Seven Scary Monsters

Author: Mary Beth Lundgren

Illustrated by: Howard Fine

Publishing information: (Clarion Books, August 18, 2003, Preschool)

Number of Pages: 32 pages

Genre: Picture (counting emphasis)

Summary of Plot:       

            In this book a young child is afraid of monsters. He has a big imagination;and uses that to fight them off with items from his room one night. One by one the monsters disappear. Ironically, in the end they all vanish and this child wishes for them to come back.

My Reaction to the book:

            My favorite line (repeated throughout the book) was, “Rick! Wrack! Wrinkleshack!” “Don’t you dare come back!”  I found it quite the tongue twister. It has good pictures; they are done in a way that captures the childish quality. I liked how it had bolded words that emphasized certain words. This is a pretty good counting book, in an indirect way.

Potential Problems:

            Monsters and kids? Maybe not a great choice for some people.

Recommendations:

It’s a fun book for preschoolers and it has very simple words.  It is a good book to read aloud to others. People can have a lot of fun emphasizing the bolded words. It emphasizes the power of imagination; that can be helpful to a child.

Winter Poems

Author: Various (Selected by Barbara Rogasky)

Illustrated by: Trina Schart Hyman

Publishing information: (Scholastic, November 1, 1999, Ages 4-8)

Number of Pages: 40 pages

Genre: Poetry

Summary of Plot:       

            Winter comprises several months of the year. However many poem books about winter contain Christmas themes, this book does not. It purely centers on the nature of winter. It contains poems by such well known poets as Poe, Shakespeare, Dickinson, Frost, and Wordsworth.

My Reaction to the book:

            This book was soothing-it wasn’t loud or boisterous. It had a good of mixture of rhythmic, free verse, and other types of poetry. I liked some poems more than others, especially those that flowed easily. I am the type of person who likes structure. My favorite poems were those that I saw structure in.

Potential Problems:

            None

Recommendations:

Winter is a nice setting for poems. This book does pretty well at choosing a collection of poems that represent what winter is. For those people that are "Grinch-like", this book will not disappoint. This book does not contain any poems about Christmas.

So You Want to Be President?

Author: Judith St. George

Illustrated by: David Small

Publishing information: (Philomel Books, August 21, 2000, Ages 4-8)

Number of Pages: 52 pages

Genre: Picture book

Summary of Plot:       

            This book contains valuable information if you have ever wanted to be president. This book, in cartographic illustrations and fun text, gives some background information of several past presidents in the US history. It asks the reader questions related to their life. This helps establish connections between the reader and the presidents. It does not have a traditional story plot (For example: A girl walks the dog, and then goes and eats lunch), but the way in which it presents the information creates a certain type of plot, all of its own.

My Reaction to the book:

            This book has good information. It is easy to comprehend, especially for its targeted age group, because it uses simple terms that children can identify to. I loved the pictures, as they were funny and well done.  I liked how it explained the presidents’ individual talents, such as in the areas of music and dance. I found that to be educational.

Potential Problems:

            This book references a president not liking broccoli, so when he got into the white house, he didn’t have to eat it anymore. Some parents may find that offensive to their attempts to get their children to eat broccoli (or other foods). It also implies that important people can get away with things they shouldn’t.

Recommendations:

I like learning about American government. If you are like me, this book is for you. For those that like cartographic style pictures, it will also be a good read. This book has received a Caldecott award for its illustrations. I think its awards are well deserved. I would highly recommend this book, to people of all ages.

The Wanderings of Odysseus

Title: The Wanderings of Odysseus

Author: Rosemary Sutcliff

Illustrated by:

Publishing information: (Random House Children’s Books, May 1, 1996, Young Adult)

Number of Pages: 134

Genre: Legend

Summary of Plot:       

            A man named Odysseus finished fighting in the Trojan War. While sailing for home he finds himself in many sticky situations. He wonders if he will ever get home. Meanwhile he has no idea that his wife is being sought by suitors, back at home. This book is filled with strange creatures such as a Cyclops, Circe and other singing ladies, monsters, Poseidon, and many more. 

My Reaction to the book:

            It is jam packed with adventures. It was interesting at some parts. However this is not my favorite type of genre. I found it confusing, boring and just plain weird at some parts. I can tell why it has been around for as long as it has though. It is a cultural experience. I thought  the book ended pretty well.

Potential Problems:

This book contains violence, death, monsters, and some crazy ideas; it may not be what parents would want their children to read.

Recommendations:

For those who like legends and fantasy, this is a book for you. This book is also good for those who want to expand their pronunciation skills.

The Magic School Bus Sees Stars

Author: Joanna Cole

Illustrated by: Bruce Degen

Publishing information: (Scholastic Inc., February 1, 1999, Ages 4-8)

Number of Pages: 32

Genre: Science (Fiction)

Summary of Plot:

An elementary school teacher, named Mrs. Frizzle, loves to take her class on adventures in a magic school bus. In this book they fly into space to look at stars!  They do this because they want to buy a star for a sick classmate. A commercial is selling certain stars. One by one the stars for sale sell. Their time is gradually running out. In the end they finish looking at the various stars, they choose a star, and they buy it. The classmate is thrilled.

My Reaction to the book:

            This book series was one of my favorite series when I was a child. It is fun. I think people can learn a lot from this book. It is crazy, fun, and educational. I like the pictures too. I get a laugh out of these books when I read them.

Potential Problems:

Some parents may not want to give ideas to their children that it is possible for people to ride a bus into space.

Recommendations:

I liked this book because it is interesting and attention grabbing. This author has a good sense of imagination. This book is definitely fictional, but it has scientific facts incorporated into it.This is a good series for those who like science.It can spark an interest of science in a child. That is important, because science is a highly valued area of education in the world.

The Nightingale

Author: Hans Christian Anderson

Illustrated by Demi

Publishing information: (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 1988, Ages 4-8)

Number of Pages: 30

Genre: Fairy Tale

Summary of Plot:

An Emperor of China overhears news about a nightingale within his kingdom that has a beautiful voice. He wishes to hear it sing for his kingdom. On of his workers finds the bird. It agrees to sing for the emperor. As a gift the emperor receives a artificial nightingale. The attention gets turned on it instead of the real one. The emperor later banishes the real nightingale to the forest. A year later, on his deathbed, the artificial bird has broken. the emperor want the real nightingale now, and is sorry for neglecting it. The nightingale is forgiving to him and returns. Its singing heals the emperor. The book ended with a very grateful emperor acknowledging what blessings he has.

My Reaction to the book:

I liked the morals of this story. Its morals include forgiveness, humility, and individual worth. I like how it talks about the joys of having music, and how music can benefit people. I like the way it ends. I think it contains a valuable lesson of being grateful for what you have, and not being greedy. Gratitude is an important issue that should be discussed, especially in the critical period of childhood.

Potential Problems: 

Ungratefulness is what leads to the emperor's predicament. 

Recommendations:

I liked this book pretty well. This book is good for those that like hearing about fairy tales, birds, and other cultures. For some this book may be strange, because of the culture difference. This book had characteristics of a parable. It had a story, but it also had a prominent moral message.

All in Just One Cookie

Author: Susan E. Goodman

Illustrated by Timothy Bush

Publishing information: (Greenwillow Books, June 13, 2006, Ages 4-8)

Number of Pages: 32

Genre: Informational Picture

Summary of Plot:

            Through this book a grandma makes chocolate chip cookies for her grand-kids, with the help of a dog and cat. Information about the different ingredients: such as how and where they come from are also a main element of the story. In the end, her grand-kids arrive at her house, and they enjoy the cookies.

My Reaction to the book:

            This book was informative and creative. Even at my age I was interested with learning about where the ingredients come from. The jokes of the animals were a great addition to the story. This isn't a cook book but it will help with food interests. My younger brother, when he was a child, would have loved reading this. He enjoyed learning about food and recipes, even at that young of an age. It will be of interest to many aspiring bakers.

Potential Problems:

No problems 

Recommendations:

I would recommend this book to those who like baking, especially chocolate chip cookies! It was very well done. I think it will help people know that making cookies takes much more work than going to the store and making the dough. Many hours of work have taken place before the ingredients even got to the store.

The World Wide Web

Author: Larry Dane Brimner

Publishing information: (Children's Press, April 1997, Gr 2-4)

Number of Pages: 48

Genre: Informational

Summary of Plot:

This book explores the internet. It tells kids how html works, how to look for things on the web, and how it is important to stay safe online. It is informational, and doesn't really have a major plot or story line.

My Reaction to the book:

            This book was informative, yet boring. Even for the grade level I do not think it would hold an attention span as long as other books. I did like that it gave ideas of websites to look up: such as info about Egypt, coloring pages, and dinosaurs. I thought it was too detailed for this age group.

Potential Problems:

            Some of the words may be too technical and unnecessary for a child to learn and/or understand.

Recommendations:

I would suggest this book to those who are not comfortable teaching their kids how to search the web. At this day and age though, the kids will naturally learn things from the world they live in. Therefore, this book may be superfluous. I would not recommend it.

The 11th Hour

Author: Graeme Base

Publishing information: (ABRAMS, September 1993, Ages 7-UP)

Number of Pages: 32

Genre: Mystery

Summary of Plot:

While an Elephant, named Horace has his 11^th birthday party, a theft occurs. Who did it?

My Reaction to the book:

It contained some good messages, in addition to learning about theft. I appreciated Horace’s response to the theft-optimism, even though it was not what he wanted to happen. I also liked how when the games where over, the animals didn’t care who won or lost, they just were playing for the joy of socializing. I found this book to be humorous and very fun to read aloud.

Potential Problems:

This book contains talk about theft. Some parents may not want their children learning about theft. Many of the animals of the party insult other animals. This could be another negative in a parent’s eye.

Recommendations:

I would recommend this book to those who like animals, mysteries, and good illustrations. It is a fun book, with a good rhythm to it.