Author Archives: rivealen

Cozy Up with a Little One and a Board Book Based on Classic Literature

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by Alena Rivers

Busy parents and caregivers of babies and toddlers may not be able to find the time to sit down with a cup of tea and a read a classic piece of literature such as Moby Dick or Pride and Prejudice but there may be another way to share the benefits of reading aloud to young children while also dipping into a literary classic for themselves.

The Butler Center recently received a small collection of Cozy Classics board books by brothers Jack and Holman Wang featuring classic novels told in an abbreviated 12 words and illustrated by hand-crafted felt figures depicting characters from the original stories. The first page in each board book poses felt figures against the backdrop of text from the first chapter of the board book’s original counterpart. The detailed craftwork of the felt figures is admirable and the one-word per two-page spread invites a very selective exploration of themes from the original novels. For example, in the Pride & Prejudice board book, the word “sick” accompanies an image of a character lying in bed with two others kneeling by her bedside.

While there is little doubt babies will miss the connection between many of the featured words and the actions depicted by their corresponding felt images, adults may enjoy the challenge of remembering the context for each literary scene. The unique concept behind these board books could certainly serve as a fun novelty for families that are familiar with the classic stories featured in the Cozy Classics series. These also make great selections for anyone who appreciates a simplified version of a lengthy classic work!

Visit the Butler Center to take a look!

Cozy Classics: Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations by Jack and Holman Wang (Chronicle, 2016).

Cozy Classics: Herman Melville’s Moby Dick by Jack and Holman Wang (Chronicle, 2016).

Cozy Classics: Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice by Jack and Holman Wang (Chronicle, 2016).

Cozy Classics: Leo Tolstoy’s War & Peace by Jack and Holman Wang (Chronicle, 2016).

We Have a Way with Words!

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by Alena Rivers

Summer is upon us and that has many librarians, teachers, parents and caregivers thinking about the summer reading programs that will encourage children to continue reading over their school breaks. As much as we love reading, we also love the creative writing process that brings to life the stories our children encounter.  Reading books will always be a worthwhile endeavor but, this summer, let’s also encourage our children to explore the creative writing process. The Butler Center has a few nonfiction selections that can help children expand their vocabularies and give them a better understanding of the origins and definitions of commonly used word phrases. Then pull it all together with some imaginative activities that challenge a child’s writing process, or get them inspired by reading an author’s biography to see how the creative writing process develops. Stop by and take a look at some of these books!

You’re Pulling My Leg: 400 Human-Body Sayings from Head to Toe by Pat Street and Eric Brace, illus. by Eric Brace (Holiday, 2016). Humorous illustrations of animals demonstrating human-body part phrases and an index of body parts referenced throughout the book will give children plenty of possibilities to include in their next writing experience.

Will’s Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk by Jane Sutcliffe, illus. by John Shelley (Charlesbridge, 2016). Children will be surprised to see how many common phrases we use today were created or popularized by William Shakespeare’s plays. The author includes a note about William Shakespeare, a timeline of his life and a bibliography.

Yaks Yak: Animal Word Pairs by Linda Sue Park, illus. by Jennifer Black Reinhardt (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016). Words have multiple meanings and young children will discover several animal words and their active counterparts, when noun meets verb!

Koob: The Backwards Book by Anna Brett, illus. by Elle Ward (Scholastic, 2016). Try out this activity book that includes some creative ways to think outside of the box when writing. A fun option to address the summer mantra, “I’m bored”!

Some Writer: The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Oct. 2016). Melissa Sweet wrote and illustrated this biography about E. B. White’s early love of writing and how he became the author of the classic stories, Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. This book will be released in October. Come see the advanced reader’s copy in the Butler Center, today!