Review: Meet Wild Boars

I don’t normally review picture books, but I wrote this one for school. This is one of my all-time favorite picture books – it’s so much fun for storytime.

Meet Wild Boars, Meg Rosoff & Sophie Blackall

Meet Wild Boars is a picture book by Meg Rosoff, who is best known for her Printz Award-winning, controversial young adult novel How I Live Now. Meet Wild Boars is a huge departure from Rosoff’s work for older readers, but it is just as successful. This book does exactly what the title suggests: it introduces the reader to four wild boars, who are “dirty and smelly, bad-tempered and rude,” and who demonstrate their shockingly bad manners throughout the book. The boars – named Boris, Morris, Horace, and Doris – don’t like anyone, and they aren’t afraid to show it.

The first sign of their bad attitude is on the first page, which shows a young boy holding the door for Boris. Boris doesn’t say “thank you” – instead, he hits the boy with his tusks. Though Rosoff goes on to describe even more of the boars’ nasty behavior, the book later invites you to take pity on the boars. After all, “[n]obody loves them. Maybe just once they could come to your house.” A spread with five different pictures follows, showing the boars behaving nicely, as “[t]hey promise just this once they will try to be good.” Watch out, though – the boars will do no such thing. Instead, they’ll wreak havoc on your toilet, your puzzles, and your pets. Doris, who is the worst boar of all, may even “eat your very best whale, flippers and all.”

Meet Wild Boars is a wonderfully funny book. Kids love stories about disgusting and badly behaved characters, and the boars featured here are both. The illustrations are detailed and delightful – the four boars have a lot of personality, which shows in their mismatched, ill-fitting clothing; dirty fur; and mischievous expressions. The facial expressions on the children are understated, but will often reflect the reader’s reaction. When Boris tusks the little boy, he looks pained. When the boars come over to the children’s house, the kids’ expressions of horror, rage, and disgust make clear how the reader should respond.

The story is paced well, with the first half devoted to an explanation of the boars’ history of bad behavior, and the second half describing the chaos that will ensue should you invite the boars to your own house. Humorous and detailed examples of the boars’ behavior are present throughout the story. One highlight is a full-page image of Doris. The facing page describes her: “She is STINKIER than a stinkpot turtle. She is UGLIER than an Ugli fruit. She is BOSSIER than a Bossysaurus.” The text here is representative of the rest of the book: simultaneously matter-of-fact and hyperbolic. The text is funny, but the image says it all. Doris – who is differentiated from her male counterparts by the tiny pink bow on her head – wears a dirty pink dress with green stink waves emanating from it. With her tail, she holds a hand mirror up to her dirty rear end, while she sniffs the rear end of the previously mentioned stinkpot turtle. At her feet are pools of brown sludge. Her messiness is unparalleled, and kids will get a kick out of the disgusting illustrations.

Throughout the book, the pictures do a wonderful job of bringing the text to life. On one two-page spread, the text reads, “Poor wild boars. Nobody loves them. Maybe just once they could come to your house.” In contrast to the fairly understated text, the picture shows the four boars racing gleefully toward the house of an unsuspecting young boy. Two of the boars are looking out at the reader with narrowed eyes and a crooked smile – they are clearly looking forward to destroying the boy’s house. The text and illustrations work together perfectly, creating a story that engages children on multiple levels. Many children who cannot read yet will enjoy looking at the pictures on their own after hearing the story.

This is a picture book with very broad appeal. The story is simple enough that kids as young as three can enjoy it, but the humor and clever illustrations will appeal to older siblings and parents, as well. There are a couple of jokes about bodily functions, which are always popular, and the extreme misbehavior of the boars will entertain even the most staid six-year-old. In general, children enjoy reading about the misbehavior of others, as it allows them to vicariously enjoy activities that are forbidden to them. It also gives children an opportunity to correct the behavior of others, which isn’t something they get to do very often. Anyone who likes David Shannon’s No, David! and its sequels will enjoy this tale of bad deeds and misbehavior.

Meet Wild Boars would be a great addition to any public library’s story time cabinet, thanks to its relatively short length and broad appeal. For that purpose, the one potential drawback of this book is the detail of the pictures. It would be ideal in a large book format., as many pages have multiple images, and the larger pictures have a lot of fun details. With that said, the pictures feature lots of bold colors and movement, so while children at a story time may not get to enjoy every detail of the pictures, they can certainly appreciate the story. The book offers a lighthearted contribution to a story hour about manners, as the boars provide a great example of how not to behave. The sequel, Wild Boars Cook, is just as good as the original. A program that included these two books and a no-bake cooking activity – perhaps something involving chocolate pudding and gummy worms – would be a fun, if messy, activity for pre-schoolers and their caregivers. Since the boars are all about getting messy, it only seems appropriate.

Conkey’s Book Store

I was lucky enough to grow up in a town that was home to one of the greatest independent bookstores in the country. Conkey’s Book Store has been a fixture in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin for more than a hundred years.

This Friday is its last day.

Its closure can be blamed on a lot of different factors: the giant Barnes and Noble out by the mall. Amazon.com and the Kindle. The general decline of pleasure reading. Conkey’s loss of their contract with the local tech college.

When I found out that Conkey’s was closing a few months back, I was devastated. Conkey’s had been there for so long – it never occurred to me that it would close. That I’d no longer do my Christmas shopping there, or benefit from their always-spot-on staff recommendations. That I wouldn’t get to take my kids there and show them the place I loved so much when I was small.

Conkey’s is next door to Heid Music, another Appleton institution, where I took piano lessons for eight years. Every Wednesday, after my lesson, I went next door to Conkey’s. Sometimes, if I’d particularly impressed my piano teacher, my mom would buy me a book. Every week, I spent a half an hour or so sitting in the coffee shop. They used to serve SueAnn’s bagels at the Conkey’s coffee shop. SueAnn’s closed a few years ago, too. I still remember the thoroughly pierced-and-tattooed girl behind the counter: how cool I thought she was, how much I wanted her job. I think her name was Abby.

The coffee shop also sold greeting cards and assorted knick-knacks. I loved this stuff. Every year for my birthday, for Christmas, there was something on the list that could only be found at Conkey’s.

Conkey’s also threw the best Harry Potter parties. The store and coffee shop opened onto a back alley that, when decorated, bore a strong resemblance to Diagon Alley. Conkey’s had butterbeer and wands and live owls. The giant party in the mall food court, the huge crowds at Barnes and Noble: they paled in comparison.

Walking into Conkey’s was always like entering a magic shop, whether or not a sign reading “Ollivanders” was posted over the door. Bookshelves reached all the way up to the ceiling. There were rolling ladders and narrow corners and nooks and staircases.

I still haven’t totally accepted Conkey’s fate. I used to work for the Post-Crescent, the local newspaper, so I’ve always been a devoted reader. Lately, though, I spend more and more time scouring its website for news that someone has stepped up to buy the store.

It hasn’t happened.

I know that it won’t. Really, I do.

But I’m still waiting for the loss to sink in.

Book Club: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, by Jeff Kinney

1. Greg starts his year off with a New Year’s Resolution: “to help other people improve”. He does this in ways that don’t make him very popular, like criticizing his parents’ eating habits. Write at least three of your own resolutions (they don’t have to be serious), then pick at least one to share.

2. Greg and Rowley make a time capsule, to be opened in the year 2300 A.D. (or whenever time travel is possible). Think about 5 things you’d put in a time capsule, and imagine what people in the future might think about the stuff that we have today.

3. So we know Greg is kind of a bad kid. If you were going to run his military school and try to make him act nicer, what kind of rules would you have?

Storytime: Monsters!

I love monster stories. You have to be careful, of course, that you don’t pick anything too scary – start with really unscary stories, and keep an eye on how everyone is responding. Tone it down or ramp it up accordingly.

Sometimes there is no helping it, though. I was doing a (non-monster-themed) storytime for five-year-olds and pulled out an old standby, Leonardo the Terrible Monster. When we got to the roaring part, one kid inexplicably totally freaked out and started screaming, and (I was told later) didn’t stop for hours. What can you do?

I’m also a big fan of The Monster at the End of this Book – it was one of my little sister’s favorites, and it’s still a hit today (although I’ve had a few kids ask why Grover, and not Elmo, is the star of this book). There are lots of opportunities for interaction, which is fun, but can definitely rile the kids up. Read this at the end of storytime and then send them home with their caregivers. 😀

Younger Children

My Monster Mama Loves Me So – Laura Leuck

Where’s My Mummy? – Carolyn Crimi

The Monster at the End of this Book – Jon Stone

Go Away, Big Green Monster! – Ed Emberley

The Monster Who Loved Books – Keith Faulkner

Go to Bed, Monster! – Natasha Wing

I’m Looking for a Monster – Timothy Young

Older Children

Leonardo the Terrible Monster — Mo Willems

The Gruffalo – Julia Donaldson

Monster Goose – Judy Sierra

The Gunniwolf – Wilhelmina Harper

The Very Worst Monster – Pat Hutchins

Snip-Snap! What’s That? – Mara Bergman

Program: Make Some Noise!

Join us at the library as we make our own musical instruments out of household items. We’ll have lots of things to experiment with at the library, and you’ll get to take home an instrument of your own!

June 23, 2009 from 4-5 p.m.

Grades: Going into 4-6

Budget: $8: $3 for three bags of jingle bells (on sale at Target!), $3 for one pack of 20 plastic plates, and $1.50 for a pack of 25 combs at Walgreens. Pie tins are really expensive, so we used plastic plates instead.

Activities

Bring some stuff for them to play with – a guitar, keyboard, glass blowing thing etc. Once they finish making their instruments, let them experiment with these other instruments. Once everyone is done, it is time for the least shy among us to parade through the library with our new instruments.

Instruments

Tambourine

  • Pie tins (1 per craft) or paper/plastic plates
  • Pipe cleaners
  • Jingle bells (8 each)
  • Ribbon

Instructions: Each kid gets a plate with 12 holes punched in it, evenly spaced. Cut several pipe cleaners in half. Feed pipe cleaner half through a bell, then push through one of the holes.

Guitar

  • Cereal or tissue box
  • Rubber bands
  • Paper towel roll (optional, if they want to attach it to the box to make a “neck”)

Instructions: If using a cereal box, cut an oval-shaped hole in the top before the program. Let the kids place rubber bands of various sizes across the box, and glue a paper towel roll to the end of they want. Decorate and play.

Harmonica/kazoo

  • Wax paper
  • Comb

Books

The Kids Can Press – Jumbo Book of Music – Deborah Dunleavy (J 780 DUN)

Book Club: The Witches

The Witches, by Roald Dahl

Discussion Questions

1. Did you think this book was funny? What parts of it were funny? Did you think it was weird?

2. Could you relate to anything in the story?

3. What did you think about the grandmother telling the boy all these scary stories about witches? Was this mean, or was she doing it so that he would be prepared to meet witches? Would you have believed the stories?

4. What do you think happened to Bruno (the other boy who is turned into a mouse)? Why weren’t the boy and his grandmother worried about him?

5. Did you like the ending? Do you think it was weird that the boy didn’t mind being a mouse? What do you think about their plan to rid the world of witches?

6. What other witch stories do you know about? How are Roald Dahl’s witches different from other witches you’ve heard about? Do you think there are real witches?

Activities

First, we’re all going to write a super-short book review of any book (or comic, or whatever).

Second, we’re going to play a game called “Witches”. I will explain it – it’s a little complicated so you have to pay attention. (Note: This was the game Mafia, but with witches instead of mafia members as the bad guys.)

Third, we’re going to hand out the book for next month (you’ll like it).

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher

Th1rteen R3asons Why, Jay Asher

So I hate the dopey title, and I really wanted to hate the book. It’s such a contrived (if original) premise – girl leaves suicide mix-tapes for all the people who made her suicidal. And I’m not sure it’s especially well-executed; in particular, the parts of the novel that are narrated by Hannah (the tapes) in no way sound like dialogue, and that bothered me – after all, the author could’ve just had her write letters. My other initial hesitation was Hannah herself. I’ve had a couple of friends who have committed suicide, so to me that person looks different than Hannah, who is blonde and popular and, well, female. Add to that the fact that a few of her 13 choices seem downright petty, and I got mad at her for making people feel guilty for the rest of their lives because of an almost certainly unintended slight – 100 pages in, I was skeptical.

But it’s a weirdly moving novel, when it comes to it. It took me until the end of the book to appreciate it, but I did, and I was glad I read it. The protagonist’s part in Hannah’s suicide is heartbreaking, and the interactions he has with other recipients of the tapes are compelling and ring true – much more so than the contents of the tapes themselves. I like to see teenagers reading this book (and they do, in droves), for a host of reasons. I appreciate that Asher lays out (in a non-didactic fashion) many of the warning signs of severe depression, which is good information for kids to have. Even better, what this book teaches is the importance – in this case, a life-or-death level of importance – of treating other people kindly and with respect, all the time. A lot of the people Hannah blames for her suicide weren’t unusually mean, for high school kids. They were just callous and uncaring, and that was enough to hurt her. The more reinforcement that message gets, the better.

In short: For the win, in spite of the goofy title. A strong message and characters that teens will recognize from the hallways of their very own high schools make this a compelling read.

Read it if you like: Other “issue” YA novels, like (I’m going to date myself here) Cut and Smack

Review: The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall

The Penderwicks, Jeanne Birdsall

In short: Super-retro tale of children running free during summer vacation and getting into adorable kinds of “trouble”. The four sisters are well-drawn and endearing, even if they fall neatly into Boxcar Children-esque sibling stereotypes, and the people they encounter while on vacation are just quirky enough to be interesting. The novel is old-fashioned in its language and plot, so it is really jarring when all of a sudden the girls’ dad pulls out his laptop. How many parents in 2009 are trusting enough to let their kids run wild around an unfamiliar area? (I mean, I did that as a kid, but that was a good 15 years ago, and in a small town with zero crime.) Of course, the whole book is set in an incredibly wholesome alternate universe (the most scandalous this book gets is when the oldest sister develops an incredibly wholesome crush on an older boy), so this is a good choice for parents who have concerns about what their kids are reading.

All in all, this is a really cute story – I’m guessing it’ll be enjoyed more by adults who want to indulge in nostalgia than actual present-day children, but that happens.

Read it if you like: The Boxcar Children, other slightly dated children’s series

Book Club: Sideways Stories from Wayside School

Sideways Stories from Wayside School, by Louis Sachar

Discussion Questions

1. Who was your favorite character? Which story was your favorite?

2. Did you think the book was funny? What made it funny? What was the funniest part?

3. Could you relate to any of the characters, or were they just too weird? Do you know anyone who is like one of the characters? Would you want to be friends with any of the students in the book?

4. If someone were going to write a story about YOU, what kind of quirks would they write about? (Joe doesn’t know how to count, Rondi doesn’t have front teeth, DJ smiles all the time…)

5. What would your ice cream flavor taste like?

6. Would you want to go to Wayside School? Do you think you’d learn a lot there? Do you think it would be fun?

Activity

First: TRIVIA!

Next: While we eat PIZZA, pick a partner and make a list of funny things that have happened at YOUR school, then tell a story about it to the rest of the group!

Book Club: The Scary States of America

This was the first-place pick after we voted for new books last month. The kids really enjoyed reading it, and the short story format was good for our club, where we have a wide range of reading abilities. This way, kids who are not as comfortable reading were still able to participate when we discussed the stories they read.

The activity for this book club was a lot of fun. Everyone enjoyed telling scary stories – I wasn’t sure how well it would work, but some of our less talkative club members spoke up to tell spooky stories they remembered from friends, family, and other books. We dimmed the lights, passed around a flashlight, and scared all of our friends – it was a great way to spend an afternoon.

The Scary States of America, by Michael Teitelbaum

Discussion Questions

1. What was your favorite story? What was the scariest story?

2. Did you think any of the stories were really scary? If you did, what made them scary? Why are scary stories so much fun to read?

3. Did you think the stories were believable? What made you think that the stories were (or weren’t!) true? Are true stories scarier than made-up stories?

4. Has anything scary ever happened to you? Has anyone ever told you a true scary story?

5. How was this book different from the other books we read? Were there still characters in this book? Were there plots you remembered? Do you like reading short stories better than reading longer novels?

Activity

Write your own scary story! We’ll work alone or in pairs (your choice) to write scary stories. They can be based off of stories in the book, things you’ve heard from friends or read in other books, or they can be totally new. We’ll have a bunch of other scary story books that you can look at for inspiration. Then we’ll have a “campfire” and tell our stories out loud.

For the record: I thought this would be really tough, because I have some pretty shy kids in book club. NOPE. They loved this activity. We ended up staying late, and they would’ve stayed even later. I guess I forgot how much kids love scaring each other.

Some games to try at home…
from John Sanidopoulos

Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board

The most common version of this “trick” requires at least five people. One person, the victim, lies relaxed on the floor with eyes closed. The other four participants surround her, one on each side, one at the head and one at the feet. Each of the participants places two fingers of each hand beneath the victim. With their eyes closed, they begin to chant, “Light as a feather… stiff as a board…” over and over. With just the slightest effort, the participants are able to raise the victim off the floor in what appears to be the defiance of gravity.

Does it work? In addition to my sister, I’ve heard from a number of other people who attest that it does. I have never witnessed it personally.

Bloody Mary

The conjuring of Bloody Mary has been a favorite way for teenagers, girls in particular, to scare themselves silly. The appearance of the Bloody Mary spirit has become the stuff of urban legend, yet many have testified that she really does appear.

Basically, the ritual goes like this: stand in a darkened or lightless room where there is a mirror. Stare into the mirror and chant “Bloody Mary” 13 times. The gruesome spirit of Bloody Mary will appear behind you in the mirror.

There are many variations on the ritual, any of which a brave teenage girl will try, usually on a dare. Sometimes a lighted candle is required in the dark room. You must chant the name three times, six times, nine times – even up to 100 times, depending on whom you ask. Another variation is that you must spin slowly in place while you chant Bloody Mary’s name, glancing in the mirror with each turn.

Although the biggest worry with Bloody Mary is that the participant will succeed in scaring herself into hysterics, we occasionally hear stories about people who really did see Bloody Mary in the mirror. Usually these tales come through a friend of a friend and are, of course, impossible to verify.