The World CHAMPION of Staying Awake

Title: The World Champion of Staying Awake
Author: Sean Taylor
Illustrator: Jimmy Liao
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: June 28, 2011

When I saw a new release on the kids' shelf at Barnes and Noble from Candlewick Press, I had to check it out.  I love Candlewick, and their books have proven to be some of my favorites over these past few months. 

The World Champion of Staying Awake definitely met my expectations.  This delightful picture book combines a prose narrative with a bit of poetry.  The mix of genres is uncommon in children's literature today, especially done well, but author Sean Taylor has created a lovely multi-genre tale. 

Stella is having a problem.  When Daddy says that it's time to go to bed, Stella cannot sleep.  Who could sleep if they had Thunderbolt the Mouse, Beanbag Frog, or Cherry Pig to get to sleep first? 

Stella will just have to outsmart them--with poetry!  Only Stella could make a pillow a ship, a shoe box a train, and a toy basket a hot air balloon headed for the land of sleep.  Will ANYONE be The World Champion of Staying Awake or will Stella trick them all?

Jimmy Liao's bright and textured illustrations capture the mischievous and cleaver actions of one little girl.  Children will love how her bedroom can be transformed into so many different worlds.

This is a great book to read to your youngsters the next time they are trying to be The World Champion of Staying Awake; you might just be able to use it to fool them, too! And for helping you do that, I'm sure that you'd give it five stars!

Have your children ever been world champions for staying awake? What did you do?

My Side of the Car

One little girl and her dad had been trying to visit the zoo for a very long time.  It seemed that something had always come up... once mom ended up in the emergency room instead, once the grandparents (who hate the zoo) came for an unexpected visit.  Will they ever make it to the zoo? Sadie wonders.

Released by Candlewick Press on April 26, 2011, My Side of the Car by Kate Feiffer tells the tale of one girl's hope about a long-awaited trip to the zoo and how her opitimism shines throughout every discouragement. She and her father wonder about their weather situation all the way to the zoo, but as readers discover, Sadie's cheerful attitude and giving spirit keep her day looking bright and filled with people happily walking their dogs and eating ice-cream cones.  Some of the excellent things about this text is the use of repetition and hyperbole,

Jules Feiffer, the author's dad, created the illustrations for My Side of the Car. He illustrated The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster, the first book I reviewed on this blog. What makes this book extra special is the fact that the story is based off of a real conversation that Kate and her dad had many years ago.

What are your favorite memories of a trip to the zoo?

Previously

Although previously published in 2007, Previously by Allan Ahlberg was released by Candlewick Press on April 12, 2011 in Paperback edition.

Previously takes a unique look at history and the traditional nursery rhyme characters.  Starting with Goldilocks, the text shows readers how previously she had run into Jack who climbed the beanstalk and how nursery rhyme character after nursery rhyme character had been in each others' pasts until the story makes a full circle back to Goldilocks again.  Previously interweaves the tales of Goldilocks, Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack and Jill, The Frog Prince, Cinderella, and The Gingerbread Boy to illustrate how the people and places that make up history are all related and dependent upon one another. Bruce Ingman's painted illustrations blend the various nursery rhymes together while throwing in a bit of humor.

Previously has an updated twist to some of the old nursery rhymes as well, including Prince Charming's ride to the ball in a "milk-white Mercedes" and Jack and Jill's breakfast spent "arguing over the free gift in the cornflakes box."

I am choosing to give this book four stars out of five because the ending does seem to be a bit of a stretch for me.  However, overall, Previously is a great teaching tool and a cute tale-told-backwards.

Cars Galore

  "Fun drive, sun drive,

Gotta-run drive!

Dream drive, cool drive,

Someday YOU'LL drive!"

Although your little girls may also enjoy this new release from Candlewick Press, Cars Galore is a perfect book for your little boys.  This book by Peter Stein is full of every kind of car imaginable.  Aside from your typical fast cars, slow cars, tall cars, and short cars, there is the bizarre car, the hundred feet car, the incomplete car, the Noah's Ark car, and the shark car.  Bob Staake's illustrations are vivid and entertaining and send your eyes darting all over the brightly covered pages looking for each type of car the text mentions.  The text of Cars Galore is a poem and contains many wonderful examples of internal rhyme and alliteration to delight readers. It's also a wonderful opportunity to talk about opposites, both the common ones (mean car vs. nice car) and the uncommon ones (sing-along-car vs rock-n-roll car).  Driven by the bouncing verses, many different situations are presented throughout the book that are sure to inspire many conversation between you and your beginning readers about your memories of similar situations.

What's your favorite car from Cars Galore?