Book Reviews for Children's Folklore/Fantasy Books

I decided to post my reviews on Children's books that I am completing for class. I have many friends with children and I hope this helps you find some fun new reads!

Folklore-Chapter book

“Where the Mountain meets the Moon”

Author/Illustrator- Grace Lin

Publisher/Year- Little Brown Books for Young Readers- (2009)

Ages-

In this lovely blend of fantasy and folklore, author Grace Lin introduces us to a brave young girl Minli who sets out on a quest to change her family’s fortune. The story is told using folktales along with the story text and beautiful illustrations. As Minli seeks to bring life back to her home she meets a enchanted goldfish, a talking dragon and other characters that help her find the Old man of the moon. Readers will enjoy the lyrical flow of the story and the mini tales that accompany it. The illustrations add meaning and great beauty to the story in traditional Chinese fashion.

  

Folklore Advanced beginning to read

“Tales from the Odyssey Part 1”

Author- Mary Pope Osborne

Publisher- Hyperion Book CH; Original edition (May 4, 2010)

Ages- 8 and up

Odysseus must brave raging seas, one eyed giants, hungry cannibals and a six headed serpent if he wants to make it home to his family.

Osborne retells Homer’s Odyssey in this short rewritten version. She breaks down the epic tale into short chapters that even early to intermediate readers can enjoy. The story is also broken down into three books with short epilogues at the ends. Included at the end of the book is a dictionary of sorts about the gods and goddesses in the story with a guide on how to properly pronounce their names.

Folklore Beginning Reader

“The Jewel Fish of Karnak”

Author/Illustrator- Graema Base

Publisher- Abrams Books for Young Readers (September 1, 2011)

Ages- 5 and up

Jackal and Ibis are thieves who are brought before the Cat Pharaoh to be punished. Taking pity on them she sends them on a quest to retrieve the Jewel Fish that was stolen from her. They are warned not to take anything else from the treasure and not to get the magical fish wet.  Will they succeed or will greed take over?

In this cautionary fable readers learn the meaning of honesty. This is a short charming book with lovely illustrations. Readers can try to figure out the secret hieroglyphs that accompany the text and enter the message on the website to get the full ending of the story. 

Fantasy Picture Book

“Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated)”

Author- Florence Parry Heide

Illustrator- Lane Smith

Publisher- Schwartz & Wade (September 22, 2009)

Ages- 4 and up

Princess Hyacinth would really like to be just an ordinary princess. Instead she has a rather difficult problem... she floats! Her clothes are weighed down, she wears a heavy crown and she can never go outside. She spends her days daydreaming of playing outside with a boy she sees in the garden. One day she spies a balloon man and sets off on her own amazing adventure! Will she ever come down again?

This is a fun quirky book with fantastic illustrations. Children will love how the floating text matches the little flying heroine!

Fantasy Advanced Beginning Reader-

“Tuesdays at the castle”

Author- Jessica Day George

Publisher- Bloomsbury USA Children’s; 1 edition (October 25, 2011)

Ages- 8 and up

Castle Glower likes to change its rooms every Tuesday. It might add a new room, turret or an entire wing! No one loves Castle Glower more than Princess Celia, who has attempted to map all the new rooms and changes the castle. When the King and Queen disappear and the castle is taken over by the council and a evil foreign prince; Celia, along with her brother Rolf and sister Lilah must work together to save the kingdom.

An easy book for advanced/beginning readers, with likeable characters and nasty villains that will keep the pages turning. This book is the start of a new series by Jessica Day George. 

Fantasy Chapter book

“Tale of two Castles”

Author- Gail Carson Levine

Publisher- Harper Collins; First Edition (May 10, 2011)

Ages- 8 and up

As Elodie travels to the town of Two castles to seek an apprenticeship to become a mansioner (an actress), she finds that her luck has completely run out. She is saved from starvation by a rather ugly dragon named It and finds herself on a mission inside an Ogres castle. She quickly finds herself wrapped up in a plot of murder and intrigue in this tale of good versus evil. 

Elodie is a likeable character with plenty of spunk. This is not a tale of romance but one of mystery and friendship in unlikely places. While the publisher suggests that this is a book for ages 8 and up it is fairly substantial, with large words and complicated plot twists. I would recommend it for ages 10 and up as younger children may find many of the words hard to understand.

Fantasy Chapter *Bonus read*

“Brother Band Chronicles- The Outcasts”- Book 1

Author- John Flanagan

Publisher- Philomel (November 1, 2011)

Ages- 10 and up

This is the second series by Flanagan who wrote the popular Rangers Apprentice Series. Instead of Will and Halt we meet the Skandian (think Viking) outcast Hal who is of mixed parentage living in the town of Hallasholm. He and eight other boys become a team in the annual Brotherband training that all Skandian boys must go through. He finds himself the leader of the group and must prove himself worthy. Add a side story of dangerous pirates and you have another epic adventure series in the making.

This is a fast moving well written story with characters that boys and girls can relate too. I highly recommend this author and his new book for advanced chapter readers and reluctant boy readers. If you know me at all, then you know this is one of my favorite authors. Flanagan has a superb writing style that works with many age levels. I love his books!

Day in the life of a Elementary Library Assistant/Owl wrangler

I decided to attempt to describe a typical day in the Elementary library where I work. This came about from seeing a friend post about  Library Day in the Life. It's a challenge to write about what you do as a librarian or library student to encourage and inform others. Little did I know how totally wild my first day would be. 


I work at an Elementary Library as the Library Assistant or Clerical. Basically I do everything the regular Librarian does except teach. I work three days a week and my Librarian works 2 1/2 days. 

Our school is made up of Kindergarten through 4th grade students. Something unique with our school is that we have a large number of English as a second language students (ESL). We have 71 ESL students from 13 countries. This can make things a bit challenging at times when helping children choose books. 

Today I started my morning with a short meeting. Susan my librarian and I meet for about 30 min every Wednesday to discuss things that have gone on the week before and to plan for the rest of the week. We discuss any issues that have come up with lost books, teacher requests, over due books, projects and lesson plans. Then we plot our tasks out on a chart. To do, Future endeavors, and Completed. This helps us keep track of everything going on since we do not work together most of the week. 

Next, the students bring their books down to be checked in before they have library time. I check them all in and run reports for Susan that list all the overdue or lost books that the students need to turn in. While she is teaching I check over the books that have been turned in to make sure they are not damaged. I don't do this every week, however we have been noticing that some of the art and drawing books are coming back damaged. 

After each class I help check out the students books and help them select new favorites. On Wednesdays we have 3rd and 4th graders who are my favorite age group. They love chapter books and are always looking for new things to try. Right now an entire 3rd grade class is obsessed with the Titanic! Today I had solve several fights over who gets to read the Titanic books next. This is pretty typical. If one or two things its cool then the whole class wants to read it. 

After the classes leave for the day I started to decorate for Valentines day. I had our volunteers pull all the Valentines Day books for a display. The previous weeks I had pulled all the African American Titles for African American month in February. I have to stay on top of all the popular holidays and celebrations for the teachers and students. 

Once decorating was complete I pulled the teachers requests for the week and requested books that we did not have from other libraries. I am not a fan of Inter library loans. We are a new school so we do not have our total collection built up yet. Sometimes a request form another school can deplete an entire shelf and leave our students without. I have to decide what to send and what to keep. Sometimes this can get a bit tricky when a certain school does not return books in a timely manner. They tend to not get as many requests filled!

Today started off typical but quickly nosedived into something from a Monty Python skit. Cue Val the Owl wrangler. ..

We had a fire drill today and as I was out with some of the students the nurse and I overheard them talking about a dead owl stuck in the Soccer goal netting at the playground. Another child said that it was alive and that after school they were going to come back and try to help it. RED FLAG!! If you have ever looked closely at an owl you know that they are built to kill. They have very sharp talons and a wicked beak. Since they use these tools to kill their prey you can imagine what they would do to a child's hands. Cue epic freak out.. 

The nurse and I decided to investigate and see if there was any truth to the owl rumors. As we rounded the building we saw a big brown lump of feathers all wound up in the netting. Then the lump moved! Anyone who knows me knows that I love owls and have a passion for animals. This  would not be the first owl that I have rescued and more than likely not my last. This one happened to be a Great Horned owl. 

The poor thing had his wings head and legs all tied up tight in the net and he was laying on his back. He was MAD! Hissing and clicking that nice sharp beak. I used to work at an Animal Museum and handled birds of prey for part of my job. I knew that I had to get him calm. One thing that keepers often do is cover the birds head to calm them down. I quickly shed my coat and attempted to cover his head. Bad choice he freaked out and nailed my hand with his foot. Ouch!

The nurse ran to get some wire cutters and another teacher helped me cover his head. Before I could get a hold of his legs he managed to grab my left kneecap and squeeze! HOLY OUCH!! Remember those talons? Yeah.. 4 of them made their way under my kneecap. Thankfully I was able to grab his feet and manipulate his muscles so he would let go. I may or may not have said a cuss word or two! Thankfully the kids were a ways away and the wind was blowing! 

When we got the cutters I had another teacher help me cover his head while I held his feet with one hand and cut the net with the other. I did not feel any broken bones but he was tied down tight. Poor baby! It took us a bit because it was wrapped around his neck but finally he was free. I then pulled him out (still covered with my now bitten up coat) from under the netting and let him go. 

He burst out of my coat in all his owl fury!! He hissed like crazy and jumped around. He was unable to fly which worried me. We pulled the soccer goal out of the way so he would not get tangled again. By this time my hand and knee were bleeding and I was under strict orders to get my butt to the doctor asap!! Mr. Owl scuttled his bum to the woods nearby hopefully to recover. 

I wish that I had had gloves with me and a blanket. I would have wrapped him up and taken him to the Zoo for rehab. However, due to liability at the school it was best that I leave him be as long as he was out of reach from the kids. 

My day ended with a trip to the Doctor to flush out 9 puncture wounds and to get a tetanus shot. You know.. a typical day at the library!

My Grandfather

Today is Veterans Day. A day to thank those that serve and have served in our military. A day to remember their sacrifice.. 


Today is a mixed day for me. Today I think if the men in my family that have served our country. I think of the only Grandfather I knew: Virgil Elsworth Eddy


Grandpa was a complicated man that could be my strongest Ally or my greatest enemy. He was my protector, my tormentor, a story teller and a hero. He made my life interesting to say the least. I regret only a few things in life and my biggest is not telling him thank you for his service to our country. Our relationship was close but there were a few things that we never addressed fully and his service was one of them. He did tell me lots of stories as I got older and shared his pictures, letter and memories. I share a few of these today to pay tribute to the man that I miss more than I dare to admit. 


My Grandfather joined the army to go beyond himself and serve others, to help rid the world of a great evil. He served in Algeris-Morocco, Sicily, and Naples-Foggia and achieved the rank of Sargeant in the 1st Signal Armored Battalion. What he saw and the things he experienced went beyond that of a common soldier. He documented in photos not only what he experienced but the people that he saw along the way.

 Before Shipping out.. A photo letter to my Grandmother. 

Proud in his new Army uniform

He talked often of the friends he met and shared tents with before shipping out. He told me about the pranks they would pull on each other and the grueling training. Life then was easy compared to the time he would spend overseas. 

Pretending to be one of the drill Sgts. 

When they landed in Italy he said that everything changed. He did not like to talk about the fighting, the bombs or his orders. The first story he tells is of his company holed up in a farmers field on a tall hill somewhere in Italy. They had been engaged in serious combat all day and were exhausted and on edge. All night they could hear movement on the fields below them. Worried that the entire Germany military had surrounded them they opened fire. As the sun rose the next morning they discovered that they had shot a farmers whole field of goats. 

Written on the back: "Just me taken in Sicily Oct 1st, 1943. Love and Kisses Virgil

The other stories that I remember revolved around the children in the bombed out war zones of Sicily and Palermo. He would save his chocolate and some of his rations to pass out the war orphans he would encounter every day. At this point in the story he would get up and make some coffee so I would not see him cry. 

 Written on the back: War orphans in Sicily Palermo

"In the bombed section of a city in Sicily"

My Grandfather is the one seated

This was the child he thought about the most. 

"A war orphan found during the fight here: 1943"

"He was found in a center of a heavy bombed city. War is war"

When he wasn't fighting he was involved in several get rich schemes that he and his buddies would try to make life a bit more enjoyable. They bought a cigarette and junk cart from a man on the streets and tried to sell to the other soldiers and people. His words sum up their progress:

Timmy Lambert, Bob Lakota and Me trying to forget the horrors of war. Somewhere in Sicily. 

"We bought the wagon and tried to make some money. It didn't work. ~Virg"

My Grandfather is on the left.

"Taken in the heart of a city here"

Grandpa at the right next to the young man enjoying some of his chocolate

He also documented everyday life and stuggles that the people endured during the war. 

"German HG somewhere in Sicily after our flying forts worked it over"

"A meal in the making.. this family has no home and lives in the remains of a bombed building. Note the holes from bullets or shrapnel. Oct 3, 1943"

"Cooking dinner Sicilian style"

The thing I noticed most was his compassion for the people he met. He told me once that the orphans haunted him the most. When I look at these pictures I can see why. It wasn't just about the fighting.. it was the people that endured before, during and after he was there. He wanted to share a bit of their story with his. 

He never wanted to be called a hero. He did not keep his medals or uniform or go to any parades. He tried to  become an everyday citizen once it all was over. The only thing left were his memories and these pictures that I kept after his death. 

"Just sleeping after a hard nights work...also dreaming of you. Yours forever - Virg"

He will remain a hero to me always. 

Dear Grandpa-

I wish I had written this sooner or at least sat down and said these words to you. I did not understand in my child's mind what you endured and saw all those years ago. I did not want to cause you pain. So I say this now.. Thank you..

Thank you for fighting in a war to protect the world from a great evil. You sacrificed time, family and sanity to keep our country free. You taught me that war is more than bombs and guns, its about the people that needed   help to overcome one of our darkest hours. You shared your stories and tears with me.. trusting me with your memories and photos. I keep them safe and I share them so your stories will not be forgotten. 

I hope that you are happy where you are now. That your dreams and hurts are gone. I miss you and our visits. I miss your laugh.. Thank you for protecting me and for protecting so many others. 

Thank you... you are and always will be a hero..

Sincerely~ Your biggest fan

A very retro halloween

As promised... Halloween the early years!

Age 5- A Care bear. The costume was made by my Mother. 

Age 6- Geisha girl! This was the first time I ever wore make-up. As you can tell I was really happy about that!

Age 7- Daisy Duck. Another Handmade Mom costume. I won 1st place in our schools costume parade! (back when you could still dress up at school)

Age 9- Princess wizard- Clearly I was not happy about this one!

Age 10- The little mermaid. Wow, I cannot believe how long my hair was!

And stolen from the vaults some pictures of Brian

 Brian Bogert- Age 4- Dragon!

Aw, I love this! 

Brian Age 12- Skeleton

Can't wait to share our homemade costumes! 

VEB

DIY Halloween scary eyes photo frame

I discovered the site Pinterest in class several weeks ago. Needless to say I am hopelessly addicted to it. There are so many wonderful ideas out there and I have already created 10 boards and over 109 pins! Yikes! It is a great way to save all of your favorite ideas on a website instead of your Favorites on your computer. This is one of the ideas:

The original tutorial can be found here: http://adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com/2011/08/googly-eye-halloween-frame.html

I decided to make a smaller version that would fit on my husbands desk without being too much. The man is a severe minimalist. I made two frames for under $5.00. Sweet!

You need:
Two chip board or wooden frames
Acrylic Paint
Ribbon or rick rack
sticker letters or chipboard letters
lots of googly eyes

Paint the chip board frames in a color of your choice. I decided on black. I had to use several coats to cover up the dolphins. This was a kids coloring kit for 99 cents.

Next (after the paint dries) start gluing on your eyes. I used a variety of sizes and used more than the picture above. I got a bit crazy! I DO NOT recommend hot glue! I burned my fingers something awful gluing on the tiny eyes. Try tacky glue instead.

I used some huge eyes to fill in the extra spaces. I wanted a really creepy look.
Finally, add your decorations. I used rick rack instead of ribbon and some cheap black glitter stickers. I used a small square of felt to make the letters pop. Put in your favorite photo and that's all folks!

Before I forget here is a very retro halloween costume photo of me. I think it was 5th grade when I wore this little number. My mother made me the little mermaid costume complete with shiny shells! She is so stinking talented. Can you believe how long my hair was! Stayed tuned for even more halloween fun!

Cheers

VEB

Halloween is almost here!!

I love Halloween. It really is my favorite holiday. Nevermind the silly "oh its pagan" and "oh you sinner" I love it for other reasons. It's the time to relive childhood and be as silly as you want.

1. As an adult during other parts of the year if you walk around during the day dressed in a costume people might have you committed. During Halloween its perfectly acceptable to dress as a zombie pirate or a fairy princess. I have been known to wear up to 3 costumes in one day. Last year I was a pirate, and a Redshirt (Star Trek) and I think I did the Mad Scientist thing too. See below

*Thankfully my husband is equally as nutty as I am!

2. I don't have to worry about family wanting us to come over. It is a whole day for Brian and I to be goofy on our own sans judgement.

Yeah, we do this a lot!

3. I don't have to buy a dang thing for anyone! (well sometimes candy but we usually end up eating it all). No gifts to wrap, credit cards to max out.. well unless I decide to wear more than one costume!

4. Crafts!!!! Oh tis the season for crazy crafts.. I get to make my own costume and Brian's, carve pumpkins, make owl cookies and decorate with silly fun and sometimes creepy stuff.
Note: this is the only time of year where fake spiders are acceptable. No other time... ever..

Yes, I did glue fake spiders to my face!

So this month I plan to feature fun crafts and an anthology of some of my best costumes! Stay tuned! Oh and feel free to send me links of all your wacky costume ideas, crafts and pumpkin carving ideas!

Cheers!

VEB

Love, hate and cinnamon pinecones

I adore this time of year. The cool evenings, mild days and the leaves turning in the trees. It makes me want to bake and do lots of crafts. Thankfully I have a bit of motivation to make some really interesting items such as Crinoids for the Natural history museum and owls for a friend. Yeah that is quite a mix!

What is a crinoid?? Well they are ancient ocean dwellers. Think octopus on a stick:

I have been making them out of clay. We are creating a new exhibit on Missouri fossils. I will put up more pictures when I am finished. Right now they look a little sad! Each one takes several hours to make because of my need for perfection. Still, they are lots of fun. The big challenge is baking them in the oven since they are quite tall.

Now that it is fall I have a list of favorites to share: My top three loves of September

1. Iced Chocolate covered raspberry Mochas- Wow, these are so yummy. I had them in a cafe in St. Charles over the summer. I finally perfected the recipe at Starbucks. Ask for an iced mocha with two shots of raspberry flavor! Super yummy even for those that have to have soy.

2. My Mom's apple pie- I have been having some bad weeks and she decided to surprise me with a huge apple pie. It has the old fashion shortening dough and is loaded with apples. Heaven for breakfast.

3. Cooler weather- Finally able to wear boots, sweaters and scarves after this scorching hot summer. I am so ready!

Things that I am NOT fond of. Oh yes there are more than 3 but I won't bore you with them.

1.  Cinnamon Pinecones: Whoever invented these horrid things should be slapped.. hard!! I hate them! It seems like every store places them right at the front door to overwhelm you with their poison. My eyes burn and I end up sneezing with every wiff. Last year I enjoyed a rather nasty cinnamon pinecone induced asthma attack. Not fun..

2. Spiders in the house- The cooler nights have made the spiders move in with a vengence this year. I cannot use harsh bug sprays due to the birds so they sneak in. I found a huge one by the front door. It was so big I could see the hair on it! I did the shrieking spider dance of horror till Brian got home and slayed it with a shoe.

3. Snarky people in the craft stores- Everyone is preparing for the upcoming holidays which means long lines, mean people and near misses in the parking lots. Do everyone a favor and put on a happy face this year. Don't be one of those crabby old ladies that yell at the poor checkers about long lines. Spread a bit of cheer for a change.

Last but not least yummy recipe of the week:

Chocolate Peanut butter Whoopie Pies from Martha Stewart:

http://www.marthastewart.com/335347/peanut-butter-whoopie-pies

VEB