WPSU's BookMark
BookMark: A 'Baker's Dozen' Of Children's Books
By Karla Schmit • Nov 29, 2018
Karla Schmit reviews three children's books from the Pennsylvania Center for the Book's 2018 Baker's Dozen list.
Since 2004, the Pennsylvania Center for the Book has named a Baker's Dozen of books each year that support family literacy.
The books chosen for the Baker's Dozen list aim to turn preschool children into lifelong readers and lovers of books. Among the thirteen books chosen this year are "Bulldozer Helps Out" by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann, "I Want That Nut!" by Madeline Valentine and "Who Am I? An Animal Guessing Game" by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page.
In "Bulldozer Helps Out," Little Bulldozer is eager to lend a hand at a construction site. His much bigger coworkers think he's too small to help out. Little Bulldozer is excited when he is given a small area to clear and flatten. He happily gets to work but suddenly stops when he discovers something in the debris. The larger trucks and bulldozers think they were right about Little Bulldozer being too small--but they quickly find out there is more than meets the eye. Children will delight at what Little Bulldozer has discovered and enjoy the surprise ending.
Mouse and Chipmunk are the two engaging characters in "I Want That Nut!" They both love playing with the prized nut, but they have some difficulty when it comes to taking turns. When an unexpected third character enters the story, they decide who will ultimately keep the nut. In the end, Mouse and Chipmunk discover that sharing and friendship are more valuable than any object.
"Who Am I? An Animal Guessing Game" is a surefire nonfiction hit for a young audience. The eye-catching illustrations and simple text will immediately engage children to participate in the animal guessing game. Children will be introduced to descriptive vocabulary such as "silky feathers," "delicate wings" and "grasping claws." The back of the book also includes additional facts about each animal such as their size, diet, habitat and more. This is an interactive book with interesting animal facts that will be enjoyed by young and old alike.
These three titles are just a glimpse of the many wonderful Baker's Dozen books that have been named this year. Families and caregivers will find these are books that preschoolers will want to hear read over and over again!
Reviewer Karla Schmit is an education librarian at Penn State University Park and the director of the Pennsylvania Center for the Book.
The Baker's Dozen list will be showcased at a children's book reading event on December 9 at 3 PM at Juniper Village on Cliffside Drive. These three books will be read, and attendees will have the chance to win a set of the Baker's Dozen books. The event is free and open to the public.
The complete 2018 Baker's Dozen list can be found here.
Karla Schmit
Pennsylvania Center for the Book
Candace Fleming
Eric Rohmann
Madeline Valentine
Robin Page
Centre County
BookMark: "My Favorite Thing Is Monsters" By Emil Ferris
By Lars Stoltzfus-Brown • Oct 4, 2018
Emil Ferris's 2017 graphic novel "My Favorite Thing is Monsters" is at turns beautiful, haunting and heart wrenching––and it took the comics world by storm. It won 3 Eisner awards in 2018 for best writer/artist, best new graphic album and best coloring. It was also nominated for 3 Ignatz awards in 2017 and a Hugo Award for "Best Graphic Story" in 2018. It may come as no surprise, then, that the Pennsylvania Center for the Book unanimously selected this book for the 2018 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize.
BookMark: "Eat First, Cry Later" By Mimi Barash Coppersmith
By Jackie Esposito • Nov 15, 2018
Mimi Barash Coppersmith has left an undeniable imprint on State College, Pennsylvania. Whether from her publications like "Town and Gown," her philanthropies like the Pink Zone, or her civic activities like serving as Penn State's Board of Trustees chair, Mimi has been a fixture since her arrival as an undergraduate in 1950.
BookMark: "Beartown" By Fredrik Backman
By Adison Godfrey • Nov 1, 2018
I read "Beartown" by Fredrik Backman for the first time in the summer of 2017, and I re-read the book this past summer because the sequel was released in July. Both times, I was struck by the language, the characters and the story.