Picture Book Review: The Circus Ship

The Circus Ship
Written and illustrated by:  Chris Van Dusen
Published by: Candlewick Press, 2009

* This fictional story about a circus ship is told in rhyme.  When a circus ship en route from Maine to Boston crashes, the fifteen animals swim all night in the cold water, until they reach a small island village.  At first the villagers were a bit annoyed and bothered with the circus animals roaming about.  But after the tiger rescues little Emma Rose from a fire they have a change of heart.  The animals and villagers were living peacefully when there was word that the circus owner was coming back to get his animals.  Mr. Paine was greedy and mean and the animals didn't want to go back so the villagers came up with a plan to hide them. (The kids found this part to be especially humorous!)  Mr. Paine looks everywhere for his circus animals but eventually leaves the island empty-handed.  The villagers and animals end up living happily ever after.

I found it interesting to learn that this book was inspired by an actual event.  On October 25, 1836, the Royal Tar, a steam ship with 103 passengers and a complete circus ended up burning in flames after hitting a gale off the island of Vinalhaven, Maine.  Unfortunately, most people and all of the animals died in this accident. 

Van Dusen took this tragic story and used it to help him create a fun tale.  Van Dusen is also the illustrator of the Mercy Watson books by Kate DiCamillo.  His colorful and almost cartoonish illustrations are perfect for this story.

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Picture Book Review: Look! Look! Look! at Sculpture

Look! Look!  Look! at Sculpture
Written and Illustrated by:  Nancy Elizabeth Wallace with Linda K. Friedlaender
Published by: Marshall Cavendish Children, 2012

* My almost 7 year-old daughter is a budding artist.  She loves any type of crafty, creative arts and crafts type project.  I recently had a watercolor that she painted, of a fish in an ocean scene, matted and framed.  She made it in art class in Kindergarten but it seriously looks professional!  She did not get this talent from me.  My husband definitely passed down the artist genes to her. When I saw this book on the shelf at the library I thought that it might interest her and introduce her to a new medium. 

In this book three mice see a poster for a Celebrate Sculpture! event at the local art museum.  Of course they decide to go. The mice look at different exhibits of actual images of real sculptures.  They are mainly interested in the sculpture from the invitation (and also on the cover of the book) "Four Rectangles with Oblique Circles, 1966" by Barbara Hepworth.  The mice talk about the shapes and material the sculpture is made of as they observe the piece.  They then sketch and sculpt their own versions of what they see.  There is a lot of great art vocabulary introduced, like lines, shading, flat vs. 3-D, and texture.  I also liked how the mice went on a museum walk, with their hands behind their backs.  When my daughter was asked why are they walking with their hands behind their backs she was able to conclude that you shouldn't touch things at a museum (unless of course it's a Children's museum!).    At the end of the book the author explains what sculpture is and provides more examples.  She also gives instructions on creating Paper SHAPE Sculptures.  Detailed info about each of the sculptures in the book is also provided at the end.  This was a book that was enjoyed by us all.

Reading this book motivated my husband and I to think about taking our kids to an art museum.  We've been to many children's museums but I think the kids are old enough now to visit the Museum of Natural History or the Museum of Modern Art (the MOMA).  NYC is only a short train ride away.  This is something that we definitely plan to do in the next few months! 

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

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Picture Book Review: Oscar and the Bat: A Book About Sound

Oscar and the Bat:  A Book About Sound
Written and illustrated by:  Geoff Waring
Published by: Walker Books, 2006

* At school my daughter was finishing up a study of sound in science.  As part of the end of the unit she was required to make a musical instrument out of household materials.  She chose maracas using mini water bottles and beans.  They turned out really cute and my husband and I were very proud of her.  Although my husband helped her a little with the paper mache and gluing the dowels (for the handles) this was really her idea and vision from start to finish.  As a former teacher I've seen projects that have clearly been completed by parents.  This was not one of them!

I thought it would be nice to get a book about sound that she might be able to connect with since she's been studying it.  Author/illustrator Geoff Waring has written several science books featuring Oscar, an inquisitive kitten, that deal with topics like electricity, light and dark, and growing.  This was our first "Oscar" book.  After reading it I realize that these books are actually more appropriate for my 4 1/2 year old son, than my almost 7 year old daughter.  The book focuses on listening and the different sounds you hear (animal noises, weather, grass blowing in the breeze, vehicle engines) but doesn't really go into much detail about the hows/whys. 

For preschool students I think this is a great introduction book.  For older kids, probably not so much.

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

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Non-Fiction Picture Book Review: The House That George Built

The House That George Built
Written by:  Suzanne Slade
Illustrated by:  Rebecca Bond
Published by: Charlesbridge, 2012

* In honor of Presiden'ts Day I thought that I'd post a book about Washington.  More specifically, the house that he built.  The book opens with a foreword about the formation of the United States of America and the search for a leader of this new country, George Washington.  The pages on the left side of the book give details about the design, placement, and construction of the White House.  The right side text mimics the British nursery rhyme "This Is the House That Jack Built" with "the President's House that George Built."  I found this book to be informative (even I learned things about the construction of the White House!) but not too detailed that it was lost on my 4 1/2 year old son.  The illustrations look to be colorful and detailed watercolor paintings.  At the end of the book the author includes changes to the White House that various Presidents have made, including Clinton adding a hot tub and jogging track in 1993 and President Obama and the First Lady planting a vegetable garden on the south lawn in 2009.  Slade also includes additional resources if you want to learn more about the White House.  Overall, we found this to be an informative and fun read.

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

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Beginning Reader Book Review: Arthur's Great Big Valentine

Arthur's Great Big Valentine
Written and illustrated by:  Lillian Hoban
Published by: HarperCollins, 1989

* Although Lillian Hoban's Arthur series has been around for awhile this was the first Arthur book that my son and I read together.  It's a Level 2 (Grades 1-3) in the I Can Read Book series.  While he had no real difficulty reading this book it was a bit lengthier than most books we have read together.  There are no chapters so we ended up breaking this up into two days of reading, taking turns reading. 

It's Valentine's Day and Arthur is getting ready to go out ot play in the snow while his sister, Violet, is making valentines.  When asked why he's not making any valentines, Arthur tells his sister that he has no friends because he got in a fight with his best friend Norman.  While playing a stick accidentally ripped Norman's jacket.  Norman got mad and made a secret club with their other friends, and Arthur wasn't included.  Their friend Wilma comes with invitations to her Valentine's party.  But when Arthur discovers that Norman will be there he doesn't want to go.  Eventually, Arthur discovers that Norman is bringing him a secret valentine, so he makes a valentine for Norman.  The two have missed each other and want to be friends again. 

This was a sweet Valentine's Day story about friendship that is appropriate for the beginning reader.  My son and I enjoyed this and will continue to read some of the other Arthur books in the series. 

This book was borrowed from the library.

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Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Children's Poetry Book Review: The Green Mother Goose

The Green Mother Goose:  Saving the World One Rhyme at a Time
Written by:  Jan Peck and David Davis
Illustrated by:  Carin Berger
Published by: Sterling, 2011

* By now my kids, ages 4 and 6, are familiar with almost all of the Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes.  My daughter enjoys poetry books too so I thought this would be a cute book to read.  The two authors take classic Mother Goose rhymes and change the words so they all have a "green" message.  They touch upon everything from turning lights off when leaving a room, eating local and organic food, car-pooling, picking up trash, and more.  Even the pages of the book are printed with soy-based inks and printed on paper from mixed sources.  The kids enjoyed the fun "recycled" illustrations too.

I have read many reviews on Goodreads from readers who question, "Why mess with Mother Goose?"  In the same way that fractured fairy tales have become very popular, I think different takes on nursery rhymes can be entertaining as well.  This book is probably not suitable for very young children becoming familiar with nursery rhymes.  However, for older children who are familiar with the rhymes already I think this is a motivating way for them to read and learn about ways to be eco-friendly.

I think that the authors' message is an important one and this book does a great job of getting it across in a kid-friendly way. 

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.



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Picture Book Review: Substitute Groundhog

Substitute Groundhog
Written by:  Pat Miller
Illustrated by:  Kathi Ember
Published by:  Albert Whitman & Company, 2006

* Happy Groundhog's Day!  Are we expecting six more weeks of winter or an early spring?  I'm totally over winter.....hoping the groundhog didn't see his shadow today! 

I found this book at the library and thought it would be cute to read to the kids.  In this story Groundhog wakes up sick.  He goes to Dr. Owl who tells him that he needs to rest for two days.  But Groundhog Day is the next day so Groundhog puts up an advertisment for a substitute.  Many animals apply but none seem right for the job:  Mole can't see well, Eagle can't fit in Groundhog's hole, Bear gets comfy and falls asleep in the hole.  Eventually, Groundhog finds the perfect substitute in Armadillo, who was visiting from Texas. 

This book is focused more on finding the perfect groundhog substitute, rather than on the holiday (although is Groundhog Day really a holiday?!!).  It did help me to remember that if the groundhog sees his shadow, there's six more weeks of winter (I always get confused as to which is which!).  Overall, this was a cute, holiday read.

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.