Book Review: The Ice Cream Store

How can you not pick up a book called The Ice Cream Store? Poems by Dennis Lee. Pictures by David McPhail. The poems are whimsical, the pictures well drawn. What’s great about this book is a child who reads it, or is read to, can learn how to make up their own funny, rhyming poems. Why not pick up a fun book like this and start making up silly poems with your own child.

Book Review: Emma Dilemma, Big Sister Poems

Emma Dilemma, Big Sister Poems by Kristine O’Connell George. Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. Great gift idea for a little girl who has a younger sister. Book is a collection of poems about a little sister with pictures that match. Poems are easy to read, and are about everyday situations dealing with a little sister.

Book Review

Take Me Out of the Bathtub and other silly dilly songs by Alan Katz. Illustrated by David Catrow. A FUN book! This book takes old folk songs and such and substitutes funny new words. Once your child hears Take Me Out of the Bathtub your child will be singing these new tunes in the car. Watch out! It will make you laugh. Too bad the book doesn’t come with a CD.

Book Review: Five Minutes’ Peace

Five Minutes’ Peace by Jill Murphy. Very cute picture book, moms and kids can relate to. An elephant, aptly named Mrs. Large, just wants five minutes peace away from her children. She goes and takes a restful bath. Soon after her children join her in the bathroom. It’s a short book which is great for a night time read. The pictures of the elephants are adorable. For Mother’s Day this book can be a gift idea for moms who’ve mentioned whenever they take a shower or use the bathroom their child suddenly needs them.

Book Review: The Shaman’s Apprentice

The Shaman’s Apprentice by Lynne Cherry and Mark J. Plotkin. Pictures by Lynne Cherry. This story takes place in the Amazon rain forest. A sick little boy, Kamanya, is cured by a shaman. This influences the boy’s decision to become a shaman someday too. He follows the shaman around as he picks herbs to help cure the sick. One day miners come and bring disease to the area. The shaman can’t cure the malaria. Missionaries come and use modern medicine to cure those who have the illness. After some time the missionaries leave feeling their work is done. One day a woman comes to the village wanting to learn about the healing art of rain forest plants. The villagers learn the cure for malaria was obtained from the bark of a tree. This prompts Kamanya to keep learning from the shaman about what plants can cure.
Interesting book with detailed pictures of herbs. Children can learn something new: Modern medicine we use everyday is derived from plants and trees. This is why it is important to save places like the rain forest. There is more to learn about what healing properties certain plants and trees have. The pictures of the rain forest are lush, filling the page, edge to edge.

Book Review: The Runaway Latkes

The Runaway Latkes by Leslie Kimmelman. Pictures by Paul Yalowitz. Rebecca is making latkes when they jump out of the pan. The naughty latkes roll out of her house and whirl through the town with people chasing them. The latkes jump in the Applesauce River. Low and behold a miracle happens. The Applesauce River turns into real applesauce. Rebecca takes the latkes out the river and shares them with everyone. Cute story with a catchy phrase throughout.

Budget Bath Salt Gift and Christmas Book Review

1) On a budget but need to give many holiday gifts? Here's an idea, give bath salts in small clear or colored mason jars. Use 1/4 cup of Epson salt, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/8 cup of almond oil. Mix together. Make sure the person you are giving it to doesn't have extra sensitive skin. Do tell people the simple ingredients in it. For a nice extra touch: Tie a red ribbon around a popsicle stick and place it on top. (Popsicle stick is to scoop up bath salt.)

2) Guess Who’s Coming to Santa’s for Dinner? By Tomie dePaola. Santa’s family is coming to dinner. Watch out they’re as crazy as other families with complaining, bickering and unhappy Cousin Ulla. But they also have fun making dinner and putting on their Christmas Pageant. Santa’s friend Lars brings his pet polar bear to dinner. Hmm I wonder how that will turn out. The pictures are in cartoon form so older kids might find that appealing. Nice idea about meeting Santa’s family. I always did wonder what they were like.

Book Review: The Christmas Cobwebs

The Christmas Cobwebs, by Odds Bodkin. Pictures by Terry Widener. A fire breaks out at a cobbler’s shop. The family flees as their house burns. The cobbler saves his special glass Christmas ornaments. But he has to sell them to buy new cobbler tools and to provide for his family. The family moves to another location. The cobbler tells his wife not to take down the spiders’ cobwebs in the house since he knows how it feels to lose your home. In thanks the spiders spin cobweb ornaments for their Christmas tree. Unique story with pictures that match.

Book Review: Carl’s Christmas

Carl’s Christmas, by Alexandra Day. This is a true picture book. With the exception of the first page, all the other pages show through pictures how Carl the Rottweiler babysits his owner’s baby on Christmas Eve. In reality I don’t think it’s okay for a dog to babysit a baby, but this book is pure fantasy. Carl takes really good care of his charge. Santa rewards him. I love the illustrations.

Book Review: The Thanksgiving Story

"The Thanksgiving Story" by Alice Dalgliesh. Illustrated by Helen Sewell. A book for third to fourth graders. It's true there isn't a lot of Thanksgiving books in the library compared to other books you can check out, but I would pass on this book anyway if you found it. You do learn information about the pilgrims but it was given in a boring manner. I found it so dull I took a look at the copyright date and wasn't surprised it said 1954. Overall this book could have been more exciting. Nowadays there are writers and illustrators who make learning about history fun. I have to state it was noted in the author's notes that the text and pictures in this book were purposely made simple. I got the point- it was a simpler time when the Pilgrims lived in America. But unfortunately I still thought the pictures were blah and text was just plain humdrum. This is one book that can go to the book sale to buy new library books.

Book Review: 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving- 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey. A truly amusing Thanksgiving picture book, written like 'Twas the Night Before Christmas as if it were an ode to it. Mr. Pilkey even writes about eight turkeys with comical names like the reindeers in 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. I highly recommend 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving. It's jolly good fun.

Book Review: Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild

“Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild,” by Mem Fox. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. I thought the pictures in the book were cute.
This picture book is about a mom who tries to keep her cool when her small child keeps spilling and knocking things over. The mom finally loses it and yells at her daughter. But she’s sorry and apologies to her child. This is something that does happen to parents. It’s important to let your child know even grown-ups can reach a limit and act out.

Picture Book for Older Kids: Max’s Words

“Max’s Words,” by Kate Banks. Pictures by Boris Kulikov. Picture book for older kids-age five to ten. Top notch picture book! I love the pictures and they match the great story perfectly. I recommend grandparents giving this book to their grandkids. The story is about a boy, Max, who wants to collect things like his brothers. Max starts collecting words. He cuts them out of newspapers and magazines. His brothers might collect stamps and coins, but they can’t do what Max’s words can do, create sentences and stories.
Here is a book you can learn from. Have your own child cut out words from magazines and make funny sentences with them.

Book Review: Doggone Dogs!

Another great picture book written by Karen Beaumont. “Doggone Dogs!” Pictures by David Catrow. A very funny dog book. The pictures are excellent! The story is about ten naughty dogs who don’t obey. They run to the park and get into trouble. It wasn’t clear to me if they’re going to obedience school in the park or not, but as the dogs are running around the dog trainer quits. Little kids who love dogs should like this book.

Book Review: No Sleep For The Sheep!

“No Sleep For The Sheep!” by Karen Beaumont. Pictures by Jackie Urbanovic. A very cute picture book! The story is about a sheep who is trying to get some sleep in a barn. A new barn animal keeps coming in and waking the sheep up. The sheep tells each animal one by one to go to sleep. A very tired sheep sleeps in the next morning. The pictures are well done and match the story perfectly.

Book Review: Diamond Jim Dandy and the Sheriff

“Diamond Jim Dandy and the Sheriff,” by Sarah Burell. Pictures by Bryan Langdo. I had mixed feeling about this book, so I had a friend read it. She too ended up with the same opinion as me; you shouldn’t have children think playing with a rattlesnake in any way is okay. They are dangerous. I have no idea with such a great premise the writer used a rattlesnake as the hero. Why not use a king snake? I think it came down to the rattle on the rattlesnake. The baby in the story grabs it after falling down a cliff and the snake saves her. But I personally think it is wrong to send a message to kids that if you grab a rattlesnake’s rattle you won’t get bit. Maybe if she saw kids in the hospital who have been bitten by rattlesnakes the author, who otherwise is a fine writer, would have made the snake a different kind. And maybe my friend and I are being extra harsh because we live near rattlesnakes and we know people who've had their beloved dogs die after getting bit by rattlesnakes.

Book Review: The Loud Book

“The Loud Book,” by Deborah Underwood. Pictures by Renata Liwska. Cute picture book to read to wee ones. The book is about what the title suggests, loud noises. There are usually only few to several words on each page. All sorts of interesting loud sounds are given with a picture of the noise above it.

Book Review: Brownie Groundhog and February Fox

“Brownie Groundhog and February Fox,” by Susan Blackaby. Pictures by Carmen Seqouia. Though the pictures match the simplistic story I didn’t really like this book. Sure the groundhog was cute, but she ties up the fox. Sure a fox shouldn’t want to eat a nice groundhog, but I happen to like foxes. So I was upset when the fox was sad he was left being tied up to a tree. Yes, the groundhog untied the fox, but by that time I wasn’t too keen on the book. On the up side, I liked that the book used words like grousing. This teaches kids words they might not have heard of before.

Book Review: The Boss Baby

“The Boss Baby,” by Marla Frazee. This picture book is amazingly funny! I highly recommend it for parents to be, and parents of babies. Little kids will like it too. The book is about a baby who from the moment he firsts comes to live with his parents he is the Boss. His parents are his staff who cater to his every whim. He even has staff meetings with them. Pacifiers Way Up for this book.

Book Review, A True Picture Book: Naughty Nancy

“Naughty Nancy,” by John S. Goodall. A true picture book. Using only illustrations this book tells the amusing tale of a little mouse who is a flower girl. Mr. Goodall does something unusual. He uses a small picture after a larger picture thus enlarging what you see. Don’t get this? Then pick up the book and see for yourself what I mean. It’s worth it. It’s a really cute book.