The Book Search

In case you didn't know, the Caldecott award is given each year to the best picture book of the year.  I dipped into that list this week and found one I missed from last year and two that look good for this year's award. The one from last year is called "The Farmer and the Clown" by Marla Frazee.  It's a wordless picture book and I don't understand how I missed this one.  But ok.  I have it now and it's really great.  It's about a farmer who lives and works out on a barren plain.  The perspective on these pictures is so broad it gives this very visceral sense of loneliness.  The facial expressions on the farmer (at first) lead to you believe he is a crotchety old man but as the story progress, you start thinking differently.  As he's working out in the fields one day, a train goes past in the distance.  Something falls off the train and the farmer goes to investigate.  He finds a small clown and without a lot of options, he brings the ...

The Florida Association of Media Educators (FAME) announced the winners of the Sunshine State Young Reader award this week.  It didn't come as a surprise to me, because the kids at my school also voted this one as being the best, it was Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein.  The kids loved the suspense, the cryptic puzzles, and the non-stop action, so if you haven't read it, by all means, get it and read it soon!  They also announced the nominees for next year and I was happy to see that not only have I read many of them, we already have several of them in our school library.  Here's a little video that shows them. This week, my favorite book was an older title that was recommended by the amazing Liesl Shurtliff when she came to speak at our school.  She said she had been reading "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull to her boys and that it was really good.  Really good was a big understatement!  I can't believe I hadn't read this befo...