Taken with Took: A Ghost Story

Took: A Ghost Story
by Mary Downing Hahn

Took: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn is a cross between a ghost story and a fairy tale for upper elementary and middle school students. The story revolves around a young family (dad, mom, Daniel and Erica) who has recently moved from their Connecticut home to a run down farm house in Brewster's Hill, Massachussetts. Daniel and Erica learn the history of their new home while riding home on the school bus after their frist day of school.

Their house had once been the family home of a little girl named Selene. It is rumored that she was "took" fifty years ago by Old Auntie - a witch - who lives with her son Bloody Bones. The book is written from Daniel's point of view for the majority of the story. However a few chapters are narrated by Old Auntie. This builds the suspense and tension.

This is a wonderful book for young readers who enjoy spooky tales. The book will be released September 15th which will be perfect for the fall and the approaching Halloween festivities. I would highly recommend this book for elementary and middle school libraries.

*To complay with guidelines set forth by the Federal Trade Commission, Clarion Books has provided a copy of Took in ebook format for review purposes. This review is my opinion and is in no way influenced by the publishing company.

Inspiration through Graphic Zen

Zen Pencils Volume Two: Dream the Impossible Dream (publication date: 10/13/15) is wonderful book filled with inspirational quotes from an interesting group of people (Maya Angelou, Issac Asimov, Chris Hardwick, Jim Henson, Amy Poehler, and William Shakespeare). Each is presented in a graphic format (like a comic or cartoon for those unfamiliar with this genre). The manner in which Gavin Aung Than represents each of the writer's words forces the reader to alter their personal perception of some of the most memorable lines of inspiration (Kahlil Gibran's "Work is love made visible." and Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players.").

I can see this book being used in a high school English class in order to help student's to visualize required reading assignments. I'm not a believer in requiring students to read certain books (I am all about free choice when it comes to reading), however I know it happens every year. I believe if students were given the task of representing a quote or portion of a reading in a creative manner, it might make the assignment more meaningful and more learning will occur.

Zen Pencils Volume Two:
Dream the Impossible Dream
by Gavin Aung Than

*To comply with new guidelines set forth by the Federal Trade Commission, Andrews McMeel Publishing has provide a copy of Zen Pencils Volume Two: Dream the Impossible Dream in eBook format for review purposes. This review is my opinion and is in no way influenced by the publishing company.

Friends Share Scottoline's Books

I have loved every Lisa Scottoline book I have ever read, and for full disclosure, Lisa and I are not friends. Well, actually on Facebook we are, but not in "real" life. However, after reading her latest book Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat: True Stories and Confessions, I truly believe we could be friends, maybe even the best of friends!

Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?: True Stories and Confessions
by LIsa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella

Lisa (I'll call her by her first name since I think we could be such great friends) writes as if she was sitting across from you having a conversation. She holds nothing back. I guess I feel like I know her so well because I know her dogs Kit, Peach, Pip, Ruby, and Tony - and dare I forget her granddog - Pip and grandcat Mimi! I have seen her beautiful garden, laughed as her horse made a snow angel, been green with envy seeing all of the people she has invited into her home for her Book Club Party, and cried when I heard of the passing of her dear Mother Mary.

I, like Lisa, am a task master. I guess so much so, that I haven't put up a Christmas tree in over three years, but if I did put up a tree a lot of the ornaments would be handmade and would also display the names of much loved and long gone fur babies. I'm not into the The Bachelor like Francesca, but I LOVE playing Fantasy Football. I would like to go to the beach with Lisa and Francesca to eat a spaghetti sandwich. I will be in New York City next week, just FYI.

She and daughter Francesca have a wonderful way of pulling you into their life through their writing. If you need a perfect book to take to the beach or to have in your purse for the quick chapter between chauffeuring your children around this summer, pick up a copy of the latest collection of stories by this fabulous mother / daughter duo.

*To comply with new guidelines set for by the Federal Trade Commission, St. Martin's Press, provided a complimentary copy of this title in eBook format for review purposes. This review is my opinion and is in no way influenced by the authors, the author's publicist, or the publishing company.

My Relaxation

I usually post about books I have read, but today is going to be a bit different. Today I am posting about a book I have discovered that helps me to relax while listening to books.

I have been a colorer for MANY years. Back when I taught Kindergarten (1993-1999) I colored all of the time. I colored with my students, but I also colored for my students - file folder games. Coloring provided me a means of relaxation while creating a great resource for my students. I LOVED the Carson Dellosa file folder games. They had wonderful pictures and were great games for my students.

Now that I am no longer in the classroom, there is little need for me to make file folder games, so I had to find another outlet for my coloring. I purchased traditional coloring books for awhile, but I can't stand the cheap paper used for children's coloring books. I remember Dover coloring books from my childhood, but I was never really one for coloring the very detailed clothing and landscapes.

When I discovered Mandalas, Paisleys, and Mosaic coloring books I felt like I had found the perfect relaxation tool for me. Like I said, I have been coloring for years. It has only been in the last few years the publishing industry has discovered what I have known all this time - adults like to color too! Now, my Amazon account is filled with tons of coloring books for adults. I have all of the coloring books people write posts about on Facebook - Secret Garden, Adult Coloring Book: Stress Relieving Patterns, Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest & Coloring Book, Color Me Calm: 100 Coloring Templates for Meditation and Relaxation, Color Counts (Landscapes, Travel the World, Tropical, Travel the USA, etc.) and Flower Designs by Jenean Morrison - but I have recently discovered my favorite by far - Querkles by Thomas Pavitte.

I'm sure Amazon targeted me for this new "Puzzling Colour by Numbers Book" based on my previous purchases, and I have to say how happy this makes me! All I want to do is sit and color in this fascinating book. You can watch a short video clip of how the Querkles works here. I have to admit, at first glance these pages can look VERY intimidating!

Here is what one of the pictures looks like when you first open the book.

I'm not going to ruin the surprise on this one as to what the final image will be when it is colored. It is NOT one of the ones I have already colored. Here is one in progress (purple), as well as three I have already completed. To know exactly how much I LOVE this book I have only had this book four days and have already finished three of the pictures and started working on the fourth. I am completely addicted to coloring these pictures. 

I have not found another coloring book that has provided me with this much joy in a very long time. I love being able to work on these beautiful works of art while listening to an audio book. It is a wonderful combination of relaxation and creativity rolled into one.

Be sure to check out the second book which will be released in October, Querkles: Icons. 

Thomas Pavitte is the creator of these 20 great works of art. He is also the author of the 1000 Dot-to-Dot series of books. I hope he continues to create more Querkles! I have already ordered a second copy of Querkles: Masterpieces. I'll get to choose different colors to use for them the next time I color the same pictures.

Size: A First Poem Book About Size by Felicia Law

Size
by Felicia Law

Size, part of the Patchwork series, is a poetry book that focuses on the concept of somethings dimension or area for which an object occupies in space. The illustrations are bright and very appealing and go well with each of the poems. In fact, for some of the poems the illustration is almost vital for understanding.

The poems include the following:

• Huge Elephant
• All Sorts
• Big, Small
• Socks
• Tall Flower
• Little Bug
• Big Sister
• Growing In and Out
• My Two Cats
• Growing Together 

Each poem relates to size in a different manner. Young children may not relate the concept of size to each of the poems on initial reading. However with subsequent readings, reflections and comparisons can be made in order to better understand size. I would not use this book to simply teach the concept of size. I believe the poems are an excellent way to extend the children's learning and increase their vocabulary. For older children the poems can be used as an example prior to the creation of their own concept poetry or creative writing.

The book ends with a two page list of concept words included in the book. Upon my initial reading of the list of words, I was a bit confused as to why cat, elephant, and ladybug were listed among the "concept words". After researching the word, I learned it can be a general idea of something conceived in the mind. I have always thought of concepts as more abstracts - shapes, colors, numbers, etc.

Not only did I discover a great new title that combines mathematics and poetry, but I walked away learning something new. My perception of the word concept has now been forever changed because of a children's picture book about size. Interesting turn of events, but I will take learning whenever and wherever I can get it.

I would recommend this book for the non-fiction collection of a children's library, especially for schools serving students in Prekindergarten and above.

*To comply with new guidelines set forth by the Federal Trade Commission, Norwood House Press has provided a complimentary electronic copy of Size for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publisher and is strictly my opinion.

Dealing with D-I-V-O-R-C-E

Family Changes: Explaining Divorce to Children
by Dr. Azmaira H. Maker

Dr. Azmaira H. Maker, a clinical psychologist with twenty years of experience in child development, presents a fantasized tale of young Zoey Bunny who must deal with the divorce of her parents.

A "Note to Adults" starts the book providing information to parents, or other care givers (teachers, therapists, grandparents,etc.) about sharing this book with young children (ages 4-8 is the recommendation). The book ends with a list of questions to discuss with the child / children following the reader. Although the questions are presented as follow ups to the reading, they would be best used as a discussion starting point. I would recommend reading through the questions prior to sitting down with the child to read the book so you are familiar with them. Don't go through the questions immediately after reading. Use them as a springboard for conversation and not a quiz to see how well the child listened to the story.

Although a variety of emotions (sadness, anxiety, loss, confusion, and anger) are mentioned in the initial note, I didn't clearly see all of these emotions represented in the story. This is not a criticism, just an observation. It is very important to realize children of divorce have no control of their situation. They need to understand their feelings and emotions are valid and should be acknowledged accordingly.

When Zoey questions Mama Bunny about the words separation and divorce, she is presented with a very open and honest age appropriate definition of the two words. I am a bit concerned the words are used interchangeably. It might have been best, since this book seems to focus on the initial stages of the separation, to simply use the word separated. As the story progresses divorce could have been brought into the conversation as a means of explaining the permanence of the situation.

I reviewed the electronic version of the book. The illustrations I saw in the electronic version were bright, colorful, and would be very appealing to young children. They seemed sporadic in the format I read.  I feel full page illustrations across from the text on each two page spread would make the book more appealing to young children, especially because of the difficult topic.

*To comply with new guidelines introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, Aspiring Families Press has provided a complimentary electronic copy of Families Change: Explaining Divorce to Children for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publishing company and is strictly my opinion.

Bug in a Vacuum by Melanie Watt

Bug in a Vacuum
by Melanie Watt

Bug in a Vacuum is not the typical Watt book. In her latest book, which will be released August 25, 2015, a bug flies past the family dog and into the house. As it flies in the house it passes an aerosol can of Dandelion Repellent. This is the first time the observant reader notices the book does not take place in the present. The vacuum inside the door reminds me of my maternal grandmother’s old Electrolux.  

As the bug continues to fly around the house, through the bathroom, the kitchen, bedroom, and finally the living room glimpses of retro furniture (TV dinner on the Formica tabletop) and décor (hula lamp and globe) help to determine the setting as the mid 1960s.

It is in the living room everything changes for the bug and for the careful observer, the family dog. As the dog sits on the sofa the vacuum sucks up his favorite toy. Moments later the bug , which has landed on the globe, disappears into the inner bowels of the vacuum.  Both creatures then begin their grieving.

From here, the book is divided into small chapters focusing on each of the five stages of grief. The first, denial is represented by the can we first saw as the bug flew into the house – denial. The dog’s denial is portrayed through thought bubbles, while the bug is verbal trying to communicate with the other items eaten by the giant vacuum. Each subsequent stage: bargaining, anger, despair, and acceptance is presented in a similar manner. The story ends with the vacuum being thrown out and picked up by the waste service. As the little dog runs after the truck he meets a new friend and seems to move on with his life. When the truck arrives at the land fill, the vacuum crashes to the ground where the back of the unit falls open allowing the bug to escape. I love the final image of the two dogs looking at each other as the sun goes down, while in the foreground a mother bird watches over her eggs which are slightly hidden by the favorite toy.

Bug in a Vacuum has been described as “a funny, suspenseful and poignant look at the travails of a bug trapped in a vacuum,” but I think it is SO much more. Yes, portions of the book are humorous, but the underlying message in the book is that no matter what trials and tribulations we must face in life with patience, perseverance, and belief in oneself we will be able to overcome and move on.

Melanie Watt (best known to my library friends as the mother of Scaredy Squirrel, Leon the Chameleon, and Chester the Cat) presents a 96-page picture book which takes the reader through the five stages of grief, also known as the Kὕbler-Ross model. A brief mention of the Kὕbler-Ross model is explained at the end of the book as “a series of emotions commonly experienced when facing a life-changing event.” The model was first introduced in 1969 by the Swiss     psychiatrist in her book On Death and Dying. The five stages can occur in any order, and may not be experienced by all facing life-altering events.

Watt has found a unique way in which to present these stages to young children without preaching. If this book is needed for bibliotherapy  then wonderful discussions and comparisons can be made throughout, if not the story can be enjoyed simply for the wonderful presentation created by this incredibly talented author / illustrator.

*To comply with new guidelines introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, Tundra Books has provided a complimentary electronic copy of Bug in a Vacuum for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publishing company and is strictly my opinion.