That's the end of that!

Well, yesterday was my last day at the public library.  I wonder if I'll ever work in one again?  (Hopefully I'll volunteer.)  My favorite part is doing readers' advisory.  It helps me grow as a reader, myself, to see what other people find interesting.  And although I know you aren't supposed to just push books you like (hey, I have even suggested Twilight and the Warrior Kitties series), I have boosted the check outs for several of my favorites:

Theodore Boone:  Kid Lawyer, by John Grisham.  I see on blogs that a lot of people didn't like this, but I was wholly satisfied.  It was suspenseful to the very end.

Kate DiCamillo's The Magician's Elephant, or any of her other titles.  The nearest and dearest to my heart really is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, but I don't recommend that to just anyone.  I think you have to be ready for it - having had some sort of loss in your life - to really appreciate it.

Scat by Carl Hiaasen - or any of his other children's books.  I absolutely love the "Easter eggs" that are included for those who have also read his adult books (let's hope and those readers are adults - a bit risque for kids).  I like that his themes of Florida, environmental protection, and the bad guy getting it in the end are consistent no matter the level, and I also like that he doesn't talk down to the young reader.  He's just fantastic and I've read all his books.

My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen is one of the few autobiographies for children out there.  Truthfully, it's one of the best books I've ever read, and certainly one of the top two children's books I've read (with Love That Dog by Sharon Creech).  I recommend it to the kids looking for a dog book, and there are plenty.  It's a very popular Dewey section!

Flotsam by David Wiesner is just a fabulous picture book - for children or adults.  The pictures are exquisitely detailed and I love that there is such a detailed storyline without any words.  I used this book in my student teaching with 5th graders, having them write a story to go along with the pictures.  Wordless books are great for kids learning to read because they can interact with the book without tripping on the print.  This has definitely been my favorite picture book, until . . .

Chalk by Bill Thomson came along.  Talk about exquisite!  I cannot believe that it didn't win a Caldecott.  The others were fine, but not even close to this one, in this non-artist's opinion.  In fact, I was going to base my ALA president's election vote on whoever was NOT on the Caldecott committee this year - if one of the two were on it, they lost my vote.  Alas, neither were and had to choose otherwise (hint, one seems to be much more technological than the other, considering websites and such - she got my vote).

Anyway, look at this interior shot of Chalk:

INCREDIBLE!  David Wiesner, I believe you've met your match.