Tag: picture books

REVIEW: Little Ghost Makes a Friend by Maggie Edkins Willis

REVIEW: Little Ghost Makes a Friend by Maggie Edkins Willis

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Little Ghost has always wanted a friend, but he’s been worried he might scare people away. When someone new moves in next door, and she likes so many of the same things that he does, Little Ghost decides to be brave and invite her over for Halloween.

Review

This is such a sweet friendship story! The artwork is lovely, and the pastel fall colors add to the cozy vibe. And happily, Little Ghost and Anya hit it off right away. She also tells Little Ghost that she’s happy to be his friend exactly as he is – and her human friends agree. This is a super sweet read for the season – check this one out!

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: The Recess Genius by Janet Sumner Johnson

REVIEW: The Recess Genius by Janet Sumner Johnson

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Regina Grey is used to going unseen. School things are tricky. Her younger brother is a handful. Regina is happy to lose herself in her books.

But then she helps someone solve a problem at recess. And then someone else. And someone else. She’s really good at it – and everyone is noticing her.

But all of that noticing is getting in the way of Regina’s reading time. She has her own problem to fix!

Review

I have had this book on my wish list for months. It’s a fun story I think kids will enjoy.

Regina has an unusual gift – one that isn’t always celebrated in stories. Or in real life. I loved seeing her highlighted here. I also enjoyed her journey to discovering how good it feels to be seen and valued.

This would be a fun read aloud for a new school year!

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

THROW BACK: The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett

THROW BACK: The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett

Posted on by Jaymie

This review was originally posted on my Bring on the Books blog on March 8, 2013. This is another book that was a hoot to read aloud with students. 

Summary

On the same day, a farmer discovers a small pig in his wagon and a queen is holding her baby girl. In one rash move, the baby tumbles from the tower into the wagon and the piglet is bounced from the hay up into the princess’s crib. The farmer and his wife believe a fairy has turned their pig into a child as a gracious and benevolent act while the king and queen believe an angry fairy has turned their princess into a pig because she wasn’t invited to the christening. The girl grows up sweet and charming while the pig is just a pig. Eventually, the farmer and his wife realize what has happened. Sadly they head off to the castle to make things right….

Review

I won’t spoil the fun by telling the end. Instead I’ll only say this book was a delight to read from beginning to end. I found this one at the Scholastic Book Fair at our church and my first thought after reading this was, “Why wasn’t THIS book in my preview pack!” I thought it was far better than anything else Scholastic had included in their pre-packaged preview sets for advertising their spring fairs. I can’t wait to read this one to my students and rave about it to every teacher and parent who comes through our fair at the end of the month. This was a winner!

5 out of 5 stars

 

THROW BACK: The Really Really Really Big Dinosaur by Richard Byrne

THROW BACK: The Really Really Really Big Dinosaur by Richard Byrne

Posted on by Jaymie

This review was originally posted on my Bring on the Books blog on November 2, 2012. This did become a book I would read to my students frequently – and it was always a hit! This is the sort of book that kids want to read again when it’s done so they can check out the illustrations for all of the hints they missed the first time through. One of my favorite memories is a kid blurting out something he noticed in our first read through and having him Shhh (with a wink) so the other kids could discover it too.

Summary and Review

A little dinosaur is minding his own business, counting jellybeans, when a bigger dinosaur walks by. Being a friendly little guy, the small dinosaur offers the bigger dinosaur one. But the bigger dinosaur is a bit of a bully, and he decides he wants all of the jellybeans. But they don’t belong to the little dinosaur. He says they actually belong to his BIG friend. The two dinosaurs argue back and forth about who’s the biggest and best until the big dinosaur finally meets the little dino’s very BIG friend.

Fantastic!! So funny! I can imagine reading this to my students – they will love it!!

5 out of 5 stars

THROW BACK: Silly Doggy by Adam Stower

THROW BACK: Silly Doggy by Adam Stower

Posted on by Jaymie

This review was originally posted on my Bring on the Books blog on May 22, 2012. I did end up putting this in the school library, along with the sequel Naughty Kitty. Both were a hoot to read aloud with students.

Summary and Review

Lily has always wanted a doggy, and when she spies a big, furry brown critter in the back yard, she is thrilled.

5 out of 5 stars

This book was a total surprise! I was hooked from page 2 and had to buy it. I’m still not sure if it’s going to be for school or if I’m going to keep it for myself. For me, a five star book is one that surprises me in its delightfulness. This is such a book.

THROW BACK: Goldlilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson

THROW BACK: Goldlilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson

Posted on by Jaymie

This review was originally posted on my Bring on the Books blog on November 16, 2012. And I was right – this was a fantastic read aloud for the library. I developed a lesson series for the end of the school year based on fractured fairy tales and this was one of the books I used in that curriculum.

Summary and Review

A bear gets lost and wanders into the big city. Looking for a quiet place to rest and regroup, he wanders into a penthouse where he looks for some “just right” porridge, a “just right” chair and a “just right” spot to nap. When the family comes home, the bear and the mom recognize one another from a long ago adventure when the roles were reversed.

Such a cute twist on the classic Goldilocks story. I can’t wait to read this one to my students. It is a treat! I’m thinking about pairing it with Children Make Terrible Pets or Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs for reading time in the library.

5 out of 5 stars

SABBATICAL: Five Star Reviews for Kids

SABBATICAL: Five Star Reviews for Kids

Posted on by Jaymie

This week my sabbatical posts will be links to the books that earned a five star review from me. Today my focus will be on books for kids. This list will include picture books as well as middle grade and older middle grade books that I adored. Some of the reviews you will find in the full list include outstanding books that didn’t make it into a Year in Review post like these:

Madeline Finn and the Library Dog
Solving for M
Wedgie and Gizmo
Mabel Opal Pear and the Rules for Spying
Sidetracked
Framed

Here’s the full list: Five Star Reviews for Kids

BONUS REVIEW: It's My Tree by Olivier Tallec

BONUS REVIEW: It’s My Tree by Olivier Tallec

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

A squirrel declares his love for trees in general and one tree in particular. He’s so attached to his tree – and its pine cones – that he starts to worry that someone will try to take it from him. What could he do to protect his tree?

Review

The illustrations here are exceptional. I love this little squirrel! This plays out like an old cartoon – I could see it in my mind like I was watching Looney Tunes or Tom and Jerry. There’s one frame in particular – after a white page of text, there’s a full picture without text – that’s my absolute favorite spot in the whole book. It’s a highlight in a collection of great pages.

I found it interesting that the squirrel struggles with some grass-is-always-greener/fear-of-missing-out sorts of thoughts just when he gets his tree protected. I’m not sure the intended audience will think much about it, but adults reading along and older kids who read this themselves or who have teachers who use it in the classroom might have some fascinating discussions about what they notice and what they think is going on in the story.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Hug? by Charlene Chua

BONUS REVIEW: Hug? by Charlene Chua

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

When a girl’s cat gets sick, she offers a hug to help it feel better. Then, a dog asks her for a hug next. Then a family of ducks. And a skunk. The girl continues to say yes, even when she’s uncertain, until things go too far.

Review

This is a cute story with excellent illustrations. I read it twice so I could really take in the changes in the girl’s hair and the condition of her clothes as the story goes on. On the surface, this is a story about the power of hugs, but it seems to have other layers when you take in the illustrations.

A case could be made that this is a book about boundaries. The girl gets to a point where she says no – first when someone goes too far and then again when the requests become overwhelming. There’s no clear discussion of this in the text of the book, but these things could be discussed with kids as the book is read. I could see this fitting perfectly into conversations about kids having the right to say no to requests for hugs, about boundaries with their bodies, and about boundaries in general.

This was great!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Thing Lou Couldn't Do by Ashley Spires

REVIEW: The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do by Ashley Spires

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Lou and her friends are brave adventurers. But Lou prefers that her adventures take place on the ground. And her friends want to play pirates up in a tree. She tries hiding, distraction and excuses. Yet her friends are having a blast playing pirates up in the tree while Lou watches from the ground. What can she do?

Review

I have loved Ashley Spires work for years! (Binky the Space Cat, The Most Magnificent Thing, Larf) The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do is a great companion to The Most Magnificent Thing. Both books look at perseverance from different perspectives.

The illustrations are always my favorite part of Ashley Spires’ work. In this book, I enjoyed the diversity of the group of friends. Lou’s cat companion is sweet. Lou’s expressions are great for conveying her emotions as she contemplates an adventure she’s not sure she can tackle.

Lou’s response to the challenge of climbing the tree is typical. Kids (and parents/teachers) will likely see themselves in Lou. She tries to distract her friends with things to play on the ground. She also tries to think of ways to get up with her friends without having to climb. Excuses. Anger and frustration. The reader can totally understand where Lou’s coming from. Apparently her friends do, too, because they offer to help her, and they don’t get mad or tease her.

My favorite part comes at the end. While Lou doesn’t have success in the book, she doesn’t give up. She keeps coming back and keeps trying again.

Many thanks to the publisher for an electronic review copy of The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do which they provided in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥