Beware of the Storybook Wolves by Lauren Child

Beware of the Storybook Wolves by Lauren Child
There are so many enjoyable elements to this book! First, the visuals really stand out in this story. They are colorful and really creative. There are different sized texts on various pages, sometimes they're in cursive, and sometimes they are different sizes. It really adds personality and emotion to the story. I like the different twists about the "big bad wolves" from various fairytales. These two different wolves "come alive" from Herb's, the main character, and he has to cleverly figure out a way to get them back to their home, in the storybook. Although I felt that this story was somewhat sporadic with all the characters in unconventional roles, I thought it was a humorous and fun story to share with kids.

Saying Goodbye to Lulu by Corinne Demas

Saying Goodbye to Lulu by Corinne Demas and illustrated by Ard Hoyt
I admit it. This book did bring tears to my eyes. It definitely reminded me of the many memories I have with the dogs that I grew up with as a kid. Just the title suggests what the story is about. It mainly focuses on how this young girl deals with saying goodbye to her dog, essentially dealing with death. I thought it was well-written and appropriate because a lot of times children's first experience with death is with a pet. The young girl talked about how Lulu started to move really slow, losing her vision, and just sleeping all day. The girl wasn't surprised at the death of Lulu but sad nonetheless. It talked about how it was ok to be sad and cry over Lulu. The mother in the story suggested that they plant something where Lulu was buried to celebrate the memory of her. The story also deals with getting a new pet and how bittersweet it can be. I think books that deal with subjects like this are valuable to open up discussions about life and death with young children; but not in an overwhelming and scary way.

Snow in Jerusalem by Deborah da Costa

Snow in Jerusalem by Deborah da Costa and illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu
I really enjoyed this book mostly for the cultural perspective and symbolic storyline. The story takes place in Jerusalem, which is divided into different sections such as the Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Armenian section. There are two boys from two different religous backgrounds who are unknowingly taking care of the same cat. One boy decides he is going to follow the cat to see where it goes. He stumbles upon another young boy in a different section of town who is feeding the cat. Neither boy is happy about each other and argue who the cat belongs to. On a more kid-friendly level, this book represents conflict in a place that is known for its' historic battles over religion and territory. I thought it was interesting that the author did use this city to demonstrate conflict; but also placed value on the resolution of the problem. The boys found out that the cat they have been taking care of had kittens and they eventually decided to share them. Each boy took home two kittens and decided to share the mother cat. Also another event that helps lead to the peaceful resolution is the fact that it snows in Jerusalem. The boys embraced that unusual event and named the white cat, Snow (white-the color of peace). I also thought the illustrations were very well done with water colors. I was able to still tell the details of the buildings, people, and other distinct cultural difference. I liked how the author incorporated some authentic Arab and Hebrew words in the story. It can give readers a small amount of new vocabulary from a new language. The author's note in the back of the book was also a significant piece of information that can be valuable to the reader. It gives just a little taste of the background and what life is like for some in this Center of the Universe it is sometimes called!

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
I thought this was another heartfelt tale by Kate DiCamillo. Like in her previous book I read of hers, the characters seem to come full circle in the story. The story begins with an aloof Edward who's owner loves him dearly during her childhood, to the end where he finally experiences love and loss through his life and his original owner stumbles upon him at an antique store with her very own daughter. I just loved how the author really personified Edward, who was only a china bunny, and had him experience all these drastic situations from lying on the bottom of the ocean, to face down in a dumpster, to finally experiencing love from a 5 year old but then losing her to a sickness she had. The reader definitely could get attached to Edward, especially as he is opening up and changing inside. I read this to an afterschool group I have at an elementary school and they loved it, they particularly loved to count the various owners that Edward had!

BIG KICKS by Bob Kolar

BIG KICKS by Bob Kolar
This story is about a bear who enjoys being by himself and likes jazz music, peanut-butter and banana sandwiches and stamp collecting. He gets asked by the local town soccer team to join them for a game. The other members of the team thought they inevitably win their match because of having a large bear playing on their team. But as it turns out, the large bear is not that good at soccer. I thought this was a good story that shows the readers that just because someone looks like they might be good at something, doesn't mean that he/she actually are. It's a good chance to talk about how important it is not to assume certain things about others and to actually find out what they're really like by asking questions and being interested in them. After the soccer game the other players go over to Biggie Bear's place and found out what he really enjoys about life-jazz music, sandwiches and stamp collecting. I thought the story had a sweet ending when it showed that Biggie Bear still decided to be a special part of the soccer team-the biggest cheering fan in the stands! I also enjoyed the bright and colorful illustrations throughout the book. It was also creative to make the inside cover look like stamps from various scenes from the book.

Houdini the Amazing Caterpillar by Janet Pedersen

Houdini the Amazing Caterpillar by Janet Pedersen
This story is about a caterpillar who lives in a classroom. He is basically a class pet that the students are going to observe because they are learning about the life cycle of a butterfly. He is named Houdini because he does "vanishing acts" often. He can make leaves "disappear" in an instant, he can "grow" right before your eyes, and other neat things a catepillar does. There is a point in the story where another class pet shows up, a spider, and Houdini feels like no one notices him as much. So he decides to perform the best act of his life...turning into a butterfly. I liked the different perspectives the author takes in the story. I enjoyed seeing life from a caterpillar's perspective and the students' perspective. To the students, Houdini was just a caterpillar that they enjoyed studying for class. But it was fun to see how a caterpillar interpreted life from where he lived. I also liked how the caterpillar's life cylce paralelled his desire to be noticed by the class. First he starts out as an egg and then develops into the larva/caterpillar stage, and when he thinks people are getting bored with him, he develops into the pupa/chrysalis stage. Then for his big "amazing show," he turns into this beautiful butterfly! I noticed that the text is written differently when it's from Houdini's perspective than when it's from the viewpoint of the class. I don't think there's anything incredibly indepth from that distinction, just an observation that can help the reader distinguish who's talking. The illustrations were also beautiful! This would fit well with a science unit on life cycles. It even has an author's note for the different stages of a caterpillar and describes them in detail.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Wow. I had so many thoughts about this book after I finished it. I honestly didn't know how interested I would be in this book when I first started it. A science-fiction related book is not usually my first choice to read. But as soon as I started it, I was pretty hooked! I think I have more questions than comments on this book! The Giver brings about so many different angles of life to look at. It made me want to know what the author was aiming for when writing this book. I had questions such as, "Is it better to be protected from pain..and joys in life?" What consequence does that have in our lives? If we didn't have pain, we wouldn't know the depth of potential healing. What was the significance of the shielding of memories? Even the joyful ones? What was the goal in developing a utopian like society? Was it to preserve orderliness in society? What was the significance of having one person with all the memories?
I also thought it was interesting that being a birthmother was not a notable career-one for somewhat lazy girls. When reading this book, I thought about how horrible it would be to live in a society where pretty much everything is dictated for you. But then thinking more about it, we do have certain things that could be similar in our society today. Sometimes when people don't fit the "social norm" of something they are closed off from people or treated differently-like in the book the citizens were given a couple chances to make their behavior better and if didn't change, they were released. I did enjoy reading this book even if it did leave me wrestling with a lot of questions about the aim and purpose.