I Got a Chicken for my Birthday

Title:   I Got a Chicken for my Birthday
Author:   Laura Gehl        Illustrator:   Sarah Horne
Series:   —
Recommended for:   children in kindergarten and early elementary school
Pages:   unpaged
Call Number/Link:   E GEHL, L.

Rating:   ****

 

Synopsis:

A girl is disappointed when she receives a chicken as a birthday gift from her abuela, until she realizes the chicken is planning a bigger present for her special day.

Comments:

Cute book!  I must admit that I didn’t figure out what the chicken and other pets were up to until the very end of the book.  What a surprise for the girl – and me!

 

I’m Afraid Your Teddy Is in Trouble Today

Title:   I’m Afraid Your Teddy Is in Trouble Today
Author:   Jancee Dunn     Illustrated:  Scott Nash
Series:  —
Recommended for:  students in grades K-5, either as a readaloud or independent reading.  This would be a great choice for parents who are looking for a book to read to a classroom.
Pages:   unpaged  (probably 32 p.)
Call Number/Link:   E DUNN, J.

Rating:   ****

 

 

 

Synopsis:

When a teddy bear invites his stuffed animal friends to a party at his house while the humans are away, they have a wild time and the police arrive on the scene.

Comments:

There I was, thinking that stuffed animals spent their days resting, just waiting for their owners to come home from school.  Thanks to this expose, I now know the truth.  I did NOT imagine that the empty house had gotten more messy during the day.  It seems that teddy bears and their stuffed animal companions make pancakes, jump on the bed, and even (gasp) play dress-up with their owner’s clothes.

Children who are old enough to “get” this book will find it very funny.  First, just the idea of “stuffed animals gone wild” is funny.  Second, the animals’ activity choices make total sense.  With the exception of bathing in chocolate syrup, this could be a child’s dream party – and the activities make total sense for stuffed animals too.

I imagine this book being read in a very straightforward understated “just the facts ma’am” manner.  I think the deadpan delivery would be a good counterpoint to the story’s chaos.  However, I can also imagine it being read in a more excited, “can you BELIEVE what they just did?” way.  That could also be very effective.

Or the reader can just read it without any thought of presentation or delivery and it still would be fine.  It’s that funny a book.

 

 

 

Hooked

Title:   Hooked
Author:   Tommy Greenwald   Illustrator:  David McPhail
Series:   –
Recommended for:   older preschoolers (as a readaloud), grades K-4 as a readaloud or independent reading.  Especially recommended for fathers or grandfathers to read to their offspring.
Pages:   unpaged  (approximately 32 p.)
Call Number/Link:  E GREENWALD, T.

Rating:   ****

 

 

Synopsis:

A boy and his dad discover all they have in common on a fishing trip in this sweet picture book about father-son bonding.

Comments:

This would be such a nice book for a father and his children to read together.  It would also work well for storytimes with a father or family theme.  I especially appreciated the way that spending time fishing together strengthened the family bond.

 

 

 

The Tea Dragon Society

Title:   The Tea Dragon Society
Author:   Katie O’Neill
Series:   —
Recommended for:  readers who like sweet, cute graphic novels.  Could also work well as a readaloud for one-on-one sharing.
Pages:   unpaged
Call Number/Link:  GN J O’NEILL, K.

Rating:  *****

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

The Tea Dragon Society is a charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons.

Comments:

The world can be a harsh, violent place.  I wish it were more like the world of The Tea Dragon Society.  Peaceful and serene.  The characters (of all ages) treat each other with kindness and respect.  No one notices (or cares) that one of the characters is a talking llama wearing clothing.  The dragons are adorable.  I wish I could spend time in a place this lovely, especially if I could hang out with baby dragons.

 

 

The Great Art Caper

Title:   The Great Art Caper
Author:   Victoria Jamieson
Series:   Pets on the Loose
Recommended for:   early chapter book readers, reluctant readers, children ages 4 and up as a readaloud, kids who love art
Pages:   62 p.
Call Number/Link:    GN J Jamieson, V. 

Rating:   *****

 

 

 

Synopsis:

A cuddly class hamster, GW endeavors to make a gift for his new human friend to show support for her participation in a school art show before hearing about a dastardly mouse plot to sabotage the event.

Comments:

This book is the second book in the Pets on the Loose series.  As much as I liked the first book, I thought The Great Art Caper was even better!  Rather than trying to plot their escape from the elementary school, the pets went on an adventure to the art room so that GW could make a piece of art for his human friend.  They thought the art room was such a wondrous place…  until they saw the library.  Ooooh.  Ahhhh.

Once again, GW and his friends defeated Delores and her mouse minions and saved the day.  Hurray!

 

 

 

 

Hawk Mother: The Story of a Red-tailed Hawk Who Hatched Chicks

Title:   Hawk Mother:  The Story of a Red-tailed Hawk Who Hatched Chickens
Author:   Kara Hagedorn
Series:   —
Recommended for:   students in grades K-4, either as a class read-aloud, one-on-one sharing or for independent reading
Pages:   unpaged
Call Number/Link:  E 598.944 HAG

Rating:   ****

 

Synopsis:

What happens when two baby chickens find themselves in a nest with a hawk? Don’t hawks usually eat chickens? Sunshine, a red-tailed hawk, can no longer fly free. But her instinct to be a mother is so strong that she builds a nest in her aviary every spring and lays two infertile eggs. One year, Kara, her caretaker, decides to try something different. She gives Sunshine two chicken eggs. Join zoologist Kara Hagedorn and Sunshine to find out what happens in this delightful story of interspecies cooperation.

Comments:

This book is both informative nonfiction for children and an interesting read-aloud.  Win-Win!  I think kids in kindergarten and up would be able to understand it best.  (And enjoy it most due to “getting” it.)

 

 

 

Blue vs. Yellow

Title:   Blue vs. Yellow
Author:   Tom Sullivan
Series:   —
Recommended for:   older preschoolers, children in early elementary school
Pages:   unpaged
Call Number/Link:  E SULLIVAN, T.

Rating:  ****

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the clash of the colors! Blue vs yellow. Which one will be declared the best color of all? Will they join forces and be mightier together? Or will another color challenge them for the title? Ding! Ding! Let the battle begin!

Comments:

I hadn’t realized that colors were so competitive!  This book could easily be presented as a dramatic reading, with one person portraying yellow and the other portraying blue.  That is how I read the book to myself.  It also would work well as a more traditional solo read aloud and would be a good choice for independent reading.

While it could work well to teach colors, I think that kids who were already aware of the colors would find it more entertaining.

 

 

Ninja Claus!

Title:   Ninja Claus!
Author:   Arree Chung
Series:   Ninja!
Recommended for:  Preschoolers and children in early elementary school, readers who wish they were ninjas
Pages:   unpaged
Call Number/Link:  E CHUNG, A.

Rating:   ****

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

“In this third book in the Ninja! series, Maxwell pits his ninja skills against Santa Claus“– Provided by publisher.

Comments:

I’ve read enough Christmas books over the years that it makes me very happy to find one that is unique.  Hurray!  It’s not every day that you find out that Santa is (secretly) a ninja.  However, it makes total sense.  How else could Santa sneak in and out of houses without being detected?

And that’s not all!  The protagonist of the book is a creative boy who used his critical thinking skills to try to figure out how to catch Santa.  I’m thankful that he didn’t achieve his goal, but appreciate his well thought out attempt.

My favorite sentence was:  “The Ninja Claus is sneaky, quick, clever and kind.”  That also describes a more traditional Santa.

This cute, humorous book was fun to read!

 

 

 

 

Read the Book, Lemmings!

Title:   Read the Book, Lemmings!
Author:   Ame Dyckman
Series:    —
Recommended for:  kids in kindergarten and up, either as a readaloud or for independent reading.  Some preschoolers might enjoy it, but they’ll miss some nuances.
Pages:   unpaged  (probably 32 pages)
Call Number/Link:   E DYCKMAN, A.

Rating:   **** 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

A literate fox attempts to teach a trio of overzealous lemmings to read in order to save them from their habit of jumping off cliffs.

Comments:

It made me laugh.  Also, Ditto was my favorite lemming.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for Thanksgiving

Title:    Thanks for Thanksgiving
Author:   Julie Markes
Series:   —
Recommended for:   Individual and group reading to toddlers, preschoolers and kindegarteners
Pages:   32 p.
Call Number/Link:  E MARKES, J.

Rating:    ****

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

At Thanksgiving time, children express their gratitude for the people and things in their lives.

Comments:

It can be very frustrating to try to find a Thanksgiving book that is a good choice for Toddler Time and/or Preschool Storytime.  Hurray!  I was thrilled to discover this one!

While it is a Thanksgiving book, it is also a book about thankfulness.  It talks about seasonal reasons the kids are grateful (turkey, pie, golden leaves) and everyday things like school, swings, slides, puppies, puddles and MOST of all, the family they love.

The book has a brief rhyming text and large striking illustrations that will be easily visible at Storytime.

I am sooo thankful for Thanks for Thanksgiving!