"Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko

This book is a lot of fun and has an interesting look at history. Moose and his family has just moved to Alcatraz Island. His father is going to be working on the island and his sister Natalie will be going to a special school in San Francisco. Moose is not too thrilled to be leaving his life behind, but as the novel progresses, he gets used to be the neighbor of many notorious criminals including Al Capone himself. Because Natalie is different from other children (in the author's note, Choldenko describes how Natalie has autism, it just wasn't specifically known about during the time frame of the novel) and because of this, Moose is under the watchful eye of the warden while Natalie is staying with her family on the island. But even so, he still gets caught up when the warden's daughter, Piper conceives a plan to charge their classmates to have their clothes cleaned by the convicts of Alcatraz. This book is full of laughs and contains many facts from Alcatraz's history.

Part of this book's appeal for me was that I have visited Alcatraz. I love when I can read a book and actually visualize the location, not just have to imagine what it may look like. I also love that Choldenko includes that author's note at the end of the novel that gives further back story into the history of Alcatraz Island. I love when a fiction book can be paired with a non-fiction book so as a way to better spark the interest of kids and this is a perfect example of a book that can do so. This book also touches on the fact that the Great Depression was also taking place during this time. Al Capone Does My Shirts is a great book, especially for boys who will probably enjoy reading what it may have been like to live on such an island.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"The Little Moose Who Could Not Sleep - A Maynard Moose Tale" by Willy Claflin, Illustrated by James Stimson

As someone who is lucky enough to have seen many storytellers in person, Willy Claflin being one of them, I think that The Little Moose Who Couldn't Go to Sleep would translate much better when being told instead of being read. While the tale is extremely cute, it was a little too long and I have found that picture books with big chunks of texts tend to lose kids' interest quickly.

The premise of this book is great. Little Moose just can't sleep no matter how hard she tries. Her brain just won't be quiet and she is up all night. Because of this she can't pay attention in school and her teachers, principal and parents aren't too happy. They keep trying to figure out how she can fall asleep. She eats legumes, goes to bed early and even counts sheep. Will anything help her fall asleep?

This is the kind of book that would be great for a kiddo in a situation similar to Little Moose's. However, there were a couple of things that kind of let me down. Length was a big one.  While I often read children's books for my own enjoyment, I can't help but read them with a kids reaction in mind. I just can't see most kids sitting still while this book is being read to them. Because I have seen Claflin tell stories I am almost certain that it's verbal rendition would keep their attention better. That being said, the copy I reviewed did not come with an audio cd so there's the possibility that reading the book along with said cd would make for a better experience. Overall, I did like this book. The illustrations are adorable and the plot is very fun. Definitely recommend tracking down some videos of Claflin for kiddos (and adults) that like this book- or better yet, go see him in person!