* American Bookseller Pick of the Lists
* Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education
* Lead story in Harcourt Brace's Rare Finds Anthology for U.S. schools
* Joan K. Blaska Collection of Children's Literature

Today is special: it's Mandy Sue Day! Free from chores around the farm, Mandy Sue chooses to spend the day with her horse, Ben. Together they drink in the sounds, tastes, smells, and feel of autumn as they trot through the cool woods and gallop across the plains. Not until the end of the story does the reader discover that Mandy Sue is blind, but capable of doing anything she sets her mind to.

School Library Journal says, "Karim's prose beautifully conveys the child's sensations and emotions. Children will think differently about 'handicaps' such as blindness after reading this story, and teachers wishing to engender discussion about differences should find it a provocative way to begin."

"A light-hearted, warm and beautiful story," says Children's Book Quarterly, "capturing sounds and smells, as well as feelings---especially love."

* Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 2000
* Smithsonian Magazine - Notable Books for Children 1999
* Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee 2002-2003
* Publishers Weekly - Starred Review
* Kirkus - Pointered Review

 

Constance and Jack and their mama and papa are playing a riddle game that stretches from morning to night. As the family stirs up one riddle after another, young readers will delight in puzzling out answers that illuminate the details of daily life for settlers living on the frontier.

"The guessing game offers readers insight into the rhythms of another century.  As a bonus, four pages of illustrated capsules at the end of the book further detail 'The Life of a Pioneer Family'." (Publishers Weekly)

"A good choice for primary classes studying pioneer life." (Booklist)

"When young Constance accidentally lets the cabin's fire die out, her father composes a riddle to cheer her up, spawning a riddle marathon as the entire family participates in creating conundrums. Karim devises clever puzzles that reveal the origins of items that would be commonplace for a pioneer, e.g. before it was a basket, it was 'saplings that leaned in the wind.' Andersen's oil paintings depict carefully researched, authentic scenes from pioneer life and capture the strong, loving family bonds that resonate in the text. The sparkling tale is fun to read and illuminating, and will round out any lesson on early settlers."  A [4-page] addendum, 'THE LIFE OF A PIONEER FAMILY,' provides further information about the objects in the riddles, such as how a log cabin is constructed." (Kirkus)

Recommended by:

* The Cleveland Clinic "Books for Kids"
* Children's National Medical Center, DC
* Children's Hospitals and Clinics, MN
* Many hospitals and libraries
* Many accelerated reader book lists

Hospital patient Filbert MacFee is sick of nasty shots, bad-tasting medicine, and ice-cold medical equipment. He just wants to go home. So he starts acting a little . . . beastly. And it's "tough to treat a boy who has turned into a rhino, a penguin, or a giraffe"!

No-nonsense Nurse Beluga and her staff try their best to cure Filbert of his wild behavior, but eventually it's wise and kindly Dr. Kebob who makes the perfect diagnosis and puts a happy end to all the monkey business. Hilarious illustrations and lively, rollicking text turn a hospital stay into a reassuringly comic escapade.

"A perfectly silly take on the indignities of a hospital stay... The snappy text, featuring quirky characters and understated humor, works well with Truesdell's loosely drawn, larger-than-life animals who pop up at the turn of a page." (Kirkus)

Karim's goofy, fantastical story has sweet charm," says ALA Booklist, "and it is a great vehicle for Truesdell's funny irresistible artwork, which pictures animals and humans alike leaping and cavorting across the pages."

THIS IS A HOSPITAL, NOT A ZOO!  Audiocassette
Recorded Books, Inc. (ISBN 0-7887-2063-5)
(800) 638-1304

Kliatt praises narrator John McDonough: "His inflections are lively and spirited, his tone matches the story's wit, and his voices are perfect..."

 FARAWAY GRANDPA  

Henry Holt & Co.   (ISBN  0-8050-6785-X)
 

The Best Children's Books of the Year 2005
              Bank Street College of Education

Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List

Dear Kathleen,

Heard a new song. We'll sing it together this summer!  Oops, almost forgot.  The song is called "Danny Boy."  Such a fine name!  Love, Grandpa Danny

A poignant story about the changing relationship between a grandfather and his granddaughter as he succumbs to Alzheimer's disease.

Grandpa Danny sang bass, and Kathleen sang the high notes.  That was the summer that Kathleen learned about listening with the heart and not the ears.  But when it was time for her to visit with Grandpa Danny again, Gramps wasn't himself -- he forgot things, and sometimes his mind seemed to be covered in clouds.

Still, even on Grandpa Danny's most shadowy of days, Kathleen knew that when she sang "Danny Boy" he was listening with his heart.  This poignant story about love and devotion will touch the hearts of readers young and old alike.

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