The Best Books of 2010

I love this time of year – when the “best of” lists come out for everything imaginable.

Since my son’s reading on his own now and selecting books that are more than 32 pages in length, I haven’t stayed as current as I would’ve liked to this past year as far as picture books go. Luckily, the lovely people over at EarlyWord compiled a list of the lists for me to enjoy, and to pass on to you.

The picture books that I found most appealing from all the lists include:

by Chris Barton

by Marla Frazee

by Bruce Eric Kaplan

by Mo Willems

by John Burningham

by Béatrice Rodriguez

by Kamako Sakai

by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

by Emily Gravett

by Carolyn Coman

Here is the full lists of lists:

• Best Books ’10

  • ALL The Lists (compiled by Largehearted Boy)
  • Amazon Top 100 Editors’ Picks
  • Atlantic Magazine
  • Childrens Best, Collated (Downloadable Spreadsheet)
  • Great Group Reads (National Reading Group Month Selection Committee)
  • Kirkus — Best Books for Children
  • Kirkus — Best Books for Teens
  • Library Journal — Beyond the Top Ten
  • Library Journal — How-To
  • Library Journal — Niche NonFiction
  • Library Journal — Top Ten
  • New York Times Book Review — 100 Notable Books
  • NPR — Best Cookbooks
  • NPR’s Complete List
  • NYT — Dwight Garner’s Top 10 Books of 2010
  • NYT — Janet Maslin’s Top 10 Books of 2010
  • NYT — Michiko Kakutani’s Top 10 Books of 2010
  • NYT Book Review — Top Ten
  • Publishers Weekly Best Books
  • Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books
  • Publishers Weekly Top Ten
  • School Library Journal — Fiction
  • School Library Journal — Nonfiction
  • School Library Journal — Picture Books

Happy Reading!

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home

Children’s Book Review: Chicken Big

Chicken Big, the latest picture book by Keith Graves, arrived at our house yesterday and it was a huge hit. My son was super excited to take a bath since I promised him we’d read the book as soon as he was done. It was the quickest bath in our history of bath-taking…

He grabbed the book as soon as his pajamas were on (another record for him) and immediately informed me that it wasn’t so much a book as it was a comic strip. The layout of the back cover and many of the interior pages were set up in boxes with big, fun fonts that made it easy for him to follow along and even read on his own.

He laughed out loud and repeated the phrase, “This is getting ridiculous,” as the characters tried to figure out what Chicken Big actually was (spoiler alert: he really is a chicken).

We love reading time in our house and last night was especially fun since he asked if we could read Chicken Big again. He laughed in all the same places the second time around, although he couldn’t quite figure out how the characters knew they were in a book (you’ll have to see the title pages to understand his inquiry).

As a picture book aficionado, I adored the illustrations, the twist to the Chicken Little tale as well as the layout of the  entire book. Not a single page was wasted!

Keith Graves is the author of many hilarious books for kids, including Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance. Chicken Big was sent to me through the Chronicle Books’ Gold Review Panel program.

Thank goodness for that!

Books of all different shapes and sizes spill from my son’s shelves and luckily he’s grown to be as much of a bookworm as I was at his age.

From time to time, something happens or someone says something that causes one or both of us to say, “That reminds me of that one book…” Typically, when one of us can’t remember what the book was, the other one can.

Today, I was trying to figure out what book we have that best represents Thanksgiving and shows what it truly means to appreciate someone or something in our lives. While we have many books about Halloween and Christmas, not one single title came to mind that really focuses on giving thanks.

Without realizing what I was saying (to myself), I found myself thinking, “Thank goodness for that,” and was suddenly reminded of a great picture book with simple sentences – many with just one or two words – that shows early readers the meaning of being grateful in a way that is both fun and simple.

Cat, written by Mike Dumbleton and illustrated by Craig Smith, repeats the phrase, “Thank goodness for that,” as it follows a mischievous cat, along with the bird, dog and child that the cat chases, runs away from or plays with. With its up-close illustrations, Cat will have any animal lover laughing out loud and appreciating even the little things in life.

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home

Save the Males

I came across a blog post which caused me to think about feminism in a different way and how it has affected men in our society.

I found myself in complete agreement with most of the issues raised by Kathleen Peterson, blogger over at The Intellectual Insurgent. In her discussion, Kathleen mentions several books, including Save the Males: Why Men Matter Why Women Should Care, by Kathleen Parker. Parker discusses how the feminist movement in America has created enemies out of the opposite sex instead of its original intent to create equality.

Other books she mentions include Unprotected, by Miriam Grossman, a psychiatrist at UCLA Student Psychological Services and advocate for youth and urging others in her field (as well as parents and educators) to empower young men and women by speaking truthfully about sexuality and gender roles (and stereotypes) instead of talking to them in politically correct ways that don’t benefit them as patients or respect them as individuals.

She also refers to Prude: How the Sex-Obsessed Culture Damages Girls (and America, Too!), a book by Carol Platt Libeau.

I encourage you to head over to Kathleen’s blog for more, but I do want to point out something that she said that completely held true, in my opinion:

Our cultural assumption that men only want sex has been as damaging to them as to the women they target. Here is how a recent graduate summed it up to me: “Hooking up is great, but at some point you get tired of everything meaning nothing.”

Ultimately, what our oversexualized, pornified culture reveals is that we think very little of our male family members. Undergirding the culture that feminism has helped to craft is a presumption that men are without honor and integrity. What we offer men is cheap, dirty, sleazy, manipulative sensation. What we expect from them is boorish, simian behavior that ratifies the anti-male sentiment that runs through the culture.

Being the mother of a young boy has made me realize how important it is for us as parents to educate our children (male or female) about respect, equality and once and for all, getting rid of the stereotypes that surround us as individuals.

If you’re looking for a way to introduce the idea of equality to young people and allowing children at a young age to understand the concept of respect, admiration, and how truly attractive these qualities are, I highly recommend that you read Singing to the Sun, by Vivian French.

A modern twist to a classic fairy tale, this picture book uses the Princess Bride concept and allows for the lead characters (one male, the other female) to evolve and provide readers of all ages the opportunity to seek the same.

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home

Mommy Has Tattoos

I have several tattoos, many of which are hidden when I’m dressed professionally. I have stories behind each and every one of them, but I want more.

The last tattoo I had took a long time. Over two separate sessions, I believe the artist spent over 6 hours altogether between the outline and coloring. I found out I was pregnant shortly afterwards and haven’t made time to sit down and have it completed yet. That being said, I do want to get something to finally honor my role as a mom. I haven’t decided where, on my body, to place the new design, however.

Here’s it is – modified in Photoshop and eventually perfected by the artist I select to work with.

All comments and suggestions are welcome.

And if you’re looking for a way to make tattoos less scary for young children (don’t ask me why any child would think they’re scary), there’s a great little book called Mommy Has a Tattoo by Philip Padwe. I bought the book when I first discovered it and my son loved it. We haven’t read it in a while but I think I’ll take it out again to revisit it.

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home

Robot Mom

My son is into robots lately. I brought him into the office with me today where he made a giant robot (his size) out of paper and Scotch® tape. He’s quite the little inventor.

Today – perfect timing – we also received a copy of a book I bought for him called Mama Robot, written by Davide Cali and illustrated by AnnaLaura Cantone. Originally written in Italian, the text was translated by Marcel Danesi (published by Tundra Books).

The artwork is the first thing that captured my attention. A combination of sketches and digital images leap from the page and require a second look (there’s a small key carried by the narrator on the first page and real silverware on the table setting).

There are also subtle details in the drawings that most readers won’t think twice about but those that have keen observation skills will giggle over (the coffee mugs as the robot mom’s breasts and the small grommets falling from the robot dog’s behind on the last page).

As a single, working mom, I can imagine that my son has a lot in common with the little boy in the story. His mom is always working, always at her desk and he’s continuously bored and wanting her attention.

He decides to make a new mom – Mama Robot – and talks about all the great things that would come of it: Mama Robot would never be too busy to spend time with me! She would never make me brush my teeth. She’d let me stay up late to watch scary movies and would never make me tidy up my room.

Our young protagonist finally realizes that he can’t quite cuddle with Mama Robot and she doesn’t smell quite the same as his real mom and so, he decides to take her apart and create a new companion. Moms are, after all, irreplaceable.

This is a wonderful book for parents and children, as it serves as a powerful reminder of what’s important: quality time which truly is priceless.

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home

Let it Snow

Last week, just a day before I left for Toronto, I drove up to the mountains with my son and my mom for a day of playing in the snow. Since I grew up in Minnesota, having a white winter is something that I not only am used to, but miss since living in Southern California for the past eight years. I’ve taken my son to see the snow in the past, but now that he’s old enough to really enjoy it I thought it’d be the perfect opportunity to spend a snow day with Grandma before we visit her and the rest of our family over Christmas.

Now that I’ve enjoyed snow with the two people who mean the most to me, I can’t help but begin to realize how important these simple pleasures are and how years from now we’ll be able to look back on that day as a wonderful family memory to recall.

I recently read somewhere that nearly half of the world’s population has never seen snow! They really don’t know what they’re missing.

Here are a few of my favorite photographic or illustrated books that feature snow:

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home

Stuffed

One of my favorite Kane/Miller books is Dougal the Garbage Dump Bear by Matt Dray of Australia. It’s a photographic collection of stuffed animals and a tale of what happens to them when they get tossed in the dump. Not that you or I would actually throw these plush, stuffed or slightly-worn toys in the garbage, since there are several places that accept these gently-used and much-loved buddies to pass along to others who could use them.

The Salvation Army
Project Night Night
Stuffed Animals for Emergencies (SAFE)

These organizations were listed in the November issue of Wondertime magazine, a wonderful resource for parents.

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home

Friday Night Delights

I’ve been busy the last few days; traveling to Reno, reading magazines (dated months ago), watching the World Series, networking with school librarians, sharing books with kidlit blogsters, discussing picture books with reviewers, getting caught up online and reviewing websites to share. I’ve discovered several and there are quite a few more I’ll include another time.

zaba kids boutique

Rice and Beans Vintage

the cocoa monkey:
distinctive gear for the curious

KIOSK:
Interesting things from interesting countries

rose and lula:
rebellious, sophisticated, vintage-inspired, casual, bohemian, contemporary

The Curiosity Shoppe:
if I haven’t mentioned this before, I should have

Vigilant:
leather goods

modern mommy:
innovative design for the few few years of life

babyzone‘s most embarrassing parenting moments

I have more reading to do, packing (back to San Diego tomorrow), relaxing before my vacation ends and getting ready for the final day exhibiting for Kane/Miller at the AASL conference here in Nevada.

By the way, today was Nevada Day. I have no idea what the celebration is all about, other than what I assume would be the history of the state. Schools were closed, parades and festivities were held and yet, I was working inside the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. More on that later…

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home

Java Mama Story Time

I had an opportunity to promote and sell Kane/Miller picture books through the Working Moms with Toddlers Meetup Group that I’m a member of here in San Diego. One of the moms in the group suggested that I host a story time at Java Mama in La Mesa.

It turned out to be a fantastic event although I couldn’t tell you how many moms and kids were there (I was too busy reading a counting book to count the number of heads).

The counting book that I read, with the help of my page-turning assistant and son, was One Woolly Wombat, from Australia. Written and illustrated by Rod Trinca and Kerry Argent, this picture book features Australian birds, reptiles and other creatures along with rhyming text and the numbers 1-14.

Afterwards, I read a second book from Australia, Bobbie Dazzler. By Margaret Wild and Janine Dawson, this one features a red-necked Wallaby who amazes her friends with the acrobatic – gymnastic abilities she has, although sadly, the list doesn’t include the splits. Bobbie’s friends Koala, Possum and Wombat don’t mind, but Bobbie certainly does.

After much practice Bobbie finally manages to do the splits, although she’s not quite sure how she’s going to get back up to a standing position! Her friends help Bobbie, encourage her and even participate in these activities that also kept the children jumping, hopping, whirling and twirling.

I sold a few books this morning, made some new friends and discovered a wonderful place to take my son and enjoy my daily caffeine requirement at the same time. I can’t wait to go back and possibly host another story time event before the holidays.

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home