Sara Free

Sequoia by Tony Johnston

Title: Sequoia

Author: Tony Johnston

Paintings: Wendell Minor

 

Sequoia is a beautiful picture book about the majestic, giant trees found in California. The pictures do justice to the grand trees and will spark awe in children as they read through this story.

The sequoia is the star in this book. Told from the third person point of view, the story tells about what a sequoia may see from his place in the forest, from the very top to below the earth. The pictures do a nice job showing the trees perspective in the forest, and often give the reader a visual of the grand size of the trees. 

The sequoia’s story is about it’s life through the season and what it sees. The tree hears the “waters flow again,” feels the summer storms, and may even experience a forest fire. But the tree lives through it all and stays sturdy in the ground.

While the tree is the star, the animals are quite prominent in the images. Children will seeing familiar creatures and how they co-exist together in their special environment. The animals share their own magic in this story.
 

Add it to the collection?

Yes.

Sequoia is a wonderful picture book. The illustrator does a lovely job capturing the brilliance of these unique trees and their environment. The book would be a nice addition to a unit on trees or on animal habitats. Children may enjoy getting lost in the pages and trying to imagine just how big a sequoia tree really is. Let the pages of this book sweep your little reader high into the sky.

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It's an Orange Aardvark! by Michael Hall

 Title: It's an Orange Aardvark!

Author/Illustrator: Michael Hall

I’ve become a fan of Michael Hall’s work since I discovered Perfect Square. It’s An Orange Aardvark does not disappoint! His work has a simple, clean design that will draw readers into this amusing story.   

Five carpenter ants wake up when they hear a thunk outside their tree stump. One curious carpenter ant proceeds to drill a hole so that he can explore what is outside. His fellow carpenter ants are curious, but one is doubtful that any good can be waiting outside.One peep hole after another reveals different colors. The doubtful carpenter ant is certain it is an orange aardvark up to colorful tricks to devour all the carpenter ants. He may just be right.  This is certainly the cleverest aardvark ever. With each color shining through, the doubtful carpenter ant is able to dream up what that sneaky aardvark is planning – red must mean a ketchup bottle and blue is certainly the pajama-wearing-ant-eating aardvark. Are the ant's suspicions right?

Add it to the collection?

Yes.

Michael Hall is becoming one of my favorite author/illustrators. He’s stories are witty and the artwork is equally so. It’s An Orange Aardvark is sure to become a favorite read for children. It touches on color identification, and it helps kids to imagine creative scenarios. The book will keep readers captivated and entertained through many readings.

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The Way to the Zoo by John Burningham

 

Title: The Way to the Zoo 

Author/Illustrator: John Burningham

Sylvie discovers a door in her room which leads to a zoo. Imagine a slumber party with zoo animals.

Sylvie finds a door in her room that was not there just before bedtime. She decides to wait until the morning to explore it further. She opens the door to discover a surprise. The door leads to zoo animals. Sylvie invites a different animal to sleep in her bed, sometimes two, and sometimes they are too big and must sleep on the floor. In her rush to get out the door for school one day, Sylvie accidentally leaves the magical door open.When Sylvie arrives home from school, she finds the zoo animals have made a mess. She is angry at the animals and they all rush away. Sylvie cleans her house, and she learns a valuable lesson: always close the magical door. 

Add it to the collection?

Maybe

The Way to the Zoo was quite silly. We enjoyed identifying the various zoo animals. I would be happy borrowing this book from the library every so often. It was slightly bland for our tastes and might better fit an older reader (kinder). Definitely give it a go if you have an animal lover in your life, they may like all the fun animal antics.

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The Storm Whale by Benji Davies

Title: The Storm Whale

Author/Illustrator: Benji Davies

The Storm Whale is a simple story with beautiful, sweeping pictures. The story is about a boy, his father, and a whale.

Noi lives with his father and six cats. When his father goes off to work, Noi discovers a baby whale has washed ashore after a storm. Noi cares for the whale and manages to bring the cute little guy home. He’s able to hide the whale from his father for a little while.The sea is prominent in this story. The author/illustrator captures images of the sea from peaceful, to raging, to grand. It is nice to get swept away in the beautiful imagery in this book.Noi’s father works long hours. Noi is left at home to have his own adventures. When Noi’s Dad discovers the whale, he realizes Noi is lonely. The two return the baby whale to the ocean and there is a father-son bond that is noticeably stronger.

Add it to the collection?

Yes.

I wasn’t sure about The Storm Whale at first. It seemed a little too simple. I worried that the child was left alone for so long. But those were my worries. My girls loved it. They loved finding the little kittens. They were curious about the beached whale and followed closely Noi’s rescue efforts. They wanted to read the book again and again. I don’t always have time to test run the books. I’m glad I did with this one because it is definitely well loved in our house.

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Food Trucks! by Mark Todd

Title: Food Trucks!

Author/Illustrator: Mark Todd

Food trucks are dear and near to my heart. I was overjoyed to get my hands on this book all about food trucks! Read about food trucks, eat at food trucks, there is much to learn from this little gem. 

Food Trucks uses poetry to introduce types of food that can be found on mobile eateries. There are salad trucks, breakfast trucks, taco trucks - to name a few. The poems set the tempo, from quick breakfast foods to more playful sounding entrees.

Food Trucks will expose children to different cuisine. The food truck artwork will have kids trying to pick apart the different parts of a meal.  Truck drawing details offer artwork that will lure the attention of hungry customers. From the trucks expressive faces to their intricate truck decorations, children will want to take in every little detail. 

Throughout the book, small food fact bubbles teach the reader about different types of food. The facts also share celebrated food days, such as February 25 is National Clam Chowder Day. There are many simple food facts that can fill the brains of eager readers. 

Add it to the collection?

Yes.

Most definitely an interesting read. It incorporates food, information, poetry, and creative artwork. Food Trucks makes me happy, and we’ll be even more happy when we tie this book into a few field trips to experience multicultural cuisine. Food Trucks is a book for older and younger readers; it is certainly one that can grow with children. The poetic language appeals to the younger crowd, while older children can delve into the foodfacts. I adore this book!

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Small Blue and the Deep Dark Night by Jon Davis

Title: Small Blue and the Deep Dark Night

Author/Illustrator: Jon Davis

Small Blue and the Deep Dark Night addresses the childhood fear of what goes bump in the night. A child afraid of the dark may gain some perspective on their fears from reading this book. They might not know they are gaining insight, but the grown-up will understand and can offer comforting guidance.

Small Blue awakes in the night and begins to imagine frightful, creepy things invading her bedroom. She becomes overwhelmed and calls out for Big Brown bear. Big Brown helps her work through her fears. 

Small Blue tells Big Brown what she is afraid is happening in the dark. She says there are “gremlins and goblins,” but for every scary thing she describes, Big Brown is able to come up with an equally silly scenario occurring in the dark. Big Brown paints pictures of doggies at their unicycle convention. When they turn on the lights, they both discover that neither of their fascinating visions is happening.

Through this back and forth discussion from scary to silly, Small Blue slowly overcomes her fears of the dark. It is a step in the right direction towards using ones imagination to create equally happy events playing out in the dark.

Add it to the collection?

Maybe.

Small Blue and the Deep Dark Night has the potential to help a child understand that their imagination is in control when facing the bedtime darkness. A few of my own children are scared to confront the dark. I’m willing to read this book to open their eyes to seeing happy, positive imagines in the dark. The book might help children verbalize what they feel when the lights go out.

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Alice from Dallas by Marilyn Sadler

Title: Alice from Dallas

Author: Marilyn Sadler

Illustrator: Ard Hoyt

New books about cowboys and cowgirls are welcomed in our rodeo loving family. Alice from Dallas is sure to put some country twang in your story time. 

Alice is from Dallas…Pennsylvania. She is the only class cowgirl and darn tootin' proud of it. Until, Lexis from Texas arrives. Alice feels her cowgirl title is challenged by Lexis who has an equal amount (maybe more?) of cowgirl pizzazz. Can two cowgirls rule the roost?Alice and Lexis have a show down to determine who is the better cowgirl. This of course means who is better with a lasso and who has better two stepping skills. Alice and Lexis try to figure out if it’s better to be the best cowgirl, or if there is more joy in having a friend with a common interest.The language in the book is tongue-twistin’ happiness for a fan of the wild west. Tumbling tumbleweeds and horsefeathers – were a few of my favorites. I wanted to get my boots on and keep the cowgirl phrases rolling. 

Add it to the collection?

Yes.

I live in Texas where the rodeo is a popular event. Rodeo season will be here soon, and this book will add some delightful variety to my cowgirl collection. Its attention on friendship will spark positive discussions with children. It’s okay to have things that make you unique, but it’s also nice to accept a friend who has similar interests too. We love our boots! This book will fit in nicely to our rodeo season and beyond.

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Monster Chefs by Brian and Liam Anderson

Title: Monster Chefs

Author/Illustrator: Brian and Liam Anderson

I run into many books with monsters. I guess monsters can break all sorts of rules and rumble and grumble. Or they can eat eyeballs, that's acceptable because they are monsters. Monsters get away with so much. Monster Chefs serves up some delectable reading. 

The Monster King doesn’t want to eat ketchup and eyeballs anymore. He is bored with the menu, and he orders his four monster chefs to find something new for him to eat. Each monster chef believes they have discovered a tasty new entrée, only to be fooled by the found critters that they will anger the Monster King. One chef succeeds in bringing back something new to eat. 

The new morsel is a pastry chef. The sassy pastry chef convinces the monsters she is not at all tasty but that she has the awesome power to make delicious pastries. She convinces the monsters to try her cupcakes – eyeball cupcake, of course. 

The monsters discover cupcake joy, and the pastry chef is saved. Monster Chefs comes with a recipe for Eyeball Cupcakes. Young chefs will be able to connect a fun story with something good to eat. They might want to be more like a monster if cupcakes are involved.

Add it to the collection?

Maybe...if you are surrounded by a monster loving crew. 

The book was enjoyable. The beginning reminded me of another story I have read. The pastry chef was a pleasant twist. This book would tie in nicely to a unit about different jobs in the food industry. Children could experiment making the cupcake recipe provided in the book or find other pastry delights. Overall, this was a good book with the potential for learning something new and laughing along with some silly monsters. I'm tempted to create a collection with only monster books in it. 

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Betty Bunny Wants A Goal by Michael Kaplan

Title: Betty Bunny Wants a Goal

Author: Michael Kaplan

Illustrator: Stephanie Jorisch

Learning a sport for the first time can have its ups and down. Sometimes one can be over confident about their skills. It can be a long journey to loving a sport. Betty Bunny will show your sports star both the joys and frustrations of learning a new sport.

Betty Bunny believes she will be the star of the soccer team before she even steps out on the soccer field. Her first game proves she has a lot to learn about the sport, and she’d rather just quit. She states, “I am never playing again.”

With the support of her family, Betty continues to try to be a better soccer player. The message in Betty Bunny Wants a Goal could apply to any sports. Betty’s family encourage Betty to keep trying. Her siblings share examples of when they succeeded at difficult things. Betty does keep trying. With help from her family, she finds herself continuing to try even though she isn’t the greatest soccer player.

Betty’s parents and many siblings support her during this challenging time. Her father makes a good point and says maybe she isn’t good at soccer and will need to practice to improve. Dad suggests that her older brother Bill help Betty practice. He reluctantly agrees to help. Will Betty finally make a goal? Does practice pay off? It just might! 

Add to it to the collection?

Yes.

Betty Bunny Wants a Goal is a good book to read when a child is working through a challenging situation. Children could benefit from a story that focuses on sticking with learning a new skill even though the path is not always easy. I know in our house there have been many tears from not being able to easily accomplish a skill. Repeated readings of this book might get a bigger message across to my struggling sports stars. 

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Ed and Kip (I Like to Read) by Kay Chorao

Title: Ed and Kip (I Like to Read) by Kay Chorao

Author: Kay Chorao

In my house, it is good to find new easy reading materials. Ed and Kip has short simple sentences and a story with action to keep an early reader engaged. Ed and Kip are playful elephants. The elephants are a lively duo who find entainment by playing with a ball, which is really a rock. The playing elephants disturb their jungle neighbors, but soon find one friend who is little but helpful.

Ed and Kip's "ball" rolls down the bank into the water. They try to rescue their "ball," but soon encounter an aggressive crocodile. Their new friend Bug helps them retrieve their ball with his tiny but mighty powers. All is safe after this thrilling adventure. 

These drawings portray the most flexible elephants I have ever seen. They do front hand stands, and twist and turn throughout the story. Their limber behavior is impressive. 

Add it to the collection?

Maybe, but probably not for us. 

I've mentioned before how I tend to check out early readers from the library. Definitely consider this book if you have a beginning reader who enjoys jungle animals. These silly elephants will not disappoint as they bounce and play throughout the story. 

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