Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at Broke and Bookish Here is what they have to say:Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND sign Mister Linky at the bottom to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Don't worry if you can't come up with ten every time..just post what you can! 

This week we're looking at the Top Ten books we hope Santa brings! It's hard for me to limit my wish list to just ten books, but I'll give it a try.



1. Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal:    From the author of Little Pea, Little Hoot, and Little Oink comes a clever take on the age-old optical illusion: is it a duck or a rabbit? Depends on how you look at it. Readers will find more than just Amy Krouse Rosenthal's signature sense of humor here--there is also a subtle lesson for kids who don't know when to let go of an argument. This is a smart, simple story that will make readers of all ages eager to take a side, Duck! Rabbit! makes it easy to agree on at least one thing: reading it again!


2. Fancy Nancy: Fashionista! A Coloring and Activity Book by Jane O'Connor. This one would have to be a late Christmas present as it's not released until January 4th. And yes, it's a coloring book, but I love Fancy Nancy and I'd love trying my hand at picking colors for her.  Product description: This fun-filled coloring and activity book contains coloring pages, mazes, connect-the-dots, and much, much more. It's perfect for any aspiring fashionista. (That's a fancy word for someone who really, really loves fashion!)


3. Judy Moody's Double-rare Way-Not-Boring Book of Fun Stuff to Do by Megan McDonald. 

Ready to join the T.P. (Take out your Pencil) Club? Get the low-down on
Screamin’ Mimi’s ice cream; knock yourself out learning knock-knock jokes; try out your Judy Moody trivia with quizzes and crosswords; plan a Judy-themed birthday party; make your own Me collage, cootie catcher, or custom T-shirt; and much, MUCH more. Whether the reader has just met Judy or is already her biggest fan, this fun-fi lled activity book — complete with twenty-four stickers — absolutely and positively rates a "rare squared."

4. Chalk by Bill Thomson - This wordless picture book tells the story of three children who find a bag of magical chalk at the playground on a rainy day. Their drawings come to life, which seems great when a drawing of the sun stops the rain, but is scary when a dinosaur stalks them. A drawing of a rain cloud inside a play tube brings the rain back and dissolves the frightening creature. This imaginative story is the perfect showcase for Thomson's extraordinary pictures. Though they look like photos or computer-generated images, each one is actually composed using traditional techniques with acrylics and colored pencils. 

5. Librarian on the Roof: A True Story by M. G. King: When RoseAleta Laurell arrived at the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart, TX, she found a beautiful old building rich in history but short on patrons, particularly children. Attendance improved as she updated the collection, pushed for computers, and addressed the needs of the Spanish-speaking community, but she needed substantial funding if she was going to provide an attractive and appropriate children's section. What does any dedicated librarian do in such a situation? RoseAleta elected to pack a tent and supplies and be hoisted 50 feet up to the library's roof, and to remain there until the town raised enough money for the children. She remained on the roof for one week, braving severe weather at times. When she descended, the town had raised almost $40,000, twice her original goal. King's writing is clear and often witty, and she does a credible job of capturing Laurell's determined and forthright personality, as well as the drama and excitement of this unusual approach to fund-raising. Gilpin's hand-drawn, vibrantly colored cartoon illustrations enliven the story, particularly the spread that depicts the woman being hoisted to dizzying heights. Librarians will enjoy sharing this tribute to one of their own, but so will anyone wanting an inspirational tale of a committed and ingenious professional.

6.  The Library Gingerbread Man by Dottie Enderle: In this version of the oft-told tale, a plump, chocolaty-looking Gingerbread Man with frosting highlights, a gumdrop nose, and peppermint buttons escapes from his usual locale, in a book at number 398.2 at the library. He eludes the librarian, a word wizard (from 423.1), a giraffe (from 599.638), a robot (from 629.892), and so forth, and is pursued by a crowd of characters from each section of the Dewey decimal system, eventually meeting up with an Arctic fox (998), who offers to help him escape. Luckily, before the fox gets him, the clever librarian quickly closes the Gingerbread Man back into the book for the next eager reader. This is a clever, humorous, and basic guide to the library filled with attractive characters in a nicely appointed ambience of shelves chock-full of appealingly titled books. 

7. The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook: From Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory -- More Than 150 Magical Recipes for Muggles and Wizards by Dinah Bucholz: Bangers and mash with Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Hogwarts dining hall.

A proper cuppa tea and rock cakes in Hagrid's hut.Cauldron cakes and pumpkin juice on the Hogwarts Express.
With this cookbook, dining a la Hogwarts is as easy as Banoffi Pie! With more than 150 easy-to-make recipes, tips, and techniques, you can indulge in spellbindingly delicious meals drawn straight from the pages of your favorite Potter stories, such as:

• Treacle Tart--Harry's favorite dessert
• Molly's Meat Pies--Mrs. Weasley's classic dish
• Kreacher's French Onion Soup
• Pumpkin Pasties--a staple on the Hogwarts Express cart

With a dash of magic and a drop of creativity, you'll conjure up the entrees, desserts, snacks, and drinks you need to transform ordinary Muggle meals into magickal culinary masterpieces, sure make even Mrs. Weasley proud!


8. Judy Moody: Girl Detective by Megan McDonald: Judy Moody is a Nancy Drew fan, so she is thrilled when it seems mysteries are all around her. First she figures out who stole her candy, but that’s Stink, of course. Then she locates her teacher’s glasses, though they weren’t exactly stolen. But when Mr. Chips, a police pup, goes missing, she has a real case on her hands. Kids who know the Nancy Drew books will enjoy this even more, as many Drewisms are sprinkled throughout. Mysteries and Moody, a winning combination.


9.  Fancy Nancy: Aspiring Artist by Jane O'Connor (this would have to be another late present as it is not due out until April of 2011.)


10. The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner: Atticus Higginbottom (Tick) is relatively happy, even though he wishes that he were a little braver or could make the bullies disappear. Then he gets a mysterious letter that begins a strange adventure into alternate realities. According to the letter, he and hundreds of other young people around the world have a choice: save the world by solving a puzzle or burn the letter and go on with their lives as usual. The 13-year-old is sure that it's a hoax, but once he begins getting the other clues from strange visitors, he is determined to figure out the puzzle. 


What do you want Santa to bring you?