Happy Monday, friends!
Boy, it’s been a busy few weeks! I’ve still been reading, but I haven’t been finding as much time to blog as I would have liked. What have I been up to, you ask? We’re doing some major spring cleaning in our condo, and the thing about spring cleaning is that the deeper you clean, the more you discover you need to clean, and it just never seems to end! It’s amazing how much stuff you can somehow accumulate after ten years in the same apartment….oh dear!
Part of my spring cleaning has included going through my massive collection of picture books, most of which have been graciously sent to me by publishers, authors and distributors for review, and for which I am very thankful. But I am just running out of room for books in my apartment, and since I don’t read all of them, they need to find a new home where they will be loved and read. Thankfully I have several friends who are school librarians, and who are always looking to add new books to their libraries (school librarians are super heroes who work literary magic with increasingly limited budgets), so I’m relieved to know that all these books will end up in the hands of eager young readers.
But enough about me – here are a couple of books I’ve had a look at this week!
Well, this is a surprisingly divisive picture book! Little Brown is a grumpy old dog who lives at a shelter. He doesn’t play with the other dogs in the shelter, and in fact he’s openly hostile towards them. When Little Brown starts hoarding all the dogs’ toys, the other dogs are left with a predicament. What should they do with Little Brown? How can they restore harmony in their living environment? I’m not going to spoil the ending here, because it really is fascinating, but I’ll just say that I’ve shared this with readers of all ages, and responses have ranged from “deeply frustrating and unsatisfying” to “deeply fascinating and powerful” – pick up a copy and see what you think!
From the deep and divisive, to the fun and silly! A mouse spots a tasty nut way up high in a tree, but his attempts to dislodge the nut bring a hungry fox tumbling down, initiating a comedic chase up and down the tree that includes an increasingly hungry and grumpy cast of characters. Super fun for storytime!
OK, that’s almost it – have you checked out the first post in my music and movement series, inspired by a workshop for Early Childhood Educators I recently co-facilitated? The first post focuses on children’s books that encourage movement and participation, and includes some of my favourite picture books for active listeners. It’s definitely worth taking a look at if you know some wiggly readers! I also shared a post celebrating the adorable little quail , in celebration of my upcoming picture book, Queenie Quail Can’t Keep Up (which is available for pre-order on B&N, Amazon, Chapters and plenty of indie bookstores). Oh, speaking of Queenie (which I will be doing a lot of in the coming few months), my incredibly talented illustrator Emma Pedersen will be doing a signing event at the OLA Super Conference on Friday, February 1, from 10:20 – 10:40, so if you’re attending the conference, don’t miss the opportunity to meet Emma and get an autograph!!
Have a great week, everyone!
I cannot WAIT to get my hands on Little Brown. I keep hearing fabulous things, but the libraries in my area don’t yet have this title. I’ve been crying my way through the ALA awards ceremony this morning, but it just makes me grateful to be part of this #IMWAYR group. Thank you for your shares each week, Jane! I hope you’re able to get through the deep cleaning (and I know what you mean about the more you clean, the more you see needs to be cleaned). Have a great reading week!
Thank you, thank you! I don’t always get to participate as often as I’d like these days, but I’m always glad when I do – I invariably discover so many great books!!
Little Brown looks like an adorable book. I’ll definitely have to look for it at the library. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful week!
It’s definitely an interesting one!
I’ve been trying to clear out some of my books too and found lots of YA books that I can use as a giveaway this summer at my library during our reading program!
Excellent! It’s always easier to part with books when you know they’ll be going to new homes where they’ll be read and enjoyed.
I nearly shared Little Brown today, such an interesting tale! Congrats again on your new book, the title of which makes me smile every time: “Queenie Quail Can’t Keep Up”! I’m sure it’s going to be good, Jane. Shake The Tree sounds funny and fun! Good luck with the cleaning, too. How great to share some of your books!
Isn’t Little Brown an interesting one? I always appreciate authors who are willing to be a little different and really get audiences thinking, it’s quite a gift to be able to do it well. And thank you for your kind words – I can’t wait until Queenie publishes in March!
I haven’t shared Little Brown with any readers, but I can see how you would get mixed responses.
It’s fascinating to see how different readers respond!
Ooooh, Little Brown looks so good! Divisive books are always exceptionally exciting. I am adding it to my list. Thank you!
Excellent!! It really is a great book – different, for sure, with no clear moral or resolution, which just makes it even more interesting.
I adored Little Brown. I get all these responses. It’s a book I plan to purchase because it has so much potential. I had kids do skits after reading it and was blown away by how simple and straightforward their solutions were. Marla Frazee made me think hard, and those little ones reminded me not to overthink!
That’s definitely true! It’s so fun to share books like Little Brown, because it’s just so fascinating to see what different readers think is going to happen / should happen. I love the idea of having kids finish the story with skits, what a great way to bring the book to life.
I’m laughing at the thought of spring cleaning as we are in our polar vortex subzero freezing temperatures! Spring seems a long ways away.
And yes, I agree with those reactions of Little Brown! But it does lend itself to some great conversations!
Little Brown won the Charlotte Zolotow award this year. I read it to second grade students and it was actually a lot of fun to see the responses and it leads to excellent discussion.
It absolutely does! I love hearing how children think the story will/should continue after the ambiguous ending.