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Voices in the Park-Anthony Browne August 24, 2007

Anthony Browne writes good books. He writes good books for children and for any adults lucky enough to read them. Mr. Brown, also, has a thing about gorillas-but that’s between him and any anthropoid apes he may encounter. Now having said this, I openly admit the gorillas in his books are sometimes more human than, well, humans. One of my favorites, Voices in the Park, is not one of those razzle-dazzle-wham-bam books; it’s a story with voice and point of view and, well, subtlety. There are four characters in this story relating in first person narration about their day in the park. Each character has a distinct outlook and this outlook creates the unique atmosphere for the story. We’ve all noticed that unmistakable atmospheric change when some people walk into a room. There’s Gloomy Gus. There’s Sparkling Sal. (Always a little borderline annoying is Sal.) There’s Heartbreak Harold. In Voices in the Park, the atmosphere, too, changes with each personality. Anthony Browne even helps us along these paths of change with some unique “seasoning” in his illustrations. Can you imagine the excellent lessons and talks and the I don’t really get its this book may inspire? Ah, I’ve become effusive-move over Sal.

Voices in the Park
Written and Illustrated by Anthony Browne
Accelerated Reader RL 2.8

• Voices in the Park at Amazon
• Anthony Browne Interview

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!-Mo Willems August 21, 2007

Mo Willems’ (I do love this guy.) book, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, creates the most interesting problem in my library. The story shows us a very determined pigeon yearning to drive a bus. As the bus driver has asked us not to let that happen, we’ve got our work cut out for us. The students are the “No!” people and I get to do the pleading. The problem? The word “No.” Now, as any child knows, the word must be used just right. We can’t have a wimpy “No.”-you know, the one that has a question mark at the end, the one that says to the child, “Ahh, just two and a half more deliciously annoying whines and she’s toast.” nor can we have the yelled “NO!”. (There are classes next door, for Pete’s sake.) So we settle for the firm “I mean it but I’m not going to maim you No.” So it begins. The pleadings, (Oh, I’m so good at this.) the “No’s”. The pleadings, the “No’s”. This until the bus driver comes back and (Da-Dah!) success. The pigeon disconsolately fades into the…Wait! What’s that? A Semi?

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems
Accelerated Reader RL 0.9
(Review by Letha)

The Baby Beebee Bird-Diane Redfield Massie August 20, 2007

Please say the following in a high-pitched baby bird voice: (Yes, there is such a thing.) “Beebeebobbibobbi beebeebobbibobbi beebeebobbibobbi beebeebobbibobbi beebeebobbibobbi beebeebobbibobbi.” And therein lies the premise for The Baby Beebee Bird by Diane Redfield Massie. The animals at the zoo “…were all asleep. The zoo was very still …until…” well, see above repetition. The zoo creatures, of course being unable to sleep, devise a scheme to, um, help the Baby Beebee Bird adjust his wakeful hours to a more reasonable time. After all, “Nighttime is really best for sleeping…especially for very little birds.” Alas, if nothing else, the kids at school can really relate to the annoying part-visualize a virtual plethora of sly grins. I should mention that I’ve been stricken from best friend status of many a teacher as their students “Beebeebobbibobbi” all the way back to class. The illustrations by Steven Kellogg-How could it be anyone else?-are colorful and kid-friendly. You know what? I probably should have written this review at a different time of day. Oh, well, beebeebobbibobbi beebeebobbibobbi beebe…

The Baby Beebee Bird
Written by Diane Redfield Massie
Illustrated by Steven Kellogg
Accelerated Reader RL 2.5

• The Baby Beebee Bird at Amazon
• Steven Kellogg-Illustrator

The Gingerbread Boy-Richard Egielski August 19, 2007

In Richard Egielski’s The Gingerbread Boy, the title character is running loose in New York City. In this modern version of the gingerbread story, the Gingerbread Boy taunts a rat, some construction workers, a few street musicians and, well, the rest of us with “Run, run, run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me. I’m the Gingerbread Man!” Then he meets a fox (Why is it in these stories I’m always rooting for the fox?) and the fox, again, outsmarts the annoying escapee. The students really get into this version and are chanting right along with the Gingerbread Boy. The illustrations are bright and detailed and the kids love them, especially one of the clothesline items. The ending? Well, all expectations (Or fears, if you’re a softy) are met. “…and the Gingerbread Boy was all gone.” (Hee. Hee.)

The Gingerbread Boy
Written and Illustrated by Richard Egielski
Accelerated Read RL 2.5

• The Gingerbread Boy at Amazon
• About Richard Egielski

The Last Puppy-Frank Asch

Frank Asch is probably best known in elementary libraries for his Moonbear series and the students at my school seem to gravitate towards them more than his other titles. But I don’t read Moonbear to students. I read The Last Puppy. It’s the rare child who doesn’t feel the sadness of “…the last of Momma’s nine puppies”, “…the last to open my eyes.”, “…the last puppy.” This, until a little boy saves us all by saying: “You know what? You’re my first puppy.” Yea! Happy ending! It had to be! Now, we all know children relate to little helpless creatures. (I sometimes think if I read another children’s book about mice, I’ll start squeaking.) Frank Asch brings us this helplessness and then leads on to a very clever conclusion.

The Last Puppy
Written and Illustrated by Frank Asch
Accelerated Reader RL 2.1

• Frank Asch Books 

My Lucky Day-Keiko Kasza August 18, 2007

“This must be my lucky day!” shouts the fox when a delicious-looking piglet knocks on his door by “mistake”. (Oops.) Somehow this “misdirected” piglet wangles a bath, a scrumptious meal and a massage before the “lucky” fox collapses from exhaustion. In Keiko Kasza’s trickster tale My Lucky Day, the table is set (literally) for fun. The students are swept along with the piglet’s plight-not plan yet-until we find the clean, well-fed, relaxed hero checking out his address book for his next victim, er, visit.

My Lucky Day
Written and Illustrated by Keiko Kasza
Accelerated Reader RL 2.3

• My Lucky Day at Amazon

Miss Nelson is Missing-Harry Allard

Is everyone ready? Have you done your “My goodness, I had no idea how much you’ve grown this summer!” clothes shopping yet? Have you bought your offspring’s “I have to have this backpack-everybody’s got one!” school supplies? Are you dreading the first day? Let’s see, this group would include teachers, principals, students. Looking forward to it? This group? Parents, geeks, Walmart. And, now, this somehow brings us, albiet in a very convoluted roundabout way, to books about school, and there are many, many of those. Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard is a children’s book that needs mentioning, or, better, re-mentioning. It was written forever ago-1977-and is one of those books that never goes out of style or favor. In the beginning of the story we find the teacher, Miss Nelson, having a bit of trouble with her class: “They whispered and giggled. They squirmed and made faces. They were even rude during story time.” What to do! wonders their harried teacher. Enter Miss Viola Swamp-the substitute from…uh, uh, uh… Bakersfield filling in for the “ailing” Miss Nelson. The illustrations are by James Marshall and are (I love the “Sharks (very unpleasant)” sign.) thoroughly fun right down to the closet door (slightly ajar) at the end. Will children be frightened by the awful Miss Viola Swamp? Probaby no more than they should, but, even more to the point, haven’t we all had a scary Miss Viola Swamp in our lives? (Okay, sorry about the Bakersfield thing, but this is a family show, er, site, you know.)

Miss Nelson Is Missing
Written by Harry Allard
Illustrated by James Marshall
Accelerated Reader RL 2.7

• Miss Nelson Is Missing at Amazon
• Harry Allard Teacher Resource File

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly-Simms Taback August 17, 2007

What do you think the process was? Simms Taback sitting around and thinking, “I know, we’ll do these nifty, little cut-outs in the old lady’s stomach and cleverly put the swallowees in them.” Then, maybe, “And… and we’ll have these witty, wry comments scattered all over the pages.” Well anything’s possible, but whatever happened to bring about this book, it worked. And that makes me glad. A person can’t go wrong reading There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. The kids delight in the colorful, extremely colorful, illustrations and the familiar folk poem. The students help me with the “Perhaps she’ll die.” lament with tearful voices and many hesitant swipes at fake tears. Love it. What a great “Old Lady” version! Moral: Never swallow the mediocre.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
Written and Illustrated by Simms Taback

• There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly at Amazon

Stick Kid-Peter Holwitz August 16, 2007

If you’re a parent, beware of Stick Kid by Peter Holwitz. It’s a rare event when, as I’m reading this book to students, my voice doesn’t crack a little. From “I once drew a stick kid” to the poignant “I drew the stars and he went wishing”, Stick Kid takes us through the ups and downs of raising a child. Happy. Sad. Expectant. Lost. Hopeful. Well, you get the picture. Now here’s the kicker: Kids love this book! It’s rhyming prose certainly reaches out to them. It’s “Hey, I could draw that.” illustrations are just right and its message: “This book’s about me.” brings it home. “I once drew a stick kid and he grew up well.” You got that right, Peter Holwitz. (Oh, sorry about the “message” thing.)

Stick Kid
Written and Illustrated by Peter Holwitz
Accelerated Reader RL 2.0

• Stick Kid at Amazon 

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear-Don and Audrey Wood August 15, 2007

I was going to do an extremely clever review (I’m still not sure that word applies in regard with what I write.) about Don and Audrey Wood”s The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear when I discovered everybody and their cousin, Ned, has already done one. They’ve covered it all: the pictures-super; the voice-clever; the tricky ending-tricky. What more could I possible add? Wait! I work in a library. I read cool books to students. So, here goes: The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear is an amazingly cool book to read to children. There.

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear
Written by Don and Audrey Wood
Illustrated by Don Wood
Accelerated Reader RL 1.5

• The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear at Amazon
• Audrey’s Home Page
• Don Wood Biography