The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

by Linda Williams

illustrated by Megan Lloyd

This would be a great children's book to read around Halloween time because it tells the fun story a a little old lady who was not afraid of anything... or so she thought. One windy night while walking through the woods, she hears a CLOMP CLOMP of feet. The story continues on as she has the scare of the night. Ultimately comes the happy and creative ending that keeps this book from becoming too scary for young readers. This story would be a fun one to read aloud to build suspense and to really give the sound effects or it would be also great to act out or create activities around. This story also carries the underlying message of bravery and the truth about controlling your own feelings as much as you can. The illustrations on this book are decent, but they appear slightly outdated. Overall I think this book would be a great one to bring out into the classroom around Halloween time.

Intended Age 5-7

The Gingerbread Man

The Gingerbread Man

retold by Jim Aylesworth

illustrated by Barbara McClintock

This fun children's book tells to famous story of the freshly baked gingerbread man as he runs out of the oven and away from the hungry people he meets. All works out well for the gingerbread man as he runs as fast as he can past the man and lady who baked him, the butcher, a cow, and a pig, until he runs towards a smart and tricky fox. This is a great story and made even better by the wonderful pictures. The illustrations are fun and realistic for the most part, but I am confused as to why the author and illustrator decided to make the cow, pig, and fox look like real people. The way that Aylesworth retells this story would make it a great one to act out for a play because the dialogue is rather simple and the descriptions are already set for a play. All in all, I enjoyed this great children's book and I would suggest this version of the gingerbread man to others.

Intended Age 2-6

Glogster

The Napping House

The Napping House

by Audrey Wood

illustrated by Don Wood

This was one of my favorite books that my parents read to me when I was younger. After finding and reading this book again I can understand why it was one of my favorites. The illustrations in this children's picture book are so wonderful because they are playfully realistic with rich color. The text and story of this book are rather simple, but work to convey a playful story about a granny, a boy, and the rest as they take a nap on a rainy day. All is disturbed when a flea bites the sleeping cat and wakes up the whole bunch. All in all this children's book remains a great one and I will defiantly bring this into my elementary classroom.

Intended Age 4-8

Oh Say, I Can't See

Oh Say, I Can't See

by Jon Scieszka

illustrated by Adam McCauley

Oh Say, I Can't See is a children's novel from The Time Warp Trio series. The Time Warp Trio is a series of books written by Scieszka about a group of three children that get sent to a different day in time by a magic book. Having not read a book from this series before, this one was confusing and hard to get into. The first chapter was supposed to just grab your attention, with the second chapter explaining how the trio got into the situation. After that I was still confused about the main plot of the book time machine. I would suggest starting with the first book in the series to be less confused and ultimately stay engaged from the beginning. Scieszka's writing style was great because it really allowed the reader to feel like they were actually in 1776 with George Washington before he crosses the river for Trenton. He writes this book as if one the of the kids from the trio is telling the story to the reader so it is very informal and fun to read. I do not know very much background on the Revolutionary War but I was still able to understand some of it. Overall I would recommend this book for students with and interest in the particular subject. Some of the children's novels in this series goes into the future, while many go into the past or about a specific person. I hope that Scieszka did a lot of research for this book because it is like a historical fiction, but it does not have any references. As for the illustrations I was disappointed because all of the other illustrators that Scieszka has paired up with have been outstanding but McCauley's did not further the story any more. All in all, I like the idea of this series because children can learn about a specific period in time by feeling like they were actually there by reading these novels. I think it is a great talent that Scieszka has that he is able to write for so many different ages. He even has some just beginning to read books that carry his humor throughout them all the way up to the children's novels. All in all, I cannot wait to bring Jon Scieszka into my classroom to allow my students the chance to see this wonderful author.

Intended Age 7 +

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!

by Jon Scieszka

and

Lane Smith

This is just yet another one of Scieszka and Smiths wonderful twists of the great fairy tale The Three Little Pigs. This one is different than some of their other books in that it is completely written from Alexander T. Wolf who was just innocently walking over to the neighbors to borrow a cup of sugar for his granny's birthday cake. The story continues on to tell his whole side of the funny story that we thought we all knew and loved. This hilarious take on the tale will have children thinking about the different perspectives that a story can be told from. This book was a childhood favorite of mine and still continues to be a favorite. Smith continues his unique and realistic illustrations of a fictional tale that he has become famous for. After reading a handful of Scieszka's books I have really come to enjoy him as an author. I really like how each dedication page, biography and publishing page are so funny and different on each book I have read. I will defiantly continue to read his books and look forward to the new ones he continues to write.

Intended Age 7+

Squids Will Be Squids

Squids Will Be Squids

by Jon Scieszka

and

Lane Smith

Squids Will Be Squids is another wonderful children's picture books that uses hilarious sarcasm with famous fables. This particular picture book specializes in the fables of Aesop. Here is how Scieszka says to make fable: take gossips, change the people to animals, and add a moral. That in a nutshell is exactly what is done in this very funny book. The book starts out sarcastically with a "serious historical foreword" as a hint of the type of humor that is to follow. Each short story has a funny, random, helpful, true, or almost crude moral include on each page. The illustrations are again done by Lane Smith that makes the completely irrational stories come to life in the bold, yet vibrant illustrations. This book is very funny for adults, but I would keep the youngsters away from this one because they may not quite get some of the borderline crude comments. A great read overall!

Intended Age 4-8