There's A Dragon About: A Winter's Revel
Written with Richard Schotter
Illust. by R.W. Alley.
Grades K-3.
With lively rhymes & illustrations, a book about a spirited group of children who act out their version of the ancient folk play St. George and the Dragon and go “reveling” house-to-house. A glimpse of the pre-TV era when entertainment was homemade. Can be read as a story and/or acted out simply, with tips included.
“A spirited picture book based loosely on a medieval mummer’s play . . .[full of] charm.” School Library Journal
``Hold, friends, hold!/We are very cold./Inside and outside,/we are very cold./Something to warm us,/if we may./For that, kind folks,/we'll give you a play.'' So starts this marvelous adaptation of the revel known as the Oxfordshire St. George play. The play is a simple one about the subduing of a dragon. What is so compelling here is the vibrancy brought to the revel. Alley's illustrations throng with activity and color, testaments to the pleasures of mock seriousness. The revel--house-to- house evening entertainments enacted during the winter holidays- -is an institution that never should have faded away. But television and radio, not to mention the dangers of the modern night, stole its thunder. With Arthurian urgency and bright festivity, this book may launch a second wave for those roving nighttime theatricals." Kirkus
"Alley's pen-and-ink drawings with bright watercolors capture the enthusiasm of the players as well as the audience through small touches in the illustrations. In adapting the rhyming text from the Oxfordshire St. George play, the Schotters honor the ancient custom of revels and encourage young readers to perform this revel for their own families and neighbors." Booklist
ABA Pick of the Lists
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Backlist Titles
You can find these tasty out-of-print titles at your local library or via: Abebooks.com, Alibris.com, Bookoutlet.com, Biblio.com, Amazon.com or other internet search sites.
Explore these oldies-but-goodies by clicking on a title below!
The House of Joyful Living
Illust. by Terry Widener.
Farrar, Straus, Giroux. Grades K-5.
2009 Bank Street College of Education "Best Children's Books of the Year"
YOU'RE INVITED TO A ROOF PARTY!
High on the roof of an apartment building is a garden where neighbors come to laugh, to dance, and to share--stories of helping others, breakfasts of challah and herring, and, once a summer, a Roof Party! Surrounded by loving adults, a girl with "cabbage-curly hair," a girl very much modeled on the author, feels that she lives "on top of the world--in paradise." But something is about to change. Mama's belly is growing bigger and bigger! Will the girl lose her rooftop paradise to a new baby sibling?
A semi-autobiographical book about sharing, this warm, spirited story-- with bold art in the style of public murals--is a joyous and heartfelt celebration of life and community. Great for Author Study or unit on Personal Narratives.
Doo-Wop Pop
Illust. by Bryan Collier.
HarperCollins. Grades 2-5.
A picture book about Doo-Wop Pop, who introduces the children of a school to the special joy of the music called Doo-Wop. “Sha-bop. Sha-bop. The fun won’t stop.”
Elijah Earl is used to keeping to himself. He's not the only one-- Alishah hides behind her head scarf, Jacob keeps out of sight, Luis hides behind a book, and Pam Pam is the shyest of them all. But when the school custodian the children call "Doo-Wop Pop" steps in, everything starts to change. Doo-Wop Pop, once an a cappella, rock- and-roll star, teaches the children to listen to the sounds in their world, write them down, and turn them into doo-wop, their OWN poetry and music.
With vibrant collage work from Caldecott-Honor-winning illustrator Bryan Collier, this uplifting tale about overcoming shyness and recognizing the poetry around us-- can't "be-boppa beat!"
"Roni Schotter has amazingly captured the heart and soul of one of our greatest gifts--vocal harmony--on paper. The doo-wop musical genre is a collage of human experience and this book oozes humanity and emotion. I love it! And those illustrations--wow!" -- Cousin Brucie Morrow, Sirius Satellite Radio
Follow this link for a Teacher’s Guide and Activities
When the Wizzy Foot Goes Walking
Illust. by Mike Wohnoutka.
Dutton/Penguin. Grades PreK-2.
“Shhhhh! It’s coming . . . Maybe to your house! Early every morning, the Wizzy Foot goes walking, stalking. On a hunt. For food. For attention! Floors shake, buildings quake. Soon, like it or not, the whole family’s awake. Spend a rollicking day with this Wizzy Foot and you may find that you have a rambunctious Wizzy Foot in your house! What exactly does a Wizzy Foot need? Find out in this spirited story. With bright, exuberant illustrations, this is a book that celebrates the spirit and imagination of young children.
“Schotter’s rollicking rhymes bounce readers right along, leading them from one activity to the next. . . Onomatopoetic words abound, making this perfect for read-alouds or library programs in which children can act out the parts. . . This is a loving tribute to the wild WIZZY FOOT in every child, sure to bring a smile to parents’ lips.” - Kirkus Reviews
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Captain Bob Sets Sail
Illust. by Joe Cepeda.
Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books/S&S
Grades PreK-2.
Companion to Captain Bob Takes Flight
Ahoy, all kids who love--or hate--bathtime. Meet Captain Bob, the bravest and best captain who ever sailed the Soapy Seas. Step into Bath Bay, and enjoy this spirited adventure in which a small boy with a big imagination rules.
An “irresistible bathtime book cum pirate fantasy.” It “will grab readers by the lapels of their bathrobes. Yo ho ho and a bottle of shampoo!”
- Publishers Weekly
"A small boy’s vivid imagination turns routine bath time into grand adventure. This story may actually leave kids begging for baths.” - School Library Journal
"Schotter (Purim Play, 1998) pens a rip-roaring tale of a boy's bath, his hijinks spiritedly displayed in Cepeda's (We Were Tired of Living in a House, 1999) bigger-than-life, full-bleed oil illustrations that make full use of the boy's superb orthodontia while tastefully maintaining his anatomical privacy. Captain Bob sails the soapy seas of Bath Bay and Faucet Falls, along with a host of bath toys. His imaginative powers are up to the rigors of his voyage, even when he's ‘attacked from behind by a ruby-ringed Sea Hand,’ his steady-gripped caretaker, who is herself capable of cleaning up the boy, and, judging by the lavish spillover, the post-bath bathroom. Captain Bob swims, floats, and submits to scrubbing but is never squashed. He controls the taps with shouts and roars until the waters cool and it's time to go. He drains the ocean to crawl out onto the ‘shaggy shore’ of dry land, where he is brushed, dressed for bed, and kissed--just because he's Captain Bob. Sure to enliven tub time. Brace yourselves." - Kirkus
Captain Bob Takes Flight
Illust. by Joe Cepeda.
Anne Schwartz Books/Atheneum/Simon & Schuster. Grades PreK-3.
Companion to Captain Bob Sets Sail
In this delightful fantasy for the youngest child, a little boy who has been told to clean his room imagines that he’s “the finest, fiercest flyer that ever flew the cloud-cluttered skies. When the curly-headed control tower (a.k.a. Mom) issues the order, “Clear the runway!” Captain Bob knows what he must do. With his “sky scarf” tied tightly around his neck and “fog goggles” over his eyes, he climbs confidently into a cardboard box that he’s transformed into a plane. Speeding through curtains that are clouds and picking up toys that are “low-lying objects,” he’s a boy on a mission--to clean his room before lunchtime.
Enjoy the return of Captain Bob—a small boy with a big imagination—in this bright and lively sequel to Captain Bob Sets Sail that’s perfect for reading aloud.
“Bob’s inventive venture to clean his room is charming. Every youngster, whether hopeful pilot or not, will soar right along with Bob on his flight of fantasy. What’s next, Captain Bob?” - Starred Review, Kirkus
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Missing Rabbit
Illust. by Cyd Moore.
Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin. Grades PreK-3
Companion to Room for Rabbit
Rabbit goes everywhere with Kara--to Papa's house, where they eat "oodles of noodles" and play hide-and-seek together, and to Mama's house, where they dance and eat chicken and rice. But one day, when it's time to leave Papa's house for Mama's, Rabbit asks Kara, "Where do I live?" Kara doesn't know the answer . . .
A picture book about what it's like to have two different homes when parents are divorced. Illustrated and told with sensitivity and humor, Missing Rabbit gently reminds all children that parental love is constant and has firm roots in one very special place. A reassuring book--perfect for sharing with a young child.
"For young children dealing with divorce--and their parents--this book is a winner." -- School Library Journal
"A comfort to children who 'go back and forth,' Schotter's thoughtfully conceived story addresses the anxieties of very young children living under joint custody arrangements." -- Publisher's Weekly
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Room for Rabbit
Illust. by Cyd Moore
Clarion/Houghton Mifflin. Grades PreK-3.
The Sequel to Missing Rabbit
Rabbit goes wherever Kara goes—sometimes to Mama’s house, sometimes to Papa’s house. Now Papa is coming to pick up Kara and Rabbit and take them to his house. But this time things are different. Peggy, Papa’s new wife, lives there, too. She makes costumes for people who act in plays, and the house is full of her things.
When Kara and Rabbit try to lie on the couch where she and Papa snuggle to tell each other stories, they can’t—because it’s hidden under mountains of gloves. When they try to sit in the special chair Papa made for them, they can’t—because it’s covered in capes. It’s even hard to find a hiding place for hide-and-seek! How can Kara and Rabbit make sure there’s enough room for them?
The beloved characters from Missing Rabbit are back in a brand-new story that offers comfort to children and stepparents.
“As in Missing Rabbit, Schotter & Moore explore the complicated sadness of divorce within a story that’s as reassuring and snug as a favorite blanket. Schotter’s rhythmic, descriptive words include specifics that show the acceptance and love Kara enjoys . . . A good read-aloud for children struggling with feelings of displacement.” - Booklist
In the Piney Woods
Illust. by Kimberly Bulcken Root.
Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Grades K-5.
Long before Ella was born, her grandpa, “strong and straight and singing,” built a little house at the edge of the piney woods. Once this house was roomy. Now it’s packed tight with Ella, and her family, and Grandpa, old now—his body “bent like the branches of the low pines.” Ella loves the secrets that Grandpa shows her in the woods: how the sticky cones of the dwarf pitch pines stay locked up tight, “waiting,” as Grandpa tells her, for the heat from a fire that will allow them to open and release their seeds. “Everything has its time,” says Grandpa.
This spirited picture book, with evocative watercolors that capture the depth of feeling between Ella and Grandpa, tells a powerful story that is as much a celebration of life as it is an honest, reassuring book about aging and death, as well as a book that can be used to discuss the ecology of forests.
“Schotter brings a gentle hand to the big questions of death and rebirth, while Root’s intimate watercolors convey a joy tempered by grief, and grief healed with family love.” - Publishers Weekly
Captain Snap and the Children of Vinegar Lane
Illust. by Marcia Sewell.
Orchard Books/Scholastic. Grades K-5
Everyone says everyone should stay away from Captain Snap because he's different. But when the children of Vinegar Lane find him ill, they bring blankets and a pot of stew and discover the truth about him--he is an artist. A story about differences, about being an artist, about being brave enough to think for yourself.
- Parent's Choice Children's Book Award
- Best Book of the Year, SLJ
- Notable Trade Book in Language Arts, NCTE
- Pick of the Lists, American Bookseller
- Editor's Choice, Booklist
"An exciting work that should elicit good discussion of its carefully wrought themes." - Starred Review, Booklist
"A tale . . . set apart by both its text, which reads well aloud, and by its illustrations." - Starred Review, SLJ
"A fine story of bravery and discovery with splendid illustrations." - New York Times Book Review
Go to Curriculum Connections
Dreamland
Illust. by Kevin Hawkes.
Orchard Bks/Scholastic. Grades 1-4.
Theo and his Uncle Gurney are two of a kind. When they are supposed to be helping out in the family tailoring business, they are daydreaming--Uncle Gurney cuts crazy-colored shirts while Theo draws imaginary dream machines. When Gurney leaves to go out West and seek his fortune, Theo is heartbroken. But Gurney takes some of Theo's drawings with him and completes a mysterious & wonderful project. A book that emphasizes that great things happen when you combine dreams and imagination with hard work.
- Irma Simonton Black Honor Book
- Washington Irving Children's Choice Award Honor Book.
"A great way to inspire creative thinking." *Starred Review, SLJ
"Ms. Schotter is a tailor's granddaughter; she draws on her own family history for her 15th book for young people, and her engaging phrases sometimes spring from a tailor's world: 'Papa's eyes were the size of winter coat buttons.' Using a rich, evocative palette of oil paints, Kevin Hawkes captures the charm and lyricism of the story. His fanciful line drawings of Theo's dream machines form a striking contrast to the solidity of his other pictures. Theo, with avuncular love and support, sees his dream machines come to life, able to unite and support his family. In Dreamland, dreams triumph." - New York Times Book Review
"Theo's life extends far beyond his family's East Coast tailor shop to the fantastical world of his drawings. From the Spinning Machine to the Hoist and Spring, Theo spends his days thinking of new mechanical contraptions while his practical parents scold him and his loving uncle Gurney offers encouragement. Theo's dream machines leap to life when his uncle moves out West and opens an amusement park. With bus tickets and new drawings in hand, Theo and his parents travel west to join Gurney in the management of Dreamland. Kevin Hawkes's opulent oils complement the engaging text by Roni Schotter, author of 14 books and winner of the Parents' Choice Award for Captain Snap and the Children of Vinegar Lane. Dreamland celebrates the might of imagination and the importance of encouraging children to follow their dreams, whether artistic or otherwise. Dreams do come true in Dreamland."
- Amazon.com
Go to Curriculum Connections
A Fruit and Vegetable Man
Illust. by Jeanette Winter
Grades K-5
Ruby Rubenstein has run his fruit and vegetable store with both pride and art for nearly 50 years. When Ruby gets sick, young Sun Ho and his family, new arrivals to this country, save the day. A book about taking pride in ones' work, inter-generational & multicultural friendship, immigration and neighborhood.
- Winner, Hungry Mind Review Award
- Honor Book, Irma Simonton Black Award
- Honor Book, Washington Irving Children's Choice Award
"This satisfying story about taking pride in one's work and helping others is good for reading aloud and one-on-one sharing." - School Library Journal
"As irresistible as a ripe peach." - Publisher's Weekly
"An appealing, nicely formed story--whether it's the passage of generations, cultural transition, or fruit, ripeness is all." - Kirkus
There's A Dragon About: A Winter's Revel
Written with Richard Schotter, illust. by R.W. Alley. Grades K-3
With lively rhymes & illustrations, a book about a spirited group of children who act out their version of the ancient folk play St. George and the Dragon and go “reveling” house-to-house. A glimpse of the pre-TV era when entertainment was homemade. Can be read as a story and/or acted out simply, with tips included.
- ABA Pick of the Lists
“A spirited picture book based loosely on a medieval mummer’s play . . .[full of] charm.” - School Library Journal
" 'Hold, friends, hold!/We are very cold./Inside and outside,/we are very cold./Something to warm us,/if we may./For that, kind folks,/we'll give you a play.' So starts this marvelous adaptation of the revel known as the Oxfordshire St. George play. The play is a simple one about the subduing of a dragon. What is so compelling here is the vibrancy brought to the revel. Alley's illustrations throng with activity and color, testaments to the pleasures of mock seriousness. The revel--house-to- house evening entertainments enacted during the winter holidays- -is an institution that never should have faded away. But television and radio, not to mention the dangers of the modern night, stole its thunder. With Arthurian urgency and bright festivity, this book may launch a second wave for those roving nighttime theatricals." - Kirkus
"Alley's pen-and-ink drawings with bright watercolors capture the enthusiasm of the players as well as the audience through small touches in the illustrations. In adapting the rhyming text from the Oxfordshire St. George play, the Schotters honor the ancient custom of revels and encourage young readers to perform this revel for their own families and neighbors." - Booklist
That Extraordinary Pig of Paris
Illust. by Dominic Catalano.
Grades 2-5.
Monsieur Cochon is a pig who loves to eat. While life in Paris seems good for M. Cochon, danger lurks near his favorite pastry shop where the butcher turns pigs into sausage! Who will save him? A wild, funny & truly extraordinary story of an amazing rescue. A romp of an adventure as well a great intro to French culture & language.
Rhoda, Straight and True
Novel, Grades 4-6
Life and the rules seem clear-cut for 6th grader Rhoda in the summer of 1953. All the kids in her Brooklyn neighborhood know they should avoid Mr. & Mrs. Rose (they must be Russian spies!) and the Mancy children (they’re poor and different!). But when Rhoda begins to think for herself, she makes surprising discoveries about truth and friendship.
“Strong characterizations matched by careful plotting. Solid Fiction!”ALA Booklist
Cited by Child Study Association
ABA Pick of the Lists
When Crocodiles Clean Up
Illust. by Thor Wickstrom. Grades K-2.
Mother Crocodile tells her children. “You have half an hour to clean up.” Instead of getting to work, the four crocs make a bigger mess--eating, singing, playing pirate, etc. Suddenly they hear their mother coming. What should they do??
"Youngsters old enough to dawdle over clean-up chores will find this book full of laughs.” Publisher's Weekly
Efan the Great
Illust. by Rodney Pate.
Grades 2-5.
“Heartwarming, jubilantly told.” - Publishers Weekly
“Touching and unusually substantial Christmas story set in a poor black neighborhood.” - School Library Journal
Warm at Home
Illust. by Dara Goldman
Grades K-2.
Bunny is stuck at home with the sniffles. “But there’s nothing to do inside!” Then Bunny finds activities that keep him busy for hours! Any child who has been home sick can relate to this cozy, reassuring story!
“Not just warm, but completely cozy . . . from jacket illustration to final scene, a total charmer.” *Starred Review, Publisher's Weekly
A Matter of Time
Lisl Gilbert is sixteen and her life doesn’t make sense. She can’t decide what to do with her future and her present certainly isn’t a bargain. When Lisl learns that her mom is dying of cancer, she must come to terms with the death of a loved one, and find the value in her own life. Maybe dying isn’t the hardest part of life; maybe living is.
- Emmy Award winner. “Outstanding Children’s Entertainment Special” for the ABC AfterSchool Special, “A Matter of Time.”
“A straightforward account, hopeful yet unsparing, of the effect of a parent’s fatal illness on a perceptive and sensitive girl.” - Horn Book
“Lisl is a believable and appealing character. Her sudden propulsion into maturity is convincing . . . the story is moving and, in the end, upbeat.” - Booklist
Northern Fried Chicken
You’ve heard of Southern Fried Chicken? Well, Betsy Bergman of Providence, Rhode Island is a Northern Fried Chicken. It’s 1962 and people everywhere are working to change things. There are sit-ins in the South, marches on Washington, and even right where she lives, there’s going to be a fair-housing demonstration. Betsy wants to be part of it all, but unlike her best friend, Bernie, she’s chicken—way too scared. Finding the courage to work for what she believes in is a challenge. What will happen?
- Cited by the Child Study Association
“Filled with the flavor, concerns, values and history of the early 1960’s.” - Voice of Youth Advocates
“Conveys a sense of the atmosphere of the early sixties; it evokes the era’s feeling of hope and of change.” -Horn Book