Shelf Elf: read, write, rave.

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12/12/11--18:25: Bunheads (chan 1505040)

Snowflakes are falling here on the blog. Christmas cookies have been made. The nog is brewing. You can practically hear the Sugar Plum fairy floating around in her tutu, right? Well then, I’d say it’s just the right time for Bunheads, the perfect novel for any balletomane, no matter the time of year. Plus, you [...]


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bunheads

12/22/11--05:18: Wishing for a Merry Doggy Christmas (chan 1505040)

Christmas is nearly here.  I have made (and consumed) a lot of peppermint bark, but there’s a little bark missing, and it belongs to him: My pooch is sick. He has been at the vet for 5 miserably long days. The boy has pancreatitis. This is not fun. He’s skinny and stinky and he’s a [...]


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mall

zoe-and-beans-zoes-christmas-list

12/29/11--07:07: Matched (chan 1505040)

First off, good news! My pooch is home. He was home for Christmas. He has spent the bulk of the past five days sleeping in front of the tree (good boy!) in his fleece-lined doggy hoodie, being patted and whispered to and told that he is wonderful and wise and brave. The other day the [...]


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matched

01/03/12--17:54: Cybils Finalists Are Here! (chan 1505040)

Just in case you didn’t get enough outstanding books for Christmas this year, you should be able to find plenty to entice you over at the Cybils blog since the 2011 finalists have been announced. Of course, I’m particularly interested in the Middle Grade Fiction list, since I’m excited to be a member of the [...]


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cybils2011

01/06/12--14:35: AGAIN! (chan 1505040)

How is it that Emily Gravett manages to create in every book she produces something that is creative and charming and beautiful that leaves you smiling and wanting to read it all over again? Well in AGAIN! we have not only a book that has all of the aforementioned qualities, but it happens to be [...]


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again!-by-emily-gravett-500

01/12/12--04:52: Completely brilliant. Another reason to hug an independent bookseller. (chan 1505040)

Over the holidays, when I saw this, of course I thought the next moment of my beloved Flying Dragon. If like me, this makes you wonder if you can keep believing in the magic of independent booksellers, maybe you should take a look at this: There it is. Magic. Never seen a gang of e-book [...]


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01/22/12--10:19: Extra Yarn. I love it (and not just because there are dogs wearing sweaters in it). (chan 1505040)

I am more than a little bit in love with Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, with illustrations by the always stylish Jon Klassen. It is not because I currently have a lot of extra yarn in my house from my former days of knitting semi-glory (some of it is in Gryffindor colours for a scarf [...]


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extrayarn

phone booth cosy

01/27/12--14:40: Bake Sale (chan 1505040)

Bake Sale by Saran Varon is a quirky little confection from the talented lady who brought us the beautifully understated graphic novel, Robot Dreams. It is a treat to look at, and it has recipes from the story collected at the end, for any aspiring bakers out there. Bake Sale is every bit as visually [...]


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bake sale

02/05/12--07:07: Dumpling Days (chan 1505040)

Grace Lin’s Dumpling Days is a book that is so easy to like. It has believable and sweet family dynamics, gentle humour, a wonderful sense of place, and a lot of talk about dumplings. It’s always great to discover a book that is perfectly written for the age group, that you feel you can place [...]


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DumplingDays_comp_revised

02/13/12--12:59: The Sandwich Swap (chan 1505040)

Of course you know by now that I’m a sucker for a story that features food. Queen Rania’s picture book, The Sandwich Shop, is a food story, but it also encourages kids to be open to new experiences and different traditions. Delicious and instructive – a winning combination. In general, I’m not a big fan [...]


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sandwich