Last Week's Library Loot Reviews

Follow That Star by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Kim LaFave (Canadian author and illustrator)

Zach, a shepherd, is so busy grumbling about everything that he almost misses out on the miracles that are happening around him.  Thankfully there are angels everywhere that help him, even though he doesn't recognize them as angels.  Cute story but likely the only place you will find it is a library because it is currently out of print..

A Gift For The Christ Child by Tina Jahnert, illustrated by Alessandra Roberti

A little girl wishes she were big enough to help and soon gets the chance to help by giving her blanket as a gift to the Christ Child.  Love the illustrations!

The Shopping Expedition by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Andre Amstutz

A girl and her Mom have a day full of adventures when they go on a shopping trip.  To be perfectly honest, I thought the book was rather silly, and Anna wasn't terribly interested in it either.  Maybe we just don't have adventurous imaginations.

Santa's Wish by Astrid Anand, illustrations by Glick-Art 

Santa wishes he had a flying machine to help him with his deliveries but he soon discovers that there's something special about the old ways.

The Christmas Snowman by Astrid Anand, illustrations by Glick-Art 

One snowy day a group of children pile some snow snowballs to make a snowman but are too tired to finish it.  One of the children returned later to finish the snowman and was treated to an adventure - or was it all a dream?  

Commotion in The Ocean by Giles Andreae, illustrated by David Wojtowycz

A fun book that uses rhythm and rhyme to introduce some of the creatures that live in the ocean.  A great book to use in a science unit study on Ocean Creatures.

Sam's Cookie by Barbro Lindgren, illustrated by Eva Eriksson

A cute story about a little boy enjoying a cookie, though he has to fight his dog for it.  Anna really liked this one because she could read it herself.  Just a one or two short sentences per page.

Benny and the Binky by Barbro Lindgren, illustrated Olof Lundstrom

Benny the pig gets a new baby brother and is pretty jealous of him and his binky, so he steals it and goes on an adventure.  Anna thought it was pretty funny.  It's a great book to start a discussion with a child that may have a new sibling.

Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

An inch worm uses wit to outsmart being eaten by a bird and ends up measuring all kinds of different birds.  This book could be used in a math lesson to introduce and discuss the concept of measuring and it could also be used in a science unit study on birds to make a list of different kinds of birds.

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert

Fun book!  Stuff that has been saved in a sack is used to make a snowman family.    It's fun to check out the illustrations and see all the different things they used.  At the back of the book there is information about what snow is and how it is made.  A great addition to a winter themed unit study.  Here is a link to a Let's Build A Snowman Lesson plan that uses this book as one of the resources.

Honk Honk! Beep Beep! words and pictures by Daniel Kirk

The toys in a child's room come to live at night and go on an adventure.  The words have a bit of rhythm and rhyme.  Anna enjoyed it and loved reading the Honk Honk!  Beep Beep! phrase when it appeared throughout the book.  I love the author's website!

Cat Count by Betsy Lewin

A great book to add some fun to a math class.

An Island In The Soup by Mireille Levert (Canadian author)

A boy imagines an adventure while trying to avoid eating his soup.  Once again this is one that Anna and I thought was rather silly, and it could just be because we aren't that adventurous or imaginative.

Lucy's Secret by Mireille Levert (Canadian author)

Lucy enters the adventurous world of Anna Zinnia's garden and learns a little about how plants grow by planting some seeds herself.  I love this quote from this book:  "Did you know, my flower," asks Anna Zinnia, "that my garden is like a big library?  The flowers and the bugs are like books.  They have so much to tell us." This book would be a good addition to a science unit on plants.

The Story of Christmas illustrated by Freya Tanz

Tells the Biblical story of the birth of Christ.  Very nice illustrations.  

This Week's Library Loot and Reviews

Mrs. Toggle's Zipper by Robin Pulver, illustrated by R.W. Alley

We read this one earlier this year.  I had forgotten about it but Anna remembered it as soon as she saw it.  It's a funny book that tells the story of a teacher that is stuck in her coat because her zipper is stuck.  I'd love to read more of her books.

Jingle Bell Christmas by Catherine Lukas, illustrated by the Artifact Group

This is a Backyardigans book and we had actually read it earlier this year.  I am not a fan of the Backyardigans but Anna does like them, when I allow her to watch them once in a while.  She picked this book to take out again this time and I couldn't talk her out of it.  This is a lift the flap book and the story is a parody of the classic Jingle Bells song.

The Jacket I Wear In The Snow by Shirley Neitzel, pictures by Nancy Winslow Parker

The prose, starting with one line, tells the story of a child that gets his zipper stuck in his coat while out playing in the snow.  Another line is added with each turn of the page and a picture is substituted rebus style in the previous line each time.  Kind of cute.  Would be a good story to use for a literture study on writing this type of story.  The author suggests some activities to go along with the book on the Teaching Activities page of her website.

Dora's Christmas Adventure by Christine Ricci, illustrated by Piero Piluso

This is one we read earlier this year too but Anna wanted to take it out again.  It is a lift the flap book.

Dinosaurs' Christmas by Liza Donnelly

I am not a fan of anything dinosaur themed so I didn't find this book the least bit enjoyable.  Anyone that enjoys anything dinosaur related would probably enjoy it.  There is a glossary at the back that shows the pronunciation and description of a number of different dinosaurs.

The Little Crooked Christmas Tree by Michael Cutting, illustrated by Ron Broda (Canadian author and illustrator)

Cute story about a tree that doesn't have what it takes to be a prized Christmas tree but it does end up being treasured.  We enjoyed the story.

Fun in the Snow by Laura Damon, illustrated by Diane Paterson (A Giant First-Start Reader)

Two bears have a fun day playing in the snow.  This book is written with just 37 different words and has just a few words per page.  Anna liked the story and also liked trying her hand at reading some of the pages.

Christmas Carols: A Treasury of Holiday Favorites with Words and Pictures illustrated by Noel Tennyson

This book is just what the sub title says, a collection of favorite holiday songs.  We had great fun singing our way through the book.

The First Noel pictures by Janina Domanska

The words of the Christmas carol are written a line or two per page under the pictures.  We sang it together as we turned the pages.

Kitten's Spring by Eugenie Fernandes (Canadian author and illustrator)

Just a couple of phrases per page tell about the adventures a kitten enjoys in the spring.  Love the illustrations.

A Particular Cow by Mem Fox, illustrated by Terry Denton

On this particular day a particular cow has a particularly adventure filled day.  Just a few words per page and the word particular is on most pages.  Kind of funny but a little overboard for me, though it was kind of fun to say particular so many times.

Floating Home by David Getz, illustrated by Michael Rex

Maxine goes for a very different point of view when her teacher gives them an assignment to look at their homes in a new way and drawing about it.  She decides to look at her home from space.  I didn't really enjoy this one and neither did Anna.  It's a little over her head yet.  It probably would have been better if I had taken a few days to read it instead of reading it all in one day.  There is a lot of information in the book about space and maybe I'll come back to it again for a space themed science study in the future.

Ask Mr. Bear by Marjorie Flack

We loved this one!  I'm sure I read it to my older kids at some point in time as it is an old classic.  Danny is looking for something to give his mother for her birthday and all the animals suggest things she already has, but Mr. Bear suggests the perfect gift.  We now give our bear hugs with a little bear like growl.  :)

Alligators and Crocodiles by Gail Gibbons

This is a great information book which explains the difference between alligators and crocodiles and gives lots of information about both.  Anna found it a little overwhelming but I can see us coming back to it again for a science lesson.

A Mother For Choco by Keiko Kasza

Choco, a plump little bird, searches for someone like him to be his mother but ends up finding a mother in someone totally different.  A really cute book!  We loved it.

Anansi and the Talking Melon retold by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Janet Stevens

We read our first Anansi book recently and Anna was thrilled when she found more at the library.  In this story Anansi tricks her friends into thinking they have a talking melon.

Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock retold by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Janet Stevens

More of Anansi the spider's antics.  Anansi finds a moss covered rock with magical powers and uses it to trick all his friends.  Anna enjoyed the story.  On the author's site he has a link to a PDF with ideas for activities to do inspired by the book.

This is The Star by Joyce Dunbar, illustrated by Gary Blythe

The illustrations for this book are beautiful oil paintings.  The prose starts with just one line.  It is repeated and another line added with each turn of the page as it tells the story of the birth of Christ.  We both liked this book.

The Story of the Three Wise Kings retold and illustrated by Tomie DePaola

This book tells the legend of the three wisemen that visited the Christ child.  While reading it I kept wondering how much of it actually followed the Biblical story.  If I read it again I will have to check to see how true to the account it is.  I can't say that Anna or I particularly enjoyed the book

Aunt Olga's Christmas Postcards by Kevin Major, illustrated by Bruce Roberts (Newfoundland author and Canadian illustrator)

Anna goes to visit her great Aunt Olga and gets to look at her collection of Christmas Postcards while Aunt Olga tells her about them.  Aunt Olga also encourages Anna to write her own prose for cards.  I love the idea of this book but it was a bit too much for Anna yet, though she did like that the little girl in the story had the same name as her.  I can see us coming back to it again for a literature lesson and also for a study of the history of Christmas cards and postcards.

Angus And The Cat by Marjorie Flack

I don't remember reading the classic Angus books before but Anna thought they were great.  In this book Angus, the Scottish terrier, finally gets to learn about cats

Angus And The Ducks by Marjorie Flack

In this book Angus has some fun with a couple of ducks.

And this one was for me:

Hannah's Hope by Karen Kingsbury

This is the second book I've read in The Red Gloves Series by Karen Kinsgbury.  Just days before Christmas Hannah discovers that she's destined to spend Christmas alone but she is encouraged to believe for a Christmas miracle.  

Last Week's Library Loot and Reviews

Salmon Creek by Annette LeBox, illustrated by Karen Reczuch

This is a great resource for a science lesson about salmon.  It tells the story of a salmon from the egg stage right to the time she lays her own eggs. The last pages are a double layout of information and pictures of the Life Cycle of a Salmon.  This really is a great learning resource.  The illustrations are excellent!  This was a little above Anna right now but I can see us coming back to it again in the future.

The Littlest Sled Dog by Michael Kusugak, illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka (Canadian author and illustrator)

A very cute story about a little dog that dreams big dreams.  Anna and I simply read and enjoyed the book but I see us coming back to it again in the future.  It would make a great addition to a study of dogs as there are a number of different kinds of dogs mentioned in the book.  There are also a lot of different places mentioned in the book and next time around I see us taking advantage of that and sneaking in some social studies as we look for the places on maps and in atlases.  

The End by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Richard Egielski

This is a very different story.  It tells the story backwards!  There are few words per page and the illustrations are great.  I will definitely come back to this again for a literature study about fairy tales. While writing this review I checked out the author's website and discovered some great resources.  There is a Teaching Guide for his book The End.  In his own words it will "build on the learning opportunities found within The End?". On the page there are links to PDF's which further the ideas.  They are really worth checking out.

Nana's Quilt by Lori Lane and Kathy Winsor, photography by Jim Costello (Newfoundland authors and illustrator)

A cute story about a little girl that spends the summer with her Nana. They explore St. John's together and also work together on quilt blocks about their explorations.  There is a lot of extra learning that could happen inspired by this book - a study of places in St. John's, a study about quilting, etc.  It is written like a journal with each section starting with the day and date, so it could also be used to introduce the idea of journaling.  I did, however, think that there were too many words, at least for Anna at this age.  I can, however, see us using this book again in the future.

While We Were Out by Ho Baek Lee

A cute story about a rabbit that invades a house when the owners are out.  Just a couple of sentences per page.  Great illustrations.  We enjoyed the book.

The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

Ewetopia had trouble fitting in with all the other sheep, until she saved the day by dressing up in wolf's clothing.  Cute story.

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, drawings by Robert Lawson

This is an old book and when we went to read it we discovered that it was missing at least one, if not more, pages from the beginning.  That made for not a great beginning with the book.  Anna wasn't terribly interested in the book. The book could be used in a social studies unit about cultural sporting events such as bull fighting, but it is highly unlikely that I will read it again.

Care Bears Special Delivery by Quinlan B. Lee, illustrated by Jay Johnson

I know it's sad, but I used to love the Care Bears. This would be a good book for Valentine's Day.  Love-a-Lot Bear and Tenderheart Bear deliver special hearts to all the other Care Bears.  Anna enjoyed the bright colored illustrations.

Benjamin - My Mum is Special by Stefanie Lazai, illustrated by Stephan Pohl

Great story to help children, and even adults, understand the struggles people with MS have. Told from the point of view of a little boy who watches his mother struggle. It was a little above Anna's head but I could see it being great for kids that are a little older.  The whole book is available as a PDF file.

Bella and the Bunny by Andrew Larsen, illustrated by Kate Endle (Canadian Author)

A cute story about a little girl and her adventures with the bunny at her preschool.  We enjoyed it. 

Daisy is a Mommy by Lisa Kopper

We read this book earlier this year and enjoyed it. There are just a few words per page and some repeated phrases so it is a great book for shared reading.  It's about a dog and her puppies, who live in a house with a Mom and her baby.

A Rose For Pinkerton by Steven Kellogg

A very cute story about a dog that wants a playmate but all kinds of havoc results when her owner gets her a kitten to play with.  The story is told using few words and detailed illustrations.  We really enjoyed it.

Omar On Board by Maryann Kovalski (Canadian author and illustrator)

Omar the bear is afraid to dive off the high dive board, until he is distracted and forgets about his fear.  A cute story.  Great illustrations.

Zelda And Ivy The Runaways by Laura McGee Kvasnosky

This is a very short three chapter book with a total of 42 pages.  Zelda and Ivy are sister foxes,  The first chapter tells about a time they ran away,  the second about a time they made a time capsule, and the third about a time the used a secret concoction.  Anna enjoyed the stories. 

Bears by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Maurice Sendak

This book is actually a poem with just 27 words.  I was a little disappointed that the words were in writing font  because that made it harder for Anna to try to read on her own, but on the other hand it gave me a chance to introduce her to how some letters look in writing font.

So, What's It Like To Be a Cat? by Karla Kuskin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin

A cute book where a little boy interviews a cat about what it's like to be a cat.  Cat lovers would definitely like it.  A good book to use in a unit about conducting interviews.

Rocksy written and illustrated by Loris Lesynski (Canadian author and illustrator)

Roxanne was a clumsy girl that made a wish and turned into Rocksy, a girl made of stone.  Cute story.