Weird Oklahoma

I have been a little busy this week, so I thought I would blog about a fun coffee table book. They have "Weird" books for many of our 50 states, and a few Weird U.S. books. I have flipped through a few of the different state books and find them fun. These are books that are great for something you can just flip through, and pick and choose what you want to read. Sure, you can read them front to back too. They are full of fun facts about each state and not the kind of stuff you find in your normal history book. Weird Oklahoma has lots of great pictures and fun tales, some fact and some fiction. Being a book about Oklahoma, it also has some interesting Native American legends. This is a great book if you're looking for a different kind of travel guide. It also is great for its many legends and ghost stories. My nine year old especially likes the scary ghost stories (he has hit that age where he likes to scare himself). I enjoy reading it for the history and learning about the off the main road attractions. I think there is a little something for everyone in this book, there is even UFO stories and a section called Bizarre Beasts. There are some gruesome murder stories in this book though, since that would also be a part of any state's history, so for younger children it would be a parent monitored book. Parents might want to look through the more child friendly sections like Personalized Properties or Roadside Oddities. This is a book that would be fun to pick out a few strange facts to cover or teach about Oklahoma, so it is like a textbook for weird and strange facts. I think it is worth a look, and for adults as a coffee table book it could bring up some interesting conversations.

Grumpy Cat

I bought this book a few years ago on a bit of a whim since I love cats. It was one of those days I was at the book store pulling things that looked interesting and new. After I brought it home, I sat down to actually read it and was pleased I had picked it up.

Grumpy Cat is a book about a cat that everyone thinks is grumpy, but he is really just lonely. The other cats never even try to play with Grumpy Cat because he looks too grumpy. This all changes one day when Grumpy Cat gets stuck out in the pouring rain. He is soaked and soon looks down and sees a little kitten has taken refuge between Grumpy Cats paws. When the rain stops, Grumpy Cat tries to walk away from Kitten, but Kitten thinks she has found a friend and follows Grumpy Cat. Grumpy Cat tries to lose Kitten in many different ways, but Kitten just keeps following and trying to play. Finally Grumpy Cat climbs up a tree, and while Kitten is trying to reach him she starts to fall. Quickly, Grumpy Cat catches her and makes sure she is safe. Then, he even goes and gets a fish for them to share. Grumpy Cat and Kitten from then on become best friends.

This book is obviously for very young children. I have found this book especially good for Pre-K and Kindergarten students at the beginning of the school year. We talk about getting to know someone before deciding what you think about them. Many young students are shy their first year of school, and some just haven't learned how to make friends. This book leads to a good discussion on how to help children learn to make friends. Students also enjoy the large pictures and fall in love with Grumpy Cat.