Ling & Ting: Together in All Weather
by Grace Lin; illus. by the author
Primary Little, Brown 44 pp.
11/15 978-0-316-33549-2 $16.00
In this fourth book in the sweet and funny easy-reader series (Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same, rev. 7/10, and sequels), six brief chapters take the twins through the
seasons, together. In the first story, a thunderstorm finds them hiding under a blanket: they are not scared, just
“surprised.” On a hot summer day they sell all their
lemonade — to each other. Raking leaves has to be done all over again, since first Ting’s red hat and then Ling’s might be at the bottom of the pile (later in the book, Ling’s hat turns up, at first mistaken for an unusual spring flower). In the winter, Ting claims to be sick so she can avoid shoveling snow; Ling’s recipe for some “old Chinese medicine” (a smelly simmering of onions, ginger, dirt, an old sock, etc.) drives a suddenly recovered Ting out of bed, snow shovel in hand. The final story finds the twins looking for a rainbow and finding two. “They are twin rainbows!” says Ting. “Just like us!…We are so lucky to be together!” As always, the girls’ personalities shine through in both text and illustrations (and Ting is still differentiated by her jagged bangs). Each chapter employs a different-color border around the bold gouache illustrations, giving the book a predictable and unifying visual structure. An artist’s note says, “The color palette was inspired by the sudden appearance of a bright rainbow on a gray, glum day.” That’s how the whole book feels.
From the January/February 2016 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.
The post Review of Ling & Ting: Together in All Weather appeared first on The Horn Book.
We’re so excited to introduce readers to our new early chapter books! Two new chapter book series in our DIVE INTO READING line will help you find the perfect book to support children in each stage of their reading development. These books will be available February 2016.
Confetti Kids Series
Follow a diverse cast of characters living in a friendly city neighborhood! Approachable, realistic stories are at the right level for children to star reading independently.
Lily’s New Home
Lily moves from a quiet suburb to an apartment on a busy street in the city. Lily worries that she’ll never fit in. As she and her parents explore their new, multicultural neighborhood, Lily discovers that sometimes change can be a good thing!
Want to Play?
It’s a warm, sunny day, and the gang heads to the neighborhood playground to play. What should they play? Pablo comes up with a great idea: to play pretend. It’s a game that everyone can do easily. They can pretend to be archaeologists, astronauts, and explorers. There’s no limit to what they imagine they can be!
Rafi and Rosi Series
Now back in print, this beloved chapter book series follows two Puerto Rican tree frog siblings as they explore their surroundings and learn about the traditions, animals, and environment of Puerto Rico. The series is available in both English and Spanish.
Rafi and Rosi
Rafi amazes Rosi with the magic he finds everywhere. He can move sand with his magic fingers and shoot stars from the sky. After Rafi’s pet hermit crab runs away, it’s now Rosi’s turn to show that she knows where to look for magic too. Can she find the 
crab in time for them to watch it shed its shell?
Rafi and Rosi, Carnival!
It’s time for Carnival! Puerto Rico’s joyous holiday is full of sights and sounds to explore. Rosi is determined to show Rafi the best way to enjoy the parade, while Rafi has a plan to make his sister queen for a day.But when Rafi scares Rosi with his terrible vejigante mask, Rosi decides it’s time to teach her brother a lesson. This little sister has a few tricks up her sleeve too!
When I was growing up both
The Musters and
The Addams Family were on TV. For me--then and now--the people I knew could be divided into two camps: Munster or Addams. I was (am) very firmly pro Addams. In fact, I confess to sneering a bit at those who preferred the less sophisticated Munsters. In the world of easy readers something similar is going on with a couple of bad cats. I'm talking about Jack Gantos's Rotten Ralph and Nick Bruel's Bad Kitty. Bad Kitty would be right at home in the Addams's macabre mansion, while Rotten Ralph would be tormenting Spot in 1313 Mockingbird Lane.
Although Rotten Ralph lacks the finesse of Bad Kitty, he's not without his charms. And in his latest outing, the bad-tempered feline returns home to visit his family to try to understand just why he's so rotten. Sarah, Rotten Ralph's put upon owner, is at the end of her rope when she can't find a catsitter willing to take on her disobedient pet. She issues an ultimatum to Ralph: "There better be some changes in the morning…or else!" In his bedroom, Ralph flips through a photo album that shows him in his younger years tormenting his feline family. The trip down memory lane inspires Ralph to return home.
Ralph's reunion is anything but sweet. With the exception of his mother, the other members of his family show their own rotten side, and by the end of his visit Ralph has an epiphany: He turned out rotten because everyone was rotten to him. A repentant Ralph returns to Sarah determined to reform. Will it last? Fans needn't worry. Ralph is sure to be his rotten self again by the next installment.
Rotten Ralph's Rotten Family
By Jack Gantos
Illustrated by Nicole Rubel
Farrar Straus Giroux, 48 pages
Published: March 2014
Following your dreams and dealing with family: these topics get hilarious treatment for primary readers in the following early chapter books. An added bonus? Some familiar faces from popular series.
In Jack Gantos and Nicole Rubel’s Rotten Ralph’s Rotten Family, the titular kitty finds a family photo album and, nostalgic for his childhood, decides to visit his kin. His mother treats him well, but other relatives humiliate him — and poor Ralph realizes that he’s so rotten because his family was rotten to him! After a few Rotten Ralph picture books, the return to the longer early-chapter-book format leaves room for a more sophisticated story line to emerge. Never fear; Ralph’s rotten behavior, sure to bring a chuckle to fans old and new, is still front and center in Gantos’s freewheeling text and Rubel’s energetic illustrations. (Farrar, 5–8 years)
In Leroy Ninker Saddles Up, Leroy (the “reformed thief” from Kate DiCamillo and Chris Van Dusen’s Mercy Watson books) makes ends meet serving popcorn at the drive-in, but dreams of being a cowboy. Sporting a cowboy hat, lasso, and boots, he watches raptly the Wednesday night Western double-feature but makes little progress otherwise. When he receives the advice that “Every cowboy needs a horse,” Leroy purchases “very exceptionally cheap” Maybelline and throws himself into horse-ownership — but acquiring a horse and keeping one turn out to be two different challenges. This entertaining tale balances comically exaggerated details and true heart. (Candlewick, 5–8 years)
Pigsticks Pig — star of Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey — comes from a long line of august ancestors. But a young pig has to make his own mark, and Pigsticks decides on an expedition to the Ends of the Earth. He engages anxious, cake-loving hamster Harold as an assistant, and, in three generously illustrated chapters, we follow the explorers as they survive swamps, deserts, rickety rope bridges, malevolent mountain goats, and more. Alex Milway’s tongue-in-cheek text and slapdash-goofy pictures provide much humor. (Candlewick, 5–8 years)
The eponymous brand-new next-door-neighbor kids in Quinny & Hopper couldn’t be more different: quiet, analytical loner Hopper is initially baffled (and a little appalled) by Quinny’s cutesiness and high volume. But in battling Hopper’s bullying brothers on his behalf, Quinny wins him over, and the two become friends — until snooty new girl Victoria barges her way between them. Debut author Adriana Brad Schanen nicely balances the alternating perspectives of Quinny and Hopper and paints a comically exaggerated but essentially truthful picture of life with siblings. Illustrator Greg Swearingen deftly captures each child’s emotions. (Disney-Hyperion, 5–8 years)
From the August 2014 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.
The post For not-rotten readers appeared first on The Horn Book.
In this latest installment, Dodsworth and the duck continue their adventures in Tokyo, where Dodsworth cautions the impetuous duck to be on his best behavior since "Japan is a land of customs and manners and order." The very qualities duck most certainly isn't. But for the most part duck does manage to contain himself, to the surprise of his friend. Together they take in the sights of Yoyogi Park, eat sushi, visit the Imperial Palace, stroll through the East Gardens--where duck falls in and must be rescued (even though he's a duck he never learned to swim)--and tour the Museum of Imperial Collections.
It's only when the pair travel to a temple that things start to fall apart. A festival is underway and duck disappears into the crowd. Soon he's flipping and jumping and sliding all over the place, crashing into people and knocking things over. Has duck lost it for good? No, there's a reason for his crazy antics and a very satisfying one.
Tim Egan has written and illustrated another winning easy reader featuring this odd pair of mismatched travelers. And according to a recent interview, which you can read
here, their next stop is Athens. The Parthenon had better watch out!
Dodsworth in Tokyo
by Tim Egan
Houghton Mifflin, 48 pages
Published: April 2013
Ah, the power of guilt. As Edgar Allen Poe fans know, there's no escaping it. Penny, the mouse heroine of Henke's easy-reader series, learns this the hard way when she spots a marble on her neighbor's lawn. The marble, big, shiny and as blue as the sky, proves irresistible. It seemed to say to Penny: "Take me home." And so she does.
Guilt soon plants itself in Penny's heart, and she hides the marble in her dresser drawer. At dinner she loses her appetite when she notices how the oranges look like big orange marbles and the peas like little green ones. In bed that night she tosses and turns, and when she finally falls asleep, she dreams the marble grows so big it demolishes her dresser.
The next morning Penny makes a decision about the marble. Beginning readers, many of whom have probably struggled similarly with their conscience, will be relieved to see Penny do the right thing.
In
Penny and Her Marble, Henkes has delivered yet another winner. In the Horn Book's March/April issue, he confesses the seeds of the story. When he was five, he swiped a plastic medallion from his neighbor and was stricken with guilt. See, crime does pay!
Penny and Her Marble
by Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow, 48 pages
Published: March 2013
School's over in my nabe and summer stretches ahead, filled with promise. Vacation, pool parties, camp, catching fireflies at night, the plans are endless. For beginning readers, though, it's important not to put reading on the back burner. Skills hard won over the school year can erode as the months go by.
Summer reading should never be a chore. Take kids to the library and let them stock up on books they enjoy. Used book stores are another place to get good deals on inexpensive paperbacks, as are yard sales that sprout as quickly as dandelions.
Here are some books for beginning readers that capture the essence of summer. Let the good times begin!
PICTURE BOOKS
Summer Days and Nights
by Wong Herbert Yee
Henry Holt, 2012
32 pages
A little girl explores summer as she catches a butterfly, goes on a picnic, and hears an owl in this quiet picture book.
Blackout
by John Rocco
Hyperion, 2011
40 pages
When the power goes off one hot summer night a family reconnects as they discover all the fun that can be had without electricity.
Tar Beach
by Faith Ringgold
Dragonfly Books, 1996
32 pages
It's 1939, long before air conditioning, and on summer nights Cassie and her family go up on the roof of their apartment building to cool off. While on the roof Cassie imagines herself flying above the city and seeing the George Washi
Beginning readers will devour the simple yet hilarious stories featuring two small adversaries in nature's food chain. Frog can't help having a serious hankering for Fly. He loves the little fellow, especially with lots of ketchup. In each of the first five stories, Frog gets the better of Fly. And by better, I mean Fly ends up in the crafty amphibian's stomach. In a funny and satisfying conclusion, the final story finds Frog the victim of an unexpected slurp.
The appeal of these stories to beginning readers can't be overstated. The simple, short sentences repeat challenging words and sound patterns while the action, portrayed in comic book panels, moves swiftly to the punch line. Kids can gleefully anticipate each story's final slurp without not quite knowing how it will come about.
Frog and Fly is sure to hop off the shelves and into young readers' hands.
Frog and Fly: Six Slurpy Stories
by Jeff Mack
Philomel, 40 pages
Published: March 2012
Kevin Henkes's picture books were well-thumbed in our house back when my daughter was a child. She especially loved
Julius, the Baby of the World, which features Lilly, a mouse child who does not take well to the arrival of a baby brother. As Lilly puts it: "If he was a number, he would be zero." I spent hours reading this story to my daughter, and later, when she was school age, she'd laboriously copy the text in her childish hand. What I found amazing about her dedication to this work of sibling rivalry is that she's an only child.
Fast forward twenty years.
Penny and Her Song is Henkes's latest book and it's an easy reader. Penny, the story's young heroine is, like Lilly, a mouse child, but with two baby siblings. While this would have driven Lilly around the bend, Penny takes their existence in stride. Where Lilly was boisterous and outrageous, Penny is quiet and resourceful. She comes home from school bursting to share her song with her parents. Except she can't. The babies are asleep. Now Lilly would have thrown a tantrum on the spot. Not Penny. She goes to her room and attempts to sing the song to herself and to her glass animals. Neither does the trick. She needs a proper audience. After dinner Penny finally gets her chance and after listening, her parents and the babies join the show, singing until they are all tuckered out and ready for bed.
When I started the story I fully expected Penny to act up when she didn't get her way. How refreshing that Henkes, without moralizing, shows his readers the benefits of using self-control and patience. Short, direct sentences combined with Henkes's always delightful illustrations give us a winning easy readers children will want to read again and again. And, who knows, maybe even copy the text word for word.
Watch Kevin Henkes as he talks about Penny.
Penny and Her Song
by Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow Books, 32 pages
Published: February 2012
by Dana Meachen Rau, illustrated by Jana Christy
2011 | 24 pages | Easy Reader (Step Into Reading, Step 1)
Flip Flop! is a Step 1 easy reader from the Step Into Reading series. Two girls, decked out in summer-wear, including flip-flops, have a lot of choices for how to spend their summer day. "Flip! Flop!" the story begins. "We can't decide." The girls explore 20 different summer activities they could participate in, including doing cannonballs into the pool, riding a rollercoaster, licking ice cream cones, and drinking from the garden hose. The girls are indecisive. "We flip, we flop," the text reads. But in the end they "toss" their flip-flops and head barefoot to the beach.
The concept for this book is so simple, but so well-executed. From the start, I loved the dual meaning of flip flop, referring both to the footwear and to the back-and-forth as the girls decide between each pair of activities. I haven't seen many easy readers that include that type of word play, and in other books, I might even advise against it, worrying that it might complicate the plot too much for the reader. Here, though, that double meaning is so clear, I have no doubt the reader would grasp it right away.
This book also includes some really colorful vocabulary words that will provide learning opportunities for beginning readers. Most of the words are fairly easy to sound out, so new readers have a chance of figuring them out independently, instead of needing to ask an adult, but they're also really rich, specific words that might not be found in everyday speech, or even in other books kids might be reading at this level. I love the use of verbs like sip, toss, watch, ride, fish, and sail, which add lots of action to the book, as well as bigger words like decide, cannonballs, straw, frozen, and garden.
The illustrations are filled with warm summer yellows, pinks, and reds, as well as cool blues and greens for water and grass that create contrast between hot and cold. As with the picture books new readers are hopefully familiar with, the illustrations tell much of the story, and even add some elements not present in the text, such as animals, background characters, and even a lemonade stand. The illustrations depict exactly what each sentence describes, which will help the reader decode new words, but they also have a lot happening in them that will appeal to a child listening to an adult read the story as well.
The more times I read this book, the more I love it. It evokes all the freedom and possibility of a summer afternoon and uses rhyme and rhythm to tell a simple story of two friends enjoying the summer sun. It's everything I want in an easy reader, and more importantly, everything a child could want (including free stickers in the back of the book!)
Dana Meachen Rau has written over 200 books for children. Learn more about her work
here. More of Jana Christy's adorable artwork can be seen on
her blog.
I borrowed Flip Flop! from my local public library.NOTE: This book was nominated by
by Fran Manushkin
2011 | 32 pages | Easy Reader
The Tricky Tooth is a 2011 title in the Katie Woo series by Fran Manushkin. The series is very loosely based on the author's great-niece, also named Katie Woo, but according to the author, the real Katie Woo "never gets in half the trouble of the Katie Woo in the books."
In this episode, Katie, a first-grader, has a loose tooth, and since she is the only student in her class who hasn't lost one yet, she is desperate for it to come out. The tooth just isn't ready yet, though - neither popcorn nor aggressive tooth-brushing nor bumping a ball with her head encourages it to come out. Finally, though, after being patient for a few days, a friend's dog nuzzles Katie's cheek, and out the tooth comes! Losing teeth is tricky, but it all works out for the best in the end.
This series never fails to catch my eye on the shelves in the bookstore or library. They are really attractive books, with hard covers that are just the right size and shape for the hands of a new reader. Katie's name is printed on the cover and title page in big, bold, patterned letters, and each very short chapter is illustrated with full-color drawings that create context for the reader. This particular story doesn't cover very much new ground, but like the other Katie Woo books, it is perfect for new readers just learning to read books with chapters. Losing teeth is an important part of the first grade experience, which makes the book easily relatable for boys and girls, and makes the book extremely relevant to the readers' day to day lives. This series is also one of the few at this level that includes a diverse, multi-cultural cast of characters. Tammie Lyon's illustrations really highlight that diversity and enable kids from all different backgrounds to see themselves in the book.
I recommend Katie Woo all the time to families who are just discovering the easy reader genre. They make a wonderful introduction into the world of books for beginning readers, and they satisfy parents looking for books without toilet humor, scary creatures, or fantasy elements. Though I don't think it necessarily stands out, this book is representative of the things I like about the series as a whole. Recommended to first graders, especially those with a tricky loose tooth!
I borrowed The Tricky Tooth from my local public library.NOTE: This book was nominated by Tammie Lyon for the 2011 Cybils Awards in the Easy Reader/Early Chapter Book category. I am a first-round panelist in this category, but this review reflects my opinions only, not those of any other panelist, or the panel as a whole. Thanks!
COPYRIGHT©2011, beedlebuggiebooks, ltd. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. working on my first series for these. some early early concept sketches for the "let's learn about colors" book. and wouldn't it be so cool to swim in soda? kids don't care about sticky! think of the bubbles and you can TOTALLY drink the water! "-)
2011 | 48 pages | Easy Reader
This easy reader by Tim Egan is the fourth volume in the Dodsworth series. This time around, the title character travels through Rome accompanied by his friend, the duck. The two friends visit such famous landmarks as the Trevi Fountain and the Sistine Chapel, and enjoy authentic Italian pizza and gelato. They also have an adventure when Dodsworth misplaces his suitcase and realizes he has no money to get back to the hotel.
Though I was not familiar with this series prior to reading this particular book, it didn't take me long to recognize that it shares a lot of wonderful qualities with other well-loved and award-winning easy readers.
For one thing, as is the case with so many easy reader series - Elephant and Piggie, Frog and Toad, Mr. Putter and Tabby, Henry and Mudge, George and Martha, etc. - the central focus of this story is the friendship between Dodsworth and the duck. Egan uses clever dialogue to demonstrate the differences between the two friends. Dodsworth is more serious, more responsible, and more mature, while the duck is curious, naive, and silly. The dynamic between these two characters reminded me a lot of some of the disagreements and conversations written into the Frog and Toad and Elephant and Piggie series, other books where opposites are best friends.
Dodsworth in Rome is also quite funny, at least from the point of view of a second grader. There are some corny jokes, such as when duck starts "roaming" because Dodsworth says, "Rome," and some moments of childlike misunderstanding, also on the part of the duck. There is even a bit of mystery, as Dodsworth and the duck try to track down the missing suitcase. These are all common themes in easy readers at this level that help make them so appealing to their audience.
Another similarity between
Dodsworth in Rome and other books in its genre is the way the book is structured. Like many Level 2 and Level 3 readers, this book is organized into smaller chapters that break up the plot into shorter, more manageable episodes. This serves to keep the new reader from becoming intimidated by the length of the book, but also gives that sense of pride of really being able to read a book that contains chapters, just like the older kids.
What makes this book stand out, though, is that it takes these fundamental characteristics of easy readers and puts them in a new setting, with lots of great details, vocabulary, illustrations, and experiences. A lot of easy readers stick close to familiar settings, like home and school, or refer to no real setting at all, just placing the characters against a backdrop and telling their story. Here, though, Egan has made traveling to Rome an accessible topic for even the youngest independent reader. Kids can take a real armchair vacation when they read this book, learning about real places in the world they might visit and understanding a little bit about another culture. Egan makes learning about another place more interesting than any social studies textbook I read in elementary school, and I think he's so successful at it because he has these well-developed core characters and a fun, light writing style.
I never would have chosen to read this book based on the cover, so I do sort of regret the fact that it's not very appealing or eye-catching. But certainly, any child who makes it past that initial setback will love reading of duck's hi-jinks and Dodsworth's efforts to keep him in line, no matter which country they visit.
by Mercer Mayer
2011 | 32 pages | Easy Reader (I Can Read! My First - Shared Reading)
Little Critter, about whom Mercer Mayer has been writing stories since 1975, goes green in this 2011 addition to the I Can Read! series. Ready to plant his garden, he heads to the local garden store, where he and his parents purchase seeds and baby plants and rent a plow. At home, Little Critter and his sister find out that gardening is hard work, but that having patience and caring for the garden ultimately yield a wonderful result.
It's become somewhat trendy in recent years to include a title about going green in every popular children's series. Just in 2011 alone, we've had them from
Arthur,
Gilbert,
Sesame Street,
The Boxcar Children, and
Sid the Science Kid. During the past five years,
Fancy Nancy,
Dora the Explorer,
Robin Hill School,
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew,
Just Grace,
Spongebob Squarepants,
Mallory McDonald, and
Rainbow Magic have also published titles in the genre Novelist K-8 and other sources now identify as "eco-fiction." (I tried to find out the original source of this term, but only made it back as far as
this book.)
Certainly, it makes sense that every popular series would want to involve its characters in as many holidays and childhood experiences as possible, but the key to making that work, in my opinion, is to write a book that really stands out and does something different than what other books have done. And though this story has a lot of those time-tested and truly loved qualities that have come to be associated with Little Critter in the last 35 years, the content of the story doesn't really introduce anything new.
That's not to say this book isn't well done. I read through it several times before sitting down to write this review, and each time, I was impressed by something new. Since this book is at the "My First" level of the I Can Read ladder, and is intended for an adult to share with a child who is starting to learn to read, there is a lot happening in the illustrations that really supplements the text, which helps new readers contextualize new words, but also enhances the story for kids not yet reading on their own.
One really wonderful thing about the illustrations in this book is the fact that almost all of them include print in so
Cat and Dogby Else Holmelund Minarik, Pictures by Bryan Langdo
1960 (2005) | 32 pages | Easy Reader (My First I Can Read Book)
Else Holmelund Minarik is best known for the Little Bear series, which founded the I Can Read concept back in 1957. This title, Cat and Dog, was published three years after
Little Bear, in 1960, and was originally illustrated by Fritz Siebel. That version looked like this:
The version I read, however, is the 2005 version, whose illustrations were updated by Bryan Langdo. Langdo's interpretation changes the child, who is never mentioned in the text, from a girl to a boy, creates a more contemporary household setting, and includes more bold and bright colors, like the ones found in other newer easy readers.
The story itself goes like this. All around the house, the dog bullies the cat into doing what he wants by threatening to turn her into terrible things - a catball, a catcoat, and a catpie. The cat teases the dog back, threatening that he will get the house all wet, or be tied up outside, if he can't behave. Finally, they bond over digging up bones, and the little boy who owns them gives them each some food.
The dog and the cat each have personalities, and their dialogue taps into what children might imagine animals saying to each other. The story provides a sort of logical explanation for the sometimes strange behavior of cats and dogs chasing each other around the house.
The text uses repetition to reinforce certain phrases, such as "I will, I will," which gives the story a nice rhythm and also helps new readers to begin recognizing those simple sentences on sight. The illustrations, too, help to convey the message contained in the text. They are especially useful in helping kids to understand the made-up objects the dog talks about, such as the catcoat and catpie. Illustrating these ideas inside thought bubbles sends the message that they are made-up ideas and not real words.
I borrowed Cat and Dog from my local public library.
This easy reader is the last in the A is for Amber Brown series, which ended in 2004, following author Paula Danziger's death. I couldn't get enough of Paula Danziger when I was in middle school, and this story, about second-grader Amber's troubles with a messy desk, reminded me of the reasons I love her writing.
Amber Brown loves second grade. She loves her teacher, Ms. Light, who creates special days like pocket day, and she can live with the classroom rules, which involve being respectful, being on time, and doing one's own work. But when Ms. Light introduces a new rule - that each desk in the class should be kept clean - Amber starts to find second grade much more difficult. Ms. Light promises that students with clean desks will be visited by Deskarina, the desk fairy (who is a cousin to Dentina, the tooth fairy), and receive a Clean Desk Award. Amber wants an award so badly, especially when others in her cluster of desks start to receive them. Still, it's hard for her to avoid distractions and actually do the work of cleaning out her messy desk. Finally, though, after practicing on her bedroom at home, Amber learns what she has to do to acheive a clean enough desk to attract Deskarina's attention.
What impresses me about well-written readers like this one is the way that authors like Danziger incorporate all the artistry of creative writing into even the simplest stories. Right on the very first page, Danziger writes:
When I get to school, Ms. Light beams at me.How fitting that a teacher named for light should beam! And how wonderful that such a vibrant and lively teacher should have such an illuminated name.
Danziger also makes great observations about the behavior of young children when they're in a group. I chuckled in recognition when Ms. Light mentioned the tooth fairy's cousin, only to have every student in the class want to tell about his or her own cousins. That phenomenon happens again and again at story time, and during library class visits, and was perfectly captured in this story.
I also appreciated that the story empowered Amber to solve her own problem of cleaning her desk. No one does it for her, or even forces her to do it. Rather, Amber learns, through her desire to receive a reward, to put in the effort required to attain it. She doesn't completely alter her personality, or even overcome her messiness, as evidenced by her cluttered bulletin board on the last page, but she makes the effort to clean up when it matters, and reaps the subsequent rewards.
And of course, last but not least, Danziger infuses this book with her trademark humor. There were quite a few funny moments, but though it's disgusting this was one of my favorites:
My dad is a dentist," Fredrich says, taking his finger out of his nose. "It is good to touch other people's teeth." I hope that Fr
By: Brimful Curiosities,
on 8/25/2011
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Buzzzzz! Want to know a sure sign of late summer? Houseflies. Every time we open our doors an army of flies enters our home. Our flyswatter is in constant use, waging a seemingly unending battle against the pesky invaders. Honestly, if I was going to pick a creature to write a children's book about, the common housefly would be on the bottom of my list. But Tedd Arnold has managed to create a humorous and very popular early reader series about a special fly, a pet fly -- Fly Guy!
"A boy had a pet fly. The fly was named Fly Guy. Fly Guy could say the boy's name -- BUZZ!"
Despite the shiny, flashy covers, when I first saw the Fly Guy books I just could not understand the appeal. That bug-eyed, hairy Fly Guy character is anything but cute and cuddly. In fact, he borders on disgusting. But the disgusting, yucky aspect is part of his appeal. See, kids love him, particularly boys (even my girly-girl has been charmed by the flying pet). But, it took a recommendation from one of my friends for me to even crack one of the Fly Guy covers open. I'm so glad I gave Fly Guy a chance. The duo of the little boy named Buzz and his pet fly make a rather amusing team and both my kids are now devoted fans.
The first book in the series, Hi, Fly Guy! came out in 2005 and received the prestigious ALA Theodore Geisel Honor Award the next year. Tedd Arnold received the award again in 2010 for another book in the series, I Spy Fly Guy! The Fly Guy series is still going strong. This month, Scholastic released the tenth book in the series, Fly Guy vs. the Flyswatter! We're looking forward to reading that one soon.
Fly Guy Series List:
Hi! Fly Guy (Fly Guy, Book # 1)
Super Fly Guy (Fly Guy, Book # 2)
Shoo, Fly Guy! (Fly Guy, Book # 3)
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy (Fly Guy, Book # 4)
Fly High, Fly Guy! (Fly Guy, Book # 5)
Hooray for Fly Guy! (Fly Guy, Book # 6)
I Spy Fly Guy! (Fly Guy, Book # 7)
Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl (Fly Guy, Book # 8)
Buzz Boy and Fly Guy (Fly Guy, Book # 9)
Fly Guy vs. the Flyswatter! (Fly Guy, Book # 10)
I'd love to review all the books in the series but I just don't have the time. Because we're in back-to-school mode, we picked Super Fly Guy (the second book in the series) to review this week.
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Ballet Cat: Dance! Dance! Underpants!
Mo Willems has become THE master of easy readers. With pre-book work including Sesame Street and animation, he had the perfect training to create child- and teacher-friendly easy readers. I think he deserves every one of his many awards. What do you notice in this deceptively simple book? What does he do with simple shapes and lines in the art and very few words to create distinct characters? Would you share this book with children who are learning to read?
More of Monkey & Robot
This is one of our two easy readers (a.k.a. early readers) for our second class. We talked about the difference between picture books and easy readers. How well do you think this book works? Clearly it’s for somewhat more fluent readers than the Elephant and Piggy books. Do the situations match the age of the average new reader? What if a somewhat older child is learning to read at this level? Easy readers may not look as flashy as picture books, but in some ways they are more challenging to create. The author and illustrator must perform a balancing act to make the book inviting yet not intimidating. Imagine trying to create specific and engaging characters using very few words and clean, simple illustrations.
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I do like the Dodsworth series and Athens should be fun. I'm glad he finally got out of Europe (besides NYC). Maybe after Athens he'll check out another continent!