A magpie collects interesting items and brings them to his nest. A field mouse brings him a pretty marble, and then he has something. He finds a Lego A magpie collects interesting items and brings them to his nest. A field mouse brings him a pretty marble, and then he has something. He finds a Lego block and a coin, adds them to his nest, and then he has a few. The addition of some keys and beads give his "more". And more, and more, and lots, and plenty. Soon he has too much and the branch bearing the weight of his nest gives way. Now mapgie has less. But enough. Yes, he has just enough.
I love this simple, beautiful book for helping our littlest littles gain an understanding of quantities and number sense. The beautifully-detailed illustrations full of humor are a bonus. I do have a question that remains unanswered: what is the significance of the band around the magpie's leg? Obviously, he has been banded by scientists somewhere--the number on the band is even clear--but there is no explanation. I'm curious....more
The baby just laughed out loud! What a glorious joyful sound! This amazing occasion warrants a family celebration where everyone will give their best The baby just laughed out loud! What a glorious joyful sound! This amazing occasion warrants a family celebration where everyone will give their best out-loud laughs in an effort to get baby to laugh out loud again!
This cute celebration of new babies and family is going on my list of baby shower and new-grandparent books....more
The interactive style of narrative promises to make this book a ton of fun for reading aloud or sharing. I love Jeremy Tankard's style of big, blocky The interactive style of narrative promises to make this book a ton of fun for reading aloud or sharing. I love Jeremy Tankard's style of big, blocky illustrations. Really, really cute. I think this is perfect for parents and caregivers to share one-on-one. The repeated "jump" scenes ensure that it will leave kids in giggles....more
This would be great for sharing with your own kids at bedtime. Play it up, and they'll giggle themselves silly.This would be great for sharing with your own kids at bedtime. Play it up, and they'll giggle themselves silly....more
I loved Silvano's Turkey Trouble, so I was eager to read this new book. But this one's just not quite as clever or funny as the original. Still, I thiI loved Silvano's Turkey Trouble, so I was eager to read this new book. But this one's just not quite as clever or funny as the original. Still, I think little ones will enjoy this brightly colored picture book at Christmastime....more
Really disappointed in this one. I'd read something that made me think it might be a cute story for Halloween season, but instead I just thought it waReally disappointed in this one. I'd read something that made me think it might be a cute story for Halloween season, but instead I just thought it was predictable and silly. Why did the ghost cow love the chickens? No clue. Why was he a ghost at all? No clue. I just didn't like it....more
I was disappointed in this one. I thought it might be clever and funny and good to use in creative writing classes, but it just fell completely flat fI was disappointed in this one. I thought it might be clever and funny and good to use in creative writing classes, but it just fell completely flat for me. I didn't laugh once, didn't even like it much. ...more
This is the story of a caveman, told in images and just 26 words in alphabetical order. Pretty darn clever. This is another book I'd use with Gifted kThis is the story of a caveman, told in images and just 26 words in alphabetical order. Pretty darn clever. This is another book I'd use with Gifted kids. Read it (and enjoy the humor), then once they understand the organizational scheme, have them create their own ABC stories. ...more
Jasper has a passion for carrots. Especially the carrots in Crackenhopper Field. They're the fattest, juiciest carrots, and they're all free, waiting Jasper has a passion for carrots. Especially the carrots in Crackenhopper Field. They're the fattest, juiciest carrots, and they're all free, waiting for Jasper to come along and pluck them out of the ground. He eats them for a snack on the way to school and on the way home; any time he passes Crackenhopper Field, Jasper plucks a few carrots and enjoys a delicious snack.
Until the day the carrots rise up from Crackenhopper Field and begin stalking him. (If this was called Creepy Celery, I'd be really happy with that pun.) He sees carrots with looks of evil on their faces in his bathroom, in his bedroom, everywhere he goes. His parents assure him that creepy carrots do not exist, but Jasper is certain they do. The only solution, he's sure, is to build a fence around Crackenhopper Field, dig a moat, and fill it with alligators. That way no carrots will be able to escape and follow him. It's a great plan, and it works...for Jasper and the carrots.
I love the black-and-white "B-movie" feel to Brown's illustrations. He was slightly brilliant to have orange as the only color on the pages; it really makes the carrots and orange objects stand out, so readers notice them just like Jasper does.
This is a fun one to read aloud. I always ask the kids about halfway through the book, "Were the creepy carrots real, or just Jasper's imagination?" Most will say they are a product of his imagination. After I read the last page, I ask them the question again. Some of the kids will get the twist and it will have flown right over the heads of others. I always like watching the light bulb come on when kids finally understand something. This tends to be a "light bulb book". Lots of fun at Halloween....more
The story here is not much, but would work for bedtimes. It's the illustrations that stand out. These two little critters (I will admit I don't know wThe story here is not much, but would work for bedtimes. It's the illustrations that stand out. These two little critters (I will admit I don't know what they are) are doggone adorable....more
The cover art on this shiny new copy of an "old" Caldecott winner reminded me of Robert McCloskey's illustrations (which I love more than his stories)The cover art on this shiny new copy of an "old" Caldecott winner reminded me of Robert McCloskey's illustrations (which I love more than his stories), so I checked it out. I love the old fashioned feel, the big furry bear, the humor in the illustrations, and the ending. And I think maybe Lynd Ward and Robert McCloskey are the same person. ;)
I'm kind of amazed at the number of reviewers here who are extremely critical of the story because of the hunting and killing of animals that is integral to the story. This was written in 1952, when the world was a different place. Others reviewers have called this book "ugly" and criticized the ending, saying the bear will be "underfed" and not cared for. How ridiculous. Johnny's problem is solved in a way that, as far as we know, makes everyone happy. Let's not assume the worst here. That bear looks pretty well-fed and happy to me in the last illustration. :)...more
A greedy little piglet gets his comeuppance in classic Helen Lester style. As always, Lynn Munsinger's illustrations add a lot of humor. If you've gotA greedy little piglet gets his comeuppance in classic Helen Lester style. As always, Lynn Munsinger's illustrations add a lot of humor. If you've got a greedy one in your house or classroom, this is worth a read-aloud....more
Illustrations: adorable. Story: adorable. I will admit that the first time I read it I didn't pay attention to the enFrog and Toad, if Toad was mute.
Illustrations: adorable. Story: adorable. I will admit that the first time I read it I didn't pay attention to the end papers. Mistake. Always pay attention to the end papers. Since I didn't pay attention to the end papers, I had no idea where Bird had come from, I had no clue as to Bird's identity, and I was surprised by Bird's home. Duh.
This little froggie is just the sweetest thing. He's the kind of froggie who can be completely ignored and just think you're a very good listener. Too, too cute.
Use this to help kids get some understanding of what foreshadowing is and how it works. Oh, they won't really care, or anything. They'll just want you to read it again....more
The wombat I learned to love in Diary of a Wombat (not so much in Diary of a Baby Wombat) is back and I love him just as much as I did in his debut.
SThe wombat I learned to love in Diary of a Wombat (not so much in Diary of a Baby Wombat) is back and I love him just as much as I did in his debut.
Smell carrots. Get carrots. Get more carrots. Scratch. Sleep. Get more carrots.
This is pretty much wombat's thought process. All the time. Now it's Christmas Eve, and wombat smells carrots. They are on a platter with a sign that says "For Santa and the Reindeer", but wombats can't read, so he assumes those strange creatures he sees are eating his carrots. This will not do. He engages in major battle (which consists of a forehead-to-forehead staring contest), and emerges triumphant, with a carrot in his mouth.
Wombat finds a cozy place to curl up for a nap after his battle. That's well and good, but his cozy spot happens to be on Santa's sleigh, and wombat finds himself accompanying Santa around the world, which is pretty much okay with wombat, because he finds carrots at every stop. (The reindeer may be extraordinarily hungry after this night.)
Cute, cute, cute. Teachers could use this for lots of fun (and entirely unnecessary) Christmastime lessons: compare and contrast wombats vs. reindeer, Christmas in Australia vs. the USA, what wombats eat (I'm guessing carrots), figuring out what places wombat and Santa could have been visiting (cityscape, tropical, arctic), and more. That is, if they really wanted to call it educational. I say just call it fun. ...more
What if the house Goldilocks barged into hadn't belonged to the Three Bears? What if it had been the Three Anteaters? The Three Moose? What if it had What if the house Goldilocks barged into hadn't belonged to the Three Bears? What if it had been the Three Anteaters? The Three Moose? What if it had belonged to three dinosaurs? If you've never wondered about that, no problem--Mo has done it for you.
This is funny and sarcastic. What a great way to teach tone. Our narrator reveals what's happening when he's telling us what is definitely not happening. It's all told with a wink and a smile, and--let's be honest--not every kid is going to get the humor here. But those clever kids, the ones who you sometimes think are really 35-year-olds trapped in the bodies of 2nd and 3rd graders, those kids are going to get it, and they're going to love it.
And don't forget to find Pigeon--he's hiding in there!...more
Okay, here's the thing I really love about Anna Dewdney. She gets meter. She really gets it. She doesn't try to leave a syllable out or cram an extra Okay, here's the thing I really love about Anna Dewdney. She gets meter. She really gets it. She doesn't try to leave a syllable out or cram an extra one into a line to make it fit. I don't have to stop at various points and think, "Wait...how do I have to say this so the meter is right?" That's because Anna Dewdney gets meter. She's always faithful to it and I love her for that. I would declare her Meter Princess if I could. Maybe I'll just print up my own certificate and mail it to her with a crown and a sash.
This book is exactly what you'd expect from Dewdney's Llama Llama line. It's sweet, it's honest, and even though the littles are llamas they are exactly like human littles. Llama Llama is wary of the new girl, Nelly Gnu. (Get it? She's the GNU girl!? Good one.) He really doesn't mind sharing some of his toys, but his favorite stuffed llama? No way, buddy, and let the trouble begin. Exactly like a four-year-old. The mamas are wise, though, and soon little llama learns that sharing isn't so bad.
This one is great for PreK and Kinder classrooms addressing the issue of sharing....more
I loved the original Olivia. It was different. It was clever. It cracked me up. I have loved the subsequent Olivia books less, though. They just didn'I loved the original Olivia. It was different. It was clever. It cracked me up. I have loved the subsequent Olivia books less, though. They just didn't have the same snappy qualities of the first book.
Until this one. The Olivia that made me chuckle is back, and she's determined to stand out from the crowd. Oh, she may have wanted to be a fairy princess dressed all in pink once, but that was when she was little. Last year. Seriously. She's all grown up now. Pink is in the past.
Olivia still wants to be a princess, though. She may not want to dress in pink frills, but she could dress as an Egyptian princess, or an African princess, or some of other kind of princess. Just so long as it's sans pink.
Several jokes and references that only adults will get are tossed in here, which gives it a mature quality adults appreciate. (At least I do. They're like jokes my husband would speak out of the side of his mouth mid-read-aloud.) I loved the shout out to different princesses of the world and the way Olivia envisions herself as each. Like most little girls, she wants to be a princess, but Olivia is too unique to be a "plain old princess in pink". Truth be told, she's pretty fabulous, but God bless her parents as she gets older, because they have one major league Drama Queen on their hands.
Altogether, this is clever, and is a great book for sharing at home, one-on-one, for parents who are willing to take time to answer questions and explain some of the allusions Olivia makes. It would also make a fun intro for a multicultural study for elementary kiddos....more
First: what is the main character? Is he a cat? A lemur? Some sort of animal wearing the costume of a different animal? I've got no clue. I wish someoFirst: what is the main character? Is he a cat? A lemur? Some sort of animal wearing the costume of a different animal? I've got no clue. I wish someone would clear that up for me.
I think my favorite part of this book is the fact that all the animals that mistreat his (her?) book in his imagination are found in the form of stuffed animals on his bed. Kind of cool....more
babyhippoface
>
Books:
humor
(740)
Loading...
