Karen GoatKeeper's Blog, page 15
May 31, 2024
"Tree of Cranes" and "The Day Fin Flooded the World"
Both good books, but very different from each other.
The Tree of Cranes
4 stars
Author/Illustrator: Allen Say
Told in first person, the boy is Japanese and, like many boys, sometimes hard of hearing instructions. He loves to watch the carp in a neighbor's pond even though his mother asks him not to. One day is cold and he is chilled. He is put to bed where he watches his mother fold cranes. These are hung on a tree which becomes the boy's first Christmas tree.
The illustrations are sharp giving the look and feel of a Japanese house. They show many of the looks of Japanese dress and customs. They have a beautiful simplicity that is not simple.
The Day Fin Flooded the World
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: Adam Stower
Whimsey rules both the story and the illustrations. Fin is a very forgetful boy. One night he forgets to turn off the tap after brushing his teeth. It overflows and floods the world making fish happy and land dwellers unhappy. Fin's solution? So apt.
The Tree of Cranes
4 stars
Author/Illustrator: Allen Say
Told in first person, the boy is Japanese and, like many boys, sometimes hard of hearing instructions. He loves to watch the carp in a neighbor's pond even though his mother asks him not to. One day is cold and he is chilled. He is put to bed where he watches his mother fold cranes. These are hung on a tree which becomes the boy's first Christmas tree.
The illustrations are sharp giving the look and feel of a Japanese house. They show many of the looks of Japanese dress and customs. They have a beautiful simplicity that is not simple.
The Day Fin Flooded the World
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: Adam Stower
Whimsey rules both the story and the illustrations. Fin is a very forgetful boy. One night he forgets to turn off the tap after brushing his teeth. It overflows and floods the world making fish happy and land dwellers unhappy. Fin's solution? So apt.
May 28, 2024
"The Trail Ride" and "Runaway Radish"
This was a time to indulge being horse crazy. These are books for older girls who have or are beginning to read independently.
The Trail Ride
4 stars
Author: Catherine Hapka
Illustrator: Anne Kennedy
The book is English riding. It is an I Can Read level 2. It is part of the Pony Scouts series.
Several girls are taking riding lessons at a pony farm. Their instructor is called away. Finishing their lessons, the girls decide to go on a trail ride.
The story and the illustrations make riding look such fun. The ponies are darling. It does stress pony care and riding safety, but only as part of the story and illustrations.
Runaway Radish
5 stars
Author: Jessie Haas
Illustrator: Margot Apple
Radish was born filled with confidence. He knows how to be a good riding horse. But he wants his rider to know how to tell him what to do.
Each child who owns Radish starts off too young to make Radish behave. They learn.
When that child grows up and moves on to a horse, Radish goes to another young child. This child too learns a lot from trying to outsmart Radish.
This book is humorous and has a great ending.
The Trail Ride
4 stars
Author: Catherine Hapka
Illustrator: Anne Kennedy
The book is English riding. It is an I Can Read level 2. It is part of the Pony Scouts series.
Several girls are taking riding lessons at a pony farm. Their instructor is called away. Finishing their lessons, the girls decide to go on a trail ride.
The story and the illustrations make riding look such fun. The ponies are darling. It does stress pony care and riding safety, but only as part of the story and illustrations.
Runaway Radish
5 stars
Author: Jessie Haas
Illustrator: Margot Apple
Radish was born filled with confidence. He knows how to be a good riding horse. But he wants his rider to know how to tell him what to do.
Each child who owns Radish starts off too young to make Radish behave. They learn.
When that child grows up and moves on to a horse, Radish goes to another young child. This child too learns a lot from trying to outsmart Radish.
This book is humorous and has a great ending.
May 24, 2024
"Nine Animals and the Well" and "Warm as Wool"
Warm as Wool
4 stars
Author: Scott Russell Sanders
Illustrator: Helen Cogancherry
Picture Ohio as dark woods, few towns, few people and mud roads. The Ward family is moving out into the wilderness in September just in time for winter. It is cold. The log cabin they build is drafty no matter how often they daub mud between the logs. They are cold in spite of wearing all their clothes and huddling by the fire.
Sarah Ward has a spinning wheel and a loom, but no sheep. She has stashed away money to buy sheep and waits for the opportunity. It comes.
The illustrations are excellent. They have a golden brown tint that brings out the pioneer feeling of the text and the story.
This story is based on fact. Information about the real Sarah Ward is at the end of the book.
Nine Animals and the Well
4 stars
Author/Illustrator: James Rumford
We take our numbers as always existing. We call them Arabic numerals. Our numbers began in India and migrated to the Arabs, the North Africans, the Europeans before arriving on our shores.
This text is based on counting beginning with one. It is a tale of nine animals, friends of the raja-king, going to his birthday party bearing gifts. Each animal joins another upping the count. A sidebar shows each iteration of that number.
The dilemma of the animals is what gift they can bring to one who has everything. Each in turn discards their gift for the one the next animal has. What happens to these discarded gifts is humorous.
The ending gift is more precious than any the animals had thought of.
All of the illustrations have an Eastern flair and brilliant colors. The animals are fantasy and so of odd colors. The story of the numbers at the end is interesting.
4 stars
Author: Scott Russell Sanders
Illustrator: Helen Cogancherry
Picture Ohio as dark woods, few towns, few people and mud roads. The Ward family is moving out into the wilderness in September just in time for winter. It is cold. The log cabin they build is drafty no matter how often they daub mud between the logs. They are cold in spite of wearing all their clothes and huddling by the fire.
Sarah Ward has a spinning wheel and a loom, but no sheep. She has stashed away money to buy sheep and waits for the opportunity. It comes.
The illustrations are excellent. They have a golden brown tint that brings out the pioneer feeling of the text and the story.
This story is based on fact. Information about the real Sarah Ward is at the end of the book.
Nine Animals and the Well
4 stars
Author/Illustrator: James Rumford
We take our numbers as always existing. We call them Arabic numerals. Our numbers began in India and migrated to the Arabs, the North Africans, the Europeans before arriving on our shores.
This text is based on counting beginning with one. It is a tale of nine animals, friends of the raja-king, going to his birthday party bearing gifts. Each animal joins another upping the count. A sidebar shows each iteration of that number.
The dilemma of the animals is what gift they can bring to one who has everything. Each in turn discards their gift for the one the next animal has. What happens to these discarded gifts is humorous.
The ending gift is more precious than any the animals had thought of.
All of the illustrations have an Eastern flair and brilliant colors. The animals are fantasy and so of odd colors. The story of the numbers at the end is interesting.
May 21, 2024
"The Six Who Were Left in a Shoe" and "The Big Cheese"
An old fashioned fairy tale brings back memories.
The Six Who Were Left in a Shoe
4 stars
Author: Padraic Colum
Illustrator: Joseph Schindelman
Remember the old rhyme about the old woman who lived in a show? Once her many children were grown and gone, she joined the fairies to sweep the cobwebs out of the skies. That left her pets: a goat, a dog, a cat, a hen, a goose and a pigeon along with a resident wren; alone.
What should they do? The dog takes off. With the goat in the lead, the others go in search of a new home.
The illustrations are feathery drawings well suited for such a tale.
The Big Cheese
5 stars
Author: Jory John
Illustrator: Pete Oswald
Who doesn't like to be the best? The Big Cheese certainly loves being the best.
There is one problem with this. Someone out there will be better than you are.
What is The Big Cheese going to do? Is it really so terrible to not always be the bet?
The illustrations are big, bold and colorful. They are bright like a sunny day.
The Six Who Were Left in a Shoe
4 stars
Author: Padraic Colum
Illustrator: Joseph Schindelman
Remember the old rhyme about the old woman who lived in a show? Once her many children were grown and gone, she joined the fairies to sweep the cobwebs out of the skies. That left her pets: a goat, a dog, a cat, a hen, a goose and a pigeon along with a resident wren; alone.
What should they do? The dog takes off. With the goat in the lead, the others go in search of a new home.
The illustrations are feathery drawings well suited for such a tale.
The Big Cheese
5 stars
Author: Jory John
Illustrator: Pete Oswald
Who doesn't like to be the best? The Big Cheese certainly loves being the best.
There is one problem with this. Someone out there will be better than you are.
What is The Big Cheese going to do? Is it really so terrible to not always be the bet?
The illustrations are big, bold and colorful. They are bright like a sunny day.
May 17, 2024
"My Favorite Tree", "Caps For Sale", "Ten Little Caterpillars"
All three of these are fun and interesting reading.
Caps For Sale
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: Esphyr Slobodkina
An Old world peddler of caps tries to sell them in the village by walking around on the streets and calling out what he is selling. No one buys a cap on this day, so the peddler goes out of town and sits down by a tree to take a nap. That's when the fun begins.
The illustrations are simple drawings, but very effective.
Ten Little Caterpillars
5 stars
Author: Bill Martin, Jr.
Illustrator: Lois Ehlert
The illustrations are decoupage and stylized. Each caterpillar is different. Everything is labeled: the caterpillar, the plant, the plant parts.
This book is for very young children, but teaches about caterpillars as well as counting.
Even metamorphosis gets mentioned.
Information pages at the end identify each caterpillar and the moth or butterfly it becomes.
My Favorite Tree: Terrific Trees of North America
5 stars
Author/Illustrator Diane Iverson
Do you have a favorite tree? What makes it your favorite? Or, like me, do you like different trees at different times?
Each two page spread is about one kind of tree. The arrangement is alphabetical. One page has a drawing of children playing in or around that kind of tree with a comment about why they like the tree.
The other page is factual information about that kind of tree. There is a basic description. Wild Companions tells about the creatures that use this tree. There is a list of facts about the tree or its family and, finally, the champion tree and which states call it the state tree. This page has illustrations and a range map.
I found it fun to read about many trees I am familiar with. The book could be used as a starting point for going out and looking at trees and finding out more about each kind.
Caps For Sale
5 stars
Author/Illustrator: Esphyr Slobodkina
An Old world peddler of caps tries to sell them in the village by walking around on the streets and calling out what he is selling. No one buys a cap on this day, so the peddler goes out of town and sits down by a tree to take a nap. That's when the fun begins.
The illustrations are simple drawings, but very effective.
Ten Little Caterpillars
5 stars
Author: Bill Martin, Jr.
Illustrator: Lois Ehlert
The illustrations are decoupage and stylized. Each caterpillar is different. Everything is labeled: the caterpillar, the plant, the plant parts.
This book is for very young children, but teaches about caterpillars as well as counting.
Even metamorphosis gets mentioned.
Information pages at the end identify each caterpillar and the moth or butterfly it becomes.
My Favorite Tree: Terrific Trees of North America
5 stars
Author/Illustrator Diane Iverson
Do you have a favorite tree? What makes it your favorite? Or, like me, do you like different trees at different times?
Each two page spread is about one kind of tree. The arrangement is alphabetical. One page has a drawing of children playing in or around that kind of tree with a comment about why they like the tree.
The other page is factual information about that kind of tree. There is a basic description. Wild Companions tells about the creatures that use this tree. There is a list of facts about the tree or its family and, finally, the champion tree and which states call it the state tree. This page has illustrations and a range map.
I found it fun to read about many trees I am familiar with. The book could be used as a starting point for going out and looking at trees and finding out more about each kind.
May 14, 2024
"Squeak" and "Lift Your Light a Little Higher"
Just for fun:
Squeak
5 stars
Author: Laura McGee Kvasnosky
Illustrator: Kate Harvey McGee
Have you ever had one of those mornings where something wakes you up really early? A little mouse is the one who is woke up by a breeze tickling an ear.
Then the wake up call snowballs across the valley. The last page brings a laugh.
The illustrations a bold and colorful. They carry the snowball effect very effectively.
Lift Your Light a Little Higher: The Story of Stephen Bishop: Slave-Explorer
4 stars
Author: Heather Henson
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Caves have fascinated people for millennia. When Kentucky was first settled by white pioneers, Mammoth Cave was discovered. At fist it was mined to produce gunpowder. When sales dropped off, the cave was opened for touring.
At that time slaves were trained as tour guides. One of the most knowledgeable was Stephen Bishop. He explored and knew more about Mammoth Cave than even scholars did at that time. This book takes a look at him.
There is an informational section at the end of the book.
The illustrations are a combination of decoupage and watercolor. This makes them visually interesting as they tell the story of this interesting person.
Squeak
5 stars
Author: Laura McGee Kvasnosky
Illustrator: Kate Harvey McGee
Have you ever had one of those mornings where something wakes you up really early? A little mouse is the one who is woke up by a breeze tickling an ear.
Then the wake up call snowballs across the valley. The last page brings a laugh.
The illustrations a bold and colorful. They carry the snowball effect very effectively.
Lift Your Light a Little Higher: The Story of Stephen Bishop: Slave-Explorer
4 stars
Author: Heather Henson
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Caves have fascinated people for millennia. When Kentucky was first settled by white pioneers, Mammoth Cave was discovered. At fist it was mined to produce gunpowder. When sales dropped off, the cave was opened for touring.
At that time slaves were trained as tour guides. One of the most knowledgeable was Stephen Bishop. He explored and knew more about Mammoth Cave than even scholars did at that time. This book takes a look at him.
There is an informational section at the end of the book.
The illustrations are a combination of decoupage and watercolor. This makes them visually interesting as they tell the story of this interesting person.
May 10, 2024
"One Green Apple" and "Rip Squeak and His Friends"
Making friends can be difficult especially if the friend or you is very different.
One Green Apple
4 stars
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Ted Lewin
Being the new student in class is hard. For Farah it's even more. She is an immigrant, doesn't speak English, is a different religion. Some students resent her presence and others accept or ignore her.
The book tells about a field trip. For the reader as for Farah, the reason for the trip is a mystery. For most readers the reason will make sense after a time. It doesn't for Farah as it is totally out of any experience for her.
The text does a good job of making the reader feel how lost a new immigrant feels.
The story of the field trip is told well through the illustrations. They give the feel of being out in an apple orchard and the fun the students are having.
Rip Squeak and His Friends
5 stars
Author: Susan Yost-Filgate
Illustrator: Leonard Filgate
The people have left the cottage leaving it to the other inhabitants, one of whom is the mouse Rip Squeak. In the quiet, Rip and his sister hear a noise.
A kitten has been left behind. The three become friends.
Then a theatrical frog arrives. The foursome have a wonderful day.
The illustrations have a rich texture making the fur look as though you can touch it and feel how soft it is. They capture the fun and antics of the group.
One Green Apple
4 stars
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Ted Lewin
Being the new student in class is hard. For Farah it's even more. She is an immigrant, doesn't speak English, is a different religion. Some students resent her presence and others accept or ignore her.
The book tells about a field trip. For the reader as for Farah, the reason for the trip is a mystery. For most readers the reason will make sense after a time. It doesn't for Farah as it is totally out of any experience for her.
The text does a good job of making the reader feel how lost a new immigrant feels.
The story of the field trip is told well through the illustrations. They give the feel of being out in an apple orchard and the fun the students are having.
Rip Squeak and His Friends
5 stars
Author: Susan Yost-Filgate
Illustrator: Leonard Filgate
The people have left the cottage leaving it to the other inhabitants, one of whom is the mouse Rip Squeak. In the quiet, Rip and his sister hear a noise.
A kitten has been left behind. The three become friends.
Then a theatrical frog arrives. The foursome have a wonderful day.
The illustrations have a rich texture making the fur look as though you can touch it and feel how soft it is. They capture the fun and antics of the group.
May 7, 2024
"A Tree Is Nice" and "Flower Hunter"
My world is filled with green leaves and colorful flowers now making a couple of nature books appealing.
A Tree Is Nice
4 stars
Author: Janice May Udry
Illustrator: Marc Simont
There are so many challenges to nature and trees now, it's nice to take a look at why trees are great to have around. That is what this book does with text well suited for very young children.
The illustrations were awarded the Caldecott Medal. They have a quick sketch look and feel. They invite the viewer into the picture to enjoy the many joys of having trees around.
Flower Hunter: William Bartram, America's First Naturalist
4 stars
Author/Illustrator: Deborah Kogan Ray
William Bartram's father John was first a farmer, then a botanist. He went of numerous trips drawing, collecting and documenting the many new plants found in North America in the 1700s. From the age of eight, William's goal was to accompany his father and continue his work. Although untaught formally, William studied, read about and learned to draw accurately the plants around him. He kept a journal and began adding drawings of birds and other wildlife to his plant drawings. Some of the text is drawn directly from his journals.
William made one ten year trek down the East Coast into East and West Florida. On the way he met the Indians - Creek, Crow, Cherokee, and learned their languages and cultures. He advocated for protecting wild places and their inhabitants at a time when few others did.
This book is interesting reading, easy to follow and understand. There are many illustrations taken from Bartram's own drawings. The book illustrations give a feeling of belonging in the late 1700s and are done primarily in browns and greens bringing the wild places into focus.
A Tree Is Nice
4 stars
Author: Janice May Udry
Illustrator: Marc Simont
There are so many challenges to nature and trees now, it's nice to take a look at why trees are great to have around. That is what this book does with text well suited for very young children.
The illustrations were awarded the Caldecott Medal. They have a quick sketch look and feel. They invite the viewer into the picture to enjoy the many joys of having trees around.
Flower Hunter: William Bartram, America's First Naturalist
4 stars
Author/Illustrator: Deborah Kogan Ray
William Bartram's father John was first a farmer, then a botanist. He went of numerous trips drawing, collecting and documenting the many new plants found in North America in the 1700s. From the age of eight, William's goal was to accompany his father and continue his work. Although untaught formally, William studied, read about and learned to draw accurately the plants around him. He kept a journal and began adding drawings of birds and other wildlife to his plant drawings. Some of the text is drawn directly from his journals.
William made one ten year trek down the East Coast into East and West Florida. On the way he met the Indians - Creek, Crow, Cherokee, and learned their languages and cultures. He advocated for protecting wild places and their inhabitants at a time when few others did.
This book is interesting reading, easy to follow and understand. There are many illustrations taken from Bartram's own drawings. The book illustrations give a feeling of belonging in the late 1700s and are done primarily in browns and greens bringing the wild places into focus.
April 30, 2024
"The Floating House" and "The Honest-To-Goodness Truth"
The Floating House
4 stars
Author: Scott Russell Sanders
Illustrator: Helen Cogancherry
In the early 1800s the U.S. was expanding away from the East Coast as people longing to own a piece of land went west to settle on the then frontiers of Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. This book follows the McClure family as they go down the Ohio River in a flatboat. Everything they own is on that flatboat, even a horse, a cow, a donkey and a pig.
The illustrations are well done. They show where the family is going and the many aspects of the river they are floating down.
The Honest-to-Goodness Truth
4 stars
Author: Patricia C. McKissack
Illustrator: Giselle Potter
Libby is caught in a lie to her Mother. She vows to always tell the truth after that.
Telling the truth must be the right thing to do.
Somehow telling the truth all the time doesn't give Libby the results she expected.
4 stars
Author: Scott Russell Sanders
Illustrator: Helen Cogancherry
In the early 1800s the U.S. was expanding away from the East Coast as people longing to own a piece of land went west to settle on the then frontiers of Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. This book follows the McClure family as they go down the Ohio River in a flatboat. Everything they own is on that flatboat, even a horse, a cow, a donkey and a pig.
The illustrations are well done. They show where the family is going and the many aspects of the river they are floating down.
The Honest-to-Goodness Truth
4 stars
Author: Patricia C. McKissack
Illustrator: Giselle Potter
Libby is caught in a lie to her Mother. She vows to always tell the truth after that.
Telling the truth must be the right thing to do.
Somehow telling the truth all the time doesn't give Libby the results she expected.
April 26, 2024
"Farm Animals Goats" and "Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Maker's Strike of 1909"
Nonfiction ruled this time.
Farm Animals Goats
3 stars
Author: Rebecca Sabelko
Illustrations: stock photographs
This is a beginner's easy reading book, part of a series on farm animals. It emphasizes the vocabulary used in the book.
The text is very simple both language wise and goat wise. The photographs are good.
It is a basic book to identify a goat, However the author just looked up goats to write it. Being a goat owner, I am probably hyper critical.
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909
5 stars
Author: Michelle Markel
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Books like this one are important for people to read as they tell a part of history often overlooked or ignored. This is the fight of those sewing clothes in factories in New York for decent wages and working conditions.
Clara Lemlich came to the U.S. with her parents. She, a young girl, can get a job in the garment industry and does, attending school at night. The rules are tough. Doors are locked from dawn to dusk to keep the girls working. The pay is only a few dollars a month.
Clara decides this isn't right and leads the fight for a union and better conditions.
Farm Animals Goats
3 stars
Author: Rebecca Sabelko
Illustrations: stock photographs
This is a beginner's easy reading book, part of a series on farm animals. It emphasizes the vocabulary used in the book.
The text is very simple both language wise and goat wise. The photographs are good.
It is a basic book to identify a goat, However the author just looked up goats to write it. Being a goat owner, I am probably hyper critical.
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909
5 stars
Author: Michelle Markel
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Books like this one are important for people to read as they tell a part of history often overlooked or ignored. This is the fight of those sewing clothes in factories in New York for decent wages and working conditions.
Clara Lemlich came to the U.S. with her parents. She, a young girl, can get a job in the garment industry and does, attending school at night. The rules are tough. Doors are locked from dawn to dusk to keep the girls working. The pay is only a few dollars a month.
Clara decides this isn't right and leads the fight for a union and better conditions.
