New in the Library: Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale; illustrated by Nathan Hale

Preceding Disney's Tangled by two years, this twist on the classic fairy tale is chock-full of girl-power fun. Set in the wild west, Rapunzel's Revenge is an easy to read tale in graphic novel format. Sent to the tower for being just a little too curious, Rapunzel is a girl with a mission. Using her braids as weapons, Rapunzel escapes from the tower and sets out to free her real mother from enslavement in Mother Gothel's dusty mining town. She joins up with a ne'er do well thief named Jack who is toting a magic goose. Along the way to Mother Gothel's villa, the two encounter a number of exciting challenges, and are ultimately aided in their quest by other citizens frustrated by Mother Gothel's hold over the land. The excellent illustrations add to the swashbuckling adventure, as Jack and Rapunzel grow closer with every daring escape. Great fun for romantics and adventure seekers alike!
Target Age: 9-14

Non-fiction: A Salamander's Life, by John Himmelman

A Salamander's Life, by John Himmelman
Himmelman is a naturalist, and A Salamander's Life shows his love for all the small things that live in the forest. Like Under the Snow this book is a wonderful selection for preschool and kindergarten. The text is clear and simple, and the illustrations are gorgeous. The illustrations pull you in to the tiny world under the leaves in a way that a photograph could not. Though the text is quite simple, this book can be enjoyed by older students for the pictures alone. I was delighted to find this book is part of a series by Himmelman.
Target Age: prek-2

Connections:
Also by Himmelman
A Dandelion's Life
An Earthworm's Life
A House Spider's Life
A Lady Bug's Life
A Luna Moth's Life
A Pill Bug's Life
A Wood Frog's Life

Nursery Rhymes

Hey Diddle Diddle illustrated by Annie Kubler
I don't know why I continue to be amazed that preschoolers love nursery rhymes. They LOVE them. And I know I should be reading more. This series from Child's Play is my current favorite format. Even though the books are board books, the preschool students still love to borrow them. Each book has a single rhyme or song spread over eight pages. I have watched countless preschoolers (and toddlers) page through and sing along. Of course they love it - they feel like they are reading to themselves! Hey Diddle Diddle is my favorite. The babies are dressed as the characters from the rhyme. Row Row Row Your Boat has a nice twist in the lyrics. I have the rest of the series on my "to-buy" list.
Target Age: 0-6 years.

Weekly Read Aloud: Meet Einstein by Mariela Kleiner

Meet Einstein by Mariela Kleiner
Monday was Einstein's birthday, so it seemed a fitting time to try this book out. I love the idea of a book that introduces Albert Einstein to small kids. The illustrations are very appealing in their simplicity. The explanations of light and gravity are also very simple, clear and informative. The photos show Einstein asking questions and exploring the world. Wonderful. Except, perhaps it is too simple. It would be quite easy for a child to come away from a reading of this book thinking that Einstein invented the lightbulb and discovered gravity. Perhaps it is true that his discoveries about light and energy would be difficult to distill for this age group, but this book might mislead. That aside, this book delighted my young listeners and they were entranced by the closing line: "Maybe someday you could be a scientist too."
Target age: prek

NOTE ADDED APRIL 18: I have recently become aware of some of the misunderstandings this book has generated among the preschoolers, and I have removed it from my library's collection. So sad, because the illustrations are very cute.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker has lived a drifter's life until the summer her father sends her to live with his friends in Manifest, Kansas. Filled with questions about her father and his connections to the town, Abilene begins an investigation that leads her to layers of secrets from the past. The narratives runs in parallel stories about Manifest in 1918 and in 1936. This is the best kind of historical fiction: filled with details and events that offer a window into the past, but driven by a strong narrative and engaging characters. The reader discovers the truth about Abilene's father along with her, and by the end of the book, I was as reluctant to finish the story as Abilene was to leave her new home.
Target age: 10-13 years

Weekly Read Aloud : Under the Snow by Melissa Stewart

Under the Snow, by Melissa Stewart
This gorgeously illustrated non-fiction selection is the perfect read aloud for this time of year. The book gives us a peek at different animals as they weather the winter: some active, some hibernating and others just slowing down. The text is detailed enough to be interesting, but still not overwhelming for young listeners. The illustrations are detailed and beautiful.
Target age: prek-2nd grade

Connections:
Dear Rebecca, Winter is Here, by Jean Craighead George
Animals in Winter, by Henrietta Bancroft

Weekly Read Aloud: Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Mouse Count, by Ellen Stoll Walsh
We are reading about mice in January and February, and Walsh's little collage mice are some of my favorites. Walsh's collage illustrations are similar to Leo Lionni's, but a bit brighter and bolder. Lionni's books are philosophical and targeted to a slightly older crowd, while Walsh's books are all about the preschool set. As the title suggests, Mouse Count is a counting book. A snake finds some sleeping mice and proceeds to drop them one by one into a jar for safekeeping. I could feel my little listeners shiver when I read the snake's just-creepy-enough delight at finding the mice: "little, warm and tasty." As this is a book for young ones, the mice trick the snake, and handily "uncount themselves" and escape before anyone is harmed. Kids love to count along and make predictions about what will happen next in this pint-size thriller.
Target age: prek

Connections
Walsh's other crowd-pleasers include
Mouse Paint and the new (2010) Balancing Act