Wednesday, April 19, 2017

READING FOR RESEARCH MONTH BOOK REVIEWS - Post #6

I'm including two categories in this post of book reviews for books read during ReFoReMo 2017. They are Imagination/Perception and Just For Fun.

Imagination/Perception


A PERFECTLY MESSED UP STORY by Patrick McDonnell

Louie is a character in this book. This is Louie's story. It starts out: "Once upon a time, little Louie
went skipping merrily along. Tra la la la la," he sang. On the third page of the book Louie encounters something gooey and smelling and sweet. It's a blob of jelly that has landed on a page in HIS book. Then, a blob of peanut butter lands on the page. Then, a dribble of orange juice lands on the page.

Louie starts getting upset because someone is messing with HIS story. He's upset because he says books are important and they need to be respected. He wants to finish his story, but he keeps getting interrupted. Will Louie make it to the end of his story? Will anyone care?

This is perfectly fun little story that illustrates the idea that books are to be read and loved and that sometimes they can get messed up along the way - but that's okay!

INFINITY AND ME by Kate Hosford

Have you ever stopped to think about what infinity is? Uma has. One night when she sits under the stars, she wonders how many stars there are. Are there an infinite number of stars?

She asks some people how they think of infinity. One person says it's just a number that keeps growing and growing. Another person thinks of it in terms of the symbol which she says looks like the number 8 turned over on its side to take a nap so that it looks like a racetrack you can drive around forever and ever. It seems like everybody has a different idea of what infinity is.

That's the beauty of the word and the concept. It can be thought of in many different ways. Author Kate Hosford does a great job of describing and defining the term without being boring, preachy or know-it-all. The illustrations by  Gabi Swiatkowska go perfectly with the text. The author also includes an Authors Note in the back of the book with some more thoughts and information about infinity.

This would be a great book to use in the classroom when discussing the concept of infinity.

THEY ALL SAW A CAT by Brendan Wenzel

They ALL saw a cat: a child, a dog, a fox, a fish, a mouse, a bee, a bird, a flea, a snake, a skunk, a
worm, and a bat. But, each one saw the cat a bit differently.

This is a great book about perception and imagination. We can each see the same thing, but we probably won't see it the same way.

Just For Fun

DIARY OF A FLY by Doreen Cronin

From the author of MEMOIRS OF A GOLDFISH comes DIARY OF A FLY. The fly writes several entries in his diary, starting on June 1 and ending August 2. During this time, the reader is not only entertained by the antics of the fly, but the reader also gets a chance to learn more about flies. For instance, did you know that a fly beats its wings 200 times per second? This, and other facts and trivia, are included in this delightful look into the life of a fly.
 
FLIGHT SCHOOL by Lita Judge

Penguin has the "soul of an eagle" but the body of a penguin. He feels he is destined to fly. So he enrolls in flight school. The results are silly and as expected,  until Flamingo comes up with a idea for helping penguin soar.

MEMOIRS OF A GOLDFISH by Devin Scillian

A goldfish start out in a bowl by himself. It's boring, but at least he has the place to himself. Then, things are gradually added to the bowl: a bubble maker, plants, a crab and a snail. The goldfish is running out of room and privacy. But what can he do about it?

The story starts out:

Day One
I swam around my bowl.

Day Two
I swam around my bowl. Twice.

The bubble maker arrives on Day Four and other things are added after that.

Author Devin Scillian takes a funny and creative look at the life of a goldfish. It's quite delightful, especially with the wonderful illustrations by Tim Bowers.

MEET THE DULLARDS by Sara Pennypacker

Things are dull, very, very dull, in the Dullard house. The food is bland, the furnishings are minimal, and there's nothing to do there. The place is dull. Drab. Boring. And that's just the way Mom and Dad like it.

But, the Dullard children - Blanda, Borely and Little Dud - have other ideas. They just want to be kids, but the parents want them to be dull - just like their parents.

Who will win this battle?

I loved this story. It has a most unexpected subject, dullness, that author Sara Pennypacker, manages to elevate to new heights. The illustrations by Daniel Salmieri are dull and delightful to the extreme.

Enjoy!
  
MY LUCKY DAY by Keiko Kasza

When a pig shows up unexpectedly at a fox's door, the fox thinks it's his lucky day. He doesn't have to go out and hunt for dinner because a perfect dinner arrived right at his door. The fox, of course, intends to eat the pig. The pig, of course, has very different ideas.

Read this delightful story, full of wonderful repetitions and great illustrations, and watch a pig out-fox a fox.




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