Bonnie Ferrante's Blog, page 62

Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar? By George Shannon. Pictures by Julie Paschkis.

Although this book does not represent the vast majority of methods used in today’s factory farming and massive production, it still has value. The message is not in how the ingredients for cookies are made but in how many people need to contribute in order for a cookie to come into being. The book begins, […]

The Diggers are Coming! by Susan Steggall. Book Review.

The Diggers Are Coming! Is a fabulous book to introduce the concept of construction to a child. It is told in a rhythmic, engaging manner. It begins, “The wreckers are coming! The wreckers are coming, they whack and they wallop and wham! Flinging and slinging their weight around, they bash old buildings to the ground.” […]

Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund. Performed by Susanna Burney. Book Review.

This novel is written from the point of view of Marie Antoinette beginning at age 14 when she was married off to the 15-year-old Dauphin, later to become King Louis XVI. Marie Antoinette has been groomed by her mother, the Empress of Austria, to be the perfect wife, obedient, cheerful, beautiful, and eager to bear […]

Big or Little? By Kathy Stinson. Illustrated by Robin Baird Lewis.

This book begins “You know, sometimes I feel so big.” It goes on to show a preschool boy tying his shoes, zipping his jeans, and unbuttoning his shirt. It continues, “But sometimes I feel so little.” This time he can’t reach the elevator button. It goes on to relate remembering his library book, losing his […]

Let’s Be Animals by Ann Turner. Illustrated by Rick Brown. Book Review

This book has very simple words. It begins “Let’s be animals, you and me. We can baaa and bark and hop. We can move and clippity-clop.” Children are running around in a field with a sheep, dog, duck, horse, and calf. From that point on a single animal is featured on each page. There is […]

Some Monsters are Different by David Milgrim. Book Review.

This simply drawn, colorful picture book features pages of lovable, goofy cartoon monsters. Monsters are, obviously, representing children. Many of the monsters are depicted humorously. It begins “Some monsters are afraid. Some are not. Some monsters will eat anything. Some are picky.” It ends “All monsters are absolutely, positively, completely, perfectly wonderful just the way […]

I Saw an Ant in a Parking Lot by Joshua Prince. Illustrated by Macky Pamintuan. Book Review.

The pictures in this book remind the reader of a Pixar movie. The girl in the story is almost like a photograph with an enlarged head and overly expressive features. The book is written in rhyme and holds up fairly well. If you read this aloud, you will have to concentrate as some of the […]

Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! By David MacPhail. Book Review.

This book grabbed my granddaughter and me immediately. So few writers can write well in rhyme that some publishers refuse to even look at rhyming books. It is a difficult style to accomplish but David MacPhail does it with finesse. It begins “Late one night/ As I sat reading,/ I thought I heard/ The sound […]

Guinea Pig Party by Holly Surplice. Book Review.

This is a count down book. Ten guinea pigs come to a party. On each page something happens to one of them until the book gets down to one. Then the ten return for more partying. The departures are simplistic and I would’ve appreciated a little more ingenuity. The pictures are double-page spreads with ink […]

Snap by Hazel Hutchins. Illustrated by Dušan Petričić. Book Review.

I love the concept of this book. The boy is playing with crayons and discovers new things about coloring. When he breaks the crayons, he realizes he can use the pieces in different ways. He also discovers that blending certain colors makes new colors. The illustrations are magnificent. Petričić uses crayon to draw us in […]