Who is Fly Guy?

Who is Fly Guy, you ask? Fly Guy is the hero of a new series of books by Tedd Arnold, author of the wonderful idiom-teaching books Parts, More Parts, and Still More Parts. Fly Guy also happens to be a fly and these books chronicle his adventures with his human buddy, Buzz.

These books are excellent for emergent readers. They are very short, with very few words on each page, and of course they are full of Arnold's super illustrations. The books also introduce the concept of a chapter, the font is large, and the glossy, colorful pages are eye-catching.

The Fly Guy books are some of the most popular books in the library for kids of all ages. Students seem to like to read them over and over and they remind me of some of the old classics by Dr. Seuss, Syd Hoff, P. D. Eastman, and others of that genre. Most importantly, the kids find them hilarious and they make them want to read more!

We have several in the library and the newest one is available at the bookfair.

Pinkalicious--Coming soon to Hawthorne!

Pinkalicious loves all things pink. She can't stop eating pink cupcakes despite warnings from her parents. Her pink indulgence leads to her skin and hair turning pink and her doctor diagnosing her with Pinkititis. This is a dream come true for this pink loving little girl. But when her color goes too far, only Pinkalicious can figure out a way to get out of this situation.

This is a cute story from sisters Victoria and Elizabeth Kann. When I read it to second and first graders, even the boys found it funny, although one did ask if I could read a "boy story" next. Apparently there is a musical out and a sequel called, I'm not kidding, Purplicious.

Pinkalicious is available at the bookfair in softcover and I will order a hardcover copy for our library.

Who is Junie B. Jones?

I want to do some character sketches for the blog and this will be the first one.

For those of you who don't know who Junie B. Jones is, she is the title character in the very popular series of books by Barbara Park. In the books, Junie is in kindergarten and she later moves to first grade. She is hilariously funny and is always in some kind of situation. The books are told from her own point of view and they are full of comic relief with Junie B. wearing the nerves of all who know her. I had not read a Junie B. Jones book until last year, and wondering why they were in such demand, I read several and discovered immediately why the books fly off the shelves. You can't help but love this character and the way she just calls her teacher "Mrs. and that's all," not caring to bother with her teacher's full name. She has a mind of her own and the way it operates is delightful. The books are a very easy read, I can read one in a setting, and I guess that is part of the attraction for the kids. I think they can also relate to her and the language of young kids that Park uses in writing her books. We have many copies in the media center so if you want to read something quick and funny, and keep up with what the kids are reading at the same time, Junie B. Jones is perfect!