Monday, April 18, 2011

The Ocean Story - Written by John Seven and Illustrated by Jana Christy



The Ocean Story - Written by John Seven and Illustrated by Jana Christy



The ocean is old and big. It is full of strange and wonderful creatures. Is story is part of the earth's story. The ocean is as important to the earth as the sun is.
But what happens when something goes wrong? What happens when the ocean story turns scary? The ocean is in trouble. We have to help save it.


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This lovely engaging story tells the "ocean story" of fish and other animals that inhabit our planet and how oil spills and other disasters are killing the animals and destroying the planet.


The pictures are beautiful. The colors are rich and realistic and can tell the story even without words being included. However, having the words makes the reading experience even richer and rewarding!


I love the pictures and the colors. This book is warm, friendly, and engaging. It is a story that parents, families, teachers, librarians,and others should read to children and to themselves.


The illustrator uses lots of rich child-friendly pastel colors. There are lots of greens, blues, purples, oranges, browns, pinks, lilac, etc. As we move to the part of the book where we learn about the oil in the ocean, we see oil at the bottom of the ocean... fish skeletons... oil all over the fish... etc. The colors change from bright and friendly to dark and dismal........


Some of the fish seem to have their own personality.... The Blob fish resembles a sad older man.. Where as in contrast, the Axolotl looks like a young happy child playing in the ocean!


We see fishermen reeling in their large catch for the day...... The fish are brown and look as if they are toxic because they were in polluted waters........ The next page reads:


"Sometimes the water is covered in sludge and goo and trash and other messy things. Things that should not be in the ocean." 

The photos are realistic. We see milk bottles, water bottles, and other life size trash. They show the oil rigs in the pictures also.


"Oil runs our cars and warms our homes. We try to pull it out with care." "But sometimes, things go wrong. Oil goes where it should not be."


"The strange, mysterious, and wonderful ocean creatures watch the ocean turn very dark all around them."


The ocean has turned from a lovely blue to a dreadful... murky... dismal..... brown!


The next picture showed polluted water..  fish and other animals covered in oil... some beached on land.......Oil rigs in the background... smoking... on fire.......


"Nothing can live in oil."


"Sometimes, the ocean story is a scary one."


I won't share with you how the story ends........


You will have to read this story to learn the ending!


I recommend this book to everyone. It should be in every home, school library, and public library!

This is a great book for story time! There should be a discussion afterwards where students and adults can discuss this book and what happens to our oceans and the environment when there are man made disasters such as oil spills and other disasters!


Pick up a copy of this must-read book when you can! You won't be disappointed!

Until the next time..........

Happy Reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A children's book a day, keeps the scary monster away!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

The Bremen Town Musicians by Hans Wilhelm

The Bremen Town Musicians
by Hans Wilhelm


Wilhelm reveals the story of four animal friends who set out on the road to Bremen to become town musicnas. Each has been doomed to a sorry fate, but by banding together they reverse their fortunes and find happiness in an unexpected and funny way.

First the donkey, then the dog, the cat. They then found a rooster. All four were doomed to a terrible fate. The four banded together to go to the Bremen to become musicans.... Talk about team work!!!!!!!!!!


They all set off in the direction of the light. It grew larger and larger until it led them to a robber's house, all lighted up.

The four friend put their heads together to decide how they might scare off the robbers. Finally they knew what to do...

At a given signal, they all began to perform their music.
The donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat meowed, and the rooster crowed!

You will have to read the book to see if they went to Bremen and peformed at all.............

Wha a lovely colorful book! I loved this story... I thought of my dog Figaro as I read this book....... This would be a great read for story time. The children will absolutely love it.............

As an animal and singer, I absolutely loved this book.



I recommend this book for all home, school, and public libraries!

Until the next time.................

Happy reading...............

A children's book a day, keeps the scary monster away!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

New York Times Picture Books
Week of February 28, 2011


This week's best selling New York Times Picture Books are included below. Mo Willems has two New York Times best selling picture books: I Broke My Trunk and We are in a Book. Let us know your thoughts on these books.

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Click here for the link to the list:

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Children's Picture Books Weeks on List
1 SILVERLICIOUS, written and illustrated by Victoria Kann. (Harper/HarperCollins, $17.99.) Pinkalicious has a loose tooth — her sweet tooth. (Ages 4 to 8) 3


2 OF THEE I SING, by Barack Obama. Illustrated by Loren Long. (Knopf, $17.99.) The president speaks of heroes in a letter to his daughters. (Ages 5 to 8) 14


3 A SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE, by Philip C. Stead. Illustrated by Erin E. Stead. (Roaring Brook, $16.99.) Animals care for a zookeeper. (Ages 2 to 6) 6


4 LEGO STAR WARS, by Simon Beecroft. (DK, $21.99.) An annotated visual dictionary. (Ages 7 and up) 61


5 WHEN I GROW UP, by Al Yankovic. Illustrated by Wes Hargis. (Harper/HarperCollins, $17.99.) Billy’s compendium of dream jobs, including pickle inspector and snail trainer. (Ages 4 to 8) 3

6 INTERRUPTING CHICKEN, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein. (Candlewick, $16.99.) A rooster struggles to tell a bed-time story. (Ages 4 to 8) 5


7 WHEREVER YOU ARE, MY LOVE WILL FIND YOU, written and illustrated by Nancy Tillman. (Feiwel & Friends, $16.99.) All about tenderness. (Ages 4 to 8) 15


8 MADELINE AT THE WHITE HOUSE, written and illustrated by John Bemelmans Marciano. (Viking, $17.99.) Madeline and the other girls meet Candle, the lonely daughter of the president. (Ages 4 to 8) 3


9 I BROKE MY TRUNK!, by Mo Willems. (Disney-Hyperion, $8.99.) Gerald tells Piggie the long, crazy story about breaking his trunk. (Ages 4 to 8) 2


10 WE ARE IN A BOOK!, by Mo Willems. (Hyperion, $8.99.) Gerald and Piggie return to the page, and ponder their existence there. (Ages 4 to 8)

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Happy Reading!!!!!!!!!!

 
Until the next time!!!!!!!

A children's book a day, keeps the scary monster away!




Saturday, January 29, 2011

Bantam of the Opera - Written and Illustrated by Mary Jane Auch



Bantam of the Opera


Written and Illustrated by Mary Jane Auch




Luigi may have been born a bantam rooster, but he has the soul of a musician. When his musical variations on the boring "Cock-a-doodle-do"get him in trouble with the head rooster, Luigi takes to wandering away from the hen house where his talents are not appreciated. Then one day, roosting on the farmer's front porch, Luigi hears something on the radio that will change his life forever--- opera!


As an opera lover and librarian, I giggled when I saw the this book in the library. I laughed even harder when I started reading this delightfully witty children's book! The colors are vibrant and inviting! There are lots of bright oranges, purples, greens, blues! This book is what you would expect for an opera-related children's book! This will be a great book for story time!

I highly recommend that anyone who loves a funny story and who likes opera should read this book!

Happy reading!!!!!!!!!!

Until the next time.....

A children's book a day, keeps the scary monster away!







Saturday, January 22, 2011

Pittsburgh Opera's Opera for Educators Workshop

Today I attended the Pittsburgh Opera's "Opera for Educators" workshop. I thoroughly enjoyed this workshop. We learned about the upcoming opera Rinaldo by George Frederick Handel, opera in general, how sets are designed, some of the arias in the opera, and watched a rehearsal with the orchestra. The food was absolutely delicious. 

We all received packets and two CDs with lesson plans, music, and a plethora of opera resources both online and in print.

We were all given the opportunity to select a book to take with us. I was even given the list of books that the Pittsburgh Opera has in its library. I was so excited when I saw the book "The Dog Who Sang at the Opera" that was written by Jim West and Marshall Izen and illustrated by Erika Oller.

I will review this children's book in my next entry.

Happy Reading...........

Until the next time...

A children's book a day, keeps the scary monster away!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Martin Luther King Day Books

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
will arrive on Monday January 15, 2010




I am including a list of books below that you might want to read at your local public and/or school library. Let us know what you think!

Books on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday



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A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Picture Book Biography)  by David A. Adler and Illustrated by and Robert Casilla.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day  by Trudi Strain Trueit


Martin Luther King Day by Janet McDonnell (Circle the Year with Holidays)


About Martin Luther King Day by Mary Virginia Fox


Martin Luther King, Jr.  Day: Count and Celebrate!) by Fredrick L. McKissack, Jr. and Lisa Beringer McKissack


Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holidays and Festivals by Rebecca Rissman

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Here is a link to additional Martin Luther King, Jr Day books:

http://www.google.com/search?q=martin+luther+king+day+books&hl=en&prmd=ivnsubo&source=univ&tbs=bks:1&tbo=u&ei=SzUvTZaAOsSp8AbL8JS7CQ&sa=X&oi=book_group&ct=title&cad=bottom-3results&resnum=14&ved=0CFQQsAMwDQ

Until the next time.............

Happy reading............

A children's book a day, keeps the scary monster away!

When Horses Ride By:Children in the Times of War

When Horses Ride By
Children in the Times of War.
Poems by Eloise Greenfield and
Illustrations by Jan Spivey Gilchrest




When the horses ride by, with men on their backs we pretend they're going anyplace, but war....


This wonderfully written book describes through poetry what war means to children all of ages and races all over the world!




I would recommend this book for any home, school, and public library. However, parents or an adult should read the book with the child and have a discussion during and after.

Until the next time.............

Happy Reading..............................

A children's book a day, keeps the scary monster away!