Friday, August 29, 2008

Salami In Children's Books








Levy, Elizabeth
A Hair-Raising Tail
J Mys Levy
After Fletcher, a salami-loving basset hound, is wrongly accused

of eating a pet rabbit, he and his sidekick, Jasper the flea, must find
the true culprit before Fletcher is sent back to the dog pound.


Pinkwater, Daniel Manus
The Worms Of Kukumlima
J Fic Pinkwate
Ronald accompanies his grandfather, the salami snap magnate,

and the world famous explorer Sir Charles Pelicanstein,
on an expedition to Africa to search for the intelligent worms of Kukumlina.















Smath, Jerry
Sammy Salami
E Smath
When chubby cat Sammy Salami's owner Pete goes missing,

Sammy boards a train to look for him, is adopted by a passenger
and has a nice vacation, but he continues to look for Pete.















Winkler, Henry
I Got A “D” In Salami
J Fic Winkler
Antics ensue after Hank throws his report card into a meat grinder.








Monday, August 25, 2008

Puddles In Picture Books















Ginsburg, Mirra Good Morning, Chick
E Ginsburg
When he tries to imitate a rooster, a newly-hatched chick falls in a puddle.


















Kleven, Elisa The Puddle Pail
E Kleven
When his older green brother suggests that he collect things,
Ernst, a young blue crocodile, comes up with an unusual choice: puddles.


Lobel, Arnold Small Pig
ER Lobel
Because the farmer's wife insists on cleaning his mud puddle, a little pig
runs away to the city where he becomes permanently stuck in what he
thought was a mud puddle.



McPhail, David The Puddle
E McPhail
A boy sets out to sail his boat in a puddle and is joined by a frog, a turtle,
an alligator, a pig, and an elephant.




Munsch, Robert N. Mud Puddle
E Munsch
A mud puddle sits waiting to muddy up Jule Ann. Can it be defeated by smelly soap?

































Friday, August 15, 2008

Voices In History

Kay Winters Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak
J 973.3115 Winters
Right before the Boston Tea Party, voices of the townspeople are speaking of the turbulent times and how these times affected them. Hear the voices of both Patriots and Loyalists. A Basket Trader, a Native American, describes the difficulty of walking between two worlds. The Blacksmith’s Slave speaks of the irony of the talk of freedom---a freedom he would never experience. Historical notes explain the work of colonial occupations such as a milliner, wigmaker, silversmith apprentice and more. A glossary defines some wonderful colonial words like—fripperies, wag-on-the-wall, and whispering sticks. A list of further reading completes this interesting book.















Laura Amy Schlitz Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices From A Medieval Village
J 812.6 Schlitz
These are voices or soliloquies of medieval villagers. Life was portrayed realistically as brutish and harsh. The year depicted was 1255---with all the maggots, lice, and dung thrown in. I totally recommend this book. For me, the most poignant part of the story was the voice of Jack, cruelly labeled by others as “Lack-a-wit Numskull Mooncalf Fool.” Only his sister has faith in him and treats him kindly. One day Jack comforts and aids a disliked boy who is beaten up; and because the boy does not (from that day forth) join in the taunts, Jack comes to consider him a friend. Voices to touch your heart!


















Kay Winters Voices of Ancient Egypt
J 932 Winters
The voices of thirteen people of varying occupations during the Old Kingdom are featured. Especially interesting to me were the voices of the pyramid builder, birdnetter, and clothes washer. Women are represented as farmer, weaver, and dancer. The illustrations are very attractive in golden/brown hues. An historical note adds more information on the occupations and a bibliography of sources rounds out the book.
















Mary E. Lyons (ed) Feed The Children First: Irish Memories of the Great Hunger
J 941.5081 Feed
The year was 1845; over eight million people lived in Ireland. The Irish farmers’ main crops like barley, oats, and wheat went to pay their landlord’s rent. The Irish farmer family lived on potatoes. A family with four kids ate about five tons of potatoes a year. During this same year, a fungus spread, killing the potato crops. People began to starve. One million Irish died and 1.5 million Irish left Ireland. The voices in this book tore at my heartstrings. This is the tragic story of starvation, poor houses, and soup kitchens—and the hope for the relief efforts. The author’s grandfather was an Irish survivor.
















































Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Peaches In Children's Stories














Choi, Yansook Peach Heaven
E Choi
Puchon, the Korean town where Yangsook lives, is famous for wonderful peaches. One year a rainstorm threatens. Yangsook experiences peaches pouring over rooftops. She sympathizes with the farmers who had worked so hard growing the delicious peaches…then she has an idea! This story is based on the author’s own experiences when Puchon was hit by one of the heaviest rainfalls ever occurring there.











Dahl, Roald James And The Giant Peach
J Fic Dahl
Orphan James must live with his two cruel aunts. He becomes

leader of child size insects he finds in the pit of a giant peach that
somehow grows in his aunts’ backyard.















Kilborne, Sarah S. Peach & Blue
E Kilborne
A frog helps a peach see the world and the peach shows

the frog sights he has never seen before. This is the story
of a very unlikely friendship.



Kimmel, Eric A. Three Sacks Of Truth
E Kimmel
With the aid of a perfect peach, a silver fife, and his own

resources, Petit Jean outwits a dishonest king and
wins the hand of a princess.


Zimelman, Nathan I Will Tell You Of Peach Stone
E Zimelman
An old man and his dog obtain immortality by bringing the
gift of the peach from China to the rest of the world.