Boo!

Happy Halloween from the Cherry Hill Public Library!

Read to Your Monster Pics

Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and witches, OH MY! We had a blast dressing up and reading together. Here's some pics from our Read to Your Monster program. 

This Week @ Story Time

What we read:

Night Owls:

This week, the Night Owls traveled back in time and read the moose-themed books that were read in the previous week's Story Time. We had a great time!

Little Listeners:

Don't Squish the Sasquatch written by Kent Redeker

and illustrated by Bob Staake

Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters written by Jane Yolen

and illustrated by Kelly Murphy


The Monster at the End of this Book written by Jon Stone
and illustrated by Michael Smollin


Ghost in the House written by Ammi-Joan Paquette
and illustrated by Adam Record


Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance written and illustrated by Keith Graves

More Caldecott 2014 Contenders

One of the criteria that the Caldecott Committee will consider in choosing a winner is: Delineation of plot, theme, characters, setting, mood or information through the pictures.  In other words, how well do the pictures tell the story.  Since wordless picture books rely on only the pictures to tell the story, they often stand out as potential Caldecott winners.  Here are a few that we think the Caldecott committee might take notice of.



Journey by Aaron Becker
Evoking the adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon, a young girl draws a door on her bedroom wall and escapes into an a world of wonder and imagination. The illustrations are spectacular as the girl travels from one fantastic setting to the next.  Each picture is full of small details that encourage you to linger over the page and even the end papers have detailed drawings of different modes of transportation.  It wouldn't be at all surprising is this book won the medal.

 



Bluebird by Bob Staake
This wordless picture book tackles some tough issues: bullying. loneliness, and the death of a beloved friend.  Staake's use of color is exceptional with the bright blue bird of the title standing out against the gray world. Tthe ending is a bit murky though. The committee might argue that the pictures don't tell the story clearly enough. 

Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner
Not entirely wordless but pretty close so we'll include it. Wiesner is a three-time Caldecott winner. 'nuff said. 

Picture books in the news...

Have you seen this post from Apartment Therapy: 20 most beautiful children's books in the world

My all time favorite: Where the Wild Things Are.  What do you think? How many of these have you read?  Leave a comment and let us know what you think!

This Week @ Story Time

What we read:

Little Listeners:

Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit written and illustrated

by Catherine Rayner

 

Never Tease a Weasel written by Jean Conder Soule

and illustrated by George Booth

Story Time:

In addition to Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit, we read:

Moose on the Loose written by Kathy-jo Wargen and illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello

 

If You Give a Moose a Muffin written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond

This Week @ Story Time

What we read:

Little Listeners:

Nuts to You! written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert

 

Who Loves the Fall? written by Bob Raczka

and illustrated by Judy Stead

 

 

Story Time:

 

We also read Nuts to You! along with the following:

 

 

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves

written by Lucille Colandro and illustrated by Jared Lee

 

Fall is Not Easy written and illustrated by Marty Kelley

 

 

Night Owls:

 

We also read Fall is Not Easy along with the following:

 

 

 

Time to Sleep written and illustrated by Denise Fleming

 

 

October Smiled Back written by Lisa Westberg Peters and illustrated by Ed Young

 





October 2013 Early Literacy Calendar

CHPL is happy to offer a new Early Literacy Calendar.  Early literacy is everything children know about reading and writing before they can actually read and write. Early literacy skills begin to develop in the first five years of a child's life. They are the foundation that reading skills are built on. Click on the monthly calendar below and download a month full of fun-filled activities that parents and caregivers can engage in with their children to support early learning and literacy skills.  

October's App of the Month

Super Stretch Yoga
by The Adventures of Super Stretch, LLC
Updated: April 20, 2012
Version 1.2
Free

Super Stretch Yoga is a fun, how-to yoga app that teaches kids basic yoga poses through a series of instructional videos.  There’s a cute cartoon introduction to each pose and then a child demonstrates the pose.  The instructions are very simple, making it easy for even a very young child to copy them.  It also allows users to choose which pose they want to practice. Kids will definitely enjoy moving along to the videos.  However, the app itself is not particularly interactive. Watching the videos is the only way for children to use the app. There are no games or incentives for practicing the pose. Overall, Super Stretch is a solid beginning for youngsters who are interested in yoga, though once they get the hang of it they may want something with more substance.  But for the price tag, why not try it! (Reviewed by Alia)

Book Buzz October, 2013

The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop
by Kate Saunders
Meet twins Oz and Lily Spoffard. They are about to start on an unbelievable journey involving magic, mystery and adventure. Their family decides to move to a new house that has been left to their father by a long dead uncle. The house has a talking cat and rat, and used to be an old chocolate shop! Their great-great-uncles that ran the shop had magical powers and Oz and Lily think they have inherited their abilities. When an evil gang tries to steal an old family chocolate recipe, the kids must help keep safe.
Kristin (J Fiction)

The Hostage Prince

by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple

Snail is a clumsy apprentice midwife in the Unseelie Court. Aspen is a Seelie Prince who was given up as a hostage to the Unseelie in order to prevent a war. By the rules of the Unseelie Court the two should never meet, but through a series of misunderstandings they find themselves thrown together and on the run for their lives. They are trying prevent war between the Seelie and the Unseelie, but will their actions accidentally cause a war instead?  A great read for middle-grade readers of fantasy that will leave you excited for the next book in the series. Alia (J Fiction)

 

The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan 

The Truth of Me is not your average book about summer vacation. Instead of camp, Robbie's parents (who are famous classical musicians) send him off to visit his eccentric grandmother who lives near the wilderness. When they decide to go camping and his grandmother gets hurt, Robbie has a lot of time to learn about himself and his family. This is a quick read, but don’t let that fool you: this is a book with depth. Young readers (and their caregivers) who enjoy shorter books but who are looking for stories with more emotional complexity should pick this up. In addition, this book may appeal to dog and wildlife lovers and those of us who have complicated relationships with our parents. Who doesn’t? Cassie (J Fiction)