Bedtime for Mommy

Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal is a cute reversal on what happens if it is the kids that put the parents to bed instead of vice versa. I think that kids would really see the humor in this book. They would laugh at the ridiculous notion that they could be the ones telling their parents to go to bed instead of them being told. It was fun to see the variations on the parents going to bed, wanting to stay up late to work, reading Anna Karenina as a bedtime story and laying out work clothes for the next day. The illustrations were nice but they were a little old fashioned and plain. Much of the book consisted of only pictures. There was very little text, but there probably didn't need to be more than there was. I could see this as a cute book to read before going to bed and kids giggling at, but it lacks substance to be put in a classroom.

The Inside Tree

The Inside Tree by Linda Smith has joined the group of my favorite books that I have read this semester. The story is about a man who admires the tree outside of his cozy house so much, that he has a inspired idea to bring the tree inside. But not only the tree comes inside, other various beings that belong outside join the tree in Mr. Potter's house. It begins to be too much for Mr. Potter and he needs to find a solution to this problem he has created. I liked this book a lot because the main character Mr. Potter was so likeable for both boys and girls. I also found myself very engaged with the story. I loved the idea of taking the things that we love outside inside our homes and then being reminded of the reasons why some things belong outdoors. Along with the great story were great illustrations as well. They were a great mix of cartoon and real life drawings and they were colorful as well. I could see this book as being a great read aloud for a classroom, one of almost any age. The book is recommended for ages 4-8 but I think that kids older could enjoy the story as well. I know I did!

The Middle Child Blues

The Middle-Child Blues by Kristyn Crow probably had some of my favorite illustrations ever. I'm pretty critical about illustrations, so saying that these were some of my favorite is a pretty big deal. They were full page, big and bright and provided SO much to look at. They had a shiny quality to them and they were so unique. Not only were the illustrations great, but the story was great as well. As read in the title, the main character has a serious case of the middle child blues. The book is written in the well known blues song format, and it made me want to sing the words. However, I'm not THAT familiar with the blues tune so I wouldn't have done a very good job but it added an interesting element to the story. It's also entirely relatable for many students. Being the middle child isn't always easy and this character brings to light many of the frustrations that middle children can feel. Of course, in the end he comes to some sort of resolution with his middle child status and it makes for a delightful book. I would highly recommend having this book in a classroom, for its relatability and for it's delightful pictures and story.

The Year of Impossible Goodbyes

The Year of Impossible Goodbyes was a really strong story of a Korean family during WWII whose freedoms are taken away by the occupying Japanese. When I first started reading this story, I thought the main character was a young boy. When I found out that it was a young girl, it didn't change the story much but for some reason, I was surprised. I thought it may have been the relationship with her grandfather that made me believe it was a boy narrating. Either way, the story was strong from the beginning. I found myself thinking of how I would feel in this situation and I experienced anxiety and desperation just thinking about it. The situation that this family was in where they couldn't be free or even keep possession of their belongings was just terrible. I thought that the story moved rather fast paced until the ending where they were trying to find their mother. That part didn't move along as quickly for me as the rest of the story did.

In terms of teaching this book as a teacher, I think that I could handle it. The book brings up great questions about things that many people take advantage of such as freedom and peace. I could think of some great discussions to have with my students about the things that they thought about while reading this book. Of course, I don't think that as a child I would respond as strongly to this book as I do now but I still think that it is important for students to read literature such as this. It helps not only to teach them about history but also to look at their lives in a different way.

Overall, I thought that this was a great book. Most of the book, along with the ending especially, was particularly heartbreaking but I think that it is important that we not always shield our kids from the hard subjects of history and that we let them experience it through a great way, reading.

The Perfect Gift

The Perfect Gift by Mary Newell Depalma was my favorite picture book that I read this week. It's a story about a little bird who dropped the perfect strawberry to the bottom of a river and got together with a few of her animal friends to try and rescue her strawberry, which was to be a gift for her grandmother. This book was my favorite mostly because of the illustrations. The illustrations were done with beautiful, bold colors and the color of the water was a gorgeous shade of blue that made me want to paint my whole room that color. I just found the story along with the drawings to be so soothing. It also had a great theme of teamwork. Although the animals didn't have any benefit to saving the strawberry, they were still willing to help their bird friend. This book is definitely for the younger crowd, kindergartners or first graders probably as a read aloud because there are a lot of words on the page. Also, the font is unique and while I think that it only adds to the story, it might be a little hard for a child that isn't an experienced reader. I highly recommend this book, if not for the story for the great illustrations. This is one I would definitely want to have in my classroom library.

Every Cowgirl Needs a Horse

Every Cowgirl Needs a Horse is a book that contains every little girl's wish, to get a horse for their birthday. Nellie Sue desperately wants a horse for her birthday and ends up getting a bike. Now, she didn't want a bike for her birthday but a bike is close enough in her imagination to a horse and eventually, she finds the bright side. I really liked this book. The cover alone is enough to attract any girl under age 11, with it's bright pink, sparkly stars and a little girl on a horse and the story will keep any girl enchanted. I'm not sure that a boy, at least an older one, would sit through this story most likely declaring that it's "too girly". I really liked the illustrations, the kind that take up the whole page and manage to provide print and things to look at for a few minutes before turning the page. I also liked the message, though subtle, that the book sent. Although you don't get exactly what you want, a little imagination and positive attitude can go a long way. Although I don't feel the need to have this book in my classroom, I feel that it is definitely one that I would read to my kids and have in my library at home.

Princess Pigtoria and the Pea

Princess Pigtoria and the Pea is a twist on the classic tale of The Princess and the Pea except in this case, the princess is a pig. Unexpectedly, this book also uses the letter 'p' as much as possible. I found this to be quite distracting. It was tongue twisting and while a child might have fun trying to make their way through all the 'p' words, I thought that it took away from a really cute story. The illustrations are basic, but still really nice to look at. The ending also provides a bit of a surprise which is nice for the reader. I expected to be a lot more impressed with this book. Princess and the Pea was one of my favorite stories growing up and I thought that a twist with a new kind of character would help to modernize the story a little bit and make it appeal to younger audiences. However, while a child might really enjoy this book, I found the word play with the letter 'p' a little too much to carry this story.