Karen GoatKeeper's Blog, page 14
July 5, 2024
"Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide to Life" and "Yucky Worms"
Both of these are enjoyable books and very different from each other.
Yucky Worms
5 stars
author: Vivian French
Illustrator: Jessica Ahlberg
Gardeners love earthworms. The average child looks at a worm and cringes. After all, worms are yucky.
Worms are not yucky and this book is out to show you why. It's filled with worm information. This ranges from worm anatomy to what worms eat to how worms affect a garden.
The illustrations are filled with creatures and plants. Worms may get top billing, but the cats and many other creatures are there too making exploring the illustrations interesting too.
Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide to Life
5 stars, favorite
Author/Illustrators: Kimberly and James Dean
Pete is not on an adventure in this book. He is giving his take on various quotations about life from Lewis Carroll, Confucius, Wordsworth, Dickinson and more.
The illustrations are fun takes on the quotations. Pete is living life to the fullest and wants everyone else to do so too.
Yucky Worms
5 stars
author: Vivian French
Illustrator: Jessica Ahlberg
Gardeners love earthworms. The average child looks at a worm and cringes. After all, worms are yucky.
Worms are not yucky and this book is out to show you why. It's filled with worm information. This ranges from worm anatomy to what worms eat to how worms affect a garden.
The illustrations are filled with creatures and plants. Worms may get top billing, but the cats and many other creatures are there too making exploring the illustrations interesting too.
Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide to Life
5 stars, favorite
Author/Illustrators: Kimberly and James Dean
Pete is not on an adventure in this book. He is giving his take on various quotations about life from Lewis Carroll, Confucius, Wordsworth, Dickinson and more.
The illustrations are fun takes on the quotations. Pete is living life to the fullest and wants everyone else to do so too.
July 2, 2024
"That Book Woman" and "The Unbeatable Bread"
Both of these books are wonderful. One feeds the mind. The other feeds the stomach. I do love making bread.
The Unbeatable Bread
5 stars favorite
Author: Lyn Littlefield Hoopes
Illustrator: Brad Sneed
Wintertime. The couple is snowed in. He has cabin fever and bakes poofs and puffs and cookies. There's no one to eat them. So aunt Lucy is not happy when Uncle Jon announces he is making an unbeatable bread. What a bread!
The text is in rhyme and fun to read.
Oh, those beautiful baked goods sitting in the kitchen look good enough to pick right off the page and eat. Uncle Jon is the perfect picture of a baker. Everyone wants a bite of that wonderful shakin', waken' bread as they follow their noses through the snow.
That Book Woman
5 stars favorite
Author: Heather Henson
Illustrator: David Small
Back in the 1930s living back in the Appalachians meant you were far from civilization. People scrabbled for a living.
As part of the Works Progress Administration, people were hired to ride on horse or mule with bags of books to these isolated homesteads. It was like a lending library now operated as a bookmobile.
This young man is not a reader. He thinks reading is a waste of time and an excuse for his sister to avoid chores. But that book woman keeps coming in good weather and foul. She's a fool, no she's brave and there must be something important about those books.
The text reads like an unrhymed poem and really brings the young man's opinions into focus.
Watercolor illustrations give a subdued tone. The expressions especially on the young man are great.
The Unbeatable Bread
5 stars favorite
Author: Lyn Littlefield Hoopes
Illustrator: Brad Sneed
Wintertime. The couple is snowed in. He has cabin fever and bakes poofs and puffs and cookies. There's no one to eat them. So aunt Lucy is not happy when Uncle Jon announces he is making an unbeatable bread. What a bread!
The text is in rhyme and fun to read.
Oh, those beautiful baked goods sitting in the kitchen look good enough to pick right off the page and eat. Uncle Jon is the perfect picture of a baker. Everyone wants a bite of that wonderful shakin', waken' bread as they follow their noses through the snow.
That Book Woman
5 stars favorite
Author: Heather Henson
Illustrator: David Small
Back in the 1930s living back in the Appalachians meant you were far from civilization. People scrabbled for a living.
As part of the Works Progress Administration, people were hired to ride on horse or mule with bags of books to these isolated homesteads. It was like a lending library now operated as a bookmobile.
This young man is not a reader. He thinks reading is a waste of time and an excuse for his sister to avoid chores. But that book woman keeps coming in good weather and foul. She's a fool, no she's brave and there must be something important about those books.
The text reads like an unrhymed poem and really brings the young man's opinions into focus.
Watercolor illustrations give a subdued tone. The expressions especially on the young man are great.
June 28, 2024
"Pete the Cat Goes Camping" and "After the Fall" and "Russell the Sheep"
Yes, I know. There are three books this time. I'd picked out two and passed a display with Pete the Cat. I can't pass him up.
Pete the Cat Goes Camping
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: James Dean
Pete the Cat is going on his first camping trip with his family. They do some usual things like hike and fish. At night Pete finds the noises are strange. Somehow Bigfoot sneaks into the story.
The illustrations are typical Pete the Cat. They have lots of color and help make the story fun.
After the Fall
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: Dan Santat
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
What happened to Humpty Dumpty after that?
According to this story, he picked himself up and made a new life for himself. But that wall kept calling him. Fear of falling kept him off the wall until...
The illustrations seem realistic, yet create an imaginary world. They make him seem like someone you might know.
The ending is perfect.
Russell the Sheep
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: Rob Scotton
Everyone has those nights when they just can't go to sleep. Russell is having one and it puts him out of step with the other sheep who are all sleeping peacefully. How is Russell going to get to sleep?
The sheep are rather cute, although they look a bit like cotton balls with tails, legs and heads. They are definitely soft and wooly looking. Russell's frog friend adds humor. The various sheep poses are fun too.
Pete the Cat Goes Camping
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: James Dean
Pete the Cat is going on his first camping trip with his family. They do some usual things like hike and fish. At night Pete finds the noises are strange. Somehow Bigfoot sneaks into the story.
The illustrations are typical Pete the Cat. They have lots of color and help make the story fun.
After the Fall
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: Dan Santat
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
What happened to Humpty Dumpty after that?
According to this story, he picked himself up and made a new life for himself. But that wall kept calling him. Fear of falling kept him off the wall until...
The illustrations seem realistic, yet create an imaginary world. They make him seem like someone you might know.
The ending is perfect.
Russell the Sheep
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: Rob Scotton
Everyone has those nights when they just can't go to sleep. Russell is having one and it puts him out of step with the other sheep who are all sleeping peacefully. How is Russell going to get to sleep?
The sheep are rather cute, although they look a bit like cotton balls with tails, legs and heads. They are definitely soft and wooly looking. Russell's frog friend adds humor. The various sheep poses are fun too.
June 25, 2024
"Heart of a Tiger" and "Iggy Peck, Architect"
These were very different, yet both celebrated being yourself.
Heart of a Tiger
5 stars, favorite book
Author: Marsha Diane Arnold
Illustrator: Jamichael Henterly
Four kittens were to be given their formal names on Naming Day, a week away. Three knew what names they wanted. Four was the runt, plain gray, and afraid his name wouldn't be a good one, one to make him more than what he seemed to be.
Four goes in search of Golden Bengal, a tiger, to learn to be a tiger. Then he would have a name to be proud of.
The illustrations are big, bold and vibrant with color. They bring the jungle to life.
Iggy Peck, Architect
5 stars
Author: Andrea Beaty
Illustrator: David Roberts
Iggy loves to build and has been building amazing things since he was in diapers. Then he ends up in Miss Lila Greer's second grade class. There will be no building in her class.
Iggy's projects are a bit over the top which makes the book fun. There is rhyming in the text throughout.
The illustrations are spare, precise, a reflection of architectural drafts. They emphasize the fantastical aspects of Iggy's creations. This is a fun book.
Heart of a Tiger
5 stars, favorite book
Author: Marsha Diane Arnold
Illustrator: Jamichael Henterly
Four kittens were to be given their formal names on Naming Day, a week away. Three knew what names they wanted. Four was the runt, plain gray, and afraid his name wouldn't be a good one, one to make him more than what he seemed to be.
Four goes in search of Golden Bengal, a tiger, to learn to be a tiger. Then he would have a name to be proud of.
The illustrations are big, bold and vibrant with color. They bring the jungle to life.
Iggy Peck, Architect
5 stars
Author: Andrea Beaty
Illustrator: David Roberts
Iggy loves to build and has been building amazing things since he was in diapers. Then he ends up in Miss Lila Greer's second grade class. There will be no building in her class.
Iggy's projects are a bit over the top which makes the book fun. There is rhyming in the text throughout.
The illustrations are spare, precise, a reflection of architectural drafts. They emphasize the fantastical aspects of Iggy's creations. This is a fun book.
June 21, 2024
"The Owl Goes On Holiday" and "Out of the Woods"
Summer is a great time to go out in the woods for real or in books.
The Owl Goes on Holiday
4 stars
Author: Ulf Stark
Illustrator: Ann-Catherine Sigrid Stahlberg
In this make believe woods an owl teaches young animals in a wild school. He mostly teaches how animals are alike and different.
Owl sleep all day. A woodpecker is chiseling a hole in the tree next to where the owl sleeps so he isn't getting much sleep.
A holiday is just what Owl needs. Magpie takes over the class with mixed results.
The illustrations are soft watercolors with bold animals.
Out of the Woods
4 stars
Author/Illustrator: Rebecca Bond
The author's grandfather liked to tell of this event from 1914 when he was very young.
Antonio lived in a hotel rooming house by a lake in the woods of Ontario, Canada. He made friends with the staff, the visitors and the roomers. One thing he wanted was to see the animals living in the woods, but they stayed hidden.
A drought turned the woods dry. A fire started and swept through the woods. There was no fire crew to put the fire out. Everyone waded out into the lake. Then the animals appeared to take shelter in the lake until the fire burned itself out.
The illustrations are a watercolor wash with pen drawings.
The Owl Goes on Holiday
4 stars
Author: Ulf Stark
Illustrator: Ann-Catherine Sigrid Stahlberg
In this make believe woods an owl teaches young animals in a wild school. He mostly teaches how animals are alike and different.
Owl sleep all day. A woodpecker is chiseling a hole in the tree next to where the owl sleeps so he isn't getting much sleep.
A holiday is just what Owl needs. Magpie takes over the class with mixed results.
The illustrations are soft watercolors with bold animals.
Out of the Woods
4 stars
Author/Illustrator: Rebecca Bond
The author's grandfather liked to tell of this event from 1914 when he was very young.
Antonio lived in a hotel rooming house by a lake in the woods of Ontario, Canada. He made friends with the staff, the visitors and the roomers. One thing he wanted was to see the animals living in the woods, but they stayed hidden.
A drought turned the woods dry. A fire started and swept through the woods. There was no fire crew to put the fire out. Everyone waded out into the lake. Then the animals appeared to take shelter in the lake until the fire burned itself out.
The illustrations are a watercolor wash with pen drawings.
June 18, 2024
"Brundibar" and "There's a Dragon Downstairs"
Both books seek to solve a problem.
Brundibar
4 stars
Author (Reteller): Tony Kushner
Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Aninku and Pepicek wake to find their mother very ill. The doctor says she must have milk. There is milk for sale in the village, but the children have no money.
To earn the money, the children want to sing, but the local bully organ grinder forbids them. They and the townspeople must face down the bully.
This tale brings back World War II. The tale has a happy ending. This seems unrealistic until you read the last page from Brundibar about how defeating one bully only means another will come to take his place.
There's a Dragon Downstairs
4 stars
Author: Hilary McKay
Illustrator: Amanda Harvey
Every night Sophie goes to bed and hears the cat flap. Something comes into the kitchen, into the living room. something that seems to get bigger in the dark.
Is it a dragon?
Sophie wants to see the dragon. She tries several ways to sneak downstairs. Each ends in failure until one night. And on that night Sophie sees the dragon.
Brundibar
4 stars
Author (Reteller): Tony Kushner
Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Aninku and Pepicek wake to find their mother very ill. The doctor says she must have milk. There is milk for sale in the village, but the children have no money.
To earn the money, the children want to sing, but the local bully organ grinder forbids them. They and the townspeople must face down the bully.
This tale brings back World War II. The tale has a happy ending. This seems unrealistic until you read the last page from Brundibar about how defeating one bully only means another will come to take his place.
There's a Dragon Downstairs
4 stars
Author: Hilary McKay
Illustrator: Amanda Harvey
Every night Sophie goes to bed and hears the cat flap. Something comes into the kitchen, into the living room. something that seems to get bigger in the dark.
Is it a dragon?
Sophie wants to see the dragon. She tries several ways to sneak downstairs. Each ends in failure until one night. And on that night Sophie sees the dragon.
June 14, 2024
"A Huge Hog Is a Big Pig" and "This Is Not My Hat"
Word games are fun and educational.
A Huge Hog Is a Big Pig
4 stars
Author: Francis McCall
Illustrator: Patricia Keeler
The illustrations are photographs of children meeting the animals used for the word games. Some of the expressions are great.
The text is setting up a game such as huge hog, then turning the page to give the rhyming answer. This gives an opportunity to brainstorm possible answers.
A couple of the answers stretch things a bit. They do build some vocabulary in a fun way.
This Is Not My Hat
4 stars
Author/Illustrator: Jon Klassen
A little fish steals a hat from a sleeping big fish. The objective is to escape without being noticed. After all, the hat is much too small for the big fish and fits the little fish perfectly.
Then the big fish wakes up.
The story is fun. The illustrations fit perfectly.
A Huge Hog Is a Big Pig
4 stars
Author: Francis McCall
Illustrator: Patricia Keeler
The illustrations are photographs of children meeting the animals used for the word games. Some of the expressions are great.
The text is setting up a game such as huge hog, then turning the page to give the rhyming answer. This gives an opportunity to brainstorm possible answers.
A couple of the answers stretch things a bit. They do build some vocabulary in a fun way.
This Is Not My Hat
4 stars
Author/Illustrator: Jon Klassen
A little fish steals a hat from a sleeping big fish. The objective is to escape without being noticed. After all, the hat is much too small for the big fish and fits the little fish perfectly.
Then the big fish wakes up.
The story is fun. The illustrations fit perfectly.
June 11, 2024
"Oh No!" and "Wolf In the Snow"
Two very different entries.
Oh No! or How My Science Project Destroyed the World
3 stars
Author: Mac Barnett
Illustrator: Dan Santat
The schematics in the frontispiece and backpiece are so detailed and official looking. The illustrations are nice. The story looks a lot like a Japanese creature feature like Godzilla. There are even Japanese comments in the illustrations.
Wolf In the Snow
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: Matthew Cordell
Caldecott Medal
There is almost no text in this story. What text is there are sounds such as howling, barking and panting.
The illustrations are very simple, stylized. But these tell the story of a little girl walking home in the snow and finding a lost wolf cub. This is a story to encourage a very young child to tell the story from the illustrations.
Oh No! or How My Science Project Destroyed the World
3 stars
Author: Mac Barnett
Illustrator: Dan Santat
The schematics in the frontispiece and backpiece are so detailed and official looking. The illustrations are nice. The story looks a lot like a Japanese creature feature like Godzilla. There are even Japanese comments in the illustrations.
Wolf In the Snow
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: Matthew Cordell
Caldecott Medal
There is almost no text in this story. What text is there are sounds such as howling, barking and panting.
The illustrations are very simple, stylized. But these tell the story of a little girl walking home in the snow and finding a lost wolf cub. This is a story to encourage a very young child to tell the story from the illustrations.
June 7, 2024
"Jack's Garden" and "Fox In the Forest"
Both of these books are fiction, but filled with facts about nature.
Jack's Garden
4 stars
Author/Illustrator: Henry Cole
This book is on two levels. One is for young children. The other is for older children.
Jack is planting a wildflower garden.
The excellent illustrations show different stages from preparing the garden and what is in soil to seeds to plants to pollinators and more.
For young children the text sets up a phrase and adds a layer to it on each page.
For older children, the illustrations show and name the creatures and wildflowers in Jack's garden. There is also a page urging children to plant their own gardens.
Fox In the Forest
5 stars
Author: Lorna Domke
Illustrator: David Besenger
Missouri Conservation Department book
A gray fox kit wakes up bitten by a flea that urges the kit to go out exploring the woods. The kit meets up with numerous forest residents before finding his way back home. The flea knows interesting tidbits about the various creatures.
The illustrations are true to life, yet have a softness to them making this book a fun adventure to take with gray fox kit.
Jack's Garden
4 stars
Author/Illustrator: Henry Cole
This book is on two levels. One is for young children. The other is for older children.
Jack is planting a wildflower garden.
The excellent illustrations show different stages from preparing the garden and what is in soil to seeds to plants to pollinators and more.
For young children the text sets up a phrase and adds a layer to it on each page.
For older children, the illustrations show and name the creatures and wildflowers in Jack's garden. There is also a page urging children to plant their own gardens.
Fox In the Forest
5 stars
Author: Lorna Domke
Illustrator: David Besenger
Missouri Conservation Department book
A gray fox kit wakes up bitten by a flea that urges the kit to go out exploring the woods. The kit meets up with numerous forest residents before finding his way back home. The flea knows interesting tidbits about the various creatures.
The illustrations are true to life, yet have a softness to them making this book a fun adventure to take with gray fox kit.
June 4, 2024
"The Treasure" (rip Squeak) and "Fabulous Flying Fandinis"
Lots of fantasy books to read this time around.
The Treasure (Rip Squeak Book)
5 stars
Author: Susan Yost-Filgate
Illustrator: Leonard Filgate
Euripides the frog arrives with a book of pirate stories to read to Rip, Jesse and Abbey. Tucked in this book is a map to a treasure hidden out in the garden. Of course the group must go treasure hunting and find a special treasure.
The illustrations are lush. The mice and kitten look as though their fur will be soft, if you stroke the page. They are rich with detail and filled with color.
Fabulous Flying Fandinis
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: Ingrid Slyder
A new family, the Fandinis, move into the neighborhood. They are different. Their house, their clothes, their pets are anything but ordinary.
Bobby Brown is urged to visit by his parents. The Fandinis are delighted to have him visit and invite him to join in their activities on the trapeze, the trampoline and more. Should he? He isn't sure. Does he dare?
The illustrations are incredibly detailed. The Fandinis have a circus inside their house with animals, trapezes, high wire, all the things a circus once had. These all are found in the illustrations that take time to explore to find al the things happening within each panel.
The Treasure (Rip Squeak Book)
5 stars
Author: Susan Yost-Filgate
Illustrator: Leonard Filgate
Euripides the frog arrives with a book of pirate stories to read to Rip, Jesse and Abbey. Tucked in this book is a map to a treasure hidden out in the garden. Of course the group must go treasure hunting and find a special treasure.
The illustrations are lush. The mice and kitten look as though their fur will be soft, if you stroke the page. They are rich with detail and filled with color.
Fabulous Flying Fandinis
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: Ingrid Slyder
A new family, the Fandinis, move into the neighborhood. They are different. Their house, their clothes, their pets are anything but ordinary.
Bobby Brown is urged to visit by his parents. The Fandinis are delighted to have him visit and invite him to join in their activities on the trapeze, the trampoline and more. Should he? He isn't sure. Does he dare?
The illustrations are incredibly detailed. The Fandinis have a circus inside their house with animals, trapezes, high wire, all the things a circus once had. These all are found in the illustrations that take time to explore to find al the things happening within each panel.
