Little Athletes, Big Leaders

Little Athletes, Big Leaders
Written by Bruce Beaton
Recommended for parents. $18

As the mother of four young children who ALL love sports, I could hardly put this book down. Often there is only negative talk around organized sports and children.  Bruce Beaton, on-the-other-hand, reminds us of the benefits of organized sport.  Things like leadership skills, competition, teamwork, dedication, healthy living, mastery of skill and goal-setting are all discussed in this well-written parenting book.
Don’t get me wrong, I am overtly opposed to insisting on children playing a sport they are not interested in.  Many times it turns a child off all sports completely!  (Fortunately, our children want to play everything going.  Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in the day and so much money in the pot!)  This book reinforces the decisions we have made as parents to enroll our children in sports that they love and want to master.  Although they may seem trivial, we are advised to do the little things that matter: attend as many practices and games as possible, pay attention while he/she plays, be punctual, hug often and focus on your child’s approach not his/her talent.    By following his advice, you will succeed in raising a child who has great character and is one that coaches love to have on the team!

Beaton is a former CFL All-Star who played his first game of organized football at the age of twenty while attending Acadia University.  His perseverance turned out to be more important than his skill in the early days proving that it takes more than ability to make it to the big leagues!

Bruce Beaton will be in Rothesay on May 29 for a clinic for all minor sports coaches.  Call 848 1909 or email mcguire@nbnet.nb.ca for details.

Nancy Clancy: Super Sleuth

Nancy Clancy: Super Sleuth

Written by Jane O’Connor

Illustrated by: Robin Preiss Glasser

Harper Collins $10.99

Recommended for ages 7-10.

Fancy Nancy is slightly older and, of course, more sophisticated in this new chapter book, the first of the series.  As an elementary student, Nancy still loves fancy words and has a definite flair for fashion!

In this 124 page book, Nancy and her best friend Bree (remember Bree who loves butterflies) are out to solve mysteries and fight crime.  The problem is, there isn’t a whole lot of crime happening in their sleepy neighbourhood so with Nancy Drew as their inspiration, Nancy and Bree set out to solve as many mysteries as they can.  Decked out in their lavish trench coats and armed with their jewel-studded magnifying glasses, the two pals defy the odds by solving the mystery of the missing marble.  Even though their teacher, Mr. Dudeny, wasn’t too concerned about his marble, the girls felt it was imperative to return the glass marble to its rightful owner.  (Anyone who has elementary aged daughter will be familiar with this type of drama!)

In addition to the regular cast of characters from previous Fancy Nancy books, we are introduced to her schoolmates: Lionel, the twins Rhoda and Wanda and Yoko. 

Eliza and I read this chapter book together and decided that it was a combination of   Junie B. Jones, Clementine and even a little Ivy and Bean.

Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser have created numerous books together including Fancy Nancy, Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy and Fancy Nancy, Bonjour Butterfly.

The Runaway Hug

The Runaway Hug

Written by Nick Bland

Illustrated by Freya Blackwood

Scholastic Canada $14.99

Recommended for ages 2 – 5.

“Less is more” is my mantra for many things in life. In particular, it applies to quality stories for very young readers. The less text there is often means the more I will enjoy the story. And in this case, I thoroughly enjoyed and related to the fun concept that the author captured in this new picture book.

As little Lucy heads off to bed, she requests a hug from Mommy. Despite the fact that she is busy (folding the laundry in her underwear!) and based on my experiences, she has probably already given out 27 hugs in the past half hour, she tells Lucy that she has only more hug to give. If she can just borrow it for a short time, Lucy promises to give it back. She shares the hug with everyone in her family including Daddy, her unreceptive twin brothers and her baby sister, Lily. They all give the hug back to Lucy so then it is time to share it with Annie, her naughty dog.

Getting the hug back from Annie turns out to be a bit of a chore but lucky for Lucy, there is a special surprise waiting for her in bed when she finally gets there!

Blackwood’s soft illustrations are humorous and realistic. I felt like the home was ours (toys and laundry strewn about) and the bedtime routine is one that is so familiar to many of us (please, just one more hug!).

Nick Bland is an Australian author and illustrator who has created more than ten picture books including, The Wrong Book, The Very Itchy Bear and The Cranky Bear.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Fifteen years ago, I worked part-time at Woozles in Halifax as a bookseller. Back then I had all kinds of time to read and subsequently recommend great books to our loyal customers. It was during this time that I discovered what would become one of my all-time favourite young adult novels…The Giver. To my co-workers, it became a bit of running joke how I wanted to share this book with everyone. And to this day, I still love it! Nothing I have read in this genre even comes close to the language Lowry uses and her magnificent style of writing.

So now fifteen years later, I am reading The Giver again only this time as shared reading with our sons. Jonas is a twelve-year old boy who lives in a dystopian world controlled by the Committee of Elders. At the important age of twelve, each child is given their Assignment, which they will undertake until their Ceremony of Release. Rather than the typical assignment, Jonas has been ‘selected’ to become the Receiver of Memory, the most honored position in the Community. It turns out Jonas has a unique ability to ‘see beyond’. What this means exactly, Jonas will only discover as he undergoes stringent training with the Giver. As the Giver begins to transfer memories to Jonas, he gains knowledge about the so-called perfect world around him. In his world, there is no war, no fear, no colour and no pain yet there are also no choices! Jonas quickly seeks to understand the place he has heard rumblings about – a place called Elsewhere. Will Jonas ever experience this secret world?

This science fiction tale is one that readers of all ages will enjoy (including adults who read with their tweens). It is adventurous, funny and most importantly thought provoking!

CTV's Starr Dobson's first book

My Goat Gertrude
Written by Starr Dobson
Illustrated by Dayle Dodwell
Recommended for ages 3-8.
Nimbus Publishing $18.95

This past week we were fortunate to host CTV’s Starr Dobson at Benjamin’s Books for the celebration of her book, My Goat Gertrude. We soon discovered that Starr is as nice a person off-camera as she is on Live at 5. And wow – does she have loyal fans!

Gertrude Allawishes is a goat that loves to eat anything she can get in her mouth – but really are there any goats out there that don’t eat everything in sight?? (When I was a child, our pet goat, Cindy, was known for munching on cigarettes – back when it was okay to smoke!!) Starr’s Dad brought Gertrude home to help around the house primarily to eat the grass but the family quickly found out that Gertrude ate more than just grass. She gobbled socks off the line, hair elastics and even tasty chocolate treats!

One day, Starr’s cousin Leanne comes to visit and instead of bringing 2 chocolate bars, she only brings one. On this day, Leanne is more in the mood to tease than to share. This infuriates Starr who chases Leanne around the rambling yard trying to get a piece of the bar. Gertrude wants in on the action and eventually snatches the WigWag bar and devours it in its entirety. Yikes!

For their behaviour, the girls are reprimanded by their parents but secretly Starr is pleased that Gertrude ate the bar. She now knows that Gertrude would go to great lengths to protect her – even as far as eating candy wrappers.

My Goat Gertrude is Starr Dobson’s first book. Part of the proceeds of the sale of this book will go to Special Olympics Nova Scotia.

Dayle Dodwell’s illustrations are whimsical and life like. This is the Nova Scotia native’s first children’s book, as well.

Big Nate On A Roll

Big Nate On A Roll

Written and Illustrated by Lincoln Pierce

Harper Collins $13.99

Recommended for ages 8-12

What started out as a comic strip in more than 200 U.S. newspapers has turned into a young readers’ phenomenon. Lincoln Peirce has created a memorable character to which many boys can relate. Big Nate is a 6^th grader who is “world-class goof-off and definitely not the teacher’s pet”. He does however belong to the Timber Scouts and in this latest adventure he is doing everything in his power to win the coveted first prize awarded to the top seller of Warm Fuzzies. Nate wonders aloud if there could be a worse product to sell door-to-door! Really, who wants a fuzzy wall hanging with a tacky saying on it?

Although the entire school population (teachers and students alike) adore the new student, Artur, Nate views him as his biggest rival. Much to Nate’s surprise Artur has joined the Timber Scouts this year! Now both boys are chasing the big prize! Will Nate’s antics keep him from winning the customizable skateboard or will he figure out a way to surpass Artur and roll away on his new set of wheels?

Comic books have been around for ages and are the reason many people (especially boys) start to read. The visuals and text boxes interspersed with the story line in the Big Nate books make for an interesting read especially for children with a great sense of humour.

Peirce is also the creator of Big Nate: In a Class By Himself and Big Nate Strikes Again.

Heading back to school with Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes

Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes

Written by Eric Litwin

Art by James Dean

Harper Collins Canada $18.99

Recommended for ages 3-7.

As we all prepare to head back to school and face new challenges, in this fun story we follow Pete as he heads in that direction as well. This laid-back cat has nothing to worry about as he rocks it out in his school shoes (which just happen to be flashy red hightop sneakers). He visits a place “down that hall to a room with books on every wall.” Although he has never been to a library or a lunchroom or on the school playground, Pete doesn’t worry. He just sings his song, “I’m singing in my school shoes, I’m painting in my school shoes, I’m writing in my school shoes…”

The whimsical artwork by James Dean is as silly as the story itself with images of a bus full of cats from Cat City heading off to school or Pete standing at the blackboard doing math facts with his big red shoes on.

What’s neat about this new book is that Pete’s song can be downloaded from the publisher’s website (and trust me once you hear the song you will never the read the book without singing it that way…). There are also games and activities on this site that relate to Pete.

Litwin and Dean also collaborated on the original Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes which is a huge hit with teachers.