Reviews-Library Books

PUB DATE: September 2008

ABOUT THE BOOK:
In a reassuring manner, Robie H. Harris and Molly Bang portray what happens when a little boy feels SO frustrated and SO mad at a parent who has said NO all day long. In this family book about what it feels like to say–and hear–those other three words, Harris and Bang delicately navigate the most profound bonds between a parent and a child.

MICHAEL’S THOUGHTS:
Leo is VERY tired of his mommy’s NOs (No rolling tomatoes ont he floor. No Dropping string beans int he fish bowl! No dancing on the table. No yelling MOMMY SALAMI while I’m on the phone! ) that he decides to got to his room and tells her that nobody can say no there.

Although he realizes really quickly that there’s no such thing when Mommy walks in and gasps another No to him. Leo is furious that he yells at her and tells her to go to her room for a hundred days. She tells Leo that there is times she has to say No to him. Still upset with her he yells “I HATE YOU!” He realizes what he has said and wishes he could take it back but he can’t. When his mother asks him what he said he tries to cover it up by saying he hates broccoli but she knows the difference. They talk about the words I HATE YOU and how hurtful they can be.

I think all kids can relate to this book as it shows that anger and tempers are normal. Reading this book was a great conversation piece as it explained why I say NO to Michael and he let me know in turn that its good that we say NO to him in certain cases.

Michael loved the illustrations in the book because they blended paper cutouts and photographs with lots of movement and color to liven the pictures up.

PUB DATE: September 2008

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Don’t be fooled by the pillbox hats, pearl necklaces, or support hose. Ignore the walkers, hearing aids, and false teeth. Little old ladies are people to be reckoned with and lead far more exciting lives than we could ever imagine. To benefit from these wonderful women, all you have to do is listen.
In this quirky, uproarious picture book, Franziska Kalch uncovers the secrets of this often misunderstood population. You won’t find these old ladies feeding the ducks at the pond or walking at the local mall. Instead, look for them at the trendiest dance clubs or basking by the pool. They have so many experiences and ideas to share. We just have to ask.

MICHAEL’S THOUGHTS:

This was a cute story book about little old ladies that Michael enjoyed listening too as we have an aunt (great great great aunt to Michael) that is always referred to as the little old lady.

I think we take little old ladies for granted and think that they lead a dull and unexciting life but in this story we discover that they lead quite the opposite life. 

The illustrations in the book are so cute and funny and go well with the story as it goes on.

Before they were little old ladies they were dancers, teachers, doctors and many more things. They also how alot of life experiences that we might have forgotten about. (The illustration shows them all at the park having fun swinging and sliding.) They also seem to know everything going on. (Michael loved the illustration for this one as it showed the little old ladies in a room, one typing  on a typewriter whats going on, one using binoculars to spy out the window, one listening to the radio, one using a horn to listen next door and one with all kinds of mail.)

So if you wonder why they always seem to sleep during the day its because they don’t sleep well at night.

They do so much that we are unaware of so the next time you see a little old lady and she talks to you take a few minutes to listen to her.

PUB DATE: August 2007

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Artist and designer Barbara Wyn Klunder takes on classic nursery rhymes and turns them on their heads, adding her own quirky twist to familiar favorites. Rock-a-bye baby laments the loss of her treetop to logging. Old Mother Hubbard must resort to a food bank. Jack and Jill discover that their well water is polluted, and Mary watches her garden flourish with weeding and fertilizing. Second-hand smoke, recycling, allergies, logging, pollution, oil spills, gasoline shortages and crooked politicians are all treated with Klunderesque whimsy and wit. Graphically striking, spiky, engaging black-and-white illustrations drive the point home — what are we doing to the planet?

MICHAEL’S THOUGHTS:

The book is filled with classic nursery rhymes such as Little Miss Muffet, Hey Diddle Diddle, Star Light Star bright and twenty others but they are all redone in a modern twist that cover enviromental issues, money and others.

This was a cute and funny book with great illustrations to go along with the rhyme.

I have to say my favorite was this one:

Hey Diddle Diddle
Hey, diddle diddle,
The cat played the fiddle and
The cow recorded the tune.
The laughing dog
Sent out his blog
And the dish sailed right past the moon.

Michael got a kick out of the rhymes he thought they were funny and laughed the whole time.

PUB DATE: May, 2006

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Henry’s a young rooster who loves to have fun. He plays cards with the goats, listens to moosic with the cows, and pops corn with the pigs. After a long night of fun, however, Henry just can’t get up early in the morning. His mom insists he’s not lazy; Henry just isn’t a morning rooster. But Henry’s father is off to a convention for a week – guess who must take his place and crow the sun up each morning?

Poor Henry. He’s just not cut out for this crowing business. But if he doesn’t find a way to make it to work on time, the sun won’t rise when it’s supposed to, the farmer and his wife will be late, and all the farm chores won’t get done. They’re all depending on Henry. Will he learn to be a morning rooster after all?

MICHAEL”S THOUGHTS:
This was one of the stories from the summer reading program story time and in the picture is the craft that was made to accompany the book.

This was a funny story and one that Michael said was almost like him. I have to tell you that Michael likes to sleep and he loves it when he can. I have to say that Michael has always been someone who likes to sleep.

Henry wasn’t a morning person but a night owl who would rather sleep during the day and have fun at night which is really funny seeing that he is a rooster.

When Henry’s father goes away to a convention Henry is forced to take his place.  The first morning Henry had a hard time to cock a doodle do because he stayed up late playing cards with the goats and popping corn with the pigs.

The next morning his mother had to shake him out of bed because he stayed out really late to play with the sheep and dance with the cows.

On the third day his mother over slept and was really upset at Henry because he stayed out really really late the night before and now everyone on the farm had over slept. Everyone was mad at Henry for not waking them up and they blamed Henry.

What was poor Henry to do? He tried to bribe his mother into waking the farm up but she couldnt’ because she was a hen. He tried to bribe his sisters, and his friend Betsy the cow. Finally Henry went to see the wise old goat for advise.

After seeing the wise old goat Henry had an idea. What do you think that idea was? Would it be the solution to his problem? Would he be able to wake himself and the farm up?

PUB DATE: March 2006

This was on the new release section of our library. When I picked up the book I thought it might be a good book.

The age range is 4 to 8. Michael wasn’t sure about this book. He thought it was a little long for him. I could see about half way that he was loosing interest in the book. He asked alot of questions about the words that were used such as: predilection, exultant, melliflvous, djinn, and tintinnabulating and what they meant. At one point he looked at me and said “Mommy why can’t they just say that instead of using that word?”

Its a cute story about words. Selig (the boy in the story, with the nickname Wordsworth) collects words and writes them down. The words he collects are ones that stir his heart (Mama!) and ones that make him laugh (giggle). When he is faced with having too many words he wonders what to do with so many words? One night a djinn comes to him in a dream. The djinn tells Selig that he has to find his purpose and Selig decides to leave to find his purpose. He spends the night in a tree and is awaken to the sounds of his words. Its a poet who is stuck in writting a poem. Selig doesn’t realize it at first but his words have helped a poet find the perfect words for his poem (lozenge, lemon, and licorice). Selig figures it out, he discovers that his purpose is to spread the word to others. Selig begins to sprinkle, disburse, and broadcast them to people in need. In the end, years later when Selig is older and lonely Selig hears a marvelous sound in the breeze. He follows the sound and comes upon a young woman playing a lute. He asks her name, Melody. It was love at first listen.

So if one day you happen to think, write or even talk and that perfect word just happens to come to you just remember that Selig is near. If you happen to hum or suddenly burst into a song for no reason then perhaps Melody is near by too.