Title: A Home for Bird Author/Illustrator: Philip C. Stead Publisher: Roaring Book Press Year: 2012 Word Count: 383 When the main reason that I keep reading a book is the desire to know WHAT is going to happen, or whether or not the main character is going to be successful at what they… Read more »
Lindsay
“Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla” — A Full Circle Journey
Title: Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla Author: Katherine Applegate Illustrator: G. Brian Karas Publisher: Clarion Books Year: 2014 Word Count: 566 A few years ago I read the middle grade novel The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. I couldn’t help but fall in love with Ivan, the… Read more »
PATTERNING Prevails in “My Grandfather’s Coat”
Title: My Grandfather’s Coat Author: Jim Aylesworth Illustrator: Barbara McClintock Publisher: Scholastic Press Year: 2014 Word Count: 614 My Grandfather’s Coat is based on the old Yiddish folksong, “I Had a Little Overcoat.” The song was later turned into a story called “The Tailor” which I first heard told by Judy Sima during a youth… Read more »
“Otto, The Book Bear”: A Charming CHARACTER
Title: Otto, the Book Bear Author/Illustrator: Katie Cleminson Publisher: Disney Hyperion Year: 2011 Word Count: 318 If you’re looking for a great study in character, look no further than Otto, the Book Bear. In this charming story, we meet Otto, a bear who lives inside a book, but who comes to life when no one… Read more »
“Abuelo” Shines with Bilingual Word Play
Title: Abuelo Author: Arthur Dorros Illustrator: Raul Colon Publisher: Harper Year: 2014 Word Count: 351 My husband is from Colombia. We met in Spain. And now we are raising our Colombian-American son to be bilingual in that bastion of multiculturalism, Ohio. (Don’t get me wrong — I love Ohio! It’s just not the first… Read more »
