was how it bent stereotypes. Charlie is the popular athlete, but he's kind of shy and doesn't really know how to embrace his popularity. He also maintains a friendship with Nate, even though their paths don't cross much. The cheerleaders are a bit icy and mean, but they have some redeeming qualities. And Nate is just overall lovable and so into robotics you can't help but cheer for his passion. Yet the part that really stood out to me is that this is a story about friendships and breaking high school stereotypes, not a romance. There maybe could be a slight romance that is inferred, but it's such a tiny part of the plot that it's not a big deal. I loved that! It made the whole book seem even more realistic to me.

Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong is one of new favorite graphic novels and a must read from this year. It would be perfect for teens looking for a graphic novel that is fun and just a bit different. It's a ton of fun and I loved being part of Nate and Charlie's world.

Book Pairings: Will & Whit by Laura Lee Gulledge Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks

Full Disclosure: Reviewed from finished copy sent by the publisher

Summer Reading Is Coming: Start With a Book Blog Tour

2013-05-15T05:30:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to part of this lovely blog tour promoting Start With a Book. When Amy at Show Me Librarian asked me to be part of this tour and talk about this great resource, I jumped at the chance. Start With a Book is a great resource for parents, librarians, educators-really anyone who wants to read with a child!

As a librarian, I know the value of having storytime and reading to kids. Reading at all ages is important! It's a great way to develop skills that kids need like growing their vocabulary, learning how stories are told, hearing the rhythm and sound of words, and beginning to recognize letters and words and start to read. Not only that, but it's a fun way for adults and kids to share in an activity that will help them bond. Nothing is more fun than sharing a book with a child.

Even if a child can read on their own, they still should be read to! I've been out doing summer reading promotion at area schools and each class I visit-even high school-I ask if I can read them a picture book and tell them they are never too old to be read to. They are always eager to listen to a story and are so engaged in the books I bring-they love being read to.

One thing we often joke about at my library is that we could do storytime every minute of every day and have an audience waiting to read books. It would be fun (and very crazy!), but it's not possible for librarians to always be the ones doing storytime. That's why I love Start With a Book. We are always encouraging parents to check out books and have storytime at home, but so often I get asked about what books parents should read or how do they even find a book to read at home? It can be intimidating to walk into a library and see shelves and shelves of books and not know where to start or what book is the perfect book for you.

Start With a Book offers adults a great resource with their themed booklists. Every day I am asked for books on various topics and themes and Start With a Book has created fantastic themed booklists that give kids and adults a chance to pick a topic and create a storytime at home. The lists include a mix of fiction and nonfiction titles as well as a target age group, which is so helpful when adults are looking for a good fit for their child.

Not only does the Start With a Book themed booklists include books, but ways to take the reading experience further by including activities, crafts and websites to help kids and adults explore each theme. It's like having a storytime at your fingertips planned and ready to go!

Every kid deserves storytime-at the library and at home. So Start With a Book and go exploring this summer!

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Tween Tuesday: Feedback from Chat & Chew Bookclubs Part 2

2013-05-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

In Missouri, we have a state book award for fourth-sixth grade called the Mark Twain Award. This year my library has partnered with seven area elementary schools for a program we call Chat & Chew. Each month we meet with a group of fourth & fifth graders to talk about a selected book from the Mark Twain list (chat) while the kids eat lunch (chew). It's been a lot of fun and the kids have had lots of great feedback about the books we've read so far. I posted about the first half of the year in January and here's our second half round up:

Drizzle
Hide and Seek
Half Upon a Time

The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson

-"It started off with a lot of action and it made me want to keep reading."

-"It has something for everyone-adventure, action, animals, magic."

-"It was the best book-it's going to win!" (I thought so too, but our winner ended up being Out of My Mind)

-"I was surprised by the ending." (everyone agreed it was a great surprise ending!)

Gilbert and Aldwyn were the most popular characters

Undecided on Skyler-lots of mystery surrounding her character!!

Everyone wanted a familiar and the animals they would like ranged from dogs, snails, and birds to horses and unicorns. The most popular ability for a familiar to have would be telekinesis or flying. Mostly they wanted telekinesis so they could move objects and hit people with the flying objects and surprise them-this was a common theme throughout all the groups! Ahh..tweens. :)

Drizzle by Kathleen Van Cleve

-"This one had some mystery to it."

-"I liked the farm-I wanted to visit."

-"I was afraid of what would happen in the end-it kept me reading."

The groups seemed a bit mixed on this one. They liked the magical farm setting and thought it had suspense with Polly's powers and her brother. But there were some tweens that thought this one was a bit slow.

Hide & Seek by Katy Grant

-"I liked the geocaching."

-"It was a god mystery."

-"The Dad might not have always been bad, but he made bad choices."

-"It made me think about what I would do."

The groups really liked this one. It was a mystery which they all enjoyed. We had a great discussion about the characters, if Chase should have told about what he discovered, and if the characters were all good or bad or maybe a bit of both. It was really cool to hear their insight about what Chase should do, what they would do in a similar situation (finding missing kids), and when and how to get adults involved.

Half Upon a Time by James Riley

-"The best book ever!!!"

-"My favorite book-I've already read the sequel!"

-"I loved this one the most-I want to change my vote because I read Half Upon a Time and now it's my favorite!"

-"I liked the fairy tales."

-"The fairy tale mix was really fun to read."

-"The fairy tales were the best part-you never knew what was going to happen."

-"It should be a movie!"

This was by far the most popular book we read in Chat & Chew. After hearing all the groups rave about this book, I was surprised that this one didn't end up winning. Both guys and girls liked this one and I think it was the most agreement we had from all the groups about everyone liking a title. They loved the fairy tale mashup, the twists in the plot, and the adventure throughout. Not one student said they didn't like this one. Many of them had already gone on to read the sequel and we had a long waiting list for book three at the library!

YA Movie News

2013-05-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

-Every once in awhile a list of books to movies that are in development comes out. The Examiner released one for YA books to movies that have been optioned and gives a status update. Hopefully these books make it to the big screen!

-Spinoffs are becoming the next big thing. The CW has officially ordered a spin-off for The Vampire Diaries called The Originals. ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars spin-off Ravenswood, has started casting. Thanks to Cynopsis for the news.

-Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones are having a fairy tale mashup. Lily James (aka cousin Rose) is playing Cinderella in an upcoming live action film and Richard Madden (aka Robb Stark) is playing Prince Charming.

-Sad news: the pilot for Delirium was not picked up by Fox.

-But in some happier news, sequels to the yet to hit the big screen films City of Bones and Divergent are in the works.

-And speaking of Divergent, Veronica Roth reveled the cover for Allegiant today and talked about the amazing chemistry between the actors in the movie!

-The Maze Runner boys are already in training for the film! And this week was the release of the first Ender's Game trailer! I really need to read that book!

Get More: Abigail Breslin, Harrison Ford, Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Simone Elkeles Wild Cards Cover Reveal Tour

2013-05-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

I am a huge fan of Simone Elkeles, so I can't wait for her new series Wild Cards which is coming out this October. I'm even more excited to share another piece of the cover-if you're a reader of Simone Elkeles, you know her books are not only awesome, but her covers are amazing-and I don't think Wild Cards will disappoint! The full cover will be revealed on Friday on the Bloomsbury Teen Facebook page, but here's a sneak peak at the cover:

About Wild Cards: After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek's counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else's family drama. Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek-someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

It's gonna be great, right??

Wanna catch up with the other sneak peaks?

Monday May 6-The Story Siren
Tuesday May 7-Once Upon A Twilight
Wednesday May 8-Green Bean Teen Queen
Thursday May 9-Anna Reads
Friday May 10-Bloomsbury Teens Facebook page-FULL COVER REVEAL!!!

Catch Up with Simone Elkeles
Simone Elkeles Fan Page on Facebook
Simone Elkeles Author Website
Simone Elkeles Twitter
Bloomsbury Kids Twitter

Tween Tuesday: Odd Duck by Cecil Castellucci, Illustrated by Sara Varon

2013-05-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Graphic Novel

Release Date: 5/14/2013

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About the Book: Theodora loves everything to her way. She has everything planned out just the way she likes it. She has a perfect swimming routine, she has perfect exercises, a perfect routine for running her errands. When Chad moves in next door, Theodora notices that Chad is a bit odd. His house is a mess, his feathers are dyed strange colors, and he makes lots of noise with his art projects. Theodora is sure she and Chad will not be friends? But can the two ducks find a way to get along? And is either one really that odd?

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Go get a copy of this book right now-I'll wait. Got it? Good-because you'll love it! I read Odd Duck and then I had to read it over again because that's how much I fell in love with Theodora and Chad. This is a book that will make you laugh, cherish friendships, and even think about your own odd duckness in a way that is so completely and utterly adorable you won't be able to put it down. You'll have to recommend Odd Duck to everyone you know because it's just that great!

Odd Duck is a short chapter book with a graphic novel feel. The book is illustrated in full color throughout and the chapters are short. It's a book that works well with all ages. I can't wait to share it with the kids at my library-graphic novel fans or not. I think it would be a great intro to graphic novels for readers who aren't sure they enjoy graphic novels as it has a nice picture book feel and there aren't any comic panels that the reader has to follow. I also think it would make a great read aloud for students.

Theodora and Chad are just too funny and I'm sure you will see yourself in them. The story is very clever and very funny. The characters of Theodora and Chad are well developed and thought out and the writing shows us about their odd ways. The illustrations just add icing onto the cake and make a wonderful addition to the book. Not only do we get to read about Theodora and Chad but the illustrations expand upon their characters and tell us even more about their odd duck habits. Sara Varon adds in additional jokes and even some cameos from previous books that are so fun to look for.

A perfect pairing of text and illustrations, Odd Duck will make readers embrace and stand up and cheer for their own odd duck selves!

Book Pairings: Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, Jellaby by Kean Soo, Bake Sale by Sara Varon

Caldecott Storytime: Week 13

2013-05-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'm doing Caldecott themed storytime for preschool storytime in January-April.Check out all my Caldecott Storytime plans here.

Theme: Making friends

Open: Shake Your Sillies Out by The Wiggles

Skill: Tell Stories

Read:

Play With Me by Marie Hall Ets

-I opened this book by asking the kids if they ever wanted to play with animals. I told them about how the little girl in this book just wanted to make some new friends, but the animals would run away or hide. As I read the book, one little girl kept repeating after each page "but she just wants to play!!" She got the rest of the kids giving a call and response as well and they loved the book because of it.

Song: These Are My Glasses by Laurie Berkner

Read:

Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

-I opened this book by talking about measuring and talking about how the inchworm was very small and made very small movements. The kids really liked this one too, but I did have to point out where the inchworm was on the page for the large group.

Song: Boogie Walk by Greg and Steve-I used the Boogie Walk song and asked the kids to move like an inchworm and measure our steps. We tried small steps, big steps, and medium size steps throughout the song.

Activities:

-Bug/Animal Mural-I hung paper on the wall, put out crayons and some diecuts and asked the kids to draw about what animal they would love to play with.

-Measuring Station-We have a big stash of rulers that were donated to the library, so I pulled those out with a bunch of various items like a shape-sorter, a tissue box, and a bean bag and put them on a table and asked the kids to measure the various objects. This was by far the most popular station of all and the kids loved measuring the objects. They even found other objects around the room they could measure.

How It Went: I was really happy with my idea to incorporate some math into this storytime with our measuring and it was a huge hit! The kids would have happily measured things longer if I had had more items out for them to play with. The books went over much better than I was expecting as well. I wasn't sure how they would respond to the illustrations, especially since Play With Me is an older title, but they loved it! It was a great storytime that I will happily repeat.

YA Movie News

2013-05-03T09:57:00.000-05:00

-In case you missed the news last week, Reliance Films has optioned Graceling by Kristin Cashore for a big screen adaptation. I'm hoping it happens!

-Early Word reports that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies might be getting life again with Lily Collins attached to star. This would be the sixth actress attached to the film and it's on it's fourth director. Maybe it will happen?

-Jennifer Garner is in talks to join the cast of the live action movie adaptation of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

-Entertainment Weekly has another exclusive look at Ender's Game.

There's also a teaser for the teaser trailer for Ender's Game

Just for fun: The Independent has a round up of new characters joining Downton Abbey in season four. Can I just say I am not ready for Lady Mary to have a new love interest??

-Entertainment Weekly has fun sorting celebrities into Divergent factions.

Trends in YA: Girls in Sports

2013-05-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love watching trends in YA. The Girls in Sports trend has been around for awhile-there's always been some books out there featuring female athletes. But it seems like this year there are even more girls in sports novels being released-or maybe I'm just noticing them more.

After Catherine Gilbert Murdock's Dairy Queen Series, Miranda Kenneally is becoming my go-to author for books that feature female athletes. She's also gaining quite a fan base with the teens at my library. Ms. Kenneally has written previous novels that feature girls playing sports and her upcoming novel, out in December, features a girl training to become a jockey:

Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally

Girls and horses go together! This novel features a girl who wants to become a Catch Rider (show rider) and works training horses:

Catch Rider by Jennifer H. Lyne

After horses, tennis seems to be a popular sport this year:

The Academy: Game On by Monica Seles

(This one not only has tennis but is set at a sports academy, which features characters playing a variety of sports)

Game. Set. Match. by Jennifer Iacopelli (if a tennis only academy is what you want)

And what I think is the coolest girl in sports premise of the year:

Hooked by Liz Fichera

About a girl who joins the school golf team.

Also, Simone Elkeles has a new book coming this Fall called Wild Cards (the cover to be revealed next week! I'll have a peice to tease next Wednesday!) It also features girls playing sports:

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek's counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else's family drama. Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek-someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

Have you seen any other female athletes in novels this year? What do you think of this trend?

Tween Tuesday: Bartholomew Biddle and the Very Big Wind by Gary Ross

2013-04-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Genre: Fantasy/Novel in Verse

Release Date: 12/13/2012

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About the Book: Bartholomew is pretty ordinary and a bit bored. So when a very big wind appears outside his window, Bartholomew takes his bedsheet and soars into the sky. Flying across the world, Bartholomew meets new friends and has many wild adventures.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Told in rhyming verse, Bartholomew Biddle would make a great pick for poetry month lessons. The story is broken up into seven chapters and while they all work together, each chapter also holds a small vignette of adventure that is happening to Bartholomew. The rhyming verse would make this a great read aloud for families reading together.

I really appreciated that I never felt like the rhyming lines were forced. The flow was always very well done and the rhymes worked. It also gave the book a nice cadence. Bartholomew has several fun adventures along the way and I think readers who love stories full of imagination will love Bartholomew. I love that the book features a note to grown-ups about explaining to kids that no one can fly with a bedsheet.

The book is a bit long and sometimes the format breaks up a sentence in the middle which could be a bit distracting, but overall I really enjoyed it. The illustrations add to the story and I loved seeing pictures of Bartholomew's new friends and locations he discovers along the way. Bartholomew is a great character and his adventures are reminiscent of classic children's stories that I think adults will feel nostalgic while reading and kids will enjoy the high stakes of flying with a bedsheet across the world. A fun read that's perfect for all ages.

Book Pairings: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston

Full Disclosure: Reviewed from a final copy sent by the publisher

Caldecott Storytime: Week 12

2013-04-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

I didn't get a chance to get this posted yesterday, so now Monday is storytime day! :)

I'm doing Caldecott themed storytime for preschool storytime in January-April.Check out all my Caldecott Storytime plans here.

Theme: Wordless Picture Books

Skill: Tell Stories

Open: Where is Thumbkin by The Wiggles

I decided to use all wordless picture books in this storytime. I opened the storytime by talking about the Caldecott Award and how it is given for illustrations, like I do every week. Then I asked the kids what we would do if a book had no words-how could we tell the story? They said we could read the title and after a bit more asking them to look inside the book I was holding, I pointed out that the pictures help us tell the story. I told them to look at the pictures and see if they could help tell the stories of our books this week. I wasn't sure how this would work out, but I thought I would try it and see how it went!

Read:

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

-I opened this book because I thought it would be the easiest story for the kids to tell and I was right. They loved it and it was fun to watch the adults reaction to the pictures as well-they are gorgeous you just can't help but look at them in awe! The kids loved the book and the adults were engaged as well.

Song: These Are My Glasses by Laurie Berkner

Read:

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka

-This one took a bit more work to explain what was happening in the story, but the kids loved it! They loved that Daisy made a friend and got a new ball-that made the kids all very happy!

Rhyme: Rags from The Big Book of Stories, Songs and Singalongs by Beth Maddigan

-I have a dog and his name is Rags,

He eats so much that his belly sags, (put arms in front of body to show a big tummy)

His ears flip-flop and his tail wig wags (use hands for ears and tail)

And when he walks, he goes zig-zag. (sway from side to side)

He goes flip-flop (flap hands as ears)

Wig wag (shake hips)

Zig-zag (sway from side to side)

He goes flip-flop, wig-wag, zig-zag,

He goes flip-flop, wig-wag, zig-zag.

I love Rags and he loves me! (give child a hug)

Read:

Tuesday by David Wiesner

-This is one of my favorites, but I wasn't sure if my preschoolers would really "get it" or like it. We talked about the pictures a lot and I asked if frogs could fly, had they ever seen flying frogs, and what would happen if they really could fly. They ended up surprising me with how much they liked talking about this book and laughing at the pictures.

Song: Animal Action 1 & 2 by Greg and Steve-because just one song wasn't enough and two Animal Actions is always fun!

Activities:

-Ball Chute-We have a ball chute made of a tube and a cardboard box that the kids love. I put it out in honor of Daisy and had the kids roll balls down the tube for Daisy and it was a huge hit. They never want to leave this activity when it's out.

-Frog Mural-I love murals in storytime and I used our diecut frogs and crayons for the kids to create a flying frog scene mural on butcher paper.

-Mini Books-Since we've been talking about Caldecott books for all of our Spring Storytime Sessions and this week was all about wordless books, I thought it was the perfect time for the kids to make their own books. I put out paper and crayons and showed the kids how they could fold the paper to make a book. I had one boy who was so excited about this and he wrote a book about playing basketball. He even stayed as I was cleaning up so he could finish his book. His mom told me he had been wanting to make a book so this was perfect! I complimented his illustrations and asked if he thought he would win a Caldecott Medal and he said "maybe someday!"

How It Went: For all my nerves about doing a wordless book storytime, it went great! The kids loved having an active part of storytime by helping tell the stories and even without words on the page, I was able to narrate the story just fine. The kids loved it and I can't wait to do another wordless picture book storytime!

YA Movie News

2013-04-26T11:50:00.001-05:00

UPDATE: I just saw this breaking news: India based film company Reliance is developing Kristin Cashore's novel, Graceling, as a movie. Divergent is the biggest movie news this week!

-Entertainment Weekly has a first look at Tris in the knife throwing scene. I feel like Shailene looks younger in the photo, so I have hope the cast won't look too old in the film.

-Examiner reports the Divergent film is headed to Navy Pier. They also have some first looks at the sets being used in Chicago.

-Blake Cooper will be starring in The Maze Runner who sent tweets to the director as well as homemade audition tape to earn the part of Chuck.

-Harry Potter World in Universal Studios LA has begun construction.

Lastly. here's the trailer for Tiger Eyes based on the novel by Judy Blume. The movie will be out June 7.

Hidden by Helen Frost

2013-04-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Genre: Contemporary/Novel in Verse

Release Date: 5/10/2011

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About the Book: When Wren and Darra are eight years old, Darra's father steals a car, not knowing Wren is in the back. While police are on the lookout for a kidnapper, Darra knows that Wren has to be hiding out in her garage. Wren manages to escape and their lives are forever changed. Now, years later, they are both arriving at the same summer camp. Neither has seen each other since those fateful days and neither is sure how to approach the other and talk about what happened to them and the events that followed.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Helen Frost is a master of writing beautiful poetry. Wren and Darra's stories are told in alternating points of view with alternating poetry formats. I didn't realize until I read the author's note at the end of the book that all of Wren's poems are written so that readers can also read the last word in the longest sentences to read a new sentence which I thought was a cool little detail.

The story is engaging as both girls are dealing with the consequences of what happened to them years before and learning how their actions affected the other girl involved. Their stories intertwine in an interesting way and it's really nice how it all unfolds. I did think that their time at camp was a bit forced and I wanted them to talk to each a bit more, but I did appreciate what was there and it felt true to the characters and their ages.

Hidden would make a great book to read for a poetry unit as the book is a great example of using forms of poetry to tell a story and creating in depth characters and details. This one is on our state book award list for next year and I'm curious to see how our fourth-sixth graders respond to it. I think our readers who enjoy contemporary novels will love it.

Full Disclosure: Reviewed from finished copy I checked out from my local library

Tween Tuesday: Gone Fishing by Tamera Will Wissinger

2013-04-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Contemporary/Novel in Verse

Release Date: 3/5/2013

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About the Book: Sam is excited for his special fishing day with dad-that is until his annoying little sister Lucy comes along.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I love novels in verse and Gone Fishing is a perfect introduction to the format for young tweens. I think that while this could easily fit into the tween category, it might be the younger side of the tweens who are perfect for this one. Sam seems about eight or nine in the book.

The poems have different narrators from Sam, Lucy and Dad but it's mostly Sam that we hear from throughout. He's having a rough day having his sister tag along and he's not catching any fish. The author does a great job expressing Sam's emotions throughout with his annoyance and frustration about his trip and then also his excitement and change of heart when things start to go well.

What I really loved was how the author used various forms of poetry for each poem which are listed at the beginning of each poem. At the end of the book there is an extensive glossary with information on how to write the various forms, poetic techniques like alliteration and imagery, and a nice bibliography for readers wanting more information about poetry. Each page is also illustrated with adorable black and white illustrations. I especially love the illustrations of a proud Sam with fish.

Gone Fishing is fun to read and also a great teaching tool about poetry.

Book Pairings: Technically It's Not My Fault by John Grandits, Summerhouse Time by Eileen Spinelli

Full Disclosure: Reviewed from finished copy checked out from my local library

So You Want to Read YA? Guest Post at Stacked

2013-04-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Today I'm visiting the blog of my good friends Kelly and Kim at Stacked to talk about my favorite YA romances. Come visit and let me know what books you would suggest for someone wanting to read a YA title with a little (or a lot) of romance in the story!

Caldecott Storytime: Week 11

2013-04-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm doing Caldecott themed storytime for preschool storytime in January-April.Check out all my Caldecott Storytime plans here.

Theme: Precocious Preschoolers

I decided this week I was going to do all songs, rhymes and books and no crafts and activities.

Open: Where Is Thumbkin and Shake My Sillies Out by The Wiggles

Skill: Tell Stories & Sing and Rhyme

I introduced our books as "precocious preschoolers" and I also mentioned how this week, the books had lots of humor for adults as well as the kids, which I think helped get the parents interested in the stories and laughing along with the kids.

Read:

Owen by Kevin Henkes

-Since my kids were pretty young, I talked to them a lot about Owen and his blanket and what was happening in the story. I had one older brother who had read this book before and loved talking about it and telling the kids about Owen's blanket-very fun!

Song: These Are My Glasses by Laurie Berkner

Read:

Olivia by Ian Falconer

-This was another one that I talked a lot about with the kids about what Olivia was doing, what her observations were, etc.

Song: Wiggle Your La-De-Dah by Ralph's World (a great wiggle around between books song. I even had a parent check out the CD after storytime-yay!)

Song: Put Your Hands in the Air by Hap Palmer (another great get your wiggles out break song-I really love that it ends with sitting back down and "taking a nap"-perfect for getting back to our carpet squares and ready for the next book)

Read:

Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka

-I took my cue from one my staff members who said when she read this one, she moved from side to side to show which kid was talking. It was fun and made the book more interactive.

I asked all the kids to put up their carpet squares to make room on the floor for dancing and moving since we were doing to do lots of songs with movements.

Song: The Freeze by Greg and Steve

Parachute: Country Classics by Hap Palmer-This is another freeze style song and it worked great with just having done the freeze dance. I had the kids shake the parachute to the music and stop shaking it when the music stopped.

Song: Listen and Move by Greg and Steve-This is one of my favorites, but it's a bit long, so you have to plan for it in storytime. The music plays the first time around with the action each musical cue is supposed to be (walking, hopping, jumping, skating, gallop, and running) and then the next time around the kids have to listen to the musical cues and remember what each one stands for. It's so much fun to do and it's so fun to see their faces light up as they remember each musical cue.

How it Went: I love doing musical storytimes and I love incorporating as much song and dance as possible. It was also a great way to plug our upcoming Bibliobop dance party which was happening the next week. I had one kid upset that there weren't any toys to play with at storytime. But at the same time I had a parent tell me how happy they were to not have crafts and activities and focus instead of songs and dancing. A lesson in that you can't please everyone, and that's okay-someone will enjoy it!

Picture Books

2013-04-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Rating: 5/5 Stars

About the Book: Set in the style of a silent movie, a fox invites a goose to dinner.

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GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I was lucky enough to get a galley of this one at ALA Midwinter. When I sat down in my hotel room and needed a break from all my Printz meetings, I opened this picture book and it was just what I needed!

The illustrations are done in the style of a silent movie, so right there I'm in love. The illustrations are hilarious with subtle hints as to what is going to happen. I also love that it gives a great talking point about silent films and what movies used to be like. Add in the little chicks repetitive refrain of "that is not a good idea" and you've got yourself a wonderfully riotous storytime read aloud. The story has a very funny plot and kids will love shouting along with warning to the goose-because we all know how these stories go-or do we? I said in January that this was my favorite picture book of the year and I'm sticking to that-it's funny, it's great to read aloud, the pictures are fantastic and full of details, and the entire book will leave readers laughing. Once you finish it you want to turn back and start all over again. It's one of the few picture books that I actually laughed out loud over when I read it. A must read and a must have for storytime collections!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

About the Book: A little panda causes chaos when he sneezes. Will he sneeze?

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GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Ok, seriously, how can anyone resist that adorable panda on the cover? Chu is just too cute you have to fall in love with him. The story is simple-Chu is a small guy, but his sneezes are big. He goes throughout his day and everyone is wary of what might happen if Chu sneezes. I read this one in storytime and the kids had a blast pretending to sneeze along with Chu.

While the story is simple and funny, the illustrations are what make the book stand out to me. Adam Rex does a fantastic job with beautiful full page spreads that you just want to pour over. Each scene he creates adds to the story. You can make up a story about every little character you see on those pages and it's so fun to look at. A cute story with fantastic illustrations. The simple text and bright colors make it a fun choice for storytimes.

Full Disclosure: Reviewed from galley copies received at ALA Midwinter

YA Movie News

2013-04-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

-Not only did we get the title of the highly anticipated third book in the Divergent trilogy this week (the book will be called Allegiant) casting news was released about who will be playing Tris's parents: Ashley Judd and Tony Goldwyn. This cast is coming together very nicely, don't you think? You can keep up with all the casting news on the Facebook page. The movie has just started filming in Chicago.

-Delirium finished filming and you can see a great Instagram photo roundup from the cast thanks to The Examiner.

The biggest news this week was the release of the first trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It looks like they script has added more back story, but I'm okay with it-it looks like it's adding to the story and not changing anything. I think it looks great!

Adult Lit: The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston

2013-04-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Historical

Release Date: 10/25/2011

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About the Book: For graduation, Frankie receives a scrapbook and typewriter. Frankie begins chronicling her life in her scrapbook-from school, to a mysterious Captain James who sweeps Frankie off her feet, to finding old friends and making new ones. Frankie's story of a girl coming of age in the roaring 20s is told all through scrapbook pages and vintage photographs, postcards, advertisements, and more.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I first heard about this book when in won a 2012 Alex Award. When I found out it was told all in pictures and memorabilia, I knew I had to read it.

Frankie's story is so whimsical and fun, yet it's also heartfelt story of a girl who is trying to grow up, become independent, and figure out who she is during that crazy time of early adulthood. I love the way the author chose to tell Frankie's story through a scrapbook. There's a sticker on the cover that shouts "Full-color vintage memorabilia on every page!" which I love. Not only is it fun to look at and pour through just as you would a scrapbook filled with memories, but it matches Frankie perfectly. The author does an excellent job of weaving together various memorabilia she came across and placing it all together so that it made a cohesive story for Frankie. It's a fun graphic novel idea for grown ups and I would love to see more books designed and written in this format. (If anyone knows of any others like this, please let me know!)

Frankie starts out the story as an older teen, so it's easy to see why this book won an Alex Award. It certainly has teen appeal and is a great coming of age story and I would give it older teens looking for something unique and engaging to read.

While the story is cute and a bit light and nothing amazingly groundbreaking, I still loved and adored it. Frankie was a character I was sad to leave-she's spunky and hilarious and I savored every moment with her.

A charming read with a unique storytelling format that is sure to please older teens and adults.

Full Disclosure: Reviewed from finished copy I checked out from my library

Author Interview with Bethany Wiggins

2013-04-15T08:01:00.000-05:00

Please welcome author Bethany Wiggins to GreenBeanTeenQueen to answer a few questions about her new book, Stung.

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About the Book: Fiona awakes from a with a strange mark on her hand. All she knows she must cover the mark as she's thrust into a strange future she has no memory of and a world that has separated people without the mark living inside the wall and killing those outside. As Fiona is trying to figure out what has happened, she meets a boy from her past and soon they are on the run together in this futuristic Sleeping Beauty tale. Full of action and adventure and a dash of romance.

Where did you get the idea for Stung?

Believe it or not, STUNG was primarily inspired by a horrible nightmare I had, about waking up in my childhood home and finding everything abandoned, and then being chased out a window by an insane beast who used to be someone I loved. That nightmare is chapter one! Other parts of STUNG were inspired by the frenzy in the United States to get the flu vaccine when the swine flu was going around, and also the bees dying off (colony collapse) inspired part if it.

What was the hardest part of creating a dystopian setting and world for the book?

It was sad and depressing! To imagine the world as we know it turning into a dead, abandoned wasteland was really heart-wrenching. It made me appreciate what we have.

Was there always a love story element to the plot, or did that come later as you were writing?

That was always there! I am a romantic at heart. I met my husband and knew within a couple of days that I was in love with him. After knowing him about nine weeks, we got secretly engaged. When I told my family, they did not want me to marry him, so I got on a Greyhound bus and chased him from Utah to North Carolina and married him anyway. We've been together sixteen years. (And now my family loves him.)

What do you think makes dystopian such an engaging genre?

Here's what I think, but I am no expert. People are intrigued by the possibility that we, as a society, may one day end up as a "dystopian" society. I mean, the "end of the world" has been talked about for centuries! And from a number of different sources, like the Bible, Nostradamus, the Mayans (obviously they weren't correct since I am alive to post this!), Edgar Cayce . . . the list goes on and on.

There is a lot of turmoil in our world right now, with natural disasters, political unrest, religious unrest . . . . So, with everything happening around us, I think people almost sense a change in things, worry that it may be a BAD change, and gravitate to books that are sort of the "What if's" of the future.

What fictional character would you like to have dinner with?

Hmmm, that's a hard one. Let's go with Tris from DIVERGENT. No, no, how about Ann Burden in Z FOR ZACHARIAH. Then again, I'd love to meet Gandalf. Yes, let it be Gandalf. And maybe he'll bring Aragorn with him. (Maybe Legolas too?)

I would love to attend that dinner! Thanks for stopping by Bethany! Good luck with the release of Stung!

Caldecott Storytimes: Week 10

2013-04-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm doing Caldecott themed storytime for preschool storytime in January-April.Check out all my Caldecott Storytime plans here.

Theme: Emotions

Opening Song: Where Is Thumbkin? by The Wiggles

Literacy Skill: Talk & Read

Read:

When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry... by Molly Bang

-My preschoolers really liked this one and we talked about being mad and being happy and the pictures that showed Sophie as happy and angry.

Song: These Are My Glasses by Laurie Berkner

Read:

No, David! by David Shannon

-Well, sometimes storytime doesn't go as planned. I went to get my storytime books from my storytime basket and realized that my copy of No, David had gotten checked out by a patron and the only copy available at the library that day was the Spanish version! So I made due and we had a nice lesson about how books are translated into other languages but we could still look at the pictures of the book to help us tell the story. I translated the book into English so I could tell the kids what each page said and it worked out well.

Song: If You're Happy and You Know It (traditional)

Read:

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

-Of course we have to include Where the Wild Things Are in this storytime! This is one is such a classic it's always fun to read because the parents remember it and it's a book both the parents and kids get excited about reading. When I picked it up to read many of the kids said "I have that book at home!"

Song: Feelings by Hap Palmer-I love this song because it has great vocabulary and the kids had to think about how they would express various feelings such as happy, angry, sleepy, and silly.

Activities:

-Wild Thing Craft: My craft was inspired by Mizz Lizz's post about Where the Wild Things Are that I came across while looking for inspiration online.

This was by far the most successful craft I've done with my preschool group. I put out plates, yarn, paper, crayons, scissors, and glue and let the kid create and have fun. Several of them made more than one Wild Thing face and each one had a unique take on it which was so awesome to see. It was an easy craft and the kids loved it.

-Feelings Puzzle-we have some puzzles that fit great with our feelings theme so I put those out.

-Name that emotion-I printed off various pictures of faces making various emotions like happy, sad, scared, tired, etc. and hung them around the room for the kids to name.

How it went: This was one of my most successful Caldecott storytimes. I think the mix of classic stories they knew with a look at some books they didn't worked well and the parents seemed to be very involved in the books this week. The kids had fun with the songs expressing their emotions and also had a blast with the craft. It was a big hit!