Posts Tagged ‘friendship’

« Older Entries

Lottie Paris and the Best Place

May 23, 2013

Lottie Paris and the Best Place

by:  Angela Johnson

This is Lottie Paris’s best day, why?  She is going to her best place, the library.  Lottie knows that at her best place there are rules she must follow.  You cannot yell, dogs are not allowed and you cannot color inside or outside the lines of a book.  While looking for her favorite books on planets and stars she meets a new friend, Carl.  Believe it or not Carl’s best place is also the library.  He has also learned that you do not blow bubbles in the library, eating yogurt while looking at a book is not a good mix and you should not read books under the table while pretending that everyone’s feet are dinosaur snacks.  Guess what happens?  The library is not only the best place to be but the best place to meet friends.

I really enjoyed Lottie Paris and the Best Day.  I agree with Lottie Paris, “the library is the best place to be”.  It was also great to see an author mention some of the rules of the library.  Rules that hopefully will be read out loud in story times as well as  talked about by a caregiver and a child.

 

Print this entry

Share

Tags:, ,
Posted in books | Leave a Comment »

Not Your Typical Dragon

May 16, 2013

Not Your Typical Dragon by Dan Bar-el and illustrations by Tim Bowers

Crispin is a little dragon who finds he is not your ordinary fire-breathing dragon, much to his father’s disappointment.  When his birthday comes around, Crispin feels “a tingling inside his tummy.  But when he opened his mouth, fire did not come out.”  Readers will be delighted by the unexpected but fitting things that do come out of Crispin’s mouth!

When Crispin meets a knight who is lacking in fierceness, a friendship may be in the making.  The illustrations are a delight, depicting the funny and surprise items coming out of Crispin’s mouth…and readers will feel satisfied by the ending, where Crispin’s different talent saves the day!

A great read-aloud, suggested for ages 3-6.

Print this entry

Share

Tags:, , ,
Posted in books, reviews | Leave a Comment »

Where the Red Fern Grows

May 13, 2013

Red FernWhere the Red Fern Grows

Written by Wilson Rawls

Billy is ten when he is “affected by the wonderful disease of puppy love” and attempts to convince his father that he needs a pair of coon hounds. Since his family comes from simple means and can not afford expensive hunting dogs, Billy works tirelessly to earn enough money to buy them himself. Raising his pups to hunt raccoons, the trio forms a deep bond that weathers storms and separation and hardship. When his father and grandfather notice how amazing his hounds are, they compete for the gold cup in a hunting competition. Tireless and faithful, his dogs prove to be the best friends a boy could ask for.

Though considered a children’s classic, Where the Red Fern Grows rarely comes to a child’s attention unless it’s part of a class assignment. This story of unbreakable friendship between a boy and his dogs can just as easily be enjoyed outside of school. The story and life lessons will resonate for years to come.

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Nicki P. (Schimelpfenig Library)

Print this entry

Share

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in books, reviews | Leave a Comment »

Squid and Octopus: Friends for Always

May 7, 2013

dsc01748[1]Squid and Octopus: Friends for Always

by Tao Nyeu

This adorable picture book consists of four very short stories about best friends, Squid and Octopus. In The Quarrel, the two have a disagreement over winter apparel, but come up with a mutually satisfying solution after asking Wise Old Turtle to settle their differences. In The Dream, Squid wakes up from an amazing dream feeling sad and ordinary back in real life, and Octopus takes it upon himself to make Squid feel special again. In The Hat, Octopus finds something intriguing and explores different ideas of what to do with it, while in The Fortune Cookie, Squid has a fortune cookie and Octopus tells him about the different types of fortunes it’s possible to get. In all of the stories you can see the love and respect that the two friends feel for one another, and it’s a joy to see them sharing, offering encouragement to one another, and just having fun together!

The illustrations are really beautifully done—bold, crisp, and quirky and with lots of fun details—and at one point there’s a nifty section that you flip open to see the inside of a submarine (as well as a passing fish and turtle!).

It’s sweet and humorous, and since it’s divided into four sections, it’s an easy one to read one story at a time, in order to make the experience shorter or longer according to available time, inclination or attention span.

These two friends are definitely worth a look!

tumblr_m79dd62aW21r7btvno1_500[1]Lara (Haggard Library)

 

Print this entry

Share

Tags:, , ,
Posted in books, reviews | Leave a Comment »

White Fur Flying

May 2, 2013

White Fur Flying CoverWhite Fur Flying

by Patricia MacLachlan

Zoe and Alice Cassidy live an unusual life but a happy one for anyone who loves dogs. Their father is a veterinarian and their mother rescues Great Pyrenees dogs and fosters them on their farm until a new home can be found. These dogs are enormous, beautiful animals with thick white fur which covers everything in the house as they shed.  In spite of their size, the Great Pyrenees provide a lot of opportunities for cuddling and love for the whole family. When a 9-year-old boy named Phillip (who has recently stopped speaking) moves in across the street along with his dog-fearing aunt and grim-faced uncle, the Cassidys find that they may have some people to “rescue” along with the dogs.  The mystery of Phillip’s silence permeates the story as the Cassidy children and their dogs in residence reach out in friendship to Phillip and his family.  This sweet, gentle story by Newbery Award winning author Patricia MacLachlan will steal your heart!

Recommended for Grades 2 – 4.

Reviewed by Connie (Parr Library)

Print this entry

Share

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in books, reviews | Leave a Comment »

My Happy Life

April 30, 2013

my happy lifeMy Happy Life 
by Rose Lagercrantz, illustrated by Eva Eriksson

Dani likes to count all the times she’s been happy.  Like the time she was little and her cousin Sven gave her a frog.  And the first time she managed to swim three strokes without drowning.  She likes her dad, she likes her cat, and she especially likes her new backpack.  Dani is just starting Kindergarten, and she has made a new best friend, Ella.  In short, she has lots of things to be happy about, and she knows it.  But then Ella moves away and Dani has to face a lot of things she wasn’t expecting.  In the end she has to learn to be happy about the small things again – all part of growing up.

This is one of those perfect transitional books – the earliest of early chapter books.  Many of the pages host only a few sentences complimented by Eriksson’s simple sketch illustrations.  In addition to the ease of the text, it tackles the small changes in a young reader’s life in an easy way.  Growing up and going to school presents any number of challenges for young readers – this book reflects those very simply and sweetly.

Print this entry

Share

Tags:, ,
Posted in books | Leave a Comment »

Nikki and Deja by Karen English

April 1, 2013

Nikki & Deja by Karen English

If your daughter is a reader who likes series, then the Nikki & Deja books may be perfect for her.  Next door neighbors and best friends, the stories revolve around the girls’ third grade classroom and other real life situations, like braiding hair, forming clubs, seeing their teacher at the store, and dealing with everyday feelings.

The five books can be read in any order without losing anything, so there is no reason not to jump right in.  I read the newest book called Wedding Drama, and felt satisfaction at the sensible and loving solutions that Auntie Dee provides for Deja, (although I was somewhat surprised that a teacher would hold a drawing for invitations to the wedding!.  I suppose that’s how reading can open your mind to possibilities that you may have never considered.)  Nikki and Deja are African-American characters, which is a notable feature in series fiction.

Nikki and Deja are on the Beginning Chapter Books list on Kids’ Brain.  I also wanted to find similar books that included African-American girl characters, so I used Novelist.  Once you click on the link, and enter your barcode, Novelist is a great resource for book lists by genre and age!

Print this entry

Share

Tags:, , ,
Posted in books, reviews | Leave a Comment »

A Whole Lot of Lucky

March 19, 2013

 

 A Whole Lot of Lucky CoverA Whole Lot of Lucky

By Danette Haworth

 Many people dream of winning the Lottery. For Hailee Richardson and her family, that dream becomes a reality when on one momentous night they find that they are holding the 3 million dollar winning lottery ticket!  Hailee and her family have previously been shopping at the Salvation Army, Goodwill Stores and garage sales as her mother and father have struggled to make ends meet.  Now their world is turned upside down with good fortune.  But as Hailee begins to dream big dreams, she is shocked to find that her parents are taking a much more cautious route.  No mansions or fancy cars for them.  Their windfall is broken down into installments over decades.  Hailee’s long “List of Things I Need” seems to be getting shorter and shorter much to her dismay.  What she really didn’t count on was her parents using a portion of their winnings to transfer her to the exclusive Magnolia Academy where she will begin 6th grade.  Hailee’s story unfolds as she struggles to find her place within the Academy yet retain the friendships of those who know her best.  As Hailee tells her story, she promises to tell the truth but sometimes her version of the truth may not be quite what the reader sees.  This is a pleasant middle grade book exploring friendship, family, materialism and how sometimes your dreams don’t turn out quite as you expect.

 Recommended for grades 4-6.

 Reviewed by Connie (Parr Library)

Print this entry

Share

Tags:, ,
Posted in books, reviews | Leave a Comment »

Ernest the Moose Who Doesn’t Fit by Catherine Rayner

March 11, 2013

Ernest

Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn’t Fit by Catherine Rayner

Ernest is a moose, a large moose. In fact, he is so large that he can’t fit on the pages of the book! He is a very determined moose, though, so he tries fitting in by shifting, shuffling, and squeezing every which way.  With the help of a small friend who has a big idea, they manage to fit Ernest onto the page in one piece.
This short, funny, and sweet story of friendship by author Catherine Rayner is great for ages 3-5.

 

Print this entry

Share

Tags:, , , , , ,
Posted in books, reviews | Leave a Comment »

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

March 4, 2013

 

Navigating Early

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

 If you want a deeply layered story with thoughtful characters, then this just might be the book for you!  Navigating Early is also an adventure quest.  It took a while for me to start piecing it all together, but I loved it and didn’t want it to end.

At the end of World War II, Jack’s mother has died, and his father decides to send him to a boarding school in Maine.  It’s a strange new world compared to Kansas.  At first he tries to fit in with the other boys, but he ends up retreating into a friendship with Early Auden.  Early is different than the other boys (in today’s language he might be described as being on the autism spectrum).  When the two end up alone at school, Jack goes along on the venture Early has planned to find pi and a great black bear on the Appalachian Trail.  If you are a stargazer and a dreamer, you’ll love the many connections that Jack and Early make on their journey.

This is Vanderpool’s second novel.  She won the Newbery Award for Moon over Manifest, which is another complex and worthwhile read.

Print this entry

Share

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in books, reviews | Leave a Comment »

« Older Entries