Monday, January 26, 2009

The Great Buffalo Race

Subtitled, How the Buffalo Got Its Hump; this is a retelling of a Seneca folktale.
There has been no rain for many months and the buffalo herd led by Old Buffalo are getting restless. Finally, Young Buffalo challenges the chief's wisdom. Forced to give in, Old Buffalo, Young Buffalo, and most of the herd thunder off to the western horizon in search of green pastures. Unsuccessful in finding pasture and completely exhausted, they are visited by the Great Spirit who punishes them for their foolishness and forever changes the appearance of the buffalo. Written by Barbara Esbensen, with illustrations by Helen Davie, this was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award in 1995.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Snatched

This is the first installment of the Bloodwater Mysteries series by Pete Hautman and Mary Logue. Readers will follow the adventures (and misadventures) of high school journalist Roni Delicata and her associate Brian Bain as they try to solve the disappearance of new student Alicia Camden, who was last seen getting into a SUV with a stranger. Set in Bloodwater, Minnesota, this story features an array of interesting characters, humor, and plot twists to keep mystery readers going to the end. It was a finalist for the Edgar Allen Poe award in 2007.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Wingwalker

This book may seem a little marginal for this blog, but part of the story takes place in Minnesota, and the illustrations are so wonderful that I'm going to include it.

Wingwalker is the story of eight year old Reuben who has just finished second grade in the small town of Ambler, Oklahoma during the 1930's. His father works in the oil fields, and his mother is a cook in the local cafe. Then the Dust Bowl comes and his parents are suddenly unemployed. One day his father sees a job ad for a wingwalker in a traveling air show in Minnesota. He applies and is hired and the family moves to Minnesota. They travel from place to place in Minnesota and other Midwestern states; Reuben meets some interesting characters in the sideshow, and eventually overcomes his fear of flying to join his father in the air.

Written by Rosemary Wells, with wonderful atmospheric acrylic illustrations by Brian Selznick; this is a quiet story with a big heart.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Doppelganger

Taking things a little out of order, this is the third story in the Bloodwater Mysteries series by Pete Hautman and Mary Logue. Set in the small town of Bloodwater, Minnesota; the main characters in this series are Roni Delicata, a high school newspaper reporter and Brian Bain, her younger partner in crime solving. In this story, Roni is surfing through a missing-child website when she sees an age-enhanced photo of a boy that looks exactly like Brian. At first Brian ignores the issue, but soon he can't help but be drawn into the unsolved disappearance of a boy who looks exactly like him. Plenty of plot twists, action, and humor, yet it is generally a fast light read.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

A Birthday Cake is No Ordinary Cake

Birthdays are special events for most children. This story about making a birthday cake is unusual because it also explains the changes in the world during a calendar year to show readers how time passes from one birthday to the next. In the back is a recipe for traditional cake and frosting. Written and illustrated (cut-paper collage) by Debra Frasier, and inspired by her daughters first birthday, this could be used in a science unit about the seasons.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Saturday Night Dirt

It is saturday night at the Headwaters Speedway in northern Minnesota. In the first of his "Motor" series, Will Weaver introduces readers to a cast of characters who love dirt-track car racing. There's Melody (Mel for short) who runs the track for her handicapped father; Trace, whose mechanic has sabotaged his engine; Beau whose car is a barely together pile of spare parts; Amber, a female driver with a crush of Beau; and Tudy who works at her parents barbeque food stand at the track, among others. There is enough race car lingo and racing action to hook boys, especially in rural areas where small dirt racetracks are a major part of the social scene is the summer.
Weaver owns a modified race car co-sponsored by his publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and races in the Wissota stock car league. Read more about it at motornovels.com
The book is a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award in 2009.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

On Those Runaway Days

Everyone has a bad day once in a while - maybe it's a bully or other trouble at school, maybe it's trouble at home - and sometimes we just want to run away from it all. In this book for young children, Alison Feigh explains how running away is not the best answer and may only make matters worse. She shows children that talking to an adult who can help them is the first step in feeling better. With illustrations by Laura Logan, and tips for parents, teachers, and other caregivers; this is a helpful resource to share with young children.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Seeds of a Nation: Minnesota

So far in these postings, I have not really touched on the "state" books. By that, I am referring to various series out there which have a volume for each of the 50 states. Often they include introductory information about the history, geography, culture, state symbols, etc. Because they are so similar in format, it becomes a challenge to judge the literary quality. Someday I'll write a long post where I mention several of these titles and try to compare them.

Today I'm going to mention a book that could fall in this category, but is a little different. Seeds of a Nation is a small series published by Kids Haven Press. Each book presents the history of an area before it attained statehood. In this case, readers can learn about the people, events, and ideas that played a role in the history of Minnesota before it became a state. Written by P. M. Boekhoff and Stuart Kallen, this is a resource for Minnesota history units.

Friday, January 9, 2009

I Spy With My Little Eye: Minnesota

Where's Waldo? and the I Spy books have been popular with kids for a number of years. Here's one that is especially connected to Minnesota. On each double-page spread, readers/viewers are challenged to find anywhere from 10 to 35 changes in the pictures. The places or items pictured all have some relationship to Minnesota. Great fun and a test of visual literacy as well, it is written and illustrated by Kathy jo and Ed Wargin.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

The Porcupine Year

The story of Omokayas that began in The Birchbark House, published in 1999, continues with this book. The year is now 1852 and Omokayas and her family set off on a journey to find a new home. Although they are well-prepared; enemies, hardship, near starvation, and other unexpected dangers make the trip very challenging. The author's note at the end hints that another book will follow. Written by Louise Erdrich, this series is a resource for units studying Minnesota history and Native American culture.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Jack's House

Here's a new version of the classic cumulative tale, The House That Jack Built. Here we see the story from the viewpoint of Max, a very talented dog who designs and builds Jack's house. We also get an up-close look at all of the tractors, trucks, and other construction equipment used to build the house. But in a surprise ending, readers will find that Max is the real homeowner! Written by Karen Magnuson Beil, with illustrations by Minnesota's Mike Wohnoutka, this will be enjoyed by preschool and early reader boys especially.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Zachary Zormer: Shape Transformer

Every Friday in Zachary's math class, students share objects as part of a show-and-tell exercise. For three weeks in a row, Zachary forgets to bring something to show, but is able to use items from his pockets and a little ingenuity to amaze his classmates. This story will introduce readers to the mathematical concepts of area, perimeter, length and width. Each of Zachary's items are explained in detail at the back of the book. Written by Joanne Reisberg, illustrated by Devid Hohn, this could be a resource for math units.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Gladys Goes Out to Lunch

Gladys, a purple gorilla, lives at the zoo and loves eating bananas (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and maybe in-between). One day a delicious smell drifts through the zoo, and Gladys sets out to find it. To the pizza shop, French cafe, ice-cream stand, and finally to a little cart that sells (are you ready?) banana bread. Written and illustrated by Derek Anderson, anc complete with a recipe for banana bread, it's a funny story for young children and early readers.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Oma Finds a Miracle

Back in September, we wrote about a book entitled Opa and Oma Together. Today we have another story about Opa and Oma. In this instance, the setting is a snowy day in early winter. Oma tells her grandchildren the story of how she rescued a newborn white calf that was born and lost in a snowstorm. Based on real events, it nicely portrays the determination of human and animal mothers. Appropriately, the calf is given the name "Miracle". Written and illustrated by Patrick Mader and Andrew Holmquist, this is another realistic portrayal of life on a Minnesota farm.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Black Box

Elena is a high school freshman, and her sister, Dora, is a junior. Throughout their lives, they have been best friends. But then Dora is hospitalized for severe depression, and Elena takes it on herself to look after Dora when she comes home. With her parents in denial, and few friends of her own, Elena is almost overwhelmed by the responsibility, and the family is in danger of coming apart. By the way, the title is a reference to the black box that is found on prescription medication with an increased risk of suicide by patients taking it (this was a bit obtuse at first).

Depression is a hard subject to write about, but Julie Schumacher does it well here, providing a sympathetic portrayal of how depression affects everyone in a family. All of the problems aren't solved in the story, but the reader is left with a hopeful impression about the future.

The book is a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award in 2009.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

I Can Play it Safe

Here is a book that parents, teachers, or childcare providers can use as a basis to discuss personal safety with young children. It also can be used to help children practice the rules of personal safety, including a "check-in" rule, listening to their gut instinct when something doesn't feel right, good and bad touch, etc. Written by Alison Feigh, safety specialist for the Jacob Wetterling Foundation, the book is a useful tool for parents, teachers, and caregivers.