Nonfiction Monday - Little Kids First Big Book of Animals

National Geographic Little Kids First BIG Book of Animals by Catherine Hughes. 2010. Available now.

From the beginning photograph of the giraffe's head sticking out his purple tongue to the zebra at the end, staring at you as if asking if he can go home with you, this book is set up to fascinate youngsters and their older caretakers alike.

Thirty different animals are covered under chapters such as: Grassland, ocean, Desert, Forest, and Polar.

Don't let the 128 page thickness of the book put you off. This book is made for preschoolers and early readers. The wonderful National Geographic closeup photographs showing the animals in action or calmly watching the reader make you feel they are right in the room with you. And the large type, easy reading sentences simply invite early readers to come in and explore.

Despite the large size and thickness of the book, our material selectors have placed this book right where its readers can find it -- in the Easy Reading Nonfiction section of our libraries. (We have 10 branches in our library system.)

More Nonfiction Monday book reviews can be found at In Need of Chocolate blog.
-wendieO

Sunday Funnies -- Crazy Squirrels

We have bird feeders all with squirrel protectors on top.
A lotta good that does. Our squirrels learned long ago (and have passed it down to all their children) how to leap off the tree limb, slide around the squirrel proctors, skoot down the bird feeder head-first, to enjoy the feast there.

Even the square cage of suet isn't exempt. They just slide down the wires holding it.

But the topper was when I caught some squirrels 'flying' over to the bird feeders.
They paced back and forth on the tree limb. Scooted part-way down the tree trunk, then with a mighty leap they managed to reach the bird feeder before falling to the ground. Unfortunate things happened to any poor squirrel who was already on the bird feeder when one of them did this leap-flying trick.
Crash into the feeder!
Smash!
The surprised current occupant fell to the ground, still clutching the sunflower seed he had been chewing on.

Last week my husband bought special squirrel food for them and scattered it on the grass about 10 feet from the bird feeders.
Oh my. What a fuss they made over that.
(Looky -- whole peanuts in the shell.)
One squirrel raced to the pile of food, grabbed one peanut and raced off with it. Then another. and another and another. What a fight, with nasty squirrel chittering, if two of them grabbed the same peanut shell! A tug of war settled the matter.

Have you managed to figure out how to keep squirrels out of your bird feeders?
-wendieO

Nonfiction Monday -- What in the Wild?

What in the Wild? Mysteries of Nature Concealed... and Revealed by David M. Schwartz and Yael Schy. Eye-tricking photos by Dwight Kuhn. Tricycle Press, 2010. Available now.

Here you will find mysteries in nature.
What are they?
What animal made them?
Why?

Intro -- a poem riddle about the photograph on the opposite page. Can you guess what it is? Then lift the photograph to see another photograph under it with the answer, plus informaton about what you have found.

The riddle poems are easy reading. sorta. "We're long and lithe, we wriggle and writhe." is probably a bit difficult for the first reader to understand.

However, it's a good book for an adult to share with a child from age 3 to 8, with surprises on every page. And soon the child will be repeating the silly rhymes, "skittery, scattery, gathery, chattery..." (doesn't that just sound like a squirrel?)

More nonfiction monday links can be found on Shelf Employed's Blog.
-wendieO

TO FLY is featured on Anita Silvey's blog

A lovely surprise for today, November 7th. Anita Silvey is featuring my book, To Fly, the Story of the Wright Brothers on her new blog, Anita Silvey's Children's Book-a-Day Almanac.

(I can't figure you how to create a permalink that will always take you to her blog post about To Fly, so if some other book shows up when you click her link, just work your way backwards until you reach November 7th and POOF, there it will be.)

Wow, she does a beautiful job describing books, doesn't she? I've always loved her books about writers and illustrators and am thrilled she included one of my books on her blog today.
-wendie Old

In the mail

Mailed two more manuscripts out.
Crossing fingers and toes.

Do you remember last year's discussion of the number of pumpkin pies I have to make in November?
Well, that is now a picture book and I've been mailing it out. Someday it might even land on that certain wonderful editor's desk who loves pies and might even like the story.
Crossing fingers and toes.
wo

Signs of an Election

Okay guys.
The election is over and you lost.
Now, please tell your people to remove the multiple signs shouting your name, which they placed every 10 feet for a couple of hundred feet at almost every road crossing on many of the roads I travel to work.
(and probably all over Maryland)

They were annoying before the election and still are annoying.

I hope everyone voted on Tuesday.
I know that I did.
There is no way that I could NOT vote. My grandmother marched with the Suffragettes to earn the vote for women and I wouldn't shame her efforts by not using that privilege.
wo

Halloween

Today is Halloween.
(History, fun facts, and plans for a Halloween party can be found in this book.)
But I degress.

You wouldn't know Halloween had finally arrived if you had been watching the 10-year-old the past few weeks. She's been wearing her costume to various Halloween events for some time now.
A Girl Scout troop Halloween party.
A Halloween party at our UU Meeting House.
Halloween parade at school.
Halloween parade (and fun events) at her friend's community party last evening.
And NOW -- the big event -- going Trick-or-Treating with friends.

What costume did she choose?
She created her own SITH costume. (not Jedi. nope. She's going as young Darth Vader.)

She found her mother's dress riding boots, (those that go up to the knees and have lacing at the ankle)
Her legs either are covered with brown tights or dark jeans, depending on the event. (indoor or out)
Her chest has three layers.
The part that shows is a white longish garment with full sleeves, covered by a brown (her mother's old Air Force) tshirt.
Her face only has a little of the red Sith stripes -- it is, after all, the younger Darth Vader of early Star Wars 3.
And her hair? covered with her red Arial wig.
Why red?
Beats me.

Today she's going to Trick-or-Treat with boys. Every one of them is a geek and will be dressed as some sort of computer game warrior, so she fits right in with them. (yes, several parents will be going along with them.)

What are you -- or your kids -- going to do for Halloween?