Wednesday, April 11, 2012

We've Moved!

Please visit us at ACPL's new kids' blog, One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books

Find our latest Mock Sibert nominees by selecting "Mock Sibert" in the drop down category box on the right-hand side of the new blog.

We look forward to seeing you at our new blog!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

...and the real winners are!

Librarians, teachers, and book lovers everywhere tuned into the ALSC Book and Media Awards.  For the 2012 Sibert Award winner, well, we could not have agreed more!

Winner
 Balloons over Broadway
by Melissa Sweet










Honor Books
 Black & White
Larry Dane Brimner






Drawing from Memory
by Allen Say
The Elephant Scientist
by Caitlin O’Connell and Donna M. Jackson
Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem
by Rosalyn Schanzer

Saturday, January 7, 2012

And the winner is...

Well, we nominated, debated, pulled out the dictionary, and ate some donuts.  Then we voted!  And were completely deadlocked.  We hemmed and hawed a bit, but are proud to announce that we selected winner:

Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet

and honor book:

The House That Baba Built by Ed Young


Our group decided that both of these books are incredible examples of a "distinguished informational book for children."   Just a few more weeks until we learn what the committee's pick may be!







Thursday, December 22, 2011

Short Reading List #2

After much deliberation, engaging debate and a great wringing of hands....here's the second short reading list.  We hope to see you very soon (January 7th from 2-6pm!) at the ACPL for our Mock Sibert Election. 
You can register online or you by calling Children's Services at 260.421.1220.



Happy reading!

Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition
by Karen Blumenthal

Coral Reefs
by Jason Chin

The House Baba Built
by Ed Young

Balloons Over Broadway
by Melissa Sweet

Swirl by Swirl
by Joyce Sidman

Heart and Soul
by Kadir Nelson








Monday, December 12, 2011

It's time for more lists!

Time flies when you are having fun reading all of these great books (and we bet you've been reading some stellar ones from our other ACPL Mock Blogs).  Please take a moment to think back...were there any nonfiction books that you think might be a contender for this year's Sibert Award?  Let us know via email or by posting a comment to this entry so we can make sure to highlight the BEST nooks for our upcoming reading list. 

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Miss Etta and Dr. Claribel

Miss Etta and Dr. Claribel: Bringing Matisse to America
by Susan Fillion
David R. Godine
83 pages

Etta and Claribel Cone, two wealthy, unmarried sisters in Baltimore's German Jewish community at the turn of the twentieth century, broke new ground when they bought up experimental art by Matisse, Picasso, and other modern painters before the artists were widely recognized. The sisters befriended two other siblings in Baltimore, Leo and Gertrude Stein, and they bonded over their love of seeking and buying new, experimental art. Now, the huge Cone collection is part of the Baltimore Museum of Modern Art.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Who Has What?

Who Has What?
by Robie H. Harris
illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott
Candlewick Press
unpaged


This series for young children provides easy-to-understand facts and answers. Launching the series is Who Has What?, a simple story following Nellie and Gus on a family outing to the beach. Humorous illustrations, conversations between the siblings, and a clear text all reassure young kids that whether they have a girl's body or a boy's, their bodies are perfectly normal, healthy, and wonderful.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Bootleg

Add caption
Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine and the Lawless Years of Prohibition
by Karen Blumenthal
Roaring Brook Press
160 pages

It began with the best of intentions. Worried about the effects of alcohol on American families, mothers and civic leaders started a movement to outlaw drinking in public places. Over time, their protests, petitions, and activism paid off--when a Constitional Amendment banning the sale and consumption of alcohol was ratified, it was hailed as the end of public drunkenness, alcoholism, and a host of other social ills related to booze. Instead, it began a decade of lawlessness, whenchildren smuggled (and drank) illegal alcohol, the most upright citizens casually broke the law, and a host of notorious gangsters entered the public eye. Filled with period art and photographs, anecdotes, and portraits of unique characters from the era, this fascinating book looks at the rise and fall of the disastrous social experiment known as Prohibition.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Franklin and Winston

Franklin and Winston: A Christmas That Changed the World
by Douglas Wood
illustrated by Barry Moser
Candlewick Press
unpaged

At the height of World War II, only a few days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill began an extraordinary visit, during which they made plans that would lead to the success of the Allied powers as well as to a continuing peace after the war ended.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Titanic Sinks!

Titanic Sinks!
by Barry Denenberg
Viking
72 pages

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic , Barry Denenberg has created a one-of-a-kind, high-concept book that's a unique combination of fiction and nonfiction. He uses a fictional framework to present the true story of the building and launching of the Titanic and to give a "you are there" feeling as the ship goes down. Lavishly designed with authentic period photographs and illustrations throughout, Titanic Sinks! immerses you in the era of the Titanic and reminds you why it's still a cultural touchstone a hundred years after its demise.