The Rock From the Sky by Jon Klassen

This week we're delighted to have a post by Jackie Partch. Jackie Partch is a School Corps Librarian at Multnomah County Library, where she does outreach to K-12 students. She was a member of the 2012 Geisel committee.

A turtle, armadillo and snake (all wearing hats, of course) narrowly escape death while also navigating friendship troubles in the five chapters in this book. Klassen’s signature dark humor is evident, and these characters have those expressive eyes, found in most of his books, which are so effective in conveying emotion. How does the book stack up to the Geisel criteria, though?

  The Geisel award is given to the “most distinguished contribution to the body of American children’s literature that encourages and supports the beginning reader.” One of the definitions of distinguished is “individually distinct,” and this picture book with 96 pages (the upper range for the Geisel award) is certainly unlike most other beginning readers. Klassen is a master of pacing, and the “page-turning dynamic” is especially strong in chapter one, when the turtle shows off his favorite spot, but on the next page, readers see a rock hurtling towards it. Can the oblivious turtle be convinced to move in time? Similarly, in the last chapter, an alien creature with a gigantic laser eyeball appears to be ready to zap the (still oblivious) turtle. I know I was enticed to keep turning the pages to see what would happen. Giant rocks and aliens aside, the subject matter will be familiar to children. The turtle has an especially childlike personality, insisting to Armadillo that he doesn’t need help and is not tired. He also feels excluded when his friends hang out under the rock without him. A Geisel winner should create “a successful reading experience, from start to finish,” and the surprise ending to this story (it turns out there is more than one rock from the sky), definitely leaves the reader feeling satisfied as the story comes full circle. 

 
 The Rock from the Sky also has simple, straightforward sentences, text in a large font on an uncluttered background, and the characters frequently repeat newly introduced words in their conversations. I did have a few quibbles with this title. Some more challenging words (actually, enough, future) are included without visual support. Multiple times when characters were shouting, it was conveyed in all caps, which can be more challenging to read. In addition, like Klassen’s other books, the text is in different colors to show which character is speaking. This time, the colors are very similar, and when I read the book in different lighting, I noticed sometimes it could be more difficult to tell them apart. I wonder if first-time Klassen readers (are there any kids who haven’t already read a Jon Klassen book?) would be confused. Have you heard from kids who have read this book on their own? What were their opinions? Please leave a comment to let us know!

Tag Team (back again)

We're thankful this week to have a post by Betsy Bird. Betsy is the Collection Materials Specialist of Evanston Public Library and the former Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. She reviews for Kirkus, runs the School Library Journal blog A Fuse #8 Production, hosts the podcast Story Seeds, and runs the podcast Fuse 8 n’ Kate. Betsy is the author such books as LONG ROAD TO THE CIRCUS, her debut middle grade novel out NOW, with art by David Small.

About ten years ago, as I was working at New York Public Library’s Children’s Center at 42nd Street, we hosted a class of local schoolchildren. After our standard presentation they were allowed to come to the reference desk to ask for books on specific topics. All at once ten kids were in front of me, all asking the same thing: “Where are your books on Mexican wrestlers?” A decade or more has passed since I received that query and yet the answer has remained fairly static. There just ain’t that much out there, kids. Until now. Who could have predicted that Raul the Third would be so adept at spinning off side characters from his popular Vamos! picture book series into easy books of their own? And, even better, side characters with direct ties to the sport of Mexican wrestling? Tag Team and Training Day both star El Toro, a masked Mexican wrestling hero who is not without flaws. In Training Day El Toro needs to practice but, much to the dismay of his coach (a rooster named Kooky Dooky), he keeps avoiding it. In Training Day El Toro and his partner La Oink Oink discover that they must take matters into their own hands when they find that their beloved wrestling stadium is a complete mess. Both books inject a much needed shot of adrenaline into the easy book format. Not only are the colors bright, eye-popping, and vibrant, but the content is brimming with excitement. Sure, one of the books focuses primarily on cleaning, but when you’ve got El Toro and La Oink Oink doing the work it’s anything but dull. I’d also like to pay special tribute to the plot of Tag Team. The book takes pains to show that when El Toro discovers that the stadium is in disarray, he doesn’t call up the female La Oink Oink to help him clean up because she’s a girl. Instead, it is the equality of the two that makes them an excellent team. El Toro calls her up because she is his partner, sharing both the victories and the hardships that come with that relationship. This is a book about being a team through both the good and the bad. As for the language, simple words are the norm. It is also worth noting that incorporating Spanish words and terms into easy books is a splendid method of paying tribute not merely to Mexican and Mexican-American culture, but also to the importance of normalizing other languages in our easiest literature for youth.  With any luck, perhaps these books will mark a new trend in culturally explorative, exciting easy book fare. So long, Dick and Jane! With El Toro and friends, they’re here to save the day from the banal and mundane once and for all.

Charlie and Mouse Lost and Found by Laurel Snyder

 Charlie and Mouse are back in a 5th book in the series, exploring themes of Lost and Found. Laurel Snyder and Emily Hughes received Geisel Gold in 2018 for the initial entry to the Charlie and Mouse series, about which the committee chair that year compliment the "authentic dialogue, thoughtfully repeated phrases, and distinctive illustrations". But does this latest entry have what it takes to catch the committee's eye? It is tough but not impossible for a series to earn repeat recognition - just take a look at Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series. Are the charming Charlie and Mouse among the "most distinguished" again this year?

The opening story jumps right into the repetition that makes this series such a strong choice for beginning readers, as Charlie and Mouse search all manner of "somewheres" for Mouse's missing blanket. The direct sentences give the dialogue a cadence reminiscent of Frog and Toad.

Emily Hughes' illustrations again add to the story, from a depiction of the many somewheres they're searching to the absolutely perfect representation of "nothing fun" at the opening of "Errands".

And then we have it - the ringer on every beginning reader team - a dog! While the Geisel criteria obviously don't require the presence of a dog, there's no denying the success of pups ranging from Henry and Mudge to King and Kayla and of course the protagonist of last year's Geisel Medal winning See the Cat. If connecting to a criteria, I'd say that dogs more often than not speak to "Subject matter must be intriguing enough to motivate the child to read". And with Charlie and Mouse as our examples, we see that the addition of a dog is enough to liven up the dreaded errands.

Laurel Snyder and Emily Hughes paint a clear picture of the impact of a new dog on family life (especially for poor Kittenhead), and the story finds its way to a touching conclusion with one last moment of silliness as it ends on another intriguing subject matter for kids of a certain age - dogs peeing. This story, like others in the Charlie and Mouse series makes sure to call back to the earlier stories in its conclusion - a reward for beginning readers who tackle all four stories in one go. 

This addition to the series is sure to be adored by fans (who could resist the utterly adorable Boop?) Will it be as impressive to the Geisel Committee? We will have to wait and find out. 

Hello October! Guessing Geisel is back for another season!

 Hello folks!

Guessing Geisel is back for another season. There are some great books out this year for beginning readers and more with publication dates yet to come. We'll have some exciting guest posts, and we'll do our best to cover as many Geisel eligible titles as we can. Has anything in particular caught your eye? What are your picks for the best books for beginning readers for 2021? Let us know in the comments, and we'll be back Tuesday, October 12th with our first review post. 

Welcome back,

Amanda