Most elementary schools have switched from celebrating Halloween, to having a book based costumed character day. I have seen parents struggle with the last-minute search to find a terrible movie-to-book adaptation for their previously purchased Halloween costume. Instead of doing that, check out one of these great books with highly recognizable characters and easy to create looks.

These costumes are best for kids in Kindergarten through sixth grade. Most parents will be able to assemble these costumes with items they already own, a trip to the store and very minimal craftiness.

For more in depth DIY instructions please see my previous posts for Dylan the Villain, Fancy Nancy, Pirates Don’t Change Diapers, and Olivia. 

​Best Characters for Young Girls
Click on the pictures to clear caption

Check back tomorrow for a Kids Haunted Book List!

Let's Collaborate. What costumed character have you dressed up as? Comment below:

Librarians like to joke that if we moved all the banned and challenged books to the “restricted section”, it would be the most popular room in the library. In the spirit of this idea, I have created a list of my favorite banned books and the reasons they were challenged. Please comment below, with your favorites!

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson - Anti-family, homosexuality, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Insensitivity, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon - Offensive language, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood - Profanity, sexually explicit, religious view point

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling - Occult/Satanism

His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman - Political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, violence

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Anti-ethnic, anti-family, insensitivity, offensive language, occult/satanic, violence

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - Offensive language, unsuited to age group, violence

Looking for Alaska by John Green - Offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - Violence, religious view point, dubious morals

Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner - Challenged for depicting stereotypes of Mexican culture

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson - Sexual content and offensive language

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - Glorification of drinking, cursing, and premarital sex

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Offensive language, racism

Source: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks

Let's Collaborate! What is your favorite banned book? Comment below:

In honor of Banned Books Week, I have put together a list of books that illustrate what it is like to live under censorship and oppression. Sometimes it is hard for patrons and parents to understand why librarians are so hesitant to remove “offensive” books from the collection. These books demonstrate the importance of intellectual freedom and what life can be like when you lose it. Some of these books, like Fahrenheit 451, are blatantly about censorship. Others like, The Handmaid's Tale, are about oppression in general with censorship being one of the tools used by the oppressors.
 
1984 by George Orwell – Dystopian book about the power of propaganda and government-controlled access to information.
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Book Thief by Markus Zusak – Stealing and sharing books in Nazi Germany.

Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank – Hiding in an attic as the book burning Nazis hunt for her and her family.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – Dystopian novel where books are outlawed and burned, reading is considered to be dangerous.

Giver by Lois Lowry – Utopian society where people are only allowed access to “good” information and kept from the hard, ugly truths of reality.

Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood – Fertile women are enslaved to produce children, reading is prohibited.

I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai – Malala was 15 years old when she was shot in the head by the Taliban for demanding education for girls and women.

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi – An illegal secret book club, reading banned books like, Pride and Prejudice and The Great Gatsby.

Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon – Biography of Mary Shelly and her mother Mary Wollstonecraft and their struggle for equal rights and education for women.

Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini – Two women trapped with an abusive husband by the oppressive laws of the Taliban. Women are specifically banned from education.

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore – Graphic Novel about life under a totalitarian government.

Source: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks 

​Let’s Collaborate! What other titles belong on this list? Comment below:

100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake – Simple and delicious recipes to help people progress toward a more whole food diet.

Back in the Day Bakery by Cheryl Day – Charming cookbook full of decadent desserts, featuring cakes, pies, cookies, custards and more.

Complete Mediterranean Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen – Quick and efficient introduction to the Mediterranean diet with accessible recipes.

Cook Like a Pro by Ina Garten – These recipes are meant to impress, the meals look so complicated, but are actually quite simple to prepare.

Everyday Vegetarian by Cooking Light – Gorgeous layout with beautiful pictures. The recipes can be a bit challenging, but there are plenty of beginner’s options.

Forks Over Knives Cookbook by Del Sroufe – The cookbook to accompany the documentary and book about the benefits of a plant based vegan diet.

Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown – Fresh and healthy recipes that can be prepared for less than $4 per day, per person.

Good Housekeeping Cookbook – Fantastic introduction including kitchen safety and pantry basics. This book has recipes for almost everything you could ever want to cook.

Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart Living – Organized by season, these simple recipes help you prepare meals with ingredients at their freshest.

How to Boil Water by Food Network – Everything you need to know if you have never cooked before, includes plenty of pictures and illustrations to help you learn the absolute basics.

I Don’t Know How to Cook Book by Mary-Lane Kamberg – Breakfast, lunch and dinner organized by increasing levels of difficulty, this book will teach you how to scramble eggs and make a Sausage Souffle.
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Whole 30 By Melissa Hartwig – For those looking to find out if they have food sensitivities.

Lets Collaborate! What are the cookbooks you use or recommend the most? Comment below:

As I transitioned from eating out all the time to learning how to cook, there were early cookbooks that became the foundation for my healthy cooking philosophy. After unsuccessfully trying to be a lazy cook, I discovered cookbooks on the benefits of whole food diets, full of colorful and delicious meals. I sometimes wonder what my diet might be like today, if I had come across attractive and convincing books on cutting calories or Vegetarianism first. Instead my cooking journey can be defined by a failed attempt at laziness and a couple of fantastic whole foods cookbooks.

When I first started cooking, I looked for books that required minimum effort, like “One Pot” books. To this day I find this whole “One Pot” genre to be misleading and disappointing. I now understand that “One Pot” just means that the entire meal will be served in one pot, not that you cook everything in one-pot. Since I hate doing dishes, these “One Pot” meals that require three pots to cook make me want to deliver dirty dishes to the author’s doorstep. When you do actually find a one pot meal where everything actually cooks in one pot, the meal usually turns out brown, bland and mushy. Faced with the unsatisfactory reality of “One Pot” cookbooks, I moved on.
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Popular books and shows are making people more comfortable with the idea of weeding at the library. Marie Kondo’s first book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, was released in 2014 and became wildly successful. Her next book, Spark Joy, seemed to be even more popular. She now has a show on Netflix, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, which is getting a lot of attention, for being both “how to” and inspirational. People are starting to understand that once you get rid of what you don’t need, it’s easier to find and use what is really important to you.

Here is a list of other books on getting and staying organized:

• Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, by Karen Kingston
• Minimalism for Families, by Zoe Kim
• Goodbye Things, by Fumio Susaki
• Home Edit, by Clea Shearer
• Real Simple Method to Organizing Every Room, by Real Simple
• Real Life Organizing, by Cassandra Aarssen
• Beautifully Organized, by Nikki Boyd

​Let's Collaborate! Do you have a favorite book about staying organized? Comment below!

Best Graphic Novels Starring Girls

• Baby Mouse, by Jennifer Holm – Best for kids 7 and older. This series is funny and easy to read.
• Baby Sitters Club, by Raina Telgemeier – Best for kids 8 and older. This series is about friendship and problem solving.
• Smile, by Raina Telgemeier – Best for kids 8 and older. This series is about fitting in.
• El Deafo, by Cece Bell – Best for kids 8 and older. This book is about fitting in.
• Roller Girl, by Victoria Jamieson – Best for kids 9 and older. This book is about friendship and being yourself.

Best Graphic Novels Starring Boys

• Super Diaper Baby, by Dav Pilkey – Best for kids 7 and older. This series is funny and easy to read.
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney – Best for kids 8 and older.  This is a funny series about fitting in.

Best Graphic Novels Starring Diverse Characters

• New Kid, by Jerry Craft – Best for kids 9 and older. This book is about fitting in at a new school.
• American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang – Best for kids 12 and older. This book is about fitting in.

Best Graphic Novels Starring Non-Human Characters

• Dog Man, by Dav Pilkey – Best for kids 8 and older. This is a funny mystery about being yourself.
• Bone, by Jeff Smith – Best for kids 11 and older. This series is adventure fantasy.

Non-Fiction Graphic Novels

• Science Comics – Best for kids 8 and older. Multiple subjects

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Let’s Collaborate! What Graphic Novels have you recommended to reluctant readers? Comment below!

• Going to Bed Book, by Sandra Boynton – Silly rhyming book about a pack of adorable boat dwelling animals and their bedtime routine.
• Baby Loves to Rock, by Wednesday Kirwan – Short and engaging, pairs animals with their favorite type of music.
• Where is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz – This is the classic flip the flap book, introduces babies to body parts.
• I Love You Goodnight, by Jon Buller – Cute poetic book about love, great for bedtime
• My Mother Is Mine, by Marion Dane Bauer – All of the great things about mothers paired with engaging pictures of animals and their babies.
• Little White Rabbit, by Kevin Henkes – This is a simple sweet story with gorgeous artwork.
• Night Night Farm, by Roger Priddy – A flip the flap book that introduces babies to animal sounds
• Pat the Zoo, by Golden Books – This cute tactile book matches animals to touch, babies get to feel a feather, soft fur, bumpy shell and more. Note: this book will need to be replaced often in the library collection.
• Dada, by Jimmy Fallon – Very simple and repetitive featuring animal sounds. This is the first book both my kids “read” to us.
• Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle – Educational story featuring the days of the week, types of food, and the caterpillar lifecycle. Eric Carle fit a lot into a few fun pages.

Let's Collaborate! What is your favorite book to recommend to new parents? Comment below!