Mouse Island

By Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Dominic Catalano

Ever since the old lighthouse became automated, Mouse has lived alone on his island.  He spends his days napping in the sun, wading in the tide pools and fishing for food.  But still, something is missing in his life.  If only he could figure out what it is!

One day, Mouse spies a sinking fishing boat!  The men aboard the ship all manage to reach the lifeboat, but there is still a strange furry creature floating in the sea.  Bravely, Mouse swims out to sea and drags the creature ashore.  It isn't until afterward that Mouse realizes the creature he has saved is a cat!

Cat is an honorable cat, and instead of eating Mouse, he decides to be friends.  Mouse realizes that what he was missing all along was a companion, and learns that you can find friends in the most unexpected places!

I would say that this book is decent.  Eve Bunting is an award winning writer who always never fails to write stories that appeal to young children.  The drawings by Catalano also accompany the story very nicely.  But to be honest, the tale seems a bit generic, with an undeveloped plot.  I would have liked to see more character development or action in this book, but if you are just looking for a fun read and a happy ending, then this book is perfect for you!

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

This book was an all-time favorite of mine as a kid, just because of its plain silly-ness!  This irreverent book retells the classic fairy tales we all know and love, except with an unusual twist.  The Ugly Duckling grows up to be just a really ugly duck.  The Frog Prince is really just a regular frog who tricks a princess into kissing him.  The story of the Tortoise and the Hare is really about a race between a tortoise running and a rabbit growing his hair.  And the list goes on.  As the inside of the dust cover says, this book has "10 complete stories! 25 lavish paintings! 56 action-packed pages.  75% more than those old 32-page 'Brand-X' books. New! Improved! Funny! Good! Buy! Now!"

In addition to the pure entertainment that children (and adults!) get out of hearing the classics told all wrong, the format of this book is very unique and further lures readers into the stories.  Our narrator, Jack, pays no mind to how a book is "supposed" to be.  Every page looks different.  The font changes sizes.  Sometimes the words are upside down or out of order.  Characters sneak into other stories (the Giant from the top of the beanstalk eats the Little Red Hen!).

On top of all of that, the illustrations of this book are great!  A mix between odd drawings and collages, each page has a very unique look to it (and unique is probably an understatement).

I'll finish up with this: while this book is a must-read for all children, it has absolutely no point or morals.  It's just a great laugh, and a great way to get kids to realize that all books are NOT created equally!

Millions of Cats

By Wanda Gag

This Newberry Honor book tells the story of an old man who goes out in search of a cat for his wife.  But what do you know!  Before his very own eyes, he comes to a hill that is covered in cats: "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats."  The old man tries to pick the most beautiful cat, but every time he is about to leave he finds one that is just as pretty as the last.  And before he knows it, he has chosen them all!

He brings them all home, only to realize that there is no way that the old couple could feed and house so many cats.  The couple thinks, and decides that they should let all of the cats decide which one they should keep.  "Which one of you is the prettiest?" asks the old man.  Hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions of trillions of cats all think that they are the prettiest.  Soon, all of the cats are fighting, and the old couple runs inside to escape the gigantic brawl.

Soon, they do not hear a sound.  They go outside and there is not a cat to be seen, and they presume that all of the cats have eaten each other up!  But wait!  There is one small, scraggly kitten hiding in a bush.  When they ask how it managed to avoid being eaten, the cat says, "I'm just a very homely little cat.  So when you asked who was the prettiest, I didn't say anything.  So nobody bothered about me."  The couple takes in the tiny kitten, and soon it grows up to be a very beautiful cat, indeed!

This timeless classic tells a story of vanity versus humility.  The illustrations are simple but fit the story perfectly, and the repeated "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats" makes this a perfect read-along story for younger readers.  And the fact that it was written more than 80 years ago (1929) just proves that this story is perfect for children of all ages.

The Snowy Day

By Ezra Jack Keats

The Snowy Day, a 1963 Caldecott Medal winner, is a classic that has withstood the test of time.  Keats tells the simple story of young Peter and all of the adventures he has in the snow.  He makes funny footprints, climbs a mountain of snow, builds a smiling snowman, makes snow angels, and so much more!  This simple book captures the essence of the first snow and all the excitement that comes with it.

The illustrations of this book capture the simple joys of playing in the snow.  Additionally, this was "the very first full-color picture book to feature a small black hero" (Horn Book Magazine), and the first Caldecott winner to feature an African-American.  While not a political book, at the time The Snowy Day was considered groundbreaking.

The universal theme behind this book makes The Snowy Day a great read for young readers of all backgrounds.  This book is a must-have for any collection.

Palindromania!

By Jon Agee

The inside of the dust jacket defines palindromania as the following:
1. excessive excitement or enthusiasm inspired by an obsession with words or phrases that read exactly the same forward and backward. 2. Jon Agee's most expansive and entertaining volume of palindromes, featuring comic-strip stories, absurd diagrams, and lengthy monologues. 3. a state of mind you may find yourself in after reading this book.

Rather than telling a story, this delightful picture book introduces children to the wonderful world of palindromes.  The simple black and white comics within this book make each palindrome seem entertaining and simple to read.  And the best part is, you don't have to read the whole book at once - each palindrome has its own comic, so you can read just as much as you want.

One simple comic is titled Lew's Diet Prison.
As a large boy runs away from two men in uniform, one man yells "Hey! Obese boy! Eh!"
The boy escapes. One man says, 'Well, let's tell Lew."
The last scene shows the two uniformed men talking to Lew, who is sitting at a table covered in candy and donuts: "We lost a fatso, Lew."

Some of the stories make a little less sense.  Here is Monologue I:
Rot! An essene gym! Pee, kroenig! Am I in a chasm? Harbor? Eh? Hero: Brahms... Ah! Can I imagine or keep my genes, senator?"

Regardless of whether all of the stories make sense, this book is a simple and fun way to introduce children to the concept of palindromes.  Maybe after reading this book you can encourage your kids to come up with palindromes of their own!

City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male

 

By Meghan McCarthy

This book is a true story of a red tailed hawk that resides in Central Park, New York City.  It tells of how surprised people were to see such a wild bird residing in the middle of a big city!  Once the hawk stays around for awhile and it becomes clear that he's there to stay, "the Regulars" (frequent birdwatchers of New York) name him Pale Male for his lightly colored feathers.

One question remains, though.  Will Pale Male ever find a mate in such a bustling city?  As it turns out, one day he does!  His mate's name is Lola, and together the two hawks build a nest in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the country.  The book goes on to ask, will their eggs ever hatch?  And even if they do, how could hatchling hawks survive in such an environment?  Guess you'll just have to read it to find out!

I really liked this book because it's based on a true story, and it shows the true resilience that many wild animals have in the face of urbanization and the loss of their natural habitats.  Who would have ever thought that such wild birds could survive in such an environment?  At the same time, it would be easy to use this book to lead into the discussion of how important it is to protect our natural wildlife.  Despite their strength and resilience, the birds would not be able to survive without our help.  The very end of this book features a lengthy author's note, which tells of how some residents of New York successfully lobbied to have the nest removed from the outside of their building.  Only after passionate protests from the Regulars and other New Yorkers did they reverse their decision and allow the nest to stay.  Pale Male and Lola have managed to survive in such an environment, but I'm sure there are many other animals who would not be able to do so!  This true story sends a very strong message to children that it is our duty to help protect our nation's wildlife.

Meghan McCarthy also illustrated this book, and I think her simple paintings stay true to the feel of the story.  The cartoonish quality would make this book very appealing to younger children.

The Scrambled States of America

By Laurie Keller


I checked out this book because there is a children's card game by the same name (and illustrations - so clearly they go together)... but I had no idea there was a book until I stumbled upon it while I was browsing one day.

Kansas is not a very happy state.  How do we know?  "I'm not feeling happy at all!" he exclaims.  He's feeling kind of bored, being stuck in the middle of the country all the time.  He never gets to go anywhere, he never gets to do anything, and he never gets to meet any new states!  So he decides to have a big party for all of the states to socialize and get to know each other.  With the help of Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa, "those wacky little midwestern states planned the biggest party ever!"

As you might expect from the title of the story, it doesn't take long until all the states decide to trade places with each other, just to see what life is like in another part of the country.  They're so excited!  Hawaii and Alaska get to be around other states!  Minnesota gets to go somewhere warm!  Florida gets to go north and cool off!

Everything seems peachy at first, but soon the states are as unhappy as ever.  Minnesota is sunburned!  Florida is freezing!  Alaska keeps getting poked by Oklahoma's handle, and the ocean makes Iowa's corn all soggy!  Turns out this wasn't such a great plan after all.  So, all the states decide to move back to their original homes.  After that, they are very happy with their lives, and they all live happily ever after.  The reader walks away with the moral that we should be happy with what we have.

What I really want to talk about with this book is the illustrations.  I read this to my "buddy" in class and, while the story was amusing, the illustrations were definitely what caught his attention.  Keller's illustrations of the states are very detailed, giving each state its own personality.  On every page there are mini-conversations going on all over the place.  At the party, the states eat "New York cheesecake," "Georgia peach pie," "Minnesota peas," "Iowa corn surprise," and other exciting dishes.  "Well, I am just blowing my diet," says Idaho.  Several states dance on one side of the room, and New Hamshire exclaims "Wow! Those southwestern states can really dance!"  Wyoming pulls out a chair for Louisiana, and Tennessee exclaims "this is the third time I've dropped my fork!"  Meanwhile, Nevada and Mississippi gaze longingly at each other, in the very beginning of what turns into a book-long romance.  Iowa is taking Wisconsin's coat at the coat check: "Nice coat!" "Thanks."  Illinois is handing out nametags, and tells New Jersey, "oh, I just saw yours!"  Nebraska and Kansas are greeting other states at the door, one of which is climbing out of a big white limo.  And this is all just on one page!  The entire book is just as detailed, and definitely keeps engaged through the entire story.

Another thing I really like about this book is that there is a game that accompanies it.  Because of the bright pictures, fun story, and personality of the states, I can really see this as a way to make learning US geography fun.  All I can say is, I wish this book was around when I was a kid!