Annie Oakley Weekend

For the July 23-25 Annie Oakley Weekend, DK Biography: Annie Oakley: A Photographic Story of a Life by Chick Willis is an excellent choice. With the addition of photographs and sidebars, this book shows much about the history of the era. It begins with Annie’s impoverished childhood in Ohio and continues through her life. Her story is that of a tiny girl – barely five feet tall as an adult – who overcomes incredible obstacles to become a star in her time. She developed her shooting skills through the necessity of putting food on her family’s table in her youth, and she rose to stardom at a time when women couldn’t even vote. Annie advice still holds true today, “Aim at a high mark and you’ll hit it. No, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally, you’ll hit the bull’s eye of success.”  The publisher recommends this book for kids ages 10 and up.

Noun Day

I guess it’s never too early to start learning about the parts of speech, so why not start with nouns on Noun Day. A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink by Brian P. Cleary (no relation to Beverly Cleary) is a fun picture book of nonsense rhyme that teaches about nouns. Sometimes rhymes and songs can help us remember things like multiplication tables and how to spell encyclopedia. Kids will love the fast paced book and cute drawings by Jenya Prosmitsky. The book starts with the author’s definition of a noun: a person, place, or thing. The next page starts to give examples: “Hill is a noun. Mill is a noun, even Uncle Phil is a noun…” and so forth. It’s a fun book, and everyone will learn something. It’s also part of a series on parts of speech, like Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely: What is an Adverb? and Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What is an Adjective?

Cow Appreciation Day

One kid lit choice for Cow Appreciation Day is a picture book called The Cow Said Neigh! By Rory Feek. The cow and her friends on the farm see other animals and wish they were like the other animals. Confusion reigns on the farm as cow says neigh, the dog says meow, and all the animals get new voices. Even the farmer’s voice changes into a moo! Written in rhyme, this book is fun and funny. Bruno Robert’s brightly illustrated animals add to the enjoyment. Young children will love hearing the new animal sounds, and the book lends itself to discussions about wishing to be like others.