Child's Celebration of Rock 'n' Roll

Child's Celebration of Rock 'n' Roll
Original Recordings by the Original Artists
music cd.

This is an example of why adults should occasionally browse the children's section for materials. These are novelty songs from the 1950's and 1960's that can be enjoyed by adults or children. These are not remakes with annoying children's voices, but the regular adult artists like Bill Haley and the Comets and Ritchie Valens.
I remember listening to these hits on 45 records and on 8 tracks.

The Next Big Pop Culture Wave

Why The Next Big Pop-Culture Wave After Cupcakes Might Be Libraries
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128651136&sc=fb&cc=fp

Lego Star Wars the Visual Dictionary

Lego Star Wars the Visual Dictionary
nonfiction for children or adults

Let the salivating begin. This is a natural fit for just about every library in America. Legos have a huge fan base. Star Wars has a huge fan base. The Lego Star Wars video games have a huge fan base. There will be quite a few people who will check this one out. Others will browse through it in the library.

I am torn between wanting everything in the book and protesting - "but you are supposed to use your imagination and make up your own stuff with lego". Either way, I probably couldn't assemble a number of items pictured in this colorful book

http://starwars.lego.com/en-US/default.aspx

Kitten's First Full Moon

Kitten's First Full Moon
by
Kevin Henkes
children's fiction, ages 2-5.

Caldecott winner

This is a black and white book with a retro feel that makes it timeless, even though it was published in 2004. I think it won the Caldecott because it seems like the type of book that our grandmothers would have read to our parents or our parents would have read to us. After reading it I felt warm and cozy. It reminded me of the old Little Golden Book "Pussy Willow" by Margaret Wise Brown. Both feature sweet little kitties.
Another book it reminded me of was "Owl at Home" by Arnold Lobel . Now I am on a nostalgia trip like the Caldecott committee must have been!
Here is the plot - a naive kitten mistakes the moon for a bowl of milk. She tries again and again to reach the moon. This seems like it could be a Native American myth or another ancient story. It is remarkable that a modern author could write and illustrate such a simple, endearing story and get it published.

I definitely will have to read more Kevin Henkes books and share them with others.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
by
Jamie Ford
adult historical/romance fiction

Henry is Chinese American, born in Seattle, Washington twelve years ago. Keiko is Japanese American, also born in Seattle twelve years ago. They are the only Asian students in their public school in 1942. As such, they are both outsiders and ridiculed. Their friendship develops as the school year goes on and as World War II escalates Keiko's family is increasingly ostracized. Henry's father is one person who can not stand that his son, whom he sees as Chinese, not American, can possibly be friends with the enemy. Japan is not only at war with the U.S.A. but with China. Even before WWII Japan had been bombing China.
Henry and Keiko see themselves first as Americans. Why can't other people understand this? In addition to the hatred between the Chinese and the Japanese, the children enjoy Black music - specifically Seattle based jazz. Again, they don't see a problem with this.
This book is, as the title implies, a sweet and bitter story. These children who are on the verge of adulthood are innocent and naive, but the world is spinning out of their control. Keiko is taken away to an internment camp. Henry is expected to go to China to study after the war dies down. Can their fledgling friendship, or is it love, survive?
This is a very well written novel I would recommend for teenagers, adults, and senior citizens alike. It is more likely to appeal to females, but men like it for the jazz scene or other aspects of the book. I can safely recommend this to our gentle readers who do not want sex or violence in their reading.

Peek a Baby!

Peek-a-baby : a lift-the-flap book
by
Karen Katz
children's fiction, ages 0-3

This is a cute little book that shows a baby playing peekaboo. This could be used by a children's librarian, preschool teacher, or child care giver to encourage parents to play finger games with their children.
Unfortunately, this book suffered the fate that many books of this type suffer in libraries and at home. There was already one lift-a-flap missing and while I used it with a 1 year old RIP went another flap as the toddler grabbed it. We will have to get out the book tape for this one.
For some reason a certain six year old that was listening in to this story is now running around yelling "Peek"! as she looks around corners and laughs. I guess this book is a hit with 6 year olds as well as babies.

Big Book of Trains

Big Book of Trains
DK publishing with the National Railway Museum, York, England
children's nonfiction
ages 4-10

This book is about 14 inches high and about 10 inches wide so it is, indeed, big. It will probably be found on your library's oversized shelf or on its spine.
This is a very colorful art book about trains, featuring photographs of trains of different time periods.
There is some text that serves as captions, but there is not a theme throughout the book except that all the pictures are of trains.
This is a good book to keep a kid occupied on the rug for quite some time learning about locomotives. Even kids and adults who are not into books about vehicles should find something to like in this book.
A glossary and index of famous trains by name is in the back.
Other books in this series are good reads as well.

Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses

Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses
Step into Reading
Reading with Help
Step 2
preschool - grade 1

This book has a good font and large colorful pictures appropriate for a beginning reader. The plot is more complicated than I expected because it condenses the whole DVD movie of the same title.
In Barbie's take on this classic tale Princess Genevieve and sisters dance each night in a secret place below their bedroom. Rather than the fairy king being their enemy, it is their father's evil cousin that they must fight. A valiant shoemaker helps them and becomes Genevieve's beau. Lovely costumes are featured throughout.

Fancy Nancy: The Dazzling Book Report

Fancy Nancy: The Dazzling Book Report
I Can Read Beginning Reading 1 - Simple sentences for eager new readers
by Jane O'Connor
pictures based on the art of Robin Preiss Glasser
children's fiction ages 4-7

Nancy is excited about writing a book report about Sacajawea. She spends oodles and oodles of time getting just the right picture for the cover, but...
Read it and find out what happens next.
This is another entertaining episode in the life of Fancy Nancy who is the girliest of all girls.
A treat for librarians is the cover showing Nancy thoroughly enjoying a book on Sacajawea at the library. Other children in the background look very happy to be selecting books as well.

Family in His Heart

Family in His Heart
by
Gail Gaymer Martin
Love Inspired
Inspirational Romance by Steeple Hill - the January 2008 selection
adult romance fiction

I understand that this is a mass produced paperback romance novel, so my hopes were not very high, but this book is LAME! I think the author took a formula, inserted some names and a setting and called it a book. The plot is reminiscent of the mass produced Grace Livingston Hill books of yesteryear. Here is a typical Hill plot: Man is a hard working Christian. Woman is also hard working but not saved. There is usually a little old lady (sometimes a Scottish immigrant) that can guide the unsaved soul to salvation. Some others help her along the way as well. By the end some bad guy has been vanquished and the unsaved member of the couple has come to salvation. They kiss and marry.
That is pretty much the plot of this one, too. In this case the little old lady is from Michigan. There the man has a troubled son. The bad guy is the woman's brother. The setting is the picturesque shores of Michigan.
If you want a good clean read this summer, look elsewhere.