Protector of Humans, Eater of Bugs

Binky the Space Cat
by Ashley Spires

Holy hairballs! This might be one of my most exciting discoveries in quite some time. There are three graphic novels in the Binky series, and a coworker handed me the third today when it came in with a batch of new books. She said I just had to see it. After reading the third book, I went in search of the first two, because really, how could I read the third and not go back to understand the origins of this little fuzz ball? So now I want to tell you about Binky the Space Cat.

Summary
As you might have guessed from the title, Binky is a space cat. However, this does not mean he lives in space or is from space or anything of that nature. No. Binky is a housecat who spends his days eating, napping, playing with his best friend, a mouse toy named Ted, and protecting his humans from aliens (aka, bugs -- he looked them up and saw they have a remarkable resemblance to aliens, so they must be the same). Binky has also never been outside, i.e. Outer Space. So when he finds a flier in his cat food bag advertising certification to become a space cat, he jumps on it! Once certified, Binky begins assembling a space ship that will allow him to travel safely in Outer Space (because without proper protection, he could choke, float away, or not get any oxygen). After much hard work, Binky's craft is complete, and he's ready to head for Outer Space. But he may have forgotten something important ...

Worth staying up past bedtime?
Rating: Up 'Till Dawn

I loved Binky so much that I may go home and look at cats available for adoption tonight! Seriously, if you or a youngster in your life enjoys cats, silliness, and graphic novels, go get this book! Binky is an adorable, pudgy little kit cat who has all the random quirks of our real life feline friends. He chases and eats bugs, err, aliens (the crunchy ones give him space gas), he likes to nap, cuddle, and knead, and he has the occasional hairball. The story is so silly, but Binky is very determined and thoughtful, which makes you cheer him on the whole way through. I loved the illustrations, which were simple yet expressive. Binky's movements are enhanced by simple descriptors that help the reader really feel the action (swooshes, padding feet, etc.), and his expressions and physical actions were hilarious. Binky is sure to please readers young and old!

Oh, and I'll be sure to tell you about the other Binky books soon!

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Silly Storytime

Storytime recap!

I know I’ve said it before, but wow, storytime is such great stress relief! We had a crazy half hour when we opened yesterday morning, so I was more than ready to escape the madness and sit down with some books and goofy children. Lucky for me, our theme was silly animals! We read:

Cows Can’t Fly, by David Milgrim
Ducks Don’t Wear Socks, by John Nedwidek
Bark, George!, by Jules Feiffer

The kids seemed to enjoy the books, and liked pointing out the weird things going on in Cows Can’t Fly. Ducks Don’t Wear Socks was definitely the big hit. I think it helped that I acted totally goofy when I read Duck’s exclamations. There was plenty of laughter among the group.

For our craft, we made our own silly animals. I actually recycled the leftover cloud cutouts from last week by cutting them down into smaller shapes. These were the “bodies,” and I gave the kids a bunch of stuff to make their animals with: pipe cleaners, colored pom-poms, crayons, googly eyes, and strips of colored crepe paper. My own animal had a twisty, gold pipe cleaner tail, green and pink spots, a green pom-pom nose, and multi-colored crepe paper hair curls. Sometimes the kids burn through the craft quickly, but this one seemed to get them thinking and spending a little more time on their work. That was kind of cool, because once they got an idea of how their animal would look, they really got into making it look silly.

How to Cure the Bedtime Woes

Itsy Mitsy Runs Away
by Elenna Allen

I learned of Itsy Mitsy while skimming through a copy of Publisher's Weekly. The cover was cute enough to make me want to read the book, so I quickly put in a request to check out my library's copy!

Summary
Bedtime. It's a bad word to children all around the world, and Itsy Mitsy is no different. She hates bedtime. When her dad tells her it's time for bed, Itsy Mitsy (donning the cutest dinosaur costume I've ever seen), declares that she is going to run away. Dad graciously helps her pack, and then tells her she should probably bring a friend, you know, so she won't get lonely. Itsy Mitsy decides this is an excellent idea, and grabs her "most friendly dinosaur, Mr. Roar." As she heads for the door, dad points out that Mr. Roar will probably need a snack. Again, Itsy Mitsy agrees. The suggestions from dad escalate until Itsy Mitsy finds herself loaded down with stuff - all of it necessary, of course - and she falls down in a sudden fit of sleep. Luckily, dad was there to tuck her in.

Worth staying up past bedtime?
Rating: Up 'Till Dawn

As I said, the cover alone was cute enough to entice me, and the contents did not disappoint! Itsy Mitsy is great on so many levels! Colorful illustrations of Itsy Mitsy, dad, and Itsy Mitsy's things are set against simple black and white sketches, that still contain detail and interest. The story itself will appeal to any bedtime-haters, and dad's method is so clever and amusing, you can't help but feel bad for Itsy Mitsy as she tries to accomodate all the things she realizes she'll need in order to successfully run away.

Recommended for all ages, especially those who have trouble going to bed at night!

A Colorful Storytime

Week two of my September storytimes! This week’s theme was colors. Once everyone got arranged and comfortable on the floor, we sang our hello song and read our books:

The Color Box, by Dayle Ann Dodds
Alexander the monkey finds a box and crawls in, discovering multiple worlds of different colored objects and animals. Each color leads to another, and he eventually finds himself back in a world that contains all the colors together. Great opportunities for kids to identify different colors one by one.

Blue Chameleon, by Emily Gravett
The blue chameleon is feeling, well, blue. So he becomes the color of all the things he meets and tries to make friends with them. A yellow banana. A brown boot. A stripy sock. But no one is interested in a matching friend, until he stumbles upon another chameleon, who is all the colors! They are happy to be colorful together. Very silly, more to look at than read or listen to, but fun and not too demanding on little attention spans.

Moo, Moo, Brown Cow, Have You Any Milk?, by Phillis Gershator
A young boy travels around the farm, asking each animal if they have something for him. Down from the goose, milk from the cow, honey from the bees. Each animal gives him something, and tells him what he can make with it. Fun, rhyming verse that holds kids attention.

In between the second and third books, we had a little action rhyme about red apples. I was quite happy with the result of this one, as I forgot some words to “Pat-A-Cake” last week. The kids definitely got a kick out it, and they really got into the motions. I thought I’d share it with you because it was quite fun!

Ten Red Apples (Rhyme – Author Unknown)

Ten red apples growing on a tree. (Hands high, fingers extended)
Five for you and five for me. (Wave one hand, then the other)
Let me shake the tree just so, (Shake hands!)
And ten red apples fall down below. (Lower hands with fingers extended and wiggly)
One, two, three, four, five, (Count fingers on one hand)
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten. (Count fingers on other hand)

Source:
1,000 Fingerplays & Action Rhymes: A Sourcebook & DVD, by Barbara A. Scott

Once we finished our books and our apple song, it was time for crafts! Keeping with the color theme, we made rainbow streamers. Each kid was given a paper cloud, a handful of cotton balls, and crepe paper streamers in five bright colors. They made their paper clouds “fluffy” with the cotton and attached the streamers to the edges. The kids enjoyed the cotton and all seemed very pleased with the finished product.

Hope everyone has a colorful weekend!

Summertime Blues

That Summer
By Sarah Dessen

Remember awhile back I mentioned that I felt like I had missed the Meg Cabot bus, and have been working to rectify that situation? Well, I have some work to do getting caught up with Ms. Sarah Dessen as well. You can’t read a YA book blog or browse the teen section without seeing her work (not in an obnoxious way, just in a way that shows she’s established and loved), so I finally decided to dive in and learn for myself what everyone has been raving about.

Summary
Haven is having a rough summer. On the morning we meet her, Haven’s father is getting remarried – to the woman he left her mother for. As if one wedding wasn’t enough, Haven’s sister will be getting married later in the summer, and has turned into Bridezilla, a quirk that everyone seems more than happy to accommodate. While Haven mucks through the emotional ups and downs of all her family issues, she thinks back to a summer several years ago, when everything seemed perfect. Her sister had a boyfriend who lit up the whole room and helped create a more peaceful sisterly atmosphere, her parents were happily married … it was a good summer. But as Haven makes her way through the current summer, she starts to realize that she can’t always hold onto the ideals of the past, and has to work on making peace with the way things have turned out and the direction her life is heading in.

Worth staying up past bedtime?
Rating: Early Morning Hours

I’ve had a hard time trying to figure out how to describe my reaction to That Summer. The story is not wild, outlandish, or exciting. The characters are not bizarre or unusual. These are, in essence, seemingly average people with everyday concerns and feelings that are completely relatable. What drew me in was Dessen’s style. She conjured up a cast of characters and situations I wanted to know more about. I had a lot of empathy for Haven, particularly when her best friend returned from summer camp and was suddenly boy crazy and rebellious. I remember when some of my friends started changing like that and how I was completely baffled by the seemingly instantaneous transformations that had come over them. Haven’s musings and the way she troubled through her summer kept me reading quickly until the end. I imagine any teen girl would easily do the same.

Recommended for ages 13 and up.