Baba Yaga's Assistant

McCoola, Marika. Baba Yaga's Assistant. Candlewick Press, 2015.

Masha's grandmother once faced down Baba Yaga and survived, so when Masha sees an ad for the job of assistant to Baba Yaga, she thinks nothing of storming away from her mixed-up family and joining the witch in the chicken house. But when her new stepsister is captured by Baba Yaga, will Masha be able to rescue her?

This book was simply wonderful. The illustrations are great, the storyline is entertaining, and I love the tie-in to Russian folklore. This would be an excellent book to recommend to the tween who has read every graphic novel and isn't quite ready for young adult material.

Recommended for: tweens
Red Flags: fantasy violence - Baba Yaga threatens to eat children and talks about their toes being crunchy, etc.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alike Recommendations: The Fairy-Tale Detectives, A Tale Dark & Grimm, Egg & Spoon

Vengeance Road

Bowman, Erin. Vengeance Road. HMH Books for Young Readers, 2015.

Kate Thompson is determined to avenge her father's death, even if it means chasing down the biggest, baddest gang of outlaws the West has ever seen. Along the way, Kate has to decide whether she should enlist the help of others or try to do everything on her own.

Westerns are a long-lost art, and westerns written for young adults are practically unheard of, so I was surprised to find this particular title. The story itself is good, and the cover art is beautiful, but I gave this book only three stars due to two things. First, the treatment of the Apache character, which was historically accurate but still bothersome, and more importantly, the mannerisms of the main character, particularly her speech. I understand that she is supposed to be uneducated, or at least undereducated, but her speech and thoughts crossed the line from cutesy Western-style grammar errors to seriously annoying and difficult to read text. It would be possible to re-write her speech so that she still sounds Western without sounding ridiculous.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: lots and lots of violence - shootings, hangings, etc.
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alike Recommendations: Killer of Enemies, Under a Painted Sky, The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell

Storytime: Cats

Open them, Shut them
Open them, shut them; open them, shut them
Give a little clap, clap, clap!
Open them, shut them; open them, shut them
Lay them in your lap, lap lap.
Creep them, crawl them; creep them, crawl them
Right up to your chin, chin, chin!
Open wide your little mouth
But do not let them in, in, in!

Book: A Castle Full of Cats by Ruth Sanderson

Mrs. Tabby Cat
Here is Mrs. Tabby Cat (one thumb)
And her little kittens (4 fingers)
Curled up on their little bed, (Fold fingers and thumb together)
Snuggled with some mittens.
They were startled by a squeak (Other thumb wiggles)
Their heads popped up to see. (Hand comes partly open)
Kittens, I think I see a mouse.
Now just follow me (hushed voice).
Creeping, creeping, creeping on,
Silently they stole. (Fingers undulating toward mouse.)
Just before the cats got there,
The mouse popped in his hole. (Hide thumb in fist.)

Book: How to Catch a Mouse by Philippa Leathers

If You’re Happy and You Know It

3 Kittens who Lost their Mittens

(I used a big book for this, but you could easily do a video or a flannel story)
The three little kittens, they lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
"Oh, mother dear, we sadly fear,
Our mittens we have lost."
"What! Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie."

The three little kittens, they found their mittens,
And they began to cry,
"Oh, mother dear, see here, see here,
Our mittens we have found."
"Put on your mittens, you silly kittens,
And you shall have some pie."

The three little kittens put on their mittens,
And soon ate up the pie,
"Oh, mother dear, we greatly fear,
Our mittens we have soiled."
"What, soiled your mittens, you naughty kittens!"
Then they began to sigh,

The three little kittens, they washed their mittens,
And hung them out to dry,
"Oh, mother dear, see here, see here,
Our mittens we have washed"
"What, washed your mittens, then you're good kittens,
But I smell a rat close by."

Book: Miss Hazeltine’s Home for Shy and Fearful Cats by Alicia Potter

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Book: Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Goodbye Rhyme
On my face I have a nose,
And way down here I have ten toes.
I have two eyes that I can blink,
I have a head to help me think.
I have a chin, and very near,
I have two ears so I can hear.
Here are my arms to hold up high,
And here is my hand to wave good-bye.

Then it was time for our craft.  I found a cat mask online and printed it on cardstock for the kids to color and cut out. I made sure to mention that they could color it however they wanted, and as a result we had lots of rainbow-colored cats. 

Storytime: Back to School

Because of weird scheduling issues and also holidays getting in the way, my back-to-school story time didn't happen until halfway through September, when most kids had already gone back to school. No worries; we could still read school stories and enjoy a school-related craft without it being the official start of school anymore.

*Opening Rhyme: I use "open them, shut them" as a chant to start story time.

Book: Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Safety Poem:
Stop, look and listen
Before you cross the street
Use your eyse, use your ears,
And then you use your feet!

Book: Chu's First Day of School by Neil Gaiman

*Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

Back to School Rhyme:
Two little houses all closed up tight.
Open up the window and let in some light.
Ten little finger people tall and straight
Ready for school at half past eight!

Book: Splat and the Cool School Trip by Rob Scotton

Song: "The Wheels on the Bus"

Book: How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolen

*Song: "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes"

Book: Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

*Goodbye Rhyme:
On my face I have a nose,
And way down here I have ten toes.
I have two eyes that I can blink,
I have a head to help me think.
I have a chin, and very near,
I have two ears so I can hear.
Here are my arms to hold up high,
And here is my hand to wave goodbye.

This is my standard storytime format. I try to alternate books with action rhymes or songs, and I do more actions toward the end of storytime than I do at the beginning. The items marked with a * are always a part of my storytime, so the kids eventually learn the words and movements and can participate regularly. These are also good cues for the kids regarding the beginning and end of storytime.

I put the lyrics to all songs and rhymes, as well as book titles and author names, on Power Point slides that I project onto the screen behind me during story time so that parents can follow along. I have added a simple picture to each slide, too, so that kids who are not yet reading can still recognize when we're doing a certain song or rhyme.

My story times usually end with a craft, which I do after the last rhyme so that parents who need or want to leave can do so while everyone else moves to the tables to begin the craft.  This week we made pencil name tags that could be used as a refrigerator magnet or a door hanger, depending on what the child wanted.

To make the pencils, print this template on cardstock or make your own similar template. I made the pencil shapes in MS Publisher using the basic shapes available (triangle, rectangle, etc.). I then cut the paper so each pencil shape was separate, although I didn't cut out the individual pencils.

The kids at my storytime picked one pencil and colored the eraser (and the tip if they wanted).  Then they colored four craft sticks and used white glue to stick them on the pencil so the sticks looked like the wooden part of the pencil. I emphasized with the kids that they could color their pencil however they wanted.  I had sticky magnets to attach to the back and string if they wanted a door hanger.  Many chose to add their names to their pencils, but not everyone did.

Science Club: Friction

This month my science club studied friction. We watched a brief video about friction, then we had two separate experiments to try.

1. Rice bottle

Supplies: empty water bottles, uncooked rice, funnels and scoops to put rice in bottles, wooden chopsticks

Directions: Use your scoop and funnel (I used a paper cup for a scoop and a rolled piece of paper as a funnel) to fill the bottle with rice.  Tap the bottle on the table to help the rice "settle" in the bottle and then add more.  Your bottle should be as crammed full of rice as you can make it.  Next, stick a chopstick into the bottle. Friction should hold the chopstick in with the rice, which will allow you to pick up the bottle using just the chopstick. If it doesn't stay, remove the chopstick and add more rice.

2. Balloon people

Supplies: paper cutouts of people (or whatever shape you want), balloon

Directions: Inflate balloon.  Rub balloon rapidly on your clothing.  This friction between the balloon and the fabric will create static electricity, which should allow you to pick up the paper people with your balloon.  Hold your balloon over the paper people and watch them "jump" to meet the balloon. Make paper people of various sizes; what's the biggest size "person" your balloon can pick up?

I also gave the kids a handout with an additional experiment they could try at home. Overall, the kids and parents both enjoyed learning about friction this month at the library.