Blog Post
The Long, Long Line, by Tomoko Ohmura
by manz
The Long, Long Line is such a charming picture book! Fifty animals line up for an adventure, literally. You’ve got a line that includes a frog, a rabbit, a sloth, a beaver, a hyena, and even a skunk. These fifty impatient critters wait and wait and wait in line. And complain. And get bored. “It stinks,” says one. Another asks “what’s the line for?,” while another furry creature decides to start a word game they can all can play. What are they in line for?! Something giant and fantastic. This cute story features colorful illustrations and a whopper of an ending. It’s a great lap book that teaches the art of waiting.
Blog Post
2013 Young People’s Literature NBA Winner Announced
by K.C.
The Thing About Luck has received the 2013 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.
Twelve-year-old Summer knows that kouun means “good luck” in Japanese, and this year her family has none of it. Just when she thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong, an emergency whisks her parents away to Japan—right before harvest season. Summer and her little brother, Jaz, are left in the care of their grandparents, who come out of retirement in order to harvest wheat and help pay the bills.
The thing about Obaachan and Jiichan is that they are old-fashioned and demanding, and between helping Obaachan cook for the workers, covering for her when her back pain worsens, and worrying about her lonely little brother, Summer just barely has time to notice the attentions of their boss’s cute son. But notice she does, and what begins as a welcome distraction from the hard work soon turns into a mess of its own.
Having thoroughly disappointed her grandmother, Summer figures the bad luck must be finished—but then it gets worse. And when that happens, Summer has to figure out how to change it herself, even if it means further displeasing Obaachan. Because it might be the only way to save her family.
Author Cynthia Kadohata won the 2005 Newbery Medal for the book Kira-Kira, the Jane Addams Peace Award and Pen USA Award winner for Weedflower, Cracker!, Outside Beauty, A Million Shades of Gray, and several critically acclaimed adult novels. She lives with her son and dog in West Covina, California.
Blog Post
Welcome To Mamoko
by manz
Welcome to Mamoko! There is trouble in town! Follow each character through this wordless picture book and discover a new tale on each page. The pages are full of colorful, detailed illustrations of critters and characters in a bustling town, similar to the style of Richard Scarry’s beloved Busytown. The first pages of the book give you clues to some of the characters to follow through Mamoko. If you have a little one that likes to hunt for things on pages of books, this one’s for you! With its large cardboard pages, it’s great for even the youngest of hands.
Blog Post
Take a Picture Book JOURNEY with Aaron Becker
by ryanikoglu
If you love HAROLD And The PURPLE CRAYON and the Imagination... of Crockett Johnson, you will love JOURNEY... in which "a young girl draws a door on her bedroom wall and ..."
In JOURNEY, Becker uses all illustrations, and no text, to tell an enchanting fantastical adventure of sophisticated beauty.
Did you like it? Then try the following links for more artistic adventure:
The Public List called "Thoughtful Picture Books for Kids"
HOW TO by Julie Morstad
ISH by Peter Reynolds
SCRIBBLE by Deborah Freedman
BEACH TAIL by Karen Lynn Williams
You may just need to get out the pens, pencils, markers and crayons after all this inspiration and make your own TALE!
Blog Post
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, by Peter Brown
by manz
Mr. Tiger is bored with being proper. He wants to have more fun. So he decides to go wild, which is just what this suit and tie wearing tiger does! He goes a little bit too wild and ends up confusing his fellow proper animal friends. They tell him he should go to to the wilderness where he belongs! And he does go away, but he gets lonely and misses his city and his friends. When he gets back to town he is so surprised and happy by what he sees.
Peter Brown is a Caldecott Honor illustrator and the images in Mr. Tiger Goes Wild were made with India ink, watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper, then digitally composited and colored. They are simply amazing in this picture book.
The book was recently listed on Publishers Weekly's Best Picture Books of 2013.
Blog Post
National Homemade Bread Day is November 17th!
by eapearce
I was surprised to learn that on November 17th, in two weeks, we get to celebrate National Homemade Bread Day! This special day is a great excuse to learn about baking bread, discover information about its history, and experience the many delicious breads that the local bakeries in Ann Arbor have to offer.
The AADL has tons of great books to help you create delicious homebaked breads in your own kitchen. Check out The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking and Flour Water Salt Yeast: the Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza for tips on how to get started. We also have Gluten-free and Vegan Bread: Artisanal Recipes to Make at Home and many other vegan and gluten-free oriented bread and baking books for those who have dietary restrictions. Beard on Bread has been a favorite of bread bakers since the 1970s and has more than 100 recipes in it, along with illustrations that kids (and adults!) may enjoy.
Of course, “homemade” doesn’t have to mean made in your own home. National Homemade Bread Day can be celebrated with other people’s homemade bread too! Try out Jefferson Market and Cakery for some delectable baked goods and swing by Angelo’s for a slice of their thick homemade raisin bread along with your brunch.
Enjoy your homemade feasting!
Blog Post
Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus
by manz
Pete the Cat is one groovy cat, and he and his picture books are popular among the preschool crowd. Sure, he loves his white shoes. But he also rocks in his school shoes, saves Christmas, has four buttons, and sports a pair of magic sunglasses. Did you know he is also a bus driver and is into Thanksgiving? Yes, this Pete the Cat is into everything.
Some of the new books, including the beginning reader books, are nice to read if you want to read more books about Pete, but they don’t really compare to the original Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes. But no fear, it’s all good.
What is your favorite Pete book?! Here’s a handy list to see if you've missed any.
Blog Post
Too Tall Houses, by Gianna Marino
by manz
Too Tall Houses is a beautiful new picture book by Gianna Marino. In the story, Rabbit and Owl live in two small houses on top of a hill. They were good neighbors and friends… until Rabbit’s garden got too tall and Owl couldn’t’ see the forest. So Owl decided to build his house taller, which blocked the sun from reaching rabbit’s garden. Oh my! These two friends have found themselves in a pickle of a house mess. Will they stop competing to make the tallest house and make up and enjoy being neighbors again? Check out this beautifully illustrated picture book to see how it all ends.
Blog Post
Harold Finds A Voice
by manz
The picture book Harold Finds A Voice is a fantastic debut by author and illustrator Courtney Dicmas. This delightful, sweet and funny story features a parrot named Harold who lives in Paris. Harold could hear just about any sound and mimic it perfectly. He was good at making the alarm clock sound – RING RING! And the washing machine sound – WHOOSH WHOOSH! And even the toilet flushing – FLUSSSSHH! But he was tired of the same old sounds. He longed to find out what other noises were out in the world, and one day he ventured off to explore. Oh! What he did find out there! Read this beautifully illustrated picture book to find out what sounds Harold discovered and what sound he claimed as his own. It’s a great lap book and children will enjoy making the sounds along with Harold.
Blog Post
Happy Polish American Heritage Month!
by eapearce
Cześć!
Celebrate Polish American Heritage Month (ongoing throughout October) at the AADL! This annual event was first started in 1981 and celebrates Polish history, culture and pride, as well as the many achievements of Polish Americans. Whether or not you have Polish heritage, participating in Polish American Heritage Month is fun and easy. Listen to traditional Polish fiddle music by the Karol Stoch Band and try your hand at some Polish recipes. Kids may enjoy hearing ancient Polish fables and folktales read aloud to them, too.
The library also has many books written in Polish in our World section, as well as books and CDs to help you learn and master the Polish language, whether you are an interested beginner or an out-of-practice native speaker. Try Colloquial Polish: the complete course for beginners, or Mastering Polish with 2 audio CDs, which also comes with a Polish-English dictionary.
For information about Polish history in Michigan, read about the first Polish people to settle in Detroit in Detroit’s Polenia, by Cecile Wendt Jensen. You can also learn about the contributions Polish people have made to Michigan culture and about the attraction that many Polish people feel to our state in Poles in Michigan, by Dennis Badaczewski.
Happy Polish American Heritage Month, and Miłego dnia!