One last post about Dumbledore

In the midst of the news that Dumbledore is gay, I've heard a lot of comments from people who feel that J.K. Rowling is revealing too much and that this detail isn't relevant. See the comments section of my round-up post relating to the Dumbledore news.

This made me curious. How do you feel about it? I just added a poll to the sidebar.... I'd love to hear what you think.

I'm happy to share my opinion (which probably won't make me very popular). My feeling is that J.K. Rowling answered a direct question asked by a fan and she gave an answer about her personal concept of the character. I'm okay with it. She's not telling me how to view Dumbledore, she's saying how SHE views him. I don't think she did this for any publicity or political reasons... I think she was just trying to answer the question. (Excuse me, I have to go run for cover now... I know a LOT of people disagree with this).

UPDATE: There are Dumbledore Pride t-shirts for sale already. Wow, that was quick.

J.K. Rowling made a few statements to the press this morning about the uproar her announcement caused. See this post at the Leaky Cauldron for links and quotes.


Okay, so Dumbledore news aside, I thought there were some other great questions asked during the Carnegie Hall event on Friday night. My favorite question (which needs some spoiler space)....

Spoiler

space

if

you

haven't

finished

the

7th

Harry

Potter

book

...was this one:

Question: "When Harry was stabbed by a basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, since he was a Horcrux shouldn't it have been destroyed then?"

Isn't that a great question? Here's a few others that I liked:

Question: "Does Malfoy owe Harry a debt?"

Question: "How did you decide that Molly Weasley would be the one to finish off Bellatrix?"

Question: "How different would the last two books be if Arthur had been killed in the middle of book five?"

Question: "Is Severus Snape's portrait in the headmaster's office?"

I think these are great Harry Potter discussion questions. Mull them over and then (if you want to) see J.K. Rowling's answers in the Leaky Cauldron transcript.

100 Books Your Child Should Listen to Before Starting School

Emily at Whimsy linked to a very intriguing list on the webpage of the Westland, Michigan public library. (Thanks to Jen Robinson for linking to Whimsy).

It’s a list of 100 books that your child should listen to before starting school. I could argue about which books are on the list and which were left off… but I'm more interested in taking the suggestions at face value, and seeing which books I’ve read with my son. He’s three now, so there are still a few years until he starts school.

It was a pretty illuminating experience to see which books my son has read. I felt like my he’s read an enormous number of books, but as I was going through this list I saw so many books I love that we haven’t read together yet. Now that he can sit still for longer picture books, I can’t wait to try some of these with him.

Here’s the list… I divided the 100 books into eight subcategories and alphabetized them by the author's last name. (I couldn't help it).

Books that I loved when I was little and that my son loves now:

• Madeline by Bemelmans, Ludwig
• Clifford, the Big Red Dog by Bridwell, Norman
• Goodnight, Moon by Brown, Margaret Wise
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Carle, Eric
• Are You My Mother? By Eastman, P. D.
• The Little Engine That Could by Piper, Watty
• Curious George by Rey, H. A.
• Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Scarry, Richard
• Caps for Sale by Slobodkina, Esphyr
• Harry, the Dirty Dog by Zion, Gen

Books that my son and I discovered together how wonderful they are:

• Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by Burningham, John
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Christelow, Eileen
• Freight Train by Crews, Donald
• Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Cronin, Doreen
• Go Away, Big Green Monster! By Emberley, Ed
• Lunch by Fleming, Denise
• Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom by Martin, Bill
• Good Night, Gorilla by Rathmann, Peggy
• We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Rosen, Michael
• Knuffle Bunny by Willems, Mo

Books that my son loved when he was younger:

• Ten, Nine, Eight by Bang, Molly
• Where’s Spot? By Hill, Eric
• Is it Red? Is it Yellow? Is it Blue? An Adventure in Color by Hoban, Tana

Books I loved when I was little that we haven’t read together yet:

• Miss Nelson is Missing by Allard, Harry
• Stone Soup by Brown, Marcia
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Burton, Virginia Lee
• Strega Nona by De Paola, Tomie
• Corduroy by Freeman, Don
• The Snowy Day by Keats, Ezra Jack
• Leo the Late Bloomer by Kraus, Robert
• The Carrot Seed by Krauss, Ruth
• Frog and Toad are Friends by Lobel, Arnold
• All By Myself by Mayer, Mercer
• Amelia Bedelia by Parish, Peggy
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Potter, Beatrix
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Viorst, Judith

Books I discovered later in life and haven’t read with my son yet. I’m curious to see his reactions to them.

• The Mitten by Brett, Jan
• Miss Rumphius by Cooney, Barbara
• Olivia by Falconer, Ian
• Millions of Cats by Gag, Wanda
• The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Galdone, Paul
• Is Your Mama a Llama? By Guarino, Deborah
• Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Henkes, Kevin
• Bread and Jam for Frances by Hoban, Russell
• Miss Mary Mack by Hoberman, Mary Ann
• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Johnson, Crockett
• Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock by Kimmel, Eric
• The Story of Ferdinand by Leaf, Munro
• Make Way for Ducklings by McCloskey, Robert
• Grandfather’s Journey by Say, Allen
• Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by Steig, William
• Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Taback, Simms
• Lyle, Lyle Crocodile by Waber, Bernard
• The Napping House by Wood, Audrey
• Polar Express by Van Allsburg, Chris
• Owl Moon by Yolen, Jane

Books that my son has listened to but hasn’t fallen in love with yet:

• Guess How Much I Love You by McBratney, Sam
  
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Numeroff, Laura
• Where the Wild Things Are by Sendak, Maurice
• The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
• Farmer Duck by Waddell, Martin
• Mouse Paint by Walsh, Ellen Stoll
• Seven Blind Mice by Young, Ed

Books I have read but don’t know that well:

• Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Barrett, Judi
• The Three Bears by Barton, Byron
• The Caterpillar and the Polliwog by Kent, Jack
• Over in the Meadow by Langstaff, John
• Tacky the Penguin by Lester, Helen
• A Color of His Own by Lionni, Leo
• Froggy Gets Dressed by London, Jonathan
• Martha Speaks by Meddaugh, Susan
• The Rainbow Fish by Pfister, Marcus
• A Chair for My Mother by Williams, Vera B.

I recognize the titles and authors of these books, but I’m not familiar with them:

• Where’s My Teddy? By Alborough, Jez
• Happy Birthday, Moon by Asch, Frank
• I Like Myself by Beaumont, Karen
• Today I Feel Silly by Curtis, Jamie Lee
• Bed Hogs by DiPucchio, Kelly
• Feathers For Lunch by Ehlert, Lois
• The Magic Hat by Fox, Mem
• Barnyard Song by Greene, Rhonda
• A First Picture Book of Nursery Rhymes by Harbour, Elizabeth (Illustrator)
• Rosie’s Walk by Hutchins, Pat
• Splash! By Jonas, Ann
• Jump, Frog, Jump! By Kalan, Robert
• The Wolf’s Chicken Stew by Kasza, Keiko
• Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! By McPhail, David
• The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Neitzel, Shirley
• The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash by Noble, Trinka
• The Relatives Came by Rylant, Cynthia
• The Kissing Hand by Penn, Audrey
• Duck on a Bike by Shannon, David
• Gregory, the Terrible Eater by Sharmat, Mitchell
• It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Shaw, Charles
• Imogene’s Antlers by Small, David
• And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon by Stevens, Janet
• Who’s Counting by Tafuri, Nancy
• Pigsty by Teague, Mark
• Noisy Nora by Wells, Rosemary
• I Went Walking by Williams, Sue

We have so much wonderful reading to do! I need to pull these books off my bookshelves and check them out of the library- and give them a try.

Were there any of your favorites on this list? Were there any books that are favorites of kids in your life? (children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, godchildren, neighbors, students, library patrons, etc.) Do you think this is a good list?

What were your favorite books as a teenager?

Maureen at Confessions of a Bibliovore tagged me to write about favorite books that I read as a teenager. This is to get back at me for my question about favorite childhood picture books.

Below are the books that I read between ages 12 and 18 that were really life changing and which remain some of my all time favorite books.

• Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk. My aunt handed this book to me when I was 16 and said "You need to read this." And she was right. It's a fantastic coming of age novel about a girl who wanted to be an actress living in New York City during the 1930's. I would say that this was my favorite book ever... until I discovered Harry Potter.
• Exodus by Leon Uris. An epic novel that really moved me... I was inspired to go to Israel because of this book.
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. What is there to say about this book that hasn't already been said? I love it, and re-read it probably about once a year. It's perfect every time. I don't remember when I read it the first time, but I'm pretty sure it was in high school.
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Like Pride and Prejudice, there's very little new and original to say about this book. But I loved it. And I loved Jo. And I never understood why Jo didn't marry Laurie. I went on to read every Louisa May Alcott book I could find, but this one is still my favorite of hers.
• The Princess Bride by William Goldman. I love this book. And I love the movie. But they are very different animals. The book is really a brilliant and immensely creative satire and it never fails to make me laugh. Even if you have the movie memorized, give the book a try.
• The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone. A long and intense biography of Michelangelo that inspired me to take classes in Italian Renaissance Art and to go to Italy to see the sculptures for myself.
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. This one I discovered by accident. I was in Israel, and desperate for a book to read. I went to a local bookstore and this was the only book I could find in English. I devoured it immediately and after I came home, I read all of Douglas Adams' other books... but I like this one the best.
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. When I was in eighth grade, I had an English teacher that loved Tolkien and assigned the trilogy for class. I really got into these books, and also read The Hobbit and attempted to read The Silmarillion. (Has anyone finished The Silmarillion?)

Oops... I re-read Maureen's original post and see that I was only supposed to mention three favorite books, not eight. Also, it was for Teen Read Week, which has, alas, ended. I hope she'll forgive me.

I'm tagging Cheryl Rainfeld for this meme because she loves YA books and she loves talking about her favorite books.

Milestone

This is my 100th post! Wow! When I started, I wasn't sure if I had enough to say to keep this blog going (but I see that I've proven myself wrong). I can't seem to stop writing.

Thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting... blogging has been a fantastic experience and far more interactive than I could have ever imagined. It's still amazing to me that people who haven't met me are interested in what I have to say.

If you're just joining Wizards Wireless, here are my introductory posts which explain what this blog is about. Short answer: children's books, comic strips and Harry Potter. For longer answers, see these posts:

• Welcome!
• Who Am I?
• What's This Blog about?
  
• What Does Wizards Wireless Mean?

Updates to these original posts:

-I recently started a job as a children's bookseller, so this blog will doubtless be more current on new children's books than it has in the past.

-This blog seems to have developed a strong independent bookstore cheering section (which started well before the job mentioned above).

-The Wizards Wireless radio station was mentioned in the 7th Harry Potter book, but not really in a good way. But by that point I had already named my blog, so, oh well. I still like the name, though.

-Thanks to the recent Kidlitosphere conference, I had the opportunity to meet tons of other children's literature bloggers and feel much more connected to the kidlit community. I've added links to lots of new and wonderful kid lit blogs.

I also want to say a huge thank you to the blogs who have linked to or have posted about Wizards Wireless. I'm so honored! Thank you to:

• 2nd Gen Librarian
• A Chair, Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
• Bewitched Librarian
  
• Big A little a
• BookMoot
• Booktopia
  
• By the Nightlight
• Cheryl Rainfeld
  
• Confessions of a Bibliovore
  
• Jen Robinson's Book Page
  
• Just One More Book
  
• Mother Reader
• Pirate Ninja Mommy
  
• Pixie Palace
• Planet Esme
• Read Write Believe
  
• Sassafrass Corner
  
• The Monkey Speaks
  
• What Adrienne Thinks About That
• Word Power
  

If I missed you, please let me know so I can add you to the list.

And the biggest thanks of all goes to everyone who has read this blog. Thank you!

Favorite holiday books

Thanks to everyone who told me about their favorite Halloween books. It brought back some great memories and inspired me to seek out new books.

Now I'm curious to hear more holiday favorites. What books did you read as a child, or have you recently discovered that are terrific for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas?

There are lots and lots of lists of holiday favorites in books, articles and library catalogs but I love to hear personal recommendations from people who have really fallen in love with a book.

I know, I know, it's WAY too early to think about all these holidays, but I'm a bookseller and I have to plan ahead. Any mention of your favorite books would be hugely appreciated.

Harry Potter 7: Epilogue poll results

Question: I thought the epilogue in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was:

• 47%: Okay
• 14%: Fantastic
• 14%: Awful
  
• 14%: Unnecessary
• 9 %: Not detailed enough
• 0%: I haven't read the book

So, this leads me to the conclusion that not a lot of people were thrilled with the epilogue. "Okay" won very definitively. I'm of the rare breed who did like the epilogue (see this post for why), although I do agree with a lot of the points made in the comments section of both this post and this one.

In other poll news: the favorite Harry Potter characters poll keeps taking new turns. I originally asked the question to see how popular Snape was, and to my surprise, he immediately took over the lead.

When I last commented on the in-progress results they stood as follows:

1. Harry
2. Snape
3. Hermione
4. Lupin
5. McGonagall and Sirius
   

Here are the current results as of this writing:

1. Hermione
2. Harry
3. Ginny and Snape
4. Lupin and Neville
5. Fred and George
   

Characters that have gotten no votes so far:

• Fleur Delacour
  
• Petunia Dursley
  
• Vernon Dursley
  
• Xenophilius Lovegood
  
• Lucius Malfoy
• Narcissa Malfoy
  
• Mad Eye Moody
  
• Auntie Muriel
  
• Peter Pettigrew
  
• Horace Slughorn

While I understand most of these, I have to ask, nobody likes Mad Eye Moody? Why not?

I'm curious to see what the final results will be!

J.K. Rowling Gives Details, and Lots of Them

J.K. Rowling's U.S. book tour ended with a bang in New York last night. As I hoped, she revealed all kinds of juicy information and gave great answers. The preliminary transcript is here at the Leaky Cauldron... more to come. There are a huge number of spoilers, so only click on it if you solemnly swear that you've finished the 7th book.

The revelation about Dumbledore (which I suspected after reading the 7th book- but hadn't thought a lot about) is all over the news today, so it might be hard to miss. But even if you've heard it, I highly recommend clicking on the post so you can see the full context of her answer. I also added a new poll on the subject, see the sidebar to vote.

There's more discussion about Dumbledore on Worth the Trip, A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy, and Confessions of A Bibliovore. Also, Dumbledore's Wikipedia entry has already been updated.

Monica from Educating Alice, Betsy from Fuse #8 and GraceAnne (whose thoughts were included in a Leaky Cauldron post) were lucky enough to see J.K. Rowling live on Friday morning. Lisa Yee wrote about seeing J.K. Rowling at her L.A. tour stop and also posted her reaction to the news about Dumbledore.

Update: The Leaky Cauldron preliminary transcript mentioned above is now complete.
Also, there's a great additional post at Worth the Trip with links to worldwide news coverage on the subject.

Dear Wizards Wireless

I thought I'd share the answers to a few questions that have come my way recently.

Question: Do you ever talk about anything other than Harry Potter?

Answer: Yes. Really, truly, I do.

Question: Aren't you sick of talking about Book 7?

Answer: Nope. Not yet.

Question: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published in July. It's currently October. Why are you still putting spoilers on the top of the Book 7 posts? Surely everyone has read the book by now and the plot details are fair game?

Answer: Every week at least one person tells me that they haven't finished the 7th (or 6th or 5th) book yet... and even though it's been months since the book was released, they're still trying as hard as possible to avoid spoilers. I feel that the Harry Potter books (like every other book) are best if you find out the plot by reading the story and not because someone told you. I found it magical to read the Harry Potter books for the first time, and I respect those who want to find out the ending for themselves. There is information about the 7th book on this blog, but I try mightily to put spoilers on all posts that might give away significant plot details. Book Six was spoiled for me... see this post... so I try not to do that to anyone else.

Question: What happened to the chapter synopsis posts you were doing of Book 7?

Answer: Grad school happened. But I plan to start writing the chapter posts again soon. Thanks to Liz at By the Nightlight who told me how much she enjoyed reading them... and inspired me to start up again. If you've missed them so far, (I'm up to Chapter Ten) click on the heading on the sidebar under Labels titled "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows chapters."

Or follow these links: (but only if you've finished Book 7)

• Introduction and Chapter One
• Chapters Two and Three
• Chapters Four and Five
• Chapters Six and Seven
• Chapters Eight and Nine
• Chapter Ten

And, although it's not a formal chapter summary yet, I did do a post on the epilogue:

• Why Did I Like the Epilogue?

I also started a new series of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows discussion questions. Feel free to add your opinions in the comments section, or you can use the questions for a book group or class discussion. And they work great as conversation starters with other people who have finished the book (not that I've ever done this, or anything. =)

You can find the discussion questions either by clicking on "Harry Potter discussion questions" on the sidebar (aren't I creative?) or by following these links:

• Harry Potter 7: Discussion Question 1
  
• Harry Potter 7: Discussion Question 2
  
• Harry Potter 7: Discussion Question 3
  
• Harry Potter 7: Discussion Question 4

No one has replied to Question 3 yet... which surprises me because I thought it was a nice, meaty topic.

Question: Why do your book reviews link to Amazon?

Answer: Because I like Amazon's customer reviews, and I think they provide good feedback about a book. They also offer a different perspective than professional reviews. But I also strongly support independent bookstores and you'll find links to approximately 100 independents that specialize in children's books listed on the sidebar. For more independent bookstore resources see this post and this one.

Any other questions (other than: "Shouldn't you be doing homework right now?") I'd love to hear them.

J.K. Rowling U.S. Book Tour continued

There's a short article today in the Times Picayune about J.K. Rowling's visit to New Orleans. Not too much new stuff here, but she did answer questions about the fate of a character or two (that didn't appear in the other interviews). I also like the quotes from the students at the very end of the article.

J.K. Rowling's U.S. tour ends on Friday with two appearances in New York- one for school children and one for the public. For other articles about her tour so far check this post and this one.

Doonesbury

I love Doonesbury. It's extremely well drawn and researched, it's funny, it's topical, it's witty and it has an amazing cast of characters. I think it elevates the comics pages in some ways, and I'm always disappointed when I find a paper that has segregated it into another section.

I don’t think that Doonesbury should be on the editorial page of the newspaper for the same reason I don’t think Dilbert should be in the business section. It marginalizes the audiences for these strips. In the case of Doonesbury, I think it makes the strip feel like it’s not a regular comic, and that you should only read it if you’re well versed in politics.

There seem to be two types of Doonesbury readers: those who follow it every day and those who read it occasionally but get frustrated by the immense number of characters and political angle. I used to fall into the second category…. I thought Doonesbury was way too complicated and I didn’t get the jokes.

Then I read all the collections, starting with the very first strip where B.D. meets Mike. Some of the earlier strips were difficult to slog through. I think Garry Trudeau's art has improved more over the years than any other comic strip artist I can think of and the later years are a pleasure to read. But once I read the collections, I finally understood who all the characters were and how they related to each other. Trudeau makes a lot of references to previous events in the characters lives, and the jokes are very funny when you get them.

It's still the only comic strip to have won the Pulitzer prize- which happened in the early years, but I think is more deserved now given the level of reporting and research Trudeau puts into each strip. In 2006 Gene Weingarten did a fabulous in-depth article on Garry Trudeau in the Washington Post which I highly recommend if you have any interest in Doonesbury. I grant that the strip has some inconsistencies and the characters only seem to age every ten years. But overall, it's a great read.

Doonesbury is the only strip that has really dealt with the Iraq war and it is continuing to do so in a poignant and intriguing way. Trudeau has given me an inkling of the anger and healing that happens after an amputation... something you don't see in Garfield every day. Not all subjects are political though. Two years ago, there was a fantastic series on a character applying to college, which was relevant to anyone who's been through the experience.

If you do decide to read the collections, start with the big omnibus editions that contain multiple years. It will give you more consistency than the short books. Go in this order: The Doonesbury Chronicles, Doonesbury's Greatest Hits, The People's Doonesbury, Doonesbury Dossier and Doonesbury Deluxe. There's lots more after that if you're interested (and the artwork gets a lot better) but the first few books should at least give you a good character base. The books mentioned above are readily available in libraries, bargain bins and used bookstores everywhere.

If you do decide to read the old strips, remember that some of the political strips are extremely timely to the period they were written. I feel it's okay to skip them if they're not making you laugh. The point of reading the collections is really to understand the relationships between the characters. Flashbacks: Twenty Five Years of Doonesbury is a great book and is a good place to get a primer and context.

If Doonesbury overwhelms and confuses you, give it another chance. Pick up a collection. Start reading the strips regularly. Read the Doonesbury website (which is part of Slate.com). You don't have to know everything about politics to find it funny, I promise.

Harry Potter and Religion

Check out this intriguing article from MTV News with information from Monday's press conference with J.K. Rowling about the role of religion in the Harry Potter books. Even the article title gives away the ending, so please only click on the link if you've finished reading the 7th book.

There should be a few more updates (and hopefully) more questions answered... her book tour doesn't end until Friday.

For more articles about J.K. Rowling's current U.S. tour, see this post.

Halloween Books

Do you have a favorite picture book about Halloween? There's a post up at Parent Hacks on this subject. Be sure to check the comments section of the post to see all the suggestions.

As a side note, if you're a parent, I highly recommend reading the Parent Hacks blog. It contains some of the most helpful and practical tips I've ever seen. It's a fantastic resource.

And if you have a favorite Halloween book (whether you're a parent or not), I'd love to hear what it is.

Harry Potter 7: Discussion Question Four

Here's another discussion question for those of you who have finished Harry Potter 7.

Spoiler
space
if
you
haven't
finished
reading
Harry
Potter
and
the
Deathly
Hallows.


Were there unnecessary deaths? (I think there were). Who died that shouldn't have? Whose death upset you the most?

My answer to this question is in the comments of this post.

J.K. Rowling's U.S. Book Tour

J.K. Rowling has started her book tour in the United States (the first since Prisoner of Azkaban) .. to audiences of lucky contest winners (which alas, does not include Wizards Wireless) in Los Angeles, New Orleans and New York. She's been answering questions, doing readings and signing lots of books.

This post at the Leaky Cauldron has pictures, news articles and more. And this post has Rowling's answers to a Q&A session. Be warned, they may contain spoilers.

The Hogwarts Encyclopedia doesn't seem to be in the works anytime soon. Sigh.

A confession

I have never read Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass.

There. I admitted it.

I've always meant to read His Dark Materials (the trilogy of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass)... I just haven't read it yet. I'll read it, I promise.

Several people have said the same thing after I've admitted this... that I'm so lucky because I have this wonderful series of books to read and discover for the first time. I love that viewpoint- it's the same way I feel about people who haven't read Harry Potter.

Is there anything that you really, truly mean to read... but haven't? (It's okay to answer Harry Potter. Who am I to judge?) Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Favorite Picture Books Round-up

What were your favorite picture books when you were growing up? I recently posted this question and got many wonderful responses. Here's where to find them:

Kristen at 2nd Gen Librarian talks about The Lorax, Bears in the Night, The Big Orange Splot, Blueberries for Sal, and The Friendly Beasts.

Stacy at Booktopia mentions Madeline, The Mitten and Garbage Delight.

Franki at A Year of Reading discusses the books she saved from childhood including Sad Day, Glad Day, Two New Babies, Time For a Rhyme, A Present for the Princess, The Princess and the Pea, Jiggers, The Witch Next Door, Where the Wild Things Are and more.

Cheryl Rainfield came up with a long and wonderful list including The Story of Ferdinand, The Monster at the End of This Book, Hide and Seek with Lovable Furry Old Grover, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hatches the Egg, Ten Apples Up on Top!, The Lorax, The Cat in the Hat.... and many, many more.

Becky at Reading With Becky talks about Umbrella, Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb, Are You My Mother?, Blueberries For Sal, Noisy Nora and Just For You.

Jen at Jen Robinson's Book Page says she doesn't really remember her favorite picture books as a child, but one that stands out is the Digging-ist Dog.

See the comments section of my original post for even more great childhood favorites.

Did I miss your post? Let me know so I can add it to the list.

My favorite picture books

What were your favorite picture books when you were growing up? I recently had a conversation on this subject with Kristen at 2nd Gen Librarian. She just did a great post about her favorites and came up with five wonderful books.

I thought this was a fantastic idea and decided to make a list of my favorite five books from when I was little. I failed... it turned into a list of ten. I listed them in alphabetical order- because they're all so wonderful that I can't rank one above another. Here they are:

• Bears in the Night by Stan and Jan Berenstain
• Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
• Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry
• Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham
• Madeline's Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
• Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard, illustrated by James Marshall
• The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone, illustrated by Michael Smollin
• Walter the Baker by Eric Carle
• What Do You Say, Dear? by Sesyle Joslin, illustrated by Maurice Sendak

What were your favorite picture books? I'm talking about the book that you read over and over until it fell apart. Or the book that if you saw it today, you would squeal "Oh! I loved that book!" Or the book you borrowed from the library every time you went? Or the book you could recite every word of, even though you haven't seen it for 20 years? Or the book you always give to a new baby because you want them to share the magic you experienced as a child?

You saw a book on this list that made you squeal, didn't you? =)

Update: I posted a round-up of other bloggers favorite picture books here.

The Great Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Controversy

I love seeing which Google searches cause people to click on my blog.

The two most popular searches that seem to keep reappearing are "knuffle bunny pronunciation" which I explain in this post, and "parsley grinder" which I briefly mentioned in this post about The Higher Power of Lucky.

And then there are questions I'd be happy to answer, but I find out about them after the person has already clicked away. For example, there was a search done for "the substance that burns Hermione when she opens her hate mail." The answer is Bubotuber pus, if anyone's looking for it. By the way, you haven't lived until you've heard Jim Dale say "bubotuber pus" in the American audio version of the 4th Harry Potter book.

My favorite search is the one that just showed up today: "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom controversy." There's a controversy about Chicka Chicka Boom Boom? The book or the rhyme? What on earth is it about? I'm dying to know. (I even googled it myself and came up empty).

The only thing that I can think of that should be controversial is the board book version of this fabulous title. It's titled Chicka Chicka ABC, and only 5 spreads are included (the hardcover book has 12 spreads.) Even my son (when he was one and a half) recognized that over half of the book was missing and asked for the rest of it. The poor alphabet falls down from the coconut tree but never gets back up. How depressing.

By the way, if you've never read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom with a child, I can't recommend the experience highly enough. It's a compulsively readable book about the alphabet. (You didn't know there was such a thing, did you?) It's got an addicting rhythm structure and is a surefire hit with the 1 to 3 year old crowd.

And if you know about the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom controversy (sure to be being debated in the great halls of academic learning at this very moment) please tell me what it could possibly be. Any theories?

UPDATE: I've now gotten 10 hits for "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom controversy" after I mentioned my curiosity about it on a listserv. There's no issue with the book that I know of. I didn't mean to create a controversy where there wasn't one!

Harry Potter 7: Discussion Question Three

Here's another discussion question. This one is about everyone's favorite greasy-haired black-robed professor.


Spoiler
space
if
you
haven't
finished
reading
Harry
Potter
and
the
Deathly
Hallows.


Question #3: Is Snape a hero? An anti-hero? A guy who doesn't like to use shampoo or go shopping for new clothes? All of the above? What do you think?

And, if it were not for Lily Potter, which side would he have been on? Did he ever care about Harry? Do you think he had to die? What did you think of the scene in the Shrieking Shack?

For those of you who have said he was your favorite character (before you read Book 7), why is he your favorite? Did you believe in Snape from the beginning? If not, at which point did you start trusting him?

Is there anything else you want to know about him? Discuss away!

Harry Potter 7: Shortest Review Ever

Want the plot of Harry Potter 7 in six sentences? Read this great kid review written by an 8 year old in the L.A. Times. But seriously- only read it if you've finished the book, because, well, it spoils the entire plot.

Also, don't click on the link if you haven't read the suspenseful Berenstain Bears by the Sea because there are spoilers for that book in the article as well. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Thanks to bookshelves of doom for the link.

Teaching through Harry Potter?

My blog is a teaching tool!

My friend Cate (who is a computer teacher) used Wizards Wireless as part of webquest she put together for her students.

And author Esme Raji Codell was kind enough to include Wizards Wireless on a post recommending teacher friendly websites.

What a compliment! Aw shucks. I'm blushing.

Poll early and often!

Here are the results of my recent poll about Harry Potter discussions.

Question: I've talked about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with:

• 57 %: Anyone who will talk to me about it.
• 28%: A few friends after I finished the book- but I don't really have anything else to say.
• 14%: My spouse/family. They're pretty sick of the subject.
• 9%: I'm not finished yet! I'm trying to avoid all Harry Potter related conversations.
• 4%: A book club/discussion group.
• 4%: People on listservs, websites and blogs.
• 4%: I'm not planning on reading it. I wish people would stop talking about it!

You may have figured out by now that I fall firmly into the "anyone who will talk to me about it" camp. What's been interesting is how many people seem to still want to talk about the book... even three months later. I've also been surprised by how many people are still reading the book (and I envy them) because I gulped it down it one weekend.

Speaking of polls: I said in the comments sections of this post that Snape was winning my "favorite Harry Potter character poll." Harry himself just nudged Snape out of the lead, so we'll see where it ends up. Hermione's in third place, Lupin's in fourth and Professor McGonagall and Sirius Black are tied for fifth. Also I was impressed to see that Bellatrix, Draco, Voldemort and Umbridge all got votes for favorite characters.

I also added a new poll question about what you thought of the Book 7 epilogue and have already gotten a fairly vocal response (almost no one liked it). I did, see this post for why.

Speaking of Mo Willems...

...one of my library school professors quoted him in class tonight. And it was a great quote, so I wanted to share. In an article from Scholastic's Parent and Child, Mo Willems said that "Books aren't temples; they're playgrounds. They're meant to be played."

I think that's a great concept. Check out the rest of the article: "Make Reading 'Mo' Fun." It's about fun and creative ways to read with kids, and well, it's by Mo Willems, so it's funny.

Don't let the pigeon wear this t-shirt!

Want a totebag or t-shirt of your favorite children's book character? Check out Wonder Shirts, which has fantastic original artwork by Mo Willems, Kevin Henkes, Tomie dePaola, Edward Gorey, Arnold Lobel, James Marshall, Susan Saltzman, Garth Williams, Will Hillenbrand, Leo and Diane Dillion and Betsy Lewin. All the images promote reading, such as this great Pigeon t-shirt with the slogan "Driven to Read."

Thanks to Tricia at the Miss Rumphius Effect for telling me about it.

Harry Potter 7: Why did I like the epilogue?

The epilogue has gotten a fairly mixed reaction. I'd love to hear what you think about it... see the new poll in the sidebar and Discussion Question #2.

Here's my thoughts about why I liked it. Scroll down past the spoiler space.

Spoiler
space
if
you
haven't
finished
reading
Harry
Potter
and
the
Deathly
Hallows.

Why did I like the epilogue?

• Everything came full circle. We saw Harry catching his first train to Hogwarts, we saw Harry’s parents doing it, and now we see Harry’s children having the same experience. Another wonderful full circle was the fact that Ginny’s daughter Lily couldn’t wait until it was her own turn to go to Hogwarts.
  
• That Harry has a family now, and children and in-laws… everything that was missing from his life when he was growing up. And that he’s providing that sense of family to Teddy Tonks who is growing up without his parents.
• Albus Severus Potter. Okay, it’s a rough name for any kid to have (although I’d argue that Scorpius Malfoy is even worse.) But it really showed me that Harry had forgiven Snape and finally understood him. After very memorably calling Snape a coward at the end of Book 6, Harry is now referring to him as “the bravest man I ever knew.” I think that shows a lot of maturity on Harry’s part.
  
• The nod that Draco gave Harry. It showed me that they weren’t best friends forever, but that Draco acknowledged that Harry had saved his life in the Room of Requirement and the outright hatred had vanished. I thought this moment was one of the most important things about the epilogue.
• That Ron was able to make a joke about Harry’s fame. Ron was finally able to accept it, and was no longer jealous of Harry.
  
• That Percy was talking about broomstick regulations. Even though Percy had that wonderful reconciliation moment earlier in the book, this comment showed me that Percy was still the same person- and had reverted to his roots. Does Percy’s presence on the platform mean that he has children going to Hogwarts too?
• The way Harry missed his son when the train left, and that he felt like it was a “little bereavement.” I loved seeing Harry as an adult… although this last chapter was like a little bereavement for me too. Because it was the end of the series.

Cheryl Klein (one of the Scholastic editors of the book) posted some great comments about the epilogue (and the rest of Book 7) on her blog Brooklyn Arden here and here.

Harry Potter 7: Discussion Question Two

Discussion Question #1 hasn't gotten any reactions yet, so let me try something a little more meaty for Question #2.

Hint: it's about the epilogue.

Spoiler

space

if

you

haven't

finished

Book

Seven.

If

you

need

the

spoiler

space,

what

are

you

doing

reading

this

blog?

Go

read

Book

Seven!

I thought the epilogue of Book 7 was great, but based on my conversations with other people, I'm the only one who seems to feel this way!

So question #2 is: Did you like the epilogue? Did you think it was important enough to be included? Should there have been more information in it?

Frazz

I haven't done a comic strip profile in a while, so let me correct that and tell you about one of my new favorites: Frazz by Jef Mallett.

The title character is an elementary school janitor and he's (there's no other way to say it)... cool. He's fun and quirky; the kind of person you'd like to get to know. What makes Frazz great is that he clearly cares about the kids in the school, and channels that into challenging them and calling their bluffs. Mallett manages to do this in a humorous way without getting overly sentimental.

Not only does Frazz show positive images of being a janitor (not something you see a lot on the comics page), but he's also an avid bicyclist and triathlete. This is modeled after Mallett's interests, and the descriptions of training ring true. There's just enough information to give you the idea without too much jargon to bring the strip down.

Frazz premiered in 2001, and has been steadily been picking up a following. It's always great to see new talent and new strips, and I think is one of the better ones to debut recently.

Here's where to go for a daily fix of Frazz. If you're new to the strip, take a look at this fairly comprehensive Wikipedia article that introduces all the major characters. If you're interested in the creator, Jef Mallet, check out this interview from 2004 in VeloNews.

There are two book collections out so far: Live At Bryson Elementary (#1) and 99% Perspiration. (#2)

I highly recommend this strip. Give it a try!

Harry Potter 7: Discussion Question One

I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoy reading each Harry Potter book for the first time. There's a (dare I say it?) magic and delight to not knowing where the story is going to take you. But I enjoy discussing the books as much as I enjoy reading them. They can be read on so many levels and I find that every person I talk to has a unique perspective and adds something new to the conversation.


I'd love to hear what you think... so I'm going to start posing some questions I have about the series (and the 7th book in particular). These are ambiguous, fun kinds of questions with no right answers. Please jump in with your opinion and feel free to e-mail me with any questions you'd like to see asked.

For my first question......


drumroll please....


and
spoiler
space
in
case
you
haven't
finished
Book
Seven.


Question One: Since there's no password, can anyone get into the Ravenclaw common room? Doesn't that make it rather unsecure?

Harry Potter in Rudy Park

I love Harry Potter. I love comic strips. So whenever I stumble upon a comic strip about Harry Potter, you can be pretty sure what my reaction will be.

Warning: this particular strip has a major Harry Potter Book 7 spoiler, so don't click on the link until you've finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Okay? You've read the book? Check out this strip from Rudy Park.

Thanks to Confessions of a Bibliovore for the link.

More Blogs!

I've been spending the weekend at the fabulous 1st Annual Kidlitosphere Conference in Chicago. I've meet incredible people, all interested in children's literature. I also discovered their wonderful children's and young adult literature blogs and their fabulous book reviews. I've added a huge number of new blogs to the links list on the right hand side of this blog. Check them out!

The best part (besides meeting all the wonderful people, of course) was that just about EVERYONE had finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and I could talk about it to my heart's content. And everyone was talking about children's books. And I even got a comic strip discussion going at one point. Pure bliss to talk with such wonderful people.

Also, I learned an incredible amount about the kidlit blogging community and the etiquette and ethics. And, since half the attendees were authors, I got to hear their perspective, which was terrific.

Update: For more about the Kidlitosphere Conference (which was awesome), check out any kidlit blog, because everyone has a post about it! For more specifics, there's a great round-up on Kelly Herold's blog Big A little a.

For Better or For Worse: Uh-oh

After several weeks of strips from the past, For Better or For Worse jumped back into the present tense today with a major cliffhanger.

Update: The resolution to the cliffhanger is in Thursday's strip.

When Dinosaurs Came With Everything

My son isn't obsessed with dinosaurs. He's three years old, so he's not quite there. Yet. But I'm sure he will be soon, and when that moment comes, I can't wait to read him When Dinosaurs Came With Everything by Elise Broach.

Imagine if you went to the barber shop or the doctor's office and instead of lollipops... they gave you a free DINOSAUR. Wouldn't that be great? (For a few minutes). And then what on earth would you do with all the dinosaurs?

This book is terrific because it has an engaging story that keeps increasing the stakes. I think it's very creative how Broach shows the consequences of this fabulous idea. No matter how much you love dinosaurs, you might be a tad overwhelmed with actually taking care of them. My favorite part of the book is when the main character pleads with the nurse at the doctor's office to give him a shot instead of yet another free dinosaur. There's a funny twist at the end which made me laugh (and if you're a parent, it definitely makes you empathize with the mom).

The other fantastic thing about this book is that it's illustrated by Caldecott-winning artist David Small. Like all of Small's work, the pictures are big, bold, funny, nuanced and humorous.

For more information about author Elise Broach, there's a profile about her in the Easton Courier and how she got the idea for this book. Also, check out her website.

When Dinosaurs Came With Everything is meaty, funny and lovable. Just what a picture book should be. Also, it's filled with dinosaurs in all shapes and sizes. If you have someone in your life who loves dinosaurs, make sure to share this book with them.

The Cybils

Want to nominate your favorite children's books of 2007? There's a fantastic award in its 2nd year called the Cybils, which was created by children's literature bloggers. Last year's winners are here.... and include some of my favorite books from 2006 such as American Born Chinese, Scaredy Squirrel, Freedom Walkers and Amelia Rules!

This year's nominations are now open, and the public is free to nominate one book per category. For more information, see the press release at Kelly Herold's wonderful blog Big A little a. Go to the Cybils blog to start nominating your favorite books!

Favorite Harry Potter character?

Who's your favorite character in the Harry Potter series?

I had a Harry Potter discussion party at my house this weekend, and was impressed by how many people said that Snape was their favorite character (and had been for the whole series).

This surprised me, so I put up a new poll (see the right hand side of the blog) asking this question. This was harder than it looks because there are SO many major characters. I picked fifty and alphabetized them all by last name, just to keep them straight. I would never be able to choose just one character, so I set up the poll so you can vote for as many as you like.

I know I left a bunch of characters off the list (for sanity's sake). If you want a full list of every last person that appears in the books, the best place to check is this exhaustive list at the Harry Potter Lexicon.