Big Box o' Books Giveaway Winner!

So sorry for the super-late post, everybody!

You may have noticed that the Rafflecopter thing wasn't working, so I had to count up entries myself and use a random number generator to sort out who won, and that person is...

The People Watcher!!!

Congratulations to The People Watcher! Email us your shipping address to reviewmetwice [at] gmail [dot] com and I will ship you a box full to bursting with new-to-you books!

Also, congratulations to Cassy, who had a beautiful, lovely, amazing wedding! Since you guys, dear readers, are the bookish sorts (I would presume), I'll give you a photo I took of one of her centerpieces because I thought they were amazing, and you're likely to agree:

(The little cat is not part of the scenery, that's
for another blog of mine. Multitasking, here.)

Review Me Twice - The Dark by Lemony Snicket

This book was absolutely adorable.  I love that the Dark had a persona.  I love that Laszlo is afraid of the dark, but not so much that he's not willing to have it out with the dark.

By making the Dark a character, Snicket shows kids that there's nothing to be afraid of.  The Dark isn't scary or mean and there's nothing to be afraid of.  He just wants to help you out.  Snicket approaches the book in such a way that it helps kids stop being afraid of the dark, but not by shaming them.  He's telling them that being afraid is fine, normal, but showing them that maybe they don't have to be if they don't want to.

It's also beautifully illustrated.  Klassen does wonderful work on this book, like he does with all of his books.

I love Lemony Snicket. I love clever picture books. I love children's horror. I love the illustration style Jon Klassen brings to the table here. And I love the main character of this book, Laszlo, because he's a brave little boy who is going to do what he has to do whether he likes it or not. This is one of those picture books you should read to your kids because you'll enjoy it as much as they do (and it's one that I didn't feel weird about checking out of the library despite everyone knowing I don't have kids to read it to).

Children's Horror

Now, that's a genre you don't hear a lot about: children's horror. Especially when we're talking about younger children. Youth horror typically consists of a funny picture book about a monster learning to tie his shoes or a mysterious "thump" in the night that turns out to be a puppy. But here are some good examples of books that really try to make "children's horror" a respectable genre.

Neil Gaiman really respects his younger readers. He doesn't pull punches just because the audience for a certain book is going to be read by kids. In fact, The Graveyard Book is a huge hit among adults and teens as well. It's just a really well-written book that is readable by kids who are starting to move into chapter books. And the first line is, "There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." You just know that's gonna be good.

I wasn't allowed to read Goosebumps as a kid, but a lot of my friends did, and they said they were really scary. I've picked up a few at library sales and yard sales here and there over the years, and they were right; they are pretty scary. And there's so many of them in the series, there's something to scare everyone (clowns, dolls, ghosts, werewolves, zombies, mummies...)

Roald Dahl, I think, is not given enough credit for being terrifying. He had a way of describing things that made them scary enough that you didn't want to keep reading, but fascinating enough that you had to. Personally, I think The Witches was the best example, but the Vermicious Knids from Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator were so compelling, I would pull that book off the shelf and flip straight to their scenes for an adrenaline rush.

I've never read The Tailypo but I have it on good authority (Goodreads reviews, anyway) that it's the kind of picture book that scares you and then sticks with you. (That's how Slenderman is for me. Crops up when you least expect - and least want - it to.)

When the Tripods Came is one that stuck with me. I read it to take one of those Accelerated Reader tests, and then I wound up reading the series because it was fascinating. (I didn't know at age 11 that it was like War of the Worlds with a few key changes.) I'm pretty sure it was my first invasion book, and I'm also pretty sure I had vivid abduction dreams for a few weeks after I finished it.

What books scared you as a kid? Do you still think they're scary?

Favorite Picture Book

We've reviewed quite a number of picture books on this blog, but we've never gotten around to telling you about our favorites.

Fancy Nancy is a character that I have just recently come in contact with.  When I work in the Children's department at my job, she's on display a lot and she distracts me with her covers that are covered in glitter.

Nancy is a great character because she learns without being dictated to or preached at by adults.  She comes to conclusions on her own.  And she is WILDLY independant.  Sure she dresses up all girly and flashes, but you know why?  Because she WANTS to, because it's what she likes, not because anyone has told her that that's what girls do.

In Fancy Nancy and the Wedding of the Century, Nancy goes to her uncle's wedding.  She dreams about this big fancy, traditional wedding.  When she wakes up, she realizes it's a quiet, intimate, non-traditional wedding.  Nancy comes to learn (all on her own) that that's ok too!  The wedding is just as much fun as she thought it would be.

I mentioned this book last summer when I gave you guys a list of my favorite children's books. So I won't go into too much detail. But Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert is so pretty. It has a distinct collage style of illustration. There are beautiful colors, because we're discussing a tree as it deals with seasonal changes. And the story - though it isn't really a narrative - is very simple, which I like when paired with such an aesthetically pleasing book. It's for the younger division of picture book readers, but I enjoyed it for years past the "appropriate" age group.

Reading to Kids

Here at Review Me Twice, we are obviously all about the reading.  The more the better.  However, today I'm going to focus specifically on kids and why it's so important to read to them.

Kids aren't born with an intuitive knowledge of language

Kids don't know how to talk when they're born.  They learn from observing everyone around them.  Likewise, they don't know how to read either.  By reading with your kids every night, from the time they're born, teaches them things like how to read from left to right and top to bottom.  It teaches them the differences between pictures and words.  Eventually, it teaches them how to read and recognize the words.

It makes kids smarter.

If you read books with your kid, it's only natural that they're going to learn things sooner and faster than normal.  They'll learn to do things like read, to recognize objects, speech patters, colors, shapes and, really, whatever else you read to them about.

Improves their concentration.

Kids fidget.  They like to move and run and be active, which is great, and they should be, but sometimes, they need to be still.  Story time teaches them to concentrate on what's in front of them.  They learn to be still and quiet and pay attention when it's important.  It also helps them recognize when it's ok to be fun and fidgety and when you need to be quiet and pay attention.

Creates a stronger bond between you and your kids.

Having a time every day designated to read to your kids improves your relationship with them.  It gives them a time that just parent/child, without distractions or interruptions.  It allows them to talk to you, for you to listen, and for you to develop a bond with them that will help when they're 13 and want nothing to do with you.

And don't forget to enter Alex's Box of Books Giveaway!!!

Illustrator Bio: Jon Klassen

We're reading The Dark by Lemoney Snickett this week, but since we've already done an author bio on him, I figured this week, we would take a look at the illustrator of the book, Jon Klassen.

Klassen has actually done a number of books that you would recognize, probably the most notable being This is Not My Hat (which, if you haven't read, you should because it's a cute, short, adorable, funny book.)  I Want My Hat Back is also another book that made a big splash, though it's often criticized that it's inappropriate for children.  (The bear eats the rabbit off screen at the end.)

Klassen grew up in Canada, going to school at Sheridan College.  In 2006, he moved to LA, where he currently still resides.  He did animation work on both Kung Fu Panda and Coraline.  You can follow his blog or his tumblr.

Another Wedding, Another Giveaway!

Yes, friends and readers: It's time to give away a box of my books for Cassy's wedding, just like how Cassy gave away a box of her books for my wedding! (Remember?)

Just like with Cassy' big box o' books, I've pulled a little over a dozen books off my shelf. Some of them have been on this blog, some have not. (And to be entirely honest, a couple of them actually belonged to my husband. But hey... diversity in reading materials.)

Rules time:

- You can enter once per method per day. The methods are: follow @ReviewMeTwice, like us on Facebook, or comment on this post!

- You have to live in the contiguous United States. No offense to non-contiguous-US residents, but shipping a box full of books is already kind of expensive.

- The winner will be announced Monday, June 10 (I wanted to say it'll be on Sunday, June 9, but I have a wedding to be at that day...)

- The winner must provide us with a valid mailing address (again: within the contiguous United States) by emailing it to reviewmetwice@gmail.com within one week of being announced. If they don't, I'll get the next winner. If that winner doesn't provide an address within a week of that announcement, I'll donate the books to the library (which is super easy, since I work there).

- You aren't choosing books here; I have a box with books in it already, and you get them all. If you don't like them, you can do whatever you want with them: craft with them, prop up furniture with them, sell them, donate them, read them anyway, whatever.

- I'll be shipping them via USPS, with no signature required. The winner will get a delivery confirmation number sent to the same email address used to send us the mailing address.

The giveaway is already open, and closes at 11:59pm next Sunday, June 9. So start entering!!!

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