An Undone Fairy Tale by Ian Lendler &illustrated by Whitney Martin

This book has it all! Brave knights! Beautiful princesses! Evil kings! And fire-breathing pretzels?  This is the story of brave Sir Wilbur who must rescue the beautiful pie-making princess from the evil king. But the story keeps getting interrupted by Ned the scenery guy and an unnamed narrator, who keeps telling the reader to slow down so Ned can finish the pictures. Unfortunately, no one listens to the narrator, and Ned has to improvise with what he has. Hilarity ensues. This book will get children of all ages giggling.

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Extra! Extra! fairy-Tale News from Hidden Forest by Alma Flor Ada and illustrated by Leslie Tryon

This is one of the coolest versions of fairy tales I have ever read. Written and laid out like a newspaper, Fairy Tales News tells the stories of Jack and the Beanstalk, Pinocchio, Half-Chicken, and the Tortoise and the Hare as if they are newspaper headlines. Other fairy tales people make the paper as well. Readers will find out where to their stylish hoods from Red Riding Hood’s grandma, and the Three Pigs offer their own building contracting services. This book will definitely appeal to older children and their parents.

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Andrew Clements

During Reading Round Up (the annual spring meeting of the Youth Services Section of the Maine Library Association), Andrew Clements provided a presentation for a group of several hundred excited librarians, including yours truly.  He gave a wonderful presentation.  Hearing about his life helped me understand his writing.  During his talk, he tracked his early adventures visiting Maine for the holidays, saying, "the advantage of sitting in the middle during the car ride was that I had bruises on BOTH sides.  It was good to be balanced."  His family encouraged a love of reading.  He bought books and used the library as a "place to test drive new books."  Eventually, he worked for schools and publishers.  His writing recreates the adventures of his early years, his love of a good tale, and his apt understanding of the amusements and frustrations of school life.  Here are a few of his titles.  For a more complete list, click the link below. 

 

 I got to meet him, too!  It was pretty exciting. There's a picture under the link!

Toddler Storytime for Boats and Ships

Hello again! The lovely weather has inspired me spend some time out by the coast. The sun shines on the beautiful boats as they prepare to go to sea. Let's pretend like we can join them as we listen to boat books and sing ship songs!

Punk Farm by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

If you like to rock and roll all night, then check out Punk Farm by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. It’s the rise of one barnyard band and their number one hit song, “Old McDonald.” You’re invited to a backstage pass to the band members. Goat and Pig strum out rocking tunes on bass, Cows beats her drums and Chicken plays the keyboard as Sheep leads the Punk Farm in practice for their big concert. Every rock music fan will love this hysterical portrayal of shades-wearing farm animals rocking it out.
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