Beginning Reader Book Review: Poppleton Has Fun

Poppleton Has Fun
Written by:  Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by:  Mark Teague
Published by:  Scholastic Inc., 2000
Grade Level Equivalent:  2.2
DRA: 18-20
Guided Reading: J

* Although this was my son's first Poppleton the Pig book, Poppleton has starred in several books written by Cynthia Rylant.  Poppleton Has Fun is number 7 in the series.  As the title of this book suggests, in each of the three stories Poppleton has some kind of fun.  His friends Cherry Sue (a llama), Hudson (a mouse), and Fillmore (a goat) also make appearances in the various stories.  In the first story Poppleton goes to the movies alone...which doesn't sound like much fun!  In the second story Poppleton makes a quilt with his friends and in the third story he enjoys taking a bath. 

We are fans of Cynthia Rylant's Henry and Mudge series and weren't disappointed with this book.  The series doesn't have to be read in order, as we discovered, reading book number 7!  The stories are fun and  focus on friendship.  My son was able to read these on his own to me....which surprised me to discover he's reading at a second grade reading level!  We will definitely be reading more Poppleton books!

We own this book.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

The Cat: Why Do Cats Purr?

The Cat:  Why Do Cats Purr? And Other True Facts
A Q&A Reader Written by:  Apple Jordan
Published by:  Scholastic, 2007

* I know that I've mentioned in the past that my kids have been wanting a pet for awhile now.  My husband and I finally decided that they were responsible enough to take care of a pet.  So this year Santa brought our kids kittens for Christmas.  Yes, that's kittens, plural.  One for each of them.  We had visions of what would happen if we just got our daughter a pet, "No Connor, it's MY kitten.  Santa brought it for ME!"  So, Santa actually brought them two stuffed kittens with all of the supplies they would need to take care of said kittens, and a note explaining why he couldn't bring the kittens on Christmas (it's too cold of course!).  But mommy and daddy would take them to the shelter so they could each pick out their own kitten.  And we did.  And we love them and can't imagine our family without them!  We've had them for about two months now and they are 7 months old.  Even though they're not from the same litter, they get along so well, as seen from the pic below.

We've read some kitten care books right after we got the kittens.  My daughter recently mentioned that she wanted to read another kitten book.  On our last library trip my son reminded me that we needed to, "get a cat book for Abby."  He's always looking out for his sister!  So we headed over to the pet section and he picked out this book.   I'm sure the adorable kitten on the cover had something to do with it!  So we brought it home and at bedtime we read this book together.

The book is in question and aswer format.  Each set of pages poses a question, for example, "Why do cats purr?"  The question is then answered from the perspective of a cat.  The answers are both informative and humorous.  It gave just the right amount of info for my four and six year old, in an easy to understand way.  The book includes photos of cute kittens and cats, although I didn't think the quality of the photos was that great.  There are also boxes on each page providing facts or tips to the reader. 

Overall, this was a cute and informative read for the family.  It provided useful information for the kids on taking care of their kittens and explained cat behavior in a way they could understand.

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Non-fiction Picture Book Review: Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King
Written by: Jean Marzollo
Illustrated by:  J. Brian Pinkney
Published by: Scholastic, 1993

* We have read many books about Martin Luther King, Jr. at home and my children have heard many at school.  I think it's important for them to understand the significance of the holiday and realize that it's not just a day off from school.  It's hard for them being so young to understand that there was a time when children of color had to use a different water fountain and go to a different school. 

I found this book on a display at the library.  It caught my eye because it didn't look too difficult for my four year old to understand.  After reading this book I did think it was perfect for my son.  It's written in very easy to understand language.  It doesn't give many facts or details but does give a nice overview of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life. The author, in her foreword, mentions that, "if you feel the words "shot and killed" are inappropriate for the child or children you plan to read this book to, you many want to change the words and say simply that Martin Luther King "died" in 1968.  I felt that my four year old son could handle hearing that MLK Jr. was "shot and killed" but some young children may not be able to. My daughter told me that she didn't really like it but I think it's because she already knew everything that the book mentioned. 

The illustrations are done in what looks like scratch art.  Overall, I think that this is a good introduction for young children to Martin Luther King.

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating:  1 1/2 thumbs up.

Non-Fiction Picture Book Review: K is for Kwanzaa

K is for Kwanzaa: A Kwanzaa Alphabet Book
Written by: Juwanda G. Ford
Illustrated by: Ken Wilson-Max
Published by: Scholastic, 1997

* Hapy Kwanzaa to all who celebrate!  Even though we don't celebrate this holiday I do like reading books to the kids about it.  This is an alphabet book where the author explains a word that begins with the each letter and how it relates to the holiday.  In the beginning of the book the author explains and lists the seven principles of Kwanzaa.  The book is written so that even my four year old son can understand and enjoy it and the illustrations are bright and colorful.  The kids were able to make connections and relate to some words like the kinara (candle holder) to the menorah. Other words like candle, feast, and harvest they knew and understood.  Overall, we thought that this was a great, informative read as an introduction to Kwanzaa.

We own this book.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Beginning Reader Book Review: Minnie and Moo The Night Before Christmas

Minnie and Moo The Night Before Christmas
Written and illustrated by:  Denys Cazet
Published by: Scholastic Inc., 2002

* I Can Read Books are recognized as one of the first beginning reader series and Minnie and Moo are characters in several different books.  Although my daughter's read some of the Minnie and Moo books this was the first book that my son and I read together.  This book is broken up into eight small chapters.  However, as for beginning reader books this one is on the more difficult side.  It's not numbered to let you know the level of beginning reader difficulty.  So we ended up taking turns reading pages.  In case you didn't know, Minnie and Moo are cows.  In this story they dress up as Santa and Mrs. Claus to deliver the toys to the farmer's grandchildren.  Every  year he forgets where he's hidden the toys and Moo feels bad for the kids.  So Moo wants to change that this year.  They don't have a sled so a wheelbarrow will have to do.  And instead of reindeer they have eight chickens.  And then there's rooster who definitely adds humor to the book.  Of course there's some mishaps on their journey to deliver the toys but in the end it all works out. 

My son didn't enjoy the book but couldn't explain to me what about it he didn't like.  I enjoyed this book though and found it humorous.

I purchased this book.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Picture Book Review: When Mindy Saved Hanukkah

When Mindy Saved Hanukkah
Written by:  Eric Kimmel
Illustrated by: Barbara McClintock
Published by: Scholastic Inc., 1998

* I've owned this book for what seems like forever and finally read it this evening.  My daughter has read it on her own several times since we've had this book for several years now! 

In this story the Kleins, a "little" family live behind the wall in the synagogue.  They need to get a candle for their menorah to celebrate Hanukkah, but Mindy's father hurt his ankle.  Mindy volunteers to get the candle but she has to watch out for the cat.  With a little help from Zayde Mindy shows bravery and helps to save the family's Hanukkah celebration. 

The book contains a glossary at the end for words that the reader may not be familiar with.  The author also includes the recipe for Bubbe Klein's Golden Potato Latkes.

The kids seemed to enjoy this story and enjoyed pointing out all of the clues that the Kleins were little ("The candle is bigger than they are!"). The line that stood out for me the most is whe Mama says, "Heroes come in all sizes. Some are big.  Some are little.  Some lived long ago.  Some live today."  This was a different type of Hanukkah read which we enjoyed.

I own this book.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.