Sara Grajek
Rowan Public Library – Library Notes
April 20, 2010
I noticed just the other day that the number one book on Amazon’s top 100 list for Teens was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This made me stop and think for a moment about whether teens were reading this for fun, or for homework. I quickly decided that as long as books were being read, it didn’t really matter and moved on to thinking about some of the great spin-offs that have come from Miss Austen’s classic novel as well as many of the other types of retellings. Granted, some kids will need little convincing to read the original versions of the classics, but for others, these titles may be the stepping stone to get them there.
Shannon Hale is a popular young author of young adult books with many fairy tale retellings to her name. She has now crossed over to write an adult Jane Austen retelling, Austenland. Although generally categorized as chick-lit, this novel has definite cross-over appeal to older teen readers who are interested in all things Austen. The main character, Jane, inherits a trip to a resort in Pembrook Park (located in Kent, England) where all visitors dress, and act and eat as if they were in Jane Austen’s England. Although she is determined to put her Austen obsession behind her after this vacation, Jane finds herself in the middle of a romance suitable for one of Austen’s novels.
Even movies have been caught up in Jane Austen’s world and Lost in Austen is one example of this. Amanda Price longs for the romance of Jane Austen’s world and is tired of her modern life. One day, she discovers a secret passageway in her bathroom that leads directly to the Bennett’s home, and Amanda and Elizabeth Bennett accidentally trade worlds. Amanda disrupts the plot of Pride and Prejudice by creating new marriages and Mr. Darcy even falls in love with her. Meanwhile, in present day, Elizabeth gets a job and discovers the internet. Will Elizabeth ever find her way back to Mr. Darcy and all will be right in the world of Austen? You’ll have stop by the library and get the movie to find out.
In Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors, Mimi Wallingford has the starring role in her family’s production of Romeo and Juliet on Broadway. There’s only one problem. She would do just about anything to get away from her family and their acting company. In a parallel universe, in Shakespeare’s time, Juliet Verona is being forced into a marriage with someone she doesn’t love, and would do almost anything to avoid her betrothed. When Mimi gets her wish to escape and is transported back in time with her hunky co-star Tony, she meets the real Juliet and starts to believe Shakespeare’s original ending may not be the best for everyone involved.
Some authors are well-known for their work with retellings and simply have too many titles to list. Donna Jo Napoli has close to ten titles that center around fairy tales. Featuring stories such as Beauty and the Beast, The Pied Piper of Hamlin, and Rumpelstiltskin, Napoli’s writings weave stories from points of view and settings far removed from the originals. Robin McKinley has also written several retellings, favoring the Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty tales. With the current popularity of retellings, chances are one of your favorite authors may have written one. Check for one at Rowan Public Library today!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Library Notes/April 15, 2010
Dara L. Cain
Stomp into a First-Rate Children’s Book
Boys and girls alike are fascinated with dinosaurs. There is just something intriguing about the prehistoric animals that roamed the earth millions of years ago. Mentioned below are some notable dinosaur books that are sure to captivate any child’s attention and are available at the Rowan Public Library.
Ten Terrible Dinosaurs by Paul Stickland is a fun and educational dinosaur counting book for young children. Count back from ten to one as the silly dinosaurs in the story stomp, play, swing, and dance until at long last only one slumberous dinosaur remains. Children will be so taken with the colorful dinosaurs and their mischievous ways that they may not even realize they are learning subtraction.
While purchasing donuts at the store a young boy’s dreams come true when he learns that today only every store is giving away a real dinosaur with each purchase. Things couldn’t be more perfect until the young boy realizes that he must come up with an innovative way to convince his mother to let him keep his new dinosaur friends in the picture book When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach.
Jamie and his friend Tom discover a cave that transports them into a prehistoric world filled with dinosaurs in the book Attack of the Tyrannosaurus. Join them in this action pact story and they encounter a friendly wannanosaurus to the frightful Tyrannosaurus Rex who can’t wait to devour the two young boys. To learn of their daring escape and to experience more adventures with Jamie and Tom be sure to read the chapter books in the Dinosaur Cove series by Rex Stone.
If your child loves getting their hands on factual information about dinosaurs here are some great titles that won’t disappoint. Dinosaur Days is an easy reader book by Joyce Milton. This book provides a simple introduction to specific dinosaurs including the popular Ankylosaurus, Brontosaurus, and Stegosaurus. What makes this book accessible to children is the large type font, the phonetic pronunciation of the dinosaurs, and the large illustrations that accompany the text.
After reading Dinosaurs! by Gail Gibbons children will be familiar with the amazing theories surrounding dinosaur extinction, their unique characteristics, and their diverse habitats. They will also learn about the helpful clues that dinosaur fossils have provided to paleontologists about dinosaur eggs, nests, their babies, what they ate and much more.
Sure to be an eye catcher is the book Extreme Dinosaurs written by Robert Mash with the yellow glass dinosaur eye embedded in its cover. This appealing book doesn’t stop there as children will be immersed in this colorful and interactive book with its pull-tabs, flaps, and foldouts full of detailed information. A dinosaur quiz is also provided towards the end of the book to test your knowledge.
Dara L. Cain
Stomp into a First-Rate Children’s Book
Boys and girls alike are fascinated with dinosaurs. There is just something intriguing about the prehistoric animals that roamed the earth millions of years ago. Mentioned below are some notable dinosaur books that are sure to captivate any child’s attention and are available at the Rowan Public Library.
Ten Terrible Dinosaurs by Paul Stickland is a fun and educational dinosaur counting book for young children. Count back from ten to one as the silly dinosaurs in the story stomp, play, swing, and dance until at long last only one slumberous dinosaur remains. Children will be so taken with the colorful dinosaurs and their mischievous ways that they may not even realize they are learning subtraction.
While purchasing donuts at the store a young boy’s dreams come true when he learns that today only every store is giving away a real dinosaur with each purchase. Things couldn’t be more perfect until the young boy realizes that he must come up with an innovative way to convince his mother to let him keep his new dinosaur friends in the picture book When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach.
Jamie and his friend Tom discover a cave that transports them into a prehistoric world filled with dinosaurs in the book Attack of the Tyrannosaurus. Join them in this action pact story and they encounter a friendly wannanosaurus to the frightful Tyrannosaurus Rex who can’t wait to devour the two young boys. To learn of their daring escape and to experience more adventures with Jamie and Tom be sure to read the chapter books in the Dinosaur Cove series by Rex Stone.
If your child loves getting their hands on factual information about dinosaurs here are some great titles that won’t disappoint. Dinosaur Days is an easy reader book by Joyce Milton. This book provides a simple introduction to specific dinosaurs including the popular Ankylosaurus, Brontosaurus, and Stegosaurus. What makes this book accessible to children is the large type font, the phonetic pronunciation of the dinosaurs, and the large illustrations that accompany the text.
After reading Dinosaurs! by Gail Gibbons children will be familiar with the amazing theories surrounding dinosaur extinction, their unique characteristics, and their diverse habitats. They will also learn about the helpful clues that dinosaur fossils have provided to paleontologists about dinosaur eggs, nests, their babies, what they ate and much more.
Sure to be an eye catcher is the book Extreme Dinosaurs written by Robert Mash with the yellow glass dinosaur eye embedded in its cover. This appealing book doesn’t stop there as children will be immersed in this colorful and interactive book with its pull-tabs, flaps, and foldouts full of detailed information. A dinosaur quiz is also provided towards the end of the book to test your knowledge.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Library Notes
Erika Kosin
Poetry can be entertaining and educational for children
April has been hailed as National Poetry month since 1996 and as many celebrate poetry’s place in literature lets take a look at the types of poetry that are meant for children. Children are exposed to the rhythms and rhymes of the English Language early on in the form of Nursery Rhymes. Children are drawn to the beat and the silliness these rhymes have to offer and the lyrical nature of these rhymes help them develop the language skills necessary to succeed in school. From the silly and nonsensical stylings of Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends and Falling Up to the introduction of Shakespeare and the rhythms of his prose, poetry offers the opportunity for children of all ages to increase their vocabulary through words not regularly heard by the child being used to make a rhyme. While many poems may be above the child’s comprehension level, reading poems with them may help develop language skills through the rhythm of the words and there are poetry books available for every age, level and taste. Here are some poetry books that may speak to children and their parents.
Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein – while most adults may be aware of other poetry books by this author, many may not know of this little gem. This book is a collection of poems that moves consonants around under the pretence that animals use language differently then humans. Not only are the poems amusing but children may like the challenge of figuring out how the words have been changed.
Awful Ogre’s Awful Day by Jack Prelutsky – A series of poems that make up a day in the life of the awful Ogre, each describing a different aspect of his day. Since some of the entries are on the gross and silly side, this collection of poems has great boy appeal. It also contains humorous illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky.
Poetry for Young People: Maya Angelou edited by Edwin Graves Wilson, PH.D – This collection of Maya Angelou’s famous poems, serves as a rewarding introduction to the more serious side of poetry. It contains a brief biography of the poet’s life, a brief explanation of each poem, and definitions of the words used that may be unfamiliar to children. A great way to introduce children to poetry of a more serious nature.
Poetry Speaks to Children edited by Elise Paschen – This collection of poems with child appeal includes poems from famous poets such as Emily Dickinson, William Shakespeare, Robert Frost, and Langston Hughes as well as a poetic excerpt from the book The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. The poems in this collection range from serious to silly making this book a great introduction to many great poets. As an added bonus this book includes an accompanying CD containing tracks of some of the poems with quite a few being read by the poet themselves.
Erika Kosin
Poetry can be entertaining and educational for children
April has been hailed as National Poetry month since 1996 and as many celebrate poetry’s place in literature lets take a look at the types of poetry that are meant for children. Children are exposed to the rhythms and rhymes of the English Language early on in the form of Nursery Rhymes. Children are drawn to the beat and the silliness these rhymes have to offer and the lyrical nature of these rhymes help them develop the language skills necessary to succeed in school. From the silly and nonsensical stylings of Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends and Falling Up to the introduction of Shakespeare and the rhythms of his prose, poetry offers the opportunity for children of all ages to increase their vocabulary through words not regularly heard by the child being used to make a rhyme. While many poems may be above the child’s comprehension level, reading poems with them may help develop language skills through the rhythm of the words and there are poetry books available for every age, level and taste. Here are some poetry books that may speak to children and their parents.
Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein – while most adults may be aware of other poetry books by this author, many may not know of this little gem. This book is a collection of poems that moves consonants around under the pretence that animals use language differently then humans. Not only are the poems amusing but children may like the challenge of figuring out how the words have been changed.
Awful Ogre’s Awful Day by Jack Prelutsky – A series of poems that make up a day in the life of the awful Ogre, each describing a different aspect of his day. Since some of the entries are on the gross and silly side, this collection of poems has great boy appeal. It also contains humorous illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky.
Poetry for Young People: Maya Angelou edited by Edwin Graves Wilson, PH.D – This collection of Maya Angelou’s famous poems, serves as a rewarding introduction to the more serious side of poetry. It contains a brief biography of the poet’s life, a brief explanation of each poem, and definitions of the words used that may be unfamiliar to children. A great way to introduce children to poetry of a more serious nature.
Poetry Speaks to Children edited by Elise Paschen – This collection of poems with child appeal includes poems from famous poets such as Emily Dickinson, William Shakespeare, Robert Frost, and Langston Hughes as well as a poetic excerpt from the book The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. The poems in this collection range from serious to silly making this book a great introduction to many great poets. As an added bonus this book includes an accompanying CD containing tracks of some of the poems with quite a few being read by the poet themselves.
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