scholarly journals Oh, How Sylvester Can Pester! And Other Poems More or Less About Manners by R. Kinerk

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Polkinghorne
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Public Services ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
The University

Kinerk, Robert. Oh, How Sylvester Can Pester! And Other Poems More or Less About Manners. Illus. Drazen Kozjan. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011. Print. “You be nice to me; I’ll be nice to you. / That agreement might work. It may get us quite far. / (And it could be what manners, in truth, really are.)” (1). Books filled with poems about manners must be relatively rare. If so, then a book filled with twenty rollicking, frank, vivaciously-illustrated poems about manners must be nearly unheard of. However, this is what Robert Kinerk and Drazen Kozjan have given us in Oh, How Sylvester Can Pester! Readers of all ages will enjoy Kinerk’s direct, extravagant rhymes. His approach is comprehensive: he provides poems on entry-level etiquette such as cleaning one’s room, saying “please” and “thank you,” and keeping one’s clothes on in public, while also exploring more complex courtesies, such as shaking hands with adults, being on time, and keeping quiet at the movies. Kozjan’s illustrations are rich in both colour and detail. His style has been widely described as “retro,” likely because his work shares a particular rosy-cheeked exuberance with the work of iconic predecessors such as Mary Blair. Kozjan’s is a style in which an entire story is contained within a few strands of hair or a precisely-arched eyebrow. Despite its rolling rhythms and cheeky illustrations, what is most winning about Oh, How Sylvester Can Pester! is its sophisticated approach to its topic. It even contains a poem about the fact that it’s bad manners to lecture others about their manners. “Manners aren’t lists of things you should do. / Manners help folks become easy with you,” Kinerk writes (12). It’s this deft touch that makes this book memorable and admirable. Oh, How Sylvester Can Pester! will be appreciated by primary-school readers (and their adults). The poems are best read out loud, but the illustrations should not be neglected. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Sarah Polkinghorne Sarah is a Public Services Librarian at the University of Alberta. She enjoys all sorts of books.

scholarly journals Not Your Typical Dragon by D. Bar-el

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Aitken
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Normal Reading ◽  
Colour Palette ◽  
The University ◽  
Reading Distance ◽  
Selection Of

Bar-el, Dan.  Not Your Typical Dragon. Illus. Tim Bowers. New York: Viking-Penguin Young Readers Group, 2013. Without didacticism, this picture book explores the plight of those who are not “typical;” along the way, it highlights the value of peacemaking.  Crispin Blaze, the child of a long, proud line of dragons who breathe fire, breathes everything but.  Band-Aids, bubbles and teddy bears are amongst his pacifying emissions.  Finding acceptance in a world of knights and dragons becomes his challenge.Not intended as “beginning-to-read” material, the text is still admirably written for oral presentation by either a proficient reader or a storyteller.  Phrasing and structure promote the build up of suspense.  Sentences are generally short and crisp, allowing, as appropriate, for the dramatic pause.  The vocabulary is well chosen, varied, and unpretentious.  The storyline should prove both amusing and satisfying to kindergarten and primary school children.Tim Bower’s illustrations add to the humour of the tale.  They are large and clearly delineated—a good accompaniment to the text when seen at normal reading distance. Bower’s colour palette, however, is sometimes delicate.  Viewed from the distance at which a story hour audience might see them, some images seem to meld.  Others are perfectly fine for group viewing: good choices would be Crispin’s exhalations of both birthday streamers and teddy bears.All in all, this book provokes spontaneous laughter and subtle reflection.  Parents, teachers and librarians will find many occasions on which to present it.Highly recommended: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Leslie AitkenLeslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship involved selection of children’s literature for school, public, special, and university collections.  She is a former Curriculum Librarian at the University of Alberta.

Rrralph by L. Ehlert

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Frail
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Tree Bark ◽  
Large Format ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Word Play ◽  
Story Time ◽  
The University ◽  
At Home

Ehlert, Lois. Rrralph. New York: Beach Lane Books, 2011. Print. “Would you like to meet a talking dog?” According to the author’s note, this book was based on jokes that her brother told his grandchildren. The humour translates well into the story as the narrator uses a series of onomatopoeic word-play to explain how Ralph the dog “talks”.  For example, when asked where he is, Ralph answers that he is on the “Roof” of the dog house. When asked what is on a tree, he replies “Bark, Bark, Bark”. The story even includes a somewhat scary encounter between Ralph and a “Wolf! Wolf!” This book will definitely be a story-time favourite for younger children. The large format and brightly coloured pages make it ideal for displaying to groups. The super-size font alternates on each page between black and white, creating high contrasts. The illustrations were created from: “zippers, wood, buttons, twine, metal, tree bark, screws, hand-painted and home-made papers, and textile fragments”. This creates layers of interesting textures and gives the book a “home-spun” appeal. It would also provide an interesting opportunity for educators or parents to talk about making art from found or recycled objects, or the benefits of recycling in general.  The highlight of the illustrations is Ralph’s multi-coloured textile collar and metal-heart shaped dog tag, which will remind readers of real beloved family pets. His zipper smile is pretty endearing as well. Other books by Lois Ehlert include: “Lots of Spots”, “Boo to You!” and “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom”. According to the publisher Rrralph is recommended for ages 2-6. Highly recommended: four out of four starsReviewer: Kim FrailKim is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta. Children’s literature is a big part of her world at work and at home. She also enjoys gardening, renovating and keeping up with her two-year old.

Ballerina Rosie by S. Ferguson

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Trish Chatterley
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Hard Work ◽  
Free Time ◽  
Dance Teacher ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Young Girls ◽  
The University ◽  
Age Range

Ferguson, Sarah. Ballerina Rosie. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012. Print. The Duchess of York recounts the tale of Rosie Red Curls, a little girl who loves to dance and dreams of becoming a prima ballerina. When her mother takes her to her first ballet lesson, Rosie struggles with the steps and is the least graceful girl in class. Rosie becomes discouraged until one Saturday, she wakes to find a gift of red ballet slippers by her bed. She’s now able to dance beautifully. She thinks it is because of her shoes until her dance teacher tells her that she was always talented, she just needed to practice and build confidence. At some point, most little girls dream of becoming a famous ballerina and will be drawn to the book. Unfortunately, the story is uninspiring and a bit corny. The stated intended age range is 4 through 8 but the book is much too short and simplistic for most 7 and 8 year olds, though it may still appeal to younger girls. The moral about hard work paying off would likely not come through clearly for young girls. While the illustrations by Diane Goode are colourful and fun, they depict young girls en pointe performing steps that are much too advanced for their age. They are, however, typical ballet poses which is perhaps why they were used. Aspiring ballerinas would be better off reading tales of actual ballets, as Rosie does before bed, and viewing more realistic photographs of dancers. Not recommended: 1 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Trish ChatterleyTrish is a Public Services Librarian for the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library at the University of Alberta. In her free time she enjoys dancing, gardening, and reading books of all types.

scholarly journals How Do Dinosaurs Say I’M MAD? by J. Yolen

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Feisst
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Young Adult Fiction ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Award Winning ◽  
The University ◽  
Jane Yolen

Yolen, Jane.  How Do Dinosaurs Say I’M MAD? Illus. Mark Teague. New York: Scholastic-The Blue Sky Press, 2013. Print.This book about misbehaving dinosaurs is one of the most recent from the How Do Dinosaurs… series (of over 20 titles) power-duo of Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. Multiple award winning author Yolen and illustrator Teague have created a how-to manual of sorts to help the littlest people, as well as adults, learn to control our tempers.The dinosaurs in this story, who will be very familiar to fans of this series, are feeling angry due to many reasons; the Barapasaurus is upset about something he cannot have (his sister’s tricycle); the Afrovenator has been asked to sit still but he is having none of that; and the Lystosaurus does not want to go for a nap. They react with tantrums and terrible dino behavior that many young readers may see reflected in themselves: banging of toys, stomping, throwing things, and pouting.The bad behaviours are then tempered with calming techniques; counting to 10, breathing calmly, cleaning up, saying sorry and giving hugs.  Of course the outcome is not always so easily achieved with real children!  Mark Teague’s illustrations are very expressive, so much so that my 5-year-old was upset by the menacing and angry looks that the parents directed towards their dinosaur children in most of the images.  Luckily of course by the end of the book both parent and child have resolved the issues. While the familiarity of the characters in this book may be a draw for some readers, it can also create a sense of formulaic repetition for adults.   Recommended for public and school libraries.Recommended: 3 stars of out 4 Reviewer: Debbie FeisstDebbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta.  When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.

Whatever After: Fairest of All by S. Mlynowski

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Trish Chatterley
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Fairy Tale ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Free Time ◽  
Female Character ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Know How ◽  
Snow White ◽  
The University

Mlynowski, Sarah. Whatever After: Fairest of All. New York: Scholastic Press, 2012. Print Ten-year-old Abby has just moved to Smithville with her parents and younger brother Jonah, and life just isn’t the same. One night, the two siblings knock on the creepy mirror in the basement and are instantly sucked into a fairytale land. They need to get home, but don’t know how to get there. They find themselves at the cottage where Snow White is living with the Seven Dwarfs, just as the evil stepmother in disguise is offering up a red apple to eat. They intervene and save Snow White from being poisoned! Initially they are pleased about this, but soon realize that they have interfered with Snow’s future and she won’t meet her Prince Charming. They decide to stay with Snow until they can set things right and ensure she lives happily ever after, enjoying many adventures along the way. This is the first story in a new series of modern fairy tale retellings (the second book will recount what happens to Cinderella when Abby shows up!). It’s an amusing and easy read with lots of action. Abby and Jonah have a pretty typical relationship, with a bossy older sister ordering around her rambunctious younger brother, and so they behave as you would expect. Abby is practical, but funny, and will always accomplish what she sets out to do. She therefore presents a strong female character with whom young girls can connect. The tale ends in such a way that the reader can be sure of more humorous exploits to come.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Trish ChatterleyTrish is a Public Services Librarian for the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library at the University of Alberta. In her free time she enjoys dancing, gardening, and reading books of all types.

scholarly journals I Love You, Nose! I Love You, Toes! by L. Davick

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Feisst
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Young Children ◽  
New York Times ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Young Adult Fiction ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Series Books ◽  
Words And Images ◽  
The University

Davick, Linda. I Love You, Nose! I Love You, Toes! New York: Simon & Schuster-Beach Lane Books, 2013. Print.Graphic artist, illustrator and animator Linda Davick, whose colourful images have appeared in several seasonal counting series books such as the New York Times bestselling 10 Trick-or-Treaters, has penned her first book for children aimed at celebrating the unique qualities we all have. Starting from our head right down to our toes, the simply drawn children, with fun disproportionately-scaled features and descriptions to portray many kids, show off their various body parts. The book is essentially a whimsical love poem to our bodies that children will find entertaining, both in the prose and the illustrations.  Take this stanza as an example:I love you, nose, though there’s no doubt that when you sneeze some stuff comes out.The images are great, too: a little girl covering her nose to the smell of her baby sibling’s diaper, a child thinking about smelling pepper (spoiler alert: she sneezes), a stinky sock and fragrant flowers; young children will enjoy the interplay of words and images, especially about body parts and functions that are generally not discussed:I love the parts my friends don’t see: the parts that poop, the parts that pee.Ending with a sleepy boy drifting off to sleep, this would be a fun book to read with young children at night as part of a bedtime routine or even as part of an early-years story time, though the latter would certainly create a memorable experience for the students! Highly recommended: 4 stars of out 4 Reviewer: Debbie FeisstDebbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta.  When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.

scholarly journals I Like Vegetables: A Touch-and-Feel Board Book by L. Siminovich

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Frail
Keyword(s):  
Cross Section ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
The Other ◽  
Learning Method ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Dinner Table ◽  
Wood Grain ◽  
The University

Siminovich, Lorena. I Like Vegetables: A Touch-and-Feel Board Book. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2011. Print.“I Like Vegetables” is a dream come true for any nutritionally conscience parent, children’s librarian or teacher. The brightly hued collage illustrations are intriguingly textured with patterns and “touch & feel” inlays. Silky peas and rough-skinned carrots invite young readers to learn about vegetables. The layout is quite clever as it leverages contrast and comparison as a learning method. On one side of the page vegetables are depicted as they would appear growing in the garden while on the other side they are in the home being prepared for the dinner table. In addition, the nature side of the page illustrates the concept of opposites. For example, there are “tall” and “short” cornstalks. Orange carrot roots are “below” the ground, while the feathery green tops are “above”. The indoor side of the page features close-ups of vegetables against a wood-grain background that evokes a cutting board. Here children get a different perspective on the harvested veggies. We see shelled peas, open cornhusks and a cross-section of a pumpkin. The concluding series of images features an “empty” gardener’s basket next to a basket “full” of colourful vegetables on a blue and white gingham picnic tablecloth inlay.  This is primarily a picture book with only the names of the vegetables and the two opposing concepts appearing on each page. The typeset is Helvetica and is large and easy to read.  It is a sturdy board book and the inlays could not be easily ripped out or damaged. It is therefore a welcome addition to any toddler’s library. Other titles in the “I Like” series by Siminovich include: “I Like Toys “, “I Like Bugs” and “I Like Fruit”. “I Like Vegetables” is sure to engage children from ages 1-3. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Kim FrailKim is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta. Children’s literature is a big part of her world at work and at home. She also enjoys gardening, renovating and keeping up with her two-year old. 

scholarly journals The Best Birthday Party Ever by J. LaRue Huget

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Feisst
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Young Adult Fiction ◽  
Elementary Grades ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Birthday Party ◽  
Layer Cake ◽  
The University

Huget, Jennifer LaRue. The Best Birthday Party Ever. Illus. LeUyen Pham. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011. Print. “My birthday is 5 months, 3 weeks, 2 days, and 8 hours away.  Today I started to plan my party.” And so the planning begins for the 5-year-old soon-to-be birthday girl in this charming picture book.  She has to start planning early if she wants the best birthday party ever.  She is going to invite all 57 of her friends including the mailman and the invitations will be sprinkled with fairy dust.  She will have 9 thousand balloons, streamers and napkins: all in pink.  On the menu is a 17-layer cake, each layer a different flavour, with 6 zillion candles on top.  Not only will there be: a magician, camel rides and a Ferris wheel, but each lucky guest will receive a hamster as a party favour. In a kid-friendly countdown style towards the big day, our sweet party planner gets more and more excited as her birthday approaches and the plans get more and more grandiose.  Only after her mother comments that this birthday party is “getting out of hand” does she agree to skip the sparkly necklaces.  The day finally arrives and while it may not be the party she dreamed of, she is appreciative and enjoys her day so much that she immediately begins plans for her next birthday. This beautifully illustrated read-aloud captures the excitement of a child as she looks forward to her special day and will appeal to lower elementary grades as well as preschoolers.  The whimsical mostly-pink drawings may be initially off-putting to boys but they are certain to relate and enjoy the story. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Debbie FeisstDebbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta.  When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction. 

New Methods for C-N Ring Construction

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglass Taber
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Gold Complex ◽  
Cascade Process ◽  
State University ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Cornell University ◽  
University Of New Mexico ◽  
Memory Of Chirality ◽  
Cu Catalyst ◽  
The University

Chaozhong Li of the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry demonstrated (Organic Lett. 2008, 10, 4037) facile and selective Cu-catalyzed β-lactam formation, converting 1 to 2. Paul Helquist of the University of Notre Dame devised (Organic Lett. 2008, 10, 3903) an effective catalyst for intramolecular alkyne hydroamination, converting 3 into the imine 4. Six-membered ring construction worked well also. Jon T. Njardarson of Cornell University found (Organic Lett. 2008, 10, 5023) a Cu catalyst for the rearrangement of alkenyl aziridines such as 5 to the pyrroline 6. Philippe Karoyan of the UPMC, Paris developed (J. Org. Chem. 2008, 73, 6706) an interesting chiral auxiliary directed cascade process, converting the simple precursor 7 into the complex pyrrolidine 9. Sherry R. Chemler of the State University of New York, Buffalo devised (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 17638) a chiral Cu catalyst for the cyclization of 10, to give 12 with substantial enantiocontrol. Wei Wang of the University of New Mexico demonstrated (Chem. Commun. 2008, 5636) the organocatalyzed condensation of 13 and 14 to give 16 with high enantio- and diastereocontrol. Two complementary routes to azepines/azepinones have appeared. F. Dean Toste of the University of California, Berkeley showed (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 9244) that a gold complex catalyzed the condensation of 17 and 18 to give 19. Frederick G. West of the University of Alberta found (Organic Lett. 2008, 10, 3985) that lactams such as 20 could be ring-expanded by the addition of the propiolate anion 21. Takeo Kawabata of Kyoto University extended (Organic Lett . 2008, 10, 3883) “memory of chirality” studies to the cyclization of 23, demonstrating that 24 was formed in high ee. Paul V. Murphy of University College Dublin took advantage (Organic Lett . 2008, 10, 3777) of the well-known intramolecular addition of azides to alkenes, showing that the intermediate could be intercepted with nucleophiles such as thiophenol, to give the cyclized product 26 with high diastereocontrol.

Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? by B. Sayers

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Feisst
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Young Adult Fiction ◽  
Construction Site ◽  
Good Night ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Heavy Equipment ◽  
The University ◽  
First Time

Sayres, Brianna K. Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? Illus. Christian Slade.  New York: Random House, 2012. Print.If the title Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? seems a tad familiar, well, it probably is.  In the same vein as the ultra-popular Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site, Diggers presents the sweet nighttime rituals of diggers, trucks and other heavy machinery.  At first I thought this was a simple effort to take advantage of a similar, bestselling title however Sayres’ work does indeed hold its own.In this picture book aimed at ages 3-6, first time picture book author Sayres gives young heavy equipment aficionados a delightful take on the bedtime story.  In rhyming couplets and often in a humorous manner, all sorts of trucks, cranes and tractors get ready for rest under the watchful headlamps of their caregivers: “Where do garbage trucks sleep / when they’re done collecting trash? / Do their dads sniff their load and say, / ‘Pee-yew—time to take a bath’?”  Sure to get the young ones giggling.The sleepy-eyed dozers and tow trucks eventually give way to an equally sleepy young boy in his cozy bed, with a reminder that the trucks will be waiting for him when he wakes.  Save for one naughty truck, winking, under the bed (my five-year-old happily pointed this out).Though the illustrations by former Disney animator Christian Slade are rather cartoon-like and not realistic, they match the text well, are in soothing nighttime colours and allow for the trucks to have droopy eyes and smiling faces. Read in a lyrical fashion, or even as a song, this would be a nice end to any wee truck lover’s day.  This would make a nice addition to any public library or as a gift.Reviewer: Debbie Feisst Recommended: 3 stars out of 4Debbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta.  When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.

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