Friends From the Other Side by Gloria Anzaldua

This book is about a young girl named Prietita who makes friends with a young boy named Joaquin. Joaquin is from the other side, meaning Mexico. He snuck over the border with his mom to find work. Prietita protects Joaquin from the mean kids and hides his family when the Border Control come looking for illegal immigrants.

This is considered a controversial book for a couple reasons. One is the topic of illegal immigration. Although kids may not understand the topic or even care, parents can get very heated about the topic and may not like their kids reading such a book. Also, the book uses the term "wetback" when the mean kids are talking about Joaquin. Another reason may be that there seems to be animosity between the whites and the Hispanics. At one point in the book, the Border Control asks if anyone knows where illegal immigrants may be living and one character points to a community where the whites live, making a joke.

One thing I do like about this book is that it is written in both English and Spanish which can be very helpful for ELL students. I wasn't too impressed with the illustrations. I felt the illustrator could have done a better job drawing the people. Their faces are not proportioned right and to be honest, they look kind of scary. Because this book is a little longer than most picture books and the topic is more deep, I would recommend it for kids ages 6-10.

The Silly Gooses by Dav Pilkey

This picture book is divided into chapters. The first chapter is about Mr. Goose who is so silly that no one in his flock wants to marry him. The second chapter is about how Mr. Goose meets a silly Miss Goose from another flock and they fall in love. The third chapter is about their silly wedding and the fourth is when they decide to have a family. The fifth chapter is when the silly baby geese are born and the final chapter is about their silly life to come.

I like this book just because I can picture kids laughing throughout this book. The text talks about the silly things that they geese do but it is really the illustrations that bring the humor to life. Some of the silly things that the geese do are float in a bean-bag chair, wear hats on their feet, ride bikes in the water, and put ketchup and mustard on their ice cream.

This is a good book for beginner readers because they can get the feel of reading a "chapter book" without it being too difficult. Plus, if they get stuck on a word they can just look at the illustrations and try to infer what the word may be. This is a good book for ages 2-8.

Once Upon a Dragon by Jean E. Pendziwol

This is about a young girl and her dragon. They are playing at the park when they fall into the dragon's book. They go through each chapter which is a different fairy tale. They run into the wolf from "The Little Red Riding Hood," the fox from "The Gingerbread Man," and all the other bad characters from the classic fairy tale stories. At each encounter, the dragon wants to listen to the bad character but the girl keeps the dragon safe by telling him that he doesn't go with strangers.

I like this book because it is a good lesson book. The whole idea of it is to get kids to understand that they should not listen to or go with strangers. The way the author went about this was very creative. She included many classic fairy tales that children would be familiar with and since they know who the bad characters are, they can begin to understand why it is dangerous to go with strangers. Another thing I really liked about this book was that it all rhymed. This is a longer children's book so it is impressive that Pendziwol was able to make it all rhyme while making sense. The illustrations in this book are done with colored pencils and they are good drawings but I wouldn't consider it anything spectacular. I am more impressed with the text than the pictures. At the end of the book there is a "Dragon's Stranger Safety Rhyme" and there are guidelines for how to talk to kids about strangers. I would recommend this book for kids ages 2-8.

Chimps Don't Wear Glasses by Laura Numeroff

This book talks about different animals and the things that they don't do (i.e. the title of the book). This is a great book for beginner readers because it is short and it rhymes. And if the reader is stuck on the word, they can just look at the picture and guess.

This book is funny and sparks imagination. It's fun to picture horses hang gliding or llamas shopping. The illustrations really bring the text to life. They are very detailed and filled with humor. The book ends by asking the reader what they see so it gives kids the chance to think of silly things that they would never see animals doing. If you were having your students write a book, this would be a good model for them. You can read the book and then they would have to write their own story about animals. And the illustrations that they would draw would go right along with the text. This is a funny book and I would recommend it for ages 2-8.

Ruby the Copycat by Peggy Rathmann

This book is about a new girl in class named Ruby. Ruby sits behind a girl named Angela and copies everything that she does. She wears the same clothes and says that she does everything that Angela does. The teacher, Miss Hart, has a talk with Ruby and tells her to be herself. Ruby says she likes Miss Hart's fingernails and the next day at school, Ruby has the same fingernails as her teacher. Miss Hart isn't very happy but gets Ruby to tell the class something that she's good at. Ruby tells the class that she can hop and she is the best hopper the class has ever seen. Everyone starts hopping like Ruby and now they are copying her.

This is a good lesson book because very often in elementary school, kids copy eachother. This book shows that it's ok to be yourself. It is also a funny book and it's a good "predictor book." Children can use evidence from the text and illustrations to figure out what may happen next. For example, when Ruby says that she likes Miss Hart's fingernails, one can predict that Ruby will show up the next day at class with the same fingernails.

I would say the illustrations in this book are mediocre but they do provide humor. When Ruby tries to look like Angela by wearing the same daisy sweater, Ruby pins flowers on a sweater and it looks very messy. The illustrations do a good job of showing how hard Ruby is trying to look like Angela, even when it is not pretty. I would recommend this book for kids ages 3-8.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

This is the first time I have ever read this book and I can't believe it took me so long to read it. Actually, I feel a little cheated that I wasn't assigned to read it in elementary, middle, or even high school. But who knows, maybe I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if I read it when I was younger. In 6th grade I had to read A Wrinkle in Time and I did not like it. I thought the reason must be that I just didn't like science fiction. So, when I found out that The Giver was science fiction, I thought I was going to hate it. The truth is, I was just too young to fully understand and appreciate science fiction. I bet that if I read A Wrinkle in Time today, I would like it. So maybe it is a good thing that it took me so long to read The Giver.

This book is about a boy named Jonas who lives in an Utopian-like community where everyone is governed by rules every minute of the day. There is no pain, choice, colors, seasons, animals, or individuality. When Jonas turns twelve in December (along with everyone else in his age group) he is assigned the job of Receiver of Memories and the person that gives him the memories was the old receiver, now referred to as the Giver. The Giver gives Jonas memories of the past including experiences such as sledding, rainbows, holidays with family, and sunshine. But along with the good things, he experiences bad things such as starvation and war. Jonas feels cheated in his life because he was never allowed to experience these things so he runs away which leaves all the memories with the people of the community. He feels that they should all get to have the experiences and a freedom of choice.

I like this book because of the community that Lois Lowry creates. She has to have some imagination to have created it. The community is obviously something that doesn't exist today so the idea of it came from pure imagination. She explained everything with such detail that I could easily picture it in my mind. Lowry adds such an element of suspense that I had to keep reading to see what would happen. I was disappointed when the book ended because I wanted more, but I think if Lowry would have continued, the book wouldn't have been as good. She ended it leaving the reader thinking and I think that is what a good book does; it doesn't give you all the answers to your questions, it gives you a chance draw inferences.

Although the text in this book is easy, the meaning of the text is deep. Kids in elementary school could read this book but I think older kids (such as middle or high school) would appreciate it more and would be able to think more critically about it.

Jazper by Richard Egielski

This book is about a young bug named Jazper who lives with his father. Jazper comes home one day and finds out that his dad has been injured at work so Jazper must find a job to help pay for the rent. He goes into town and decides to house sit for 5 moths that will be gone for 3 weeks. While he is there he reads books about magic. After 3 weeks, Jazper goes home and shows his dad that through magic, he can turn into things. They decide to have shows and charge money to see the Amazing Jazper. The moths find out and are upset that Jazper read their books so when Jazper turns into a pickle, the moths turn into knives. When Jazper turns into a nut, the moths turn into nutcrackers. When Jazper turns into a paper airplane, the moths turn into burning flames. Before the moths can turn into something else, Jazper turns into a rain cloud and puts out the flames. After all this, Jazper and his father decide that Jazper will just stay himself for awhile.

The first thing I noticed and liked about this book is that Jazper just lives with his father and they have real-life problems such as how to pay the rent. So many stories are about the typical, white, middle-class family but so many children do not live like that. It was refreshing that this book portrayed a family that is very real and that many kids can relate to. I also liked the creativity the author used in turning Jazper and the moths into different things. If Jazper is a paper airplane, then of course the moths would be flames to destroy Jazper. This is a good opportunity to ask kids what else Jazper and the moths could have turned into. For example, if Jazper had turned into a rock, would the moths have turned into jackhammers? This is a good chance for kids to get creative.

The author is also the illustrator and although his illustrations aren't as detailed as I like, he portrayed the characters well. He made the moths look scary and mean which is the way they are supposed to be. And although Jazper and his father are bugs, he made the characters seem very loving. This is a cute book and I would recommend it for ages 2-8.

The One and Only Marigold by Florence Parry Heide

This picture book is actually four short stories in one. The first story is titled "Marigold's New Coat" and it is about a young girl monkey named Marigold. She has an old coat that she is very loyal to but her mother insists that it is time to buy a new one. She tries on a whole bunch of coats but only likes one that it too small for her. Her mom buys the coat but she still wears her old coat to bed since she is so loyal. The second story is titled "Marigold's New Hobby" which is making lists of things. She makes a list of her friends and the first one is her old coat and the second one is Maxine but Maxine is not happy that she is second on the list so Marigold takes her off and starts to make a new list of ways to bug Maxine. The third story is titled "Marigold's Special Surprise Treasure Stand" and it is about a stand with lots of things wrapped up but you can't find out what they are until you buy one. Marigold talks Maxine into buying four of them and each one is filled with something that is not useful such as dirt, grass, and wrappers. Marigold is happy because she has found a way to bug Maxine. The fourth and final story is titled "Marigold's New Dress" and it is about Marigold getting dressed for the first day of school. She can't find anything she wants to wear so she puts on her coat and tells Maxine that under her coat she has a new red dress with sequins and sparkles.

At first, I wasn't sure about the four separate stories. I thought the book was already short enough that it should have just been one story. But the author did a great job of intertwining all the stories. For example, in the second story Marigold starts to make a list of ways to bug Maxine and in the third story she has finally found a way to bug her. Marigold's coat is in every story and the pictures in all the stories include lists that Marigold has made, her new hobby.

I would say the illustrations in this book, done by Jill McElmurry, are geared toward younger kids. The way the characters are drawn are something that little kids would enjoy but not so much older kids. I do like how the illustrations include the lists that Marigold makes; it helps tie everything together and it is fun to read the illustrations. I would recommend this book to younger children, ages 2-6.

Bedhead by Margie Palatini

This book is about a young boy named Oliver who makes up to horrible, uncontrollable bedhead. His parents and sister hear his scream and come to help him. They try wetting his hair, spraying his hair, pinning his hair, and even brushing his hair but nothing is working. Finally, they decided to put on his baseball hat and it seems to hide the bedhead. When he gets to school, he realizes that it is picture day and he must take his hat off. As he takes it off, everyone stares at him in horror and this is when the photographer takes the class picture.

I like this book because of the suspense that it builds, even on the first page: "In a gunkless corner of the soapy silver soap dish....in a fogless smidgen of his father's foggy shaving mirror...right there on the hot water faucet, for heaven's sake...he saw it! It was BIG. It was BAD. It was...." And then, you turn to the next page to find out that it is BEDHEAD!! It also has suspense when Oliver's family tries something new to his hair. You have to turn the page to see if it actually worked. It even had suspense at the end when the photographer took the picture. I also like the way Palatini made her text so it was clear how to read it. For example, when Oliver's family go into the bathroom, they turn the doorknob s l o w l y. This shows the reader how to read the word "slowly."

The illustrator, Jack E. Davis, did a good job with the pictures. He adds a lot of detail and emotion. You can tell the anguish Oliver is feeling over his hair because his forehead is sweating, his eyebrows are turned up, and his eyes are wide. Every page is filled with such detail that you have to pause from the reading just to take the time to enjoy each page. I like how Davis made each illustration funny. In almost every page, he either has the family cat, dog, or both making hilarious facial features but you would hardly notice this if you didn't take the time to look. The text and the illustrations are both wonderful and go great together. I would recommend this book to everyone.

My Mother's Secret Life by Rebecca Emberley

This book is about a young girl who thinks that all her mom does is clean the house and take care of her. When the young girl takes a nap, she dreams about a circus and she is surprised when it is her mother that is swinging above the crowd, hanging by her heels.

This book caught me by surprise; I didn't think that it would all be a dream. I thought that the young girl's mom really would have a secret life. I didn't like how the girl's dream kept building up and then she saw her mom and woke up and that was the end. I felt like there should have been more to the story. There was a lot of suspense as to what her mother's secret life was but as soon as the reader found out what it was, the book ended.

The illustrations in this book are quite interesting and very creative. It looks like Emberley used art supplies such as construction paper, feathers, glitter, and paint to make the pictures and then she photographed them to put in the book. Kids could use this book as inspiration for their own art projects. The illustrations may not be as detailed as they could be and this is because of the limited work that one can do with the supplied art materials but I still think kids will love the pictures because they are different.

This is a good book to share with children ages Pre-K -1st grade and it is an easy book for beginner readers.

Farm Days by William Wegman

This book is about a city dog named Chip who goes to visit his cousins in the country and learn about farming. I would say that the story itself is just ok. There were a lot of parts that read "jiggity jig, hot diggity, or gitty git giggity." Some of this is ok but I felt there was too much of it and it didn't really tie into the story. It became a tongue-twister trying to read these parts and beginner readers may have a hard time and could even get frustrated trying to read it.

The thing about this book that makes it amazing and hilarious is the photographs. I would say William Wegman is a photographer first and an author second. The illustrations in the entire book are photographs that Wegman has taken of his dogs. As you can see from the picture, Wegman photographs his dogs' heads with a human body. It looks so real and I think that is what makes it so funny. How often does one see a dog drive a tractor, mow grass, plant a garden, or act as a scarecrow? In this book, you can see it all. Some of you may remember watching video segments of Wegman's work on Sesame Street when you were younger. His artwork also appears in museums and galleries around the world. Wegman has done a great job of using his talent to appeal to children and adults.

Time Warp Trio: Nightmare on Joe's Street by Jon Scieszka

First, let me say that before doing this assignment, I had no idea what a graphic novel was and I am quite embarrassed by it. I had incorrectly assumed that a graphic novel was basically a scary book and I had come to this assumption because of the word "graphic." I was completely surprised to find out that a graphic novel is just a comic book. If it had just been called a comic book in the first place, my life would be a lot easier. :)

Time Warp Trio is part of a series but this particular book is about friends Joe and Sam and Frankenstein. Joe and Sam are having a sleepover when the hear something in the closet. It is Frankenstein. He is looking for his creator to ask him or her why he was created so ugly. To keep the monster happy and to stop him for seeking vengeance, Joe and Sam take him back in time to meet Mary Shelley, the author who wrote Frankenstein. After a frightful experience, Mary Shelley decides not to write the book after all. Sad that such a great masterpiece may not exist, Joe and Sam travel back farther in time to change her mind.

I was pleasantly surprised after reading this book. I thought I would hate graphic novels (especially after I found out they were comic books) but the humor, style, and ties to real history kept me interested. I like the style of graphic novels because it paints such a clear image in my mind while reading. The pages come to life and I am able to feel the emotions of the characters. I found myself laughing out loud while reading this book. There is one scene where Joe leaves to try and find his book and he asks Sam to entertain the monster to keep him calm. Joe comes back and Sam is singing "I'm a Little Teapot" to the monster. The pictures painted quite a scene for me which made this particular scene extremely hilarious.

Another thing I liked about this book is the facts and history that it included. Sam is a human encyclopedia and he explained to Joe that the monster's name is not Frankenstein; the doctor that created the monster in Mary Shelley's book was named Dr. Frankenstein. Twice throughout the book, the story stopped to give a "news report." The book would say "We interrupt this story to bring you this message..." and then fun facts about Mary Shelley or the book Frankenstein were given and it would conclude with "And now...back to our story."

The book says that it is for grades 2-4 but I think it is a great book for any age, even adults. It is a fun, easy read and there is even a section at the beginning that lists and explains the characters just in case younger or beginner readers get confused.

No Zombies Allowed by Matt Novak

This book is about two witches who are planning a party. While cleaning the house, they find pictures from their party last year. First they find pictures of zombies and they remember that they practically ruined the party by dropping their eyes into the punch bowl so they made a sign that said "No Zombies Allowed." Next, they found pictures of werewolves from the party last year. They didn't like how the werewolves would cough up furballs all over the house so they made a sign that said "No Werewolves Allowed." Next, they found pictures of swamp creatures, ghosts, skeletons, and vampires and made the necessary signs to make sure that they stayed out. Finally, they found pictures of witches and they didn't like how their brooms knocked everything over. They were going to make a sign that said "No Witches Allowed" when they realized that it was them in the pictures. Afterwards, they decided that it was a fun party so they took down all the signs and allowed everyone to come to the party but there was only one rule: "No Photos Allowed."

I like this book because of its humor. It is funny that the skeletons called everyone "Fatso" and that the vampires sucked the juice out of all the fruit. The book plays on characteristics of these fictional characters and I think that is what makes it so funny. This would be a great book to read around Halloween time.

A lot of the humor also comes from the pictures. Matt Novak is also the illustrator and he does a good job of making the pictures relate to the text. He draws all the photos that the witches find while they are cleaning their house and if the witches don't want the werewolves to come because of their furballs, then the picture is of werewolves coughing up furballs. But he also goes beyond just a picture of werewolves coughing up furballs; he puts in detail and draws the characters in a funny manner.

This is a great book for beginner readers. There are some words that they may have trouble with because they aren't used to seeing them, such as vampires and skeletons, but the pictures are a great resource for the kids because they can infer what the words are and this is a great reading strategy.

Ice Cream Soup by Frank Modell

This book is about two boys named Marvin and Milton that were told by their parents that they would not be having a birthday party this year. The two boys decided to throw a birthday party by themselves. They made paper hats, blew up balloons, and wrote out invitations. The day of the party the boys tried to make a cake and ice cream. They made a caved-in, burnt cake so they went to the bakery and tried to get help but none was given. The ice cream they made looked soupy so they went to the ice cream shop to get help but none was given there either. The boys were upset but when the guests finally arrived, the baker and ice cream maker showed up with cake and ice cream.

I thought this book was going to be very different because of its title. I thought the entire book was going to be about ice cream soup, but it wasn't. It was about a birthday party with only one little mention of ice cream soup. I don't feel like a lot of thought went into the title. Also, I felt some of the story was incomplete or didn't make sense. When the two boys go to the bakery to get help, the owner says that they should have gotten a cake from him. The picture shows the man walking into the bakery so I assumed that the man was leading the boys into the bakery to help them. On the next page, the boys are back in their kitchen making ice cream. I felt like I missed part of the story.

Frank Modell is also the illustrator of this book. The pictures are pretty straight-forward with not a lot of detail. They remind me of pictures that I would read in a comic strip in the newspaper, which makes sense because Modell regularly publishes cartoons in The New Yorker.

This is an easy book for beginner readers. The text is big and there aren't very difficult words. It is good for all ages.

Dragon Pizzeria by Mary Morgan

This book is about two dragons that decide to open a pizzeria but they will only deliver pizzas in Fairy Tale Land. They get calls from different Fairy Tale characters with specific pizza orders. At the end of the book, an order is made for a pizza wedding cake and everyone in Fairy Tale Land comes together for a party.

I like this book because it can be interactive. The children can try to guess which fairy tale creature is ordering a pizza by the type of pizza they order. For example, the first pizza order is made by someone with a booming voice and he orders 1 GIANT pizza, with a topping of magic beans delivered to Beanstalk Castle. The children can try to guess which fairy tale this is and when they turn the page, they realize that it is Jack and the Beanstalk. Other fairy tales in the story include Thumbelina, The Three Bears, Hansel and Gretel, and Sleeping Beauty.

This is a fun book to read because the text isn't boring. There are a lot of conversation bubbles and there is text that can be read off signs that the dragons made. At the end of the book, there is a map of Fairy Tale Land which shows where are the fairy tale characters live. As a child, I remember reading books with those "extra things" and loving it.

Another thing I like about this book is that the author is also the illustrator so she was able to incorporate the text into the pictures and make it really interactive for children. There is also a lot of humor shown in the pictures that isn't explicitly in the text so it is important to study the pictures to get the most out of the book.

Flags by Maxine Trottier

This book is about a young girl who visits her grandmother for the summer. Her grandmother's neighbor, Mr. Hiroshi, has a beautiful garden and pond that she admires. When Mr. Hiroshi is sent to a Japanese relocation camp during WWII, the young girl states that she will take care of the garden and pond. When she notices that Mr. Hiroshi's house has been sold she transfers the fish in the pond to the river and digs up two iris bulbs (called flags) to plant in her backyard when she returns home.

This is a great example of an historical fiction book. Japanese relocation camps are real history but the characters in this story are fictional. Having a lesson about WWII and relocation camps can be a bit heavy for children in lower grades. Even though this is a picture book, I would read it to older grades to help accompany a lesson. Children don't really have to know anything about WWII and relocation camps to understand the story. The book is about a young girl helping her neighbor out while he happened to be sent away. The main focus isn't on the relocation camps.

The illustrator, Paul Morin, paints beautiful pictures in this story. I like them because they are paintings that I could imagine being displayed at an art museum as opposed to just being in children's books. He adds a lot of colors and is very detailed. It almost looks like a photograph instead of a painting.

The Color of Home by Mary Hoffman

This book is about a young boy named Hassan who just came to America from Somalia. He has a hard time adjusting to school because it is so different and he hardly speaks any English. At school, he draws a picture of his home and family when he lived in Somalia. Then, he smudges his uncle out of the picture, adds men with guns, and adds dark colors. The next day at school an interpreter is there to help Hassan communicate. He explains the picture to his teacher and tells about all the bloodshed in Somalia and the difficult journey his family had to make to America. After talking he paints a new picture-a happy picture of his cat that he had to leave behind. Talking about his difficulties helped him move on.

This is a great book to have in the classroom because more than likely there will be kids in your classroom who have had similar experiences. It is also great to read to the class as a whole and talk about some of the things that go on around the world. Many children don't understand the life in other countries and may have a hard time relating to students who come from other countries. Reading this book helps prepare all students. This is a good book for an ELL classroom because it is multicultural and it is a kid's book so it would be easier to read. One of the ways to help ELL students learn is to have them read books that they can relate to. It makes it more interesting and gives them a sense of pride. There may be some ELL students who have had similar experiences and may need to talk about it to help them heal. This book can be a good book to help open conversation.

I like the way Karin Littlewood did her illustrations. Her use of watercolors does a great job of showing how Hassan feels. On pages that Hassan talks about the troubles in Somalia, she uses a lot of black and red to help convey how Hassan is feeling. On more happier pages she uses a lot of bright colors.

Spy in the Sky by Kathleen Karr

This book is a great example of historical fiction. A young boy named Ridley is an orphan who is not treated very well by the adults around him. One day a hot air balloon comes down with the famous balloonist, Thaddeus Lowe, inside it. Lowe makes Ridley his assistant and teaches him morse code so that they may spy on the Confederates for the president, Abraham Lincoln. Because of Ridley's help, the Union Army is able to win the Civil War.

I like this book because it would tie in great with a lesson on the Civil War. The book does not explain anything about the Civil War (such as why they are fighting and who the blues and the grays are) so a lesson on the Civil War would have to proceed this book. This book also provides a great opportunity to talk about genres (such as historical fiction). Even though the Civil War really happened and Thaddeus Lowe really was a balloonist, this story and the character Ridley are fictional.

This is a good chapter book for grades 2-4. However, there are some phrases that children may not understand such as "I've been getting hot air from grown-ups for ten years" and "You're eating on my mercy." They can read the words but they may not comprehend what it is trying to say so an explanation may be required. Another good thing about this book is that the plot starts right away on the first page. There isn't any "beginning reading" that sets up the plot. It starts right away which I think is important for beginner readers to keep them interested.

Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business by Barbara Park

Ahhh, Junie B. Jones brings back memories. My first grade teacher used to read this series aloud to us and I instantly fell in love with them.

This particular book, which is number 2 in the series, is about Junie B. Jones getting a younger brother. Her grandma tells her that her new brother is the cutest little monkey she has ever seen and Junie believes that her brother is a real monkey. During show and tell at school, she tells the class about her new monkey brother and quickly irritates the teacher. At recess, Junie's friends Lucille and Grace give her things in the hope to see her monkey brother first. After recess the teacher notices that Junie has Lucille's and Grace's snack tickets and Junie is wearing Grace's new shoes and Lucille's sweater. Junie is then sent to the Principal's office where they call her grandma and her grandma explains that her brother isn't really a monkey, he is just cute like a monkey.

I like Junie B. Jones because of her humor. I remember constantly laughing while reading when I was younger but I also caught myself laughing this time. Barbara Park does such a great job of developing her character which makes it so easy to picture Junie in your mind. Park also does a great job of remaining consistent throughout her books. Junie is someone that you grow to love and the reader can easily predict what Junie will do next because the reader has gotten to know her. When Junie gets herself into trouble for some reason, I say to myself "ahh that sounds like Junie B. Jones." I also like how Junie explains words that may be difficult. For example, in this book Junie explains that the word autumn is the school word for fall and confiscate is the school word for yanked it right out of my hand. It is such a simple explanation but it makes sense and I think younger readers can relate to this because this is how they may be thinking.

My only concern is the grammar and spelling that Junie uses. For example, Junie doesn't correctly use the past tense of verbs: "And so I runned to her speedy quick." Junie also incorrectly spells longer, more difficult words such as "pology" for apology. My concern is that this won't help kids learn grammar or spelling but on the other hand, these books do make kids read. I am not totally sure how I feel about this yet. I read these books as a child and I loved them and it didn't seem to affect my grammar or spelling. These books could provide a great opportunity to talk to the class about correct grammar; the class can correct Junie's mistakes together. Overall, I am so pleased with the Junie B. Jones books that I will have them in my classroom.

Punk Wig by Lori Ries

This book is about a young boy's mom who has "alien blobs" inside her called cancer. The young boy visits the mom in the hospital and they talk about the fact that her medicine is going to make her hair fall out. When she feels a little better, the boy and the mom go to a wig shop to buy a wig. The mom and boy try on many different silly wigs and finally decide on an orange, spiky, punk wig. The story then continues throughout the seasons and the mom and the boy spend time together. A year later, the mom's hair has grown back and she finds out she is cancer free. The mom then gives the punk wig to the boy to keep.

I loved this book, probably for the fact that it was so heart warming. There are so many kids out there who have a parent that has a cancer or they may have cancer themselves. This is the first book that I have read that has addressed this issue and I think it is such a good thing. Losing hair from chemotherapy can be such a scary thing for both the parents and the child and this book helps make it less scary by finding humor in the possibility of wigs and being able to spend time together looking for wigs. This book can be a comfort to so many kids.

The illustrator, Erin Eitter Kono, does a good job of making the pictures simple. The pictures express emotion in the reader and I think that should be the main goal for every illustrator to strive for.

Sakes Alive! A Cattle Drive by Karma Wilson

This book is about two cows who take the car keys from the farmer and go for a drive. The police try to stop them but the cows don't know how to slow down so they whizz through town. Because of all the cars the townspeople thought it was a parade and they loved it. They even asked the cows for autographs.

I like this book because it rhymes and it has humor. It is an easy book to read and I think kids would love it because of the emotion that is expressed. The only thing that kids might not understand is the expression "sakes alive" because I had never heard of it before. But who knows? Maybe they have heard it.

I love the illustrations in this book; they are filled with humor. In fact, I chose this book because of the illustrations on the cover. I would recommend this book for kids ages 2-6. Because it rhymes and the expression "sakes alive" is repeated, it is a good book for beginner readers.

Funny Farm by Mark Teague

When I read the title and saw the cover, I thought it was going to be a silly book that would make kids laugh. But, it really wasn't like that-in fact, it was kind of serious and straight-forward. The book is about a dog named Edward who goes to visit his relatives (also dogs) who live on the farm. The entire book is about what Edward does during the day-he milks the cows, feeds the pigs, gathers eggs, etc. The text is just a list of his activities throughout the day. Although the text isn't funny, the pictures do have a hint of comedy in them. I can see children laughing at the pictures but I think it would have been better if the text went along more with the pictures.

Like I stated before, the illustrator (also the author) does a good job of making the pictures "funny." For example, there is a picture of the hens chasing Edward after he goes to gather the eggs and the pigs are watching and laughing at him. Overall, this is a good book; I would read it to my students. I just wish there was more to the text to better correspond with the pictures.

Drat That Fat Cat by Pat Thomson

This book is about a fat cat who eats a mouse, duck, dog, and then an old lady. After he eats something, the book asks, "But was that cat fat enough?" And the response is, "No he was not!" So, the cat continues on to eat something else. After eating the mouse, duck, dog, and old lady, a bee buzzes by and the cat accidently swallows it. The bee stings the inside of the cat and the cat hiccups the mouse, duck, dog, and old lady out. Then, the old lady takes the cat home to feed it cat food.

This book is good for young kids because it repeats itself often. When the book asks for the third time if the cat was fat enough, the kids will know to respond with "no he was not." This is good for kids just learning to read. When the cat swallows the mouse, the book talks about the mouse "squeak squeak squeaking" inside the cat. The book then repeats this but also adds a new animal sound each time the cat eats something. The use of sound in the book will also help beginner readers.

I wouldn't say Ailie Busby is my favorite illustrator but she does a good job of making the pictures represent the text (which is also very important for beginner readers) and adding a lot of bright colors.

Double Those Wheels by Nancy Raines Day

This book is about a monkey who is trying to deliver pizza as fast as he can to his customers. He starts on an unicycle but has trouble balancing so he doubles his wheels and now he is on a bike. He finds it too tiring riding the bike so he doubles the wheels to four and now he is riding in a car. It continues until number 64 and then he has no wheels and finishes delivering the pizza from a hot air balloon.

This is a good book for the younger grades because it can help them with math. Even if the student has yet to learn how to double numbers, he or she can try to guess because the entire book rhymes. For example, the book says, "Chug, chug, putt, putt, can't late! Double those wheels and you've got eight (8)." If I were reading this book to young children, I would read the text and let them say the number. This would help reinforce the numbers that are doubled.

Not only is this a great concept book, I also like the illustrations. Steve Haskamp did a great job of making every page colorful and there is not one white space on a page. The pictures correspond with the text so seeing the wheels can help students when they are trying to double the wheels.