Read, Write, Repeat.

A Yiddish-speaking chicken and some Spanish-speaking parrots might seem like an unlikely combination, but they form the heart of an engaging new picture book about friendships and starting over.

In Daniel and Jill Pinkwater’s Beautiful Yetta: The Yiddish Chicken (Feiwel and Friends, 2010), Yetta the chicken is happy on her organic farm. So when she’s crated and delivered to Phil’s Poultry World, something seems, well … fowl.

So Yetta escapes. But the streets of Brooklyn are nothing like her former home. And, she has no friends. The rats tell her to get lost. The pigeons insult her. She’s cold, hungry and lonely when she meets a strange green bird … and a cat.

Yetta shoos the cat, helps the bird and finds herself part of a parrot flock that speaks a different language, but thinks she’s beautiful and are happy to help her adjust to city life.

This book got great reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Booklist and Shelf Awareness. But what really matters is what Dharma, today’s guest reviewer, has to say. Take it away, Dharma!

Our reviewer: Dharma

Age: 5 (Our youngest reviewer so far!)

I like: Macaroni and cheese, playing hopscotch and riding my bike.

This book was about: Yetta, a chicken. She told all the parrots about what she used to do in the countryside. Yetta was lost in Brooklyn, but became friends with parrots.

The best part was when: Yetta said, “Get away, you stinky cat!”

I laughed when: Yetta said, “Get away, you stinky cat!”

I was worried when: It was just weird when she was lost and didn’t know where she was.

I was surprised that: Yetta learned to love parrots and became their mom.

This book taught me: It doesn’t matter if you are different than others. You can love different things. And, you shouldn’t say mean things.

Thanks, Dharma!

To learn more about Daniel and Jill Pinkwater and their many, many other books, visit their website. Or read this article.

Numbers and nature are all rolled up into one enjoyable picture book in This Tree Counts (Albert Whitman, 2010).

Author Alison Formento and illustrator Sarah Snow combine their talents to tell the tale of the lone oak tree behind an elementary school.

A class decides the tree needs friends, so it plants 10 new oak trees nearby. But first, the students listen to the story the old oak has to tell and learn something about the 10 animals that live in the tree and what they do.

This book is also cool because it is printed on recycled paper and a portion of the proceeds go to planting more trees through AmericanForests.org.

Here’s what today’s guest reviewer, Julia, has to say:

Our reviewer: Julia

Age: 6

This book was about: A tree that told a story about counting, bugs and animals.

The best part was: The first page and how you can use your finger like a car and drive down the streets.

I laughed when: I saw the tree house and it didn’t have anything holding it in the tree. Because it kinda looked like it was flying and tree houses aren’t supposed to fly.

I was worried: That the spiders would kill the tree. They can sometimes kill trees. My cousin Payton told me that once.  

I was surprised that: That the boy was building a house. Because I didn’t really think that houses were made of wood. I thought they were made of walls.

This book taught me: That sometimes trees can talk. No, no, no. Trees can do lots of good things like clean the air, give nice shade and have good climbing spots.

Other kids reading this book should: They should learn that this book is a good one and that trees are really helpful.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Great.” “Awesome.” “Exciting.”

My favorite line or phrase in the book is: I have three sentences that I like. The ones where it’s like … “Four robins tweet out hello,” “Three squirrels hop on my branches playing hide and seek,” and “One owl waits on a branch until it’s night.” (If you look at the top photo, Julia is holding the book open to her absolute favorite page.)

You should read this because: Because it’s fun. Because the counting part is kinda fun.

Thanks, Julia!

You can learn more about Alison Formento by visiting her website. It features a tree of the day. Alison also has a blog where she talks about books, trees and more.

You can learn more about Sarah Snow by visiting her website.

I really like every book that gets mentioned on my site.

But every now and then, I encounter a book I absolutely adore.

That happened last month. I was surfing the Internet when I should have been writing, and came across a brief mention of a new, nonfiction picture book about a woman who lived in the late 19th century and grew to be 8 feet, 4 inches tall.

I ordered it without knowing any more about it, and when it arrived and I read it, I was thrilled.

Stand Straight, Ella Kate (Dial, 2010) by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise is a wonderful find. It’s a first-person telling of the life of Ella Kate Ewing who was born in Rainbow, Missouri in 1897 and then grew, and grew and grew.

What makes it so cool?

First, there’s the story. It’s compelling on its own. Who’s ever heard of a woman more than 8 feet tall who travels the world as part of circus sideshows? Then, there’s the book’s voice. Klise does such a lovely job telling Ella’s story sweetly and simply that the reader cares about Ella as a person.

And, perhaps most impressively, the story is chock full of interesting facts, but it reads like the picture book it is. No small accomplishment there!

And then, there are the end papers. They have the actual size of Ella’s shoe and glove so readers can compare their hands and feet to hers. I had this book at the library and was showing it to one little girl. Before too long, several other kids had wandered over and wanted to see how they stacked up.

As further proof of this book’s appeal, every member of my family read it and liked it, from my book-crazed 8-year-old to my “I’m too old for picture books” 13-year-old to my “Where’s the LeBron James biography?” husband.

So this book totally earns a spot on my list of Books I Like So Much, I Wish I’d Written Them.

Now, here’s what Sonia had to say:

Today’s reviewer: Sonia

Age: 8

I like: Playing with my friends. Going to birthday parties. Riding horses and riding my bike, Zoe.

This book was about: A girl named Ella Kate who was 8 feet, 4 inches tall.

The best part was when: She showed us how long her glove was and how big her bed and shoe were.

I laughed when:  She stuck her hand through the transom of the door and startled the bell boy.

I was worried when: People wanted to poke her legs with a pin to make sure she wasn’t standing on stilts.

 I was surprised when: People were mean to her when she read the Declaration of Independence.

This book taught me: Never to be mean to anybody. And never to stick them with pins.

Some words that best describe this book are: “Stand straight, Ella Kate.”

My favorite line or phrase in the book is: “My best friend was a girl named Pearl. Just like her name, Pearl was small and beautiful.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: When Ella Kate gives her ring to the baby and the baby can wear it as a bracelet.

You should read this book because: You should see how tall Ella Kate was.

Thanks, Sonia!

To learn more about the Klises, visit their website.

There’s also an interesting interview with Sarah Klise here describing how she first heard of Ella Kate Ewing.

And, the book was mentioned in this New York Times article.

When I was a kid, I thought it would be the coolest thing ever to spend the night in the library.

It would be so perfect – just me and all the books. I could tuck myself into a corner with a huge stack and read for as long as I wanted with no interruptions.

Sadly, I grew up before getting to fulfill that dream. But when I heard that the Verona Public Library was holding a sleepover for 100 children and their parents, it all came rushing back.

I could spend the night. In a library. Surrounded by books.

So I arrived, humming the Frank Sinatra song:

Fairy tales can come true,
It can happen to you –
If you’re young at heart.

And it was wonderful. Not, perhaps, exactly like my childhood dream. I wasn’t by myself after all. But I was there, with the books, and my daughter, her friend and her friend’s mother.

And the event was extremely well organized. Kids could sign up for the summer reading program, explore the library in a scavenger hunt, listen to a comedian, watch a movie, make crafts or play wii games. And they did these things remarkably calmly thanks to the team of red-shirted librarians who shepherded them from event to event.

And one lucky family would get to camp out in this castle.

There was even time to read before the lights went out at 11 p.m. and we fell asleep amid the stacks. (The castle went to another family, alas and alack.)

And, trust me, I made good use of the chance to read and discovered some cool new picture books.

My favorite of the night was this one — Little Piano Girl : The Story of Mary Lou Williams, Jazz Legend by Ann Ingalls and Maryann Macdonald (Houghton Mifflin, 2010):

Two other good finds were Henry in Love by Peter McCarty (Balzer + Bray, 2009) and Oh, No! Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World (Hyperion, 2010) by Mac Barnett:

So my recommendation is this. If you ever get the chance to spend the night at the library, you should do it no matter how old you are.

But, be aware. The younger you are, the better you’ll feel in the morning. I needed a nap the next day.

Little girls and horses are a lovely combination.

And debut author Rebecca Janni uses them both to good effect in Every Cowgirl Needs a Horse (Dutton, 2010). Add in some pink glitter on the cover, and its appeal to small, feminine horse lovers is undeniable.

And once you open the book, the story delivers. Nellie Sue has a birthday. She’s sure this will be the year she gets a horse. After all, she’s already got the hat, boots and chaps.

All day she gets ready — mucking out the stalls, feeding the chickadees, harvesting grass and eating chili and beans. So when her daddy says, “Hey, Nellie Sue! Got a horse here for you,” she’s not expecting to see … a bike.

But Nellie Sue is game for anything. So she gets on the bike, which she christens Beauty, and tries to ride. Will she succeed? Or will she hold out for a real horse?

Let’s ask Brooke, today’s guest reviewer.  

Today’s guest reviewer: Brooke

Age: 6 (and three-quarters)

This book was about: A girl who wanted a horse.

The best part was when: She got a horse. But it was really a bike.

I laughed when: She crashed.

I was worried when: She crashed.

I was surprised when: She got her wish in a funny way.

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “And I do have that.”

Three words that describe this book: I love it.

You should read this book because: “It’s funny.”

Personally, Brooke says she would like a horse. And if her dad suddenly brought one home, she’d put it in the garage.

If you want to learn more about how this book came to be or about author Rebecca Janni, visit her website. You can see pictures of the book release party here. They even feature pink cowgirl hats!

If you want to learn more about Lynne Averil, the artist behind Nellie Sue’s pink, glittery persona, visit her website.

When the school year ended, some of my favorite readers …

sent me a collection of thank-you cards talking about how much they enjoyed reviewing books this year …

making me very happy!

Writing rebuses looks like it should be easy.

They’re short. There are pictures where some of the words should be. And the language is usually simple and repetitive.

But rebuses are really the sudoku of the writing world. A specific arrangement of words needs to fit into a defined space, follow a rigid set of rules AND tell a compelling story. And if that doesn’t happen, a rebus simply doesn’t work.

Wisconsin writer Pat Lessie might be the master of the rebus. So far, she’s sold 10 to Highlights For Children. And not only does her work meet the format’s stringent requirements, many of her rebuses rhyme.

Pat’s latest rebus, “Lightning Bugs,” will appear in the July, 2010 issue of Highlights.

Here, she describes her journey as a rebus writer and shares her tips for success.

What got you interested in writing rebuses in rhyme?
I was working in an elementary school. One of the students was an autistic girl.  She spoke little and had a short attention span.  However, in music class, she sang songs along with the rest of the class. I thought rhyming rebuses, written in verses similar to songs, might be something she would like. It turned out that the girl wasn’t much intrigued by my rebuses.

When did you write your first one?
I wrote my first one in about 1999.  At that time, I was writing long rebuses, two or three times longer than those I write now.

How long did it take before you sold your first one? What was it about?
I tried to market my long rebuses, a collection of eight, to a few educational publishers first, without success.  Then, in early 2001, I read several rebuses in Highlights for Children.  I decided to send one there. The editor asked me to shorten it to 14 lines or less.  It was about snow.  It was published in early 2002.

What are the easiest and hardest parts of writing a rebus for you?
Nothing is easy about writing a rhyming rebus. However, the ending is usually the hardest section for me. That part has to have a point or a surprise or something amusing. 

What are your secrets to success? What tips would you give a beginning rebus writer?
I don’t really have any secrets. I enjoy doing these, but I work hard on them. I write my first attempt, then polish it over several days, trying to get the rhythm as perfect as I can. Then I set it aside for some period of time before I take it out to rework some more. Of course, some of my attempts end up in the trash.

I would suggest writing some non-rhyming rebuses first. Someone starting out should read lots of rebuses. Language must be simple for early readers. The editors at Highlights won’t accept anything over 14 lines. That’s roughly 100 words. They want a rebus picture in each line, and would like rebus pictures repeated. The rebus pictures must be nouns.

One of my recurring problems is wanting to put more information in a 100-word piece than there is room for or than a beginning reader needs.

Thanks, Pat!

Here’s one of Pat’s rebuses. It it illustrates how much information and plot need to be effectively packed into a small space. This one is illustrated by Wisconsin artist Bonnie Leick. So in case you were wondering, the rebus writer does not need to draw his or her own pictures. They do, however, usually indicate which words they think could be illustrated and then the publisher hires the illustrator.

To learn more about Pat, visit her website.

To learn more about rebus writing, check out this article from Writing World. Or this one from the Institute of Children’s Literature.

Photo taken by Luigi Diamanti. Available on FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

“What if?”

“Why not?”

“Could it be?”

These three questions are hidden at the heart of many great books. But The Magician’s Elephant (Candlewick Press, 2009) by Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo brings them to center stage and takes their answers to new heights.

The book follows an orphan’s search for a sister he’s been told is dead. Lead by an unexpectedly appearing elephant, the boy encounters soldiers, magicians, sculptors, policemen, a nun and a noblewoman, who each have trials of their own.

It’s a moving, magical, sensitive tale of love, forgiveness, second chances and much, much more.

Here’s what Garrett, today’s reviewer, has to say.

Our reviewer: Garrett

Age: 11

Things I like to do: Play video games and read books.

This book was about: A magician trying to do a trick brings an elephant through the ceiling at the Opera House and a young boy seeks help finding his sister from a fortune teller. She tells the boy  his sister is alive and that an elephant will lead him to her.

The best part is when:  Peter found his sister.

I laughed when: It was funny when the elephant came through the ceiling, so I laughed.

 I was worried when:  The guy fell from the tower.

I was surprised when: The guy cried because he hadn’t had soup since his mother made it.

This book taught me: To believe in my dreams.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Funny.” “Sad.” “Entertaining.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “I found you.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for:  They should watch for the twist and turns — like an elephant dropping through the ceiling.

You should read this book because: You will enjoy it.

Thanks, Garrett!

Want to learn more? You can:

• Listen to author Kate DiCamillo read the first chapter of this book.
• Visit a website totally devoted to the book.
• Visit Kate’s website.  It has information about her many books and her upcoming releases.
• Stop by illustrator Yoko Tanaka’s site.

And, if you’d like to learn more about Kate DiCamillo’s chapter book series featuring a toast-eating pig named Mercy Watson, read this Read, Write, Repeat review by Sonia.

If you, like me, were enough of a word geek to watch the National Spelling Bee recently (The brainpower! The drama! The quirkiness!) you probably noticed that in the vignettes featuring the spellers, they asked them their favorite words.

The spellers’ choices included words like schadenfreude, pfeffernuss and onomatopoeia. As each speller named the word, he or she spelled it out using giant letter tiles. So, of course, this prompted conversation in our house. What were our favorite words? And were we picking them based on what they meant, how they sounded or a combination of both?

Apparently, choosing a favorite word is not that uncommon. In Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert describes how she learned to speak Italian and fell in love with the word ”attraversiamo,” which means “Let’s cross over.”

And, in one of my favorite “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strips, Calvin and Hobbes are using modeling clay and Hobbes is going on about how much he likes his smock. Then he says, “Actually, I just like to say smock. Smock, smock, smock, smock, smock, smock.” To which Calvin replies, “What on earth is wrong with you?”

Well, rest assured, you’re among friends. If you tell me your favorite word, I will not ask what’s wrong with you. So leave a comment if you wish and share YOUR favorite word.

I’m still trying to figure out my favorite word. “Perpetuity” is fun to say. So is “litigious.” And I like “bassoon” for reasons I can’t fully describe. Then, there’s “bibliophile.”

So get out your own giant letter tiles and tell us. What’s your favorite word?

In Janna and the Kings (Lee & Low Books, 2003) written by Patricia Smith and illustrated by Aaron Boyd, Janna and her grandfather are the best of friends.

Every Saturday morning — bright and early — he’s at her door to take her on an adventure.

The things they do — stop for a muffin, greet people in the neighborhood and visit his friends in the barbershop — are Janna’s favorite part of the week. When she and her grandfather are together, he’s the king, and she’s his princess.

When Janna’s grandfather unexpectedly dies, her world turns upside-down. But eventually, she discovers a way to remember her grandfather and enjoy Saturdays again.

Family Fun magazine had this to say about the book: “The love pours through on every page in this elegantly written tale . . . Sweet and tender, full of solace.”

Now, let’s hear from Ian.

Today’s reviewer: Ian

Age: 8

I like to: Play basketball, play with my friend, Caleb. Play with my three cats.

This book was about: A girl named Janna. Every Saturday she goes with her granddaddy and does something. And then, her granddaddy’s heart goes to sleep and Saturday doesn’t feel right. She goes to the barbershop where she used to go with him, and she feels like a princess again.

The best part was when: Janna and her granddaddy visited the barbershop.

I laughed when: Janna’s baby brother called her “Hanna.”

I was worried when: Janna’s granddaddy’s heart went to sleep. She was very sad.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Barbershop.” “Janna.” “Granddaddy.”

My favorite line or phrase in the book is: “Let’s see what Princess Sugarlump has to say about that.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The dog named Tata Chip.

Thanks, Ian!

This book, which won the New Voices Award from Lee & Low Books, was Patricia Smith’s first children’s book. But she was already an award-winning journalist, playwright and performer, and a four-time individual champion of the National Poetry Slam. She also authored the companion book to the critically acclaimed PBS documentary “Africans in America.” And, in 2008, her book Blood Dazzler, which tracks Hurricane Katrina as it transforms from a tropical depression to a Category 5 storm, was a finalist for the National Book Award.

For more information about Patricia, visit her website. And read this interview.

For more information about Aaron Boyd and other books he’s illustrated, visit his website. And read this interview.