Day 6. My Rhinoceros

Book 17

I want to meet Jon Agee and the notion is solely based on his books. He writes some of the most imaginative, unhinged, perfectly-tuned-to-children stories and this is a perfect example. A boy picks up a rhinoceros from his local exotic pet store. The rhinoceros doesn't really do anything and the boy starts to feel disappointed in his decision. A pet trainer asks how good the rhino is at popping balloons and poking holes in kites. The story takes a turn. And the reader is left with a sense of wonder. Very excellent stuff indeed.

Hear Jon Agee describe the story himself here:

Day 5. The Lonely Phone Booth

Book 13

I read this and thought… wait… there really aren't any phone booths around any more, are there?!

And then I realized that record stores, arcades, comic book shops, and a whole heck of a lot of other things are on rapid decline as well.

Regardless, it was a great way to handle the topic of things going away and entering into nostalgia.

Day 4. The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters

Book 11

Oh my! This book is going to get destroyed!

Is it wrong that that's the first thought that comes to my mind when I read this book? It's such a great story about a postman delivering mail to our favorite nursery rhyme characters. But it has take-out-and-read features including letters, advertisements, and invitations that I have to assume are only in place because the book has not yet been read. And yet, I simply cannot wait to show this to a child because I am positive that he or she will revel in the wonder of pulling the first letter from the envelope.

Day 3. Who's on First?

Book 9

I remember my dad playing a recording of this comedy sketch from Abbott & Costello on a cassette tape he recorded from the radio. I didn't quite get in then, though my it would always make my dad laugh to relive the punchlines as he was trying to explain it to me. Now that I'm older I appreciate it a lot more. And having a fully illustrated adaptation makes it a lot more accessible for young people.

There's no way I'll be able to read this to my kids without showing them the original comedy heroes performing this timeless sketch.

Day 2. Previously

Book 7

Begin at the conclusion of your favorite fairy tales and nursery rhymes and then work your way backwards. What results is some unexpected story crossovers and a sound commanding of the word previously. Much like rewinding a day, this original take on a fractured fairy tale is a really enjoyable read aloud and one that I look forward to sharing with our students.

Day 1. It's Time to Sleep, It's Time to Dream

Book 1

Welcome to the 2014 Shelf Challenge! I'll spend the next 30 days posting stand-out titles from our collection, specifically from our Everybody A books. Others from all across the world are joining together for this celebration of literature and libraries during School Library Month. You can read more about the Shelf Challenge HERE or see a map of our 2014 participants HERE. In addition, many of us will be sharing our shelf treasures (and gasps) via Pinterest.

My first read of the challenge comes from widely-published author David A. Adler, but it's Kay Chorao's illustrations that caught my attention in this bedtime lullaby.

I love the way her color illustrations mirror the shadow images of the parents tucking the child to bed. Chorao does this over several pages and the effect is that of a child finding peace and rest through the year, each image capturing a passing season. It made the book quite memorable, which is always a nice quality to have from the first book of a reading challenge.

- Matthew

PS: Moments after sharing this post on Twitter, author pal Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen tweeted this:

@MatthewWinner Ummm, those parents look like they're making a baby
— Sudipta B-Q (@SudiptaBQ) April 2, 2014

And now my brain won't let me un-see that image.  Oh, the joys of the Shelf Challenge!

About the 2014 Shelf Challenge.

Welcome to the 2014 Shelf Challenge, an opportunity to explore what's really on your bookshelves and hopefully come out with a couple of treasures along the way.

Joining up is easy! Just follow these steps:

• Select a section of your library collection to read throughout the month of April. 
• Make it manageable and appealing. (I'm planning to read the all of the "A" books in our everybody section, which will include Tedd Arnold and a ton of soon-to-be-discovered favorites. I'm in a brand new school, so I want to start where the collection starts this year.)
• Try to read every book in that section over the course of the month. 
• For everybody books, read them cover to cover. For fiction, read the dust jackets or back cover descriptions. For Nonfiction/Informational, choose a section of Dewey and go nuts.
• Share selected gems (and cringes) through a favorite social media outlet, such as Shelfari, GoodReads, or through your blog or Twitter feed (use #shelfchallenge to connect with others). This year we've even got a Pinterest page to which you can contribute!
• Complete this Google Doc so that I can keep track of our participants and cheer you on throughout School Library Month!

Happy Reading!

- Matthew