Princess Posey and the Next-Door Dog

Princess Posey and the Next-Door Dog

by Stephanie Greene and illustrated by Stephanie Roth Sisson

Posey is in class when one of her classmates, Luca, tries to show them a picture of his new puppy. The children are so distracted, that Miss Lee decides to have a class meeting, so that the children can ask Luca questions about his puppy. There is so much excitement, that Miss Lee decides to have the class write a paper about their pet (or their future pet, if they do not have one). Posey is one of the children who does not have a pet, but she is determined to write a great paper. Posey does not want to tell her friends, though, that she has been a little afraid of dogs since she was little. A big dog had jumped on Posey and scared her. That evening, Posey sees that there are new neighbors moving in next door. Posey gets dressed as Princess Posey, and she goes outside on the swing, hoping that they will have a little girl her age. The people do not have a little girl, but Posey does hear that they have a dog. By the barking, Posey thinks that it is a big dog. Posey decides to write her paper on the dog next door. Posey’s grandfather recommends that Posey go with her mother to meet the dog, but the next day, Miss Lee tells them that the pet papers are due by the next day. Posey will have to be brave and go meet the dog by herself. First, Posey dresses up as Princess Posey, who is not afraid of anything. Will the meeting be okay, and will Posey earn a new doggy friend? Will she be able to finish her paper in time?

Posey has a problem that many children her age face, especially when they have had bad experiences with animals like she had. Despite her fears, Posey is determined to have a good story to share with the class. You can tell that Posey is very brave, even when she does not think that she is. Maybe we can all give being a little brave (even if it happens to be in Princess Posey mode) a try.

A Month of Craft Ideas: Knitting

Kids Knit!: Simple Steps to Nifty Projects

by Sarah Bradberry

This nonfiction books has lots of information that will help get you started on learning to knit. The book starts with a little explanation of what knitting is, and the author gives some suggestions of where to find help if you are having trouble getting started. You need three tools to start knitting: yarn, a pair of knitting needles, and a pair of scissors to cut the yarn. There is a list of more tools that will be needed when you start on some of the projects listed in the book. Next, there is a little lesson on how to get started knitting. When you have mastered your first little square of knitting, you can put it away and start one of the twenty projects in this book. Some of the projects include a glasses case, ribbed scarf, cat toy, doll, doll blanket, little pillowcase, kite bookmark, backpack, and much more. These projects should be small and simple, but at the end, you will have something to show off that you made yourself. Happy knitting!

Kids Knitting: Projects for Kids of All Ages

by Melanie Falick with photographs by Chris Hartlove and illustrations by Kristin Nicholas

This nonfiction book discusses getting started with knitting and has twelve knitting project ideas and instructions. This book, though, also has instructions on how to create your own knitting needles and how to dye yarn with Kool-Aid. There is also a discussion on how yarn is made and what animals and plants it comes from. The author begins by discussing the tools needed and where to go for help if you have trouble getting started. This book also discusses knitting by hand and spool knitting. The projects in this book include basic bean bags, scarves, hats, afghans, dolls, puppets, and much more. Between the two of these nonfiction books by Sarah Bradberry and Melanie Falick, you should have a good idea of how to get started with your knitting. Good luck!

Knitting Nell

by Julie Jersild Roth

A little girl named Nell likes to knit and knit and knit. Nell was told by a boy at school that she had a weird voice, and so Nell does not talk a lot. Nell likes to listen, though. She listens to the trees at the park and all of her friends that stop by to chat. While listening Nell knits things for other people. Nell knits a blanket for her aunt’s baby; sock, hats, and mittens for the Children’s Home and for refugees in countries far away. Nell also knits things for her family to wear, and she even makes a beautiful sweater for herself. Nell likes it so much, that she decides to enter it in the contest at the county fair. Nell and her friends have a lot of fun at the County Fair. Will her sweater win a prize at the champion’s ceremony where all of Nell’s friends can see? What will her friends think of her if she does win? Will Nell win any other unexpected prizes at the fair? Will any of them want to start a new hobby like Nell’s?

Noodle’s Knitting

by Sheryl Webster and illustrated by Caroline Pedler

Noodle likes to watch the farmer’s wife do her knitting, and she listens to how she “knits one, purls two, and knits two together.” Then one day the farmer’s wife says that a ball of yarn is the wrong color, and Noodle takes the ball of yarn with her back to home. Noodle stops on the way to show the yarn to Hedgie, and Hedgie (the hedgehog) gives her two of his prickles as knitting needles. Noodle starts to knit as she is traveling home, and while she is not paying attention, she also falls into the little stream. Her friend, Bulgy (the frog) saves her and her yarn from getting wet. Noodle also does not notice how long her knitting has gotten, and when the knitting gets caught on a prickle, Noodle is thrown up into the air. Luckily, her friend, Rosie (the squirrel) is there to catch her in her little wheelbarrow. Noodle tries to finish knitting the whole ball of yarn, and she ends up staying up all night long. What do you think will happen when Noodle tries to get out of her little houses, which is full of knitted yarn? Will her friends be able to help her? What will they end up using all of the knitted yarn for? All of the yarn in the book is “soft-to-touch.”

Some New Books for November

Same, Same but Different

by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

A little boy paints a picture of his world in art class. His teacher sends that picture to a little boy who lives a long way away in India. A little boy from India draws the little boy a picture of his world, too. The boys both drew pictures of their worlds(same and same), but they were very different. The little boy from India wants to know what the little boy’s name is. The little boy writes back that his name is Elliot and that he loves to climb trees. The little boy in India writes back that his name is Kailash, and that he loves to climb trees, too. The tree that Elliot climbs has a tree house in it, and the tree that Kailash climbs has monkeys in it. Same thing but different. Elliot writes about his family (his mom, dad and little sister), and Kailash writes about his family, too (all twenty three: mom, dad, brother, grandmother, grandfather, aunties, uncles, and cousins). Kailash also writes about his animals (cows dogs, goats, and chickens), and Elliot writes to Kailash about his dog and fish. Each of the boys also writes about the places where they live, how they get to school, their alphabets, and much more. How many ways are Elliot and Kailash alike? How are they different? Do you think there are other children out in world that live like you do? How do you think that their lives are different?

Mr Benn-Red Knight

by David McKee

Mr. Benn receives an invitation to a fancy dress party. He does not want to go, but he decides that he does not often get the chance for fancy dress. Mr. Benn goes to many different stores, but none of the stores have the kinds of fancy dress that he is looking for. Finally, he finds a little shop in a back lane. When a little man in a funny hat comes out to help him, Mr. Benn asks to borrow the suit of red armor that he had seen in the window. The man suggests that Mr. Benn try it on first. Mr. Benn goes into the dressing room, and the armor fits him really well. When he comes out to show the little man, Mr. Benn discovers that he is in a different place than the shop. When he sees some smoke behind a big rock, he goes to look at what is going on, and he finds a fire-breathing dragon. Mr. Benn has no intention of hurting the dragon, and the dragon sees that Mr. Benn does not have a sword to hurt him with. The dragon then tells Mr. Benn his sad story. The dragon had been the firelighting dragon for the whole castle and surrounding houses. Then a matchmaker showed up and wanted to sell his matches, instead. The matchmaker set small fires and blamed them on the dragon, and after the dragon was banished, the matchmaker ran off the king’s favorite horse and blamed the dragon for it. The dragon also tells Mr. Benn that the matchmaker started selling his matches for a lot of money after the dragon was run off, and the matchmaker had become very rich. Mr. Benn decides to go to the castle to share the dragon’s story with the king. The dragon goes with him, but the dragon hides in the trees so that no one can see him, while Mr. Benn goes inside the castle. Will Mr. Benn be able to convince the king that the dragon was not the one to set the fires? What will the king do with the matchmaker? How will Mr. Benn get back to the little shop to get to the party? Will he still want to go after all of the excitement?

The Three Billy Goats Fluff

by Rachael Mortimer and illustrated by Liz Pichon

Mr. Troll has trouble sleeping under the bridge where the Three Billy Goats Fluff cross two times every day. The troll is upset that he was tricked into thinking that his apartment under the bridge would be a great place to live. The Three Billy Goats Fluff live on the mountain next to the bridge with their mother, who knits with the fluffy fleeces that come off of her three little goats. One day, the troll decides that he has had enough of the three little goats crossing his bridge. He puts up a sign that warns the goats that the next one to “trip-trap” across the bridge will be eaten. The smallest goat cannot read yet, and when Mr. Troll jumps out to eat him, the little goat runs back home to Mother Goat. When the middle-sized goat tries the cross, Mr. Troll jumps out again. The middle-sized goat runs back to his older brother and tells Mr. Troll that they are telling their mother on Mr. Troll. Mother Goat feels sorry that Mr. Troll has trouble sleeping. She comes up with a great idea to stop all of the noise of her Three Little Goats Fluff crossing the bridge. Will Mr. Troll like Mother Goat’s idea? Will he like the little presents that she makes for him?

Superhero Joe

by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman and illustrated by Ron Barrett

This picture book is written and illustrated like a comic book/graphic novel. One day, Joe hears a cry for help coming from the kitchen. Joe’s father has been attacked by an evil black ooze, and his mother was trying her best to save him. Joe’s mother tells him to bring the “Staff of Power” to help her banish the ooze. Unfortunately, the staff is down in the basement in the dark. Joe knows that he used to be afraid of things like monsters in his closet, the dark, new things, getting left behind, and getting hurt. Then one day, he decided to work on this in his lab. He designed superhero suit with a cape (blanket), anti-gravity (rain) boots, special gloves, and a shield (sauce pan lid). With this superhero suit, Joe feels that he can tackle all of his fears. Joe also has a “Torch of Radiance” (flashlight) that will help him find the staff in the basement. Will Superhero Joe be able to find the special staff and help his mother save his father from the ooze? Will Superhero Joe be ready to answer other calls for help?

Waiting for the Magic

Waiting for the Magic

by Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by Amy June Bates

Will and Elinor’s father has decided to leave to think about things for a while. Will and Elinor’s mother is very unhappy with him, and so she decides to take Will and Elinor to the animal shelter to pick out a dog and a cat. There are four dogs there: fierce Bryn who takes to their mother right away, excited little Bitty who starts to jump up and down, regal greyhound Grace, and a large puppy Neo. Will, Elinor, and their mother have a difficult time deciding on which dog, so their mother decides to take them all home. Elinor also picks out a cat named Lula. When the dogs get to the house, they seem to be just like family members. Bryn is very protective of their mother, Grace follows Elinor around wherever she goes, and Neo and Bitty enjoy hanging out with Will. Will is having a hard time forgiving his father and being very brave. He also notices that Elinor seems to know what the dogs are saying. Even his grandmother seems to understand Grace whenever she decides to knit her a sweater. Will’s grandmother tells him that young and older people have the magic to understand animals. Will is not sure he believes this, until the morning that his mother tells them that she is going to have a baby. That is the first time that Will understands the dogs, too. Will tells his mother that it is important for her to tell their father about the baby. After their father comes home, Will has a hard time forgiving him for leaving. The dogs take time to warm up to him, too. Soon, though, everyone feels a little bit more like a family, and their dad begins to hear the dogs, too. Will wonders why his mother does not hear them, but the dogs think it is because she is so focused on the baby. Will everyone feel the same way they used to feel about being a family? Will their mother have to “wait for the magic” a long time?

T he beginning of the book is a very tough beginning for them members of the family. However, once the dogs arrive, they help all of the members of the family with all of the emotions and difficulties of the situation. Patricia MacLachlan helps you get a feel for the personalities of each dog, and you get to see how strong everyone in the family is (especially ten-year-old Will who feels he has to be the “man” of the house). Patricia MacLachlan writes about a family and the magic that each member feels inside, especially when it comes to those four dogs that they have. The book will definitely have you smiling at the dog’s comments and antics, and it will make you feel good when everything turns out all right for the family.The drawings will also have you smiling (especially those of the dogs).

What?!?! Ron Weasley nearly got whacked?!?!?

JK Rowling just revealed in an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, that she almost killed Ron! Read the whole article here: http://gu.com/p/332gp

Tips for Reading with Your Kids

I loved reading Tim Dowling's Oct. 18th article on the Guardian's Reading with Kids webpages. He starts out with a hilarious account of his experiences reading with his own kids. As a parent, Dowling finds the prospect of trying to help his kids improve their reading skills and develop their love of reading a little intimidating. Like many parents, he doesn't feel confident about his out-loud reading skills or his ability to help his kids pick out books that they will like. Fortunately for him, that doesn't mean his kids are doomed to be poor readers!

Dowling offers some awesome advice to parents about how to best help their kids with reading at home, even if you have no desire to be an amateur librarian. Check it out here, and start having fun while you are reading with your little ones!

Frindle / Andrew Clements

I'll admit it, I came to Frindle late. This book has been out since 1996, racking up accolade after accolade, but I'd never heard about it until recently. This is apparently what happens when you grow up; you fall out of the loop and don't hear about great stories for younger readers like this one.

Well, better late than never.

In doing some research on author Andrew Clements, I learned of Frindle (J FIC CLEMENTS), probably his best-known story, although he's written loads of books. I went in with low expectations and came out amused, entertained and — I'm not gonna lie — a little choked up. You don't expect a story about a kid who good-naturedly clashes with his teacher to pack such a wallop, but it does, and that's what makes Frindle such a winner.

Nick Allen is your typical class mischief-maker. Up until now, he's largely gotten away with his high jinks, too — until he enters fifth grade and finds himself saddled with the prim and proper, dictionary-loving Mrs. Granger, who manages her classroom with an iron hand. To Nick , of course, this is a setting ripe for tomfoolery. But Mrs. Granger's on to him. When Nick attempts to waste time in class by asking where all the words in the dictionary come from, Mrs. Granger immediately turns the tables on Nick by asking him to do the research himself and present it to the class. She might as well have waved a red flag in front of him.

What transpires is a classroom prank of epic proportions.

Inspired by the concept that people create and mold language, Nick sets out to prove a point to Mrs. Granger. He cleverly sets in motion a series of events to change the word pen to frindle. However, before he knows it, the word goes viral, leading to a much more far-reaching effect than Nicholas ever could have anticipated. And in the end, although it was Nick who wanted to prove a point to Mrs. Granger, he ultimately realizes that it was he who learned the lesson. That Mrs. Granger's no slouch in the teaching department, and it shows.

As is often the case in Clements’ stories, there are no villains. The characters are well-rounded and complex, the story marked by humor, imagination and unexpected poignancy. This is a family-friendly story that will get its readers thinking about the nature of language and the benefits of having amazing teachers who push us to learn without us even realizing it. Here's a preview of the book:

Some New Books for October

Ten Rules You Absolutely Most Not Break if You Want to Survive the School Bus
by John Grandits and illustrated by Michaell Allen Austin


On the first day of school, a little boy's big brother, James is walking him to the bus stop. James considers himself an expert on the school bus, and James is willing to share ten rules with his little brother that should make riding the bus a lot easier for him. The little boy is determined to follow these ten rules, because he does not want to get beat up on by a bully or have his lunch money stolen. The boy drops his backpack when a bigger boy bumps into him, and he is the last one on the bus. He sees a seat in the first row, but James's first rule is: "Do not sit in the first row." Unfortunately, there are no other seats except at the back of the bus, and James's second rule is: "Never sit in the last row." Because the little boys wants to obey rule three: "Never, ever make yourself stand out in any way," the little boy breaks rule two and sits in the back row seat. The little boy wants to look at the person sitting next to him, but then he breaks rule four: "Never make eye contact." The big kid sitting next to him did not like being looked at, so the little boy suddenly looks down again. When the little boy breaks rules five and six: "Never touch anyone's stuff" and "Never talk to big kids," the big kid kicks him out of the seat. The little boy ends up sitting with a little girl, and then he breaks rule seven: "Never talk to girls." The little girl talks to him the whole way, but the little boy is glad to get to school that day. Then the little boy sees the girl that was talking to him on the bus at kickball time. It turns out, she is the captain of one of the teams. The little girl tells him that he can be on her team the next day. The little girl also saves him, because after school, the little boy has trouble finding his bus, and the little girl yells at him to let him know where it is. What other things are the little boy's brother going to be wrong about? What will the little boy tell James about his rules?













Mario and Baby Gia
by Mario Lopez and illustrated by Maryn Roos


It is only a few days until Mario's birthday, and he wants to tell someone about his ideas for his party. He looks for his sister, Marissa, but she is playing with Cousin Rosie and does not want any boys around. Then Mario goes to see what Chico is up to, but Chico hurries out and tells Mario that he is late for baseball practice. Then Nana finds Mario and asks him to help her by watching little Gia while she is baking something. Mario is reluctant, but he agrees to help his Nana. Gia calls Mario, "Marigold," and Mario takes her outside and shows her how to throw a ball. Gia is not very good about throwing the ball back to Mario, though. Mario asks Nana if he can help her, but Nana asks him to give Gia her snack. Gia dumps the bowl of crackers on to the floor instead of eating them, and Mario is not happy to have to clean them up. Nana then suggests that Mario read Gia a story, but Gia pulls on the first page until it rips. Is Mario going to be really mad at Gia? What is Nana baking for? Is it a special occasion?














The Pumpkin Mystery
by Carol Wallace and illustrated by Steve Björkman


Mocha and Scruffy (a cat and dog) notice that the family is planning something. Then they see Aden and Leah ask Daddy if they can plant pumpkins again this year. Their Daddy tells them that the pumpkins will have to be planted in June in order to have them in time for Halloween. On this day, however, the family is getting the garden ready to grow beans and corn. Mama is looking for stakes, which confuses Mocha, who thinks she mean "steak." Scruffy explains that stakes are put in the ground to add string to and follow in a line for planting. Mama tells Mocha that he can help the family dig. Mocha seems to get a bit carried away with the digging, though. Everyone in the family takes part in the planting. Daddy and Mama raked the dirt, Aden and Lead count the stakes, Daddy drives in the stakes, Mama puts up the string, and Aden and Leah plant the seeds. Then it is Mocha's job to make sure that the rabbits do not get to the garden. When Mocha cannot reach the rabbits through the fence, Scruffy helps him chase off the rabbits. Everyone continues to work hard on the garden by watering the plants, pulling the weeds, and keeping the rabbits out. Then comes the time to plant the pumpkins. The seeds for the pumpkins had to be under big mounds of dirt. Unfortunately, the pumpkins are not growing very well. There are only a few weak looking pumpkin plants. Aden and Leah are very disappointed that their friends will not get to pick their own pumpkins, or that there will not be enough pumpkins to have a pumpkin toss, like the year before. Then, Mocha and Scruffy learn that one of the rabbits has some very important information about pumpkins. What does the rabbit know? Will he tell Mocha and Scruffy, and if he does, what will he want in return? Will there be any pumpkins for decorating or a pumpkin toss?












Too Many Turkeys
by Linda White and Megan Lloyd


One rainy day, Fred and Belle find a little lost turkey on their tiny farm. Belle is worried that the turkey will eat the garden, but Fred says the turkey won't, if they feed him. Fred names the turkey Buford, after his uncle, and Fred builds Buford a house and feeds him. Belle is also happy, because Fred cleans up after Buford. Because of Buford, Belle has a new ingredient to add to her garden, and the garden grows better than it ever has before. Belle tells the gardens who stop by and want to know her secret that she has a "special" fertilizer that she makes for the garden. Soon, Belle leaves for an annual birdhouse convention, and she tells Fred to take good care of her garden. Soon, Fred sees a little wild hen turkey trying to get into the garden to eat the plants. Fred manages to run her off, but the next day, there are even more turkeys in the garden. Fred tries to scare them away with music, but the turkeys like the music so much that they start dancing. Fred "turkey" walks the turkeys back to the woods. He works on cleaning up the mess they made, when he hears a big fluttering. There are turkeys everywhere! Suddenly, Fred grabs Buford's food and throws it into the back of his truck. The turkeys jump in and ride for twenty miles. Then Fred drops them off. Will the turkeys stay away? How will Fred get rid of the turkeys if they do come back? Will he have enough time to fix Belle's garden? Will the neighbors ever find out Belle's secret to her garden?