Weekend Theme: Down on the Farm Review: Dairy Queen Series Review: Wow, It's A Cow! Review: Pig-a-Boo!

This week my Lil Guy has been talking a lot about the farm.  We went to a local children’s museum and he could have played for hours in the room set up to look like a farm.  He plucked apples that were stuck with velcro to the painted trees and ‘drove’ around in the mini tractor.  He wore a cow costume and pretended the chicken laid eggs.  This week he also got a new pair of overalls which he thinks makes him a farmer.  Put this together with the countless farms actually close by that he can see as we drive, and you have a Lil Guy who at age 2 and a half is convinced that farming is the career for him.  I guess I got caught up in it too, reading some books that were set on a farm and learning a little bit about farming too.  That is why this week’s Weekend Spotlight is: Down on the Farm.

Kids love farms because of all the animals and free space to run and play.  From a very young age animal sounds are favorites and are imitated by babies and toddlers very early.  My Lil Guy is no exception.  He loves wearing farm animal costumes and tells each of us in the family that we are different animals.  He pretends there is a donkey in the car as we are driving for example, braying and then asking if we heard anything.  It’s all big fun at our house.  It’s no surprise that farm books and farm animals books are favorites too.  I also got caught up in the farm craze this past week as I finished the Dairy Queen series by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.  Here is some of the best of the farm books at our house this week.

Dairy Queen Series

Dairy Queen is a trilogy of YA books written by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.  The books are set in Wisconsin on a dairy farm.  The books are written from a teen age girl’s point of view;  D.J. is sharing her story with some perspective, sharing details about her life, and the consequences of her actions.  We meet her family, her friends, and even a few foes.  All of this means that the Dairy Queen books are sweet and fun, full of teenage angst, and very lovable.  In fact, I read the first 2 about a month ago but just couldn’t bring myself to read the last of the books and say goodbye to these characters that I really enjoyed.  While some YA fiction revels in wild teens who partake in wild activities, author Murdock instead portrays a teen who struggles to make choices, thinking about her family and the consequences.  Don’t get me wrong, our main character, D.J. has a good time and gets into trouble, but there isn’t too much shock factor with these books.  Since I grew up in a rural community myself, I found these books to be very reflective of my own teen years.

Note: The series has 2 different covers.  I really can't decide which one I like best, but I thought I would offer them both up here since (I admit): I do judge a book by its cover and maybe you do too.

In the first of the 3 novels, Dairy Queen, we meet D.J. and her family, plus a quarterback who plays for her high school rivals football team.  Brian has come to her farm to gain work ethic for the upcoming football season and help with farm chores.  D.J. sees Brian as a spoiled kid, but nonetheless, she takes advantage of help and forms a close bond with him.  As the summer continues D.J. starts to train Brian on football basics using her years of playing against her brothers as experience. 

In the second novel, Off Season, D.J. is still caught up in football drama, but manages to focus on her own sports career as well.  We see D.J. spending more and more time with Brian, but each are unsure the terms of the relationship.  Meanwhile D.J. is also dealing with friends, bullying, and family tragedy.  Once again D.J. is introspective, thoughtful, and mature as she navigates her life in front of us.

In the last book in the trilogy, Front and Center, D.J. is finally able to focus more on herself.  She is looking toward her future and trying to move on from some painful memories.  D.J.’s sports career finally hits a stride too.  She continues to be painfully shy though and finally starts to show emotion and stand up for herself.  The narration and conclusion are beautifully done in this book and will leave readers both satisfied and also also wanting more (if only author Murdock wanted to continue the series!).

I just adored these books.  I wish that these were the types of books I had read as a young teen.  Characters like D.J. are not common enough in YA fiction.  D.J. is so real!  She has doubtful moments, she never thinks of the right thing to say at the right time, and she loves her family even though she doesn’t always understand them or agree with them.  Author Murdock doesn’t come across preachy or goody-two shoes either.  Because the story is told from a teen’s point of view, the story comes across as very genuine and real instead of short and choppy .  Because of this, a reader really does connect with D.J. and all of her situations. 

It is without hesitation that I recommend these books to YA readers.  Perfect for even older middle school students, the books are short enough to keep hesitant readers interested and full of enough details and storyline to satisfy most readers.  I have also read Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, but these are even better.  I had read on Murdock’s website that she doesn’t intend to continue D.J.’s storyline, which to me is a loss.  Although the conclusion to D.J.’s story does satisfy, my mind keeps drifting back to where she might be a couple of years.  My only advice to readers is that if you decide to try the Dairy Queen trilogy, go ahead and get all 3 books because you won’t want to stop at 1, 2, or maybe even 3 like me.

Wow, It's A Cow!

Wow, It's A Cow! by Trudy and Jay Harris is a well-loved book at our house.  The farm theme is a favorite, but it’s the funny story and hilarious illustrations by Paige Keiser that keep us wanting to read this one again and again.  In this book you meet a farmer who is in search of his cow.  He meets several animals but each one is not the cow.  The illustrations show an ‘udderly’ fabulous cow acting like a different farm animal with each page have a flap to lift showing the real farm animal.  This results in really funny scenarios such as the cow doing the backstroke in the pond and sitting up in a tree near a tiny nest.  The last page is a small reward of opening 2 barn doors to reveal a farmer milking a cow.

 

As I was looking to review this book I saw that the book was dedicated to Harris’s own grandchildren, which I thought was sweet.  I also wasn’t surprised to find that Trudy Harris is a kindergarten teacher, which is perfect since I could see a class reading this at circle time.  I would recommend this book to parents who like to read aloud to toddlers, preschool teachers, and young children who feel that farming might be a career for them someday.  It’s cute and interactive.  It will also make you laugh. 

Pig-A-Boo!

Pig-a-Boo!: A Farmyard Peekaboo Book by Dorothea DePrisco is a toddler book with a lot going for it.  Pig-a- Book is a peek-a-boo game with farm animals.  Each pages has a short riddle about a farmyard favorite.  The book has a hard cover like a board book but has stiff, glossy cardboard pages that open to reveal a hiding farm animal.  Each of the hidden animals also has a piece of texture to touch and feel.  The texture spots are a little 3 dimensional too, with the horse having yarn pieces that stick out from the book.  The text is cute and will definitely keep toddlers attention.  Lil Guy likes this one but isn’t simple enough for him to read yet and isn’t long enough for him to choose for us to read to him over and over again, so for now it’s not being read too often at our house, but may come into favor again on a whim.   I think most toddlers will enjoy this book, especially if they are into farm animals. 

Weekend Theme: Autumn

This week here in the Midwest (and all over the Western hemisphere) we welcome Fall.  Fall or Autumn is so wonderful here in this part of the Midwest with the chill in the air and the beautiful changing of the leaves.  We won’t see the full colors for a couple weeks, but I couldn’t resist making Autumn my weekend theme and share these books with you.  There are 2 picture books and one middle grade fiction book.

Fall Mixed Up

Fall Mixed Up is written by Bob Raczka and illustrated by Chad Cameron.  The book is available in hardcover and is a large book with bright colorful pages.  This silly story is told in rhyme and fits perfect with the start of the season.  The books would make a perfect read aloud for ages 3 to 8.

Throughout the book Fall Mixed Up, the scenes and characters are mixed up indeed, wearing gloves on their ears and eating apple syrup.  My Lil Guy, age 2, was giggling at the pictures of the squirrels flying south for the winter.  The illustrations are cute and add much to the story since the text moves fast and it might be difficult to visualize the scene the author is trying to create. 

This book screams, READ ME ALOUD!  It’s colorful, funny, and set to rhyme!  I can see it being used in a primary classroom to introduce the season.  (A teacher could take  post-it notes to re-arrange the words to make sense after reading to the students, or even , in have the students create their own silly spoofs on the season.)  I really enjoy books like this and would recommend this for a fun seasonal read.

Leaf Man

Leaf Man comes from popular children’s Author and Illustrator Lois Elhert.  Elhert is known for her collage style of illustrating, using found objects to create colorful and beautiful scenes.  Leaf Man is available in a hardcover edition with glossy printed pages, each scalloped on the top to create a layered effect within the book.

Leaf man has landed in your yard, that’s right, look carefully and you will see the outline of a little man in the leaves.  His body is a bright maple leaf and his hat is an acorn, do you see him now?  Yes, that’s right; it is just like looking for shapes in the clouds.  Each page tells an adventure of the leaves creating movement and shapes out of nature.  The story is very simple, but the story is more than beautiful with the collages and your imagination.

Not only is Leaf Man a beautiful book, it’s the perfect jumping off point for exploring nature and creating your own nature crafts.  Elhert simply introduces how delicate leave can set the scene for anything, just add imagination.  I plan to re-read this with my Lil Guy and go on a leaf hunt in our own yard.  The leafs guys we create will be so much fun!  This book would be perfect for all children who like nature, like to create, and like to imagine.  (That’s all children, right?)

The The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. 

The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner is a middle grade fiction book that deals with a very real family situation.  Gianna is a very likable character who loves to run and doesn’t enjoy science class.   When her class is assigned one of those, leaf collection assignments, Gianna quickly gets overwhelmed.  Personally she is dealing with a lot in her family.  Her mother is distant and cold, her father is not understanding and business focused, her little brother is annoying, and her grandmother is loving, but more than forgetful.  Nonna, Gianna’s grandmother, is so forgetful that she wanders away from the family in a farmer’s market in Montreal, she leaves cookies in the oven and goes to take a nap, and she seems to be caught up in her own little world.  All of this scares Gianna, but why doesn’t her family seem to think this is important?

There are not enough books like this that deal with real family issues like memory loss of elderly grandparents.  This book deals with the emotions of the entire family, Nonna’s daughter (Gianna’s mom) being distant and not wanting to face the facts, and Gianna being scared and feeling responsible.  The story is full and emotional, rushing towards a climax that brings everything in Gianna’s life together, and forces her to focus on what’s important.

I liked this book for several reasons.  First, there are not enough family based fiction books that deal with tough subjects like this.  I would recommend it to 5^th grade and up.  This book would benefit from a book talk that mentions Alzheimer’s disease, as some readers may already be struggling with this in their family life.  On a side note, the cover really reminds me Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, I thought I had already read it in fact!

Weekend Theme: Sports

In honor of the start of the football season I thought I would share some books that are sports themed for all ages of readers. I hope to share something for both sports fans and those reluctant to watch sports. All my life I grew up around sports. I am the daughter of a referee; I spent many hours watching my father play softball during summers as well. All during high school I would attend countless games watching my brother play tennis, football, and basketball. I became an avid fan of sports during college as well, going to football, hockey, and basketball games. When there is a high-stakes game, I want to be watching! As a teacher I have been able to connect with students who are interested in sports, impressing eighth grade boys with my fantasy sports knowledge, challenging a fifth grade class to name more baseball teams than me, and even taking my class to a live hockey game, spending time before the game to prepare them with lessons about what to expect. What I found was that universally, children love sports. Furthermore, when given the chance, students will make connections to others through sports, even to literature.

Mickey & Me

Mickey & Me is from popular children’s author Dan Gutman. It's a great choice if you are looking for a series book that can hook readers. This book is also interesting because the book is actually historical fiction and is set in the 1940’s. Mickey & Me is part of a series (& Me series) about a young kid Joe who travels in time to meet famous players. Among the sub plots for Joe are a father in the hospital, a bratty little cousin, time travel, equal rights, and even World War II. While this historical fiction novel opens the opportunity to discuss many of these historical events, the sport theme is more like a vehicle for adventure.

Joe Stoshack has the magical ability to travel through time to whatever year baseball card he is holding. When his father is in a car accident he learns about a 1951 Mickey Mantle rookie card hidden under the floorboard in his room. Joe has the task of going back in time to save Mickey Mantle from hurting his leg in a game in 1951. Joe finds the card but gets mixed up with his cousin’s cards for another player named Mickey Maguire. Mickey Maguire is female baseball player in an All American Girls Professional Baseball League (think of the movie ‘A League of Their Own’). Joe becomes involved with the team learning about the all female league in the process. Finally, at the end of his trip back in time, Joe does meet a young 13 year old Mickey Mantle on a train. Joe is able to obtain Mantle’s autograph just before he returns to 2003. The book also contains a section called “Facts and Fiction” which outlines real characters, places, and events.

Overall I enjoyed the read. I liked the surprise element of there being two Mickeys. I could see intermediate students enjoying this book especially because it’s a series. Author Gutman has a great sense of humor and kids will just eat this stuff up. Mickey & Me and the other Baseball Card Adventure Books are perfect for targeting sport loving boys (and girls) who also want adventure in their books.

Travel Team

Among sports books, Travel Team is a star. In his novel, Mike Lupica was able to do what the other authors cannot always accomplish: He told a powerful story full of strong characters all using sports as a background. As an added bonus, anyone who knows sports will instantly trust Lupica as a sports authority, because he knows his stuff. He can talk basketball, football, baseball: any sport. When he mentions a famous professional athlete, chances are Lupica has met the player and that too offers him credibility. If you are not knowledgeable about sports, Lupica will become your teacher. His sports background isn’t even the best thing about the his book, it’s the well written plot of the book that pulls you in to learn about characters with real problems, dialogue that sounds like it could come from a real home or classroom, and drama that real adolescents can relate to themselves.

In Travel Team, Danny Walker is a gifted basketball player despite being the shortest kid in his grade. His skills remind everyone in his little town of his father who was also small and talented and made it to the NBA for a season until he ruined his body in a car accident. Now Danny rarely sees his father except for watching clips of him on YouTube. When Danny doesn’t make the local ‘travel team’ his father, Richie, comes back to town and starts a team for his son. The ragtag group of kids lack skills, height, and commitment. They struggle through the season until a series of events give them hope for the play-offs.

Wow, I loved this books and I have enjoyed all of Lupica’s books. I thought Lupica’s Million-Dollar Throw was a really great book as well. Travel Team is the type of book that has something for everyone, both boys and girls will like this book since it’s driven by such a solid storyline. The audience on this book solidly middle school readers. If you are in the classroom, this book would really benefit from a book talk. (A book talk is when a teacher or guest introduces the book with a few plots points to get people interested in reading more.) If you haven’t yet checked on Lupica’s writing, run to the bookstore and pick up one of his YA novels.

Z is for Zamboni 

From Sleeping Bear Press comes another installment of their alphabet books.  This book is similar to ones you have seen for in stores for a variety of topics like sports, nature, and geography.  I have read ones for a few different states and nature topics and this book follows the same pattern.   The illustrations on each page are beautifully done with nice details for sports lovers of all ages.  Lil Guy got this book as a gift for his second birthday.  He sure enjoys it and is interested in pointing to the pictures as we read together.

 

Z is for Zamboni, each letter shares an aspect of the game of hockey.  What I like about this book is that it doesn’t just rely on simple objects, but also introduces us to different parts of the game including Hall of Fame players and special events in the history of hockey.  Each page has a short “read-aloud-able” rhyme but also includes a few detailed paragraphs sharing more details.  Adults and children can both learn from this kind of book.  Some of my favorite pages are; “L is for Lord Stanley’s Cup” , “ Q is for Quebec” , and of course “Z is for Zamboni”.

Lil Guy is only 2 years old but has been to a dozen live hockey games, so the book was perfect for him.  He recognized many parts of the game of hockey.   I think this is a book that will be something that he can enjoy for years because of the parallel text on each page.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Sleeping Bear Press books to readers of all ages.  I was so pleased when Lil Guy got this as a gift; I think they would make an excellent gift for children ages 3 – 8. I plan to check for the books at my local library too, I can’t wait to start learning more!