October 2010: Discuss Our "Autumn/Halloween" Club Reads HERE

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Hooray! Here are the books we'll be reading come October for our Autumn and Halloween Theme:

Pumpkin Soup

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf

Fletcher and the Falling Leaves

Scary, Scary Halloween

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

Alternate Title:
Boris and Bella

Best wishes in securing copies of these and I'm looking forward to joining you in a discussion now that it's October :-)

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Abigail wrote: "Excellent list, Kathryn! I'm excited to read (or reread) some of these selections! :)"

Thanks to all of you for nominating and voting for such great books! Being the seasonal/holiday picture book nut that I am, I have already read all of the official selections ;-p But, I am eager to read them all again. And, I have not read "Boris and Bella" yet and just ordered a copy used since my library doesn't have it. It looks really good so I'm taking a chance! :-)

[Wilhelmina]

A fun list! A great bunch of books for October.

[Brenda]

Thanks for posting the list. I put my name on the hold list for them so I should be able to join in on the discussions.

[Lisa]

It's going to be yet another fun month. I'm off to try to reserve books. I've read only 2 of the 6, and I'm not sure I wrote a review for one of the two...

[Lisa]

It's going to be yet another fun month. I'm off to try to reserve books. I've read only 2 of the 6, and I'm not sure I wrote a review for one of the two...

ETA: Mission accomplished. I will read or reread all except Fletcher and the Falling Leaves which I adore and remember well.

Thanks, Kathryn, and all.

[Tasha]

I'm going to see what my library carried today. Nice list of books!

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Brenda wrote: "Thanks for posting the list. I put my name on the hold list for them so I should be able to join in on the discussions."

Yay!

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Tasha wrote: "I'm going to see what my library carried today. Nice list of books!"

I hope you are able to get all of them :-)

[Tasha]

I got most of them, I think my daughter will enjoy these reads :)

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

I think this is the first time that my library has actually had all of the books available (including the optional one). I've requested them (better to do it before the Canadian Thanksgiving/Halloween rush) and will be picking up my first few tomorrow or on Friday.

[Lisa]

Gundula, I'm glad! (I've been lucky all along so far; it's frustrating to be unable to find books.)

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Gundula wrote: "I think this is the first time that my library has actually had all of the books available (including the optional one)."

Hooray!

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I picked up one already and have ordered the rest - yay for a good ILL!

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

I was surprised that all were available this month, I even ordered some that are not on the official list, I just hope that doe not cause me to procrastinate (but, procrastination is my name).

[Crystal]

Exciting and fun month...again!

[Ronyell]

That's great Kathryn!! I'll have to get started!!

[Clodagh]

Hello, I have just come across this site and would love to join into the discussion. I am sure there is place where I am to introduce myself but I am excited about the idea of a bookclub for picturebooks.... Thanks!

[Lisa]

Clodagh wrote: "Hello, I have just come across this site and would love to join into the discussion. I am sure there is place where I am to introduce myself but I am excited about the idea of a bookclub for pictu..."

Clodagh,

It's completely optional, but feel free to introduce yourself in this group thread:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Yes, the picture book club has been fun.

You can also go through the previous months' discussions and add to the discussions there if you would like to do that. Or, you can start with our October books.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Welcome, Clodagh! So glad to have you join us :-)

[Crystal]

Nice to meet you! Clodagh.

[Brenda]

Hi Clodagh look forward to having you join in on the discussions and Welcome!

[Ronyell]

Hello Clodagh!! Welcome to the group!!

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Happy October! I'm excited to begin our discussion :-) As I mentioned previously, I've already read all of the selections except "Boris and Bella" but I've got them on hold at the library again so I can reread with the group. And, Boris and Bella are making their way through the good ol' USPS as we speak. Feel welcome to start off with the discussion if you've already had a chance to secure and read the selections, though!

[Lisa]

I've read Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf and Fletcher... and The Little Old Lady... (although I have that from the library and I'll reread it because it's been awhile and I didn't write a reveiw) so I have 3 still to read. I have B & B and SSH out of the library and I should be able to read them this weekend. Pumpkin Soup I am waiting for and I think it will be ready for pick up by early next week.

I'm looking forward to the discussion. I might wait to join in until sometime next week when I've read all 6 books and I (hopefully) will have a bit more spare time.

[Amy]

I got Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf and Pumpkin Soup from the library yesterday. We own Scary, Scary Halloween and The Little Old Lady book. So we've read them all but one.

One thing I was surprised is that I think last year "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid...." book sort of scared ds!

[Amy]

We read Pumpkin Soup. It held ds's rapt attention. I must say I was surprised about the ending. I thought it would end up with them getting their old jobs back.

Next we read Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf. It did NOT hold his attention. Afterwards, he said, "Now let's read a FUN book." So we read Froggy's Halloween.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Kirei wrote: "Next we read Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf. It did NOT hold his attention. Afterwards, he said, "Now let's read a FUN book." So we read Froggy's Halloween. "

Haha! :-) Well, good for you for reading another FUN book! I agree that "Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf" is a bit disappointing. I like the concept and the art work was nice, but the "story" was very flat. Even for more of a non-fiction it seemed bland.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I opine that Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, would be more fun as a project. If my sons were still little, we'd be collecting leaves and making the bird treat and visiting the nursery.

Pumpkin Soup was surprisingly intense and rich, I thought. I loved it. Did you notice the cuss-word symbols in one picture? Did your little one fret about the duck being missing for so long? Did anyone make the soup?

[Amy]

No, we are not making the soup because ds is very picky! (Although I agree it would be a neat project.) DH did make pumpking stew a few nights ago and ds wouldn't eat it. I ended up giving him some pizza. ((((SIGH)))) DH wasn't in for dinner, or ds would have grudgingly eaten it because dh is stricter than I am!!!!

The first time I read "Pumpkin Soup" about two years ago I thought it was very frenetic. I like it better now and don't find it that way anymore now that I am used to it. I guess it was just a shock to my system, lol.


Last night we read "Scary Scary Halloween." Some thoughts about this: When we first got it, ds was younger and I thought it was actually quite a scary book!
The devil is pretty creepy! I was also a little disappointed that there weren't borders. But I guess Jan Brett felt this book didn't need elaborate borders.

Then we read "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything." I asked ds if he thought she was afraid at the beginning and he said yes because on several pages she does look rather scared!

[Brenda]

I wasn't able to read Pumpkin Soup, unfortunately it wasn't available but I did read the alternate. I’m going to talk about my favorites first. “Fletcher and the Falling Leaves” and “Boris and Bella” Fletcher and the Falling Leaves is apparently one in a series of three books. I absolutely adored the gorgeous pastel illustrations. They really complimented the authors writing and made me feel the season. The final illustration was the all time best! I am defiantly going to check out Fletcher and the Snowflake Christmas and Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms next.
I thought Boris and Bella had some of the best classic movie monsters featured in it and is a wonderful tribute to horror movie masters Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff . The illustrations are really reminiscent of the Addams Family or even something from a Tim Burton film. I loved the idea that opposites can attract.
My three least favorites were "Red Leaf Yellow Leaf" I thought this book was going to be more about the changing of seasons especially after the inside front cover. My son and I saw it more about the author writing about her maple tree, its parts and how it was planted. My son’s favorite illustrations were the ones that included the Black capped Chickadees, Squirrels and Downey Woodpecker eating suet from the tree. Which he liked a whole lot more than the other illustrations.
“Scary, Scary Halloween” I loved the first page of this story with two green eyes peering out and the opening lines. It really captured the mood of Halloween for me. The next pages of text and illustrations highlighting the creepy creatures we might see at Halloween were disappointing to my son. He wanted a lot more with those green eyes but he just loved the ending.
”The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything” I thought it would work well as an acting out story of clomping, wiggling, shaking, clapping and nodding with one BOO at the end. I had a nice rhyme quality for early readers who can easily pick up on the repetitive pieces and join in. It just wasn’t as much about Halloween as I expected.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Oooh! Great comments already. Thank you! Thank you! I am waiting until I get the books in from the library to comment more extensively as it's been a year or two since I read most of these and I want things fresh in my mind ;-)

With regard to "Scary, Scary Halloween" though, I do remember being very surprised that Jan Brett was the illustrator. It just wasn't her normal style--especially with the absence of borders, as you said, Kirei. But, I still enjoyed them, as I recall.

And, no, I did not make the pumpkin soup recipe from the book but I would love to try a pumpkin soup recipe this season :->

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Our stores don't have pumpkins in yet (!!) so I'm wondering about whether I'll make the soup. I've heard that you shouldn't cook jack-o'-lantern pumpkins - does anybody care to refute that?

[Amy]

The pumpkin we use for eating in Japan is actually some sort of squash. It is green on the outside and orange on the inside. It is typically called "pumpkin" here because Japanese supermarkets don't normally carry the American style orange ornamental pumpkins.

Pumpkin (the squash) is a VERY common dish in Japan and is fixed in several ways.

[Lisa]

I love kabocha squash!!!

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I'll have to look for it, tx for the heads-up!

[Amy]

Oh, is that the name of it? LOL In Japanese, it is called "kabocha" but when Japanese refer to it in English it is called, "pumpkin." I didn't know the true name of it in English!

Getting offfffff topic, I was reading "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series and it keeps talking about eating pumpkin. Pumpkin must be a staple food of Botswana (where the series takes place.)

[Wilhelmina]

Scary, Scary Halloween was a favorite for my grandson and me when he was younger. One thing that I liked very much about this book is that it takes the fears that children might have about Halloween and transfers them to the cats. The child who is reading the book can see that the frightening creatures are just children in costume, but the cats can't. I think that Halloween can be a lot more frightening to some children than they want to admit, and this gives them a chance to be the ones who understand that it's just make-believe.

This book is also a lot of fun to read out loud, in a scary voice, without it being too scary.

[Lisa]

Okay, just a few thoughts:

I'm waiting for Pumpkin Soup, a book I'm very eager to read. But I don't want to wait to participate here until I get and read it (I usually wait until I've read all the books), but a couple of months I've had all the books read by the 1st. According to the library record, "my" copy is due on 10/25, so I don't think I'll get this book until late in the month.

I read Fletcher and the Falling Leaves a while back and just loved it. I adored the illustrations, loved the character of Fletcher, loved the messages about friendship and adapting to and accepting change.

I just reread The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything. I liked it even though there were no kids in sight this time. A truly great read aloud, great for fearful kids, a clever ending, fun illustrations. (In my experience, very ill children, especially those about 5 years to 7 years old, love this one!)

For the group I read Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf and was much more wowed by the pictures than the "story" and I liked the non-fiction parts much better than the fiction story part. I think this is better for kids who have access to sugar maple trees.

I also read Scary, Scary Halloween for the group, which I really liked. A bit scary, which I should have expected given the title, but fine for all but the most fearful children as there are enough fun aspects. My very favorite part of the book, though, was the illustrations that appear identically inside the front/back covers.

I also read Boris and Bella for the group, and I loved it, and that was an unexpected pleasant surprise because I wasn't expecting to like it that much and wouldn't have read it if it hadn't been selected for this club. Hilarious! Sweet. Clever. Great illustrations. A winner for me!

And, yes, I've always called it kabocha squash and at the Japanese vegan restaurant I go to they call it kabocha squash on the menu. It's delicious, but I also like pumpkins and all the winter squashes.

[Amy]

The "Fletcher" book looks really good. I want it!

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Thank you Lisa for directing my attention to Jan Brett's endpapers - she did get to do something a bit more like her usual elaborate style there. They're adorable - I want a fabric like that for seasonal curtains or something.

[Lisa]

Cheryl wrote: "TI want a fabric like that for seasonal curtains or something. "

That would be fun!! Or a tablecloth!

[Crystal]

I just read Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf and I was hoping for more. When I first saw the cover and the first couple pages I thought the artwork was great; the leaf cutout and the pretty fall colors. After a few pages I began to lose interest in the artwork. I did like seeing the sugar maple leaf candy. I have only seen those twice at Christmas time sent from a relative from Massachussets. My favorite part wasn't a part of the story. It was how to make a bird treat, found on the back dust cover flap. I plan on making this with my daughter, mom, and dad at their house which has an abundance of trees and many birdhouses. I appreciate what the author was doing, teaching about planting trees through their personal experience.

[Brenda]

My son and I re-read Fletcher and the Falling Leaves and this time around we picked up on a strong theme of letting something go so that it can become something else. It kinda reminded me of being a parent and wanting to hold onto our children like Fletcher was grasping that little leaf. By the end he determined that his tree had changed into this beautiful thing. My son also thought that "Fletcher should not get so stressed out over the tree, it's not a catastrophe." In Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf there is a picture of the truck with the maple leaf on it and a sticker that says I love trees. His comment was that they don't really love the trees cause they cut them down and transplanted them. He felt that they should be left alone to grow.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Brenda, that is so beautifully said! And what an astute and thoughtful son you have :-) I am so eager for "Fletcher" to arrive for me at the library. I LOVED it when I read it a year or so ago.

Crystal, that is so neat you're making the bird treat! That sounds like a great project to do with your daughter and parents. You will have to let us know about all the birds that come to enjoy it :-)

[Crystal]

Brenda, that was profound of your son to say!

Kathryn, I definitely will be back to post after making bird treats. I think we will make a few this weekend.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Did any of you read Boris and Bella with a child? I don't like monster stories, and I don't like knowing the whole point of the story from the cover, but I was still able to appreciate this book on a certain level. Do little children like it? Do they see the end coming?

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Have any of you noticed that fables and stories often give conflicting advice, sometimes even within the same book? Boris and Bella shows the value of compromise (she vows to tidy up a bit, he vows to be less uptight, iirc) but also supports the notion of being true to oneself. How do you help children sort out conflicts like that?

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

"His comment was that they don't really love the trees cause they cut them down and transplanted them. He felt that they should be left alone to grow."

I hope you clarified for him that being uprooted isn't the same as being cut down - and besides, in a wild forest, only so many trees can reach the canopy and grow to full maturity, whereas in a yard this tree will have plenty of sunlight and care and will grow big and strong. Pretty sharp kid - imo he deserves, and is ready to, learn about the complexities and 'gray areas' of real-life.

[Brenda]

Cheryl wrote: " I hope you clarified for him that being uprooted isn't the same as being cut down"

I did have that discussion with him Cheryl. I just find it interesting the things that children pick out in a story. I completely overlooked the sticker. Maybe I see them when I am driving, but it registered for him.

ETA: I think he is pretty sharp too!