Posted on by Maureen

Favorite Tales of Monsters and Trolls by George Jonsen

61datycw4glI have been spending time every night with my oldest daughter reading middle grade ARCs that I receive. I don’t want my twins to feel left out, so I have started reading Best Book Club Ever books with them every night.

Last night, my twins chose Favorite Tales of Monsters and Trolls. This was my husband’s book when he was a child, and I remember reading this one as well. This book was first published in 1977, and was adapted by George Jonsen and illustrated by John O’Brien.

Favorite Tales of Monsters and Trolls includes three folktales. Each of the stories is rather short, so the entire book can read in one sitting.

The first story is The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Three billy goat brothers are having a problem with a troll who lives under a bridge. They want to cross over to a greener pasture, but are blocked by a troll. As the first two goats cross, they tell the troll to wait for his older brother. When the biggest goat crosses, will he be scared by the troll or will he do what goats do best? Read more

Posted on by Maureen · 1 Comment

Snappsy The Alligator by Julie Falatko

51bafim87hlI saw some tweets about Snappsy The Alligator, and immediately knew that my girls would love this book. I made a request through my library network, and was amazed when the book arrived at my town library only two days later.

Snappsy The Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book!) is a picture book written by Julie Falatko and illustrated by Tim Miller.

The premise is rather clever: as the narrator describes what Snappsy is doing, the alligator breaks the fourth wall to address the narrator directly. He is annoyed by the narrator’s descriptions, and he does not like being followed around. Snappsy even ends up changing his plans because he knows he is being watched! Can Snappsy and the narrator resolve their feud before the end of the book? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Happy Birthday Oliver by Pierre Le-Tan

816phpyvpmlMy oldest daughter helps me with reading and reviewing middle grade books, and I wanted to be able to include my twins in my reading and blogging. They are strong readers, and they read independently every night, but I want to be able to read with them.

I have decided to start with the Best Book Club Ever Books. Do you remember them? They were published in the late 1970s-early 1980s. I’m not sure where they came from- maybe the grocery store? I remember loving them when I was a child, and my husband had all the books too. When my oldest daughter was much smaller, my in-laws brought us a box full of them. They had been languishing in the attic (the books, not my in-laws) for years, but they were in perfect condition.

The first book that I chose to read to my twins was Happy Birthday Oliver. This picture book, written by Pierre Le-Tan, was originally published in 1978. This is the story of an anthropomorphic dog named Oliver, who is very excited about his upcoming birthday. But when he wakes up on the big day, his parents don’t acknowledge his birthday. He mopes around so despondently that he gets a pity present from his teacher: a beautiful peacock feather. Did everyone really forget his birthday or is there a surprise waiting for him at home? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson

91n6e8w3rvlI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My daughters and I love to read together. I hadn’t seen very many picture books on Netgalley recently, so I was very excited when I received the opportunity to read several around the same time.

Too Many Carrots was written and illustrated by Katy Hudson. The story begins by introducing the reader to Rabbit, who has outgrown his burrow. The problem is that he has too many carrots, and there is no room left for anything else. So, instead of downsizing the carrot collection, he sets out for greener pastures. Rabbit tries to move in with Tortoise- cramming himself into Tortoise’s shell. That doesn’t work out very well, and Rabbit and Tortoise must seek shelter elsewhere. I don’t want to give too much away, but needless to say, we are introduced to a variety of animals, and their living situations. Rabbit is not a very good houseguest, and he needs to make amends for the havoc he has caused. There’s just one problem- Rabbit really loves his carrot collection. Are the carrots more important than his friendships? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

I Am A Droid by Christopher Nicholas

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My girls are fans of Star Wars. One of my six-year-old twins is a Star Wars superfan. I purchased the collection of six Star Wars Little Golden books on Amazon, so when I found I Am A Droid at my town library, I knew my daughter would enjoy it.

I Am A Droid is a book about the droids in the Star Wars universe. The language used is simple “Some droids are small. Some droids are big. Some droids walk… some droids roll.” The book goes into slightly more detail in explaining things like the difference between an astromech droid and a protocol droid. There’s not really much of a plot; it’s an explanatory book that reads like nonfiction. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Waddle Waddle by James Proimos

51xhbbcg2bhlI always look forward to being able to chat with my friend when our oldest children have Girl Scouts. Her children are the same age as mine, and get along nicely. The last time we were there, her son asked if he could read Waddle Waddle to me. I was so honored that he asked; it was such a sweet gesture.

Waddle Waddle is a picture book written and illustrated by James Proimos. As the story begins, a penguin is looking for his new friend. He meets a penguin who sings, and a penguin who plays a horn… but where is his dancing friend? The penguin doesn’t have much time to think about this; a polar bear wants to turn him into a tasty meal. The penguin is in trouble, but who can help him? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The New Small Person by Lauren Child

61-3oiq052blI have been a fan of Lauren Child’s books for over ten years. There was something just something magical about her Charlie and Lola series. She took a pair of siblings, and placed them in ordinary situations like birthday parties and loose teeth. When complications arose, these siblings used creativity and their imaginations to solve their problems.

Lauren Child has written several picture books that do not feature Charlie and Lola, but most of these do not feature siblings. The New Small Person introduces us to Elmore Green, a young boy who likes things a certain way. He happily eats his orange jelly beans and lines up his toys, but then one day, a new small person arrives. Elmore is not happy about the intrusion, and does not appreciate that the small person is licking the jelly beans and wearing his fourth favorite outfit. Will Elmore ever find any use for this small intruder? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Little Tree by Loren Long

51fg2chjzmlI found Little Tree by Loren Long at the library. My girls love Long’s “Otis” books, so I brought this book for them to enjoy.

Little Tree is the story of a- wait for it- little tree. He is very happy to be amongst the other trees, and loves when the animals come around to play. The weather gets colder, and the other trees shed their leaves, but Little Tree is afraid. He clings to his leaves. As the seasons change, the other trees grow taller; Little Tree stays the same size, with his brown leaves. Will Little Tree ever drop his leaves? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Hickory Dickory: The Fox Race by AJ Smith and Walter Tyler

51ujlwtyjhlOne of my twins loves foxes. She is a rather lucky girl- foxes seem to be a popular animal, and so there are many different children’s clothing stores that have released fox items. We also have fox books, fox stuffed animals, and much more.

There is a dear sweet boy in her first grade class. This boy was also in her kindergarten class. He noticed that my daughter liked foxes, and he asked his mother if he could bring some of his fox books to school for her to borrow. She was very excited when she came home, and we have been reading these two fox books.

One of the books is Hickory Dickory: The Fox Race written by AJ Smith and Walter Tyler. I am not familiar with the Hickory Dickory series, and I’m so pleased to have discovered it. The premise of this book is simple: a fox likes to race, and he is faster than any other animal. He embarks on a trip around the world, and beats a variety of animals in their natural habitat. Will he be satisfied once he has raced (and beaten) animals on all seven continents? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Contrary Woodrow by Sue Felt

There are plenty of picture books about Valentine’s Day; not as many as other holidays like Halloween and Christmas, but a fair amount. My favorite Valentine’s Day story has to be Contrary Woodrow.

 

I found Contrary Woodrow at the public library. We have a small section of donated books available for sale, and this was where I found Contrary Woodrow. This picture book was written by Sue Felt and was published in 1958.

Contrary Woodrow is the story of a boy named Woodrow Woodington. His family has declared that he is contrary, and the first part of the book is dedicated to establishing his contrariness. Woodrow is the third of five children. Maybe this is why he has such an alliterative name. His older siblings are named John and Sally, so maybe his parents wanted to get a little creative. Woodrow’s younger siblings are named Elizabeth and Pete, so clearly, his parents went back to more traditional choices for baby names. Maybe Woodrow is so contrary because he’s saddled with such a name. Read more