Life After Harry Potter
by Karen L. McNulty
Everyone’s asking: is there life after Harry Potter? I confess
I’ve seen the movies, but read only two of the books. Travesty! Yes,
of course there is life post-Harry, and the newly released autumn
book world is teeming with humor, color, nature, adventure and
thrills. Potter fans, move on!
The pre-school crowd has over 1,000 new books to choose from,
making gift-giving a cinch. What do they already own? What is read
in school? Two new owl stories that might make your gift list this
year are Cock-A-Doodle-Hooooooo! by Mick Manning and
illustrator Brita Granstrom and White Owl, Barn Owl by Nicola
Davies and illustrator Michael Foreman, a British team. These are
widely available for free at public libraries!
In Cock-A-Doodle-Hooooooo!, author husband and illustrator
wife create a hilarious scenario in which a young owl is driven into
a hen house during a storm, rustling some nasty, bossy feathers and
forcing the owl to earn his keep as a mouser. In White Owl, Barn
Owl, a book reminiscent of the legendary Owl Moon by Jane
Yolen, a first-grader and her grandpa put up a nest box for a barn
owl and then reap the benefits of Mother Nature by watching what
develops.
 White Owl, Barn Owl is exquisite in design and
progression. I keep wondering if the award-winning illustrator,
Foreman, took Davies’ personal experience with a barn owl and then
applied England’s Harry Potter craziness for owls to his sweeping
images. Whatever the reason, owls are there but also everywhere in
our state in the fall and winter. Even though bedtime calls for
children, can you miss an opportunity? We need to do more to help
kids develop a sense of wonder for nature and the wild, even if it
means being up a bit later.
For primary students this year, the fun never ends with more
selections by Brits (see, I am keeping Harry alive!). Picture books
should be pressed on the primary with vigor — they are too young to
miss them. Badly Drawn Dog by Emma Dodson and Smelly Bill
by Daniel Postgate put silly, ridiculous, zappy and sappy into
the love-your-dog movement that is never-ending with this age group.
Just for fun, throw in Diary Of A Fly by #1 NY Times
bestsellers Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss. The world is a tough
place for kids these days; let’s lighten it up a bit!
Early readers and emerging readers — no despair. Parents, do not
be fooled by hundreds of publishers who put their own reading levels
on chapter books! Use them as a guideline, but not as an excuse to
pass up favorite characters or assured adventures. Going back to a
dog theme, new eager readers will zip through the Biscuit
series by Alyssa Satin Capucilli. Another great dog series is
Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant.
Girls in first or second grades and up will relish the new
American Girl, Julie, in a series of seven new books that celebrate
a girl’s inner star. I like Julie’s stories, set in 1974 (the year I
graduated college), which are engaging, although not completely
accurate historically.
 The Empire hikes back to us with more releases for young boys
about the Star Wars series. New generations repeatedly discover the
Dark Side over and over, yet I learn something new myself every time
I snap through a DK Readers book. DK and Lucas Films have teamed up
with popular titles including I Want To Be a Jedi and
Beware The Dark Side. These are complete with reading levels
1–4, explained on the back covers to either help you or confuse you
entirely. Do yourself a favor and just look inside the book — you’ll
know if it’s right or not for your child.
My
final comments are a little window into what I’m doing this fall. I
am definitely reading Jack Prelutsky’s It’s Thanksgiving,
for ages four and up, to my storytime groups. This re-release from
1982 includes 12 poems, some very funny. But I appreciate the new
cover and updated colored drawings immensely.
I’m also bragging about my favorite Nutmeg nominees, on the line
for the January 2008 vote. Grades four through six strike it hot
with The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. This IS the new
Harry Potter, folks, only the protagonist is Percy Jackson. Books 1,
2 and 3 have won numerous awards with the fourth being released in
Spring 2008. Greek mythology rules in this riveting triumvirate. You
must get onto
www.rickriordan.com to keep up. It’s great gift-giving for all
elementary and sixth graders.
My Young Adult choice: Down The Rabbit Hole by Peter
Abrahams, for grades seven and up. As ever, all selections are
available, I hope, at your local library!
Events at the Avon Free Public Library
There are a variety of fun events taking place at the Avon Free
Public Library this month. On Tuesday, November 6, the library will
feature Fireman Jim’s story and a demo honoring Fire Prevention
Month. Ages four and up will enjoy this drop-in program, which takes
place at 10:30 a.m.
On Saturday, November 10 at 3 p.m., the library will hold its
annual birthday party, featuring Casey Carle’s BubbleMania show for
ages three and up. There will be a Lego Building Contest on
Saturday, November 17 for ages five through eight from 3-3:45 p.m.
Registration is required for this event.
The Avon Free Public Library is located at 281 Country Club Road
in Avon. For more information on these and other events, call
860-673-9712 or visit www.avonctlibrary.info. ™
Karen L. McNulty is the Children’s Librarian for Avon Free
Public Library and past president of the CT Library Association.
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