Poetry Friday: Nature rarer uses yellow..

Fewer things are more beautiful in this world than sunsets. Particularly over water. I first discovered Emily Dickinson's poetry in high school, when assigned a poetry journal. My mom, bless her heart, helped me choose several poets and poems to interpret, and taught me that Dickinson's poetry was about "more than just death," as I previously though. On my 18th birthday, I received a collection of Dickinson's poetry, with the inscription, "You'll probably just think these are about death!" Thankfully, no.



Nature rarer uses yellow
Than another hue;
Saves she all of that for sunsets,--

Prodigal of blue,
Spending scarlet like a woman,
Yellow she affords
Only scantly and selectly,
Like a lover's words.

Tabatha A. Yeatts hosts the roundup this week

Review: The Very Best Bed

Rebekah Raye's The Very Best Bed features a tired gray squirrel searching for the perfect place to sleep for the night. He travels through the forest looking, but every possible spot has its own problem or there's another animal occupying the space. A cozy den would be nice for the night, but there's a bear. A hole in a tree might be perfect if it weren't for a nest of raccoons.








The Very Best Bed's design makes this a great read for preschoolers. The watercolor illustrations are soothing and depict sweet scenes of various animals sleeping. The amount of text on each page is minimal, suitable for bedtime reading. There's almost a lilting rhythm to the text as it highlights and bolds certain words - slap, jump, etc - to set them apart.

The title is also educational, with the story containing information of animal habitats and sleeping methods of animals. I'd recommend using it in a classroom lesson of animals habitats, as it makes a nice visual aid for interpretation. The preschoolers I read it to seemed to enjoy it and sat still for the whole thing..sometimes that's quite a feat for a book to achieve!

Title: The Very Best Bed
Date: September 2006
Publisher: Tilbury House
Pages: 32
Format: Hardback

Copy for review provided by the publisher.

Review: The Chosen One

Carol Lynch Williams' The Chosen One is the story of Kyra, and her sheltered life on a polygamist compound. She's one of her father's twenty one children with three wives, and is finding difficulty with adhering to the sect's values. Stealing away little moments from the community, Kyra finds solace with forbidden books borrowed from the Ironton County Mobile Library on Wheels and clandestine meetings with a boy, Joshua. But her world is shattered when the Prophet declares she must wed an Apostle of the community - her sixty-year old uncle, and she will be his seventh wife.

Despite its tragic subject matter, The Chosen One is easily one of the best books I've read this year. Williams' approach toward the polygamist lifestyle couldn't have been easy, but she pulls it off magnificently. This is accentuated by the razor-sharp first page that paints the scene of Kyra, trapped in the closely-monitored world of the Compound, and dealing with complex issues beyond schoolgirl worries.

“If I was going to kill the Prophet,” I say, not even keeping my voice low, “I’d do it in Africa.”

I look into Mariah’s light green eyes. She stares back at me and smiles, like she knows what I mean and agrees. Like she’s saying, “Go on, Kyra. Tell me more.”

I kick the toe of my sneaker into the desert sand. Even this late in the evening, with the sun sinking over my shoulder, the ground is leftover hot from the day. I can feel the heat through the soles of my shoes. Feel the heat coming up from the ground, through my tights, right under the skirt of my past- the- knees dress. There isn’t even a bit of a breeze.

The rest of the novel is just as well-written, just as tense. From page one, Williams strikes a perfect balance with a mixture of moments with Kyra her family and the gripping scenes that follow once the marriage decree is given. The inner monologues of Kyra are a genuine look at the mind of a thirteen year old as Kyra agonizes over what to do, and the "sins" she commits. They fit perfectly and seem so real, even within this horrifying ordeal she faces.

One aspect of the novel I really liked was the fact her family was opposed to her marrying an uncle and tried everything in their power to fight the decision. Just the very fact they oppose the "revelation" the Prophet had holds severe consequences for the family, and yet their love for Kyra is more important than the faith, despite the fact this could prove to be a better way of life for them.

There are several scenes in The Chosen One that will sadden you, and will anger you, and it's even more disheartening to realize some of the scenes are based on true-life events. However, the book raises questions on how religion and power can corrupt a people, how people can commit atrocious acts in the name of God, and takes a look at what defines innocence. A reading guide is available that allows readers to explore themes in the novel. It does reveal elements of the book and features an interview with the author.

Title: The Chosen One
Date: May 2009
Publisher: St. Martins Griffin
Pages: 224
Format: Hardback

Copy for review provided by the publisher.

Other Reviews

HeyLady.net
The Book Nest
Book Addiction
Confessions of a Bibliovore

Setting sail.

I'm heading off for my cruise tomorrow so I won't be posting for a week. But I have a stack of books that I'm reading for reviews by the pool!

After the semesters I've had, this vacation is going to be amazing.

Blog Tour: Horrid Henry

Horrid Henry is the #1 bestselling chapter book series in the UK, and he's now in the USA! So far there's four collections of Horrid Henry stories. Each book has four stories about Horrid Henry. All of them are fairly short.

Horrid Henry is a little boy who definitely lives up to his name. He constantly teases his brother, Perfect Peter, who subscribes to magazines such as "Best Boy" and delights in eating his vegetables.



Author Francesca Simon has created a character that is mischievous and fun, and just a little bit devilish. But all of his pranks and antics are fairly harmless, and just funny. My favorite scene is in Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine, where Henry has tricked his brother, Perfect Peter, into thinking a cardboard box in the living room is really a time machine. And Peter can travel in time, if he dresses like the boys in the future do.. in dresses and lipstick.



I loved the titles of all of the characters mentioned in the books - not just Horrid Henry has an alliterative adjective describing him, but there's a slew of other characters - Lazy Linda, Moody Margaret, Prissy Polly, etc.



Tony Ross' illustrations are a perfect fit for a series like Horrid Henry. The slightly manic style reflects the silly and impish sides of the Henry stories. Ross has illustrated books for Paula Danzinger and Roald Dahl as well.








There is no order to the series (but I'd recommend you read Horrid Henry first, as it introduces his family), and the playful language makes it perfect for a read-a-loud session. As I said before on an In My Mailbox post, this series is excellent for a reluctant reader. Reading just "one more page" won't seem daunting after kids read how Henry himself pulls a fast one to win a reading contest..and ends up getting more than he bargained for!

Horrid Henry features the first Henry story, his and Moody Margaret's quest to make the most disgusting gloppiest glop ever, and two others, including his quest to be perfect for an entire day.

Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy has Henry devising ways to make the tooth fairy think he lost a tooth, as well as three other stories, such as how Moody Marget moves in and is a most unpleasant house guest.

Horrid Henry's Stinkbomb involves a wicked plan to get the girls' club back, plus three stories, like disastrous sleepover.

Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine features the time machine prank I mentioned above, plus Peter's revenge, and two more stories.


There's a nice bit of resources to accompany the Sourcebooks series as well! And soon, Horrid Henry will be a videogame. The official site has a ton of materials able to be downloaded for free as well. You can find a list of them below.

Teacher Guides
Games
Libraries Activities

Check out the other stops on the Horrid Henry blog tour!

YA Books Central

Vaboomer.com

Jean Little Library blog

Kidz Book Nook

A Bookworm Reads

Provo City Library Children’s Book Review

Lazy Gal Reads

Jana’s Book List

Ian Chong, “Fun Kid”

Great Kid Books

Bri Meets Books (6/16)

Lit for Kids (6/17)

Moms Inspire Learning (6/18)

Karin’s Book Nook (6/19)

Not Just for Kids (6/20)

Book Advice (6/21)

The Excelsior File (6/22)

Brimful Curiosities (6/25)

SMS Book Reviews (6/26)

Book Aunt (6/27)

Chronicle of an Infant Bibliofile (6/28)

In the Pages (6/29)

Lori Calabrese Writes (6/30)

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and you can learn about it here

Here's the books I received or bought this week!

For Review:
Dani Noir by Nova Ren Suma
(September 2009, Simon and Schuster)

It's taking all of my patience to not read this until Saturday, when I head off to Ft. Lauderdale for my cruise! Dani is a girl after my own heart: stuck in a small town, and prefering celluloid dreams of Rita Hayworth and noir films. But then when a real-life mystery occurs, Dani sets out to be like her screen heroes and solve it.
















Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
(April 2009, Candlewick)

This one got lost in the mail to me, but now I have it! The story of the Mercury 13 women who trained to be astronauts in the 1950s and 1960s at NASA but were refused entrance into the space program.
















Another Faust by Daniel Nayeri and Dina Nayeri Viergutz
(August 2009, Candlewick)

Another for the cruise.. New retelling of the Faust legend. Five children vanish from Europe, and five years later, appear accompanied by a mysterious governess at an exclusive New York City party.




















For Fun

The Collected Stories of Amy Hemple

I'd been recommended to check out her stuff, if I liked Lorrie Moore (which I really really do!). I picked this one up from my store's bargain bin today. Not a young adult/kid lit author, but somebody I enjoy.





















Jumping off Swings by Jo Knowles
(August 2009, Candlewick)

Not submitted for review, but I'm going to review it anyhow. I loved Knowles' other book, Lessons from a Dead Girl, and can't wait to read this one about the aftermath of a "one time" sexual encounter. Another one for the cruise.

Poetry Friday: Flying at Night

Ted Kooser's "Selecting a Reader" is one of my top 10 favorite poems ever, and I just love the way he writes these little slices of life, of people, in so few words. I chose "Flying at Night" for Poetry Friday because of the way he alternates viewpoints to describe a single event.

Flying at Night

Above us, stars. Beneath us, constellations. Five billion miles away, a galaxy dies like a snowflake falling on water. Below us, some farmer, feeling the chill of that distant death, snaps on his yard light, drawing his sheds and barn back into the little system of his care. All night, the cities, like shimmering novas, tug with bright streets at lonely lights like his.

Critique de Mr. ChompChomp hosts the round-up this week