Children's Book and App Mentions: Week of March 12

This week, on my Facebook page, Author Bridget Heos, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day, browsed Scholastic Parent & Child's Greatest Books for Kids, and linked books to T.V. shows. You can join us for more discussions of children's media, including a Monday series on favorite characters, by liking the page. Here are titles mentioned the week of March 12. (Please note: these aren't really reviews; just conversations about books and apps to promote reading and learning.)

Grumpy Bird
by Jeremy Tankard
Scholastic, 2007



From Scholastic Parent & Child 100 Greatest Books for Kids: it's Grumpy Bird. Grumpy Bird is so grumpy he can't even fly, so he walks. And walking makes him grumpy. Until some un-grumpy friends join him. This is a lot of fun for kids to read aloud in a grumpy voice!

Al Capone Does My Shirts
by Gennifer Choldenko
Putnam, 2004



Nobody loves T.V. shows set in hospitals/detective bureaus like my 5th grader. Reminds me of when I used to rush in from playing on the monkey bars to watch Murder She Wrote. I heard a comedy routine by Aziz Ansari about how much his nephew loves Burn Notice, which made me think the core audience of T.V. dramas must be 11-year-olds. Right now, my son's favorite is Alcatraz. The series reminds me of this great read-aloud. The second in the series is Al Capone Shines My Shoes.

App
BigLittleBrother
by Kevin Kling, ill. by Chris Monroe
Minnesota Historical Society Press



App Review: What happens when your little brother is bigger than you? This book app is as close to a traditional picture book as you can get. But there is some sweet interactivity and author Kevin Kling, also a commentator on NPR's All Things Considered, narrates beautifully. The story was of particular interest to my big youngest son, but I think all siblings will relate to the relationship. Artist Chris Monroe perfectly depicts a big little kid, complete with toddler proportions and wide innocent eyes that don't quite grasp the nuances of what's happening around him (such as the kid being mean to his older brother.)

NCAA Basketball Championship
by Annalise Bekkering
Weigl, 2010



My kids like T.V. as much as the next kids. (Whereas I don't like T.V. I love it.) One thing I try to do is link books to what they're watching. With Alcatraz, I reserved some nonfiction books about the prison. During baseball season, there are TONS of options. And pro basketball and football at least provide titles about each team and the big stars. College basketball is tough. Here's one title I reserved about the NCAA tournament. I'll let you know if I find more!

App
Let Me See...What Will I Be (Miss Rosie Red)
by Trisha Deery
Dog Ears, ltd.



Happy St. Patrick's Day! Miss Rosie Red is a new preschool age character by author/illustrator Trisha Deery for children's media company Dog Ears, ltd., both based in Derry, Northern Ireland. In the app, based on the picture book, Rosie reads to you. So cute!