Sunday, October 18, 2015

Use Your Imagination by Nicola O'Byrne

Rabbit is bored, wishing something would happen.  Wolf, claiming to be a librarian, comes along and claims to know A LOT about stories.  Wolf encourages Rabbit to write a story using his imagination.  Wolf thinks a fairy tale, with a wolf as the "bad guy", is the way to go.  As the two continue to create the story, with a Rabbit as the hero and taking place in a forest, Wolf's true intent becomes clearer.  Luckily Rabbit has such a great imagination, the story goes in a different direction.  Great, fun book!  I can't wait to share it with my students!


Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast by Josh Funk

Taking food fight to a whole new level...Pancake and French Toast are in a race to get to the last drop of syrup.  Join the adventure as the two travel through the fridge past Broccoli Forest and Orange Juice Fountain, rappelling down linguini, over a sea of soup, and up celery ladder.  Which one will win the prize, that last drop of syrup?

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

The Little Shop of Monsters by R. L. Stein

Goosebumps meets Arthur in this picture book from R. L. Stein and Marc Brown!  Where do you go when you want to "buy" a monster?  The Little Shop of Monsters!  At this shop you will find monsters of all types, some stinky, some that bite, some that will sneeze all over you.  Kids will love the hilarious monsters as they "shop" for the perfect pet.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Mr. Putter & Tabby Smell the Roses by Cynthia Rylant


We currently have one very BIG fan of Mr. Putter & Tabby at our house.....so we have read them all.  Many. Many. Times!  In the newest in the series, Mr. Putter is excited to celebrate Mrs. Teaberry's birthday.  But he does not want to celebrate it the same way they have in the past!  Mr. Putter decides a perfect day for Mrs. Teaberry would be spent at the conservatory.  It is a perfect day until Zeke, often the cause of trouble on their adventures, sees a banana tree and assumes it is for HIM!  

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Sunday, October 11, 2015

The Grasshopper & the Ants by Jerry PInkney

The grasshopper can't understand why the ants are so busy getting ready for winter.  As the seasons pass, the grasshopper can't understand why the ants are so busy working.  When winter arrives the grasshopper sees the value of the work the ants did while he played.  Through pages including simple sentences as well as a series of wordless, powerfully illustrated pages, the story of the ants and the grasshopper is told with the same wisdom.  Jerry Pinkney never disappoints.

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Monday, October 5, 2015

The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water by Gemma Merino

Why doesn't little crocodile like the water like his siblings?  It is lonely when everyone else is in the water all the time and you don't like the water.  He decides to give it a try but it is no help.   But a simple sneeze makes crocodile realize the real explanation to his dislike of water.

Text:  3 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Brave as Can Be by JoWitek

Everyone is afraid at some time and that is ok.  As a big sister explains to her little sister that there is lots of things she was once afraid of, are not so scary anymore.  There are lots of ways to handle scary things and situations and knowing someone else feels the same sometimes helps.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  3 Buckeye leaves

Those Pesky Rabbits by Ciara Flood

Bear likes his quiet life minus of others.  He is not happy when a family of rabbits builds a house near him.  Then the rabbits start showing up at his house wanting this, wanting that, asking of help, etc.  Bear wants the rabbits to JUST GO AWAY!  One day bear finds a basket at his door from the rabbits.  Was he wrong about those rabbits?  And suddenly bear starts to feel something he has never felt before, lonely.  Maybe he was wrong to push those rabbits out of his life.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Be sure to check out the endpages!  I LOVE when illustrators make good use of endpages!!

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Fright Club by Ethan Long

Halloween is almost here which means project KIDDIE SCARE!  Vladimir is ready to scare but the others have not been practicing.  Vladimir is greatly amused when an adorable little bunny shows up to join Fright Club.  A cute little bunny?  No way!  But that cute little adorable bunny decides to get other cute adorable friends to take on the Fright Club!  Frightfully fun! (Come on!  You knew that was coming!!)

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

We're In the Wrong Book! by Richard Byrne

Bella, Ben, and Bella's dog were out one day when they were knocked off the page and into a different book full of pencils and lollipops!  Bella and Ben tried to get back to the right book when they were pumped into a comic book.  Next they ended up in a history book, puzzle book, fairy tale, and on and on.  How will they ever get back to the right book?  Cute, fun, and ingenious book that can be used to teach kids the large variety of books available!  Love this one!

*See more of Bella's adventures in This Book Just Ate My Dog!

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 buckeye leaves

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Turkey Trick or Treat by Wendi Silvano

Halloween has arrived and turkey and the barnyard animals want candy.  Unfortunately it seems that the farmers only give candy to the kids.  Turkey wants to come up with a plan to get candy on Halloween.  Turkey tries a variety of costumes to trick the farmers into giving him candy.  Will the costumes trick the farmers or will Turkey end up with no candy?

Companion to Turkey Trouble and Turkey Claus.

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Land Shark by Beth Ferry

Bobby's birthday is approaching and he wants a pet.  But the pet Bobby has in mind is not exactly what his parents have in mind.  He drops all kinds of hints but when his special day arrives, his parent's gift is not exactly what he received.  The new family member is not very cooperative, chewing up things, and generally making a mess of the house.  Bobby can not, will not, ever like a dog...unless the dog is helping his cause.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Hector's Shell by Thomas Radcliffe

Hector, a turtle, has done it again.  He has managed to misplace his shell.  He asks around but no one has seen his shell.  He decides to try to make a shell but it does not turn out as he hoped.  Will Hector ever find his shell?  Where could he had put it?

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves


Saturday, September 26, 2015

That's (Not) Mine by Anna Kang

Two fuzzy creatures + One Chair = Trouble
Two friends both want the same chair.  How will they get the other to give up the chair?  Both prove to have some tricks up their "sleeves" but will it be enough to finally win the chair?  Great choice for pair reading.  Kids will surely find this one amusing and it will put a smile on their face.  Great fun!

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Thursday, September 24, 2015

I Will Never Get a Star on Mrs. Benson's Blackboard by Jennifer Mann

Rose wants to get a star from Mrs. Benson.  Rose does not think she will EVER get a start from Mrs. Benson.  She is not organized, her mind wanders, and when she reads out loud she is too quiet. Rose tries as hard as she can but she will NEVER get a star.  Rose learns that not everyone is good at everything and that there is more than one way to earn a star.  Great book for leading a discussion about differences and strengths/weaknesses.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  3 Buckeye leaves

There's a Lion in My Cornflakes by Michelle Robrinson

A free lion?  In a cereal box?  See that?  JUST IGNORE IT!!!  Dan and his brother decide that they simply MUST have a lion and began collecting coupons from the boxes of cereal.  It takes A LOT of boxes of cereal to collect enough coupons for a lion.  Once the boys have sent the coupons in to the cereal, the anxiously await the arrival of their lion.  However when the delivery truck arrives, it is not a lion at all but rather a grizzly bear.  When the boys contact the company their problem only grows.  Will they EVER get the lion they were promised?


Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Max the Brave by Ed Vere


Max is a kitten that chases mice.  Max's problem is he does not know what mouse looks like.   Max heads out looking for Mouse.  He sees others, Fly, Fish, birds, Elephant, etc., but not Mouse.  Finally Max finds mouse, or so he thinks.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Polar Bear's Underwear by Tupera Tupera

You only need to utter the word "underwear" and you will have the attention of any kid between 4 and 12 years old.  Polar bear has lost his underwear.  Polar bear and mouse begin searching for polar bear's missing underwear.  Using a series of cut out pictures, polar bear and mouse find lots of other underwear but not polar bear's.  But why can't they find polar bear's underwear?

Text:  4 Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Monday, September 21, 2015

When a Dragon Moves In Again by Jodi Moore

From the author/illustrator team of When  A Dragon Moves In, comes the newest dragon adventure.  The young boy is waiting for his new sibling to arrive when the dragon arrives, again.  This is an ornery dragon that is responsible for playing in the baby's crib, bowling with the baby's bottles, spilling juice, and on and on.  Maybe if the baby went away things would be better.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves (Endpages are awesome!)

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Monty's Magnificent Mane by Gemma O'Neil


Monty is very impressed with his beautiful mane.  Monty's friends the meerkats like to play in it.  Monty is furious when he finds out his mane is matted together from all the fun.  Monty decides to go to the nearby water hole to pout.  Upon arriving at the watering hole Monty meets a new friend.  Monty quickly realizes his new friend is not exactly the best choice for him.  Great message about friendship and compromise.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leave

I'm Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton

I do NOT love spiders but I do LOVE this book!  Beginning with the awesomely informative endpages about different types of spiders to the "smashing" hands trying to catch that "spider" on the loose to the amusing illustrations with helpful information, this book is a great way to introduce nonfiction books to kids.  I suspect this will be a big hit with elementary kids as well as teach them some facts about these amazing arachnids.


Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play by Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrok

Companion book to Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do, this book is set up using rhymes and picture clues so the reader can guess which job is being described.

"High-tops, orange ball.  Score two points - hooray!..."

Great to use for teaching drawing conclusion/inference skills to preschoolers/kindergarteners.  Older students could also enjoy it by not showing pictures to start.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

If an Elephant went to school by Ellen Fischer


What would an elephant learn if she went to school?  What about an owl, zebra, or frog?  Would they learn the same as a human kid?  What is important for some animals to learn is not the same as another animal.  Very cute, simply told introduction to what is most important to each animal.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Sunday, September 13, 2015

You're a Crab! A Moody Day Book by Jenny Whitehead

"Some days you can be a friendly dolphin with a squeeeaky laugh.  Some days you can be a funny clownfish that flips and does somersault."

Everyone, even ocean animals, have good days and bad days.  A fun and colorful introduction to moods that reminds readers that everyone has these moods some days but the next day is a new day and can be totally different.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Monday, September 7, 2015

Shark Detective by Jessica Olien

Shark is very lonely but dreams of being a detective.  One day he sees a poster and his dream of becoming a detective is within reach.  He begins his detective life searching for a missing cat.  Shark decides he needs to prepare in order to find the missing cat.  Will he find the missing cat?  And if he does find the missing cat, what will happen with Shark?  Is this the beginning of his dream career?

Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves
Text:  3 Buckeye leaves

Friday, September 4, 2015

Duncan the Story Dragon by Amanda Driscoll

Duncan loves books.  Unfortunately Duncan gets so excited about his books that his fire breathing took over and he has never finished a book.  Duncan decides he needs a friend but a fire breathing dragon finding a friend is not an easy task.  Duncan searches and searches to find that special friend to help him finally enjoy an entire book.Will he find that special friend so he can finally read those words, "THE END."

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrator:  4 Buckeye leaves

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

First Grade Dropout by Audrey Vernick

The boy has come to an important decision:  he is dropping out of first grade.  He did not take this decision lightly.  He had no choice.  They laughed.  They pointed.  His life is over.  He can't believe what he said.  He said it and everyone heard it.  He said.............

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Sunday, August 30, 2015

There Was An Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight by Penny Parker Klostermann

And another THING swallowing SOMETHING.....I admit it, I love these books.  And more importantly, the kids love these books.  Obviously this one has the dragon theme and the dragon is swallowing things such as, castle, squire, fire, etc.  It is always a surprise to see how the story ends. Anxious to get this one in and see what the kids think.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

The Perfect Percival Priggs by Julie-Anne Graham

Percival Priggs was perfect.  Everyone around him, including his pets, were perfect.  Percy continued to work hard to be perfect because he did not want his parents to love him any less.  Everything was perfect, until one day when it was no longer perfect.  Suddenly Percy was no longer perfect and he learned that his parents were not either.  Percy learned that sometimes you have to try again and again, and that is ok.  A perfect, errrr, book for those kiddos that struggle with the idea of being perfect all the time.

Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves
Text:  4 Buckeye leaves


Saturday, July 11, 2015

Here Comes the Tooth Fairy Cat by Deborah Underwood

Cat has lost a tooth!  Cat wants to meet Tooth Fairy.  Cat tries to trick the Tooth Fairy which does not turn out well.  The Tooth Fairy leaves a note asking Cat to help make some deliveries with the help of Mouse.  Cat and Mouse work together to make the deliveries.  Cat learns a valuable lesson about "tricky" fairies.

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

The Big Ideas of Buster Bickles by Dave Wasson


Buster Bickles has lots of ideas unfortunately others do not always view his ideas as amazing as he does.  His mother decides it might be helpful for Buster to see his Uncle Roswell, also an individual of great imagination.  Uncle Rosethwell introduces Buster to the "What-if Machine" and the two take off on an adventure.  Inventive and fun book which will have kids giggling from the first page.


Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves

Look! by Jeff Mack


Two words.  Two characters.  A gorilla spends a great deal of time trying to convince a young boy to enjoy a book.  The conversation between the two is limited to two words.  Great book for teaching kids about expression and end punctuation.  Fun and funny!


Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Where Are My Books? by Debbie Ridpath Ohi


Spencer has a problem....his favorite book, Night-Night Narwhal, is missing.  He puts his book in the same place every night and suddenly it is missing.  But that is only the beginning.  Soon, one by one, Spencer's books start disappearing.  Spencer is beside himself.  He asks his family but no one has seen his books.  Spencer decides it is time to set a trap but is quite surprised when the trap is "sprung".  Cute book for preschool and kindergarteners.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

My Grandma's A Ninja by Todd Tarpley

Ethan's grandma is not like other grandma's.  Ethan's grandma is a ninja.  Ethan thinks his grandma's ninja skills are awesome, and so does his classmates.  But a ninja and a soccer game is not are good combination and Ethan, and his teammates, end up being very upset with grandma.  Ethan tells Grandma he does not want her to be a ninja. Fun and silly ninja book that kids will find amusing.

Text:  4  Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations:  3 Buckeye leaves

Never Ask a Dinosaur to Dinner by Gareth Edwards

If you have ever considered inviting a dinosaur to dinner, you may change your mind after reading this book.  You might also rethink sharing your toothbrush with a shark, using a tiger as a towel, or letting a barn owl in your bed.  In a hilarious picture book, learn some of the reasons to avoid interacting with various animals, some obvious, some not to obvious.  Kids will enjoy the funny, far fetched book.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Melissa's Octopus and Other Unsuitable Pets by Charlotte Voake


Pets are an important part of many families.  Melissa feels the same way about her pet.  However Melissa's pet is a little exotic.  Melissa's pet is an elephant.  What about an octopus as a pet?  Arthur's warthog is beautiful, don't you agree?  But what is the most unsuitable pet?


Text:  4 Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

I Will Take A Nap! by Mo Willems

 New Piggie and Elephant!!  It's a happy day at our house when a new Piggie and Elephant book hits the bookstore….or any Mo Willems really.  As you might have guessed from the cover, Gerald is headed to nap.  He is very tired.  Piggie comes along and decides this is a great idea and joins Gerald.  Unfortunately for Gerald, Piggie is not exactly quiet when she is napping.  Gerald has a very difficult time napping….or does he?  Another hilarious addition to the Elephant and Piggie series.


Saturday, March 14, 2015

Birthday Rules by Laurie Friedman

Do you know how to PROPERLY celebrate your birthday?  Do you follow the rules?  Percy Isaac Gifford is ready to explain how to celebrate your birthday so you won't forget!  From the birthday cheer to being sure to watch your wish list, Percy has all the necessary guidelines to enjoy your day.  Funny text matches the fun illustration for a perfect balance of fun.  Obviously a great gift for your favorite birthday "kid" coming birthday!


Text:  4 Buckeye Leaves
Illustration:  5 Buckeye leaves

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

I Hate Picture Books by Timothy Young

In our house the word HATE, DUMB and STUPID are BAD words...so much so that a certain 6 1/2 year old came crying into the room one night because he accidentally read the word "stupid" while reading to dad ...he was apparently afraid we would kick him out of the house.  We did not.  We did have a rather lengthy discussion about why we do not use those words but why authors sometimes have to use them.  He bought it - for now.   That being said....I loved this book!   Max, the main character, hates picture books.  Yes, I had a hard time even checking this out of the library.  He points out just how ridiculous some of these picture books are.  He quickly realizes though it is not that he HATES them (thank goodness) but rather loves them.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves  (Awesome endpages!)

The Angry Little Puffin by Timothy Young

Puffin is angry.  Puffin is REALLY angry!  Everyone that comes to visit can't seem to understand that he is a PUFFIN not a PENGUIN!  It is quite obvious to Puffin that he is not a penguin and makes him incredibly annoyed that others can't see that.  Sprinkled within his rant, Puffin is able to provide the reader some of things that makes him a puffin, NOT a penguin.  Maybe, just maybe, he will finally be known as a puffin and not an "odd looking penguin"....or maybe not.  Cute book with facts that even the youngest reader can pull out to learn more about a puffin.


Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Friday, February 27, 2015

Violet and Victor Write the Best-Ever Bookworm Book by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

Victor and Violet are twins.  Violet loves to write and is a great speller.  Victor is would rather count his worms then write a book with Violet.  Together they will write a story, one that Violet hopes will be a best-seller.  Through a series of conversations, the two create an adventure story about a terrible book-eating monster that turns out to be a bookworm.  The illustrations are incredible with a great mix of mediums, lettering and coloring combined using Adobe Photoshop (information in back of book).

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Maddi's Fridge by Lois Brandt

Sofia and Maddie love to go to the park and race and climb until "the taxis stop honking."  But one day after playing Sofia runs to Maddie's house hoping for a snack and instead gets big surprise when she finds nothing but milk in the fridge.  Maddie explains that they do not have enough money to buy more food.  Sophie being a good friend decides she will try to help Maddie and her family.  She does not want to break her promise to her friend and decides she will not tell her mom.  But when Sofia's attempts to help Maddie's family ends badly, she must make a big decision and hope her friend understands her decision.  A great introduction for students to learn about hunger and the world around them in a gentle story told very appropriately for younger audience.

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves - I LOVE the illustrations in this book!!  AND the endpages are amazing!!!  I am anxious to see other books from this illustrator.

Monday, February 23, 2015

The Story Starts Here! by Caroline Merola

Little Wolf is changing things a little today.  He begins by having his story start at the end of the book.  Why?  Because he wants to!  Next he has decided he will eat standing up AND begin with desert.  Little Wolf's actions continue much the same way until his parents send him to his room.  There he decides he is not sticking around and sneaks out the window.  However Little Wolf gets more than he bargained for when a scary "monster" begins chasing him.  The topsy-turvy day may be more than Little Wolf bargained for.  The unusual way this book is read will be enjoyable for older students, and hopefully not confusing for the younger students.  The text told through speech bubbles also opens up the possibility for a fun buddy reading activity.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Olive and the Embarrassing Gift by Tor Freeman

Olive's good friend Joe has given him a gift, a hat that says "best friends" on it.  Olive does not like the hat.  He thinks it looks silly.  Apparently many others think the hat looks ridiculous also as they laugh when they see him wearing it.  Olive is so tired of being laughed at that he takes the hat and throws it in the trash can.  Unfortunately Joe sees him do it.  Olive realizes he has not been a good friend but how can he make it better?  How can he get his friend Joe to forgive him?  Another great Olive book that teaches valuable life skills.  Great starting point for discussions.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Betty Goes Bananas by Steve Antony

Betty loves bananas.  When she sees a delicious looking banana she can't wait to eat it up.  But there is a problem.  Betty can not get the banana opened.  She is very frustrated.  A toucan comes along and offers to help with the banana and proceeds to show Betty how to open a banana.  But Betty is still not happy and the worst is yet to come.  Will Betty ever be able to enjoy her lovely banana?  Great read aloud for preschool kiddos that touches on problem solving.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves


Sunday, February 22, 2015

Dangerous by Tim Warnes

Mole loved labeling things.  One day he comes across something unusual.  He decides to label this unusual thing in his path.  When that big thing yawns Mole realizes that this unusual thing may just eat him!  This unusual thing is dangerous and soon eats all of Mole's labels!  Mole soon realizes that the words he made might not be the best choices for this unusual creature.  Great use of words - fun describing words.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Goodnight Already! by Jory John

Bear is very tired and ready to sleep for a LONG time.  Bear is settling in for a long nap when he hears a knock at the door.  Duck has come over and he is NOT tired.  Duck has lots of ideas of things they could do:  play cards, start a band, make a smoothie, read books, etc.  Bear does NOT want to do anything except sleep.  Duck is not willing to give up so easily.  Will Bear every get to sleep?  Hilarious, funny book perfect for bedtime.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall

Something is just not right with Red the crayon.  Everyone tries to help but no matter how hard they try, Red just does not end looking so Red.  In fact Red looks rather blue.  It is not until he meets a new friend, Berry, that he is finally able to see that he is really quite good at making water, blue jeans, blue whales, blueberries, blue birds, etc.  Creatively told with a bit of humor and underlying lesson….you can't always judge a crayon by its paper.  

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye Leaves

I Don't Want to Be a Frog by Dev Petty

Little frog does not want to be a slimy, wet frog.  Little frog would like to be a cat or rabbit or a pig or an owl.  When little frog tells the bigger frog his feelings, the bigger frog has a counter argument for each of little frog's choices.  The big frog, with the help of a badger, is finally able to come up with an argument to convince the little frog that being a frog may be a better choice.  Similar to Piggie and Elephant, kids will love the speech bubbles.

Text:  5 Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves


Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo

A boy has gone to the city to visit his nana.  He loves his nana but he does NOT love the city.  The city is busy, loud, and filled with scary things.  He does not think his nana should live in the city.  But nana gives him a red cape and shows the boy HER city.  Yes, the city is busy and loud but that does not have to be a bad thing.  And there are also some NOT so scary things in the city.  A great book for discussion on perspective and looking at things differently.  Simple text makes it easier to find the "lesson" to be learned from the boy's experience in the city.  The illustrations most certainly support the text and without the illustrations, especially since they repeat in the second half of the book, the message would be lost.

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves