Jul
17
McClatchy-Tribune
A classic children’s story meets contemporary home design in “The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale,” by Steven Guarnaccia (Abrams, $18.95).
So which house will withstand the big bad wolf’s huffing and puffing? Will it be Frank Gehry’s house made of scraps (1978)? Or Philip Johnson’s Glass House (1949)? Or Frank Lloyd Wright’s concrete Fallingwater (1935)?
The book is like Modern Design 101 with furniture, accessories and other famous houses throughout by the likes of Eileen Gray, Buckminster Fuller, Eero Saarinen, Nathalie Du Pasquier and Philippe Starck.
My toddler sons appreciated the story and pictures. I was attracted to the architectural history.
Guarnaccia is chairman of...
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Jul
16
By Amy Kossoff Smith, The Business of Motherhood
Summer is here … great opportunity to squeeze in some extra reading time. As you know, I’m a huge proponent of “continuing education” for moms, and reading great parenting books is a great thing to add to your list. Here are some of my favorites that I discovered in recent months.
“Honey I Wrecked the Kids” — I met this author, Alyson Schafer, and heard her speak I was holding my stomach from laughing so hard. She writes about parenting in a systematic, easy to implement way, with TONS of humor along the way. She identifies the “4 C’s” basically, the key things a kid needs and will get even if it means getting your attention in a bad way. She...
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Jul
11
“Trouble in Troublesome Creek”
by Nancy Kelly Allen, illustrated by K. Michael Crawford
c.2010, Red Rock Press
$16.95 / $19.95 Canada
32 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer, Philadelphia Tribune contributor
Where is your favorite place to play?
Maybe you have a playhouse out in the back yard, or a secret spot where adults are not so welcome. Perhaps there’s a basketball court or set of swings that you’d visit every day if you could. Or maybe you like your room best, or a certain spot on the sofa.
No matter where it is, nobody better mess with your spot.
In the new book “Trouble in Troublesome Creek” by Nancy Kelly Allen, illustrated by K. Michael Crawford, somebody was killing fish in the Gang’s best summertime play spot, and James and his friends needed to make it stop.
Every day during summer vacation, James and his friends Liz, Dean, Sallie, and Carolyn went to Troublesome Creek to ride on the ooh-ah rope that swung over the creek and to splash in the icy cool water. Troublesome Creek was their favorite place to play.
But one morning — eeeuuuwww — the creek was full of dead fish. Gross. Who could have done such an awful thing?
Aunt Pearl, who always seemed to be gardening nearby, said it was a mystery. So did every other adult in town, when the Gang went around asking.
Since it wasn’t a good idea to swim in a creek filled with icky dead fish, James decided one day to take a dry ride on the ooh-ah rope. He swung out and yelled “Ooooooohhh!” and let go. The gang hollered, “Ahhhhh” as he landed on the other side of the creek and right near a big pile of rocks. The rocks spilled into the creek and as they did, James spotted an old cave.
He peeked inside. And after Carolyn found a flashlight, the kids entered …
Eeeeeeuuuuwww, the cave was filled with bats, and they flew all around and sent shivers down James’ spine. But there was something else in the cave that interested the Gang very much: nearly covering the floor of the cave were hundreds of strange old metal rocks. The kids took some of the rocks to the Troublesome Creek Museum, where they learned an amazing, historical surprise that solved the mystery and made their summer even better.
Got a kid who loves the season? Of course you do, and that kid is going to love this perfect summertime book, too.
Author Nancy Kelly Allen’s words and the colorful drawings by K. Michael Crawford both evoke a wonderful, carefree time when kids could wander freely, and a swimmin’ hole and a strong rope swinging over the water were all they needed to enjoy a perfectly gorgeous day. With that in mind, a lot of grown-ups will be awfully nostalgic when reading this book aloud or just for a look-see, even though “Trouble in Troublesome Creek” is very definitely a book for 6- to 9-year-olds.
If your child believes that summer vacation isn’t long enough and the school year comes too soon, then having this book on your shelf can extend the season. For them, the fun in “Trouble in Troublesome Creek” is spot-on.
Contact Terri Schlichenmeyer at bookwormsez@yahoo.com.
Jul
08
“Poop Happened!” by Sarah Albee
c.2010, Walker Books
$15.99 / $20.00 Canada
170 pages, includes index
By Terri Schlichenmeyer, Philadelphia Tribune contributor
School hasn’t been out for long and already, you’re running out of things to do.
On the last day of classes, you had a list in your head of fun ideas but — and don’t let Mom hear you say this — you’re bored by now. You’re so bored, you’ve been paging through Dad’s old history books.
And while looking through those books, you begin to wonder what life was really like long ago. Those guys wearing heavy armor, for instance – how did they go to the bathroom? If people didn’t have bathrooms, what did they do with their doo-doo? Learn the answer to that, and other yucky questions in the new book “Poop Happened!” by Sarah Albee.
Humans have eliminated since the beginning of time, of course, but they didn’t write about it until kind of recently. We know that the Harrapans built the first sewer systems five thousand years ago in Pakistan. Ancient Romans had large open restrooms where merchants could conduct business while they were takin’ care of business. Medieval servants tossed potty contents out the window to the ground or into a moat. In Henry VIII’s time, waste went straight into a river.
And that was a big, messy problem. Because most people didn’t care much about where their waste went, it usually went into water sources, which became contaminated. People drank, washed, and bathed in the icky water, which made them sick - sometimes to death. To make matters worse, disease-carrying bugs loved people who were smelly and unhygienic.
People tried everything: just three hundred years ago, if you needed work and your nose wasn’t good, you could be a night-soil man whose job was to clean cesspools every night. Everyday furniture with hidden trap doors became popular. But over time, humans learned and by 1776, inventors were going with the right flow.
Still, things weren’t perfect. For decades, water closets (early toilets) were mostly found in upper-class homes, while poor folks continued to use rivers and pits as potties. The White House has only had running water for about 150 years. Even your grandma might have used an outhouse as a kid, since just half of U.S. houses had indoor plumbing in the 1930s.
Ain’t that the pits?
Does your child have a number-one interest in the history of going Number Two? Then “Poop Happened!” will satisfy his inquisitive mind in three different ways.
Without descending into coy, cutesy language, author Sarah Albee presents delightfully icky information to her audience in a way that will make them laugh as they learn, but that won’t shock adults who read it. And read it you will, because Albee’s childlike interest in little-known (but interesting) history is contagious for both you and your child. Add in a heavy dose of the Eeeeuuuuw Factor, and you know this is a book that curious kids (and adults) will love.
If your 9- to 14-year-old wants something unusual to read this summer, “Poop Happened!” just happens to be a good choice. Anything less would be flushing his summer away.
Contact Terri Schlichenmeyer at bookwormsez@yahoo.com.
Jul
02
By Kristin Mears, McClatchy Newspapers
Brown Rabbit in the City
By Natalie Russell
Viking, $16.99, ages 3 & up
What it’s about: Brown Rabbit travels to the city to see his friend Little Rabbit. These two friends take a busy stroll to many exciting places, such as a cafe, an art gallery, shops and parties. After an eventful day, Brown Rabbit realizes that the only thing he really wants to do in the city is spend time with his best friend.
Why read it: Natalie Russell shows us the true meaning of friendship through her heartwarming storytelling. It’s a great story for the whole family. The whimsical drawings are appealing and allow the reader to be a part of this imaginative stroll in the city....
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Jun
29
“Just Plain Foolishness: Rachel Yoder – Always Trouble Somewhere” by Wanda E. Brunstetter, performed by Ellen Grafton
c.2010, Brilliance Audio
$14.99 / $18.99 Canada
3 CDs / 3 hours
By Terri Schlichenmeyer, Philadelphia Tribune contributor
What did you want most for your last birthday?
Did you want a new bike or the skateboard you saw at the store? Maybe you wanted clothes or a new game player, complete with that hot new game you’ve been dying to have. Perhaps you wanted something simple, like a one-day trip or vacation with your family.
And did you get what you wanted?
Rachel Yoder always manages to make her birthday dreams come true, even when it means trouble. But in the new audiobook “Just Plain Foolishness: Rachel Yoder — Always Trouble Somewhere” by Wanda E. Brunstetter, Rachel’s eleventh birthday almost didn’t happen.
BANG! BANG! The hammers fell hard as the men worked on the greenhouse where Rachel Yoder’s grandpa would grow vegetables and flowers. It was the beginning of summer and Grandpa promised Rachel that she could help with his indoor crops. Maybe he’d let her sell some of the produce to tourists who traveled through their Amish countryside. Rachel was eager to lend a hand because working with Grandpa was no chore at all.
But there would be real chores, for sure, especially since Rachel’s mother was expecting a boppli. Rachel knew she should be happy about becoming a big sister, but babies were a lot of work. She hoped there’d be time for her birthday celebration before the boppli arrived. Birthdays were a big deal for Rachel, and she’d asked her parents for a trip to Hershey Park. It was what Rachel wanted more than anything.
On the morning of her eleventh birthday, Rachel hopped out of bed and ran to the kitchen, but there was no sign of Mom or Pap. There were no presents on the table, either. Rachel ran to find Grandpa, and it was then that she got an awful surprise: her little sister was born on Rachel’s birthday!
For the rest of that day and for weeks to come, it seemed that everybody was more concerned about Hannah, Rachel’s new schweschder. Not only did that baby mean more chores, but it seemed like everyone forgot about Rachel and her birthday, and that made Rachel very sad. Was she a little bensel for finding her own excitement?
These days, having the radio on in your vehicle while you commute with the kids can be a dicey thing. Even the oldies can be rated PG-13. So how about listening to a wholesomely innocent, enjoyable story instead?
Though boys can certainly listen to this audiobook, little girls will fall in love with Rachel Yoder. Author Wanda E. Brunstetter has a knack for bridging the gaps between cultures by making experiences with siblings and feelings of jealousy seem universal. Because of that, and because “Just Plain Foolishness” is written with a kids’-eye view, young listeners will be able to identify with the rascally Rachel, even if they’re completely unfamiliar with Amish ways.
Though part of a series for 6- to 12-year-olds, “Just Plain Foolishness” can be enjoyed as a standalone story. Don’t be surprised, though, if your child wants the rest of these books.
Contact Terri Schlichenmeyer at bookwormsez@yahoo.com.
Jun
25
By the editors of Weekly Reader digital and print, McClatchy-Tribune
Reading is not a seasonal sport, so why should it stop in summer? If you’re a parent who wants your child to keep reading when the temperature rises, we’re here to help. Try this list of books sure to engage readers from ages 5 to 11. We offer stories and advice books, all of them tomes we’ve spent time poring over, thinking about, and recommending to anyone who will listen. We bet your kids will, too!
“Adele and Simon in America” by Barbara McClintock (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008).
Don’t have time for a cross-country road trip this summer? Invite your children to travel with siblings Adele and Simon on their journey across America...
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Jun
15
“The Happiest Kid on Campus” by Harlan Cohen
c.2010, Sourcebooks
$14.99 / $17.99 Canada
618 pages, includes index
By Terri Schlichenmeyer, Philadelphia Tribune contributor
When the fat envelope came a couple months ago, you couldn’t stop dancing.
Now, you’re wondering what you were thinking.
True, you got into the college of your choice and you’re pretty proud of that. So are Mom and Dad. But you know you can’t just show up at Whotheheckare U and expect it to be like high school. How will you know your way around campus? What if you hate your roommate? How embarrassing is it if you’re homesick?
You’re worried, a little. So are Mom and Dad. So why not spend part of your summer reading “The Happiest Kid on Campus: A Parent’s Guide to the Very Best College Experience” by Harlan Cohen? Yeah, the word “parents” is in the title, but this is a book for you both.
Back in the Dark Ages (when your parents were at university), there were no PCs. Very few people had cell phones, and ATMs were rare. Your parents remember college, but your experience will be very different from theirs.
The first thing to know is that going to college can be uncomfortable. You’ll be doing things you won’t want to do at first, and you’ll probably be doing it on your own. But that doesn’t mean you’re alone: Cohen says that over 65% of college students report being homesick. The bottom line is that your feelings are normal and it’s going to take more than a couple days to “fit in.” Feeling at ease on campus might take months.
A road trip might help, says Cohen. Take a day this summer and go visit the campus and the town it’s in. Walk around a little, look for a staff member or RA (you might get a quick tour!), and get your bearings. And bring Mom and Dad — they’ll feel better when they know you’re good to go.
Which brings us to another point: let’s say you’re ready — more than ready, in fact — to leave the nest, but your parents are the problem. In this book, Cohen offers tips for both you and your parents on letting go, getting acclimated, packing what you’ll need, finding the information you want, slaying homesickness, how to use Facebook without embarrassment on either side, and much more.
While it’s true that “The Happiest Kid on Campus” is geared more for parents, I don’t think there’s an incoming freshman anywhere who should miss reading it, too.
Using hints, tips, and stories from real college students around North America, columnist and author Harlan Cohen gives advice to students as well as to their parents on how to deal with this (sometimes traumatic) milestone. What I thought most helpful was that if this book isn’t comprehensive enough — which I find hard to imagine, given its heft — Cohen includes his own email address so readers can get more answers.
If you’re heading for university at the end of summer, grab this book and share it with your parents. “The Happiest Kid on Campus” will help you both graduate to this new phase of life.
Contact Terri Schlichenmeyer at bookwormsez@yahoo.com.
Jun
10
By Sue Corbett, McClatchy Newspapers
There is a moment in Christina Diaz Gonzalez’s debut novel, “The Red Umbrella,” that will strike some readers as too frightening to be plausible. The parents of two children, ages 7 and 14, announce that the kids are going to a foreign country — alone — to meet someone they don’t know who they will live with for an undetermined amount of time.
Implausible except that scenarios like this happened thousands of times during Operation Pedro Pan, the airlift of about 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban children to the United States between 1960 and 1962. Gonzalez’s parents were among them.
“It is terrifying to think that there were parents who feared so much for their children’s safety...
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Jun
06
“Bedtime for Mommy” by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
c.2010, Bloomsbury USA
$16.99 / $21.00 Canada
32 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer, Philadelphia Tribune contributor
The clock ticks and the big hand sweeps past the little hand. Mommy says it’s time for bed. What happens next at your house?
Do you scream and holler, “NO! NO! NO!” and ask for a dozen glasses of water? Or do you grab your favorite book and wait for read-aloud storytime with your best stuffed pal under your arm? Do you tuck in quietly, or would you rather do anything than go to sleep when the big hand says it’s time?
What do you suppose Mom would do if you were the one in charge? Find out in “Bedtime for Mommy” by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by LeUyen Pham.
It’s getting late, and although Mommy is busy, it’s her bedtime. Of course, she asks for “just five more minutes.” It’s hard to tell her “no.”
When the five minutes are up, Mommy has to put her things away. Just like always, she drags her feet and says she’s coming. It takes forever for her to get upstairs. She gathers her bath toys, slips into the tub, and gets scrubbed nice and clean.
Did she brush her teeth? Yep, and she did a good job. Mommy runs into the room and bounces on the bed, up and down. She’s not ready to go to sleep at all!
Mornings are easier when her clothes are chosen the night before, so it’s time to pick an outfit. But Mommy doesn’t like anything she has in the closet and she wrinkles her nose again and again. Finally, something perfect is chosen and it’s laid out for tomorrow.
Since nobody can go to bed without a bedtime story, Mommy carefully looks at her bookcase. She’d like two stories, but it’s getting late and the big hand says it’s bedtime. So Mommy picks her favorite book and listens until she feels sleepy.
Her eyes droop. Her glasses come off. She gets a bedtime kiss, snuggles down, and she gets tucked in. Shhhhhhh.
But wait! Mommy needs a glass of water. Just one – for now. And she hates when her bedroom door is shut. She wants it open, just a little bit … more.
Putting Mommy to bed is a big chore every night. But the work is far from done …
Without a doubt, there have been many times when your child has wished the tables were turned on decisions like bedtime. In “Bedtime for Mommy”, that desire becomes sweet reality.
Using spare (but totally authentic and definitely familiar) narrative, author Amy Krouse Rosenthal tells the story of a little girl in charge of getting her Mommy ready for bed. Kids who fight and struggle with bedtime are going to relish the cute story-twist at the end of this book, and you’ll both love paging through the colorfully funny pictures by illustrator LeUyen Pham.
If your 4- to 7-year-old needs a read-aloud before sleep each night, you can’t go wrong with this silly, giggle-producing book. When it’s time for lights-out, “Bedtime for Mommy” is a book you’ll want to put in their little hands.
Contact Terri Schlichenmeyer at bookwormsez@yahoo.com.
