Introducing Our New Kids' VIB

Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful--and very awkward--hearing aid.

The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear--sometimes things she shouldn't--but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become "El Deafo, Listener for All." And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she's longed for.
  
El Deafo Extras: What did El Deafo first look like?  Take a look HERE.

El Deafo Extras: From outline to finished product.  Check it out HERE.

 

Judy B. says:

"Cece Bell has written a funny, touching and powerful memoir of growing up hearing-impaired.   (She lost her hearing at age 4 when she contracted meningitis). She is transitioning from a classroom where all the kids were deaf to a school where she is the only deaf person. To counteract her deafness, she must wear a big unwieldy box called a Phonic Ear which, she discovers, helps her hear the teacher, Mrs. Lufton,  in class, but also everywhere else Mrs. Lufton goes in the building (who knew what teachers did or said outside of class!)  This makes Cece very popular.  She imagines herself as "El Deafo", a feisty super girl with superpowers. But she is smart enough to realize that being a superhero is just another way of feeling different, and feeling alone.

   

Many details of a hearing-impaired life are presented beautifully and we can see them in our own lives, even as hearing persons, and we see  the challenges of being a child (or feeling like one).  What a great book! Kids who loved Wonder will also love this book."

 

 

 

Every now and then we encounter a new children's book or series that we’re so excited about we want to broadcast it from the rooftop. We've created the Kids' TC VIB (very impressive book) to highlight real stand-outs among the many delightful and meaningful new editions for young readers. 

"Judith Viorst has been in my life for a very, very long time." ~Jackie

This irresistible third illustrated chapter book starring Judith Viorst's Lulu is full of hilarious hijinks, delightful twists, and a top-secret mission

"Eeny meeny miney mo, "
"That babysitter's got to go."

Lulu has put her tantrum-throwing days behind her. That is, until her parents announce that they are going on vacation--without Lulu! Not only that, but they are leaving her with the formidable Ms. Sonia Sofia Solinsky, who says hello by bellowing, "The Eagle has landed," and smiles at you with the kind of smile that an alligator might give you before eating you for dinner.

The second her parents are out of the house, Lulu tries out several elaborate schemes to bring them straight back. But just when she seems to finally be making some headway, her babysitter reveals an astonishing secret...one that has Lulu crossing her fingers that her parents will go on vacation "all the time"--without her.

Jackie says:
"Judith Viorst has been in my life for a very, very long time.  She wrote one of my most favorite books, Rosie and Michael, which touches my heart every time I think of it, as well as many, many other fabulous books.  I hadn't read any of the Lulu books before, but given the amazing amount of chuckles and snorts I got out of this book, I need to get caught up from the beginning.  This book is a ton of fun and has some twists and turns in it to keep us old folks interested too.  We certainly want to find a babysitter like Sonia Sofia Solinsky!"

Otto the Book Bear Has Won Jackie the Book Lady's Heart

Otto lives in a book and is happiest when his story is being read. Otto is no ordinary storybook character: when no one is looking, he comes to life! Otto loves to walk off of his book’s pages, but when his book is taken away while Otto is off exploring, the book bear sets off on a grand adventure to find a new home.

Except...it's an awfully big world for such a small bear and Otto misses his warm book. Will Otto ever find the perfect home?

With sweet, timeless illustrations and a story that will have young readers watching their bookshelves in hopes of spotting wandering book creatures, this charming story is sure to delight book lovers everywhere.  

Jackie says:
"I am so happy this book is finally coming to America because it is completely enchanting.  It is the tale of a storybook bear who is his happiest when children are reading his book, but sometimes, when no one is around to read, Otto comes to life and goes on adventures.  Alas, during one of his trips, his book was given away.  Not liking being alone, he sets out to find company and a new home.  This is such a magical story about the secret lives of books!"

April Finds This Book "Hefty But Devour-able"

Prue McKeel’s life is ordinary. At least until her baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows. And then things get really weird.

You see, on every map of Portland, Oregon, there is a big splotch of green on the edge of the city labeled “I.W.” This stands for “Impassable Wilderness.” No one’s ever gone in—or at least returned to tell of it.
And this is where the crows take her brother.

So begins an adventure that will take Prue and her friend Curtis deep into the Impassable Wilderness. There they uncover a secret world in the midst of violent upheaval, a world full of warring creatures, peaceable mystics, and powerful figures with the darkest intentions. And what begins as a rescue mission becomes something much bigger as the two friends find themselves entwined in a struggle for the very freedom of this wilderness.


A wilderness the locals call Wildwood.


Wildwood is a spellbinding tale full of wonder, danger, and magic that juxtaposes the thrill of a secret world and modern city life. Original and fresh yet steeped in classic fantasy, this is a novel that could have only come from the imagination of Colin Meloy, celebrated for his inventive and fantastic storytelling as the lead singer of the Decemberists. With dozens of intricate and beautiful illustrations by award-winning artist Carson Ellis, Wildwood is truly a new classic for the twenty-first century.

 

April says:

"I have to begin with this:  This book is wordy.  Wordy.  Wordy.  It's long.  Five hundred sixty pages long, to be annoyingly exact.  I'm sure, when it's printed, it could break a young reader's hands as they
fight to hold it up; and all powers forbid they fall asleep with it! It might smother them!

But even with the colossal word count, Wildwood is a great book.  It is devour-able.  Meloy's language conjures every facet in each image he lays before the reader down to the curls in a bandit's smelly mane.  And Ellis' illustrations are a delightful addition to the narrative that by no means take the task away from one's imagination.

Prue McKeel has to be one of the strongest eleven year olds I've met since I turned twelve.  She's independent and headstrong and really the best big sister any little sibling could ask for.  Prue proves this when she heads into the Impassable Wilderness after a murder of crows steals her little brother, a toddler called Mac who has a penchant for screaming out "POO!".  The Impassable Wilderness (I.W.) is that old creepy wood just outside of town (town = Portland, OR) that no one has succeeded in taming (read building up), so it just looms there, laughing in the face of commercial expansion.  There are rumors, legends, and scary stories about poor folk throughout the years who have wandered into the I.W. and the few who have wandered back.

But when Prue wanders in accompanied by Curtis (a boy who is not so much a friend of Prue's as a boy who has a crush on her), she finds the I.W. is actually Wildwood--a progressive little place with coyote armies, an Avian Principality, mail routes, and bandits.  The two heroes (Prue and now Curtis) are quickly separated and forced into action on two fronts of a magical cold war that has been brewing for fifteen years and is now ready to bubble out of the pot.

Despite its length, Wildwood is full of action; and the ability to flip between the points of view of Prue and Curtis keeps the story fresh and snappy.  I truly believe this is a great bedtime (or in general) read aloud book for the whole family.  There are plenty of opportunities for great character voices and the sections/chapters tend to be short enough that stopping mid-action isn't likely to happen.

And now you have a wordy review for an equally wordy book."