Just One More Book!!

A Podcast about the children\’s books we love and why we love them - recorded in our favourite coffee shop.

Mettle, Mitvah & Remembrance: The Diary of Laura’s Twin

Saturday, November 1, 2008.
 
icon for podpress  Mettle, Mitvah & Remembrance: The Diary of Laura's Twin [9:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Diary of Laura's Twin (A Holocaust Remembrance Book for Young Readers)Author: Kathy Kacer (on JOMB)
Published: 2008 Second Story Press (on JOMB)
ISBN: 1897187394

Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Musings and melodrama of a modern twelve year old, careful chronicling of a young prisoner of the Warsaw Ghetto and dozens of potent photographs stitch together the present and the past in this engaging and educational look at bullying, bigotry and backbone.

Other books mentioned:

HOTLINE VOICES: Thank you to a former education instructor at University of Victoria for sharing her high opinion of Shimmerdogs (by Dianne Linden).

We’d love to hear your thoughts on a favourite children’s book. Leave us a voice message on our JOMB listener hotline, +1-206-350-6487.


November 2-9th, 2008 is the 28th Annual Holocaust Education Week. Coordinated by the Holocaust Centre of Toronto, UJA Federation, the event will offer more than 100 timely and thought-provoking educational and cultural programs, including a series of compelling, first-hand testimonies from survivors. For more information, click here.



Soundalike Silliness: Dear Deer

Wednesday, October 15, 2008.
 
icon for podpress  Soundalike Silliness: Dear Deer [7:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 Dear Deer: A Book of HomophonesAuthor: Gene Barretta
Illustrator: Gene Barretta
Published: 2007 Henry Holt and Co. (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0805081046

Chapters.ca Amazon

Fabulously friendly, humorous illustrations and silly tongue twisting text aside, who would have guessed that a book highlighting use, meanings and spellings of identically sounding words could be so fascinating to a seven year old reader? We didn’t, but it is.

Other books mentioned:

HOTLINE VOICES: PJ Rooks tells us about The Day they Parachuted Cats Into Borneo: A Drama of Ecology (play by Charlotte Pomerantz scenery by Jose Aruego) which is, sadly, out of print.

Of Flash and Forgiveness: The Worst Best Friend

Wednesday, October 8, 2008.
 
icon for podpress  Of Flash and Forgiveness: The Worst Best Friend [8:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Worst Best FriendAuthor: Alexis O’Neill (on JOMB)
Illustrator: Laura Huliska-Beith (on JOMB)
Published: 2008 Scholastic (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0545010233

Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Sunny school-yard action, frisky text and heaps of humorous details propel us through bliss, boastfulness, betrayal and back again in this spirited tale of friendship lost and found.

Other books mentioned:

HOTLINE VOICES: An unidentified JOMB listener/author/illustrator recommends Kiss Good Night (by Amy Hest) and Dig Dig Digging (by Margaret Mayo and Alex Ayliffe).

We’d love to hear your thoughts on a favourite children’s book. Leave us a voice message on our JOMB listener hotline, +1-206-350-6487.

To those of you celebrating Yom Kippur, G’mar Chatimah Tovah.

No Holts Barred: Do Unto Otters (A Book About Manners)

Wednesday, September 24, 2008.
 
icon for podpress  No Holts Barred: Do Unto Otters (A Book About Manners) [7:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Do Unto Otters (A Book About Manners)Author: Laurie Keller (on JOMB)
Illustrator: Laurie Keller
Published: 2007 Henry Holt and Co. (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0805079963

Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Cluttered with comedy, melodrama and earthy, Looney-Toonesque artwork, this brilliant guide to social success is as hilarious as it is helpful.

(…er…actually….maybe more hilarious than helpful, as we now hear our girls screaming at each other “DO UNTO OTTERS, REMEMBER, DO UNTO OTTERS!!!!!”)

Other books mentioned:

HOTLINE VOICES: Michelle Mitchell from Scribbit: Motherhood in Alaska shares her thoughts about The Little Golden Book Anthologies.

Structure, Strengths, Strategies and Stretching: Clementine’s Letter

Friday, July 18, 2008.
 
icon for podpress  Structure, Strengths, Strategies and Stretching: Clementine's Letter [7:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Clementine's LetterAuthor: Sara Pennypacker
Illustrator: Marla Frazee (on JOMB)
Published: 2008 Hyperion (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0786838841

Chapters.ca Amazon.com

In the voice of a creative and easily distracted third grader and brimming with insight and humour, this clever and thoroughly entertaining novel is as touching as it is funny as it is educational.

Other books mentioned:

If you have an interest in ADD, ADHD, dyslexia and other learning differences — or in the fascinating field of learning — check out Whitney Hoffman’s LD Podcast.

Crackerjack Crankiness: I’m Not Cute!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008.
 
icon for podpress  Crackerjack Crankiness: I'm Not Cute!Crackerjack Crankiness: I'm Not Cute! [5:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I'm Not Cute!Author: Johnathan Allen (on JOMB)
Illustrator: Johnathan Allen
Published: 2005 Hyperion (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0786837209

Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Caustic scowls and harried helplessness take turns on the face of an overtired owlet in this hilariously endearing tale of naptime nastiness and unconditional love.

Other books mentioned:

Contagious Creativity: Willow

Friday, June 20, 2008.
 
icon for podpress  Contagious Creativity: Willow [8:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

WillowAuthors: Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan
Illustrator: Cyd Moore (on JOMB)
Published: 2008 Sleeping Bear Press (on JOMB)
ISBN: 1585363421

Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Seething stringency and constant condemnation prove no match for good-natured self worth in this uplifting story of creativity, individuality and respect. Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks!

Other books mentioned:

More creativity on JOMB:

More independent thinkers on JOMB:

Loss, Laughs and Loony-Proof Love: My Dad’s A Birdman

Wednesday, June 18, 2008.
 
icon for podpress  Loss, Laughs and Loony-Proof Love: My Dad's A Birdman [6:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

My Dad's A BirdmanAuthor: David Almond (on JOMB)
Illustrator: Polly Dunbar (on JOMB)
Published: 2007 Candlewick Press (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0763636673

Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Airy illustrations, playful, British dialogue and sprightly dipping, gliding narrative give flight to a zany father-daughter adventure that dances delicately between tenderness, tomfoolery, hope and despair landing lightly in the comfort of allied abandon.

You can read the first three chapters of this book here.

More dreams of flying on JOMB:

Looking For Me: Ruby the Copycat

Friday, June 13, 2008.
 
icon for podpress  Standard Podcast [4:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Ruby The CopycatAuthor: Peggy Rathmann
Illustrator: Peggy Rathmann
Published: 1991 Scholastic (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0590474235

Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Spare, natural dialogue, carefully chosen details and keenly expressive illustrations keep us alternately giggling and cringing at the delicate shifts of sentiment from uncertainty and admiration through flattery, imitation, loss of self and then frustration in this celebration of selfhood found.

Other books mentioned:

Truth, Tyranny and Teamwork: The Mysterious Benedict Society

Wednesday, June 11, 2008.
 
icon for podpress  Truth, Tyranny and Teamwork: The Mysterious Benedict Society [5:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Mysterious Benedict SocietyAuthor: Trenton Lee Stewart
Illustrator: Carson Ellis
Published: 2006 Little, Brown and Co. (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0316003956

Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Creativity, dexterity, integrity and retentivity are raised to the rank of super-power as four stray eleven year olds battle mind-numbing media, personal misgivings and the elaborate scheming of a mind-sweeping megalomaniac in this puzzle-filled, cleverly hilarious page-turner.

You can watch a great little documentary about Carson Ellis’s album art fame here.

Scribes, Shadows and Freedom of Speech: The Story of the Search for the Story

Wednesday, June 4, 2008.
 
icon for podpress  Scribes, Shadows and Freedom of Speech: The Story of the Search for the Story [7:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Story of the Search for the StoryAuthor: Bjorn Sortland
Illustrator: Lars Elling
Published: 1995 CarolRhoda (on JOMB)
ISBN: 1575053756

Chapters.ca Amazon.com

A swirling stew of settings, characters and literary greats drift between puzzling nested plots and enticing factual references to make this dramatically illustrated, dreamlike adventure an intriguing exploration of literature, censorship and the importance of storytelling and independent thought.

Other books mentioned:

Pleasantly Perplexing: Happy as a Tapir

Wednesday, May 21, 2008.
 
icon for podpress  Pleasantly Perplexing: Happy as a Tapir [7:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Happy As A TapirAuthor: Terry Carbone
Illustrator: Keith DuQuette
Published: 1992 Viking Juvenile (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0670842273

Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Rich, imaginative illustrations and generous, poetic text present an endearing fantasy that leaves us pondering issues of identity, purpose, contentment, control and choice.

Other books mentioned:

You can peek inside this book, here.