The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O’Connor shines with wonderfully interesting characters, and I kind of fell in love with Popeye.

 

Popeye lives in Fayette, South Carolina and he thinks he’s in for a long boring summer watching the water stain on his ceiling grow, and learning vocabulary words from his grandmother.  But when he finds a motor home stranded in the mud and meets the Jewell clan, his expectations change.  He’s now the senior vice-president of the Spit and Swear club!  Elvis Jewell convinces Popeye to have a small adventure with him, which begins when they spot a Yoo-hoo boat floating down the creek with a mysterious hand-written message inside.

 

I found myself wishing, along with Popeye, that the Jewell’s motor home would be stuck forever.  I think kids ages nine and up will relate to this story and want to find out how O’Connor brings the story to a conclusion.

Next year’s list was announced at the Texas Book Festival in Austin this weekend.  Readers get excited about new lists!  Go to the Texas Library Association website to view the titles with annotations.  http://www.txla.org/groups/tba/index.html

Looking for some fun books to put you in the Halloween spirit?  Check out these not-so-scary picture books!

 Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley

It’s Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall

Trick or Treat Countdown by Patricia Hubbard

Five Little Pumpkins by Iris Van Rynbach

Sheep Trick or Treat by Nancy Shaw

Mouse’s First Halloween by Lauren Thompson     

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams

 

You can find more Halloween books in your library’s Holiday book section.  Just ask a librarian.

Be dazzled by Lois Ehlert’s latest picture book, Boo to You!  Ehlert’s collage illustrations of cut paper and found objects are on stunning display, and are so highly textured, I couldn’t resist running my finger over the page!  The brief, rhyming text tells of mice preparing for a harvest party while trying to evade that scary cat.  Enjoy this visual feast!

In Where’s my Mummy? follow Little Mummy as he plays a game of “hide and shriek” to avoid going to bed.  Strange sounds reveal many creatures of the night, preparing for bed, but Little Mummy isn’t afraid of them.  You and your listener may be surprised by the creature that does scare Little Mummy, right back to his mummy mom!  Repeated phrases and silly sound effects make this a fun read-aloud and bedtime story.

Don’t forget! The next session of Tales for Twos begins October 19. Register your child online at www.planolibrary.org.

See you soon!

Flip, Flap, Fly! by Phyllis Root

Enjoy this lovely, bright picture book about babies learning to
“do their thing”–fly, swim, squeak, quack…and then a human baby, learning to kiss!  A sweet offering for babies and toddlers to share with a caregiver.  The rhythm and rhyme are reminiscent of “Over in the Meadow.”

The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman with illustrations by David Roberts

A deliciously evil teacher (Miss Breakbone) who calls her students “dunderheads” is in for a surprise when she confiscates (“Confiscating was her specialty”) Theodore’s prized one-eared cat figurine, the figurine intended as a gift for his mother. The Dunderheads, each with their own special talent, make a plan to reclaim the cat. Watch as Spitball, Spider, Clips and the other Dunderheads triumph over a most terrible teacher! The illustrations are Tim Burton-esque and in full color.

A Was Once an Apple Pie by Suse MacDonald

Some of my fondest memories as a child are listening to my father read, recite rhymes and sing to me. I can still hear his voice when I pick up Suse MacDonald’s adaptation of Edward Lear’s alphabet poem. MacDonald has not disturbed Lear’s strong rhythm or silly wordplay merely updated some entries for today’s audience. Cake has become cat and pump has become pig. Shrimp is now skunk and thrush is now turkey.

Together with her brightly painted, cut paper illustrations it is perfect for gift giving. And take it from me, Wordfan, this new version of A Was Once an Apple Pie can inspire phonological awareness and wordplay in a new generation of children. So cuddle up and read some nonsense! It does a growing mind good. (See this week’s Early Literacy Tip.)

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is hard to define. It’s mostly about the day to day life of Miranda, an eleven year old girl growing up in Manhattan in the late 1970s. It’s kind of a mystery. She begins getting cryptic notes that show up in her book and her coat pocket. Who are they from? How does the writer know so much about Miranda’s life? It also has a tiny bit of fantasy woven in – not dragons or elves, but a hint of the unexplainable. And it’s wonderful. This is one of the most brilliantly plotted books I’ve read in a long time. It’s one that, when I finished, I wanted to open it back to the first page and begin again – and that is a rare, wonderful thing. Recommended for fourth grade and up. – LJ