Book Fair Book Buzz

Book Fair has come and gone, but the memories linger. It was a great week, and it was such an awesome thing to watch the kids get so excited and happy over all the books! My parent volunteers are so awesome, and I cannot thank them enough.

After watching our entire community come through the Book Fair, I am sure of this:  We DO love books!

On one of the set-up days, as our volunteers unpacked the boxes, and set up the cases, I saw them pulling out this book:

Telgemeier, R. (2014). Sisters. New York: Scholastic.

I knew this one was going to go rather fast, but I had no idea. We were sold out the first day, and then called in for more. But none arrived.  A second call for an order yielded nothing still. Scholastic told us there weren't any to be found in any warehouse in our area.I didn't give up, though. I managed to get a few from a nearby library in my district also holding their book fair. Those sold, too. Within the half hour! 

So then I knew. I knew this book was big.

Actually, I knew this when I read it in April at TLA.

And when I offered a checkout drawing to see who who would be the first readers to check out the book and I had 20 sign up for five copies.

And, okay, I see it every time readers come into the library to check out the hold shelf and wonder when they're getting the book. (The holds continue. Each time I'm at the bookstore, I'm tempted to buy more.)  And I see it every day when another reader asks if we have a copy of SMILE on the shelves.

I thought about how those who weren't asking for the title benefited from the buzz, too. They got to see what how  excited some can be over books, and that is great, isn't it? Hopefully, it helps them WANT to find the book that would make them that excited, too. I want everyone to know what this is like! I get excited over books just about every hour of every day!!! 

One book can make readers want another. Reader-to-reader book buzz is powerful. How can I recreate that? Hmmm. 

Yes, the Book Fair is gone, but I'm left with memories and inspiration.

I made this Animoto about it. I hope you enjoy watching.

Claude on the Slopes!

There are fun books everywhere! Really! 

For example, this one: 

Smith, Alex T. Claude on the Slopes. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree, 2014. Print. 

Smith, Alex T. Claude on the Slopes. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree, 2014. Print. 

The first thing I noticed about this book was the cover. Red, purple and white really work well and stand out.

The next thing I noticed was the sock on the ski.

Yes, this book has as sock as a character.  And this sock drinks coffee, AND gets a bunion!

Now, some of my notes about the book here:

Claude on the Slopes has the look of a chapter book, but the feel of a picture book. Glossy pages, fun illustrations, a nice small square shape -- this features make this a book you want to pick up and read.

Claude is a dog and he lives with his owners Mr. and Mrs. Shinyshoes on Waggy Avenue.

Claude like to be a little loud sometimes, and he also carries a tea set wherever he goes. In the story, this little quirk pays off.

The story is a light adventure about a dog who is known for being a little loud. And, yes, his best friend is a sock named Mr. Bobblysock.

Claude is a nifty dresser -- his spiffy beret proves that.

AND Claude visits the library, too! In fact, that's his first stop!

Claude on the Slopes is a beginning chapter book and its available now. It's the sixth book in a series.

Arcady's Goal: Blog Tour

The 2012 Youth Media Awards at the ALA MidWinter Conference marked my first in-person attendance of the live announcement of Newbery Medal winners. Winning titles were revealed and book covers flashed simultaneously on the screen -- to the gasps and cheers of everyone in the large room.  Breaking Stalin's Nose (Henry Holt, 2011) was the only one I had not read. The only one! To this librarian-in-waiting, it was a challenge waiting to be conquered. 

I went straight to my public library and to my delight, found a copy waiting just for me. 

Do you SEE why I love libraries so? 

Right then and there, that night, I came to know Yelchin's work as an author. And instantly became a fan. Librarians remember this kind of stuff. 

I realized later that I'd already known Yelchin's work as an illustrator. 

Have you read this one? 

If you love haikus, you probably have! And I do! So I had! 

So now, as a school librarian, it's rather  a special thing that I've been invited to participate in a blog tour for Yelchin's newest book Arcady's Goal (Holt Books for Young Readers, 2014).  I'm honored to participate to say the least.

 

If you visit Yelchin's site here, you will see his rich and varied work. If you watch the video below, you will hear Yelchin talk about Breaking Stalin's Nose. I hope to be fortunate enough to hear him in person one day. 

Now to Arcady's Goal:

In this work of historical fiction, we meet Arcady, a boy scraping to survive in an orphanage in Soviet Russia. He has a gift for soccer, and a passion for it. In the orphanage, he plays other boys for bread rations, and the sport is his only outlet. His life changes one day when inspectors visit the orphanage. Among the visitors is a man named Ivan Ivanych, mysterious and different from the others.

Ivan has his own story. Is he a soccer coach? Why is he interested in Arcady? What can they both teach other? I won't ruin anything here.

Sometimes your life changes when you meet one person, and when that person dares to take a brave, kind step. 

This novel is a gripping, fast read, and Yelchin's illustrations guide you along and you won't be able to stop looking at them. But then you do because you want to read the story and see how everything turns out.

Arcady's narration walks us steadily through, and his honest voices places readers right in the middle of the time period as well as his struggles.  Yelchin includes an author's note and photograph at the beginning of the book that instantly gives readers a reason to take in every word. As if we might need another.

Arcady's Goal is about how sports represent hope to some, yes, but it is also about freedom in the face of real fear. Characters whose actions are driven by fear are just as interesting as characters who take risks. In this story, characters of both types meet and have an influence on one another.

Birds are a symbol in the book, and their symbolism here is poignant, as Arcady likes to step outside and watch them. 

And there is a part in the book where Arcady, who has come from living off daily bread rations and lack, (and only known a constant state of hunger) has a full, unhindered, abundant meal for the first time in a very long time. It is heartbreaking to read, written with the literary power that Newbery-winning authors have at their ready. 

Arcady also gets his first reading lessons. Literacy brings more freedom. Yes.

Reading this book made me want to reread Breaking Stalin's Nose.  If you've not read it, I highly recommend that one as well.

Arcady's Goal is set for release on October 14, 2014.

Please check out the rest of the stops on this blog tour:

Oct. 6 – Kid Lit Frenzy

Oct. 7 – Eat the Book

Oct. 8 – Watch. Connect. Read

Oct. 9 – Read, Write, Reflect

Oct. 10 – Nerdy Book Club

Oct. 13  – Librarian in Cute Shoes (You're here!)

Oct. 14 – The Busy Librarian

The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee

The library has been a busy, busy place. A joyfully busy place! But books always bring me back to this blog. Always books! 

Frazee, Marla. The Farmer and the Clown. La Jolla, CA: Beach Lane, 2014. Print.

Much has already been written about this striking wordless picture book by Marla Frazee. I'm not sure what my humble words could add to the conversation, but writing about this book is a must for me right now. An expression of my own learning.

The juxtaposition of a farmer & clown catch you first. A farmer, serious, early-riser, somber overalls. A clown, bright red, vivid playful. How the two meet is by chance. But the fact that they meet is life-changing, moreso probably for the farmer.

A clown bounces into the farmer's life. Left behind. The farmer had been watching the railroad tracks,  as I noted in a third reading. His serious life needs some fun. 

They meet, and the clown, though lost and away from his family of train-riding clowns, is happy --obviously feeling safe. He sees something in this farmer. He sees something. Readers will see it, too.

The colors are deep red, brownish-gray, and a yellow that's bright but soft. Color enters the farmer's world when the clown bounces into it. The size of the book enhances the horizon of the farm and the land. In a page where farmer and clown walk into the farmer's home for the first time, the double-page spread is pulled upward  by the house on the upper right corner, and the farmer with the clown hand-in-hand on the lower right. Elements work together to bring these two characters to our attention.

There is nothing else around the home: no other farms, no fences  -- only a single solitary tree on a mound above. (That tree plays a part later.)

I noted the lone chair on the porch. This farmer is alone. This farmer looks out sometimes. What does he look for? A friend?

Frazee's illustrations show movement effortlessly. The clown's little leaps and tricks as he hugs the farmer bring delight. Spreads become panels, and vignettes, and as the story unfolds, the farmer's eyes give his emotions away. The little clown enters the life of the farmer with joy, and we know the farmer's life will never be the same.  Closed eyes, a tender hug, a kiss, and an outstretched hand reveal more feelings.

This is a story that, in an unassuming way, lays itself out for the heart to take in. (I won't spoil a thing for anyone here and tell you how anything turns out.)

 I'm saying too much about this book, and yet not enough. And yet not enough.

I could write here that I feel the same book excitement for this title as I felt when I read I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick, 2011).

Or I could just say "I highly recommend this book".