The Little Crooked Bookshelf

I KNOW AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A DREIDEL
by Caryn Yacowitz
illustrated by David Slonim
(Arthur A. Levine Books 2014)

This week's pick is from Cottager Anika Denise.

What it's all about ...
A raucous take on the beloved folk song; in this rendition: Bubbe swallows an errant Chanukah dreidel… and hilarity ensues.

Why it's on The Little Crooked Bookshelf …
In the pantheon of Chanukah books, many (lovely ones) focus more solemnly and reverently on the holiday's history and beloved traditions. This is not that book. It's a funny, silly, irreverent read-aloud, which just so happens to pack in a heap of traditional Chanukah trappings too. Further adding to the zany appeal, is illustrator Slonim's nod to iconic works of art on each spread—such as Edvard Much's The Scream, Warhol's Soup Cans, and Andrew Wyeth's Christina's World, to name just a few.

My favorite lines …
"I know an old lady who swallowed a dreidel,
A Chanukah dreidel she thought was a bagel. . . .
Perhaps it's fatal."


My favorite illustration…

Why kids will love it ...
It's a super funny book. And young readers interested in art history will appreciate identifying the famous works of art parodied in its pages.


Why grown-ups will love it …
Ideal for one-on-one reading, or holiday story times, this modern classic is sure to please, with gags for grown ups and kiddos alike.

The Little Crooked Bookshelf

PLEASE MR. PANDA

by Steve Antony 

This week's pick is from Cottager Jamie Michalak.

What it's all about... 

Mr. Panda is not amused. He asks the animals he comes across if they would like a doughnut. A penguin, a skunk, and a whale all say yes, but Mr. Panda tells them . . . no. Is anyone worthy of Mr. Panda's doughnuts?

Why it's on the Little Crooked Bookshelf...
Because we're wishing we wrote it. This one is a winner! Antony's story about manners is incredibly clever and dryly humorous. (Think I Want My Hat Back.)

Our favorite lines... 

"No, you cannot have a doughnut. I have changed my mind."

Check out the trailer...

Why kids will love it...  
The simple storyline will instantly hook little ones: Why won't Mr. Panda give anyone his doughnuts? The reason is as satisfying as a freshly baked cruller.

Why grown-ups will love it... 
Antony delivers a lesson in manners without being preachy. The spare text and Mr. Panda's hilarious delivery will make this one a popular go-to read-aloud.

The Little Crooked Bookshelf

A SNICKER OF MAGIC
by Natalie Lloyd

This week's pick is from Cottager Anika Denise

What it's all about…
Twelve-year-old Felicity Pickle arrives in Midnight Gulch, Tennessee, to discover all the magic "has gone up out of this place," driven away by a mysterious curse. Felicity's a girl with a little magic of her own. She's a "word collector," who can see words hover in the air around people and places. She wants more than anything to convince her nomadic mother to allow them to put down roots, and Midnight Gulch is the first place she sees the word "home." But first, she must unravel the mystery of the missing magic, breaking the spell that's been cast over the town . . . and her mother's broken heart.

Why it's on The Little Crooked Bookshelf...
First of all … a word collector! A little girl who sees words shimmering in the air is poetic and lovely, and particularly appealing to those of us who spin them for a living. We especially love the words Felicity spins from her own imagination: spindiddly, factofabulous, clutzerdoodle.

Our favorite lines...
"I didn't say another word to Mama that night, but I could feel something good even then: the YES in my heart, the swirling-around my belly, the prickly tingling all the way from the freckle on my finger to the tip of my pinky toe. That much wonderful could only mean one thing:

There was still magic in Midnight Gulch.

This is how I turned it loose. . ."

Why kids will love it...
Don't you? After reading those lines? There's a magical town, an ice cream factory, a word-collecting girl, a secret magical someone called "the Beedle," a mystery to be solved, the loneliness of being twelve, and Lloyd's delicious prose. Need we say more?

Why grown-ups will love it...
This is one to savor and read aloud tucked into bed at night with your kids. Natalie Lloyd is clearly a word collector. . . and all of her words are magical.

The Little Crooked Bookshelf

Hi, Koo! A Year of Seasons
by Jon J. Muth


What it's all about . . .
A little panda bear, Koo, takes readers on a journey through the four seasons with twenty-six haikus.

Why it's on the Little Crooked Bookshelf . . .
April is National Poetry Month, so we're pulling our favorite poetry books for children off the shelf all month long. Along with the rest of the world, we're huge fans of Jon Muth's books--and his latest is no exception. We like that Muth takes liberties with form--occasionally breaking from the five-seven-five syllable structure--but not with the spirit of traditional Japanese Haiku, which focuses on the natural world and our relation to it. As Muth says in the Author's Note, "haiku is like an instant captured in words--using sensory images. At its best, a haiku embodies a moment of emotion that reminds us that our own human nature is not separate from all of nature." Muth also adds the fun layer of an alphabetical path through the book in the capitalized words of each haiku.

Our favorite lines. . .
flashlights

sparkle in Puddles

shadows climbing trees

Quiet and still

long enough

for birds to make nests?

Our favorite illustration. . . 

Illustration Copyright 2014,  Jon J Muth; courtesy of Scholastic

Why kids will love it . . .
Kids just seem to be fascinated with haiku. Perhaps the short, simple nature of the form squares nicely with a child's view of the world. Perhaps its because they, too, can write lovely and creative haikus just by observing and putting moments down on paper. In Muth's collection, he displays both the elegance and the whimsy of the art form. Paired with the lovable panda, Koo, and Muth's dreamy delicate watercolors, the book is hard to resist.

Why grown-ups will love it . . .
Hi, Koo! is a lovely book to read to a child. Simple, quiet and satisfying.