It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 10/30/17

The weekly post where I recap all the KidLit books I’ve been reading. Occasionally, I’ll also review some adult fiction books as well.

Be sure to check out Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers to see what other kidlit readers are reading. Because, you know, we can never have too many books in our TBR pile.
                                         

I am giving away a copy of Ben Hatke's Mighty Jack and the Goblin King! Be sure to enter here.

Board Books

I'm the Scariest Thing in the Castle

by Kevin Sherry

Fun board boo with bright pictures. I like the bright, bold illustrations. My daughter especially enjoys reading this to her younger brother.

Picture Books

Pssssst! It's Me...the Bogeyman

written by Barbara Park

illustrated by  Stephen Kroninger

I really enjoyed this picture book. I like the cut paper style illustrations, and they were even a bit creepy. I liked the overall story, but some of the language (namely, the different nicknames the bogeyman call the boy in the story) feel outdated. But it was still a very fun, spooky read.

Pumpkin Town!

 written by Katie McKy 

illustrated by Pablo Bernasconi

Overall, this was an enjoyable book. The illustrations are whimsical and bright. I felt like it took the story a bit to get going, but once it picked up, it was great. Good October book to read with a good message about fixing mistakes.

Triangle

written by Mac Barnett 

illustrated by Jon Klassen

This is the type of book that gets better with each reading. The characters and the story made me smile. The illustrations are fantastic. There is a lot of texture in the pictures, despite not having much color. Definitely worth a read.

Hocus Pocus, It's Fall!

written by Anne Sibley O'Brien

illustrated by Susan Gal

This is a perfect book for the season. We enjoyed the fold out spreads throughout the book. The illustrations have a lot of texture and the colors are vibrant. I liked how each page incorporated magic words, like Abracadabra and Hocus Pocus. A definite fun read.

Graphic Novels

Mighty Jack and the Goblin King
by Ben Hatke

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Together with the 1st in the series, it is a wonderful twist on an old fairy tale. You can read my full review here and enter to win a copy here.

MIGHTY JACK Giveaway + Author Interview

Buy Here

Hello everyone. It's time for another book giveaway! This month I will be giving away a copy of Ben Hatke's Mighty Jack and the Goblin King. You can read my review for it here and my review for the first book in the series, Mighty Jack, here. Seriously, these books are fantastic.

Ben Hatke was kind enough to answer a few questions, and I hope that you enjoy the interview below. Be sure to check out his other books and look him up on the social media links at the end of this post. And, as always, be sure to enter the giveaway!

An Interview with Ben Hatke

5 Favorites:

Vegetable: Broccoli! (it wasn't always this way)
Household chore: Dishes! (either with loud music, or quiet and meditative)
Candy/treat: Cow Tails!
Color: All of them.
Animal: Turtles.

5 More Questions: 

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

Someone who helped people. As a gymnast, I also went through a long phase where I wanted to join a circus. But through it all I was drawing and telling stories.

What do you think makes a good story?

A clear, emotionally resonant ending that everything in the story is pushing toward. Also characters that you are rooting for who have to make difficult moral choices. Things that are no fun it real life often make great fuel for stories.

What do you like to do when you're not writing/drawing?

I like to practice archery, paddle around in my canoe, and read, read, read.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

I've been given lots of good advice over the years, but, on the subject of art it was this (from a grand old teacher with a voice like distant thunder): "Art is not in the hands. You can teach your hands to do anything. Art is here [pointing to eyes]. Teaching them to really see."

What book(s) are you reading right now?

I'm reading The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. It's about a woman who takes a job keeping house for an aging mathematician who has a brain injury that severely damaged his short term memory. His memories reset every 80 minutes. It's very good.

BOOKS BY BEN HATKE
Julia's House for Lost Creatures
Nobody Likes a Goblin
Little Robot
Mighty Jack
Mighty Jack and the Goblin King


FOLLOW BEN
Website: benhatke.com
Twitter: @BenHatke

Instagram: @heybenhatke

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mighty Jack and the Goblin King - MG Graphic Novel Review

 Mighty Jack and the Goblin King

by Ben Hatke

At a Glance

Genre(s)/Categories:

Fairy Tale, Middle Grade graphic novel

Age Range: 

7-12 years old

Plot:

When Jack and Lilly race through a portal to save Jack's captured sister, they find a magical world filled with giants and goblins. Even with their magic beans, they have a tough time beating their foes. When things are looking hopeless, Jack turns to the Giant King for help.

Pros:

• I like that Goblin King picks right up where Mighty Jack (#1) left off
• Again, the artwork is fantastic and moves the story along clearly and beautifully
• The story is compelling and fresh
• I like the stinger at the end

Cons:

• There were one or two parts that I wish would have lingered a little longer

Would I recommend this title:

100% yes!

Full Review

Rarely are the sequels as good as the first in the series. This is one of those rare times. I read the two books back to back so I appreciated that book 2 picked right up where the 1st left off. The storytelling was just as compelling. The characters are fleshed out, so they didn't feel cardboardy and stock. Again, my daughter read this one right after me (she is 7) and she really enjoyed it as well. Immediately she wanted to know if there were other books. I enjoyed the epilogue which felt like a stinger at the end of the credits of a super hero movie. I will definitely be checking out Ben Hatke's other books.

Mighty Jack - MG Graphic Novel Review

Mighty Jack

by Ben Hatke

At a Glance

Genres/Categories: 

Fairy tale, middle grade graphic novel

Age Range: 

7-12 years old

Plot:

Jack is dreading summer vacation because he has to watch his autistic little sister while his mom works two jobs. His summer gets way more interesting when he and his sister plant a magic garden in the back yard. This is a modern take on Jack and the Beanstalk.

Pros:

• I love the modern twist on an old classic
• the artwork is engaging and excellent
• I love the variety of magic plants
• this is just an overall knock-it-out-of-the-park book

Cons:

• That I had to wait to read the 2nd book!
• Can't think of anything bad about this title

Would I recommend this title:

Absolutely 100%

Full Review

Man, what isn't to like about this one? After I read this, I handed it to my 7 year old and told her she had to read it. She finished it in one sitting and asked to read the 2nd one in the series. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I really enjoyed the modern take on the story. It is definitely Jack and the Beanstalk while simultaneously being it's completely own thing. The artwork is beautiful and clear--it was easy to follow along with the story. I appreciate graphic novels that are not super text heavy and allow the illustrations to shine, and this one does a great job of that. Fantastic work all around.

Poetry Friday - Inktober Week 4

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to check out Brenda Davis Harsham's blog, Friendly Fairy Tales, to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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Another week has gone by and Halloween is almost here! I have managed to squeak out more poems and drawings for Inktober. With just five more days to go, I'm in the home stretch and I think I'll actually be able to accomplish this fairly lofty (for me) goal.

This is a true story. I really used to pretend that I could pop my eye out and spy on people. 

That smooshed words in the 4th line are "your amber eyes steal"

See you next week for the thrilling conclusion of my Poetry Inktober Project!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 10/23/17

The weekly post where I recap all the KidLit books I’ve been reading. Occasionally, I’ll also review some adult fiction books as well.

Be sure to check out Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers to see what other kidlit readers are reading. Because, you know, we can never have too many books in our TBR pile.
                                         

Board Books

One Sheep, Blue Sheep

written by  Thom Wiley 

illustrated by Ben Mantle

This is one of those books that is enhanced and made better by being a board book, and I love that about it. The cut outs were so much fun and the story was great too. A very fun concept book.

Picture Books

  

My Dad is Big and Strong, BUT...A Bedtime Story

written by Coralie Saudo 

illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo

This is a book that I have been wanting to check out for awhile. I knew little about it, so I laughed out loud at the funny twist on a bedtime routine. I liked the illustrations and how sketchy they seemed. My daughter liked the role reversal in the story. 

Secrets I Know

written by Kallie George 

illustrated by Paola Zakimi

Lately I have been enjoying a lot of quiet, contemplative picture books, and this is one of them. The illustrations and the text work so well together. I especially enjoy how each thought in the book builds on the next. I also loved how the children in the book are connecting with nature in the own backyard. 

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors

written by Drew Daywalt

illustrated by Adam Rex

There are so many things that I love about this book. First, it is hilarious. I mean really funny. I laughed at it. My daughter laughed at it. And my husband cracked up while reading it too. The illustrations are rich and the character design is fantastic. I especially like the part with the apricot tree. I also like that the text is beefy--and I mean that in a good way. Many picture books today have minimalist text, the bulkier text of this book serves the story perfectly. Never once did I find myself wishing that the story would hurry up.

Poetry Friday - Inktober Week 3

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to check out Leigh Anne's blog, A Day in the Life, to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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Well, I almost threw in the towel this week. Things got a bit hectic and I started telling myself that, while this poetry Inktober project is really fun, my time could be spent doing other things. But I decided that pushing through and finishing a writing commitment was reason enough to keep going. Especially with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) coming up next month. When it gets tough next month, I'll be able to look back and say "Hey! You finished Inktober! You've got this!"

Last week, Michelle Barnes suggested I write one on a childhood fear for her DMC challenge. Funnily, I had written this poem that morning. She was kind enough to share it on Today's Little Ditty. If you read the comments on the post, you can see some of the reasons dolls still creep me out!

This one is inspired by one of my favorite childhood poems/songs, "The Hearse Song" (you can see that my love of the macabre started young.) I first read it in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz.

Don't ask what happened to this one...I think the gargoyle got into a fist fight or something.

Poetry Friday - Inktober Week 2

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to check out Irene Latham's blog, Live Your Poem to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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It's Friday the 13th and I am happy to say that I haven't missed a day yet of Inktober! I am doing way better than my poem-a-day goal back in the month of April (I eeked out one poem that month). 

I have been having a lot of fun, mostly because it has been sort of playful and not anything to take too seriously. I find it easier to write in general when I  have fun, don't treat everything as precious, and understand that it's not going to be perfect on the first shot. And you know what has been happening? I've written a few that I'm quite pleased with and may work on to get them polished. It's been a great exercise so far!