Tag Archives: picture book

To Buy: For the Dinosaur Lover

Posted on December 20, 2010 by

Do you have a dinosaur lover to shop for? Whether you’re just training a toddler in the ways of the prehistoric beasts or have an elementary school child ready to read about dinosaurs all on their own, BetweenThesePages has a … Continue reading →

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The Nutcracker (Part 4)

Posted on December 19, 2010 by

I’ve loved Susan Jeffers’s work as an illustrator ever since I got my hands on her beautiful rendition of Robert Frost’s poem Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening. Her period pictures in this version of The Nutcracker are bound … Continue reading →

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The Harlem Nutcracker (Part 3)

Posted on December 16, 2010 by

It was pretty exciting to find a version of the Nutcracker that featured a non-white cast. But I really wasn’t at all prepared for The Harlem Nutcracker. Rather than illustrations, author Susan Kuklin uses photographs of a dance performance to … Continue reading →

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The Nutcracker / The Nutcracker Ballet (Part 2)

Posted on December 15, 2010 by

The Nutcracker grand tour continues.  Today’s versions follow the ballet fairly closely for children who want their storybook to match their viewing experience. First up is the version by Geraldine McCaughrean and illustrated by Nicki Palin.  The lead is called … Continue reading →

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Open Before Christmas – A Holiday (Picture Book) Giveaway

Posted on December 9, 2010 by

When I was a little girl, Christmas was a time of glorious anticipation:.  I counted down the days; I loved opening the tiny doors of my advent calendar; I baked cookies with my mother; and when it got really close … Continue reading →

Posted in Primary Grades | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Quick Pick Picture Book – Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins

Posted on December 6, 2010 by

When Hershel arrives in a village he learns that they are unable to celebrate Hanukkah because of some antisemitic goblins.  To rid the town of this scourge, Hershel will need to light the candles each night and on the eighth … Continue reading →

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Quick Pick Picture Book – The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes

Posted on December 5, 2010 by

After two reviews of books that had the potential to offend, here’s a completely user-friendly Hanukkah story.  The only shortcoming is that it errs on the side of too bland.  The kindness/neighborly love theme could have been set at any … Continue reading →

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Quick Pick Picture Book- The Latke Who Wouldn’t Stop Screaming

Posted on December 4, 2010 by

You would scream too, wouldn’t you, if you were dropped in sizzling oil to be fried?  If everywhere you went others refused to understand you?  If you felt as if you didn’t have a proper home?  If someone was prepared … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle Grades, Teen, Tween | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Quick Pick Picture Book – The Trees of the Dancing Goats

Posted on December 2, 2010 by

This is a fabulous story for the winter holidays. Patricia Polacco has written The Trees of the Dancing Goats about her own experiences growing up on her grandparent’s farm.  One winter, while her family is making their preparations for Chanukkah, … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle Grades, Primary Grades | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Quick Pick Picture Book – The Chanukkah Guest

Posted on December 1, 2010 by

Eric Kimmel’s The Chanukkah Guest is one of my favorite Chanukkah stories.  97 year old Bubba Brayna has been cooking her famous latkes.  The smell is so tantalizing that it wakes a hibernating bear.  The old woman has become a … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle Grades, Primary Grades | Tagged , , | 3 Comments