Blog Post
The Blue Whale
by manz
“Once upon a time, a child took a book from a shelf and started to read.”
I was so happy to come across this beautiful and educational picture book! The Blue Whale is written and illustrated by ">Jenni Desmond and presents facts and info about the majestic blue whale. A young boy becomes immersed in the book as he learns about the animal. With words and images it’s written in a way that’s simple enough for children to understand and appreciate. If you have a kid that’s into facts, numbers, animals, or just pretty picture books, check it out! Even as an adult reader, I sure learned a lot about these amazing creatures.
For more books from Enchanted Lion Books be sure to check out the list to find some of the most unique, quirky and beautiful picture books around.
Blog Post
Congratulations to all of the WINNERS at the 10th Annual LEGO Contest! 2015 is the summer of LEGO Awesome!
by erin
Summer 2015 has been the summer of LEGO in all of its interlocking awesomeness and the highlight of EVERY summer, the annual LEGO contest, has come and gone and now it’s time to celebrate! This year we had 200 entries in 6 age categories:
Preschool, Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12 and Adults!
We gave out 24 LEGO trophies, 72 medals and over $500 in gift cards to the winners! As always the house was packed and about 600 people attended to vote of their favorites, see all the projects and experience the Award Ceremony!
Congratulations to the winners in our 10th Annual LEGO Contest!
Preschool Category:
1st Place = Hotel by Emmet Forbes
Runner-Up = Outer Space by Nate Kubiak
Honorable Mention = Tootie Ta Train Tower by Clara Balazer
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (voted on by attendees of the contest) = Hotel by Emmet Forbes
Best Motorized = Its’s a Camp by Eleanor Coffman
Best Architectural/Engineering = Rainbow Pyramid by Sam Mickey
Coolest Robot = Rock Mech Robot by Gabriel Nazario
Best Vehicle = Drone Galaxy Cruiser by Jackson Erickson
Most Creative = Indian Street Food by Amit V.
Most Sophisticated = Knights of Fires all Fighting All Day by Liam Anderson
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Lava, Frank the Dog, Alligator, Ninjago Volcano by Isaac Semrau
Best Use of the #10/Visual/Conceptual = Waterfall by Theo Tsai
Grades K - 2:
1st Place = Edmund Fitzgerald & Andersen by Alexander Burrow
Runner-Up = SS Collage by Dominic Nazario
Honorable Mention = M City by Emma Khan
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (voted on by attendees of the contest) = Farmer’s Market by Ivy & Ethan Miller
Best Motorized = Top in 10 Years by Mave Coffman
Best Architectural/Engineering = Gems & Marble Run by Desmond Beckerleg
Coolest Robot = The Best Workers by Lincoln Bolazer
Best Vehicle = Spy Tracker by Connor Geoghegan
Most Creative = Banana Boat by Sorin Bleed
Most Sophisticated = Spy Central by Evan Lowrie-Miuccio
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Pacmania by Ruby Brabbs
Best Use of the #10/Visual/Conceptual = I Spy 10 by Will and Sean Beaupre
Best RV = Every kind of person animal Tubobus by Micah Jule Rijke-Epstein
Best Planes, Trains and Tower Cranes = Busy Day at the Harbor by Jacob Rice
Grades 3-5 Category:
1st Place = iPhone Characters Come to Life by Ennis Poskovic
Runner-Up = Castle Under Attack by Nathan Gillick
Honorable Mention = Under the Water by Avalon McNew
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (voted on by attendees of the contest) = Brenda Khuu
Best Motorized = Baja by Jeffrey Wang
Best Architectural/Engineering = Top Notch Security Robot Lab by Joe Bonenberger
Coolest Robot = B-29 Robot Dog by Beck Nordstrom
Best Vehicle = Ann Arbor Airport 2110 by Kevin Hudson
Most Creative = Dog Walker by Noah Forbes
Most Sophisticated = LEGO Jewelry Part 2 by Hiba Khan
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Frank the Pub by Gabriel Senrau
Best Use of the #10/Visual/Conceptual = Tenth Anniversary of Ten by Caitlin Trievel
Wettest Infrastructure Fail = Ann Arbor After it Rains by Brendan Khuu
Best Municipal Amenity = Skate Park by Levi Berg
Fastest Spaceship = New Horizons by Alexa Daniels
Toxoplasmosis Award = 3 Kittens by Daniel Lee
Grades 6-8:
1st Place = LEGO Bridge by Deniz Kirza
Runner-Up = 21 Balloons by Ethan Mascato
Honorable Mention = PLAY by Elliot and Milo Varnum
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (voted on by attendees of the contest) = LEGO Bridge by Deniz Kirza
Best Motorized = LEGO Car Wash by Brian Khuu
Best Architectural/Engineering = City of the Future by Bach Nguyen
Coolest Robot = The Robot that Shoots Bot by Aakarsh Verma
Best Vehicle = Main St. USA
Most Creative = Pizza Horse’s Food Temple by Connor & Charlie Wilcox
Most Sophisticated = Good vs Evil by Katrina Walbridge
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Snoopy & Woodstock by Nishant Domala
Best Use of the #10/Visual/Conceptual = LEGO Chopped by Conor Pyle
Most Relaxing = Bernice’s 24 Hour Spa by Jennifer Shim
Bits to Bricks by Sam Fleming
Grades 9-12 Category:
1st Place = My Ride, Our Ride, The Ride by Casimir Mankowski
Runner-Up = A Day On Set by Hamza Khan
Honorable Mention = Winter Treehouse by Saskia & Tara Van Nieuwstadt
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (voted on by attendees of the contest) = My Ride, Our Ride, The Ride by Casimir Mankowski
Most Sophisticated = Desolation by Isaac Ferguson
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Art in the Park by Ethan Jansen
Adult Category:
1st Place = Spinning the Cube by David Lorch
Runner-Up = Elves vs. Orcs by Gabriele, Matter and Valentina Carcassi
Honorable Mention = Save the Monarchs by Nieka Appell
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (voted on by attendees of the contest) = Elves vs. Orcs by Gabriele, Matter and Valentina Carcassi
Best Architectural/Engineering = I’m not saying it was aliens, but… by Denise Kratz
Best Vehicle = 201 Fiat Aburt by John Huber
Most Creative = LEGO Foosball by Michael Bleed
Most Sophisticated =
AADL LEGO Master Builder = Viking Ship by Paul Bierdz
Best Use of the #10/Visual/Conceptual = Port-a-John by John Bayles
Master Minecrafter = Skeleton From Minecraft by Milo Hofer
Blog Post
A Tiny Walrus and his Giant Adventure!
by evelyn
So, I have been going on and on to everyone about artist Lisa Hanawalt (read my glowing post about her adult book My Dirty Dumb Eyes!), but until this point, I thought her work would only ever be for adults. No more! Enter her great collaboration with author and filmmaker Arthur Bradford!
Benny’s Brigade is a beautiful, strange, and funny picture book produced by creative publisher McSweeney's. The book tells the tale of two sisters who find a miniature walrus named Benny hiding in a walnut shell. Benny acknowledges that he is very small, but points out that there is nothing wrong with being a small walrus. Benny goes on a variety of adventures with the two girls and his new friends, including a trio of adventurous slugs. The oversized pages in Benny’s Brigade showcase Hanawalt’s amazing drawings in lovely color and detail. Packed with imagination and adventure, this is a sweet tale of friendship that warrants multiple readings.
Blog Post
Bird is the Word!
by manz
Hello everybody, and how do you do?! This week Ms. Amanda told bird stories at preschool storytime! Tweet tweet!
We heard the story of A Funny Little Bird who is great at camouflage. We heard the story of Home Tweet Home, where two little birds left the nest and flew off to live somewhere else…. Like on top of a tortoise! And we listened to I Heard Said the Bird, where there is a new one born and the silly farm animals are trying to figure out which animal has a new baby.
We hung out with a parrot, an ostrich, an owl, a turkey, and a penguin, and it was a fun time!
Here’s a handy list of all the stories we’ve read together this summer at preschool storytime, and here are more bird books if you’re looking for more wing-flapping fun.
Blog Post
The Grudge Keeper
by evelyn
It can be difficult to find youth books about being kind that aren’t didactic or patronizing (I’m looking at you, Berenstain Bears!). Luckily, the new and beautiful book The Grudge Keeper escapes these problems and offers a lovely tale of a town learning to be kind.
Written by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by Eliza Wheeler, The Grudge Keeper follows a man who is responsible for holding on to all of the grudges that his fellow citizens experience. After a terrible storm, the grudges fly everywhere and the townspeople must learn how to live without them. The illustrations in this book are fantastically old-fashioned and weird; they remind me of the art in The Triplets of Belleville. And the vocabulary is equally delightful, with words like “tiffs, squabbles, umbrage, and imbroglios.” This book is a winner for kids and adults alike.
Blog Post
Americanine: A Haute Dog in New York
by manz
Enchanted Lion Books never ceases to enchant with its delighful picture books. Americanine is hilarious!
In Americanine a dog comes back from New York City with all sorts of stories to tell his doggy friends. They tell him he’s changed. He says “Yup, I’ve become total Americanine." Throughout the book the red, white and blue clad pup gives the scoop about how chic and hilarious New York is. He visits many familiar sites including the Statue of Liberty, Coney Island, Grand Central Station, Broadway, Central Park, The Guggenheim, and bridges, the subway, and even restaurants that give out doggy bags! It is one wild adventure for this dog and his friends are just pawing at him for more stories. With funny doggy banter and colorful illustrations, this one‘s a winner.
For more New York City themed picture books, check these out.
Blog Post
Comics are Magic!
by hanxanth
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (often abbreviated FiM) has taken the world by storm since it started on TV in 2010. If you're a fan of FiM, then you'll want to check up on all your pony friends in the My Little Pony comics! Keep up with Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle as they have even more adventures in the magical land of Equestria.
Check out our newest issues, volume 6 and volume 7. In volume 6, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity are headed to Manehatten to watch The Great and Powerful Trixie's magic show. But when Trixie is accused of stealing a diamond, it's up to the Ponyville Ponies, with the help of Babs Seed, to figure out if Trixie is being framed. Meanwhile, Angel, Winona, Tank, Owlicious, Opal, and Gummy are trying save Ponyville while Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and the rest of the town's ponies have fallen under the hypnotic song of a kelpie! And finally, Discord decides to take Fluttershy and the Cutie Mark Crusaders on a trip through time (which is, of course, full of Doctor Who references) and show them some exotic animals, including the mysterious butterdragon.
In volume 7, the Mane Six are headed to Canter Creek to investigate the disappearance of Applejack's great granduncle Chili Pepper. Turns out a group of bull outlaws, the Cattle Rustlers, have been terrorizing the town and are trying to get Chili Pepper's ranch! The ponies have to come up with a plan to get rid of the bulls, all while Twilight refuses to use her magic against them. Then, leave the west behind and head back to Ponyville, where the Everfree Forest is taking over! Looks like there are more bull problems as Twilight and her friends clash with another bull who is trying to clear out the forest and build a theme park. Unfortunately, King Aspen, leader of the deer in the Everfree Forest, doesn't think the ponies can help and has decided to expand the forest right into Ponyville and Canterlot! Princess Twilight will have to stop the bull, protect Ponyville, and help the deer and ponies become friends again, before the forest takes over everything!
Whichever pony you prefer, be sure to read the rest of the library's My Little Pony comics.
Blog Post
Crazy Creatures and Bizarre Beasties
by evelyn
Why settle for regular boring old animals when you can discover CRAZY and AMAZING facts about the biggest weirdos in the animal kingdom!? We have so many new books about strange creatures that are just trying to do their best in this wild world.
The Dictionary of Ordinary Extraordinary Animals takes the animals you thought you knew and teaches you knew and strange facts about all of them. The colorful pictures in this book pair with detailed descriptions to provide a solid introduction to over three hundred animals!
The Curious Critters series by David FitzSimmons is a fantastic group of books that boasts gorgeous close-up photographs of a whole host of animals. Each page is accompanied by a poem, song, or monologue written from the animal’s perspective. Although I like the text, it’s really the photography that sets these titles apart from other animal books.
If you just want to skip right to weird facts, take a look at When Lunch Fights Back: Wickedly Clever Animal Defenses. This book is packed with facts about the tactics prey animals use to defend themselves. My favorite fact? The Horned Lizard shoots blood out of its eyes to scare off predators!
For even more books about crazy animals, check out these recommendations!
Blog Post
I Smell a Good Book Series
by manz
Looking for a fun and pretty way to explore the world around you? I See…, I Hear…, and I Smell… are books in the same picture book series by PatrickGeorge. With bold, colorful illustrations and simple text the books are a great way to get little ones thinking about the world around them by exploring through their senses. There are even some funny finds.
For more fun with senses, check out these other titles as well.
Blog Post
The Story of Lewis the Downtown Cat
by manz
Lewis the Downtown Cat is a picture book written by Beth Johnson and tells the story of Lewis – the “famous” cat that resided at Downtown Home & Garden in Ann Arbor and was a recognizable and familiar site at the store until he passed away at the end of 2014. It’s a cute little book and kids will get a kick out of seeing a glimpse into how Lewis spent his days at the store and surrounding areas – chasing chipmunks, sleeping, popping into Mark’s Carts and snooping around the Fleetwood Diner. The book rhymes and is written from the POV of Lewis!
For more of Lewis' story you can read about his death here, and read about Downtown Home & Garden’s new cat, Wallace, here!