Tandem Insights

Sometimes You Just Need a Vacation

      

Everyone needs a break from the routine once in a while. But sometimes you’re so busy, all you can do is read about it. 

Take a good, old-fashioned cross country road trip with a family in Pictures From Our Vacation by Lynne Rae Perkins, author of the Newbery award-winning Criss Cross. Mom gives the kids instant cameras and notebooks, and off they go to document their travels. Some of it is typical road trip stuff and lots of things don’t go exactly the way they’d like on the vacation, but it all comes together at the end in this charming story. 

A great picture book from 2007 has a whole house going on vacation. The door, windows, chimney, and other parts of the house get together to decide where to go when their family leaves in House Takes a Vacation by Jacqueline Davies. 

Another new picture book featuring a summer vaction is A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, by Marla Frazee. Inspired by her son's trip to "nature camp" with his best friend, this is a tongue-in-cheek look at how adults and kids sometimes have different definitions for the nature of "fun."

Whether you're planning an actual vacation or just yearning for a break, these picture books will transport you and leave you feeling refreshed!

Frog Round Up

April is National Poetry, Garden, Humor, and Math Education month.  But did you know that April is also Nation Frog Month?  Here are a few titles that will get your readers jumping out of their seats.

Nic Bishop Frogs, photographed and written by Bishop, is a companion to the 2008 Sibert Honor-winning book Nic Bishop Spiders.  With clear, informative text and vivid photos, this book about agile amphibians does not disappoint.  Readers will enjoy the author’s note at the end of the book which explains that some of these photos were taken in Bishop’s own backyard.  To get certain shots, he even trained a frog to catch food right in front of him!

Great for beginning readers, Fun Facts about Frogs is another book full of wonderful  frog  photographs.  Author Carmen Bredeson teaches readers about frogs in a question-and-answer format.  Complete with a glossary and life-cycle diagram, Fun Facts about Frogs is a great pick-up.

In more of an environmental twist, learn about how the environment affects frogs in Frogs in Danger by Jim Whiting.  Topics of mutated frogs, global warming, and the future of frogs are explored in this photo-filled title.  Readers will get information about what they can do to help the earth and the frog population.

Happy National Frog Month!

Book of the Week: Knock, Knock!

Knock, knock!
Who’s there?
Gorilla
Gorilla who?
Gorill-a my dreams, I love you!

If you like this knock-knock joke by Tomie dePaola, you’ll be even more tickled and delighted when you pick up Knock, Knock!, the companion title to Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road.  Knock, Knock! features fourteen well known children’s illustrators and showcases their take on the classic knock-knock joke.  Contributing artists/comedians include Chris Raschka, Peter Reynolds, Yumi Heo and David Small.  Children of all ages will be in suspense when reading the setup page and then laugh out loud when turning the page to reveal the funny and sometimes punny punch line.  Not only are the jokes comical, but the creative illustrations and pictures will send readers rolling on the floor laughing.