Book Review & Giveaway: Ballet Cat

Ballet Cat: Dance! Dance! Underpants!
by Bob Shea
Disney-Hyperion (February 2, 2016)
Audience: Ages 3-6

ABOUT THE BOOKS
The Totally Secret Secret
Ballet Cat and Sparkles the Pony are trying to decide what to play today. Nothing that Sparkles suggests--making crafts, playing checkers, and selling lemonade--goes well with the leaping, spinning, and twirling that Ballet Cat likes to do. When Sparkles's leaps, spins, and twirls seem halfhearted, Ballet Cat asks him what's wrong. Sparkles doesn't want to say. He has a secret that Ballet Cat won't want to hear. What Sparkles doesn't know is that Ballet Cat has a secret of her own, a totally secret secret. Once their secrets are shared, will their friendship end, or be stronger than ever?

Dance! Dance! Underpants!
Ballet Cat is getting her friend Butter Bear ready for her big ballet debut. "Leap, Butter Bear, leap!" Ballet Cat prompts. But Butter Bear would prefer to just point her toe. When Ballet Cat keeps pushing, Butter Bear gets hungry, then thirsty, then sleepy . . . The bottom line is that Butter Bear would rather do almost anything to avoid making a big leap. Why? Because her bottom is covered in silly underpants! This second entry in the Ballet Cat series will have beginning readers rolling on the floor with laughter.

Quick thoughts about the books:
When I first read, Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret!, I smiled.  I read a lot of early readers and I enjoy many but few make me say "wow". Ballet Cat has a totally adorable main character and a collection of friends like Sparkles the Pony and Butter Bear.  Ballet Cat has a bigger than life personality. Her friends learn to negotiate in order to find balance in their friendship.

However, before the resolution of conflict, there is a lot of fun. 

And other entertainnig characters.  If you have not seen Ballet Cat, go find the first book and enjoy it before the second book comes out on February 2nd.

Look for a copy at your local indie bookstore or public library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bob Shea is the author of the first book about Ballet Cat: THE TOTALLY SECRET SECRET, the Dinosaur vs. series, and several other picture books, including DON'T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD and UNICORN THINKS HE'S PRETTY GREAT. He and his wife have their own design studio in Madison, Connecticut

Giveaway:

BALLET CAT COLLECTION prize pack

One (1) winner receives:

·         Copies of TOTALLY SECRET SECRET and DANCE! DANCE! UNDERPANTS

·         Plus a plush BALLET CAT by MerryMakers Inc.

 Giveaway open to US addresses only.
Prizing and samples provided by Disney-Hyperion.

Per FTC disclosure guidelines, samples and prizing are provided by Disney-Hyperion.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: Mock Sibert Group on GoodReads

For the past 3 years, Kid Lit Frenzy has hosted a Mock Sibert as part of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge/Wednesdays meme. Each year the Mock Sibert award has grown from just this blog to including Unleashing Readers co-hosting and then to including There’s A Book for That and then to anyone who wanted to participate.

2016 Sibert Award Winner

2016 Mock Sibert | 2015 Mock Sibert | 2014 Mock Sibert

2015 Sibert Award Winner

This year, Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers proposed to a small group of us the idea of expanding the Mock Sibert to a Book Group on GoodReads.  There are currently groups for a Mock Newbery, and a Mock Caldecott, and a Mock Printz.  We felt it was time for a Mock Sibert group. By starting this, we get to discuss books all year long.  

2014 Sibert Award Winner

Come join us on Goodreads at the Mock Sibert Book Club!

First, go to GROUPS at the top of the Goodreads home page.

Please make sure to answer our new member’s question, and we will approve you to jump into our conversation!

Our plan for the group is for group members to start discussions about any nonfiction books that they feel are 2017 Sibert Award contenders. Then within those discussion boards, we will discuss the books we each “nominate.” At the end of December, we will vote for the books we feel need to be looked at again. We'll then have a FINALISTS discussion board where we look closer at each of the books with an eye specifically towards the Sibert criteria. Following our discussions, we will vote for what we believe will be the finalists. We'll then have a WINNER discussion board where we look again at the books we voted as finalists and discuss who we think will win. About a week before the 2017 ALA Media Awards, with enough time to blog about our winner and finalists, if participants would like, we'll vote for the winner.

Hope you will come join us!

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - 1/25/16

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys.  Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

This week, I will be working through the titles from Audacity Jones and up to Pax. 

This past week, I book talked to a class of third graders and I have several new releases that I promised to finish by Friday of this week so I can pass them on to eager readers. Kids really do get excited about reading when they hear why a teacher is excited to read the book. 

On Saturday morning, I popped into Vroman's Bookstore to check out some new releases and chat with the Children's Staff. I haven't had a chance recently to go in and flip through books but it was a lovely way to spend the morning.

I was also excited to receive in the mail the new Kate DiCamillo book. I spoke with one of the fifth grade teachers I know and she has recruited a few students to be early readers. We will post our thoughts closer to April. 

Here are a few other books that jumped out of the stack this week:

I Hear a Pickle: and Smell, See, Touch, & Taste It, Too! by Rachel Isadora (Nancy Paulsen Books, January 12, 2016)

Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer (Nancy Paulsen Books, February 16, 2016)

Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford; Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (Litte Bee Books, January 5, 2016)

Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian; Illustrated by Mike Curato (Balzer & Bray, January 5, 2016)

If you missed the Blog Tour post for Comics Squad: Lunch, click here. 

Don't miss the release of Apollo: The Brilliant One (Olympians #8) by George O'Connor (First Second Books, January 26, 2016)

To see all of what I am reading, check out my GoodReads page, here. So, what are you reading?

Celebrate This Week: Things I am Thankful For

January has been flying by at the speed of light. Despite the frenetic pace, I have been trying to keep track of the small things that I am thankful for. I have been writing one thing in my Bullet Journal each day to remind me of all that I have to be thankful for.  Some days it seems hard to come up with even one thing, but most days I find that I have two or three things that come easily to mind. I want more of those days. The days that are easier to see all the good. 

One big thing that I am thankful for is the book launch party I was worked on.  Last Saturday night, we celebrated Salina Yoon's newest book - BE A FRIEND - with a special launch party at Vroman's Bookstore. I am incredibly thankful for all of the wonderful, creative women I know and call friends who share a love for books and creating very special book events. (for pictures from the event click here)

From left to right: Bottom: Kate (@irishkatey22), Thuy (@fishgirl182), Alethea (@frootjoos)
top: Danielle (@danistormborn), Jen (@jenapino), Salina Yoon (@salinayoon), Jane (@missjanegov), me, Janelle (@janellealexandr), Behind the camera: Katie (@pocketofgreen) - Missing: Kim L., Katie L. Dornel C. 

Photos from the party courtesy of Katie (@pocketofgreen) - to scroll through the photos click on the one below.

I am also thankful for anytime that I get to book talk books to children. This past week, I talked about the ALA Youth Media Award winners, and shared some upcoming releases that I am excited to read.

The book stack I shared with a class of Third Graders. 

We even put a Schneider Family Book Award medal on their copy of Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. 

One Little Word: 
At the beginning of the month, I was trying to figure out my one little word for the year. I was playing around with the words clarity and courage. However, the more I sat with it and the more I talked with another friend about our one little words, I realized that my word for this year is HOPE. 

Definition of hope from dictionary.com 

I realized that several years ago I lost hope. Lost the hope that things would and could be different. Lost the hope that allows someone to set a goal and move forward. I even realized recently when talking with my friend that I had started saying "I was afraid to hope for ____."  

I am not sure what 2016 has in store for me but I will be looking for hope in small things and big things. 

Thank you to Ruth Ayres for hosting Celebrate This Week and the community that participates in it.  

Comics Squad: Lunch! Blog Tour

Random House Books for Young Readers is excited to spread the news about the upcoming release of the newest Comics Squad book. Check out this post and the other posts in the blog tour while you wait for the book to come out next Tuesday!. 

Comics Squad:Lunch! 
Random House Books for Young Readers (January 26, 2016)
Audience: Ages 7 to 10 years old

About the book: 
Don’t miss COMICS SQUAD: LUNCH! An all-star tribute to classic Sunday comics that includes eight sidesplitting, action-packed stories about every kid’s (and, let’s be honest, every adult’s!) favorite time of the day—lunch!

This book has a dream team of bestselling authors and timeless series, including Jeffrey Brown (Darth Vader and Son and Jedi Academy), Jennifer Holm (three-time Newbery Honor winner and author of Babymouse), Jarrett Krosoczka (two-time Children’s Choice Award winner for Lunch Lady), and The Peanuts, alongwith Cece Bell (Newbery Honor and Eisner Award–winning author of El Deafo), Nathan Hale (Eisner Illustrator of the Year nominee for Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack), Matthew Holm (Eisner Award winner and illustrator of Babymouse), Jason Shiga (author of Meanwhile and Empire State: A Love Story (Or Not)), and Cecil Castelucci and Sara Varon (author and illustrator of Odd Duck).

Do you like laughing till milk comes out of your nose? Look no further than COMICS SQUAD: LUNCH! Lunchtime can be fun, wild, terrifying, yummy, or downright disgusting. And in this second collection of comics, it is definitely hilarious.

COMICS SQUAD: LUNCH! is the second installment of the Comics Squad series. The first book in the series, COMICS SQUAD: RECESS! Quickly garnered acclaim among kids, parents, librarians, and educators, and was praised as “lively, upbeat, and all-around-awesome” in a starred review from Kirkus. Fans of COMICS SQUAD: RECESS will devour COMICS SQUAD: LUNCH!

Check out the official Book Trailer:

My thoughts on the book:

They say a picture is worth 1000 words. I thought I would share my views on the book with a picture. While on winter break, the 9 year old was supposed to be helping me with a winter cleaning.  Here she is reading Comics Squad: Lunch! I had to ration out time for reading or I would never have gotten any work out of her. This book is definitely kid approved.

Look for a copy at your local indie bookstore or public library.

Here is a sneak peak into the book with a panel from Jason Shiga:  

Follow the Comics Squad: Lunch Blog Tour Schedule

January 18: Curling Up With A Good Book, Panel from Cecil Castellucci/Sarah Varon

January 19: As They Grow Up, Panel from Jarrett Krosoczka

January 20: The Reading Nook Reviews, Panel from Cece Bell

January 21: Kid Lit Frenzy, Panel from Jason Shiga

January 22: Word Spelunking, Panel from Nathan Hale

January 23: Mel's Shelves, Panel from Jennifer L. Holm/Matthew Holm

January 24: Imagination Soup, Panel from Jeffrey Brown