MotherReader

Here's another entry in the series of songs as poetry, "Daylight" by Matt & Kim. I took some liberties here cutting out the repeating lines, but I think it works. For the real stuff, visit our Poetry Friday host, Sheri Doyle.

We cut the legs off of our pants
Threw our shoes into the ocean
Sit back and wave through the daylight
Slip and slide on subway grates
These shoes are poor mans ice skates
Fall through like change in the daylight
I miss yellow lines in my roads
Some color on monochrome
Maybe I'll paint them in myself
These sidewalks liquid then stone
Building walls and an old pay phone
It rings like all through the daylight

Up Cat
by Hazel Hutchins, art by Fanny
Annick Press 2012
Here's a cute book for cat fans framing "up" in cat terms like, "Leap up." and "Up to no good." Featuring charming illustrations of one busy kitty, all your favorite feline traits are here: climbing in too-small boxes, licking front paws, and puffing up all fluffy. With colorful pages and a storyline of a day in the life of a kitty, it's one sweet board book.

Hamsters Holding Hands
by Kass Reich
Ocra Books 2012
The title alone has an awwww factor. In this counting book, hamsters frolic through a somewhat random collection of number concepts that seem to have little relation to each other than the rhymes. "Three hamsters with a pear. Four hamsters in the air." But it works, as the randomness gives it an appealing silliness. The cartoon hamsters are darling in all their activities.

My Bunny
illustrated by Jessie Ford
Abrams Appleseed 2012
With a clever concept, this is not just a board book, but also an introduction to puzzles. Each page features a statement about a bunny and the illustration has a puzzle piece that can be removed and placed back on the page. Taking out the four pieces and putting them together reveals the cover image. A fun idea for little readers, as long as those puzzle pieces get safely back in the book.

The 2012 Cybils Awards are announced today and I'll happily share the winner from my category of picture books right here, right now. Head to the Cybils page for the rest of the worthy winners!

A Home for Bird
By Philip C. Stead
Roaring Brook Press

A Home for Bird is a character-driven story about a frog named Vernon who sets off on a perilous journey to help his silent friend find home and happiness. Vernon is a loyal protagonist with whom preschoolers will easily relate. The book offers an engaging read-aloud experience, with ample opportunity for audience participation, and a narrative with both subtle humor and charm. Stead's vibrant and fluid illustrations are a perfect match to the story, and will have young listeners clamoring for parents, teachers, and/or librarians to "read it again!"

Better late than never with the prizes for the Comment Challenge. I used the random number generator to pick winners from the select group who had made one hundred comment or over and a participant prize from everyone who signed out to complete the challenge. From the first group, our winner is Beth from Library Chicken. Winning our participant prize is Madigan from Madigan Reads. Our surprise batch of books will be heading their way, as soon as Lee Wind and I coordinate such minor details like addresses. (Ladies, feel free to contact me at MotherReader AT gmail DOT com with your address.)

Thanks to all who participated. I hope that it helped you feel more comfortable with commenting and that you found some new blogging friends along the way. I know I did!

Today features another installment of music lyrics as poetry from TeenReader's hipster song collection. Enjoy this little break from Mumford and Sons and then head over to our Poetry Friday host, A Teaching Life for the round-up.

Weep for yourself, my man,
You'll never be what is in your heart
Weep Little Lion Man,
You're not as brave as you were at the start
Rate yourself and rake yourself,
Take all the courage you have left
Wasted on fixing all the problems
That you made in your own head