Monday, February 16, 2009

The Mighty Street Sweeper



The Mighty Street Sweeper is written by Patrick Moore. This is an informational book aimed for a young audience. I like how the endpapers have a drawing of the mighty street sweeper with its internal and external parts labeled. This book compares the street sweeper to all different kinds of trucks, plows, and tractors. In comparison to the other trucks it is a total wimp, but it does do something that no other truck, car, or tractor can do...

You not only learn about the street sweeper, but also other trucks in comparison. I like how the book is so simple, but contains so much interesting information.

Good Enough to Eat


Good Enough to Eat by Lizzy Rockwell is an informational book for children about food and nutrition. This book provides information about what is good to eat and why it is important to eat. It teaches children about different nutrients in food and how they help your body function. I really like the illustrations in this book. They are bright, colorful, and add to the text. I like how there are colorful diagrams that are perfect for helping visual learners with the food pyramid and what happens when you digest food.
At the end of the book there are recipes that are healthy, full of nutrients, and appealing to children, such as Alphabread.

Teeny Witch and the Perfect Valentine


The Teeny Witch books series were some of my old favorites. These books are so good! Teeny Witch and the Perfect Valentine is written by Liz Matthews and illustrated by Carolyn Loh. Teeny Witch wants to give her three aunts the perfect Valentine's Day gift to show her aunts how much she loves them. Teeny sees 3 boxes of special chocolates in a store window. She thinks these chocolates would be the perfect gift to give her aunts; the only problem is Teeny doesn't have enough money. Once Teeny gets her allowance she runs straight to the store to buy the 3 boxes of chocolate, but they are sold out! Teeny is really disappointed until she arrives home where her aunts have a surprise for her. Teeny Witch and the Perfect Valentine is an adorable children's book with a really cute message.
I read this book to a 2nd grader and he thought it was hilarious. He loved Teeny's aunts, Aunt Icky, Aunt Ticky, and Aunt Vicky.

Which Witch Is Which?


Which Witch Is Which? is written by Pat Hutchins. I used to read this book over and over again when I first started to read on my own. This is a really cute book about two witches named Ella and Emily who go to a birthday party. Ella and Emily look the same but like different things. This book is fun because there are little rhymes that make a statement about the girls, such as "They played tug of war, three on each side, and Mouse's mother had to decide if Ella or Emily's team had won." Then you look at the picture and decide which witch is which based on the clues.
This book is helpful for teaching kids how to distinguish the difference between witch and which. It is a cute story and simple read. The rhyme in the book especially does it for me!

The Gas We Pass


The Gas We Pass is written by Shinta Cho. I was in the Curriculum Lab looking in the non-fiction section and came across this book. I immediately grabbed it off the shelf as a memory from my childhood surfaced. I can picture my sister and I, probably 6 and 9 years old, standing in the store laughing so hard reading this book. We could not believe there was a book about farts. We were amazed by this book!
Farts are funny for kids, but it is a natural function that we have all wondered about. What is it and where does it come from? This book provides answers to these questions and other interesting information about the gas we pass. One of the many points that intrigued me is that we always associate beans with farting and bad smelling gas. In reality meat, fish, and eggs are what make gas smell. NEWS TO ME!!!
I really like the cover of the book. It shows the elephant's behind on the front and the elephant's face on the back cover. The illustrations are simple but really funny adding to the humor of the book.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The Parent/Child Manual on Latchkey Kids

The Parent/Child Manual on Latchkey Kids is written by Charlene Solomon. I really enjoyed reading this novel and feel that it can be a very beneficial tool for parents to use with children who go home to an empty home. In day's age more and more children are going home to a house where no one is home. Solomon presents children with information on how to handle being home alone through interesting stories that keep the child engaged while also teaching them an important lesson. The book brings up various situations that could occur while the child is alone in the home and offers discussion questions for parents to converse with their children to get a true understanding about how their child feels being home alone.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Your Skin and Mine


Your Skin and Mine is written by Paul Showers. This is a good informational read for younger children learning about skin. The book covers information regarding skin color, fingerprints, fingernails, toenails, and melanin. I like how Showers goes into detail about a particular skin topic and then gives the children an activity or example to which they could easily relate. For example, Showers talks about fingertips and how they are made up of loops and ridges in your skin. He says everyone has different fingerprints. Then, Showers suggests an activity for children to do so they are able to see their fingerprints. He says to dip your fingers in paint and press the tips onto paper in order to see the design of your fingerprints. I also found the illustrations useful when he showed how Mary, Mark, and Henry all have different fingerprints. There are diagrams and illustrations of the kids performing the suggested activities. Overall, I think kids would enjoy reading this book especially if the activities are incorporated into the lesson.

Football


I have often been teased while watching football in a group of people for not understanding the rules of the game. I was in the sports section of the library and came across this informational book, Picture Library Football by Norman Barrett. I thought, "Wow! What a great chance to learn some of the basics of football." I enjoyed reading this book and feel like I learned a lot about the game. I feel that the book is appealing for someone who enjoys football and is interested in learning more about it but unexciting and boring for someone who is uninterested in football. Barrett makes a point that football may appear to be a 'disorganized free-for-all' as I once viewed it, but once you get through the book you realise that there are a lot of logistics to the game. This book is a good guide for someone looking to enhance their knowledge of football. After reading this book, I will never be able to watch a Bears game the same! Maybe I will be able to be the one to teach my friends a thing or two about football...

Hair in Funny Places


Hair in Funny Places by Babette Cole is a funny informational book about puberty. A little girl asks her bear when she will grow up to be a 'grown up.' The bear, Ted, tells her about Mr. and Mrs. Hormone and how they are in charge of turning you into a grown up. The book talks about hormones and the different effects that they have on boys and girls. The word choices that Cole uses to describe these effects are funny and keep you interested in the book. The illustrations also add to the humor as they are really funny pictures.

I think that this book would be entertaining for children learning about puberty. It adds a humorous spin to a subject that can often cause kids embarrassment when they are experiencing these changes.

Punk Wig


Punk Wig is written by Lori Ries and illustrated by Erin Eitter Kono. The narrator, a little boy, tells the story of his mother going through chemotherapy treatments to get rid of her cancer or "alien blobs" as he calls it. This is such a sweet and heartfelt story. Punk wig would be a good book for young children to learn about cancer. It teaches children about cancer treatment and the effects of chemotherapy- how it make you feel tired, weak, and sick while it also causes you to lose your hair. I really liked how the book used a cute storyline to be informative. The story was written from a little boy's perspective making the story easy for children to relate to and understand.
The illustrations by Erin Eitter Kono really added to the story. When the mother is sick from her chemo, Kono provides the reader with a good understanding of how the medication makes you feel. I also really liked the illustrations of the mom and son trying on wigs at Harriett's Hair; they were funny and lightened up an intense subject.

Why Is The Sky Blue?


Why Is The Sky Blue? is written by Jack Long and illustrated by Vern McKissack. A couple weeks ago I told my mom how I was required to read picture books weekly and blog about them. She went through boxes of books that my sister and I would read as kids. My mom sent me a box of books that she remembered being my favorites. I went through the box and found Why Is the Sky Blue? and remembered reading it as a kid. It was fun to go back and read it now as a college student.
This book contains interesting information about everything from how parrots talk to why grasshoppers hop to what causes lightning and why the grass is green. Although the information was interesting, I got bored of the book rather quickly and it became dry.
The illustrations by Vern McKissack are fun and bright.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Coaching Ms. Parker



Coaching Ms. Parker is a children's novel written by Carla Heymsfeld. Studying to be an elementary teacher, coaching girls' softball , and working as a sports camp counselor during the summer I was attracted to this novel when I picked it up off the shelf. I really appreciated the storyline of the novel and think that it is a good book that children would really enjoy reading. This novel tells the story of a 4th grader named Mike. Mike is a baseball fanatic and often finds himself falling behind in his reading and journal writing assignments. When Ms. Parker, Mike's teacher, learns of the annual teachers vs. 6th graders baseball game, she becomes panicked since baseball is not her thing. Mike and his classmates come together to help Ms. Parker practice for the big game. While Mike helps Ms. Parker with baseball, Ms. Parker helps Mike discover an interest in reading. Mike and Ms. Parker form a close student-teacher relationship as they share their areas of expertise with one another.

Children would find interest and entertainment while reading this novel. I really like how Mike and his classmates work together as a class to coach Ms. Parker. This novel sends children a positive message about the way student-teacher relationships should be.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Don't Make Me Go Back, Mommy


Don't Make Me Go Back, Mommy is written by Doris Sanford and illustrated by Graci Evans. This book is about a little girl named Allison who has been ritually abused at her day care. Allison has been told by the daycare that she is not to tell anyone about what happens in the "movie star room." Allison's parents notice that she has been acting scared and realize that something is wrong with her. Allison's parents and counselor console Allison letting her know that it was right of her tell and that she will never have to go back to the day care again. They constantly remind Allison of their love for her. This book discusses a deep and serious subject. I thought the book was really heavy and intense. Don't Make Me Go Back, Mommy teaches children that it is important to speak up and tell someone if they are being abused. Children are made aware that they won't be punished for telling someone in authority about a situation like this. Personally, I found the book and illustrations quite heavy and disturbing; therefore, I think that it is too intense of a book to share with children.

Dog Show


Dog Show written by Elizabeth Winthrop and illustrated by Mark Ulriksen is about a man named Harvey who enters his dog, Fred, in the town's annual dog show. He enters Fred in as many competitions as he can, but Fred doesn't win any of them. It was a long day for Harvey and Fred. Just as they were about to go home in disappointment, Fred drags Harvey to the judges table where they are presented with an award.
Dog show was an okay book. It didn't really do much for me. Although the story didn't wow me, I really liked the illustrations and colorfulness of the book. I think children would be fascinated by the book's vibrant illustrations. I really liked the expressions Ulriksen used for both Harvey and Freds' faces. I also found humor in some of the illustrations; for instance, the scene when Fred and Harvey first try on their costumes!

Uncle What-Is-It Is Coming To Visit!!


Uncle What-Is-It Is Coming to Visit!! by Michael Willhoite is a book about a brother and sister, Igor and Tiffany, who learn that their gay uncle, Brett, is coming to visit. Tiffany and Igor don't know what the word gay means. A couple older neighbor boys tell Igor and Tiffany that a gay person is a guy who wants to be a woman and dresses in women's clothes. The other neighbor boy tells them that gay men wear all black leather like the Hell's Angels. After talking with the neighbor boys Tiffany and Igor don't know what to expect and are scared for Uncle Brett's arrival. When Uncle Brett arrives, Tiffany and Igor have a lot of fun with him and think he's cool. Uncle Brett explains to them what gay means and they learn a lesson about the negative stereotypes of gay people.
Children's books about gays and lesbians are very controversial. I think that Uncle What-Is-It Is Coming to Visit!! is a good, child-friendly guide to introducing the topic homosexuality to children. The book not only introduces and provides an explaination for the terms "gay" and "lesbian," but it teaches children the negative stereotypes affilated with being homosexual.

Star of the Week


I picked this book, Star of the Week by Barney Saltzberg, to read with my second grade reading buddy. He really seemed to enjoy the book and was especially interested in the illustrations. The story is about Stanley Birdbaum who is so excited to finally be chosen as star of the week. He couldn't wait to share his favorite things with his class. The week wasn't going as Stanley planned and just as he was about to share no more, Stanley, with the help of one of his classmates begins a new class craze. I like the message that the book portrays as it encourages children not to back down or give up if things aren't immediately going their way. It is important to stick out what you have begun because as Stanley Birdbaum found out you never know what will happen in the end!
I thought the illustrations were fitting and added to the story. The illustrations were very useful for the end of the story when Stanley was showing the class how he draws. My reading buddy was amused by the illustrations of Stanley's "squiggle drawings." Instead of just reading about the squiggle drawings, the illustrations allowed us to see what these new drawings are. My reading buddy was entertained and enthralled by Stanley being able to turn two squiggles into a picture of a bird looking for lunch. Good job, Stanley! I knew you had it in you!

Lucky Pennies and Hot Chocolate


I went to the library and was drawn to Lucky Pennies and Hot Chocolate written by Carol Diggory Shields and illustrated by Hiroe Nakata. I think it was the title that caught my eye and sparked my interest in this book. I LOVED Lucky Pennies and Hot Chocolate. It is absolutely adorable! It is a simple, quick read that tells a cute story about a grandfather-grandson relationship. Shields begins the book, "My favorite person in the world is coming for a visit." She writes the book in a way that leads the reader to believe that the grandson is the narrator. The narrator uses simple language and childish words/thoughts to describe what one of their visits typically entails. The ending of the story is what made the book so likeable for me. At the end the reader comes to discover that the story was actually being narrated by the grandfather and not the grandson. I instantly fell in love with the grandfather. What a sweet man! Ahh... my heart melted! I liked the book so much that I went back and reread it. It was kind of interesting to read it again knowing that the grandfather is the narrator. It was better the first time being surprised by the ending, but it still brought a smile to my face the second time around. Cute, cute, cute. Good job Carol Diggory Shields. What a creative spin!