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Seasons: A Book of Poems. by Charlotte Zolotow. 2002. Harper Collins. 64 pages. ISBN: 9780060266996In this easy-to-read poetry collection, prolific children's author Charlotte Zolotow shares her impressions of the four seasons. The book is divided into four parts. Winter Bits talks of snow, wind, and warm clothes. Spring Things focuses on birds, plants, and breezes. In Summer Thoughts, Zolotow describes butterflies, flowers, and bugs. Finally, in The Feel of Fall, the year winds down with Halloween, falling leaves, and golden fields.
I was surprised when I read the jacket of this book and found out that this collection, written just 11 years ago, was Zolotow's first book for beginning readers! She has done so many wonderful picture books that I guess I just figured she must also have written a few titles for kids who are learning how to read. Also amazing is the fact that she is still living, at age 97, and that this book was published in the year that she turned 87.
This book shares much in common with Zolotow's quiet, thoughtful picture book texts. Many of the poems consist of just one sentence, but those single sentences are filled with truth and beauty. Though her poems are very much about real things, mostly in nature, she has a lot of fun with language, making up words like "windrushing," "funnytime" and "beez." Her poems rarely rhyme, but each one has a distinct rhythm that shows how thoughtful she is about the placement of each word. She is also a very economical writer, using the most appropriate word for each sentiment, and no extras.
Zolotow has a lovely way of getting inside the mindset of a child. She articulates thoughts that children have in a way that makes them easy to understand, even if her child readers could not have put them into words themselves. In a poem called "Grown-ups" she poses questions: "Do mothers ever feel lonely? / Do fathers ever feel sad?" In "Birthdays", which is on the very next page, she takes note that mothers enjoy flowers more than the birthday cake preferred by kids. These wonderings and observations resonate very strongly with children who are just figuring out how the world works.
Though her poetry, Zolotow also compels kids to think differently about their worlds. In a poem called "Me" the speaker points out that if she were someone else, "there would be other things / to hear and see / for I'd be someone else / not me." This short sentence seems obvious to adults, but for children this might be a startling thought, and the beginning of empathy for people in circumstances unlike their own. In "My Cat" the speaker wonders about what her cat might think about. "Some Days" talks about how things might have been different in a child's day if he or she had not "done something mean."
Though these poems claim to be about the seasons, they are about many things: emotions, family, friendship, solitude, nature, home, and happiness. Zolotow captures each of these things on just the right level for an early reader and provides lots of food for thought, something lacking in many readers for beginners. I recommend this book very highly, especially for teaching poetry in kindergarten and first grade classrooms and library programs.
I borrowed Seasons from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Something Sleeping in the Hall. by Karla Kuskin. 1985. HarperCollins. 64 pages. ISBN: 9780060236342Though the title at first suggests something sinister,
Something Sleeping in the Hall is a collection of poems about a child's desire to have a pet. Short, easy-to-read poems celebrate birds, cats, pigs, dogs, dragons, elephants, and every other kind of animal imaginable. Some poems are sweet, others funny, but they all relate to that universal wish kids have for a pet to love and care for.
The poems in this collection are untitled, and visual cues are used instead to mark where one poem ends and the next begins. I missed the cues at first, because I tend to look more closely at text than images, but kids who are just learning to read are more likely to do the opposite, so they would probably be tuned into those cues much more closely than I was. I'm not sure it wouldn't have been more effective to just name the poems, but the tiny illustrations marking when the poem is about a bird, when it is about a pig, when it is about multiple animals, etc. are a distinctive feature of this book that I think kids will like.
Kids will also like some of the dark humor in a few of the poems. For example, there is a hog in one poem who eats both a dog and a frog. The end of that poem says, "And then he lay down /
bang - / and died." Other poems joke about a cat eating mice and a bear who walks down the street greeting and eating every creature he meets. Early elementary schoolers love to be grossed out, and they love to be surprised, and these poems really deliver those two key components.
This collection is a great introduction to poetry for the youngest readers. It shows that poems can be playful, and that they can talk about everyday things in interesting ways. Some of the poems in this collection are only one or two sentences long, such as "It makes me squirm / to watch a worm." Even older kids who are intimidated by poetry might find relief in the fact that such a short and simple sentiment is actually a complete poem. I also like the way some of the poems toy with the conventions of early reader books, such as the one on pages 14 and 15 that talks about a "blue bird on a branch," a "wild bird on a wig," and a "third bird in a bunch." The illustrations for that poem are almost like a rebus and they help kids decode the words while also letting them laugh over the silliness of the text.
Though
Something Sleeping in the Hall is almost as old as I am, it still holds up for today's beginning reader audience. The book is out of print, but my library system still has a copy and I suspect many others will as well. I plan to use at least two of the poems at my beginning reader story time - either as rebuses or flannel boards. Share this book with animal lovers who are learning to read and watch them enjoy their first experiences with poetry.
I borrowed Something Sleeping in the Hall from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Iris and Walter. by Elissa Haden Guest. 2000. Harcourt Children's Books. 44 pages. ISBN: 9780152021221When I arrived at my current library two years ago, the first question I received that stumped me was a request for the Iris and Walter books. I knew a lot of kids’ books, even then, but somehow none of the libraries I’d worked in prior to my current position had this series, so I had to admit to the nanny who asked for them that I didn’t know what they were. In the intervening two years, I have read a couple of the later books about this pair of best friends, and I have come to love Christine Davenier’s illustration style. Today, I’m spotlighting the very first Iris and Walter book, published in 2000.
Iris has just moved to the country, and she misses everything about her life in the big city. Her parents try to cheer her up by asking her to play all her favorite games, but Iris doesn’t feel like it. Her problem, she complains to her grandfather, is that the country doesn’t have any kids. Grandpa is sure this can’t be true, so he takes Iris on a walk around her neighborhood. Up a ladder, in a tree, behind the door of a little treehouse, Iris finds Walter, and suddenly life in the country is much, much better.
Lots of children’s books deal with moving to a new place and searching for friends, and the plot of this story doesn’t really add anything that previous books haven’t covered. What stands out about
Iris and Walter is the way the story is written, and the specific details Guest uses to evoke Iris’s memories of the city, and her feelings about moving and meeting Walter. For example, Iris doesn’t just miss the city, she misses “playing baseball after supper until it was too dark to see the ball.” She’s not just nervous about the country, she thinks it’s “as lonely as Mars.” And when Iris and Walter finally meet and explore the country together, Guest even takes a few moments to reflect on the natural beauty of Iris’s new home, telling us of “red-tailed hawks and starry skies” and “pale roses” and “cool grass.”
The writing is descriptive and yet accessible for newly independent readers. The vocabulary is rich, but not overwhelming, and the story manages to be literature without being obscure or boring. Kids can relate to the happiness of finding a new friend and to the coziness of spending time with that friend day after day. Walter doesn’t have much to say in this book, so it’s not necessarily the most balanced introduction to a series that stars two characters, but as “how they met” stories go, it works nicely, and it sets us up for all the future fun Iris and Walter will have together.
Iris and Walter reminds me of the sweetness of the Frog and Toad books and the humor of Mr. Putter and Tabby or Henry and Mudge. Recommend it to kids who like the Freckleface Strawberry picture books, the Pinky and Rex series, and the George and Martha series. Learn more about the rest of the Iris and Walter books at the author’s website,
http://www.elissahadenguest.com/ I borrowed Iris and Walter from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Luke on the Loose. by Harry Bliss. 2009. Candlewick. 32 pages. ISBN: 9781935179009Luke on the Loose is a TOON Book - a story for new readers told in comic format by Harry Bliss. At the park, Luke gets tired of listening to his father’s boring adult conversation with a friend. Unable to take it any longer, he takes off after some pigeons, calling out “Yaaaaah!” as he goes. While his dad enlists the police to track him down, Luke knocks over a bicyclist, interrupts a marriage proposal, and finally climbs onto a roof to take a nap, creating a frenzy at every point on his journey.
Luke on the Loose is one of the best and funniest easy readers I have ever read. It captures not only the boredom of a child waiting for his parents to stop talking, but also the explosion of happiness associated with freedom from that boring situation. “Yaaah!” is the perfect sound for Luke to make - it tells us everything we need to know about his feelings, and it’s great fun to say out loud. All along the way, subtle comments from animals and people alike add to the humor of Luke’s wild run through the city. Pigeons call him “Coo Coo.” A cat peering out the window thinks to himself, “I’ll never let my kittens chase pigeons.” A mouse even suggests that Luke is just another city pest. These deadpan statements perfectly juxtapose the slapstick humor of the illustrations, making the laughs come that much faster.
Luke on the Loose reminds me a lot of
Nina in That Makes Me Mad. Both celebrate the individuality of children, and celebrate their independence and emotions. Just as kids relate to the things that make Nina mad, they will relate to the fun of Luke’s sprint through the city and they will be comforted by his safe return to his parents in the end as well. Recommend
Luke on the Loose to little ones with lots of energy, and laugh along with them!
I read the TOON Online Reader version of Luke on the Loose on the TOON Books website.
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Love is in the Air by Jonathan Fenske. December 27, 2012. Penguin Young Readers. 32 pages. ISBN: 9780448461601Love is in the Air by Jonathan Fenske is a new (December 2012) Level 2 easy reader published by Penguin Young Readers. It is designated for the “progressing reader” and its Guided Reading Level is H. After a party, Balloon is left all alone, tied to a table. Just as he starts to droop, along comes Kite, a new friend who invites Balloon to fly with her. Balloon manages to break free, but then he flies higher than Kite. Once they are side by side, they have lots of fun... until the wind dies down and Balloon runs into a bird with a sharp beak. Is this friendship doomed to deflate?
In this, his very first book, Fenske has done everything exactly right. He creates lovable characters out of everyday objects, and gives them personality and significance in just a few simple words and images. Each word of the text is important, and none is extraneous; his writing is aptly economical and perfectly suited to the reading abilities of his audience. There are also some great artistic moments that set the writing apart. Alliterative phrases like “rose on the breeze,” “cool clouds” and “down drifted Kite” give the text a pleasing poetic sound. Onomatopoeia enhances but does not take over the text, appearing only in speech bubbles to express sounds such as “Doink!” and “Plop!” This approach works so well, because readers get both the rich vocabulary of the story and the fun of those silly sound words.
The use of panels and speech bubbles give the book great visual appeal, and they work well with the cartoonish facial expressions of the two main characters. Fenske also makes great use of white space, giving the characters lots of room to move around. The result is that the illustrations feel almost animated. Visual hints that the story is set in the sky are minimal, but that sense of movement makes it impossible to forget that we’re meant to be floating on the breeze.
The relationship between the two characters is also perfect for the easy reader audience. Romances aren’t great for early elementary school kids, but gentle friendship stories still appeal to them. Kids will be intrigued by the idea of a balloon and a kite becoming friends, and they will be excited by the problems they have in being together, and ultimately comforted by the story’s sweet and happy ending. This sweetness also makes it a perfect easy reader for preschoolers who start reading early.
Love is in the Air is definitely one of my new favorite books, and I can’t wait to see more of Fenske’s fresh style. Watch for his second book,
Guppy Up, out this month!
I received a review copy of Love is in the Air from the author.
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Wedgieman to the Rescue. by Charise Mericle Harper, illustrated by Bob Shea. February 12, 2013. Random House. 48 pages. ISBN: 9780307930729 Wedgieman to the Rescue is a level 3 easy reader from Random House’s Step into Reading series. In his second adventure, Veggieman (aka Wedgieman) comes up against Bad Dude, a villain keen on zapping the playground and forcing all the kids to work in his factory. Not only does Wedgieman come through to save the kids, but the kids give Bad Dude a toilet-themed nickname of his own.
I like Veggieman as a character, and I think the tone and illustrations of this book are spot-on for the target age group. Unfortunately, I think the assumption that kids are bad spellers, and that the only jokes they laugh at are related to underwear and poop, is a major weakness. Kids reading at this level know about the silent E at the end of certain words, and they would know better than to pronounce “dude” as “doodie.” I think the average child likes at least some vegetables, so trying to use toilet humor to make them more palatable doesn’t really work either. While Veggieman isn’t really an objectionable personality, I don’t understand why the hero of a children’s book is this man who lets kids bully him and call him names, and who seems to think so little of their intelligence. Odd choice.
Wedgieman to the Rescue might appeal to fans of the first book, but it’s not among Harper’s best. As an alternative superhero series, try Marvel’s Superhero Squad series, two titles in which I
have reviewed.
Wedgieman to the Rescue will be published on February 12.
I received a digital ARC of Wedgieman to the Rescue from Random House via Edelweiss.
For more about this book visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Messy Bessey. by Patricia and Frederick McKissack. 1987. Children's Press. 31 pages. ISBN: 9780516270036One of the most popular easy readers at my library is a Rookie Reader by Patricia and Frederick McKissack called
Messy Bessey. It is a rhyming story about the mess in a young girl’s bedroom, which she cleans up in order to make her room reflect her clean and beautiful self.
I think the subject matter in this book is appealing to both kids and adults, which might be one of the reasons this book is so frequently checked out from my branch library. Kids like to see just how messy one little girl can be, and parents like books that encourage good behavior and self-reliance. The illustrations are also endearing. Bessey is a cute little girl and her look of combined shame and surprise as she takes in each of her messes is subtle, but effective.
What puzzles me about the book, though, is the rhythm of the text. It starts out with a strong sense of rhyme and meter: “See colors on the wall, books on the chair, toys in the dresser drawer, and games everywhere.” A few pages later, though, it starts to unravel. There is a glaring omission of a comma on page 12 (“Bessey look at your room” instead of “Bessey, look at your room”), and the authors attempt to pass off “window” and “pillow” as rhyming words. The second half of the book is difficult to stumble through because the rhythm doesn’t match the pattern established in the first few pages. I also wonder why the book uses an alternative spelling of Bessey, when that extra E might throw off an uncertain or inexperienced reader.
Messy Bessey is a gentle story that preschoolers and emergent readers tend to love. Adults looking to branch out might try other tales of mess-making such as Karen Beaumont’s
I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More, which has a great sense of rhyme and rhythm, and
Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley. Though both are picture books, they have simple enough text for new readers to tackle, and the text in both stories is more precise and easier to read aloud.
I borrowed Messy Bessey from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Ballet Stars. by Joan Holub, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas. June 26, 2012. Random House. 24 pages. ISBN: 9780375869099Ballet Stars is a level one easy reader which is part of Random House’s Step into Reading series. In simple sentences author Joan Holub describes for the reader the process of presenting a ballet recital, from getting dressed and warming up to dancing on stage and taking final bows.
This is a book I think adults can easily dismiss because the front cover makes it out to be just another pink ballerina book. There are so many pink-covered books about ballerinas, and after awhile, it starts to feel like one is as good as another. I was pleasantly surprised, therefore, when the text of
Ballet Stars turned out to be nearly flawless.
There are sometimes as few as two words in a sentence, but Holub makes every word count. The story rhymes, which is normally a huge drawback for me, but Holub is skillful at matching up rhyming words that fit the story, rather than just throwing in random words because they happen to rhyme. When the ballet dancers get dressed, the text reads:
“Sparkly ribbons. Ballet shoes. Bright white tights. And new tutus.” When describing the dancers’ movements, Holub writes,
“Ballet arms. Ballet feet. Toes point out and fingers meet.” Both these excerpts show the strength of Holub’s writing abilities. The words she uses perfectly describe the clothing and motions associated with a ballet recital, and even without the support of the illustrations, these sentences would still evoke strong mental images. Holub even manages to work in some figurative language. There are two similes in the book, when the dancers
“Twirl like snowflakes” and
“sway like trees.”The illustrations by Shelagh McNicholas make the book visually appealing, and they give great context for Holub’s writing. I appreciate McNicholas’s decision to include a male ballet dancer in the class, as well as her inclusion of characters from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. I also love the way she drew the dancers’ families and even their piano accompanist on the page depicting the moment before the curtain goes up. It’s one of the few detailed drawings in the entire book, and it provides nice insights into characters who don’t really have individual personalities otherwise.
Kids who are into ballet books will probably take one home from the library with them whether it’s truly well-written or not. That’s just the nature of kids and their obsessions, whether it’s ballet, trains, dinosaurs, or something else. This book really raises the bar, though, and shows what a truly well-written book for beginning readers can accomplish. Girls, especially, will love
Ballet Stars, but parents and teachers will be just as thrilled by the learning opportunities it presents.
I borrowed Ballet Stars from my local public library. For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
The Mouse in My House. by Paul Orshoski. 2012. Treasure Bay. 41 pages. ISBN: 9781601152572 The Mouse in My House is a level 1 easy reader in the
We Both Read series. Like all the other We Both Read books, this one divides its text in half. The left-hand side of the page is to be read by an adult, while the right-hand side is reserved for the child. This division is explained in an introductory note and also signified by a set of circles. When it is the adult’s turn to read, the larger of the two circles is shown with a mouth, while the smaller remains empty. When it is the child’s turn, the smaller circle has the mouth and the larger has none. This visual cue is a nice touch that helps the new reader understand when it is his turn without having to know any complicated vocabulary to figure that out.
The Mouse in My House follows the hi-jinks that ensue when a boy finds a mouse living amongst his toys. The rhyming text talks about the various ways the family tries to chase the mouse away, and then follows the persistent mouse from the farm where he is released right back to the family’s home again. The story ends on a cute punchline that will amuse both parent and child. The problem, though, is that it takes too long to reach the ending, and the rhyming becomes more and more distracting as the plot progresses. In some places, entire lines sound forced and out of place, and it is obvious certain words were chosen just because they rhyme. This includes the introduction of a new character (Mailman Gus) only a few pages from the end of story, which threw even me for a bit of a loop!
I also noticed some inconsistencies in capitalization of the words mom and dad. Every time “mom” or “dad” is used as a proper name, it should begin with a capital letter. When we talk about “my mom” or “her dad,” then there is no capitalization because we are using the words as plain old ordinary nouns. The first half of the book applies this rule incorrectly; then suddenly, in the second half, capital Ms and Ds start to appear. I realize most new readers won’t pick up on that, but it is a problem when a book designed to support kids in learning to read is uncertain of proper usage. In fact, this book probably could have provided some good teachable moments about proper nouns if not for this glaring error.
I often recommend the We Both Read books to my library patrons because I think kids really benefit from sharing their reading experiences with the adults in their lives, and because they do offer such great opportunities for recognizing sight words and gaining confidence reading those words aloud. This book will not be a go-to title for me next time a parent asks me for a recommendation. Actually, now I’m tempted to read some more titles in the series to find out whether other titles contain these errors. (I happened to flip open to the first page of
Sharks by Sindy McKay and noticed a subject-verb agreement issue in the very first sentence. Thus, I am concerned.)
I borrowed The Mouse in my House from my local public library.
Mittens at School. by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. June 26, 2012. HarperCollins. 32 pages. ISBN: 9780061702242
Mittens at School is a My First I Can Read book, which the publisher has labeled as “Ideal for sharing with emergent readers.” Mittens the cat goes to school with his owner, Nick, who plans to show him for show-and-tell. Unfortunately, before show-and-tell, Nick has to do some writing and go to gym class. Mittens can’t keep still for all that time, so when the class is gone, he does some exploring, resulting in a big mess!
It seems that every author of books for beginning readers has at least one story in his/her bibliography about bringing animals to school. I have never known a school that actually allows animals to come in for show-and-tell without all kinds of permission slips and special dispensations, but schools like that are pretty common in children’s books. What happens in this book really isn’t all that different than what happens in any of the others, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a good story. In fact, for such a short story with so few words, it does a wonderful job of breathing new life into this somewhat tired topic.
The best thing about the text is its use of onomatopoeia. When Mittens counts the beads on an abacus, the sound is written as “Clink clink clink.” Then there is the “plink plink plink” of the piano keys beneath his paws, and the “flip flip flip” of the pages in a book. These incidents featuring the different sounds also follow a particular pattern. Mittens explores the object, making a gentle noise, then accidentally makes a mess, which makes a loud noise written in all caps (“CRASH!” “SLAM!” and “BAM!”) Things come full circle on the last page when Mittens purrs in response to the attention the class gives her.
Despite being a very short story, this book also makes great use of dialogue. The spoken words in the text keep the plot moving swiftly along, while keeping the reader clued into exactly what is happening. Because the main character of the story is a cat who does not speak, the dialogue between the human characters provides context the story might otherwise lack, and it also keeps the writing from becoming too bogged down in details that would require more complicated and difficult-to-read words.
Mittens at School should appeal to readers who enjoy the Dixie books by Grace Gilman (I Can Read Level 1) and the Biscuit books by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (My First I Can Read). There are also a number of other titles about Mittens:
Mittens (2007),
Follow Me, Mittens (2008),
What’s That, Mittens? (2009),
Happy Halloween, Mittens (2010), and
Mittens, Where is Max? (2011).
I borrowed Mittens at School from my local public library.
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
Katie Woo Rules the School. by Fran Manushkin, illustrated by Tammie Lyon. August 1, 2012. Capstone. 96 pages. ISBN: 9781404879089
Four Katie Woo books originally published as stand-alone easy readers have been gathered into this attractive collection entitled K
atie Woo Rules the School. In each story, Katie faces a different situation in her classroom. "Katie and the Class Pet" is the predictable story of Katie bringing the class guinea pig home for the weekend and nearly losing him. "No More Teasing" offers effective solutions for classroom bullying. "The Big Lie" deals with the theft of a classmate’s toy and lying to cover it up. "Star of the Show" focuses on the class play, in which Katie has a much more significant role than she realizes. Each story teaches a lesson that can easily apply to any child’s day-to-day life at school.
Because they are now in a compilation, the four books included here are no longer divided into their own short chapters. It is almost as though each story is a chapter unto itself, a fact that is likely to attract new readers who are anxious to start reading “big kid” books. The illustrations remain, which is wonderful, because they’re adorable and they offer just the right amount of clues to help readers decode what they read. In this new format, Katie Woo suddenly seems to fit into the same category as characters like Mr. Putter and Tabby, Frog and Toad, and Mercy Watson, all of whom star in longer, thicker easy readers. The transitional time when kids move from easy readers to chapter books is a tricky one for some people - especially parents - and this new format for Katie Woo fills a real need for easy-to-read books that more closely resemble chapter books.
I have always loved Katie Woo, and this book has made me excited about her all over again. Don’t miss the suggestions at the back of the book for activities related to the stories, and also be on the lookout for
Katie Woo and Friends, another compilation to be published along with
Katie Woo Rules the School in August. Katie Woo and Friends will include the stories previously published as
Boss of the World,
The Tricky Tooth,
Goodbye to Goldie, and
Katie Goes Camping.I received a digital ARC of Katie Woo Rules the School from Netgalley.
Ride, Fly Guy, Ride! by Tedd Arnold. March 1, 2012. Scholastic Inc. 32 pages. ISBN: 9780545222761In his 11th adventure, Fly Guy goes for a ride in the car with Buzz and his dad. When Buzz opens the window and puts his arm out, however, Fly Guy gets blown into a truck. The truck driver accidentally sucks him into his mouth, then spits him into a motor boat. From there, Fly Guy is bounced from one mode of transportation to the next until a rocket comes along. Will Fly Guy survive a trip to space?
It took me a while to get around to reading a Fly Guy book. They’re so popular, it can sometimes be hard to get my hands on them to begin with, but on top of that, they don’t really need very much promotion. Kids love Buzz and his pet fly and seek him out without any assistance from adults. Still, though, I’m glad I finally “discovered” the books during Cybils season, and that I was able to snag this one before it went out on the shelf at my library.
What I like so much about this newest title is that it focuses on a common story time theme: transportation. I have some books that I like on this subject, but many more songs and rhymes, so I’m always looking for something to pair those songs with that is entertaining and of high quality. Because this book involves all modes of transportation, it works well with almost anything, and on top of that, it’s a fun and entertaining read featuring characters kids love. I don’t think it’s the funniest of the series, but certainly readers with six-year-old senses of humor will love the moments of slapstick comedy where Fly Guy bounces off an elephant’s trunk, or gets stuck in an airplane’s wipers, and the last page, where Fly Guy makes it clear he has survived it all unscathed will tickle the funny bone of many silly kindergartners.
Read my review of the previous Fly Guy title,
Fly Guy vs. The Flyswatter here.
I borrowed Ride, Fly Guy, Ride from my local public library.
Amelia Bedelia and the Baby. by Peggy Parish, illustrated by Lynn Sweat. 1981. Greenwillow Books. 64 pages. ISBN: 9780688003166Muddled, child-like Amelia Bedelia doesn't know a thing about babies (not even the fact that they're children!), so it's no surprise she doesn't make a very good babysitter. Still, despite her odd ways - allowing the baby to mash her own banana, powdering herself instead of the baby, and feeding the baby solid food before she's ready - she proves to be the exact kind of babysitter parents love to hire.
I was looking for a book to read to a first grade class on Read Across America Day when I came across
Amelia Bedelia and the Baby. I remembered it instantly from my own childhood, when I read and re-read this series many times over. But as I told one of my coworkers when I finished reading this book, Amelia Bedelia's really not as funny as I thought she was as a kid. In fact, reading this book as an adult made me want to throttle Amelia Bedelia, and possibly Mrs. Rogers, too, for acting like her screw-ups are no big deal. I also felt a little bit guilty, as though the story was poking fun at a woman with a clear disability. Certainly, after many experiences with Amelia Bedelia, Mrs. Rogers would be on to the fact that this woman needs explicit instructions that can only be taken literally. But time and again, she fails to realize that Amelia Bedelia is wired differently and leaves her to fend for herself - and in this case, to care for an innocent child. I can usually turn off my adult brain when I read children's books, but this one made it nearly impossible.
I also decided not to read the book to first grade, not just because I didn't think it was funny and therefore didn't think I could sell it very well, but because of the somewhat dated language in it. Amelia Bedelia uses the word "plumb" a lot, which I have never actually heard a person use out loud (other than my sister, who as a child, pronounced it as plump, as in "I plump forgot.") I wasn't sure I'd be able to explain what that meant if the kids asked. And this did not figure into my decision, but I have also always wondered about that get-up she always wears. Where and when is she meant to be from?
Amelia Bedelia has had a makeover in recent years. Herman Parish now writes stories of an endearing literal-minded child where the character's behavior is much less disturbing, and even developmentally appropriate. I think these classics will always be popular because they do appeal to that six-year-old sense of humor, but it's tough being the adult who has to take them at least seriously enough to make the story sound exciting to the reader. I actually think the fact that this book no longer appeals to me says a lot for the author's ability to understand a child's mindset, but that doesn't mean I'll be seeking anymore of the original Amelia Bedelia stories any time soon.
I borrowed Amelia Bedelia and the Baby from my local public library.
By:
Katie,
on 3/21/2012
Blog:
Secrets & Sharing Soda
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genre: realistic fiction,
source: netgalley,
level: easy reader,
format: ebook,
publisher: candlewick,
published 2012,
read 2012,
series: bink and gollie,
author: alison mcghee,
author: kate dicamillo,
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Bink and Gollie: Two for One. by Alison McGhee and Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Tony Fucile. June 12, 2012. Candlewick Press. 96 pages. ISBN: 9780763633615 
Bink and Gollie are back in their second set of adventures, all of which take place at the state fair. The first story, "Whack a Duck," introduces the girls to the perils of carnival games when Bink decides she absolutely must win a large donut in exchange for whacking a duck. In the second story, "You're Special, Aren't You?" Gollie enters a talent show without actually preparing a talent. Finally, in "Without Question" Bink and Gollie have their fortunes told by Madame Prunely, who has messages about their past and future.
This is another strong, funny, and heartwarming collection of vignettes, which portrays not just the ups and downs of life, but the support and constancy of true friendship. As in the first Bink and Gollie story, Tony Fucile truly captures each girl's personality with the wonderful way he draws facial expressions and body movements. I was particularly struck by the way I could almost hear each girl's manner of speech just from looking at the illustrations. Alison McGhee and Kate DiCamillo also keep the story fresh with lots of humor, which comes across most often in the characters' dialogue, not just with each other, but with supporting characters as well. Especially memorable is the man who runs the Whack a Duck booth; he takes a baseball to the face when Bink throws just a bit too hard.
At first glance, the writing in this book seems very sophisticated, which made me question whether it would truly work for early readers. When I went back to analyze the text more closely, though, I realized that the vocabulary of the story, with few exceptions, is actually very basic. Many words such as "duck," "Whack," "stage", "talent," and "friend" are introduced and then repeated over and over again, reinforcing their meaning. Sentence structure, particularly where there is dialogue, is very simple, and the speaker is always identified. The story itself is so entertaining that it's easy to miss its simplicity, but the authors have done a really thorough job of making sure their intended audience will truly be able to read their book. I imagine a couple of words - "scepter" and "tragedy", for example - might pose a challenge for newer readers, but I don't think it's a challenge that couldn't be met by a child accustomed to reading Level 2 and Level 3 easy readers. I also love the inclusion of signs and other printed material in the illustrations themselves. What a great way to foster print awareness, which is one of the important early literacy skills kids need to develop before learning to read.
Sequels sometimes turn out to be mistakes, and they can create a formula out of what was previously fresh, exciting material.
Bink and Gollie: Two for One, is decidedly not one of those mistakes. Every bit as lovely and satisfying as the first, this second book about these irresistible best friends explores further their connection, and also gives kids a look into the world of state fairs, which for some kids will be a foreign concept.
In addition to the original
Bink and Gollie, also pair
Bink and Gollie: Two for One with Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad series, The Friends for Keeps chapter book series by Julie Bowe, and Mo Willems's Elephant and Piggie books.
Bink and Gollie: Two for One will be published on June 12, 2012, just in time fo
My Brother, Ant. by Betsy Byars, illustrated by Marc Simont. 1996. Penguin. 32 pages. ISBN: 9780140383454 My Brother, Ant is a Level 3 Easy Reader originally published in 1996 and recently repackaged as part of the Penguin Young Readers series. The volumes in this series - which include some of the Cam Jansen books, retellings of classics such as Black Beauty, and other well-known books for beginning readers - are labeled not just with traditional levels designated by the publisher, but also with their corresponding Guided Reading letters. This is immensely helpful to public librarians who don’t work with Guided Reading on a regular basis, but who field lots of questions from confused and interested parents. I’m not crazy about the idea of designating books based on reading level, since obsessing over the levels can sometimes take the joy right out of reading, but from a professional standpoint, it’s nice to have access to information that can help me understand what the various Guided Reading levels mean.
My Brother, Ant is designated as a Level J, putting it on the same level with Henry and Mudge, Little Bear, and Aunt Eater - essentially a second grade reading level.
The story itself is by Betsy Byars and focuses on the relationship between two brothers. The unnamed older brother narrates the story, relating for the reader the surprising and sometimes annoying things his little brother Anthony does. In the three chapters of this book, Ant fears a monster beneath his bed, uses the narrator’s homework as drawing paper, and asks his brother to read him a story, but refuses to accept the narrator’s creative embellishments on classic fairy tales. The brothers have a sweet and supportive relationship, which is portrayed very positively, even during moments when they drive each other crazy.
Since this is a “transitional reader” it includes a lot of dialogue, which makes room for subtle character development that might not otherwise make it into such a short and simple story. I also noticed a distinct lack of contractions, which makes the writing seem stilted in some places, but also keeps new readers focused on the plot and vocabulary of the story without tripping them up with yet another new function of language. I really like the fact that the events of the story also involve reading and writing as everyday parts of life. These themes subtly suggest to the reader that reading is fun, as well as important.
The illustrations by Mark Simont provide just the right amount of detail and context for the brothers’ interactions. Their faces, especially, help to set the mood for each scene and contribute to the overall love and appreciation the reader feels between them. I also love the way Simont illustrates the various things Ant imagines, from the monster living beneath his bed, to the three little figs mentioned in his brother’s silly Three Pigs retelling.
This is a good, solid easy reader, which will please parents and kids alike. I recommend checking out this and other Penguin Young Readers books for high-quality stories for the newest readers.
I borrowed My Brother, Ant from my local public library. For more about this book, visit
I remember reading the original Amelia Bedelia series as a kid, and thinking they were pretty great. I loved seeing her misinterpretations of the instructions she received from Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, which led her to do things like throw dust on the furniture and cut up a calendar to make a date cake. But when I look at those books now, they actually make me somewhat uncomfortable. Though I realize that Amelia Bedelia is meant to stand in for a child, and that her actions are meant to be silly, I can't help but want to roll my eyes at how utterly ridiculous her behavior is, and how she can't function properly in any situation.
But now Herman Parish, the nephew of Amelia Bedelia creator Peggy Parish, has brought Amelia into the 21st century with stories from her childhood. Usually, I object to the attempts on the part of authors or publishers to repackage "classic" characters for new generations. But I have to admit, that compared with the original Amelia Bedelia books, the newer series sits a lot better with me, and I think the writing is every bit as good, if not better in the new books.
In
Amelia Bedelia Makes a Friend, Amelia's best friend, Jen, her opposite in every way, moves out of Amelia's neighborhood. When the new neighbors move in, Amelia isn't very interested, but she does listen as her mother lists the items the movers have brought into the house. These include a footstool, which Amelia imagines as a small table held up by three feet with painted toenails, armchairs, which she draws with her crayons as goofy objects with long, bendable arms, and a twin bed, which Amelia assumes is home to a pair of twins.
As it turns out, the new neighbor is a grandmother named Mrs. Adams. Though she and Amelia are quite different, they enjoy one another's company. Soon, Amelia and Mrs. Adams do many of the same things together that Amelia and Jen used to do, and they become best friends too.
I enjoyed this book on a number of levels.
First of all, I really liked the way the text and illustrations work together to incorporate the original Amelia Bedelia concept of literal interpretation into this story. Amelia's interpretation of each piece of furniture her mother names as she watches Mrs. Adams move in isn't explicitly stated in the text, but instead comes to life in Amelia's own imaginings and drawings.Her only actual statement revealing her confusion occurs when she asks Mrs. Adams about the twins who use the bed.
Secondly, I liked the theme of unlikely friendships, and the idea of friendships between kids and their older neighbors. Amelia's relationship with Mrs. Adams paints a very positive picture of older folks and encourages the reader to focus on what we have in common as human beings, rather than differences that might pull us apart.
Finally, I like the way Herman Parish has changed Amelia from a bumbling, incompetent, and borderline obnoxious adult to a sweet, outgoing, and confident little girl whose confusion is a product of being young and uninformed, rather than just a gimmick to create silliness. This younger version of Amelia is really appealing, and I think I'd actually like to read some more books about her.
My only complaint is that the cover is misleading. Yes, a girl Amelia's age does appear in the story, but it's a brief encounter, and she is not the new friend referenced by t
I would love to get my hands on this book. Looks like this is the correct level for us and the story looks really interesting too.. off to put his on our hold shelf! thanks for sharing!
-Reshama
www.stackingbooks.com
You're welcome! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!