Two Times the Fun by Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary is one of my favorite authors and I remember reading many of her books as a child. Two Times the Fun is about twins Janet and Jimmy and the adventures that they have. Each chapter is a new adventure. Chapter 1 titled "The Real Hole" is about a hole that Jimmy dug all by himself and afterwards he doesn't know what to do with it. Finally, his father comes up with the idea of planting a spruce tree in the hole. Chapter 2 titled "Two Dog Biscuits" is about Jimmy and Janet trying to find a dog to give their dog biscuits to. They end up finding a cat that eats them. Chapter 3 titled "The Growing-Up Feet" is when Jimmy and Janet go to the shoe store to but new shoes but they find out that their feet haven't grown. Instead, their mother buys boots that fit over their shoes and can stretch when their feet get bigger. Chapter 4 titled "Janet's Thingamajigs" is about random things that Janet collects and keeps all over her bed. When she gets a "big-girl" bed, she realizes that since she is grown-up she doesn't need all those things all over her bed.

I think kids would like this book because it is an easy read and the stories are so true to life. My favorite thing about this book is that Janet asks her mother what a word or phrase means. For example, Janet asked her mother "what does at my wits end" mean? And Janet's mother answers in a way that is easy for kids reading the book to understand. I also like the fact that even though Janet and Jimmy are twins, they make it known that they are not just alike. Some twins, especially when they are younger, may have a hard time showing other kids that they are two different people. Twins can find comfort in this book and it can help show other kids that twins aren't necessarily alike.

The book says that it is for kids ages 3-7 but I could definitely see older kids reading this. I wouldn't go any younger and I could even see a 3 year-old having trouble paying attention to the story because there aren't very many pictures and that pictures that are included are in black and white.

The Secret Stars by Joseph Slate

This book takes place the night of the Three Kings (Christmas). Pepe and Sila are worried that the Three Kings won't come to their house to deliver presents because there aren't any stars out to guide them. Pepe and Sila's grandmother fly them around to see all the "stars" that are there to guide the Three Kings.

I like this book because of the culture that it portrays and how kids of other cultures can relate to it. The night of the Three Kings is like Christmas but instead of Santa coming to give presents, the Three Kings come. The children leave out hay for the Three Kings' horses and figs for the Kings themselves to eat. They also leave their shoes out for the Three Kings to fill with candy. This is similar to the cookies and milk for Santa, the carrots for the reindeer, and the stockings for candy. Children who celebrate the night of the Three Kings can feel connected to this story and may feel proud to show their culture to other students. Children from the mainstream culture can draw connections to their own culture and see that the "other kids" aren't very different at all. This may be a great book for an ESL classroom. A student that celebrates the night of the Three Kings may find it fun and interesting to read about. Since it is a children's book, it is a great tool for an ESL student since the language won't be that difficult and the material can be related.

The illustrator, Felipe Davalos, did a great job of showing the culture through his drawings. The book says that this book is for kids ages 4-8 but it can definitely be read to younger children and older children who are learning more about their culture may find this book enjoyable.

The Big Cheese of Third Street by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book is about Little Benny Antonelli who is the size of a peanut butter sandwich. He hates being so small because everyone makes fun of him and uses him as a ball, toy airplane, etc. The third street block party is going on with games, food, and music. The two families of the block (the Sorensons and the Antonellis) have a contest; the person who can climb a slippery pole and get a wedge of cheese off the top is the "big cheese" of third street. All the "big" people try to climb and fail. Little Benny goes up for a turn and everyone laughs at him but because of his weight he is able to make it up the pole and everyone stares in amazement. He is now the "big cheese of third street."

I like this book because I am sure there are a lot of kids who can relate to being the short or little kid. Obviously, there are not going to be the size of a peanut butter sandwich but they can be shorter than all of their friends, especially if they mature late. Little Benny shows that there are advantages to being shorter than everyone else and he gains a new respect. This can be inspiration to other kids.

I love the illustrations in this book. There is not one white space on the pages. The illustrator, David Gordon, did conceptual work for the Pixar/Disney movies Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and A Bug's Life. He does a great job of making every page fun; there is even a picture of a "big" guy with his butt crack showing. I can just picture my future class laughing like crazy at that picture. The illustrations of a children's book are what draw me to reading it and this book drew me in. The book states that this book is for ages 5-8 but I think children younger and older would enjoy it as well.

Bobby the Bold by Donna Jo Napoli and Eva Furrow

So I will be honest, the reason I chose this book was because of the cover; it is colorful, there's a lot going on in the picture, and it has a cute monkey with a mohawk. I think a lot of young kids choose a book based on the illustrations and in that case, I give this book an A.

Bobby the Bold is about Bobby, the only bonobo monkey in the zoo that is housed with all the chimps. He doesn't like it because he is smaller than the chimps and has longer hair; he feels out of place. He spends most of his time with the zookeeper making rounds to all the animals. One night Bobby escapes from the zoo and takes a bus into town. He is able to communicate with other people through sign language. He ends up at a barber shop and decides to get a mohawk. After his short trip, he goes back to the zoo where the chimps are so excited to see his new hair and even the baby chimps want a mohawk just like him. He is now the center of attention among the chimps and he finally feels like he belongs.

One of the main things I like about this book is the use of sign language. There aren't very many kids books that talk about sign language and I feel that having a book like this makes children who speak or rely on sign language feel more welcome. I think kids can relate to this book because at some point in their life, they will feel out of place like Bobby. Kids can find comfort in Bobby's troubles but also feel reassured when Bobby finally does feel like he belongs.

My only criticism for this book is that the story seems a little "choppy." It feels like the story was longer but the authors had to shorten it so they just took sentences out; it doesn't have a great flow to it. On the other hand, having a book like this may make it easier for kids to read and kids are going to find Bobby funny that they won't even notice the flow of the story. In other words, I would still read this book to my class.

Duck for President by Doreen Cronin

I remember reading this book and other books (such as Giggle, Giggle, Quack) by this author when I was younger but I had forgotten how fun they can be. Duck for President combines real-life and fantasy into one. For example, living on a farm is something that is real and that many children experience. As the book says, "Running a farm is very hard work" and it can give children living in rural areas something to relate to while making it fun (i.e. having animals that talk and a duck that wants to get away from the hard work).

My favorite thing about this book is how it ties in government because there are so many lessons that I can teach my class. This would be a great opening book when talking about voting or roles of the governor, president, etc. After using this book in my lesson, I can have the kids fill out ballots and vote for different classroom roles. There is so much that can be done with this book.

The illustrator does a great job of making each page colorful and fun. I love how she includes posters, signs, newspaper clippings, etc. to read from instead of having "plain text" all the way through. Having experience being a kid, I can say that is something I found visually stimulating which made me want to read it.

This book is for all ages and the lessons that can go along with the book can be changed to accomodate any grade level.

Happy to be Girls by Sarah Davies

The first time I read this book, I went at it ready to criticize. I thought it was going to be a stereotypical book explaining how girls are princesses and how they like to play with dolls. But that isn't this book at all. In fact, I think the main purpose of this book is to get away from all the stereotypes of girls. It talks about girls being brave, strong, smart, and even describes girls as sometimes "fighting and frighting." This is a great self-confidence book that shows girls that they can be whatever they want to be.

The illustrator did a great job of making every page colorful, the pictures and the font. The font isn't the traditional left to right; it flows all over the page making it a fun read. The illustrator also does a great job of representing all different types of girls. This would be a great book to have in the classroom as a resource for girls. It is a short, rhyming book so young kids can read it on their own.