Picture Book Review: Only One You

Only One You
Written and illustrated by:  Linda Kranz
Published by: Rising Moon, 2006

* What first caught my eye with this book was the cover.  It's an ocean blue cover with bright, colorful "fish" swimming.  As you begin reading and take a closer look you realize that these "fish" are actually painted rocks.  Although the illustrations are detailed and enjoyable to look at, I found the text of this book to be even more enjoyable.  Mama and Papa fish feel it's time to share some wisdom with their child, Adri.  The advice they give to their child, including, "Know when to speak; know when to listen" and "Set aside some quiet time to relax and reflect.  Every day."  are things that I as an adult can be reminded of!  The front and back inside covers feature lots  more bits of wisdom.  This is a book that can be read over and over and should be read over and over as a gentle reminder to your kids and to yourself about how to make one's self and the world a better place.  The kids really enjoyed looking at the pictures, but I'm not sure how much they appreciated this book, being 4 and 6.  However, this is a book that I can see finding a place on our permanent bookshelf so we can revisit it again and again.

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up.

Chapter Book Review: New York City

New York City (Read-it! Chapter Books)
Written and illustrated by:  Lisa Thompson
Published by: Picture Window Books, 2006

* On one of their weekend trips to the library my husband found this book and thought my daughter would enjoy it.  My daughter read it on her own and then, because I was curious, I read the book.  I found this book to be a great mix of fiction and fact.  Ari and Tess are skateboarding, although I'm not sure you know here, when they receive their first mission.  They discover that they have been picked as special agents by the SWAT (Secret World Adventure Team) and must travel to New York City.  They have 24 hours to help a boy named TJ and his friends save their skate park.  Once they get to New York and meet TJ they get involved in a treasure hunt competition that, if they win, will give them enough money to save the skate park.  As the kids race around NYC lots of information about famous landmarks are given.  I also liked the use of real photographs interspersed with black and white "sketch" illustrations.  I don't think the skateboard theme was very appealing to my six year old daughter (who knows practically nothing about skateboarding and doesn't seem very interested in learning more!).  However, we live in the suburbs of NYC and she's been several times, so she was familiar with some of the landmarks mentioned.  Plus, she enjoys scavenger hunts.  She's already expressed interest in reading book #2 in the series Mission 002:  Sent to Sydney.  I'm also very curious to check it out.  Other missions take the reader to London, Tokyo, Africa, Spain, India, and Thailand. I think these books are a great way for children to learn more about the world around them! 

This book was borrowed from the library.

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Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Picture Book Review: Good News Bad News

Good News Bad News
Written and illustrated by:  Jeff Mack
Published by: Chronicle Books, 2012

* My kids first read this story with my husband.  I had a pile of books that they had read with him that I hadn't read yet.  I asked them which one they wanted to hear again and they both agreed that this book was their favorite!

For a book that only has four words in it "Good News......Bad News" this book offers a lot!  Rabbit and mouse are friends but Rabbit seems to see the positive in things while Mouse tends to see the negative.  Each page has either Rabbit with "Good news!" or Mouse with "Bad news."  I enjoyed having the kids explain to me why each picture was either "good" or "bad" news.  Since I hadn't read the book I made predictions as I read.  My daughter was surprised, "How did you know that?!!" which led me to go back to the illustrations and have her think about the scenario.  In the end the book is really about friendship and spending time with each other, whether you see the glass "half-full" or "half-empty."

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating:  2 thumbs up!
   

Picture Book Review: Penguin and Pinecone

Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story
Written and illustrated by:  Salina Yoon
Published by: Walker & Company, 2012

*  One day Penguin finds an object (a pinecone) but doesn't know what it is.  Whatever it is, it looks cold, so he knits a scarf for it and loves his new friend.  Penguin's grandfather explains that Pinecone needs to live in the forest where it's warmer.  So Penguin goes on a trip to bring Pinecone back to the forest. As time passes by Penguin wants to see if Pinecone has grown big and strong, back in the forest.  He discovers that his friend has grown up.  The two play but Penguin can't stay.  Even though they are both sad they know that they will stay in each other's hearts. 

My parents read this story to the kids, on a rare night that my husband and I went out!  I then read it to my son, who enjoyed it the second time too! This was a very cute story about friendship. I enjoyed this one a lot and thought it touched upon more than just friends having fun.  It showed that friends can be apart from each other and think about and miss one other. It also showed that when reunited, friends can have as much fun as they did when they first met. I loved the ending line "when you give love....it grows." The illustrations were cute and helped add to the story.

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Picture Book Review: The Three Ninja Pigs

The Three Ninja Pigs
Written by:  Rosen Schwartz
Illustrated by:  Dan Santa
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2012

* I am a big fan of fractured fairy tales and we have read many as a family.  I think this one is one of my favorites!  This story told in rhyme, is a take on The Three Little Pigs with a martial arts theme.  My family could relate to this book since both my husband and kids are all taking tae kwon do.  In this book the reader is introduced to aikido, jujitsu, and karate, since each pig chooses a different discipline to study at the Ninja school, after being bullied by the wolf.  The pigs (and reader) learns that takes time and practice to master.  I liked how the third pig demonstrated to the pig what she could do with some bricks, rather than actually hurt the pig.  That alone was enough to scare him off.  The pig related puns were humorous and the illustrations were colorful and engaging.  This was an enjoyable read that we all enjoyed!

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

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Picture Book Review: Mossy

Mossy
Written and illustrated by:  Jan Brett
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2012

* My husband was at the library with the kids when the children's librarian asked the kids if they were interested in reading this book.  It was brand new to the library and she was getting ready to put it out on display.  Of course they said yes.  Our family is a huge fan of Jan Brett.  We have read most of her books and have yet to be disappointed. 

In short, this story is about Mossy an Eastern Box Turtle who is living in Lilypad Pond.  She is special because a garden is growing on her shell.  She has made a new friend Scoot when biologist,  Dr. Carolina, catches her and puts her on exhibit at her museum.  While Mossy brings many visitors to the museum, Dr. Carolina's niece, Tory notices that Mossy looks sad.  Dr. Carolina invites Flora and Fauna to come paint Mossy's picture and then she and Tory return Mossy to the pond. 

As usual, the pictures in this book are beautiful and so detailed.  I found this book interesting and didn't realize until reading it that plants can grow on turtle shells.  Winter has just begun and as the cold weather and snow have just started arriving it's nice to read a book that makes me think about and anticipate spring! 

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up.

Non-Fiction Picture Book Review: Celebrate Kwanzaa

Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Kwanzaa
Written by:  Carolyn Otto
Published by: National Geographic, 2008

* I first discovered the National Geographic series, Holidays Around the World with Celebrate Hanukkah.  I found it to be a very informative but easy to understand book with amazing photographs (though you wouldn't expect less from National Geographic!).  I was excited to discover that they had a Celebrate Kwanzaa book and put it on hold at the library.  I ended up reading this book to just my 6 year old daughter, only because my son was off playing and we were snuggled up on the couch reading.  Just like the Celebrate Hanukkah book this book was written so even young children can easily understand it.  The author explains what Kwanzaa is, how people celebrate, and even gives some information on Africa.  The photographs show all the different ways that people celebrate the holiday including dancing, lighting the kinara, drummers, and people dressed up in bright clothing, "displaying the patterns and colors of Africa."  This is not the first book that we've read about Kwanzaa, so my daughter is familiar with holiday.  There is a picture of children in Africa playing mancala, which my daughter told me she has played at school (which was news to me!).  Although she said it's really boring.  The author also gives a recipe for Sweet Potato Pie at the end of the book along with a list of other resources to find out more about the holiday.  Overall, this is a great book for young children about Kwanzaa with accopmanying photographs, rather than illustrations.

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Picture Book Review: Christmas Cookies

Christmas Cookies
Written by:  Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Illustrated by:  Jane Dyer
Published by: HarperCollins, 2008

* We had previously read Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Cookies:  Bite-Size Life Lessons as a family and we loved it.  So I was very excited to discover that she had a Christmas related book.  Again, using cookies as a theme, Krouse Rosenthal teaches important words that you want your child to know....words like appreciative, gratitude, and perseverance among many.  The definition of the words are written in very simple language that even my four year old son could easily understand.  The illustrations are bright and colorful and feature lots of cute animals.  This is a book that I would not mind adding to our permanent collection so that we can read it over and over. 

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Picture Book Review: Hanukkah Moon

Hanukkah Moon
Written by:  Deborah Da Costa
Illustrated by:  Gosia Mosz
Published by:  Kar-Ben Publishing, 2007

* In this story Isobel goes to visit her Aunt Luisa's house during the beginning of Hanukkah.  Aunt Luisa has just moved from Mexico and Isobel is unsure that her aunt will know how to celebrate Hanukkah in the US.  Isobel discovers that her Aunt celebrates the holiday with both the familiar (eating latkes) and the unfamiliar (celebrating the Hanukkah Moon).  And there's also the familiar with a twist (a hanukkiah/menorah handmade by her aunt to resemble Noah's Ark), Feliz Januca (Happy Hanukkah in Spanish) and a dreidel shaped pinata.  I even learned something new about Rosh Hodesh, the celebration of the new moon, and the significance of the time for women.  Isobel also receives a camera from her aunt and the enjoy time together taking pictures of the birds that visit her aunt's tree and identifying them.

My daughter had chosen this book from our big pile of library reads because she is learning about the moon in school.  Like I mentioned in yesterday's post, we celebrate Hanukkah with my husband's mother's side of the family.  So my children are familiar with the holiday.  I think we all found this story interesting because of the Mexican influences that were introduced to us.  There is a glossary at the end of the book with definitions of some of the words children may be unfamiliar with.  This was a very enjoyable Hanukkah themed picture book.

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up. 

Non-fiction Picture Book Review: Celebrate Hanukkah

Celebrate Hanukkah
Written by:  Deborah Heiligman, Consultant:  Rabbi Shira Stern
Published by: National Geographic, 2006

* Happy Hanukkah! Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah and the first of eight holiday related book reviews.   I reviewed this book on my original blog The Busy Mom Cafe at Hanukkah last year.  However, it is hard to find children's books that describe and explain holidays so that a 4 and 6 year old can understand them. This book fits so well that I wanted to share it again, in case you might have missed it.  Although this book is geared toward 1st through 4th graders, I was pleasantly surprised to find this book understandable to my 6 year old daughter.  While it may be a little advanced for my son he enjoyed looking at the pictures and I think with repeated readings he learns a bit more each year.  The text is short and simple, yet informative.  Being from National Geographic, you get a global perspective of the holiday with photographs of children from all over the world and information on how they celebrate the holiday.  At the end of the book there are instructions on how to light the menorah and the prayers to say, a recipe for latkes, and instructions on playing the dreidel game. There are also book and websites listed in the back if you want to find out more about the holiday.

My mother-in-law's family celebrates Hanukkah so my children are familiar with the traditions.  During Hanukkah we light a menorah, play dreidel with them, and eat potato latkes.  I like that they get to participate and learn about both Jewish and Catholic holidays throughout the year.  While we enjoy reading fiction picture books about the holidays, I think it is important that they also read and listen to factual books too.  This is a book that is informational and enjoyable for us all.

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up.

Picture Book Review: Waiting for Winter

Waiting for Winter
Written and illustrated by:  Sebastian Meschenmoser
Published by:  Kane Miller, 2009

As winter is quickly approaching I thought that this book was a timely read.  In this story, Squirrel, who usually stays inside during winter, has decided that he wants to see it snow.  He soon discovers that waiting for snow is boring and in the midst of waiting awakens Hedgehog.  They eventually waken Bear and the three animals sit waiting for snow.  Since none of them have actually seen snow they go with the info from Deer that snow is, "white and wet and cold and soft."  Each animal has their own idea of what snow is (which had my kids hysterical!) until at the end it really does begin to snow.  Amost every page of text in this book is followed by several pages of just sketched illustrations.  My husband and kids really enjoyed the pictures in this book.  I thought that Squirrel looked a bit scraggily.  This was a seasonally appropriate book that we all enjoyed!

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Picture Book Review: Let's Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy

Let's Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy
Written and illustrated by:  Jan Thomas
Published by: Beach Lane Books, 2012

We are big Jan Thomas fans!  We've read most of her books including Is Everyone Ready for Fun? and Rhyming Dust Bunnies.  Her books are silly with big, bright illustrations and this one is no different.  In this story cowboy is singing a lullaby to put the cows to bed when he gets scared by some not-so-scary things.  You can click here to visit the Jan Thomas official website and listen to Cowboy sing his lullaby.  When he finally should be scared of something he's not, which provides for a cute ending.  We all enjoyed this book as much as her others.  I highly recommend you check Jan Thomas out if you haven't before!

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!