"Hey Mommy, Pick A Book!"

This is the phrase I look forward to hearing everyday around 2 pm. That is the time I shut off all the technology devices (TV, IPad and my cell phone) and we have reading/play with your toys time. This lasts until 3:30 when Little Einsteins starts on the Disney channel. I know I haven't posted in a while, but I had a second child in June, and then I became a stay at home mom. The world forgot to tell me that everything I do for myself (including blogging), would have to take a back seat for a while and that's okay.

Being home with my 6 month old and my 28 month old has been quite a challenge for me. As one who loves to be in fancy clothes and high heels all day, that has all been traded in for comfy shirts and skirts due to so much time spent at the playground or at home (especially now with the cold weather upon us)! So followers, it's not that I haven't been reading, I just haven't been telling you about it lately.

I believe the time has come to remix this blog. Reviews are great, but as a children's librarian and as a mother the time has come for me to share with you the importance of Early Literacy. Not just because I took a continuing education class on it last month and not because I need to increase my numbers at "baby storytime", but because school is getting harder for our children, and we need to take back their childhood while preparing them for the real world. I am ready to help each and every one of you have your child knowing the ABCs and their Numbers by 2. (Sorry, my book is not yet published). The best part? You don't have to do much - except spend some time with your baby/toddler! You already do that? AWESOME! You are a hard working full time Mama? Excellent - here are some tips for your caregiver. Your caregiver doesn't speak English? Jackpot! She can sing and dance in whatever language she knows best - your baby will LOVE it!!!

I will try to post these helpful tips as often as possible, but I cannot promise daily due to my crazy work schedule. In any case here is an overview of how to get started:

We are parents in 2013. Our children need to be all kinds of literate. They need to know about reading in addition to technology and the world around them - trees, dirt, snow, food, clothing etc. I know there are many studies out there that say "no screens for anyone under 2 years old". I don't think anyone who wrote that had an 18 month old at home who also needed to cook dinner and get the laundry out of the washing machine and into the dryer. Spoiler alert: My 18 month watched television. However, I was the one in charge of the remote, which is why he spent a lot of nights watching "Wheel Of Fortune" which led to his knowledge of the letters in the alphabet. My advice (and I will definitely discuss this at length in another post) is to allow your child screen time if you need to, both a television and an IPad, within moderation, and make it a bonding time for you and your child. That way, there is still family time and the child learns these items are part of the world, not rewards.

As for those under two years of age, welcome to the world of giggles and bouncing and preparing your child for everything there is that needs to be learned! All babies need to be read and sung to, in any language. Board books are great (I will post my top picks for books at every age and stage). A lot of my personal favorites can be found at www.downtownbookworks.com, and singing to your baby is an absolute must, even if it is just your schedule of the day. Babies love rhyme time, so get that baby on your lap and sing "Open Shut Them". I promise you that if you sing that every day for a week, by day 8 your child will anticipate when to open up their little mouths (and that's a really big deal in the literacy world!)

The time has come to prepare our youngest children to live in a world that is filled with a lot of things that did not exist when we were young. We have to make sure they use their imaginations when they build with their blocks, and still want to dress up in tiaras and cowboy hats. But, there is no harm in having your two year old be able to recognize the letters in his name!

TOYS! AMAZING STORIES BEHIND SOME GREAT INVENTIONS

Book: TOYS! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions

Author: Don Wulffson

Illustrator: Laurie Keller

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Pages: 136

Grade Level: 4^th Grade and up

Rating: 5 Stars

There is so much more to History than exploration of the world and territorial wars that gets thrown aside during the school year. With the new “Common Core Standards” and push for children to read more nonfiction material, this is the best book on the market – the history of some of the most famous toys that every child will recognize. From Mr. Potato Head to Silly Putty, this book reads like a novel more than a textbook, and the illustrations are extremely entertaining.

There isn’t a single kid in the world that has never played with LEGO or has never heard of the Slinky. This book goes through twenty five popular children’s toys and games and discusses how they came to be. Every chapter is short and to the point and never feels like you are reading a history book, and the fun facts about each plaything at the end of every chapter are interesting and children will definitely be repeating to everyone what they have learned! Definitely would recommend for grades 4 and up, or for an adult to read along with a younger child.

WONDER

Book: Wonder

Author: R.J. Palacio

Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers

Pages: 320

Grade Level: 5^th Grade and up

Rating: 5 Stars

August Pullman is a ten year old boy with a deformed face, a result a rare birth defect. Because of this, his mother has homeschooled him but his parents decide that for the first time, as a 5^th grader, August should go to school. The story is told through the perspective of August, his sister, and the new people he meets his first year in a mainstream private school.

When people refer to a “school story”, this book should be at the top of the list. Palacio is such a talented author she truly transforms you into the setting completely. You feel like all of her characters, a little uncomfortable by August’s face (after all, it takes some getting used to), but after a while you get past his looks and realize that he is a great boy and you want to be his friend and number one cheerleader. This is an excellent “anti-bully” story, teaches acceptance and sends a message that even though people look different on the outside, they are just as smart, funny, creative and sensitive as anyone else in the world. This is an upper elementary and middle school MUST READ by teachers, students and their parents. It is definitely not a disappointment.   

THREE TIMES LUCKY

Book: Three Times Lucky

Author: Sheila Turnage

Publisher: Dial

Pages: 256

Grade Level: 5^th Grade and up

Rating: 4 Stars

Mo LeBeau is a plucky Southern girl living in a small town in North Carolina where everyone knows everyone’s business. Mo was found on a stormy night and while she constantly searches for her birth mother, a new mystery sweeps the town and Mo and her best friend Dale are on the case to bring justice where it is due.

This book has a pretty slow beginning but suddenly becomes a true page turner. The protagonist is a fun, quirky girl who is fun to follow, and her drive to solve the mystery of the town is an extremely productive way for her to spend her summer vacation. All of the supporting characters truly bring this Southern town to life. For older children looking for a great mystery- part adventure story, this book is highly recommended. 

LIAR AND SPY

Book: Liar and Spy

Author: Rebecca Stead

Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books

Pages: 192

Grade Level: 5^th Grade and up

Rating: 5 Stars

Life isn’t easy for Georges. His name lends itself to unpleasant nicknames (like “Gorgeous”) , his father just lost his job so his mother is forced to work extra shifts as a nurse and he must move from his home to a smaller apartment in Brooklyn. While making friends was never easy for Georges, he befriends a boy in his new building, Safer, who is an excellent spy and has a “mission” to find out what another neighbor, Mr. X, is mysteriously up to. He recruits Georges as an assistant, and Georges begins a wild ride of deceit, secrets and truths that may ruin their new found friendship forever.

This book is written so well that you become so engrossed in the mystery that you can’t put it down until you are finished. Stead is the master of quirky writing, and even though you are never sure what will happen next, everything comes together perfectly in the end, with a twist I am sure you didn’t see coming! It is an excellent book choice for reluctant readers and definitely a “boy book”, though I am sure many girls will enjoy it as well!

BOMB: THE RACE TO BUILD - AND STEAL - THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON

Book: BOMB: The Race to Build – And Steal – The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon

Author: Steve Sheinkin

Publisher: Flash Point

Pages: 272

Grade Level: 6^th Grade and up

Rating: 5 Stars

It is December of 1938, and the major discovery, that when a Uranium atom is placed next to radioactive material, the atom will split in two. Because of this, spies are flying all over three continents to be the first to obtain an atomic bomb. This book reads more like a novel than a history textbook, and it is an in depth story of what really went on behind the scenes during World War II and this fascinating discovery.

I am not usually a fan of non-fiction, but this book truly blew me out of the water. I loved everything about it – from the design: the sideways titles, the cool photos that are not distracting, the primary sources that are listed in the back coherently along with the documentations, to the fact that scientific concepts were clearly defined. Who knew there was so much espionage going on during the War? It is written extremely coherently and sixth graders and up can easily understand what is going on at all times. Every spy element is fantastic and every person who reads it will really be surprised at how much they enjoy and learn from it. 

THE FALSE PRINCE

Book: The False Prince

Author: Jennifer Nielsen

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 352

Grade Level: 5^th Grade and up

Rating: 5 Stars

Sage is an orphan who is bought by a nobleman of the court, Connor. While Sage is originally unsure of what lies ahead of him, he soon learns that a civil war is brewing in the kingdom, and Connor wants to avoid it by impersonating the King’s long lost son. However, Connor cannot do this alone, and needs a young boy to play the prince. Sage is now in for the competition of his life, as he must decide if he wants to play a prince or lose his life. This book is full of twists, turns, deceit and adventure that you won’t want to miss!

The False Prince is the first book in The Ascendance Trilogy and when you finish the first you will NEED to find out what happens in the second. The book has a historical fiction feel to it even though the kingdom and everything about this book is made up, and it plays on the fantasy genre though it is not at all a fantasy. It is an epic quest for Sage, and reading about his trials and triumphs make you really love him as a character. Older readers will appreciate his transformation into young adulthood and readers of all ages are going to be unable to put the book down and need to know what happens next!