If you live in the Los Angeles area and haven't made a trip downtown to The Last Bookstore, you must, especially if you call yourself a book lover.
I love this counter where you pay for your purchases. Yes, it is made from books.
The second floor of The Last Bookstore is called the Labyrinth. I loved the book window, and the arch made from books, and the small rooms filled with books.
There are also other great features that decorate the space. Everywhere you turn, there seemed to be something else to look at.
I took the two pictures (above) from the second floor looking down onto the main level.
Some great wall art/collages.
Everywhere you look there are books, some are shelved by author's last name, others by color, and even more just find their way onto any shelf. It is truly a magical place. The books upstairs in the Labyrinth cost $1 - and there are signs to grab a box and fill it up. On the main floor, books range in price from $2/book to full price for new books. And there is definitely something for everyone.
I visited The Last Bookstore with my book club. We found a corner to hang out in and discussed Three Times Lucky and ate peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and drank Mountain Dew and Coca-Cola. A good time was definitely had by all.
In April, I did a review of Brian Biggs' Everything Goes On Land. I likened Biggs to a modern day Richard Scarry. And similar to Scarry, Biggs has expanded formats for his Everything Goes series. In addition to the oversized picture books, you can now get the great images and work of Brian Biggs in a board book format for the toddler set. There are also several I Can Read books that are based on Biggs' Everything Goes.
If you are looking for gifts this holiday season for young readers with a penchant for books that feature vehicles and various forms of transportation, here you go.
Everything Goes - Stop! Go!
Balzer & Bray/Harper Collins (December 26, 2012) - Ages: 2 to 4 years Format: Board Book
Everything Goes Henry Goes Skating
Balzer & Bray/Harper Collins (August 21, 2012) Format: Early Reader Author: B.B. Bourne (Based on the Everything Goes Books by Brian Biggs) Illustrator: Simon Abbott (in the style of Brian Biggs) Independent Reading Level: 1st & 2nd Grade Read Aloud Level: Kinder to 2nd grade
Everything Goes In the Air
Balzer & Bray/Harper Collins (September 11, 2012) - Ages: 4 to 7 years old Format: Oversized Picture Book
Look for books by Brian Biggs at your local library or bookstore. Don't forget to shop at an Independent Bookstore when possible.
Thank you to Harper Collins for sharing these books with me. I can't wait to share them with teachers and librarians that I work with, and I know a few beginning readers who are going to particularly enjoy the Early Reader series.
Author: Dashka Slater Illustrator: Valeria Docampo Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers (September 13, 2012) Source: Copy for Review Audience: Ages 4 to 7 years Fiction * Princesses * Gardens
Description from GoodReads: Not all princesses are made of sugar and spice--some are made of funnier, fiercer stuff.
Princess
Amanita laughs in the face of danger. Brakeless bicycles, pet
scorpions, spiky plants--that's her thing. So when quiet Prince Florian
gives her roses, Amanita is unimpressed . . . until she sees their
glorious thorns! Now she must have rose seeds of her own. But when huge, honking noses grow instead, what is a princess with a taste for danger to do?
For
readers seeking a princess with pluck comes an independent heroine who
tackles obstacles with a bouquet of sniffling noses. At once lovely and
delightfully absurd, here's a story to show how elastic ideas of beauty
and princesses can be.
My thoughts on this book: Since my schedule is busy and I often have a stack of books to read, I have found myself being more selective of books I accept for review. When Dashka Slater contacted me about reviewing Dangerously Ever After, I didn't hesitate to accept.I had read this book when it came out and liked it. During my first read, I remember liking the whole twist on the princess and prince and happily ever after concept. Additionally, it made me laugh.
Of course, I wondered about how it would stand up to a second more closer read. I am happy to report that I still enjoyed this one. It still made me chuckle in places, and even though I knew what was coming, I still loved the twist at the end.
Slater has created a story that simply works on many levels which I suspect was not as easy as it would seem. I can imagine that there would be a temptation to take the parody of princess fairy tales to an extreme. However, I never felt this as I read through the story. Instead I was struck by her choice of words and the injection of just the right amount of humor.
I love this line when Prince Florian meets Princess Amanita:
"His name was Florian and he was out looking for a dragon to slay, or a knight to challenge -- or at least someone his own age to talk to."
Or this great exchange when Florian returns with roses and an apology:
"But what do they do?"
Prince Florian was puzzled. "Do?"
"Are their leaves as sharp as razors?" Amanita prompted. "Do they stink worse than a giant's armpit? Do they climb up the roof and pull off the shingles?"
"They...uh...smell nice." Prince Florian answered at last. "And they're...pretty."
"Oh," said the princess, and rolled her eyes.
Even if I didn't have the illustrations while reading this section, the text provides the visuals needed to imagine exactly how the exchange happened between the two characters.
There is a strength in a picture book when the text can convey significant meaning even without the illustrations. However, when outstanding text is then paired up with an illustrator who gets the the underlying meaning and emotions of the words, there is a move from good to great. Slater's text finds its perfect mate in Docampo's illustrations. Docampo's brightly colored whimsical illustrations are just as quirky and odd as Slater's imagination. From the start, readers are met with Amanita's scorpion-tail hair style and metal hoop skirt worn over her skirts. The facial expressions of all the characters also convey an added dimension of emotion.
Whether you are a fan of princesses and happy ever after endings or prefer your princess stories with a tad-bit more edge, Dangerously Ever After should be a good match for both audiences.
For those who have been participating in the Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge 2012 (Twitter:
#nfpb2012), we have entered our last month of the challenge. For the next several weeks, I am going to share a few books at a time. There are just too many good ones to leave any out.
Here is what I found and read this week:
Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by Robert Byrd (Dial, September 2012) - Electric Ben sports psychedelic cover art and is packed with significant details and information about Ben Franklin. Despite the picture book format, this is a book geared for 5th to 8th graders. Readers can read this book several times and get something new with each reading. Pictures, sayings, and embedded textbooks and captions provide learners with a significant amount of material. Though the book is not what I would consider conducive to a read aloud, it will provide the right student readers with great background information on Ben Franklin. My only concern with a book like this is that it will be overlooked by teachers of older students due to the format, and yet it is the format which makes this one very unique biography.
It Jes' Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw by Don Tate; Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (Lee & Low Books, April 2012) - I knew little about Bill Traylor, son of slaves, share cropper, and eventually an artist. In It Jes' Happened, readers learn about the life of Bill Traylor and how he began to draw with whatever he had on whatever material was around. Traylor's life was not an easy one and he even spent some of his older years homeless. With the support of Charles Shannon, Traylor received additional material and support to draw. However, it wasn't until years after Traylor's death that he received greater recognition for his work.
This biographical picture book would work well with 2nd to 4th grade readers and tie in with units on African American History.
The Poppy Lady: Moina Belle Michael and Her Tribute to Veterans by Barbara Elizabeth Walsh; Paintings by Layne Johnson (Calkins Creek Books, September 2012)- This may have been one of my favorite biographical picture books of the week. I knew about the symbol of the red poppy for veterans but knew little of the history or how it began. In The Poppy Lady, readers learn about the passion and dedication of Moina Belle Michael as she focused her work on supporting soldiers and veterans and their families. The paintings by Layne Johnson are gorgeous. The proceeds of the book will benefit the National Military Family Association's Operation Purple. Read Aloud Level: 2nd to 4th grade Independent Reading Level: 3rd to 5th grade. I would love to see this one in more classroom and school libraries.
Look for each of these books at your local bookstore or public library. Don't forget to buy from an Independent Bookstore whenever possible.
I thought that over the year I had found a lot of the poetry published for children. When the Nerdy Award Nominations were released I discovered a few that I hadn't read. Here they are...
National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems with Photographs that Squeak, Soar, and Roar by J. Patrick Lewis (compilation) -One of the things that I love about National Geographic is the incredible photos. And this compilation is no exception. Gorgeous photos of wildlife paired with some outstanding poetry. If you can only give one book of poetry to a teacher, I would suggest this one. The end notes and resources and poetry tips definitely move this to the top.
Edgar Allan Poe's Pie: Math Puzzlers in Classic Poems by J. Patrick Lewis and Michael Slack - I am still amazed that there is a poetry book that blends poems/puzzlers and math. Definitely can't wait to share this one with my teacher friends.
Poem Runs: Baseball Poems by Douglas Florian- I am quickly becoming a fan of Florian. I loved UnBEElievables: Honeybee Poems and Paintings which also made the Nerdy list this year. This fun and creative book of poetry celebrates baseball. Another must add to the list of poetry books for the classroom.
So what poetry books on the Nerdy list did you love the best?
