WEBVTT 00:00:20.389 --> 00:00:24.309 Hello, I'm Patrick Adams. And I'm Caroline Legere. 00:00:24.620 --> 00:00:27.600 And this is Librarians of Littles, a podcast 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:30.800 where we discuss books, give makerspace ideas, 00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:33.579 and tips and tricks for working with our youngest 00:00:33.579 --> 00:00:37.299 learners in the library setting. Today we have 00:00:37.299 --> 00:00:40.420 two amazing books to share. These books are just 00:00:40.420 --> 00:00:43.359 some of our favorites that we've enjoyed using 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:49.079 in the library. The first of which is Unicorns 00:00:49.079 --> 00:00:51.820 Are the Worst. It is written and illustrated 00:00:51.820 --> 00:00:55.780 by Alex Willen. And it was published by Simon 00:00:55.780 --> 00:01:00.520 & Schuster Books for Young Readers in 2020. This 00:01:00.520 --> 00:01:03.659 book has not won any awards, but we'll give you 00:01:03.659 --> 00:01:06.439 a little history about the author. Alex Willen 00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:10.359 grew up in Kentucky and was often seen with a 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:13.459 sketch pad. His love of art and drawing led him 00:01:13.459 --> 00:01:16.900 to earn a BFA in illustration from Savannah College 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:20.599 of Arts and Design. And while he has experienced 00:01:20.909 --> 00:01:25.189 Many facets of art including shows and galleries 00:01:25.189 --> 00:01:29.170 his true passion is children's books He currently 00:01:29.170 --> 00:01:32.209 lives in Chicago with his dog and some of his 00:01:32.209 --> 00:01:35.709 other books are Mermaids are the worst dragons 00:01:35.709 --> 00:01:38.709 are the worst elves are the worst yetis are the 00:01:38.709 --> 00:01:42.489 worst Valentine's are the worst coming out in 00:01:42.489 --> 00:01:46.010 December of 2025 Monsters are the worst coming 00:01:46.010 --> 00:01:50.700 out in July of 2026 Peace Out, Jasper and Ollie, 00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:55.159 and Jasper and Ollie Build a Fort. Some of the 00:01:55.159 --> 00:01:58.280 books that are illustrated by Alex Willen are 00:01:58.280 --> 00:02:01.780 Got Your Nose by Alan Katz, Rever the Speedway 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:05.540 Squirrel by Sherry Dusky Rinker, Rever the Speedway 00:02:05.540 --> 00:02:09.379 Squirrel, The Big Race Home by Sherry Dusky Rinker. 00:02:09.639 --> 00:02:13.159 And so for this book, unicorns are the worst. 00:02:13.500 --> 00:02:17.479 We have a grumpy goblin that explains the many 00:02:17.479 --> 00:02:20.439 reasons he is upset that unicorns have moved 00:02:20.439 --> 00:02:23.659 into the meadow next to him. His issues with 00:02:23.659 --> 00:02:27.139 them include their frolicking, their harp playing, 00:02:27.800 --> 00:02:31.780 their pointy heads, all the glitter, and tea 00:02:31.780 --> 00:02:35.099 parties. While complaining about unicorns and 00:02:35.099 --> 00:02:37.620 cataloging things in nature around his home, 00:02:38.419 --> 00:02:41.960 he runs into a dragon. When the unicorns use 00:02:41.960 --> 00:02:45.360 their glitter to put out the dragon's fire, their 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:48.419 frolicking hooves to pound on the dragon, their 00:02:48.419 --> 00:02:50.939 hearts to disorient the beast, and their horns 00:02:50.939 --> 00:02:54.039 to blast the dragon, the goblin realizes that 00:02:54.039 --> 00:02:57.840 maybe unicorns are not the worst, but dragons 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:02.879 definitely are. And so this book, I love this 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:06.539 book, as we were just saying, unicorns are always 00:03:06.539 --> 00:03:10.879 a hot topic the kids love. Unicorns and this 00:03:10.879 --> 00:03:14.219 one is kind of a fun twist on that where the 00:03:14.219 --> 00:03:16.180 unicorns are the thing that's being complained 00:03:16.180 --> 00:03:19.599 about the whole time and the goblin is super 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:24.759 fun as he's Complaining. I just love all of the 00:03:24.759 --> 00:03:27.139 illustrations that go into this one of my favorite 00:03:27.139 --> 00:03:28.699 pictures and one of the kids favorite pictures 00:03:28.699 --> 00:03:32.580 is When he's complaining about the glitter all 00:03:32.580 --> 00:03:36.340 the glitter so much glitter and he's washing 00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:40.580 out his smock and so you have his bare butt in 00:03:40.580 --> 00:03:43.580 the picture. And so all the kids laugh at that. 00:03:44.039 --> 00:03:46.520 And it's just all of those things that like those 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:49.139 little pieces that make it such a humorous and 00:03:49.139 --> 00:03:53.759 fun story. The art style is just awesome. And 00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:56.639 the kids just can't get enough of these books. 00:03:56.759 --> 00:04:00.259 They're a lot of fun. And like it says at the 00:04:00.259 --> 00:04:04.219 end, the goblins actually having tea with the 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:07.500 the unicorns and complaining that dragons are 00:04:07.500 --> 00:04:10.560 actually the worst. And then that leads into 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:13.360 the second book in the series, dragons are the 00:04:13.360 --> 00:04:16.480 worst. And then from there, all the other books, 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:18.839 which is, I love the fact that it's a series 00:04:18.839 --> 00:04:21.920 of them where it's the same goblin complaining 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:25.180 about all of the things all the time. And so 00:04:25.180 --> 00:04:29.569 it's just really fun. The kids love the books. 00:04:29.949 --> 00:04:32.730 Once I introduce these, the students are checking 00:04:32.730 --> 00:04:34.269 out the whole series because they want to read 00:04:34.269 --> 00:04:37.629 them all because it's just so much fun. And the 00:04:37.629 --> 00:04:42.149 illustrations are just colorful and funny. And 00:04:42.149 --> 00:04:45.149 I can't just I can't say enough about how wonderful 00:04:45.149 --> 00:04:48.389 these books are and how much my students enjoy 00:04:48.389 --> 00:04:51.329 them when once I've introduced them and they 00:04:51.329 --> 00:04:54.569 know that they're out there. Yeah, I love these 00:04:54.569 --> 00:04:57.350 books. I was noticing the other day I have I 00:04:57.290 --> 00:04:59.949 I'm missing them from my library right now, which 00:04:59.949 --> 00:05:02.589 is very sad. So I'm gonna have to fix that very 00:05:02.589 --> 00:05:07.370 soon. But I have read these in my previous library 00:05:07.370 --> 00:05:10.649 to my classes and everybody always loves them. 00:05:10.649 --> 00:05:14.089 They're always so funny. And it's kind of a different 00:05:14.089 --> 00:05:18.410 take on the traditional, you know, whatever kind 00:05:18.410 --> 00:05:20.769 of creature it is in this particular case, it's 00:05:20.769 --> 00:05:25.949 the unicorn, but it's just kind of a unique approach 00:05:25.949 --> 00:05:29.750 to all of those kind of mythical creatures it 00:05:29.750 --> 00:05:32.290 kind of gets kids thinking a little bit like 00:05:32.290 --> 00:05:35.250 it's funny so the kids are engaged they're always 00:05:35.250 --> 00:05:39.069 bright and colorful and the kids really really 00:05:39.069 --> 00:05:41.750 enjoy the illustrations and all the things but 00:05:41.750 --> 00:05:43.470 it does kind of get them thinking a little bit 00:05:43.470 --> 00:05:47.290 more about what it would actually be like to 00:05:47.290 --> 00:05:49.569 have some of these mythical creatures near them 00:05:49.569 --> 00:05:54.050 which i think is kind of a great take on it cuz 00:05:54.050 --> 00:05:56.589 our kids are always like you know you always 00:05:56.589 --> 00:05:59.069 want what you can't have which is of course that's 00:05:59.069 --> 00:06:00.589 one of those things is gonna be like a mythical 00:06:00.589 --> 00:06:03.129 creature right cuz they don't exist in real life 00:06:03.129 --> 00:06:07.069 so it's kinda nice to get them thinking a little 00:06:07.069 --> 00:06:09.769 bit like that like about what it would actually 00:06:09.769 --> 00:06:12.490 be like if they could see a real live unicorn 00:06:12.490 --> 00:06:16.430 or you know or a dragon or what have you so I 00:06:16.430 --> 00:06:18.509 don't know I love them they're great books good 00:06:18.509 --> 00:06:21.600 choice Definitely five out of five for sure. 00:06:22.259 --> 00:06:24.600 I highly recommend getting them and I'm looking 00:06:24.600 --> 00:06:27.180 forward to the two new ones that are coming out 00:06:27.180 --> 00:06:29.959 and I'm looking forward to adding those to the 00:06:29.959 --> 00:06:31.579 collection in the library because I know my students 00:06:31.579 --> 00:06:34.040 will really enjoy those as well. Absolutely, 00:06:34.220 --> 00:06:38.939 yeah. And so a makerspace activity to connect 00:06:38.939 --> 00:06:42.459 with this book. I love using Legos just because 00:06:42.459 --> 00:06:45.579 they're something that most libraries have, so 00:06:45.579 --> 00:06:48.180 that makes it really easy to work with. And so 00:06:48.180 --> 00:06:50.620 I would pull out the Legos and I would challenge 00:06:50.620 --> 00:06:52.939 the students to build their own, either they 00:06:52.939 --> 00:06:55.300 can pick, either build their own unicorn or build 00:06:55.300 --> 00:06:58.240 their own dragon, or they could even build their 00:06:58.240 --> 00:07:00.899 own little goblin. Because I think that would 00:07:00.899 --> 00:07:04.000 be fun to see what they came up with and how 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:06.939 creative they could be to make their creatures, 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:09.379 their mythical creatures out of those Legos. 00:07:11.569 --> 00:07:14.529 Simple little plug. I always check out cause 00:07:14.529 --> 00:07:17.410 we're getting close by the time this air is posted. 00:07:17.410 --> 00:07:19.709 It'll be like a week or two before Thanksgiving. 00:07:20.329 --> 00:07:24.870 Black Friday sales. I always check, um, at Walmart. 00:07:25.629 --> 00:07:27.350 Cause over the last couple of years, Walmart 00:07:27.350 --> 00:07:29.610 does a pretty good job of putting Legos on sales. 00:07:29.850 --> 00:07:32.250 Not like the kids, but just like the boxes of 00:07:32.250 --> 00:07:35.870 just generic Legos. So that's where I got most 00:07:35.870 --> 00:07:38.290 of mine was I would go Black Friday shopping 00:07:38.290 --> 00:07:41.860 and buy the 500 piece sets for. I think they 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:45.519 get pretty reasonable in price when they're on 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:47.600 Black Friday sales. So that's what I would do. 00:07:47.660 --> 00:07:49.680 And that's how I always supplement my Legos so 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:52.480 that I have new colors and new pieces again. 00:07:53.139 --> 00:07:55.759 Because they slowly get broken or get lost and 00:07:55.759 --> 00:07:59.319 whatnot. So definitely something to do. Check 00:07:59.319 --> 00:08:03.109 it out at least if you're able to do that. check 00:08:03.109 --> 00:08:06.389 those sails out. But with those Legos having 00:08:06.389 --> 00:08:08.930 those kids build their own unicorn or dragon 00:08:08.930 --> 00:08:11.990 or goblin and seeing what the kids come up with 00:08:11.990 --> 00:08:14.209 and how creative they are and how they build 00:08:14.209 --> 00:08:17.949 those creatures is always so fun to me. I love 00:08:17.949 --> 00:08:22.050 to see the kids using their imaginations to figure 00:08:22.050 --> 00:08:24.970 out unique ways to put those Legos together to 00:08:24.970 --> 00:08:27.170 create different things. So this is always a 00:08:27.170 --> 00:08:30.310 fun thing. That is, that is always fun. And kids 00:08:30.310 --> 00:08:33.110 always like Legos and it's good for everyone. 00:08:33.769 --> 00:08:37.870 Yeah, it's a lot of fun. And my Legos, because 00:08:37.870 --> 00:08:39.950 I did buy some of those boxes, I've got like 00:08:39.950 --> 00:08:42.789 the pastel colored ones, like the pinks and purples 00:08:42.789 --> 00:08:44.669 and stuff like that too, which is always nice 00:08:44.669 --> 00:08:47.049 because those aren't always in all of the kits. 00:08:47.169 --> 00:08:50.879 And so it's nice to have. the full array of colors 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:53.320 and everything to work with especially if you're 00:08:53.320 --> 00:08:55.860 building unicorns and stuff you don't want just 00:08:55.860 --> 00:08:58.039 like browns and greens and stuff you got to have 00:08:58.039 --> 00:08:59.940 some of those other colors in there too you know 00:08:59.940 --> 00:09:03.659 yeah you do we need all the rainbows yeah for 00:09:03.659 --> 00:09:08.820 sure so um definitely love love legos and like 00:09:08.820 --> 00:09:10.840 i said this would be the time to be looking for 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:15.399 those deals it sure is it's true i need to do 00:09:15.399 --> 00:09:20.309 that myself yeah So our library of littles management 00:09:20.309 --> 00:09:24.909 tip for this week is so when we do our lessons, 00:09:24.929 --> 00:09:27.710 when I do my lessons, I start by having the kids 00:09:27.710 --> 00:09:30.009 come in and sit down and then we read our book. 00:09:30.990 --> 00:09:35.269 That can take up some time and our youngest learners 00:09:35.269 --> 00:09:40.169 struggle to keep their attention on one thing 00:09:40.169 --> 00:09:44.389 for a long time and they've got a lot of energy 00:09:44.389 --> 00:09:48.279 and asking them to sit for too long can It ends 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:50.279 up causing a lot of trouble if we don't give 00:09:50.279 --> 00:09:52.500 them opportunities to release some of that energy. 00:09:52.860 --> 00:09:56.379 So I always try to incorporate music or movement 00:09:56.379 --> 00:09:59.419 of some kind into my lessons to give those students 00:09:59.419 --> 00:10:01.779 that outlet and it's become part of our routine 00:10:01.779 --> 00:10:03.500 that they know that they're gonna be able to 00:10:03.500 --> 00:10:06.500 move around at some point during the lesson before 00:10:06.500 --> 00:10:09.159 like in between the book and before they go to 00:10:09.159 --> 00:10:12.179 get to do some makerspace stuff or whatever and 00:10:12.179 --> 00:10:15.399 so it's it's part of the routine and Knowing 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:17.299 that that's coming, it does help a lot of my 00:10:17.299 --> 00:10:19.320 friends be able to sit and focus for a little 00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:21.059 longer because they know they're going to get 00:10:21.059 --> 00:10:25.820 up. So I love to incorporate music and movement 00:10:25.820 --> 00:10:28.120 and doing like movement dances and that kind 00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:33.820 of thing with my students. So YouTube is a vital 00:10:33.820 --> 00:10:40.460 tool at my disposal. I love using different preschool 00:10:40.460 --> 00:10:46.679 focused music videos like the you know the Jack 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:51.059 Hartman or the Danny Goh or Coo Coo Kangaroo 00:10:51.059 --> 00:10:54.740 any of those that gets the kids up and moving 00:10:54.740 --> 00:10:57.899 the simple songs the super simple songs all those 00:10:57.899 --> 00:11:02.320 YouTube channels that have those videos and music 00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:05.740 for kids that allow them to follow along and 00:11:05.740 --> 00:11:08.820 do the dances it gets the kids first off it gets 00:11:08.820 --> 00:11:11.259 them up and moving which is always something 00:11:11.259 --> 00:11:13.759 important but it allows the kids to get some 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:17.000 of that energy out so that if I ask them to sit 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:19.980 for a little bit and then move around and then 00:11:19.980 --> 00:11:23.120 go sit at a table to work it's broken up it's 00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:24.919 not just sitting the whole time and they get 00:11:24.919 --> 00:11:27.919 some of that energy out and it's it I found that 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:31.580 by doing that it helps with them being able to 00:11:31.580 --> 00:11:35.700 focus it also significantly reduces the number 00:11:35.700 --> 00:11:37.960 of behavioral issues that I have because they're 00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:40.500 they're not being expected to just sit the whole 00:11:40.500 --> 00:11:44.159 time and in the library sometimes sitting and 00:11:44.159 --> 00:11:47.039 listening can become a big part of the lesson 00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:50.480 but if it's not broken up in there it can become 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:53.820 a challenge to have the students do that so yeah 00:11:53.820 --> 00:11:56.480 it's finding some of those good music videos 00:11:56.480 --> 00:12:00.200 and stuff to use super important It really is 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:03.039 and there's so much research about movement and 00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:05.019 learning and how incorporating the two of those 00:12:05.019 --> 00:12:09.320 together like really solidifies a lot of those 00:12:09.320 --> 00:12:13.720 Connections are making in their brains When they 00:12:13.720 --> 00:12:16.220 are learning about whatever topic it is that 00:12:16.220 --> 00:12:19.259 we're covering that's it's really important on 00:12:19.259 --> 00:12:21.700 a lot of levels behaviorally and emotionally 00:12:21.700 --> 00:12:28.120 and cognitively it's imperative to have movement 00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:30.820 somewhere in there for our younger learners. 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:34.200 That's how their brains are wired. They're wired 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:38.179 for movement and for tactile learning. So that's 00:12:38.179 --> 00:12:41.919 a great way to kind of solidify those concepts 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:44.960 that we're teaching in the library. Absolutely. 00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:49.980 And I'll say that I try, if I can, to find videos 00:12:49.980 --> 00:12:54.039 that relate to whatever topic we're reading about 00:12:54.039 --> 00:12:58.519 or doing. If I read the unicorns are the worst, 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:00.559 I would look for a unicorn dance. If I couldn't 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:03.039 find a unicorn dance, I might find like a rainbow 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:06.480 dance like Cuckoo Kangaroo has some like rainbow 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:08.879 dances and even have some glitter dances and 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:11.460 stuff like that. So I'd find something that might 00:13:11.460 --> 00:13:14.179 relate. If not, though, I'm still going to have 00:13:14.179 --> 00:13:16.919 them do some kind of movement. Sometimes there 00:13:16.919 --> 00:13:18.220 are just weeks where it's just like, yeah, we're 00:13:18.220 --> 00:13:20.039 doing this one because it's just a fun dance. 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:23.100 And that's fine, too. But, you know, there are 00:13:23.100 --> 00:13:25.409 ways that we can connect a lot of it. so that 00:13:25.409 --> 00:13:28.669 it's it's an easier transition from one to the 00:13:28.669 --> 00:13:31.070 other but it doesn't have to be perfect and the 00:13:31.070 --> 00:13:33.029 kids are just happy that they're moving so they're 00:13:33.029 --> 00:13:35.210 not really worried about what kind of dance they're 00:13:35.210 --> 00:13:38.049 doing most of the time yeah they're just happy 00:13:38.049 --> 00:13:41.090 to get up so this is true well the next book 00:13:41.090 --> 00:13:43.330 that we're going to talk about today is called 00:13:43.330 --> 00:13:48.529 don't trust fish It was published in 2025 by 00:13:48.529 --> 00:13:52.169 Dial Books for Young Readers. The author is Neil 00:13:52.169 --> 00:13:57.610 Sharpson and the illustrator is Dan Santat. This 00:13:57.610 --> 00:14:00.450 book was just published this year and it's already 00:14:00.450 --> 00:14:03.129 on a few state lists and has won a couple of 00:14:03.129 --> 00:14:07.429 awards and I would not be surprised if it wins 00:14:07.429 --> 00:14:10.990 a few more in the coming months. Some of the 00:14:10.990 --> 00:14:13.610 awards that it's already gotten are it's a junior 00:14:13.610 --> 00:14:17.049 library guild selection. It's a Publisher Weekly's 00:14:17.049 --> 00:14:21.389 Best Book of 2025. Alabama Yellow Hammer Picture 00:14:21.389 --> 00:14:25.769 Book Top 10 Award for 2025. Nebraska Golden Sour 00:14:25.769 --> 00:14:29.149 Award, 2026. I don't know how we're already giving 00:14:29.149 --> 00:14:33.289 out 2026 awards, but we are. Oklahoma Red Bud 00:14:33.289 --> 00:14:37.809 Read Aloud, 2026. And Oregon Patricia Gallagher 00:14:37.809 --> 00:14:41.649 Picture Book Award for 2026. And the author, 00:14:41.870 --> 00:14:45.200 Neil Sharpton, this is his very first picture 00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:48.240 book. He is an author and he lives in Dublin 00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:50.879 with his wife and his two children. He's written 00:14:50.879 --> 00:14:53.659 for theater since he was a teenager and has published 00:14:53.659 --> 00:14:57.779 two adult novels and he writes for the blog The 00:14:57.779 --> 00:15:02.860 Unshaved Mouse. His other two books that are 00:15:02.860 --> 00:15:05.879 very much for adults and not for children are 00:15:05.879 --> 00:15:09.960 Knock Knock Open Wide and When the Sparrow Falls. 00:15:10.019 --> 00:15:13.200 It's pretty interesting. Curious to see what 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:14.639 those books are about I'm gonna have to go check 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:17.440 those out just cuz if it has similar humor to 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:21.299 this one I might be in on it. They did not look 00:15:21.299 --> 00:15:24.659 I did not read them. I didn't read descriptions 00:15:24.659 --> 00:15:28.039 I just saw cover art but cover art looked like 00:15:28.039 --> 00:15:31.779 it was thrillers. Oh I might still be interested 00:15:31.779 --> 00:15:32.879 in that. I don't know. I'm gonna have to check 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:36.240 them out. I with how with how this particular 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:41.370 book is written and like the Some of the way, 00:15:41.409 --> 00:15:43.350 I mean, this humor is very, I feel like it's 00:15:43.350 --> 00:15:47.389 very intelligent humor and I feel like a thriller 00:15:47.389 --> 00:15:49.610 book by this guy would probably be pretty good. 00:15:50.909 --> 00:15:54.210 Anyway, I don't, since it's written, I usually 00:15:54.210 --> 00:15:57.610 stick in the realm of young adult novels just 00:15:57.610 --> 00:16:01.009 because I'm a pre -K librarian for a reason. 00:16:01.049 --> 00:16:03.049 That's where my brain likes to live. I don't 00:16:03.049 --> 00:16:05.070 do too much adult, so I probably won't read them, 00:16:05.250 --> 00:16:08.549 but they look, they look good. And I think, yeah. 00:16:09.210 --> 00:16:11.230 You read your adult novels and have fun and let 00:16:11.230 --> 00:16:14.029 me know how it goes. I'll let you I will I like 00:16:14.029 --> 00:16:19.129 I mean I read a lot of YA and stuff, but I do 00:16:19.129 --> 00:16:21.149 Stretch out there. Sometimes this yeah, I'm gonna 00:16:21.149 --> 00:16:22.570 have to look I'm gonna there's nothing wrong 00:16:22.570 --> 00:16:24.850 with that. It's just not for me to read the synopsis 00:16:24.850 --> 00:16:27.009 and we'll see we'll see Yeah, I don't watch rated 00:16:27.009 --> 00:16:29.389 -r movies either. That's just that's cool. Yeah, 00:16:29.490 --> 00:16:37.750 I'm just not an adult Anyway All right our illustrator 00:16:37.899 --> 00:16:40.700 is Dan Santat, who we've talked about multiple 00:16:40.700 --> 00:16:44.259 times on the podcast. He is a Caldecott award 00:16:44.259 --> 00:16:46.799 -winning artist who grew up in Southern California 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:49.580 and graduated from the Art Center College of 00:16:49.580 --> 00:16:53.059 Design. He is the creator of the animated series, 00:16:53.139 --> 00:16:55.379 The Replacements, and he lives outside of Los 00:16:55.379 --> 00:16:58.159 Angeles with his wife, two kids, and many, many 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:02.320 pets. Some of the other books that he has done, 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:04.980 the books that he's illustrated include Drawn 00:17:04.980 --> 00:17:09.259 Together by Minh Le. Endlessly Ever After by 00:17:09.259 --> 00:17:13.759 Laurel Snyder Lift by Min Lee A New Day by Brad 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:18.099 Meltzer The Misfit Series by Lisa Yee No More 00:17:18.099 --> 00:17:20.779 Poems A Book In Verse That Just Gets Worse by 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:23.960 Rhett Miller Oh No or How My Science Project 00:17:23.960 --> 00:17:27.940 Destroyed the World by Mac Barnett Dude by Aaron 00:17:27.940 --> 00:17:32.369 Reynolds in the Ricky Ricotta Mouse Robot Series. 00:17:32.690 --> 00:17:35.430 I'm sorry, the Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Series 00:17:35.430 --> 00:17:37.730 by Dave Pilkey. Some of the other books that 00:17:37.730 --> 00:17:40.269 he's done the writing and the illustrating for 00:17:40.269 --> 00:17:42.990 include A First Time for Everything, The Adventures 00:17:42.990 --> 00:17:46.819 of Beekle, The Unimaginary Friend, And after 00:17:46.819 --> 00:17:49.460 the fall, how Humpty Dumpty got back up again 00:17:49.460 --> 00:17:53.579 and many, many more. And the book summary for 00:17:53.579 --> 00:17:57.279 this one is an unseen narrator begins the story 00:17:57.279 --> 00:17:59.599 by showing readers different animals with a few 00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:03.079 facts about each of them. And it explains how, 00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:06.339 you know, mammals have fur and then snakes, you 00:18:06.339 --> 00:18:08.180 know, have scales and slither around and things 00:18:08.180 --> 00:18:12.299 like that. And then the narrator introduces the 00:18:12.299 --> 00:18:16.650 readers to a fish and warns us to never ever 00:18:16.650 --> 00:18:21.150 trust fish. And as you're going through it you 00:18:21.150 --> 00:18:23.529 progressively learn more and more about fish 00:18:23.529 --> 00:18:27.430 and why they can never ever be trusted until 00:18:27.430 --> 00:18:31.069 the very last page when you find that a crab 00:18:31.069 --> 00:18:34.710 is actually the one telling you to never trust 00:18:34.710 --> 00:18:39.329 the fish. I yeah, this is one of my new favorite 00:18:39.329 --> 00:18:42.269 books like ever. I think this is like going to 00:18:42.269 --> 00:18:44.289 be in like my top five of all time. I don't know. 00:18:44.369 --> 00:18:48.089 I love it a lot. The illustrations are I mean, 00:18:48.410 --> 00:18:51.289 everything Dan Santat illustrates is always amazing. 00:18:52.289 --> 00:18:54.750 It's this one in particular is fairly realistic. 00:18:54.750 --> 00:18:56.730 I love that when you're like learning about the 00:18:56.730 --> 00:18:59.529 different, you know, it'll have it has like when 00:18:59.529 --> 00:19:00.990 you're learning about the amphibian, it just 00:19:00.990 --> 00:19:03.519 has like the one frog. On the page and it's just 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:06.579 like giant and huge and it's like very realistic, 00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:08.700 but it's got the white background. So it's like 00:19:08.700 --> 00:19:11.099 easy to focus in on it. So it's like, it's not 00:19:11.099 --> 00:19:14.799 very distracting at all. Love that a whole lot. 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:18.799 Um, like that kind of happens repeat, like not 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:21.680 on every page is like that. There are a few pages 00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:25.079 where, you know, you're seeing the fish in different 00:19:25.079 --> 00:19:27.880 areas. Like if whether they're in a fish tank 00:19:27.880 --> 00:19:30.839 or swimming in the ocean or what have you, and 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:34.029 they're. Like it's a big colorful spread, but 00:19:34.029 --> 00:19:36.130 it's not too overwhelming. I don't know. I just 00:19:36.130 --> 00:19:39.289 love his illustrative style. It's fabulous and 00:19:39.289 --> 00:19:43.289 Like on each page when you're like going through 00:19:43.289 --> 00:19:45.309 it you're learning different facts about fish, 00:19:45.309 --> 00:19:50.369 which I love So like you learn that some fish 00:19:50.369 --> 00:19:53.789 lay eggs and some don't that's kind of strange 00:19:53.789 --> 00:19:58.630 isn't it and it'll show you like like how big 00:19:58.630 --> 00:20:01.980 the um whale shark is that it's as long as this 00:20:01.980 --> 00:20:05.940 bus and like you know shows you exactly how big 00:20:05.940 --> 00:20:08.839 like some of the fish are and you just i love 00:20:08.839 --> 00:20:12.420 that it's like it's almost a non -fiction book 00:20:12.420 --> 00:20:14.980 but not quite because it does actually teach 00:20:14.980 --> 00:20:18.440 you quite a few true facts about it i think because 00:20:18.440 --> 00:20:21.099 of the way it goes through it like that and it 00:20:21.099 --> 00:20:24.049 does teach you a lot of true facts And then at 00:20:24.049 --> 00:20:26.190 the very end you do have a crap like i really 00:20:26.190 --> 00:20:28.470 think this could work with like any age level 00:20:28.470 --> 00:20:31.130 at all you want to do it within the library like 00:20:31.130 --> 00:20:33.690 you wanted to do with older kids you could do 00:20:33.690 --> 00:20:37.430 a huge lesson about misinformation and about 00:20:37.430 --> 00:20:39.750 you know posting people posting on social media 00:20:39.750 --> 00:20:43.890 in general and like yeah you can. Give people 00:20:43.890 --> 00:20:47.190 true facts but like they're very you have to 00:20:47.190 --> 00:20:50.430 kind of think critically about what information 00:20:50.430 --> 00:20:54.390 you receiving. Who is saying it where they're 00:20:54.390 --> 00:20:57.170 getting their information why they would be telling 00:20:57.170 --> 00:21:00.690 you things like this and like. Like you know 00:21:00.690 --> 00:21:05.390 it's true that we don't but you know. We don't 00:21:05.390 --> 00:21:08.970 know that fish aren't building a giant robot 00:21:08.970 --> 00:21:10.769 to come out of the sea and attack us all and 00:21:10.769 --> 00:21:12.950 take over the world but they could be because 00:21:12.950 --> 00:21:15.329 we can't see under the water down there we can't 00:21:15.329 --> 00:21:18.650 hear them talking like. It was just so clever 00:21:18.650 --> 00:21:23.170 the way. It's written at i don't know i love 00:21:23.170 --> 00:21:26.309 this book so much and i think it's very very 00:21:26.309 --> 00:21:28.809 appropriate for pre -k like the language is still 00:21:28.809 --> 00:21:31.369 very simple like truly it works with any age 00:21:31.369 --> 00:21:34.849 level this is kind of an incredible book i adore 00:21:34.849 --> 00:21:39.329 it. It might be my new favorite ever i'm not 00:21:39.329 --> 00:21:41.670 sure i have to read it with the class before 00:21:41.670 --> 00:21:46.049 i decide sorry yeah i just i completely 100 % 00:21:46.049 --> 00:21:49.529 agree this book is. Awesome. It's amazing. I 00:21:49.529 --> 00:21:52.809 love it. I'm looking forward to sharing it with 00:21:52.809 --> 00:21:56.089 my students this year because it's so so much 00:21:56.089 --> 00:22:00.170 fun. And then I just need to know, have you seen 00:22:00.170 --> 00:22:02.710 there's a so when I was searching up this book 00:22:02.710 --> 00:22:06.869 and looking into it a little bit, the the author 00:22:06.869 --> 00:22:12.930 has a video. It's of him reading the book. I 00:22:12.930 --> 00:22:15.150 didn't see it and I forgot to mention it and 00:22:15.150 --> 00:22:17.960 I'm glad you said it. Awesome and i love cuz 00:22:17.960 --> 00:22:20.160 like so he starts out when he's like this is 00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:21.640 a mammal and he does the thing and then it's 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:24.220 this is an amphibian or whatever a reptile and 00:22:24.220 --> 00:22:26.079 that kind and then it gets to the fish and he 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:28.599 just like closes the book and just like throws 00:22:28.599 --> 00:22:32.279 it because he's like do not trust fish it's like 00:22:32.279 --> 00:22:34.819 i it's awesome it's great so like even if you 00:22:34.819 --> 00:22:36.440 don't have the book but you wanted to pull up 00:22:36.440 --> 00:22:39.299 that youtube video and let the the author read 00:22:39.299 --> 00:22:43.069 it to the kids it's see that in itself was super 00:22:43.069 --> 00:22:46.470 engaging also. So to add that to the amazing 00:22:46.470 --> 00:22:51.630 storytelling within the book is awesome. So I 00:22:51.630 --> 00:22:53.670 yeah, I absolutely love this and I can't wait 00:22:53.670 --> 00:22:57.210 to share it with my students. I know it was really 00:22:57.210 --> 00:23:01.029 good that and you're right that YouTube reading 00:23:01.029 --> 00:23:06.730 was I don't I almost never pull up a video on 00:23:06.730 --> 00:23:08.829 YouTube and just have that read to the kids for 00:23:08.829 --> 00:23:13.369 them. I like I think that's maybe happened like 00:23:13.369 --> 00:23:15.869 ever in my life maybe once or twice where i've 00:23:15.869 --> 00:23:18.829 been like the videos fine because i've been super 00:23:18.829 --> 00:23:21.589 busy or whatever but like it's super duper rare 00:23:21.589 --> 00:23:24.670 i think this is the first video that i would 00:23:24.670 --> 00:23:27.470 intentionally be like you are gonna have to hear 00:23:27.470 --> 00:23:30.789 from the author himself. Because it's very important 00:23:30.789 --> 00:23:33.150 that you don't trust fish like and i think i 00:23:33.150 --> 00:23:36.309 would approach it like that like this is and 00:23:36.309 --> 00:23:39.099 then like and then afterward talk to them. you 00:23:39.099 --> 00:23:42.079 know, how the crab was really the one tricking 00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:45.319 all of us and like, then talk about thinking 00:23:45.319 --> 00:23:48.240 critically and stuff. But you're right, it was 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:50.980 just it's incredible reading from him. It was 00:23:50.980 --> 00:23:54.779 great. I love it. Loved all the things. No complaints 00:23:54.779 --> 00:23:58.319 at all. 100%. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe a six out of 00:23:58.319 --> 00:24:02.359 five bookmarks. Anyway, and I think for this 00:24:02.359 --> 00:24:04.819 one for a makerspace activity, when the kids 00:24:04.819 --> 00:24:08.089 are building what they're Legos or blocks or 00:24:08.089 --> 00:24:11.769 whatever you have available Have like reference 00:24:11.769 --> 00:24:14.130 the page where the fish are coming out of the 00:24:14.130 --> 00:24:15.950 ocean to take out of the world Take over the 00:24:15.950 --> 00:24:19.390 world and then the kids can choose if they want 00:24:19.390 --> 00:24:22.970 to build something to either help the fish take 00:24:22.970 --> 00:24:24.569 over the world and they can join the side of 00:24:24.569 --> 00:24:28.549 the fish or they can help defend humanity and 00:24:28.549 --> 00:24:34.869 build something To prevent, you know the fishes 00:24:34.869 --> 00:24:39.609 hostile takeover So, yeah, I think I think that 00:24:39.609 --> 00:24:41.390 would be a whole lot of fun because there was 00:24:41.390 --> 00:24:44.069 a lot of like, building in the book, because 00:24:44.069 --> 00:24:47.309 it like shows the kids, the kids, it shows like 00:24:47.309 --> 00:24:49.829 the fish in a school of fish, like earlier in 00:24:49.829 --> 00:24:52.289 the book to when it like has like part of the 00:24:52.289 --> 00:24:54.650 robot or whatever that's like, it has like a 00:24:54.650 --> 00:24:57.910 diagram of like where to do all the things like 00:24:57.910 --> 00:25:01.630 how they're building their giant laser robot 00:25:01.630 --> 00:25:05.269 or whatever it is. Yeah. And then you get to 00:25:05.269 --> 00:25:07.880 see it in action. Oh my gosh, it's just great. 00:25:08.259 --> 00:25:10.180 When I was reading that part, I was like, I would 00:25:10.180 --> 00:25:13.759 love to see my students trying to build these 00:25:13.759 --> 00:25:18.220 fish mech suits out of Legos, because I think 00:25:18.220 --> 00:25:24.960 that would be awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:26.599 it would work either way if they either wanted 00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:31.160 to build for the fish or build against them. 00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:36.099 Either way, it would be a great time. It's so 00:25:36.099 --> 00:25:41.319 good. Highly recommend. Anyways. Well, thank 00:25:41.319 --> 00:25:44.519 you all for joining us on this episode of Librarians 00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:47.319 of Littles and we hope you found some fresh ideas 00:25:47.319 --> 00:25:50.440 for inspiring our young readers. Please be sure 00:25:50.440 --> 00:25:52.980 to subscribe and connect with us on social media. 00:25:53.420 --> 00:25:56.180 Happy reading and don't trust fish. Thank you 00:25:56.180 --> 00:25:58.980 for listening to this episode of Librarians of 00:25:58.980 --> 00:26:01.539 Littles. We hope that you've enjoyed it. Check 00:26:01.539 --> 00:26:05.940 back each Wednesday for a new episode. Librarians 00:26:05.940 --> 00:26:08.700 of Littles is a podcast produced and hosted by 00:26:08.700 --> 00:26:12.359 Patrick Adams and Caroline Leger. Editor, Patrick 00:26:12.359 --> 00:26:16.140 Adams. Our theme song is performed by JD Adams. 00:26:16.579 --> 00:26:19.220 You can follow us on Instagram at Librarians 00:26:19.220 --> 00:26:24.380 of Littles. You can follow us on BlueSky at littleslibrarian 00:26:24.380 --> 00:26:28.980 .bsky .social. And you can send us your emails 00:26:28.980 --> 00:26:33.380 at librarianoflittlespodatgmail .com.