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| # | cover | title | author | isbn | isbn13 | asin | num pages | avg rating | num ratings | date pub | date pub (ed.) | rating | my rating | review | notes | recommender | comments | votes | read count | date started | date read |
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date purchased | owned | purchase location | condition | format | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0061998168
| 9780061998164
| 4.39
| 6,003
| Sep 20, 2011
| Sep 20, 2011
|
 After reading many of Shel Silverstein’s books including Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic, I stumbled upon one of his most recent boo...more After reading many of Shel Silverstein’s books including Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic, I stumbled upon one of his most recent books, which is called “Every Thing on It” and it is just as surreal and hilarious as his previous works! Basically, this book contains poems written by Shel Silverstein and some of my favorites include: All Packed Me and Joe, we’re all packed up, Me and Joe, we’ve got our tickets, Me and Joe, we’re set to go- Hey, wait a minute… Where’s Joe? Whoosh My hair blower worked in reverse today- There’s really not much more to say. What I always loved so much about Shel Silverstein’s books is that the books are always surreal and hilarious, making Shel Silverstein’s books so creative to read through. I have always thought of Shel Silverstein being like Dr. Seuss as his poems would usually have a rhyming scheme and often has outlandish situations happen to the characters; however Shel Silverstein’s poems are often much edgier than Dr. Seuss’ poems since most of his poems involves characters getting hurt or eaten. But, it is that slightly dark quality that I always loved about Shel Silverstein’s poems and this book definitely did not disappoint me in this approach! I loved the surreal nature of these poems as the characters would often meet creatures that are seriously out of this world, such as the poem “My Zoootch” where the bird-like creature actually helps scare a child’s nightmares away. I also loved Shel Silverstein’s illustrations as they are bizarre and simplistic at the same time and I think the black and white colorings of the illustrations really made this book even more unique from the other children’s books.  Parents should know that there are some suggestive poems in this book that includes characters getting hurt or eaten by various creatures. One poem that might disturb small children is the poem “My Hat” which shows an image of a small children wearing an extremely frightening hat that is shaped into a scary face and the illustration of the hat is so detailed that small children will be terrified by the image. Parents might want to read this book before they read it to their children to see if their children can handled some of the somewhat disturbing poems in this book. Overall, “Every Thing on it” is a truly superb book for children who are fans of Shel Silverstein’s works and are looking for books that have surreal images and poems! I would recommend this book to children ages seven and up since it is extremely lengthy and some of the poems might be a bit too suggestive for younger children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| May 04, 2013
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May 04, 2013
| Hardcover
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| 0786837462
| 9780786837465
| 4.33
| 9,106
| Apr 01, 2006
| Apr 01, 2006
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Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? and The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!. These are all the books I had read so far from Mo Wil...more
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? and The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!. These are all the books I had read so far from Mo Willems’ popular “Pigeon” series! Recently, I had read another book from Mo Willems’ fantastic “Pigeon” series and it is called “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay up Late!” With witty dialogue and cute illustrations, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay up Late!” is a fantastic read for children who are fans of the “Pigeon” series! When the Bus Driver tells the readers that they have to make sure that the Pigeon does not stay up late, the Pigeon comes in and starts trying to persuade the readers to let him stay up late. Once again, Mo Willems has amazed me with his witty dialogues and humorous illustrations in his popular “Pigeon” series! I loved the way that Mo Willems made the dialogue simplistic enough for small children to get a grasp on what is going on with Pigeon and yet is able to make the dialogue from the Pigeon hilarious enough for adults to enjoy. I loved the way that the Pigeon tries to persuade the readers to let him stay up late as many hilarious dialogues pop up whenever he is trying to convince everyone that he should stay up late. One of my most favorite quotes from the Pigeon was this: “How about five more minutes? Come on! What’s five minutes in the grand scheme of things!?” Mo Willems also did a fantastic job at exploring a parent’s frustrations at getting their own children to go to bed and having the Pigeon trying to persuade the readers to let him stay up late is really something that many parents would enjoy reading over and over again! I also loved Mo Willems’ illustrations as they were hilarious to look at and I also loved the simplistic drawings of the illustrations as they were extremely cute to look at! I really loved the image of the Pigeon himself as he has blue fur and constantly has crazy expressions on his face whenever he desperately wants events to go his way. Overall, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late” is a fantastic book for anyone who is a huge fan of the “Pigeon” series and for parents who also had trouble getting their children to go to bed! I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since the writing is simple enough for younger children to understand. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Feb 10, 2013
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Feb 09, 2013
| Hardcover
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| 0399245316
| 9780399245312
| 4.01
| 93
| May 18, 2006
| May 18, 2006
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 I have been reading Patricia Polacco’s works for many years now and after reading one of her works My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, I just had to re...more I have been reading Patricia Polacco’s works for many years now and after reading one of her works My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, I just had to read more about Patricia Polacco’s brother Richie! So, I just recently picked up “Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare” and I have to say that I was really impressed with this book! Trisha knows how hard it is to deal with her annoying older brother Richie, especially when he starts making fun of Trisha’s ballet class! So to teach him a lesson, Trisha dares Richie to perform in the ballet recital with her. But Richie will only do it on one condition: Trisha has to play the big hockey game with him! Wow! I was totally amazed by this book! Patricia Polacco, as always, has done a brilliant job at telling the readers her life story as a child, with her “Richie” books being the funniest among her collection! I loved the way that Patricia Polacco showed the sibling rivalry between her and her older brother Richie as it was interesting to see and it slightly reminded me of how I get along with my siblings! I also loved the plot of this story about Trisha wanting to show Richie that ballet is not as easy as it look with Richie doing the same about letting Trisha play hockey with him. I like how the two siblings learn to have a better understanding of each other as they both try out the different activities that the other sibling usually plays at and it was interesting seeing how their experiences with doing different activities made them grow as characters. Patricia Polacco’s illustrations are as usual gorgeous to look at as the characters look extremely realistic and I loved the outfits that Richie and Trisha are both wearing as Trisha wears a lovely pink ballet costume and Richie wears a large red hockey suit with “Beavers 13” printed on it. Overall, “Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare” is a brilliant follow up to “My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother” and anyone who is a huge fan of books about sibling rivalry will definitely enjoy this book! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the name calling that Trisha and Richie engage in such as Richie calling Trisha “twerp” might be a bit inappropriate for younger children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Jan 24, 2013
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Jan 23, 2013
| Hardcover
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| 0399226710
| 9780399226717
| 4.44
| 4,060
| Sep 15, 1994
| Sep 15, 1994
|
 Many of the books I had read by Patricia Polacco were extremely emotional and sad like The Junkyard Wonders and Thank You, Mr. Falker, but none of the...more Many of the books I had read by Patricia Polacco were extremely emotional and sad like The Junkyard Wonders and Thank You, Mr. Falker, but none of them had hit me so close to my heart than her book “Pink and Say.” “Pink and Say” is a story about the friendship between two boys of different races whose ending will make you want to cry for many years to come. Sheldon Russell Curtis was a young soldier who was injured during the Civil War and was left for dead until a young African-American boy named Pinkus comes to his aid and brings him home with him. Pinkus lived with his mother, Moe Moe Bay who was kind and treated Sheldon like her own son. Unfortunately, Sheldon and Pinkus knew that they were putting Moe Moe Bay in jeopardy since they escaped from the Civil War and the marauding Confederate troops were chasing after them. Now they must find a way to get away from Moe Moe Bay before it is too late! Reading most of Patricia Polacco’s books, I have noticed that all of her books always have an underlying theme of accepting other people, no matter how different they are while tying these stories to her real life experiences, which I always believed made her stories even more memorable to read. Now, after reading this book “Pink and Say,” I have to say that Patricia Polacco has truly defined the importance of accepting other people’s differences even under hardships such as war. I loved the way that Patricia Polacco had portrayed the relationship between Pinkus, a young African-American soldier and Sheldon, a young Caucasian soldier, as they treated each other like good friends, despite being of different races. It was fantastic and emotional seeing what the Civil War had done to Pinkus and Sheldon and my heart was actually breaking when they were scared of getting anyone hurt in this war, but they know that they have to fight this war to put an end to slavery. I have always read books about the Civil War, but never had I read a book that actually showed me how the Civil War had affected the people fighting in it in a more up close and personal way. Patricia Polacco had done a brilliant job at showing the horrors and painful emotions that the characters suffered through this war, while stating that war itself is terrible, but you must fight for what you believe is right. Patricia Polacco’s illustrations are as usual, gorgeous to look at as the images of Sheldon and Pinkus communicating with each other was a truly beautiful scene to look at. I also loved the way that the characters look as realistic as it really brings so much reality to this story. Parents should know that this picture book has some images of characters getting shot and blood leaking out of their wounds. This might disturb younger children who want to read about the Civil War, so parents might want to read this book to see if it is appropriate before reading it to their child. Also, the ending was extremely sad as it involves the death of one of the characters (which I will not reveal because I do not want to spoil this book for anyone) and parents might want to read over these scenes before they read it to their children. Overall, “Pink and Say” is easily Patricia Polacco’s saddest yet most emotional book to ever be written and anyone who wants to read about the Civil War through a personal account should definitely check this book out! I would recommend this book to children ages seven and up since the scenes of characters getting shot might disturb younger children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| not set
| Jan 24, 2013
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Jan 23, 2013
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1423151283
| 9781423151289
| 4.33
| 2,610
| Apr 03, 2012
| Apr 03, 2012
|
 After reading Mo Willems’ classic “Pigeon” books, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! I wanted to check out more books f...more After reading Mo Willems’ classic “Pigeon” books, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! I wanted to check out more books from this series! So, I picked up Mo Willems’ most recent book from the “Pigeon” series, “The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?” and I really enjoyed it! “The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?” is a fantastic read for children who are fans of Mo Willems’ “Pigeon” series! When the Duckling ends up getting a cookie because he politely asked for one, the Pigeon ends up getting angry at the Duckling and starts complaining about why he did not get a cookie. What I always loved about Mo Willems’ works in children’s books is that he knows how to make sarcasm into its own breed of humor and still make it appropriate enough for young children to understand. Told in the same vein as the previous “Pigeon” books with the Pigeon always complaining about not getting things his way, Mo Willems makes this book extremely hilarious and cute at the same time as the Duckling easily gets a cookie for being polite, while the Pigeon does not get a cookie. I loved how Mo Willems’ writing is simplistic yet hilarious to read through as there are only a few sentences per page and it is mostly dealing with the characters making statements about getting a cookie. I also loved the fact that the story pointed out that the reason why the duckling got a cookie was because he asked politely (a point he constantly makes to the Pigeon) and that is a positive aspect to the story that I really enjoyed since it would teach children about being polite when asking for things they want. It was extremely hilarious seeing the Pigeon over react (as usual) to the Duckling getting a cookie while he in the past never got anything he wanted. Mo Willems’ illustrations are simplistic and yet cute to look at, especially of the image of the duckling himself as the duckling is yellow, has big blue eyes and a small round body. Overall, “The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?” is a truly clever little story that every fan of Mo Willems’ “Pigeon” series should definitely pick up! I would recommend this story to children ages three and up since the story is appropriate for small children; unless the Pigeon’s hyperactive behavior is a bit too much for smaller children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Dec 30, 2012
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Dec 30, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1423109600
| 9781423109600
| 4.34
| 6,744
| Apr 01, 2008
| Apr 01, 2008
|
After reading Mo Willems’ classic picture book, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus,” I wanted to try out the other books in the “Pigeon” series and I...more
After reading Mo Willems’ classic picture book, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus,” I wanted to try out the other books in the “Pigeon” series and I finally stumbled upon “The Pigeon wants a Puppy!” “The Pigeon wants a Puppy” is a great follow up to “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” and anyone who is a huge fan of Mo Willems’ “Pigeon” series will definitely enjoy this book! Basically, this story is about how the Pigeon wants to have a puppy and constantly keeps telling the readers about how it will try to take care of the puppy and love it. However, what will the Pigeon think when its wish actually comes true? “I want a puppy!”  Those were the exact words spoken by everyone’s favorite blue pigeon! Mo Willems has done a brilliant job with this book as the story is extremely simplistic (it is basically just about a pigeon telling the audience that it wants a puppy). I always loved the way that Mo Willems made this story extremely funny and cute at the same time as the Pigeon constantly tells the audience that it wants a puppy and I loved it when the letters on the pages are highlighted in red whenever the Pigeon gets overexcited or angry as it really adds to the Pigeon’s emotions about the situation. Mo Willems’ illustrations are as always simplistic with a touch of your usual humor as the pigeon has big round eyes and is blue and the illustrations look like it was hand drawn by a child as the characters look extremely simple. I also loved the image of the “puppy” at the end of the book! I will not tell you what the puppy looks like, but it was certainly surprising to look at such a puppy! Overall, “The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!” is a fantastic book for children who also went through the same situation about asking their parents for a puppy or something they really want and I think that many children will read this book for many years! I guess if there was a problem with this book, is that the Pigeon might seem a bit demanding in wanting a puppy and parents might want to alert their kids about not being too demanding about asking them want they want, but this book is still loads of fun for little kids ages four and up! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| not set
| Dec 12, 2012
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Dec 12, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0062104187
| 9780062104182
| 4.26
| 1,798
| Sep 04, 2012
| Sep 04, 2012
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Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! These are the books that I had...more Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! These are the books that I had read from the creative mind of Mo Willems and I will admit that I had enjoyed almost everything that Mo Willems has written over the years! Well, I just read Mo Willems’ most recent children’s book and that is called “Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs” and it is definitely one story that every children and adult will enjoy for many years! Once upon a time, there were three dinosaurs (a Papa Dinosaur, a Mama Dinosaur and some Dinosaur who was visiting from Norway) and one day (for no reason), they decided to make three bowls of chocolate pudding at varying temperatures and go…someplace else. They were definitely NOT doing this to set up a trap for an unsupervised little girl who happens to come along to their house. So, when Goldilocks approaches their house, she will be in for a big surprise! Wow…just…wow! I cannot believe I had never heard of this book (well, the fact that it was just recently made in 2012 had something to do with it), but now that I had finally checked this book out, I am just so amazed at how awesome this book turned out! When I saw the title “Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs,” the first thought that came into my head was that we finally had a remake of a classic fairy tale since it has been awhile since I had read children’s books that were retellings of old fairy tales. The second thought that came into my head was that the moment I read this title, I knew that this book was going to be something really creative and hilarious and I was right! Mo Willems certainly knows how to create a story that is not only pleasing to children, but also pleasing to adults! I loved the writing style of this book as the characters are hilarious and the narration is sarcastic and witty. Probably my most favorite quote out of this entire book was stated by the narrator: “The first bowl of chocolate pudding was too hot, but Goldilocks ate it all anyway, because, hey, it’s chocolate pudding, right?” Who could resist chocolate pudding? I know I cannot resist chocolate pudding! I loved the idea about Mo Willems using three dinosaurs for this story instead of three bears since it really gave this book a more creative flair and I loved the fact that the baby dinosaur is actually a dinosaur who was visiting from Norway since it was a different twist to the original story. I also loved the way that Mo Willems slightly alerted the readers about the three dinosaurs’ plans in trying to get Goldilocks to come to their house and yet used hilarious lines to avert the idea about the dinosaurs preparing to make a meal out of Goldilocks such as: “The three Dinosaurs went Someplace Else and were definitely not hiding in the woods waiting for an unsuspecting kid to come by.” Mo Willems’ illustrations are as usual hilarious to look at as the three dinosaurs look cartoony with their long snouts and small round eyes and I loved the fact that both the Mama and Papa dinosaur were green while the Norwegian dinosaur was red. I also loved the illustrations of Goldilocks herself as she has short blond hair and large round eyes that makes her look so oblivious to anything happening around her. Overall, “Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs” is a truly brilliant retelling of the classic fairy tale and children everywhere will definitely re-read this book over and over again for many years! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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2
| not set
| Dec 06, 2012
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Dec 06, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 0397320825
| 9780397320820
| 4.07
| 4,337
| Jan 01, 1984
| Oct 31, 1984
|
 4.5 stars SCARY STORIES PART TWO! After reading the first book “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” I just had to read up on the sequel, “More Scary S...more 4.5 stars SCARY STORIES PART TWO! After reading the first book “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” I just had to read up on the sequel, “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” which is also written by Alvin Schwartz along with illustrations by Stephen Gammell. “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” is a continuation of the first book and we are introduced to more spine-tingling tales from this fantastic series as you will definitely be sitting on the edge of your seats after you read this collection of scary stories! Just like the first book, this book basically contains a collection of scary stories to tell in the dark and they include: One Sunday Morning  A young woman named Ida decided to go to church on Sunday morning and when she made it to the church, she started to realize that the people at the church were not normal as she saw one of her friends, Josephine Kerr, attend the service, even though she died a month ago… The Little Black Dog  Billy Mansfield was fighting a man named Silas Burton, who was an enemy of his family and when Billy knocked Silas off his horse, he ended up killing Silas along with his black dog when the dog started barking at Billy. Unfortunately after that incident, Billy starts noticing a strange black dog following him around… The Bride  A minister’s daughter just got married and after the wedding ceremony, she decided to play hide and seek and she hid inside a trunk in the attic. Unfortunately, the lid of the trunk dropped on the daughter and locked her inside the trunk and everyone at the wedding ceremony did not even know that she is missing! Once again, I was blown away by this collection of scary stories from the creative retellings of Alvin Schwartz! Alvin Schwartz has done a brilliant job at retelling these ancient scary folktales as each story is just as creepy and intense as the last story and the twist endings are enough to make you scream! I loved the way that Alvin Schwartz provided an eerie atmosphere to each story as it makes the audience feel scare for the characters and the supernatural activities that surround them and it really brought out the creativity of this book. I also loved the fact that Alvin Schwartz took the time to research the various folktales dealing with horror and I loved the fact that Alvin Schwartz provided a bibliography section at the end of the book so that way you would be able to go back and check the original sources of these tales! I enjoyed most of the stories in this collection, but my most favorite stories would have to be “The Bride,” “The Little Black Dog,” “One Sunday Morning,” “Wonderful Sausage” and “The Cat in a Shopping Bag.” Stephen Gammell’s illustrations are as usual, eerily and brilliantly done as the artwork is truly frightening to look at and the black and white colorings of the illustrations really bring out the creepy feel to the stories. There is much creepy imagery in this book, but probably the scariest image in this book was of the skeletal bride in “The Bride.” Just like the first book, this book might be too scary for small children since there are stories about characters being killed and haunted by supernatural forces. Also, what always made this series so scary for small children is the fact that the illustrations are truly scary and small children might not be able to get through this book because of the scary illustration. As for why I took off half a point from the rating, I felt that this book was using the same structure that was used in the first book such as in stories like “Cemetery Soup” where the character always steal something from the dead and something haunts them at the end. Overall, “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” is just another addition to your “Horror Books for Children” shelf that you just got to check out! I would recommend this book to children ages eight and up since the often spooky content in this book is too scary for small children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Nov 11, 2012
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Nov 10, 2012
| Library Binding
| |||||||||||||||
| 0590431978
| 9780590431972
| 3.98
| 15,646
| 1981
| Oct 1989
|
YES…DEFINITELY YES!
 I have always loved reading banned books because even though I am usually curious about the reasons why they were banned in the fi...more YES…DEFINITELY YES! I have always loved reading banned books because even though I am usually curious about the reasons why they were banned in the first place, it just makes me really want to read the books even more! Well, I just picked up this spooky book for children called “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” by Alvin Schwartz along with illustrations by Stephen Gammell and it basically has several horror folktales collected over the years. “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” is definitely one horror collection that you just have to read during Halloween! Basically, this book has a collection of scary stories that you can tell in the dark and they include: The Big Toe:  In this tale, a young boy finds a large toe in the ground and digs it up and he and his family decided to eat the toe. But, the young boy will soon realize that you should never pull anything out of the ground as something scary starts happening during the night! Cold as Clay:  A farmer has a daughter who fell in love with a man named Jim, but the farmer did not like having Jim be around his daughter. So, the farmer decided to send his daughter to live with her uncle to keep her and Jim apart. Unfortunately, Jim dies of being heartbroken and the farmer feels guilty about it. Then, a strange thing happens to the farmer’s daughter after Jim dies… The White Wolf:  When wolves started attacking the cattle and sheep in French Creek, the state decides to post up a reward for anyone who can kill the wolves. One man named Bill Williams ends up killing the wolves, but he will soon realize the folly of his wolf killing ways. Wow! After so many years of reading books that have collections of horror stories that will chill you to the bone (and I have read plenty of books like that), this was one of the few horror books that actually chilled me to the bone! Alvin Schwartz has done an excellent job at retelling these ancient horror folktales and each story was scary and intense at the same time as the characters involved in each story are either murdered or tortured to death by the dead. I also loved the way that Alvin Schwartz provided some helpful hints in scaring anyone if you are telling these stories to other people in the dark such as in the “Aaaaaah!” section of the book, Alvin Schwartz provides various moments where the narrator can scream at the audience to give a dramatic effect to the stories. Some of my favorite stories in this book were “The Big Toe,” “Cold as Clay,” “The White Wolf,” “A New Horse,” and “The Ghost With the Bloody Fingers.” Stephen Gammell’s illustrations were truly haunting yet effective at the same time as the monster images were truly frightening to look at. Probably the most frightening image in this book was the image of the horse in “A New Horse” as the horse has a misshapen head and you can see a woman’s legs attached to the horse’s back legs. After looking over the banned books list, I have often seen this book on the list a couple of times and I wondered to myself about why this book was banned in some states? Well, even though this book is basically retelling scary stories, this book is surprisingly too dark and violent for small children. There were many stories in this book where characters were killed and dead beings haunt the characters and to add to that, the illustrations are often frightening as there are images of dead beings being covered in blood and having sunken eyes. Parents might want to read this book first before they read it to their children in order to prevent children from having nightmares if they cannot handle the morbid content of this book. Overall, “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” is a brilliant collection of scary tales that you can tell in the dark while scaring people during storytelling time! I would strongly recommend this book for children ages eight and up since the morbid content is extremely scary for smaller children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Oct 25, 2012
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Oct 25, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0394865804
| 9780394865805
| 4.18
| 5,874
| Jan 12, 1984
| Jan 12, 1984
|
 6 stars!!! Being a huge fan of Dr. Seuss’ works over the years, I was in that mode where I wanted to read everything that was written by him and I rem...more 6 stars!!! Being a huge fan of Dr. Seuss’ works over the years, I was in that mode where I wanted to read everything that was written by him and I remembered reading “The Butter Battle Book” many years ago when I was little. Well, I stumbled upon “The Butter Battle Book” again when I got older and at first, I was a little hesitant about reading this book again because of its war themes and I usually do not like reading books about wars, but after reading this classic book by Dr. Seuss, I actually found myself really enjoying this book! “The Butter Battle Book” is definitely one of Dr. Seuss’ most impactful and darkest stories ever told! The book starts off with a grandfather character telling his grandson about the great battle between the Zooks (orange uniformed people who ate their bread with the butter side down) and the Yooks (blue uniformed people who ate their breads with the butter side up). The battle between the Zooks and the Yooks started when one of the Zooks shoots off the grandfather’s Snick-Berry Switch with a slingshot and the grandfather goes to Chief Yookeroo to get a better weapon that can beat out the weapon of the Zooks. Unfortunately, the Zooks keep on making better weapons than the Yooks, while the Yooks constantly try to build a better weapon to match with the Yooks’ weapon, which causes the book to come to a surprising conclusion! Wow…just wow… Who would have ever thought that I would ever come across a Dr. Seuss book that discusses about war? Well, I have come across other Dr. Seuss books that have a heavy message (“The Lorax” and “The Sneetches”), but this was what I called one of Dr. Seuss’s darkest books since it discusses about a topic that is often serious to many children…WAR. It was also surprising that this book was actually a parody of the Cold War (the war between the United States and the Soviet Union) as both the Zooks and the Yooks tried to best each other with having a better weapon than the other side. Even though I do not usually read books that have war themes because of the whole “only one side can win in this war” mentality that is constantly being shown in these types of books, this was one of the few war books that I had read that actually had a brilliant moral to the story: WAR I S POINTLESS! Since the premise of this book is about how both sides do not like each other because they spread their butters a different way on their breads, you might be thinking to yourself about how ridiculous this all is and why both sides could not reach a compromise about spreading their butter on both sides of the breads. But, what I loved about the way that Dr. Seuss wrote this book was that both sides were not portrayed in a positive light since the Zooks seem like bullies and the Yooks are prejudiced towards the Zooks for buttering their breads differently and that might sound a bit odd, but it was appropriate enough to bring the theme of this book home. The reason why I have such a huge dislike for wars is because both sides that participate in the wars can be shown in a negative light if they believe that fighting is the only solution to whatever problem arises instead of sitting down and talking about the problem and coming to a reasonable solution that can benefit both sides. I loved the way that Dr. Seuss made a statement about how ridiculous the war between the Zooks and the Yooks really was because having a war about who has the best weapons seems like a ridiculous reason for countries to fight each other and we can easily see that through the Zooks and Yooks’ actions throughout this book. Dr. Seuss’ illustrations may look a bit darker than usual, but still has the usual creative flair as the Zooks are always shown in orange jumpsuits while the Yooks are always shown in blue jumpsuits and I also loved the different weapons that each side has, especially the Zooks’ weapon that was called the Eight-Nozzled, Elephant-Toted Boom-Blitz which looks like a machine that has eight nozzles and is being carried by two mean looking purple elephants. Probably one of the most controversial things about this book was the abrupt ending. I will not tell you what happens at the end since I do not want to spoil this book for anyone, but you will be left wondering about what happens next after the events of this book. I will admit that I was actually mad at how the book ended, but then since this book was written during the Cold War, it is understandable about why the book ended the way it did. It makes me wonder about if they ever thought about making a “Butter Battle Book” movie, will the conclusion be changed in the movie and how will they go about it? Also, the theme about the Zooks and the Yooks going at war with each other might be a bit disturbing for younger children, especially if they do not understand about the motives of wars or if they do not like seeing characters fighting each other. Overall, “The Butter Battle Book” is easily one of the best books about anti-war ever written and anyone who is a fan of Dr. Seuss’ works or would love to read about how terrible wars are will definitely not be disappointed in this book! I would recommend this book to children ages six and up since the war themes might upset younger children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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| Oct 10, 1996
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Oct 10, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 0688083145
| 9780688083144
| 3.71
| 7
| Jul 1989
| Jul 01, 1989
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I have read many versions of “The Greedy Cat” which was a Scandinavian adaptation that came out in 1909 and one of my favorite versions of this tale w...more
I have read many versions of “The Greedy Cat” which was a Scandinavian adaptation that came out in 1909 and one of my favorite versions of this tale was Margaret Read MacDonald’s adaptation called Fat Cat. Now, I had picked up another version of the classic folktale called “The Little Old Woman and the Hungry Cat” which was written by Nancy Polette along with illustrations by Frank Modell and in this tale, a greedy cat ends up eating everything in its path until it swallowed the old woman and mayhem ensures! “The Little Old Woman and the Hungry Cat” is a fantastic adaptation of the old folktale that fans of the “The Greedy Cat” will enjoy! When an old woman leaves the house and tells her cat to not eat the sixteen cupcakes that she baked, the cat ended up eating the cupcakes anyway and goes out of the house. While the cat is out of the house, he meets up with a man and his pig and a wedding procession and he ends up eating them up. When the cat finally comes back home and the old woman realizes what the cat has done, she tells the cat to get out of the house. But, then the cat decides that the old woman looks tasty and then eats her up! Can the old woman and everyone that the cat ate get out of the cat’s belly? I have always loved the folktale “The Greedy Cat,” so seeing so many different variations of this tale was a treat for my reading soul! Nancy Polette has done an excellent job at retelling this ancient folktale as the story is much more simplistic than its earlier interpretation. I loved that in this interpretation we have an old woman who stands up to the cat while in the other version of this folktale Fat Cat, there was a mouse who lived with the cat and I enjoyed seeing the different roommates that the cat lives with in each adaptation. Also, the idea about a cat eating up everyone he meets up with was quite outrageous and interesting at the same time and it is that surreal aspect that I find in many folktales that makes me really enjoy reading various folktales, including this one! Frank Modell’s illustrations slightly resemble James Stevenson’s illustrations as they are simplistic yet humorous at the same time. I loved the illustrations of the cat itself as it is gray and large and the scene where the cat starts eating everyone and grows bigger was done extremely well in detail. Parents should know that the scenes of the cat eating people who get in his way might be a bit disturbing for smaller children. However, in this version, the illustrations are shown in a less menacing way, so small children might be able to get through this book. But parents should still read this book before they read it to their children. Overall, “The Little Old Woman and the Hungry Cat” is a fantastic retelling of the ancient folktale that many fans of folklore will enjoy for many years! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the scenes of the cat eating the people might scare smaller children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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| Sep 29, 2011
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Sep 29, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 0803702906
| 9780803702905
| 3.76
| 135
| Sep 01, 1986
| Sep 30, 1986
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I actually first saw “Max’s Christmas” on a video from Weston Woods and from then on, I was so intrigued by this story! “Max’s Christmas” is a cute ch...more
I actually first saw “Max’s Christmas” on a video from Weston Woods and from then on, I was so intrigued by this story! “Max’s Christmas” is a cute children’s book by Rosemary Wells and it is about how Max tries to see Santa Claus for the first time! “Max’s Christmas” is a truly wonderful story that children can easily read for Christmas! When Max’s sister Ruby tells Max that Santa Claus is coming to their house, Max keeps asking Ruby about who Santa Claus is and can he see him, although Ruby tells Max that he cannot see Santa Claus since no one has. But, Max still wanted to see Santa Claus despite his sister’s warnings and he decides to go downstairs and wait for Santa Claus to come. Will Max be able to see Santa Claus? Oh my goodness! There is just so much about this book that I really enjoyed! For one thing, Rosemary Wells’ writing is extremely simplistic and cute and even though there are only a few words on each page, it really brought out the innocence of children being excited for Santa Claus’ arrival. I loved the way that Rosemary Wells had Max ask Ruby questions about who Santa Claus is and what he does by stating “What, who, when, where, how, and why?” It was just so cute seeing Max being curious about Santa Claus and how Ruby tries to answer Max’s questions the best she can. The book is extremely easy for children to read through since there are only a few words on each page and I think that many children can relate to Max’s situation as he wants to see if Santa Claus is real or not. I remember when I was small; I wanted to try to sneak out into the middle of the night on Christmas Eve just to see if Santa Claus was coming to our house! Rosemary Wells’ illustrations are just truly cute as the main characters in this book are small white rabbits that have pudgy bodies and small eyes. My favorite images were of Max jumping up and down on his bed in his red pajamas as he looks extremely cute since he has a smile on his face and his round body is leaping off the bed. I also loved the images of the Christmas tree that Max and Ruby have as it is small, but the way that the lights glow off the Christmas tree just made the image look truly beautiful. Overall, “Max’s Christmas” is a truly wonderful book by Rosemary Wells for children who want to read about characters experiencing their joys of meeting Santa Claus and they will easily enjoy this book for many years! I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since the writing is extremely simple for small children to get a grasp on the story. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Sep 29, 1993
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Sep 29, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 0823407969
| 9780823407965
| 3.50
| 2
| unknown
| unknown
|
Yes! After ten years of trying so desperately to find this book, I have finally found it at the library! The book that I am talking about is “The Gol...more
Yes! After ten years of trying so desperately to find this book, I have finally found it at the library! The book that I am talking about is “The Golden Egg: A Comic Adventure” written and illustrated by Mimi Brennan and it was one of my most favorite books I had ever read as a child! There once was a friendly town called Duckville where all of the domestic ducks who cannot fly live. Unfortunately, outside of Duckville, there are wild ducks that are constantly being hunted and the worst of it is that there is a decoy who is leading the wild ducks to their doom. Martin Mallard, who is a newspaper reporter, is trying to find out who the decoy is, while crossing paths with Alfred Duckmuck, who is a respected figure in Duckville. Unfortunately, when Martin starts to find out more about the duck hunters, he is framed for stealing Alfred Duckmuck’s golden egg and ends up in jail! Can Martin clear his name before it is too late? Alright! Now that I have finally found this book again after over ten years, I am reliving good memories again after reading this book! Mimi Brennan has done an excellent job at both writing and illustrating this book as the story is filled with mystery and drama! I loved the way that Mimi Brennan had set up this book in a comic book fashion as it really added creativity and really set up the mystery theme of this story. I loved all of the characters involved in this book, especially Martin Mallard and Alfred Duckmuck as they set up as the most perfect hero vs. villain scenario in a picture book (Martin Mallard is a news reporter who was framed for a crime he did not commit while Alfred Duckmuck is a well respected duck who is extremely greedy and selfish). Every time I read this book, I keep thinking of Martin Mallard’s voice sounding like Inspector Gadget or Tennessee Tuxedo, because their voices sound appropriate for a news reporter trying to get the scoop!   I also loved the way that Mimi Brennan wrote out the story line as it was interesting seeing Martin Mallard being put into jail for a crime he did not commit and then trying to clear his name while trying to find out who was the mysterious decoy for the hunters. Mimi Brennan’s illustrations are truly creative and inventive to look at as the characters (which are mostly ducks) look cartoonish and yet the action sequences with Martin and Alfred Duckmuck are done extremely well. I loved the way that Martin Mallard has a green head and grey feathers while wearing a reporter hat as it makes him look truly unique. I also loved the way that Alfred Duckmuck has a red head and a camouflage outfit that really makes him look like a suspicious character (especially when he is seen grinning evilly in every panel!) The only problem in this book is that it explores the theme of duck hunting and that might upset smaller children. Parents might want to discuss about issues regarding hunting before they read this book to their children. Overall, “The Golden Egg: A Comic Adventure” is a truly brilliant comic book styled picture book that children will love for many years! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the duck hunting scenes might disturb smaller children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Sep 13, 1993
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Sep 13, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0747541604
| 9780747541608
| 4.42
| 15,616
| 1963
| Nov 05, 1998
|
Twenty-six different ways to die!
Now, I am no stranger when it comes to reading dark and morbid books for children since I had read children’s books...more Twenty-six different ways to die! Now, I am no stranger when it comes to reading dark and morbid books for children since I had read children’s books such as “Halloween ABC” and “The Spider and the Fly” which were just as morbid. But “The Gashlycrumb Tinies” was one of the first children’s books I have read that is about several different ways for kids to die! “The Gashlycrumb Tinies” is a picture book written and illustrated by Edward Gorey and it is a book that will truly cause every reader’s hairs to stick up at their ends! This book is basically set up as reciting the alphabet by detailing every child’s name that starts with the letters of the alphabet and how each child dies, such as one poem about a boy named Basil being assaulted by bears. Now, the moment you see the image of a skeleton dressed in a black overcoat and top hat carrying a black umbrella and looming over several children on the cover of this book, then you will know that this book is no ordinary book for children. Edward Gorey has certainly created a unique and spooky children’s book that actually details how each child dies, which is a scary concept for young children and is usually not taken likely. I really enjoyed the simplistic way that Edward Gorey had written this book as there are mostly about eight to ten words per page making it easier for children to get a grasp on the concept of this book. I also enjoyed the fact that this book is used as a way to introduce the alphabet to children, just like how “Halloween ABC” introduced the alphabet to children in a morbid way. Edward Gorey had done an excellent job at providing a dark and horrific atmosphere for this book as the majority of this book is focused on different ways a child dies and I may sound a bit morbid myself when I say this, but I really enjoyed seeing all the different ways that the characters were dying in this book. Some of my favorite sentences in this book included: “K is for Kate who was struck with an axe. R is for Rhoda consumed by a fire. Y is for Yorick whose head was knocked in.”    Edward Gorey’s illustrations are truly spooky and dramatic at the same time as the images are mainly in black and white colorings that truly give off the spooky feel of this book. I really loved the way that Edward Gorey made the illustrations have an Old Victorian feel as the characters seem like they are drawn into an old-fashioned horror film. THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR SMALL CHILDREN! Parents should know that this book is a bit too scary for smaller children since it details the theme of death and it explores different ways that the children in this book die. Now, the images are not as graphic as the text implies, although there is one image that details a young girl named Kate being struck by an axe and the image shows a little girl being covered in blood with an axe being embedded into her body. Parents might want to make sure that their children can handle dark imagery and themes in certain books that are considered too dark. Overall, speaking as an adult who loves morbid and creepy books, “The Gashlycrumb Tinies” is a truly brilliant book that fans of books that are creepy and morbid will greatly enjoy for many years to come! Now speaking as an adult who is trying to figure out the right age set that this book should be aimed at, I would recommend this book to children ages seven and up since the theme of death would be a bit too scary for smaller children and it could easily give them nightmares for a long time. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Sep 2012
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Sep 01, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 068806518X
| 9780688065188
| 3.85
| 106
| 1984
| Jul 15, 1986
|
 I am a huge fan of “Reading Rainbow” as my bookshelf is stock full of “Reading Rainbow” books! One of my favorite stories to ever come out of “Reading...more I am a huge fan of “Reading Rainbow” as my bookshelf is stock full of “Reading Rainbow” books! One of my favorite stories to ever come out of “Reading Rainbow” was a children’s book called “Feelings” by Aliki! “Feelings” is definitely a brilliant book about describing different types of feelings from everyone that children will love for many years! Basically, this book is just showcasing all different types of feelings such as anger, sadness, embarrassment and jealousy through illustrations and brief dialogue. After reading this book as a child, I have always enjoyed the simple storytelling of detailing different emotions shown by many different children and even years later, I still loved this book to death! Aliki has done a brilliant job at both illustrating and writing this book as she details the different feelings shown by the many children shown in this book in a simple and vivid manner. Probably one of my most favorite feelings sections she had done in this book was called “Your Attention, Please,” which goes like this: Parent: Look at Adam Run. Girl: I can run faster. Parent: Look at Adam Build. Girl: I can build higher. Parent: Listen to Adam. Girl: Listen to me. Parent: Adam can read. Girl: I can read more. Parent: Ha, ha, ha, ha! Adam is Funny! Girl: Ha, ha, ha, ha! I am funny, too! Parent: Where is Adam? Girl: Where Am I? Parent: Adam is Hurt! Girl: I’m hurt, too. Parent: Look at Adam! Girl: Look at me! Parent: I see you, dear. You’re wonderful. I loved the way that Aliki made the writing so simple yet effective enough for small children to grasp how each character feels about a particular situation and how they are able to handle it whether their parents help them through the situation or they figure it out for themselves. I also loved the brief little sessions that each character would have with each other such as in the short story “How do you Feel?” where a girl and a boy were showing each other about the different feelings that are expressed. Aliki’s illustrations are truly marvelous to look at as the characters look extremely simplistic yet cute at the same and the colorings may seem a bit washed out but it really brings out the cuteness of this book. Even though overall this is a really cute story that portrays the different emotions felt by each child, some parents might seem a bit disturbed at this one story where a girl named Elizabeth compliments Alicia’s beautiful curly hair, but her other friend Kate gets jealous and states, “Curly Hair? I’d…I’d…like to choke Alicia.” Some parents might get a bit disturbed at the idea about a child stating she wanted to choke another child, but luckily, she is never shown actually choking anyone and this was just showing the feelings of jealously and rage. Overall, “Feelings” is a truly cute and thought-provoking children’s book about showing the different feelings of children that children will easily enjoy for many years! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since some parents might be a bit upset at how the feelings “jealousy” and “rage” are portrayed. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Jul 28, 1997
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Jul 28, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0064433978
| 9780064433976
| 3.65
| 274
| 1993
| Jan 18, 1996
|
For many years, I have read so many different interpretations of “Cinderella,” but I have never come across a Korean version of this classic tale! “Th...more
For many years, I have read so many different interpretations of “Cinderella,” but I have never come across a Korean version of this classic tale! “The Korean Cinderella” is a glorious retelling of the classic “Cinderella” written by Shirley Climo along with illustrations by Ruth Heller and it will surely be an instant hit with children who love reading stories from other cultures! In the land of Korea, where magical creatures existed, there lived a young girl named Pear Blossom who was extremely beautiful. One tragic day however, her mother died and her father ended up marrying a mean and spiteful woman named Omoni, who also has a daughter named Peony and they were both cruel to Pear Blossom and made her do all the work around the house. Even though Omoni forces Pear Blossom to do so many chores, Pear Blossom is helped by many magical creatures such as a magical frog, magical sparrows and a magical ox. One day however, a festival is held and Pear Blossom notices the handsome magistrate, but she accidentally leaves behind one of her sandals, which the magistrate ends up finding. I will admit that I have read so many different versions of Cinderella that the story itself becomes familiar to me, no matter how different the versions are. Shirley Climo has done a brilliant job at writing this Korean retelling of the classic fairy tale as the story is truly breathtaking and marvelous to read about. I loved the way that Shirley Climo portrayed the magical creatures that eventually help Pear Blossom on her chores as regular animals such as a frog, a pack of sparrows and an ox as that really brought out the beauty of Korean folktales. I also loved the Korean phrases that were shown in this book such as Omoni, which means ‘Mother’ and ‘tokgabi’ which means ‘goblin.’ Ruth Heller’s illustrations are truly beautiful in this book as they were inspired by the patterns painted on the eaves of Korean temples, which truly brings out the true spirit of Korea. Probably my favorite illustrations in this book were of the characters themselves, as they show realistic facial expressions whenever they are unhappy or whenever they are mad, such as the image of Peony having her hair be pulled by the sparrows and you can see the anguish look on her face as her hair is being pulled. Overall, “The Korean Cinderella” is a brilliant adaptation of a classic fairy tale that fans of the “Cinderella” stories will surely love to read over and over again! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since some of the Korean phrases like “Omoni” and “Tokgabi” might be hard for younger children to understand. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Jul 28, 2012
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Jul 28, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0590843893
| 9780590843898
| 3.42
| 24
| 1994
| unknown
|
When I was a child, there were many books in the past that made me feel a bit… uncomfortable because of the content and they were usually those books...more
When I was a child, there were many books in the past that made me feel a bit… uncomfortable because of the content and they were usually those books where characters eat other characters… “The Roly-Poly Spider” was one of those books. “The Roly-Poly Spider” is a children’s book written by Jill Sardegna along with illustrations by Tedd Arnold and it is about how a spider declares that she is lonely, but she is also extremely hungry. “The Roly-Poly Spider” may have cute illustrations that children will love, but the story itself might be too morbid for younger children. The story starts off with a yellow round spider called the roly-poly spider who declares that she is lonely and wants company, but she was also hungry. The rest of the book basically details about the roly-poly spider inviting some other bugs to her home and then eating them up afterwards! This summary is pretty short, but that is pretty much what happens in this book as it is just about a spider eating her “friends” in different kinds of ways. One of the things I did like about this book was the illustrations by Tedd Arnold as they were extremely cute to look at. I loved the way that Tedd Arnold made all of the bugs’ eyes seems large and bulgy, which gives them a humorous touch. I also did like the appearance of the roly-poly spider herself as she is shaped like a yellow round ball with pink small legs and it was hilarious seeing how she would start to constantly grow in size every time she eats a bug on each page. I definitely enjoyed the way that Jill Sardegna made the verses in this book follow to the beat of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” as I found myself singing out the story to the beat of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” (which was my favorite part of reading this whole book). “Do not judge a book by its cover.” This is definitely a phrase that should be heeded when reading books that may look innocent, but are really dark and creepy on the inside! Do not let the cute illustration of a yellow ball shaped spider on the cover fool you! Inside this book is a really morbid tale about how this yellow ball shaped spider eats her “friends” for lunch! That was probably one of the things about this book that made me feel uncomfortable when I read it as a child and I still feel uncomfortable about it as an adult. The whole idea about the roly-poly spider eating her “friends” really disturbed me since it gave this book a more sinister feel that sort of rubbed me the wrong way. Now I understand that she is a spider and spiders eat other bugs, but maybe if the book had left out the whole idea that the spider is eating her “friends” then I would been okay with the fact that the spider was just doing what was within her nature when it came to eating other bugs. Now, I am usually a huge fan of morbid books, but in this case, the whole idea about using cute illustrations to cover up a morbid tale just did not sit well with me. To me, if the book wants to be cute, then they should have cute illustrations and if the book wants to be morbid, then they should use morbid illustrations. Now, if the illustrations in this book were darker, I probably would have enjoyed this book a bit more since I would know what I was getting myself into. Also, there were a few gruesome images in this book (although not your average too gruesome images) as one of the images has the roly-poly spider putting a straw through a beetle’s head and sucking out its juice and another image had the roly-poly spider eating the knees of a bee and those images might frighten younger children. Overall, “The Roly-Poly Spider” may have cute illustrations and it was pretty impressive singing out this story to the tune of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” but the story itself was a bit too morbid to really be enjoyed all the way. For a better book that also has a plot where the spider is trying to eat their prey but is told in a poetic way and has somewhat dark illustrations that actually conveys what you are really getting into, try The Spider and the Fly.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| not set
| Apr 28, 1996
|
May 31, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0060286245
| 9780060286248
| 3.85
| 226
| 2000
| Oct 31, 2000
|
 Did you ever think that fairy tale stories can be converted into comic strips? Well, it seems like they can since there is a brilliant collection of f...more Did you ever think that fairy tale stories can be converted into comic strips? Well, it seems like they can since there is a brilliant collection of fairy tales stories being told through comic strips called “Little Lit: Folklore and Fairy Tale Funnies!” “Little Lit: Folklore and Fairy Tale Funnies” is a collection of various fairy tales that are shown in comic book strips and it is edited by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly. For anyone who loves reading fairy tales and comic books, this graphic novel is a fantastic read for children of all ages! Basically, there are a total of eleven fairy tale stories and five puzzle pages and the fairy tale stories in this collection includes: Prince Rooster by Art Spiegelman In this tale, a young prince believes that he is a rooster and his father, the king, tried to find a physician that would cure him of his delusions. When it seems that no one can cure the prince, an old man comes by the palace claiming that he can cure the prince. Can the old man cure the prince? The Sleeping Beauty by Daniel Clowes This tale is told after the events of “Sleeping Beauty” and in this tale, the young prince kept his marriage to Sleeping Beauty a secret from his parents since his mother is of a race of ogres and could not be trusted. One day however, the young prince soon became king and told the kingdom about his marriage to Sleeping Beauty and his two children and his ogre of a mother was upset. So when the prince goes to war, the prince’s mother decided to eat Sleeping Beauty and her children. Will the ogre Queen eat Sleeping Beauty and her children? The Princess and the Pea by Barbara McClintock The classic tale is retold in Barbara McClintock’s wonderful illustrations as all the characters are animals and it once again relates the story about how a princess who looked like a peasant when she first came to a king’s palace for shelter has to prove to the King and Queen that she is truly a princess when the Queen tests the princess by making her sleep on twenty seven mattresses with a small pea hidden underneath all of those mattresses.  Wow! When I read this graphic novel a couple of years ago, I was so amazed at how well the fairy tales in this novel were able to transcend to comic book format! So many of the tales in this graphic novel were like modern retakes on classic fairy tales and it was awesome reading these stories that are so full of creativity and spark! All of the artwork in this collection were extremely well done and were extremely creative to look at as there were different kinds of illustrations being put forth into each story and therefore, gave this collection such variety that I found myself being interested in what this collection has to offer in the stories. My favorite stories from this collection were “The Sleeping Beauty,” “The Hungry Horse” and “The Princess and the Pea.” In “The Sleeping Beauty,” I loved Daniel Clowes’ artwork since they were detailed and most of the characters have small eyes that really made me laugh every time I saw them! I also loved the appearance of the old Queen herself as she has blond and curly hair, has large red lips and has small droopy eyes that made her look shifty and it was interesting that even though she is considered an ogre, she never looked that ugly and looked like a normal person. The story itself was pretty entertaining for me since I wanted to know what happened to Sleeping Beauty after she got married to the prince and it would have been scary about the idea of the old Queen trying to eat Sleeping Beauty and her children if only the artwork did not look so exaggerated and the tone of the story seemed a bit light tone. “The Hungry Horse” was a brilliantly haunting story by Kaz and was an awesome read! Kaz’s illustrations were wonderfully surreal as all the characters had large noses and were drawn out of proportion and while the story itself was a bit serious, the illustrations made the story hilarious to look at. “The Princess and the Pea” was wonderfully done by Barbara McClintock and I loved how all the characters in the story were portrayed as animals, especially with the King, the Queen, the young son Lionel and the princess Leotine, being portrayed as lions which greatly brought out their royalty (at least that is how I view lions). Barbara McClintock’s illustrations were just so beautiful and I loved the tiny details she put into each character, especially with the characters wearing royal clothing that truly matched their royalty. Parents should know that some of the tales in this collection such as “The Hungry Horse” by Kaz have endings that are rather abrupt and sometimes sad and that might upset younger children who do not like sad endings or want to know what happens at the end of the story. Parents should probably read this collection first to see if their child can handle the endings in some of these stories. Overall, “Little Lit: Folklore and Fairy Tale Funnies” is a brilliant graphic novel that fans of both fairy tales and comics will easily love for many years to come! I would recommend this collection to children ages five and up since there might be some stories whose sad and abrupt endings might upset smaller children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| not set
| May 23, 2004
|
May 23, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0698114299
| 9780698114296
| 4.30
| 172
| 1993
| Feb 24, 1997
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Imagine that your mother was actually a terrifying monster that scares anyone who comes across her, but you still love your mother anyway because, she...more
Imagine that your mother was actually a terrifying monster that scares anyone who comes across her, but you still love your mother anyway because, she is your mother! That is what happens in this story called “Monster Mama” which was written by Liz Rosenberg along with illustrations by Stephen Gammell and children everywhere will definitely enjoy reading this book about loving your parents for who they are. Patrick Edward was a young boy who was extremely wonderful, but his mother is a monster and she lived in a cave at the back of their house. Even though his mother was a monster, she truly cared for her son Patrick Edward as she tended to him when he was sick and taught him magic spells that could put anyone to sleep. One day, Monster Mama, whom Patrick Edward affection ally calls her, wanted Patrick Edward to pick up some strawberries for a dessert she wants to make. So, Patrick Edward decides to go to the new market across town and buy some strawberry tarts. Unfortunately, Patrick Edward meets up with some bullies who start torturing him. “Monster Mama” is one children’s book that I hold dearly to my heart ever since I was child and not only did it have some really awesome illustrations and a really creative story, but the message about loving your parents for who they are is one that stayed with me for a long time. Liz Rosenberg has done an excellent job at writing this story as I loved the main character Patrick Edward as he is shown to be a tough yet friendly little boy who dearly loves his mother, even though she is a monster. I loved the message that Liz Rosenberg was sending out to the audience about the importance of loving your parents no matter what they look like or act like and it was great seeing Patrick Edward show so much love for his mother and I really loved the way that Monster Mama loved Patrick Edward so much. Stephen Gammell’s illustrations are perfectly suited for this story as there are splatters of paint littered all over the pages, giving the story a chaotic feel. I also loved the appearance of Monster Mama herself as she is always wearing a white dress, but her hair is so messy, she has sharp claws and she has sharp teeth that makes her look so menacing. The only problem that young children might have with this book is that the illustrations do look a bit scary. Since Stephen Gammell’s illustrations have splatters of paint all over the pages and the characters having wild looking hair and faces, they might scare smaller children. The appearance of Monster Mama herself might scare younger children since she does look menacing, especially whenever she is angry as her eyes glow read and her sharp teeth really shows. Overall, “Monster Mama” is a truly brilliant story for children who love monster stories and who love reading stories about the importance of loving your parents no matter what they look like. I would recommend this book to children’s ages five and up since the illustrations might scare smaller children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Apr 26, 1996
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Apr 26, 2012
| Paperback
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| 0140504419
| 9780140504415
| 4.00
| 5,060
| Oct 08, 1979
| Oct 27, 1983
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I have actually first seen “Ox-Cart Man” on an episode of “Reading Rainbow” and I have decided to re-read this book after so many years of not reading...more
I have actually first seen “Ox-Cart Man” on an episode of “Reading Rainbow” and I have decided to re-read this book after so many years of not reading it in my adult years. “Ox-Cart Man” is a Caldecott Medal Award winning book by Donald Hall along with illustrations by Barbara Cooney and it basically details the everyday life of how a man and his family keep on making new items to sell at the market and to use the money they earned from selling their items to buy new items. “Ox-Cart Man” might have a good insight on how people lived in America during the Colonial times, but the story might be a bit too boring for most children to handle. This book is basically about a New Englander and his family and how he usually packs some wool from the sheep, mittens made by his daughter, a bag of goose feathers and birch brooms that his son carved in his ox-cart. The father would then take these items to the market in his ox-cart and sell them and then he would use the money to buy his family provisions and then his family would use the provisions to make the same items they made at the beginning and the cycle starts all over again. Donald Hall has done an excellent job at explaining to readers about how the people lived in America during Colonial Times. I liked the way that Donald Hall mentions how the family is able to make the items that they are planning to sell such as the daughter making the mittens by knitting it from the wool that came from the sheep and we were able to see the family make the items out of the materials at their own home. It was interesting seeing how the family made most of their items from their own backyard and then sell it to the market to buy new materials for their home. Barbara Cooney’s illustrations contain the old-fashioned look of nineteenth century New England as the characters are dressed in colonial styled clothing such as the wife wearing a white bonnet on her head and the father wearing olive colored breeches with tall black boots. I also loved the way that Barbara Cooney drew the seasons of the year, especially with fall as we can see all the leaves falling off the trees, making the New England landscapes extremely breathtaking to look at. The biggest issue I had with this book is that the story is a bit too boring since not much really happens in the story. All that happens in this story is that the family makes some items to sell at the market and then the father comes home and brings more materials for the family to make more items to bring to the market and that is pretty much the whole story. There is no action in the story and this might actually bored many children. Overall, while “Ox-Cart Man” had a great insight on the family life in Colonial New England, the story might be a bit too boring for many children to handle since there is no action involved in the story. (less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Mar 22, 1996
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Mar 22, 2012
| Paperback
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| 0399158561
| 9780399158568
| 3.93
| 1,075
| Oct 27, 2011
| Oct 27, 2011
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I never thought that I would see the day where there would actually be a parody book done on Margaret Wise Brown’s classic children’s book “Goodnight...more
I never thought that I would see the day where there would actually be a parody book done on Margaret Wise Brown’s classic children’s book “Goodnight Moon.” Here, Ann Droyd gives us a parody book of the classic children’s book called “Goodnight iPad” which is “Goodnight Moon” for the current generation and wow, this book is absolutely hilarious! Set up like the plot in “Goodnight Moon,” the characters in this book is a family of rabbits who are constantly seen playing with all kinds of electronics in the current generation such as some of the rabbit kids are playing with an iPad, some are watching a huge LCD Wi-Fi HDTV and some of the rabbit kids have a BlackBerry that plays Eminem songs. When it gets too noisy in the little rabbit house, the old rabbit woman has enough and… Read this book to find out what happens next! Never would I have read a parody book on a famous children’s classic that would be written so cleverly, that even the new generation will easily enjoy the simple storytelling of “Goodnight Moon!” Ann Droyd has certainly done an excellent job at parodying the famous children’s classic by having the characters in this book use electronics that are popular with the current generation such as iPads, BlackBerry phones, Facebook, Netflix and Androids and creating a hilarious story about how having too much technology in the house can get irritating really fast. I was practically laughing out loud when I kept hearing the names of the current electronics (iPad, BlackBerry, Android) being used in the context of a children’s bedtime story since it made the story sound so hilarious and creative at the same time. Ann Droyd’s illustrations are just so hilarious and cute at the same time as the images are filled with yellow cartoony looking rabbits that are constantly being shown playing with whatever new electronic device they got such as images of the young rabbits looking at a LCD Wi-Fi HDTV. Overall, “Goodnight iPad” is easily one of the best parodies of “Goodnight Moon” ever created and will definitely be a hit with children who grew up iPads, Androids, Facebook and all of that good technology in the current times! I would recommend this book to children ages six and up since smaller children might not understand about the different types of electronics being used in this story. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Mar 22, 2012
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Mar 22, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 0152817867
| 9780152817862
| 4.09
| 432
| Oct 29, 1982
| Apr 16, 1984
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I have been reading the “Strega Nona” series ever since I was a child and there were many “Strega Nona” books that I have really enjoyed over the year...more
I have been reading the “Strega Nona” series ever since I was a child and there were many “Strega Nona” books that I have really enjoyed over the years! One of my favorites was this little gem called “Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons” by Tomie dePaola and it is about how Big Anthony wanted to learn magic like Strega Nona, but might have to go through drastic measures to learn magic! “Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons” is a truly clever and hilarious story for “Strega Nona” fans! Bambolona, the baker’s daughter was extremely upset with her job since she is the only employee working at her father’s bakery while her father just sits in the town square chatting away with his friends. When Bambolona tried to tell her father that she needs help with the bakery, her father just told her to work harder and that caused Bambolona to leave her father’s bakery and go to Strega Nona’s house. Strega Nona then tells Bambolona that she could teach her magic, but when Big Anthony wanted to learn magic too, Strega Nona told him that he could not learn magic. Big Anthony was so upset at this that he leaves Strega Nona to work for the baker, only to end up losing his job at the bakery on the first day. When Big Anthony realizes that the only way he could learn magic is if he is a woman, he decides to dress up like a Strega and try to learn some magic! . Everything about this book is so perfectly humorous and creative that I just had to read this book over and over again! Tomie dePaola’s writing and illustrations are both extremely creative and hilarious at the same time and together they made this story into quite a treat to read! I loved the way that Tomie dePaola portrayed all the characters in this story as they are all interesting to read about, especially Strega Nona, Bambolona and Big Anthony! Now, I keep forgetting that Bambolona’s actual first appearance was in “Big Anthony and the Magic Ring,” but she did not have a speaking role in that book. This book however, is Bambolona’s first speaking role in the “Strega Nona” series and it was great that she has become apart of the popular cast of “Strega Nona” as she is like a clever folly to Big Anthony’s foolishness. Big Anthony’s latest mischief is just as hilarious as his incident with the pasta pot in “Strega Nona” and I loved seeing him dressed up as a woman in order to learn magic from Strega Nona. Tomie dePaola’s illustrations are extremely hilarious and creative at the same time as Strega Nona is as always shown as a wise looking woman who is always wearing an apron and a white shawl on her head. My favorite illustrations were of when both Bambolona and Antonia were learning cures for the people and while Bambolona was always getting the cures right, Antonia was always getting the cures wrong. Overall, “Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons” is a truly hilarious and creative book for children who are fans of the “Strega Nona” series and who love seeing a little magic in their lives! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the Italian phrases might be a bit too difficult for smaller children to understand. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Mar 14, 1997
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Mar 14, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0399256490
| 9780399256493
| 3.85
| 137
| Oct 18, 2011
| Oct 18, 2011
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Ever since I was a child, I have been reading Tomie dePaola’s popular “Strega Nona” series and I have almost read every single book in the “Strega Non...more
Ever since I was a child, I have been reading Tomie dePaola’s popular “Strega Nona” series and I have almost read every single book in the “Strega Nona” series! So when I started looking for some more “Strega Nona” books to read, I was really surprised to find this little gem, “Strega Nona’s Gift” which was just recently made in 2011. “Strega Nona’s Gift” is a Laura Ingalls Wilder Award-winning book by Tomie dePaola and it basically details the various Christmas celebrations that are celebrated in Italy, with Strega Nona being the one hosting the celebrations. “Strega Nona’s Gift” is a truly wonderful book for children who want to learn more about the Christmas traditions celebrated in Italy. Basically, this book mainly details the different types of Christmas fiestas that are celebrated in Italy including the “Feast of San Nicola” which is “the feast of Saint Nicholas” in Italian and it is where the children are allowed to choose their favorite meals on December 6th. Another holiday tradition celebrated in Italy is the “feast of La Vigilia” which is “the feast of Christmas Eve” in Italian and it is celebrated on December 24th and it is where the feast celebrates the birth of Jesus and no meat is allowed to be eaten and instead, the tradition is to eat seven courses of seafood which includes eel. This story is also about how Strega Nona and Big Anthony celebrated Christmas with the villagers. When I first picked up this book, I was thinking about what other kinds of adventures that Strega Nona and Big Anthony could possibly get into. Well, I was definitely pleasantly surprised by the turn of events in this little book! Tomie dePaola, whose work is well known for being hilarious and heartwarming at the same time, has done it again in this latest installation of the “Strega Nona” novels. I really loved the fact that in this story, it is set up more like learning about the traditions celebrated in Italy during Christmas time, while having Strega Nona and Big Anthony as the main characters. Basically there are many traditions celebrated during Christmas and here it is: 8 Days of Christmas celebrations celebrated in Italy: Feast of San Nicola (December 6) Feast of Santa Lucia (December 13) Feast of La Vigilia – Christmas Eve (December 24) Christmas (December 25) The Feast of San Silvestro (December 31) Il Capodanno – New Year’s Day (January 1) The Eve of Epifania – Epiphany (January 5) Feast of Epifania – Epiphany (January 6) I also loved how Strega Nona is the one hosting the Christmas festivities for the village, because even though the majority of the book is spent on explaining to the readers about the traditions being celebrated in Italy during Christmas time, Strega Nona still plays a major role in this story as being the one who hosts the festivities. I also loved the way that Tomie dePaola made this story extremely heartwarming and sweet as it shows the villagers and Strega Nona celebrating the spirit of Christmas and having a good time with each other. I was actually surprised that Big Anthony’s mistake in this book was not as major as it was in “Strega Nona” or “Strega Nona meets her Match,” since I was expecting a huge catastrophe to happen once Big Anthony is in the picture, but I was satisfied with the soothing mood of this book and I loved how Tomie dePaola handled Big Anthony’s mistake in this book. Tomie dePaola’s illustrations are just as cute as ever as Strega Nona is a short woman that still wears her classic purple dress and white apron and also wears a white shawl over her head, which makes her look extremely wise. I also loved the illustrations of all the food that Strega Nona prepares including fish, lentils, cakes and turkeys. Overall, “Strega Nona’s Gift” is a brilliant book that teaches children about how holidays are celebrated in other countries and children will surely enjoy this book for many years! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the Italian phrases might be difficult for younger children to understand. Also, check out Strega Nona’s first holiday book, Merry Christmas, Strega Nona Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Mar 08, 2012
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Mar 08, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0739356011
| 9780739356012
| 5.00
| 1
| Jun 12, 2007
| Jun 12, 2007
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Now how many of these “Rabbit Ears Treasury” audio CDs will I have to listen to just to be satisfied? All of them of course! So, imagine my surprise w...more
Now how many of these “Rabbit Ears Treasury” audio CDs will I have to listen to just to be satisfied? All of them of course! So, imagine my surprise when I finally picked up another “Rabbit Ears Treasury” audio CD, which is called “Rabbit Ears Treasury of World Tales Volume 3: The Bremen Town Musicians” and “Koi and the Kola Nuts” and I definitely enjoyed both stories on this CD! “Rabbit Ears Treasury of World Tales Volume 3” is definitely an audio CD that you will enjoy for many years to come! I have pretty much already summarized both of these stories through their book counterparts, so I will just briefly summarize each story: The Bremen Town Musicians Told by: Bob Hoskins Music by: Eugene Friesen When a donkey is threatened with death because he had grown too old to work on the farm, he decides to run away to the town of Bremen and along the way, he meets a cat, a dog and a rooster who were also in the same predicament as he was. Further down, the four friends meet up with a band of robbers and they prove to be a match for the unsuspecting robbers! Koi and the Kola Nuts Told by: Whoopi Goldberg Music by: Herbie Hancock When the youngest son of the former chief, Koi, only receives a Kola Nut tree after his father’s death, he decides to go to a village that would treat him with respect. Unfortunately, Koi ends up in a village that wants to eat him and he must complete three impossible tasks in order to avoid being thrown into the cooking pot! Wow! The “Rabbit Ears Treasury” series just keeps getting better and better! These two tales are excellent to listen to and my favorite of the two stories is “Koi and the Kola Nuts” since Whoopi Goldberg does a brilliant job at narrating this ancient African folktale. I loved the way that Herbie Hancock’s music just flows so well with this story as it contains an African beat that truly defines the African feel of this story and Whoopi Goldberg’s narration is smooth and regal as she narrates the story of a young prince who wants to be treated in a respectful manner, while meeting some great animal friends along the way. In the other story “The Bremen Town Musicians,” Bob Hoskins has done an excellent job at narrating the classic Brothers Grimm tale as his narration is both hilarious and engaging to listen to. Eugene Friesen’s music is both creative and hilarious to listen to as I find myself enjoying putting together the different instruments that go with each animal (the rooster has a voice that sounds like bagpipes and the cat has a voice that sounds like a violin) and Eugene Friesen’s music beautifully complements with these elements of each animal. As with most of the audio CDs of the “Rabbit Ears Treasury” series, there is no book to accompany it and for readers who remembered reading the “Rabbit Ears” series during the 80s and 90s might be a bit disappointed with this. This can be a problem especially if you wanted to show your children or your friends the stories so that way they could better understand the story, especially with “Koi and the Kola Nuts” that has many African terms that many small children might not understand very well with only an audio CD to go by. Overall, “Rabbit Ears Treasury of World Tales Volume 3: The Bremen Town Musicians and Koi and the Kola Nuts” is definitely one collection of classic stories that both adults and children will enjoy for many years to come! So go out and buy this fantastic series of popular children’s stories! I am sure that you will not be disappointed by these brilliant CDs! Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Feb 19, 2012
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Feb 19, 2012
| Audio CD
| |||||||||||||||
| 0156400103
| 9780156400107
| 4.11
| 129
| 1977
| Sep 01, 1977
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I have always been a huge fan of Tomie dePaola’s works ever since I was a child, with my favorites being of his “Strega Nona” stories (favorites from...more
I have always been a huge fan of Tomie dePaola’s works ever since I was a child, with my favorites being of his “Strega Nona” stories (favorites from this series are “Strega Nona” and “Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons”). Now I have stumbled upon a new book I have read from Tomie dePaola called “Helga’s Dowry: A Troll Love Story” and I was absolutely blown away by this book! “Helga’s Dowry” is about a young troll named Helga who wanted to marry a handsome troll named Lars, but because she was orphaned as a child, she has no rich dowry. So Helga decides to get a rich dowry by doing some hard work in the Land of People. “Helga’s Dowry” is a brilliant book about how hard work and determination really pays off at the end that many children will love for many years! Wow! I was so impressed with this book! I actually wished that I had read this book when I was younger because the message about how hard work and determination gives its own rewards was done so brilliantly and cleverly! Tomie dePaola has done a brilliant job with both illustrating and writing this tale about a young female troll who wanted to earn a rich dowry to marry a handsome troll, so she works hard to get the dowry she wanted. I loved the way that Tomie dePaola made Helga into such an independent and strong female character as she tried to work hard to achieve the dowry she wanted while keeping her principles about marrying a person who accepts her for herself in check. I also loved the twist at the end of this story as it was truly unexpected, but it was still a happy ending and it made me really root for Helga! I also loved the way that Tomie dePaola made the trolls in this book seem like regular good natured people, not as villains as they are usually portrayed in most fairy tales and folktales and that really helped me relate to the characters more while making them extremely interesting to read about. Tomie dePaola’s illustrations as usual are extremely creative and hilarious to look at. I loved how Tomie dePaola drew the trolls always grinning in every image and how he drew the trolls’ tails in being long and having hairy puffs at the tips. I also loved the images of Helga herself as she is always grinning and wears a cute little white bonnet and a blue apron that really defined the times that her character was set in. Overall, “Helga’s Dowry: A Troll Love Story” is a truly brilliant and hilarious book that children who want to learn about the importance of hard work and determination will definitely enjoy for years to come! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book for smaller children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Feb 07, 2012
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Feb 07, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 006200400X
| 9780062004000
| 4.10
| 1,847
| May 01, 2011
| Apr 26, 2011
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 4.5 stars After reading so many of Mo Willems’ fantastic books like Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, I was lu...more 4.5 stars After reading so many of Mo Willems’ fantastic books like Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, I was lucky to stumble upon this book called “Hooray for Amanda and her Alligator!” and I must admit that this book is probably one of Mo Willems’ cutest books ever written! Amanda and Alligator (who happens to be a stuffed toy) are best friends and they love to surprise each other! Whether Amanda surprises Alligator or Alligator surprises Amanda back, they are inseparable. But, one day Amanda brings home a surprise that Alligator does not seem to like. Will Alligator love this new surprise? There are a total of six and a half stories that details the adventures of Amanda and her Alligator! SO CUTE! Those are the two words that would most likely describe this book! Mo Willems has done it again in writing books for children and making them so intriguing and creative all at the same time! I loved the way that Mo Willems portrayed the friendship between Amanda and her Alligator as they truly care for each other and I love the little banters between them like this memorable exchange: “I have a surprise for you,” said Alligator. “Would you like it?” He giggled some more. “Is it you yelling ‘BOO!’?” asked Amanda. “Uh,” said Alligator, “not anymore.” I really loved the personalities of both Amanda and Alligator as they are both snarky, but in a good way. I loved the fact that Amanda enjoys reading books and in each chapter, she is always seen reading something different whenever Alligator tries to surprise her. I also loved Mo Willems’ artwork as the artwork is simplistic yet cute at the same time. I loved the images of Alligator himself as he is shown to be bubbly shaped and has a blue color which really makes him stand out in the story. I also loved the appearance of Amanda herself as she is shown as a small girl with short black hair, a pink t-shirt and green pants and I loved her facial expressions whenever she is mad or happy. The reason why I took off half a star for this book is because I felt that the book lacked the witty banters that Mo Willems normally put into his children’s books, even though there were a few here and there. I do think that many children will enjoy this book, but any child who loved the usual snarky comments made by the characters in most of Mo Willems’ books might be a bit disappointed to not find much in this book. Overall, “Hooray for Amanda and her Alligator” is a truly cute book from the creative mind of Mo Willems and children who loves reading about fantastic friendships and cute little alligators would definitely enjoy this book! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since it is appropriate enough for small children. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog I like to thank my Goodreads buddy Kathryn for recommending me this title!(less) | Notes are private!
| 1
| not set
| Apr 25, 2013
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Feb 06, 2012
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0374347492
| 9780374347499
| 3.18
| 49
| Sep 01, 2009
| Sep 01, 2009
|
I have read many children’s books that dealt with a child imagining themselves into a place where they have wild adventures (Where the Wild Things Are...more
I have read many children’s books that dealt with a child imagining themselves into a place where they have wild adventures (Where the Wild Things Are comes to mind) and I have enjoyed every single one! “When I Wore My Sailor Suit” is a children’s book written by Uri Shulevitz, who also illustrated The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship: A Russian Tale and it details the adventures that a young boy has while he was a sailor. “When I Wore My Sailor Suit” is a truly memorable book for children who love adventures! The book starts off with a young boy who puts on a sailor suit, a sailor hat and his sailor whistle so he could go off on an adventure. His mother gives him an apple and a cookie to take for provisions and he goes upstairs to the Mintzes’ apartment and goes inside their room to play. Once the boy spots a ship on the dresser, he puts the ship on the floor and starts his journey! When I read this book, I keep thinking about Maurice Sendak’s classic Where the Wild Things Are, especially during the scene where the young boy sails over the ocean and gets caught up in a storm. There are so many similarities between “Where the Wild Things Are” and this book, “When I Wore My Sailor Suit” and I enjoyed the imaginative aspects of both stories where both characters imagined themselves into another world. In this book however, Uri Shulevitz has done an excellent job at both writing and illustrating this story about a young boy imagining all of his adventures in his neighbor’s apartment. Uri Shulevitz’s writing is extremely cute and memorable since it strongly relates to how many children enjoying imagining themselves into a new world unlike the world they are living in right now. I loved reading about the boy’s adventures from sailing across the ocean to trying to conquer his fears over a scary looking painting. I remembered my fears of scary looking paintings when I was small, but now, I really enjoy looking at disturbing images (sometimes). It was also amazing in knowing that this story was based on Uri Shulevitz’s own childhood during World War II, which is further explained in his other picture book How I Learned Geography Uri Shulevitz’s illustrations are just so beautiful and colorful and they greatly complement the adventures that the boy goes on in his imagination. My favorite image was of the young boy trying to overcome his fear of a frightening looking painting that has a pale face man that has a long mustache and a blue hat and is always staring at the boy in a frightening manner. Overall, “When I Wore My Sailor Suit” is a truly memorable story about the power of imagination and about conquering your fears and children every where will enjoy this story for many years to come! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since the writing is simple and there is nothing inappropriate in this story, unless the image of the scary looking man in the picture might frighten younger children. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Jan 18, 2012
|
Jan 17, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0805032436
| 9780805032437
| 4.10
| 119
| 1835
| Sep 15, 1995
|
I have read many interpretations of the classic Brothers Grimm tale “The Fisherman and his Wife,” but this is the first time I have read the Russian v...more
I have read many interpretations of the classic Brothers Grimm tale “The Fisherman and his Wife,” but this is the first time I have read the Russian version of this tale. “The Magic Gold Fish” is a Russian folktale retold by Demi and it is about how a poor fisherman wants to please his greedy wife when he finds a magic golden fish. “The Magic Gold Fish” is a great retelling of the ancient tale that children everywhere will love! One day, a poor fisherman catches a gold fish and the gold fish promised to repay the kind fisherman in any kind of way. Unfortunately, the fisherman’s greedy wife wanted more from the fish, which includes a cottage, a mansion and a czarina! Ever since I have been reading Demi’s works, I was always amazed at how detailed and beautiful her retellings of ancient folktales are! Demi’s writing is extremely dramatic and interesting at the same time as the fisherman is thrown into one crazy situation into another and I loved the Russian elements being put into this story such as “czarina” and “distaff.” Demi’s illustrations were simply gorgeous as she uses traditional Chinese inks to illustrate the drawings in this book. I especially loved the Russian landscapes in this book such as the picture of the royal palace looking red and having red flags waving in the air. I also loved the illustrations of the fisherman’s wife being dressed in gold and red royal clothing after she wishes to be a czarina and it really helped me see Russia in ancient times through a picture book. The problem I had with this book is that the wife is a bit too cruel in this version as she goes from beating her husband up to making him live in the stables and pushing him away from her. Okay, well maybe she is more vain than cruel, but it was just so hard to even like her character in this version and I constantly feel sorry for the fisherman as he has to take his wife’s abuse throughout the book. So in a way, the ending was a bit satisfying for me because the fisherman’s wife gets what is coming to her for her greed, but at the same time, I felt that there should have been more added at the end, such as whether or not the fisherman’s wife learned her lesson or not. All in all, “The Magic Gold Fish” was an interesting spin on the classic Brothers Grimm tale and children everywhere who love reading Russian folktales will definitely enjoy this classic tale! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the greedy wife might upset smaller children. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| not set
| Jan 11, 2010
|
Jan 10, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0805059334
| 9780805059335
| 4.10
| 126
| 1995
| Sep 15, 1998
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I have actually heard of Quentin Blake’s works from the many Roald Dahl books I have read as a child and I was actually surprised to read a book writt...more
I have actually heard of Quentin Blake’s works from the many Roald Dahl books I have read as a child and I was actually surprised to read a book written by Quentin Blake himself. “Clown” is a children’s book by Quentin Blake and it is about how a small toy clown comes to life and tries to help the other toys that were thrown in the trash can find a new home. “Clown” is a cute story that children who love reading about toys will enjoy, but the illustrations might take some time getting used to. Since this is a wordless picture book, I loved the way that Quentin Blake tells the story through his illustrations. Quentin Blake’s illustrations effectively told the story about a small toy clown trying to find a new home for the other toys and I loved how the illustrations told the story such as having an illustration of the clown running around the city or an illustration of the clown being chased by a large yellow dog. I especially loved the way that Quentin Blake illustrated the clown as having a white clown suit with a purple necktie, blond hair, a small blue hat and a smile on its face as it sort of represents the hope that it brings to the story. I also loved how Quentin Blake made this story extremely cute and heartwarming, especially of the scenes of the clown trying to find a new home for the other toys. I loved the theme about how being kind-hearted towards others has its own rewards and even though the clown had gone through so many obstacles in his quest to help the other toys, his deed is rewarded towards the end and it was the ending of this book that really made me feel so warm inside. The reason why I gave this book a four star rating is because of the illustrations. While I liked the fact that the story was really cute and heartwarming, the illustrations sort of contrasted that by being a bit dark and dreary. The illustrations are not so dark and dreary that it would scare smaller children, but it would make children who read this book think about what kind of story this is. Also, there are a lot of grey coloring around the backgrounds that sort of gave this book a dreary feel. Even though I have always enjoyed Quentin Blake’s illustrations, especially with his work in Roald Dahl’s books, I felt that they sort of clashed too much with the story of this book and probably the only illustration that I felt fit the sweet nature of the story was of the clown itself as it has a white outfit and has a smile on its face on every page. Overall, “Clown” is a really cute book about the importance of performing kind deeds for people and how having a kind heart can produce its own rewards. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the illustrations might be too dreary for some small children to handle. (less) | Notes are private!
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| Dec 24, 2011
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Dec 24, 2011
| Paperback
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| 0689711174
| 9780689711176
| 4.13
| 46
| 1983
| Mar 31, 1987
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I have actually seen this story through a children’s video series called “Weston Woods” and I have enjoyed this story ever since! “The Most Wonderful...more
I have actually seen this story through a children’s video series called “Weston Woods” and I have enjoyed this story ever since! “The Most Wonderful Egg in the World” is a children’s book by Helme Heine that is about how three hens – Dotty, Stalky and Plumy – all wanted to prove to each other about who is the most beautiful hen in the kingdom and the results are truly unexpected and creative! “The Most Wonderful Egg in the World” is definitely one children’s book that will stand the test of time for years! A long time ago, there were three hens named Dotty, who had the most beautiful feathers, Stalky, who had the most beautiful legs and Plumy, who had the most beautiful crest, and they all started arguing about which one of them was the most beautiful in the kingdom. So, they decided to bring this issue to the king and the king suggested that whichever one of them lays the most beautiful egg will be the princess of the kingdom. So when the day came for the contest, all three hens started to lay their eggs. After all of these years, this story still remains to be on my favorite stories shelf ever since I was a child. Helme Heine has done an excellent job at both illustrating and writing this cute tale about the importance of being unique. Helme Heine’s writing is cute and I loved the scenes of the three hens having a contest on who can produce the most beautiful egg and each egg that each of the hens laid were extremely unique and my favorite moment during this contest was when Plumy laid her egg (of course, I will not tell you what kind of egg she laid since that might spoil the book for you) and the result was surprising and hilarious! I also loved the theme of this book as it details that each of the three hens are special in their own way and it shows when they are all laying their eggs and each of their eggs are different from each other. Helme Heine’s illustrations are extremely cute and beautiful and I loved the way that the hens are drawn to have round bodies and small black dotted eyes which make them look extremely adorable. I especially loved the way that Dotty the Hen looked as she has red spots covering her round body and the spots make her look extremely cute. Overall, “The Most Wonderful Egg in the World” is a truly cute and creative book for children who love reading about hens and being unique and this book will definitely be a favorite among children for many years! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing offensive in this book and the writing is simple for smaller children to read. (less) | Notes are private!
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| Dec 16, 1993
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Dec 16, 2011
| Paperback
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