Explorink » Middle Grades Easy Fiction

Heckedy Peg-Audrey Wood

Letha — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 00:53:00 +0000

Why is it that kids are so fascinated with scary stuff? Actually, I don’t think they’re fascinated with “real” scary things, but books and movies and campfire tales and peek-a-boo delight them to no end. And one of those “delightful” scary things? Why no other than Heckedy Peg, a book by Audrey Wood. The mother in our story is off on an errand to town. Each of her seven children (for being so good) is to be brought back one requested item. Before she leaves, the mother admonishes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday not to play with fire and not to let a stranger in. Exit Mom. Enter children playing with fire and letting in the tricky and oh-so-nasty Heckedy Peg. Heckedy Peg changes the children into “dinner”, loads them into her cart and takes the “food” to her hut. It’s up to the returning mother to discover her children (Thank goodness for nosy blackbirds,) and heroically save the day. Let’s see: We have fire; transmutation (hey); kidnapping; strangers; faux dismemberment; drowning and egg pudding. What more could a child desire in a book? Okay, maybe not the egg pudding. The pictures by Don Wood are impeccably done-could we expect less? Oh, back to that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday thing-interestingly, that’s how most of the students visiting the library ask for the book: “Where’s that Tuesday Sunday book?” You gotta love it.

Heckedy Peg
Written by Audrey Wood
Illustrated by Don Wood
Accelerated Reader RL 3.2

The Teddy Bear-David McPhail

Letha — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 00:50:31 +0000

Unfortunately, I just read a pretty negative review about David McPhail’s, The Teddy Bear. The person was concerned with the depiction of a homeless person as a character in the story. A small boy loses his constant companion-a teddy bear-at a restaurant and the teddy bear is discovered in the trash by a homeless man after it was accidentally thrown out. The man, then, makes the bear his constant companion. Through time, the boy finds other toys to take the place of the beloved bear, but one day in the park the boy finds his old teddy bear on a park bench. The homeless man returns to his bench and cries when he finds his new friend gone. As the boy and his parents are leaving the park, the boy notices the anguish of the homeless man as the man cries, “My bear! My bear! Where is my bear?” The boy then turns from the exit and unselfishly gives his teddy bear back to the man. The unhappy reviewer thought the book gave some permission for kids to befriend homeless people and that this could be a dangerous folly. I thought the book showed us a boy who had the sensitivity to know what true unselfishness is. Perhaps, if the boy had been alone… As it was I can almost hear the boy’s parents saying, “That was the nicest thing I’ve ever seen anyone do. I’m proud of you, son.” After reading this books to students, we do discuss the boy and the homeless person. The response from the children is pretty much about how nice the boy is. (Exactly.)

The Teddy Bear
Written and Illustrated by David McPhail
Accelerated Reader RL 3.4

Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallindiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name!-Tedd Arnold

Letha — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 18:07:06 +0000

Things kids like: ice cream, McDonald’s, recess, other kids tripping, bikes, Disneyland, and a picture of a girl with her big toe in her nose. The toe one? Try, Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name by Tedd Arnold. Delightfully gross. Tune up your vocal chords; you’ll need to sing this one-Catalina is an old camp song snazzilly (Hey, if it isn’t a word, it should be.) updated by Mr. Arnold. CMHWHLB (Do you blame me?) is, well, here: “She had two holes in the bottom of her nose-One for her fingers…and one for her toes.” This book is page after page of rhyming fun. One of the teachers and I were discussing “quality literature” for children at school the other day and with Catalina, well, you’ll just have to decide for yourself. I like to think of this kind of book as akin to watching (What’s the name of that one my youngest likes so much? Oh, yes.) America’s Next Top Model or reading Harlequin’s or being hooked on Young and Restless when you’re a forty-five year old man. It’s all wonderfully fun, but best kept for private consumption. No, this is wrong: Catalina should be read and sung and talked about in both humble and those echo-y hallowed halls. Is there a moral or secretly disguised subplot for Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name? Probably not, unless it’s like my grandmother used to say, “There’s someone for everyone.” Oh, about my youngest-I really tried to raise her right. Oops.

Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name!
Written and Illlustrated by Tedd Arnold
Accelerated Reader RL 2.8

Tacky the Penguin-Helen Lester

Letha — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 16:43:50 +0000

All right, let’s see: Tacky would be drummed out of the Marine Corps (marching skills slightly askew); out of the choir (choice of song- “How Many Toes Does a Fish Have?”); out of the Olympics (floaties definitely frowned upon); out of Gentlemen’s Quarterly (a Hawaiian shirt in the Arctic-a major fashion faux pas). But, never, never out of our libraries. “Tacky was an odd bird.” Thank goodness for us. How he survived his oddness is a mystery especially with companions aptly named: Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect. But survive he did. Tacky, with all the tackiness he could muster, saves the day, and his companions, and us all from a life of 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2… Cool. ( Arctic humor.)

Tacky the Penguin
Written by Helen Lester
Illlustrated by Lynn Munsinger
Accelerated Reader RL 3.3

Traction Man Is Here!-Mini Grey

Letha — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 14:45:22 +0000

A boy has written a letter to Santa requesting Santa replace his old Traction Man which seems, unfortunately, to have had a “…terrible parachute accident.” The replacement? A new (Zap! Bam! Pow!) version of the Dazzle (TM) Traction Man. Exit reality. From Traction Man rescuing the Farm Animals held captive by the Evil Pillows to Traction Man and Scrubbing Brush (his sidekick/pet) relaxing after their latest mission, we’re sped along into a fun (and funny) imaginative romp. It’s impossible not to be delighted by the adventures, pictures and narration. (I still can’t get over the “Traction Man is guarding some toast.” illustration with the little toast eyes worriedly checking him out.) Be prepared to have a great time with Traction Man Is Here by Mini Grey. Oh, and for those of you who were owned by a GI Joe or a Luke Skywalker or even that (Hey, how come she keeps falling over?) Barbie, be prepared to visit your own “Don’t bother me, I’ve just invaded the outer moon of Planet Imago!” memories.

Traction Man Is Here!
Written and Illustrated by Mini Grey
Accelerated Reader RL 3.6

Traction Man Is Here! at Amazon