April is Poetry Month

By Rebekah McCallum, Children’s Librarian, Cumberland Branch What better way to share a love of language with your child than through poetry? Even the youngest babies will respond to its rhythm; toddlers quickly learn the game of rhyme; and preschoolers develop an appreciation for drama and suspense through its musical storytelling. Perhaps best of all, poetry brings out the playfulness and humour to be found in language.

I would like to share some of my favourite poetry books from the Ottawa Public Library children’s collection with you, in celebration of Poetry Month this April. All of these titles can be found at your local OPL branch or requested through the library’s online catalogue.

While many of the poems from these collections are favourites of mine for personal reasons (often they were also favourites of my mother and grandmother), I think that the best of them share qualities of drama and humour, which will delight almost any reader, small or large.

The Baby’s Playtime Book is one in a series of colorfully illustrated poetry compilations by Kay Chorao. A mix of nursery rhymes, classic verses, and contemporary poems, this is a perfect “starter” volume for babies and toddlers, who will love the bright-eyed children and animals that romp through it’s pages. Some selections, like “Teddy Bears’ Picnic” and “Dance to your Daddy” can be sung; others make good lap-riding or action verses; and still others appeal to children simply in the sound of their words and rhymes. “Wild Beasts” by Evaleen Stein is not to be missed; “My Shadow” and “The Swing” by Robert Louis Stevenson are wonderful classics; and I’ve always had an unexplained partiality for “A Cat Came Fiddling Out of a Barn”…

If your child is hungry for fast-paced adventure, try picking up Once Upon a Poem: Favourite Poems That Tell Stories. This is a romp of a different order – what Kevin Crossley-Holland describes in the book’s forward as a throbbing, pulsing gallop!  Each one of these fifteen dramatic poems is championed by a contemporary storyteller, among them J.K. Rowling, Philip Pullman, and Mary Pope Osborne. And each is illustrated by a different artist to reflect the tone or mood of the individual poem. My favourites from this collection are Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky”, famous for its lucid nonsense-words; Edward Lear’s “The Owl and the Pussycat”; Eugene Field’s lyrical “Wynken, Blynken and Nod”; and the unparalleled “Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes. Also watch for the poetry of Roald Dahl, Hillaire Belloc, Robert Service, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in this splendid series of adventures.

Rhymes for Annie Rose, by picture-book author and illustrator Shirley Hughes, is a magical (and also a remarkably consistent and well-crafted) series of poems. Toddlers will quickly identify with the quirky, smiling character of Annie Rose and find common ground with her, in her many adventures: splashing in puddles, oozing with finger-paint, making blanket forts, and peering through forests of legs and feet. Many poetry books portray childhood in an idyllic country setting; I appreciate Hughes’ ability to create the same kind of idyll in a city context. My particular favourites from this collection are “Duck Weather”; “Fingers”; “Feet”; and “Monday Morning Dance.” Recommended for lovers of A.A. Milne, who is an acknowledged influence on Hughes’ Rhymes.

And speaking of A. A. Milne, any list of my favourite children’s poetry books must include When We Were Very Young. First published in 1924, the book has been a best-seller ever since. Centered upon the character of Milne’s young son Christopher Robin, When We Were Very Young takes us on a series of toddler adventures through London and the surrounding countryside. It also includes the début appearance of Milne’s famous character, Winnie-the Pooh, in the poem “Teddy Bear.” Each poem is accompanied by a series of sketches by Winnie-the-Pooh illustrator E.H. Shepard. Both poems and sketches are like little windows into a child’s world. My favourite titles include “Happiness”; “The Four Friends”; “Summer Afternoon”; and “Sand-Between-the-Toes.”

For anyone who has fragments of poetry floating through their head, it is a pleasure to be introduced to someone else’s personal collection. In A Family of Poems: My Favourite Poetry for Children, Caroline Kennedy introduces us to over a hundred of her favourites (beautifully illustrated by Jon J. Muth). The poems are grouped into seven chapters, including “The Seashore”, “Adventure”, “Animals”, and “Bedtime.”

The Kennedy family had a tradition of giving poems for special occasions: they would find a favourite poem, transcribe and illustrate it, and present it to a relative instead of a card. Her mother pasted these selections into a scrapbook, and many of them have found their way into this collection. Among Kennedy’s selections, I find poems from my own ‘collection’: “The Tyger”; “In Just –“; “Full Fathom Five”, “The Mock Turtle’s Song”... But I also discover some new gems: “To P.J.”; “Moses”; and “Sea-Fever,” among others. Reading this book feels like conversation with a friend: the points of connection and the new discoveries are both a delight.

If you’re feeling a little crushed by the weight of so much great poetry, I encourage you to find a copy of Edward Lear’s Nonsense!, in particular the version illustrated by Valorie Fisher. Lear and Fisher take us on a “smile-provoking” tour of Europe through limericks: “There was an old man of Berlin…”; “There was an old person of Wilts…” If you are an avid poetry reader, but especially, if you are little nervous about ‘all this rhyming business’, this book is for you: it is a feast for ears and eyes. And you can enjoy some very light-hearted greatness.

In her introduction to A Family of Poems¸ Caroline Kennedy advocates for these little groups of words better than I can. She writes: “poetry captures the most fleeting moments and makes them last forever, or describes the tiniest creature and makes it huge. Poets express our deepest emotions and ponder life’s biggest questions in just a few lines that we can carry with us and bring to mind whenever we need them.”

I encourage you to venture into the poetry section of your nearest Ottawa Public Library branch, and seek out the special verses that will form a treasure trove of the mind, such as Kennedy describes, for you and your children.

Back-to-School Favourites from the Ottawa Public Library

By Rebekah McCallum, Children’s Librarian, Cumberland Branch September is here, and with it, the return to school. While you write your list of essentials - pencils, scribblers, lunch boxes, new gym shoes - you may also be looking for books to ease your child’s transition into school, or back to school. There is no shortage of options!

Your older child may prefer one of the many popular series set at school, such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Nate the Great, Harry Potter or Dear Dumb Diary. In this forum, however, I am going to focus on some of my favourite “back-to-school” picture books from the library children’s collection.

You can order all of these books online through OPL’s online catalogue (http://biblioottawalibrary.ca/) and stop into your local branch to pick them up.

My first pick is Lauren Child’s delightful sibling duet I am TOO absolutely small for school. Big brother Charlie tries to convince his small(ish) sister Lola that school might not be such a bad idea, even though she is “too extremely busy doing important things at home.” One by one, he quells her doubts, and finally persuades her that she needs to go to school to keep company with her imaginary friend, Søren Lorensen (who may be “a little slightly nervous to be at school on his own”). Warm and funny, with a text and illustrations that follow the intricate imaginative pathways of the preschool mind, this  one is an absolute charmer.

When you put your best foot forward and head to school, are there butterflies in your stomach? Maybe you’re feeling a little blue, and not quite ready to come out of your shell. Don’t worry – even if you think school is not your cup of tea, we’re all in the same boat on the first day. Serge Bloch commandeers half the idioms in the English language to tackle first-day-of-school jitters in Butterflies in my Stomach and Other School Hazards. Each metaphor is cleverly illustrated – taking the image literally, of course – and bound to bring out the giggles in your first or second grader. Ideal for preschool to grade three.

Audrey Penn’s classic, The Kissing Hand, is a ‘must-read’ for young children (and their parents) facing the separation that comes with the first day of school or daycare. Little Chester raccoon is worried about his first day at Owl’s school for woodland creatures. To quiet his fears, his mother shares a family secret called the Kissing Hand. When the world feels a little scary, Chester can find his Kissing Hand and remember that his mother’s love is with him, wherever he goes. The book’s illustrations, by Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak, are particularly fine. A New York Times #1 Bestseller and Ed Press Winner, The Kissing Hand is unsurpassed for tenderness and beauty in a school-themed picture book.

In Knuffle Bunny Too, by Mo Willems, Trixie is sure her one-of-a-kind plush friend, Knuffle bunny, will be a hit on the first day of preschool. How to describe her chagrin when she sees the smirking Sonja holding an identical bunny? “The morning did not go well”, writes Willems. Trixie’s teacher confiscates the Knuffle bunnies, and only returns them at the end of the day. But it is not until 2:30 the next morning that Trixie realizes what is badly amiss – she has the wrong bunny! With her dad’s help, arrangements are made; a bunny-exchange takes place in the dead of night; and Trixie makes her first friend. Willems’ pithy text, together with his comic-style drawings superimposed on photographs of New York, make for a terrific picture-book adventure.  Willems fans will also enjoy hunting for his famous Pigeon in the pages of Trixie’s life.

In Valeri Gorbachev’s Christopher Counting, Christopher bunny learns to count at school and decides it is his favourite thing to do. At the end of the school day, he counts his way home; he counts the toys in his toy box, the dishes in his kitchen and the boots on his boot rack. He even tries to count all the flowers in the meadow. But his friends want to play after school. Basketball, Christopher? No thanks! But then Christopher finds the perfect game – hide and seek! He can count all his friends! Gorbachev is a master of plot, and his storytelling here is no exception. As your children enter their first days of school, they can consider, with Christopher, how the things they learn in class can become part of their lives at home and at play. If your children prefer images to words, Walter’s Wick’s I Spy School Days: A Book of Picture Riddles may be the book for you. Two-page spreads of school-related toys and drawings explore themes such the alphabet, botany class, arts and crafts, the schoolyard, the dinosaur age, and an old-fashioned schoolroom. Rhyming lists of things to “spy” accompany Wick’s collages. For lovers of non-fiction, Susan Hughes’s Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World is a gem of a book. This magical read introduces children to the diversity of classrooms on our planet. Each two-page spread offers quick facts and amazing pictures of an unusual school somewhere in the world. Hughes shows how teachers and architects have overcome problems of poverty, climate change, physical isolation, and developmental impairment. Here we meet classrooms in boats, in tents, in slums, in refugee camps, on streets, in buses, on train platforms, and in trees. Schools act as bridegrooms; they move with nomadic cultures; and their halls guide the blind. Colourful and succinct, Off to Class is an inspiring read about the importance of education, the devotion of teachers, and the joys of flexibility.

So there you have them… my favourites for your little one this fall. Happy school days, and happy reading!

Do you have a favourite school themed book? Share in the comments!

More books to stretch the Imagination this summer!

 Our August post from the Ottawa Public Library was written by Andrea Gowing at the Centennial branch.  Thanks for more great books suggestions!!

Imagine a Day ; Imagine a Night; Imagine a Place - by Sarah L. Thomson, illustrated by Rob Gonsalves

These three books encourage the reader to ‘imagine!”  Stunning illustrations by Rob Gonsalves remind us of Eischer and Chris Van Allsburg as they draw you in to experience this world of illusions and fantasy art.   There is so much to look at that you see the impossible, you look twice because you are not sure that you really saw what you think you saw!

Thomson's brief sentences pack in imagery and paint pictures in your mind.  The beautiful text helps you to open up your or mind to a sense of wonder.   Experience these books together with a child of any age!

Not a Box; Not a Stick - Antoinette Portis

Both written and illustrated by Portis, these two simply drawn books open the child’s mind to possible uses of both a box and a stick.  Bunny is NOT playing with a box, he is imagining that is so many other things: a car; robot; hot air balloon; a building on fire, and more.  Likewise, Pig is NOT playing with a stick, it is: a caveman’s spear; a fishing rod; a paintbrush.

Children will love guessing what Bunny and Pig will dream up on the next page!   These are great read aloud books for Preschoolers.

If I Were A Jungle Animal – by Amanda Ellery;  Illustrated by Tom Ellery Who hasn’t watched the bored young outfielder building sandcastles or making daisy rings during a particularly slow game?  Well, Morton is no different.  He gets little action during the game, and when coach yells at him to pay attention he uses his imagination to go on a wild adventure in the jungle.  Lions, snakes, giraffes, monkeys and elephants join him on this jungle journey.  But uh oh, here comes a fly ball, will Morton catch the ball?  Amanda & Tom Ellery have written and illustrated a bright and funny tale for children 3-6 yrs.

Flotsam – David Weisner

What better time of year to discover this book, than summertime!  Beach day and a young boy is ready to explore all that the ocean pitches onto the sandy beach.  With binoculars, magnifying glass, and microscope at hand he can look closer and closer at so many interesting things.   He finds an old barnacle encrusted camera, that still has film in it – he waits for the film to be processed and finally he can see what has been captured through the lens.  Astonishingly, the pictures depict amazing scenes of aliens, mechanical fish, an octopus leading storytime, and then lastly a young girl holding a picture of another child holding a picture, of another child holding a picture...back and back in time it goes.  Through pictures alone, this wordless book has such a clear narrative that the reader quickly creates a greater story with their own storylines.  Spend some time absorbing the pictures in this book and share your story with a curious young person.  Pre K – grade 4 and even older.

You are a Lion: and other Fun Yoga Poses  -   Taeeun Yoo

How much fun is it for a preschooler to pretend to be something?  This book allows children to imagine that they are a lion, a dog, snake, butterfly and more, while assuming simple, safe yoga poses.  Stick out your tongue and you are a lion, hop and you are a frog, down on your belly you are a snake!   Simply illustrated and told, children will love trying the different poses, and seeing how they can really imagine being this animal.  This book would be wonderful with a group of children or one on one.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret  -  Brian Selznick

This stunningly illustrated and written book is the story of Hugo, who lives in the walls of a Paris train station.  Hugo’s story is brought to life through a blend of written language, the language of illustration, and cinematic technique.   One “reads” the illustrations as they continue the story past the written word rolling out like a silent film.  Twelve year old Hugo lives alone and hand to mouth as he tends the station’s several clocks.  Hugo’s late father was a clockmaker at a museum, where he found an automaton, and early robot, that sits human like at a desk, pen poised ready to write.  Hugo becomes obsessed with restoring it to working order.  He uses the notes his father kept as he was working on the automaton, but there is mystery surrounding where it came from and how it works.  Children aged 9-12 will crawl in your lap to see more deeply into the pictures and adults will be mesmerised by the plot tied to the history of cinema.   A magical and imaginative read to be sure!

Except If  --  Jim Averbeck

This book, with its very simple text and illustrations, allows the reader to stretch their imagination by presenting a puzzle on every page.  "An egg is not a baby bird, / but it will become one / except if..."  Turn the page, and see what it could be.  Children can use their imagination and predict what it could be; will it be a snake, a bird, a dinosaur?  A very clever storyline that teaches children about animals who hatch from eggs, surely an added bonus.   Preschoolers to Kindergarten will love this interactive book.

Don’t forget to visit your local library branch to sign up for the TD Summer Reading Club and get  your free poster, activity booklet and stickers. Keep reading all summer long!

Let the children’s imagination soar with books this summer

Every month, we receive a selection of books recommended by the Ottawa Public Library for children. This month, they’ve provided us with audio book suggestions in the spirit of the coming summer months and inevitable travel. These are for the 8-12 year olds in your life. Enjoy! The TD Summer Reading Club is a free program for kids that is hosted at public libraries across Canada every year. Those who register for the club will receive a free poster, an activity book, and stickers with secret codes. These codes will unlock rewards online. This year’s theme is Imagine. And kids can sign up all summer long at 33 branches of Ottawa Public Library!

The children’s fun has just begun when they join the TD Summer Reading Club. There is also a ton of exciting library programs waiting for kids to practice their literacy imaginary power at Ottawa Public Libraries.

Let the children’s imagination soar with these exciting books throughout the summer!

Me and My Dragon

By: David Biedrzycki

Children will like this funny imaginative story of having a bright-red, not-too-scary dragon as a pet.  A boy shares ways to take proper care of it, such as going to the vet for a checkup, and what they’d do together to clear snow from neighbour’s driveway, or how to frighten away bullies. It also contains some comedy cautionary advice “But don’t give them broccoli. It gives them gas. And you don’t want a fire-breathing dragon with gas”.

Mr. Benn-Red Knight

By: David McKee

Mr. Benn searched the shops for something to wear for a fancy dress party. He found a tiny old shop which was packed with strange costumes.  After taking the red armour and going through the fitting room door, he found that he had travelled back in time to a medieval world. There he was as a real red knight, with a white horse, by a castle, along with and a poor dragon who had been banished from the castle by the King because of the matchmaker’s rumour. Mr. Benn soon finds himself on a quest-like endeavor and helps the dragon get back the kingdom to be King’s fire-lighter, and puts the evil matchmaker into the dungeon. When he walks through another door, he’s magically transported back to his real life again.

The story is full of time travel, knights and dragons, with great plots, wonderful characters, and charming narration.

Mitchell’s License

By: Hallie Durand Illustrated by Tony Fucile When three-year-old Mitchell is reluctant to go to bed, his father issues him a driver’s license and he gets to drive his father to bed. He cleans the windshield (his dad's glasses), kicks the tires (his slippers), shifts into reverse by pulling on his father’s ear, and beeps the horn by bonking his nose. But when Mitchell insists the tank is empty and cookies are the fuel, his dad takes control to ensure the road to sleep is safe and smooth, and an incredibly entertaining ride.

The woods

By Hoppe, Paul When a boy can't find his stuffed bunny at bedtime, he heads to the woods which are conveniently right next door to his bedroom. Along his journey he meets a number of strange creatures, from a three-headed dragon to giants, and even a monster. It turns out that they are just as frightened as he is and need a little help of their own. In the end, the creatures are eventually revealed to be the boy’s own stuffed animals scattered on his bedroom floor.

Sharks vs. Train

By: Chris Barton Illustrated by: Tom Lichtenheld Two young boys go to the toy box to select toys for playtime. One chooses a train and the other a shark. So begins a series of hilarious and imaginative contests on a seesaw, in hot air balloons, bowling, shooting baskets, and more. Who will win - shark or train? Well, the answer depends on the contest.  If it’s underwater, the shark will surely triumph. But who will win roasting marshmallows? The train will be winner every time. Neither the shark nor the train are very good at playing hide and seek or playing video games. "Sure would help if we had thumbs" one of them says. Just when the competitors can't bear it any longer,  Mom calls out, “boys, lunch!” it’s time to for a little break… until next time.

Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit

By Chris  Van Dusen, Randy likes space, robots, and baseball. But he is not very good at baseball at all. One night he sees a fireball that is headed right for his town! No one believes his warnings, so he utilizes all his science and mathematical skills to build a giant robot to hit the fireball back into space and saved his own town and the world.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

By: William Steig

One rainy day, Sylvester the donkey finds a magic pebble that can make wishes come true. But in a moment of fright caused by a lion, he asks his magic pebble to turn him into a rock. The trouble is, now he can’t hold the pebble to wish himself back to normal again. This is a joyful story about a little monkey finally being reunited with his loving family and being changed back from rock to his own donkey self. The winner of the 1970 Caldecott Medal is a modern classic beloved by children everywhere.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

By: Crockett Johnson One night after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight. But there wasn’t any moon. So he uses his purple crayon to draw a moon. Then he draws a path, and then he sketches a boat, and then he finds himself in deep water! This story shows just how far your imagination can take you.

Oliver

By Rossell, Judith Oliver likes to ask many questions. So when his mother cannot explain the gurgling in the tub drain, he builds a cardboard box submarine, goes down the drain to investigate what’s going on there. He finds a cruise ship filled with vacationing penguins that can fly. Oliver’s imaginary adventures finally take him back home where he decides to build a jet pack.

 Winnie in Space

Thomas, Valerie Three, two, one ... whoosh! Winnie (The witch) and Wilbur (the cat) are on an amazing journey to zoom into outer space! Dodging satellites, shooting stars, and flying saucers, Winnie soon finds a lovely little planet for their picnic. But when some space rabbits nibble their magical rocket away, Winnie needs a wand-full of magic to save the day!

On My Way to the Bath

By Maizes, Sarah Baths are boring. Anything is more fun than a bath. That’s why on her way to the bath. Livi is a snake! Slinking and sliding. Or she’s a gymnast. See her perfect cartwheel? Now she’s a jungle cat, stalking her prey. The only thing Livi isn’t is in the bath … yet. Once Livi gets into the tub, she doesn’t want to get out. She suddenly sees that baths aren’t so boring after all: “I’m a shark …”

Summer Travel Entertainment: Audio Books! {8-12 years}

Every month, we receive a selection of books recommended by the Ottawa Public Library for children. This month, they've provided us with audio book suggestions in the spirit of the coming summer months and inevitable travel. These are for the 8-12 year olds in your life. Enjoy! *****

Dark Life by Kat Falls

A thrilling futuristic adventure set deep undersea, Dark Life follows the settlers of the world's first subsea settlement as they defend their homesteads against a brazen band of outlaws.

Flyaway by Lucy Christopher

While visiting her father in hospital, thirteen-year-old Isla meets Harry, the first boy to understand her and her love of the outdoors. But Harry is ill, and as his health fails, Isla is determined to help him in the only way she knows how. Together they watch a lone swan struggling to fly on the lake outside Harry's window. Isla believes that if she can help the damaged swan, somehow she can help Harry. And in doing so, she embarks upon a breathtakingly magical journey of her own

Missing on Superstition Mountain by Elise Broach

It’s summer and the three Barker brothers—Simon, Henry, and Jack—just moved from Illinois to Arizona. Their parents have warned them repeatedly not to explore Superstition Mountain, which is near their home. But when their cat Josie goes missing, they see no other choice. There’s something unusually creepy about the mountain and after the boys find three human skulls, they grow determined to uncover the mystery. Have people really gone missing over the years, and could there be someone or some thing lurking in the woods? Together with their new neighbor Delilah, the Barker boys are dead-set on cracking the case even if it means putting themselves in harm’s way.

One Dog and His Boy boy Eva Ibbotson

All Hal had ever wanted was a dog. "Never!" cries his mother. "Think of the mess, the scratch-marks, the puddles on the floor." But on the morning of Hal's 10th birthday, the unbelievable happens. He's allowed to choose a puppy at Easy Pets, a rent-a-pet agency (a fact his parents keep from him). The moment he sees the odd-looking terrier, he knows he's found a friend for life. But no one tells Hal that Fleck must be returned and when Hal wakes up on Monday morning, Fleck is gone. If dog and boy are to stay together they'll have to run away . . .

Scat by Carl Hiassen

Bunny Starch, the most feared biology teacher ever, is missing. She disappeared after a school field trip to Black Vine Swamp. And, to be honest, the kids in her class are relieved.

Storm Runners by Roland Smith

Chase Masters and his father are "storm runners," racing across the country in pursuit of hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Anywhere bad weather strikes, they are not far behind. Chase is learning more on the road than he ever would just sitting in a classroom. But when the hurricane of the century hits, he will be tested in ways he never could have imagined.

The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

When a fortuneteller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller's mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it’s true.

The Resisters by Eric S. Nylund

Twelve-year-old Ethan Blackwood has always known exactly what he wanted—to win the state soccer championship, get into the best high school, and become an astronaut. Then he meets Madison and Felix. They claim that 50 years ago, aliens took over the earth, and everyone past puberty is under their mind control. Ethan doesn't believe it. But then he sees for himself the aliens' monster bug robots and the incredible way that Madison and Felix have learned to fight them. So Ethan Blackwood has a choice: he can go back to his normal, suburban, protected lie of a life—or he can become a Resister.

Troubletwisters by Garth Nix

Jaide and Jack Shield's lives are changing in a very, very strange way. The weather is turning against them. Magical disasters occur when they're around. And a mysterious explosion has just destroyed their house...from the inside. Without knowing why, the twins are stolen away to live with Grandma X--a relative they've never, ever met. At Grandma X's house, things are even stranger. Weather vanes point in the opposite direction of the wind. Doors appear and disappear. Cats talk.

Zoobreak by Gordon Korman

When Griffin Bing's class goes to a floating zoo, they don't expect to see animals being treated so badly. They don't expect to find Cleo, Dog Whisperer Savannah's pet monkey who's been missing for weeks. And they really don't expect to have to hide the animals once they've rescued them! Hilarity ensues as Griffin's team once more pulls off a heist...trying to break the animals back into a (better) zoo.

Are you planning any travel this summer? Do you children enjoy spending the time reading in the car?

*****

Thank you to Amanda Spargo at the Ruth E. Dickinson Branch of the Ottawa Public Library for this contribution to Kids in the Capital.