Who's Got Game: The Ant Or The Grasshopper by Toni and Slade Morrison

This book is a graphic novel based on the classic Aesop Fable about the ant and the grasshopper. I was immediately drawn to this book because it was written by Toni Morrison and I've always enjoyed her novels. The illustrations and layout of the pages are very reminiscent of a comic book. In fact, I would probably argue that the only thing that actually separates this graphic novel from a comic book is the amount of text in the book. The text itself has a very loose rhyming scheme that is very similar to a simple melody or piece of poetry. Also, the story is told in a very laid back way that resembles actual talking. For example, the book begins with the line "Foxy G and his ace Kid A..." The story is actually quite sad, and the main character Foxy G is homeless. At one point in the story Foxy G is even living in a cardboard box in the park in the dead of winter. Foxy G, homeless and hungry, goes to his best friend Kid A for food and a place to stay. The narrative is extremely complicated and may not be appropriate for younger students. For example, some of the themes I found in this book were the integrity of being an artist, betrayal, selfishness, etc. Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel and found it to be a very original, unique read. I would certainly recommend this graphic novel to an older reader.

Pinky And Rex Get Married by James Howe

This was a very short picture/chapter book that was classified and sorted in the picture book section of the curriculum library. The entire book is comprised of only five chapters and forty pages The two main characters in the story, Pinky and Rex, are a young boy and girl who are best friends and decide to "get married." I thought it was interesting that the name of the boy in the story was Pinky and the girl's name was Rex. When i first picked up this book to read I thought for sure that the girl's name would be Pinky, but I was wrong. The book is certainly more narrative based than illustrated, and there are only some very simple illustrations about every other page or so. After Rex gets home from a wedding Pinky has an idea and tells her the following: "Let's get married." Rex agrees, and her and Pinky go about some steps of setting up a wedding. They invite their friends (stuffed animals), get music (a C.D. player), and even obtain rings (made out of grass). I thought the story itself was not very engaging or interesting, and there was almost no use of humor whatsoever (something I always enjoy in picture books). In summary, I don't think I would reccomend this book to many readers because I found it quite dry and not very enjoyable.

Spuds by Karen Hesse

I really enjoyed this particular picture book because it is so much different than any children's book I have ever read. The story is extremely unique and original: it is about a family in poverty and without enough food. I'm positive that this is only one of a few picture books I have ever read where the main characters face such struggles. Specifically, the mother character is much different than most picture books. In Spuds the mother is a single mom who works the night shift, and simply can't properly provide for her three children. Usually, picture books are extremely idealistic and stereotypical, but Spuds is quite the opposite. The dialogue of the characters is written and spoken in a sort of slang that helps convey the particular situation the family is in. For example, in one part of the book the narrator says "Me and Maybelle, we layered on a heap a' clothes." The story is sincere and touching, and there is a part of the book where the three children decided to to steal potatoes from a farm because they don't have enough to eat. They even refer to themselves as "tater-snatchers." To complement the dark narrative, the illustrations are very simple and refined, and made up of mostly earth tones. Overall I thought the story was quite sad, but I would definetely recommend the book to any reader due to the fact that it is such a different type of story and certainly worth reading.

Lilly's Big Day by Kevin Henkes

As an aspiring teacher I found the premise of this book to be very interesting. The main character, Lilly, has a teacher named Mr. Slinger who is marrying the school nurse. I thought it was very intriguing that the author would choose to make a picture book about a teacher marrying another member of the faculty. I immediately wondered if this is an appropriate topic for students. The illustrations are very simplistic, and I can understand why this book would be classified in the Fantasy genre. All of the characters are mouses, yet they display human characterisitics such as wearing clothes, getting married, and talking. Another part of this book I found interesting was the way Lilly's father was depicted. There is a particular illustration in the book where her father is holding a bottle of red wine, two wine glasses, and wearing a purple yin-yang shirt. Lilly's father is portrayed as a very modern and laid back dad in this story. Admittedly, this book does have a good sense of humor. For example, there is a particular scene where Lilly dreams of being a flower girl, draws a self portrait, and then claims to be "Better than the bride!" In the end, the story is very encouraging and has a theme of being a good person. I would recommend this book to all readers because it was quite entertaining and a fun read.

Come Fly With Me by Satomi Ichikawa

This book is definitely part of the Fantasy genre, as only two characters in the book are a talking stuffed dog named Woggy and a talking wooden plane named Cosmos. The story itself is about two best friends, Woggy and Cosmos, and the adventure they have in Paris. The illustrations are very soft and colorful and work to complement the story perfectly. The story is extremely simplistic and childish, and would be perfect for younger children and extremely young readers. My personal favorite part of the story were the lush illustrations of the city of Paris. I also enjoyed how on some pages the text is laid out to complement the narrative. For example there is a page when Woggy and Cosmos are in a tailspin and flying towards the ground, and the text goes vertically down the page. The book has a very predictable, yet cheery, ending. In summary, the narrative itself is extremely simplistic and is all about friendship. I would recommend this book only to young readers, as fluent or advanced readers would most likely find it too simple for their taste.

My Friend The Starfinder by George Ella Lyon

Immediately after I finished reading this book I was positive that it had the my favorite illustrations of any picture book I have ever read. The illustrations are a joy to look at and I even went back through the book a couple of times looking at just the pictures without even reading any of the text. The illustrations are extremely colorful and rich, done in watercolors, and seem to be dripping off the page. However, there is some very nice contrast in the illustrations as well due to the fact that some of the illustrations are done in a very stark black and white watercolor theme. The story/narrative itself is a very touching story about a young girl who befriends her neighbor who is an old man and lives by himself. Interestingly, there is very little actual text in the book, and the story seems to revolve around the illustrations. Much of the text is extremely descriptive and rich though (i.e. "glassy, blackish green like puddles around a coal pile."). The story is very surreal and I would definitely classify this book as falling in the Science Fiction or Fantasy genre. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to any reader. Also, this book would be great for classrooms, where there seems to be a real shortage of Science Fiction and Fantasy books.

Mary Marony Hides Out by Suzy Kline

Mary Marony Hides Out is a short novel/chapter book that is about eighty pages in length. The narrative is about a young student, Mary Marony, who loves reading and finally gets a chance to meet her favorite author, Jan Berry, when she comes to visit Mary's school. The main character, Mary, has a stuttering problem and sometimes gets made fun of at school. I thought this was an interesting aspect of the story because so often the main character in childrens books is a completely unflawed "perfect" boy or girl. Mary, however, struggles with her speech impediment and has to deal with getting made fun of at school. Also, Mary sees a speech therapist at school. I also liked this portion of the book because so many children receive special education and/or extra help at school. However, childrens books so rarely depict that side of education and children. The book also makes good use of simplistic black and white illustrations to help compliment the storyline. I also enjoyed the fact that the book reolves around Mary's love of reading and her favorite author. I think it helps to encourage children to read when they themselves read about a character in a book that already has a passion for reading and literature. The ending of the novel is very encouraging and fit well with the story. In summary, I would definetely recommend this book and I throughoughly enjoyed it.

Dear Fish by Chris Gall

The first thing that struck me about this book were the illustrations. They have a very textured look and feel to them that is very unique for a picture book. The illustrations are also very colorful, and use lots of lines, shading, and depth to give them depth. The storyline of Dear Fish is extremely surreal and definitely based in fantasy. It is also worth noting that this is by far the funniest picture book I have read in a long time. The premise of the narrative is that a young boy throws a message in a bottle into the ocean inviting fish to his house. By the time he is getting ready for school the next day there are fish in the bathtub, whales in the neighbors front yard, and sharks at the local rodeo. The story is also written very rhythmically and tends to have a flow that is reminiscent of poetry. For example, on every page that describes the fish there are four very descriptive words (i.e. "dripping, flipping, flopping, gurgling"). Overall, the story and illustrations are very entertaining and the story has a wonderful twist ending. I would definitely recommend this picture book to young readers with an imagination.

June 29, 1999 by David Wiesner

June 29, 1999 is certainly one of my favorite picture books I have read so far. The narrative revolves around a young girl who conducts a complicated science experiment for school involving "extra-terrestrial conditions" and seedlings. Soon after this phenomenon all the gian vegetables float down from the sky and settle safely on the ground. Interestingly, the gian vegetables "become very big business." In one of the funnier and more interesting parts of the book houses are made out of gaint pumpkins, and New York is given a new nickname. As a result of the young girl's experiment giant vegetables such as turnips, lettuce, and broccoli begin to fill the sky all over the country. The illustrations are typical of a Wiesner book: they are extremely rich and descriptive and complement the story perfectly. The end of the book is extremely satisfying and very funny. I would certainly recommend this book to a young reader and I enjoyed it immensly.

Flotsam by David Wiesner

Flotsam is a wordless picture book that I found to be quite enjoyable. Admittedly, I usually don't really like wordless books and I tend to find them tedious, boring, and without a real narrative. However, Flotsam is probably my favorite wordless picture book I've ever read. The storyline has a very mysterious vibe to it and it immediately reminded me of a Chris Van Allsburg book. For example, the narrative revolves around an underwater camera that washes ashore on more than one occasion. The illustrations of landscapes such as the beach and ocean are extremely realistic and rich looking. The illustrations in the book really help to put the reader in the story and are very engaging. Also, the illustrations are extremely surreal. For example, there are mechanical fishes, domesticated octopi, partying aliens, and gigantic star fish. Finally, there is a very strange theme throughout the book of a picture within a picture that further lends the book a mysterious and strange feeling. In summary, I enjoyed the illustrations of this wordless picture book and thought the narrative was interesting enough to follow without any text.

Olivia Forms A Band by Ian Falconer

I decided to read this book after greatly enjoying the first Olivia book I read. I was immediately drawn to this title because of my love of anything related to music. The first thing that stood out about this book was the difference in the illustrations. In comparison to the first Olivia book, this title had much more colorful illustrations. Whereas Olivia was illustrated in only black and white with very little red, this book used many other colors and had some very interesting background illustrations as well. For example, towards the end of the book Olivia and her family attend a fireworks show and the there are some gorgeous illustrations of the setting sun and the fireworks going off. The narrative of the book revolves around Olivia wanting to start her own band. My personal favorite part of this book is a fold out section in the middle where Olivia is marching under transcribed sheet music and notes. Also, I really enjoyed the last page of the book when Olivia is finally sleeping and dreams she is sitting on the Supreme Court. In summary, I greatly enjoyed this book and found it just as enjoyable as the first Olivia book.

Olivia by Ian Falconer

The first thing that struck me about this book was the very minimal style of the illustrations. The entire book is illustrated in a very stark black and white theme with some red color to accentuate certain items such as a toothbrush, jump rope, etc. Personally, I really enjoyed the illustrations. The characters were drawn very simplistically, but it is very effective and works well for the simple story line. The narrative itself is about a small pig named Olivia that is very energetic and wears herself and other people out (most notably her the rest of her family). Olivia is portrayed as a female character and often has accessories such as a purse, dress, etc. One thing that stood out for me in this book was the excellent use of humor. For example, there is a scene in the book where Olivia gets very good at building sand castles and proceeds to build a sand castle sky scraper. My favorite part of the book is when Olivia goes to the art museum with her mom. She observes a painting that is very similar to a Jackson Pollack, and claims she could paint the same thing in about five minutes. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am excited to read the rest of the Olivia series.

Horrible Harry and the Green Slime by Suzy Kline

This novel is part of the "Horrible Harry" series, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The book is separated into four different stories all featuring Harry (Secret Pals, The Deadly Skit, Invasion of the Cobwebs, Demonstrations). All four stories are narrated from the perspective of Horrible Harry's friend Doug. Throughout the book Harry is portrayed as being mischievous at times, but still a good person and friend. There are some really good illustrations throughout the book that help to give the narrative life. For example, in the first story "Secret Pals" there are handwritten notes from Harry to his friend in child's handwriting. Interestingly, "The Deadly Skit" is about the dangers of cigarettes and smoking. This is a topic I haven't come across often in childrens books and I think it's great that Suzy Kline chose to write about it. Also, Harry is a well fleshed out character with real depth and emotion. For example, in "Invasion of the Cobwebs" Horrible Harry cries when his teacher reads aloud Charlotte's Web and Charlotte dies in the end. Harry's teacher then goes on to discuss death with her class and tells the class that "dying is a part of life." Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book and found it very engaging to read. Kline deals with some real life issues such as the dangers of smoking and death that make the book appllicable to teacher and student. I would certainly recommend this book to older readers.

The Wreck of the Zephyr by Chris Van Allsburg

Like most Van Allsburg books the rich, detailed illustrations drew me to this book immediately. Some of Van Allsburg's best illustrations can be found in The Wreck of the Zephyr. Specifically, his paintings of landscapes scenes such as the beach and the sea are extremely well done. The story is about a boy who is a sailor and his boat the Zephyr. The boy believes himself to be a great sailor, and one night risks sailing in dangerous conditions. The boy is knocked out and stranded on a beach he has never seen or heard of before. Like most of Van Allsburg's books, The Wreck of the Zephyr has a very mysterious and strange vibe to it. Also, this book in particular has an extremely surreal feeling to it. For example, there is one scene where the boy witnesses boats sailing above the water. The ending is typical of a Van Allsburg book: the reader is left wondering and encouraged to draw his or her own conclusion. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone. This is definetely one of my favorite books by Chris Van Allsburg.

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

The first thing that struck me about this book were the wonderful illustrations. All of the drawings in the book are done in very sparse black and white/charcoal pencils. The story itself is about a kitten who mistakes the moon for a bowl of milk in the sky and tries to find ways to drink it. The text of the book has a very simple scheme. For example, whenever the kitten tries to reach the moon and fails the last line of the page is "Poor Kitten!" However, the text is extremely repetitive and may be a bit boring for older children. Towards the end of the story the kitten mistakes the reflection of the moon in a pond for an even bigger bowl of milk. I particularly enjoyed the ending of the book where the kitten finally finds some milk and is a "Lucky Kitten!" rather than a "Poor Kitten!" Overall, this book is extremely simplistic and I would only recommend it to very young readers due to the extremely repetitive nature of the book.

Into The Forest by Anthony Browne

Into The Forest is another children's bok that makes very sparse use of text. Rather, the focus of the book and story seems to be mostly on the illustrations. The story itself is a bit disconcerting, and may be unsettling to some younger readers. A young boy wakes up one morning and his dad is gone. Interestingly, the boy's mother has no idea where his father is and doesn't seem to know when he'll be coming back. The boy then goes to take his sick grandma a piece of cake and is warned by his mother not to go into the forest. However, the boy decides to take the forest route anyway because it is quicker and he wants to be back at home in case his dad comes back. The forest illustrations are very interesting and the best part of the book. Throughout the forest scenes, only the boy is in color, while the forest and the characters he runs in to are in a stark black and white/charcoal. The ending of the book is encrouaging and a bit surprising. Overall I found the book to be interesting yet confusing at times. For example, there are some random characters in the forest that seem to have nothing to do with the narrative. I might recommend this book to older children looking for a challenging and intriguing read.

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

The first thing that struck me about this book was the text. It is placed in a very unique way throughout the story and gives the book a flow that is reminiscent of a poem or children's song. The illustrations in the story are very basic and clean, and go well with the simple nature of the book. The main character, Wemberly, is constantly worrying throughout the story. For example, Wemberly always worries the most about her doll named Petal. Like many children, Wemberly has a nervous habit when she worries: she rubs her doll Petal's ears, which causes her to worry more because she believes the doll's ears may fall off some day. Wemberly is a mouse, but she has many human characteristics (this is a recurring element in much of children's literature). This is a very good book for children who are just starting school. For example, Wemberly worries more than ever about the start of school, but everything works out fine for her. Wemberly ends up meeting a friend named Jewel the first day of school and they get along great. I think this is an excellent message for children who are nervous about starting school. Overall, I thought this was a very well made children's book and would certainly recommend it.

Willy The Champ by Anthony Browne

This book is quite short and focuses more on the illustrations than the text. For instance, there is usually only a sentence or two per page. However, the illustrations are very vibrant and colorful and pleasing to the eye. The main character, Willy, is a chimp who is extremely mild mannered. He enjoys reading, listening to music, movies, and walking in the park. Interestingly, Willy is portrayed as being inept at sports. For example, he is shown failing at soccer, bicycling, and swimming. It is intriguing that Willy is portrayed as a sort of nerdy character who likes to read, but is bad at soccer. This seems to send a message to kids that people fall in categories such as jocks, smart kids, etc. Also, there is a sentence in the book that "Everyone laughs at Willy, no matter what he does." The ending of the book is also worth noting, as Willy "stands up" to a bully named Buster Nose. Overall, I did not enjoy this book very much and thought it sent loaded messages through the text and illustrations. I would not recommend the Willy series by Anthony Browne.

Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman

Seedfolks is a wonderful novel by Paul Fleischman. The story is told from the perspective of thirteen different characters. This is a very unique and interesting way to tell a story in a children's book, and it's extremely effective for this particular novel. The different vignettes give the story a very fleshed out and realistic feeling because the reader gets the perspective of so many different characters. My two favorite characters in particular are Curtis, a man who is trying to win back his ex-girlfriend, and Maricela, a pregnant teenager trying to cope with the pressures of her new life. It's also worth noting that sometimes characters will contradict each other throughout the story, which makes all of the narrators feel very human and realistic. The story itself is extremely engagaing and has a very hopeful, human theme to it: an abandoned lot is turned into a garden that unites a community full of people who were once untrustworthy and skeptical of each other. I would reccomend this book to both children and adults alike as it is very well written and a fun, interesting read.

The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg

I'm a huge fan of Chris Van Allsburg's work and have always considered The Stranger to be one of my favorite books of his. In particular, I have always enjoyed the way the book is illustrated. Every picture is a very rich, colorful, warm illustration that is a bit atypical for Van Allsburg. The story itself is about a farmer, Mr. Bailey, who hits a stranger with his truck. Mr. Bailey then decides to drive the stranger back to his own house to care for him until he recovers. Mr. Bailey assumes the stranger is a hermit without a home. Like many of Van Allsburg's books, The Stranger has a very foreboding and creepy feel to it. For example, the stranger has memory loss and has no idea what his name is or where he is from. Also, when working in the field with the farmer, Mr. Bailey, the stranger never tires or breaks a sweat. These details help lend the book a very mysterious feeling. I really enjoy this book and would reccomend it to anyone. It's definetely one of my favorite books by Chris Van Allsburg.

How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? By Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Mark Teague

This book is part of a series and very similar to the other book I reviewed titled How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by the same author and illustrator. Again, this book uses a very simple rhyming scheme that makes it very easy and enjoyable to read. Also, like the other Dinosaur book, this one has the names of the specific dinosaurs written somewhere on the page they appear (for example, Cryolophosaurus is written on a table cloth on one page). The illustrations are very rich and give the dinosaurs a life and personality all their own. There is also a wide variety of dinosaurs included in this book. There are some very obscure dinosaurs that I had never hear of before such as Polacanthus and Gorgosaurus. This is a good thing because it allows children the opportunity to be able to identify and see drawings of dinosaurs they have never been exposed to before. This book also has a very similar ending to the other Dinosaur book. Overall I found this book to be very enjoyable and humorous.

The Mysteries Of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

I've always enjoyed Chris Van Allsburg and consider him to be my favorite childrens' author. This book in particular has always been on of my favorite of Van Allsburgs'. The book is a collection of fourteen drawings that are pieces of a puzzle which is left unsolved. The book encourages the reader to draw their own conclusion about the illustrations and the sparse "story" which is comprised of titles and captions for each drawing. An example of the very short titles and captions is: Another Place Another Time; If there was an answer, he'd find it there. All of the illustrations are black and white with charcoal. The illustrations are very detailed, soft drawings that are very pleasant to look at. Also, nearly all of the illustrations make use of light in some way. The titles and captions are extremely vague and mysterious and lend the book a very creepy feeling and vibe. I really enjoy this book because it is so open ended and mysterious and allows the reader to draw their own conclusion about The Mysteries Of Harris Burdick.

Chato and the Party Animals by Gary Soto. Illustrated by Susan Guevara

This is a great book for bilingual students, or any students interested in both Spanish and English. The story is about a cat named Chato and his best friend Novio Boy. Novio Boy came from the pound and has never had a birthday party before. Chato, being a party animal, decides to throw his best friend a birthday party. The book starts with a glossary of twenty Spanish words that are used throughout the story and their English translation. In the story itself the Spanish words are italicized so that the reader knows to refer to the glossary for the English translation. This book is excellent for Spanish speaking students and/or Spanish speaking ELL students. Also, this book would be perfect for English speaking students who are learning Spanish. One thing that really stuck out for me were the extremely vibrant, rich, colorful illustrations. The illustrations are paintings and they really jump right off the page at the reader. The book has a very hispanic/Spanish flavor to it. Overall, this was a very enjoyable book that can be used to stress bilingualism in the classroom.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen, Illustrated by Mark Teague

I really enjoyed this book a lot. It was very entertaining and the rhyming scheme throughout the book made it very readable. Also, the book was very informative. For example, every dinosaur's name is written somewhere in their respective room so that children can learn and make connections between the classification of dinosaur and the drawing of what it looks like. The book has great illustrations, and I especially enjoyed how the dinosaurs were drawn very large to show just how big they are in comparison to humans, a dog, house, bed, etc. I also enjoyed how the book showed many different dinosaurs before bed time. For example, dinosaurs such as a T-Rex, Stegosaurus, and Pteranodon are all in the book. It was also every entertaining to see how the dinosaurs might behave when told it was time to go to bed. The ending was very entertaining and added a bit of a twist and surprise to the story. Overall, great picture book!

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