Hedgie narrates the story of his rise from lowly custodian in Star Labs, a dog-centric aerospace lab, to First Astronaut Hedgie. When the robotic explorer malfunctions, Hedgie is asked to take its place in the rocket to explore a dying crater. Hedgie solves the problem with his quick thinking and is rewarded by the scientists at Star Labs.

The format of the pictures is a departure from her more popular books and although she does take the time to create some detail work in the illustrations, they are no where near the same level. Fans of Hedgie will enjoy the flight of fancy, but other readers will be left wanting more.

The round borders to the pictures make the reader feel they are looking through a telescope, spying on the scene in front of them. As the seasons change, the images of a small town spin through the lens. The rhythm of the story turns with the times making this a wonderful book to read again and again.

Notes for Parents:

Like the picture word cards for young children, the pictures offer a great way to build new vocabulary. Discussing the pictures with your child and talking about where they see the objects or when they do the actions portrayed in the pictures is key in helping them develop their understanding conversations and making connections to the world around them.

Notes for Parents:

Although the text is simple, this is a great book to read aloud with sound effects and motion. Holding your child close and allowing them to turn the pages is a great way for them to engage in the story telling process as well. They are learning left to right tracking, page order and are able to spend some quality one on one time in the process. This can be a fun book to use to help your child see that reading can be active.

The naked baby takes the reader on a journey through a day a toddler and their parent can relate to on many levels. Going from one bath at the beginning of the day to the evening bath, it answers every parents’ question of how their child gets so dirty! The colors and flamboyance of the drawings will capture the eye of even the most discriminate young reader.

Smith uses alliteration and rhyme in many sections of her writing giving the listener an enjoyable experience with language. She also highlights the numbers on the edge of the page, making it easy for little ones to see and count the objects on the page.

As a parent of a toddler, I have read the story over and over, often in one sitting. With every reading I notice another pattern in the background and themes happening on the edges of the story. Older listeners will enjoy predicting what happens next based on the pictures, while younger readers can point out their favorite backyard animals. It is a book I don’t mind reading for the thousandth time, which can not be said of all children’s books.

Notes to Parents:

I often read this story with my ten month old. She loves to point to the animals she knows and try to say their names. As she doesn’t have a long attention span, the short text and the bold colors make this a great read for the really young.  We count the objects on the page by pointing at each one. We also spend a lot of time looking at the fly pages which are illustrated with small drawings from each of the numbers. She will point at an object and I will say its name.

Catherine wants her parents attention and love and does not always understand why David must come first. She willingly goes with her mother and David to occupational therapy during her summer break, so she can spend the time in the waiting room reading with her mother. (This alone is heart wrenching.)

While she is there she meets Jason, a boy in a wheelchair who can not talk or use his fine motor skills. He communicates with picture cards in a book and points to words to get his message across. Catherine offers to draw new cards for his book and through her own experiences, generates words that allow Jason to express himself as an individual.

Catherine is a lovable, huge hearted person with a very sensitive soul. Lord creates a character that is so amazingly human, that readers will not be able to prevent themselves from wanted to help Catherine out in her situation. Lord also does a wonderful job leaving the reader questioning their own reaction to those who are different. They just might see their own previous behaviors and biases mirrored in Catherine’s accusations.

A must read for upper elementary and middle school students, Rules is an eye opening read.

With a sweet ending and beautifully done pictures,Great Joy is a nice book for the holidays. Younger children will definitely enjoy the story although the concept of the organ grinder and monkey may need to be explained. This book could easily be used to launch a larger discussion with older children about social justice and responsibility towards others. The mother’s reaction to the man on the street is a familiar one and the little girl’s reaction quickly points out the ridiculous nature of fear and distrust many people live with of street people and the homeless.

The original story, Maid Maleen, forms the bones of this story, while the legends and folklore of the Mongolian steppes gives shape to the beautiful form. The original story grows into an epic adventure in Hale’s hands as she creates a back story for the characters and a reason for the destruction of Lady Saren’s realm. Dashti and Saren’s growth as characters, while still remaining true to the fairy tale format, make this a lovely book for younger girl readers. The romantic tone, while present, is done in a way that still leaves the reader with the image of a strong female character. Hale combines pen and ink sketches with the writing, giving the reader the feeling of holding Dashti’s notebook. Readers do have to pay attention to the number of days posted at the beginning of each entry to note the passage of time.

I would recommend this for fans of fairy tales and girls’ adventure books. This is definitely for the fifth and sixth grade set. A strong reader in fourth grade might also find this to be a fun read. I enjoyed reading the original fairy tale after reading Book of a Thousand Days and comparing the two. Shannon Hale’s reinterpretation is sure to be a hit.

Notes for Kids:

This story is not your typical princess story. Although there is a prince and princess, a girl in disguise and a tower, the author mixes up our idea of fairy tale and makes the story an adventure. Fans of fairy tale and fantasy fiction will love this! It is most definitely a girl book. It will be the book you pass on to a friend!

Notes for Parents:

The story is a wonderful tale of loyalty to your friends and selflessness. Dashti’s struggle with being true to her friends and following her heart adds depth to a story about marrying a prince. Hale creates a strong female character as well as two female characters struggling to find her place in the world. At a time when most girls are figuring out who they are, this book can add a supportive voice for the kind, intellectual and confident person.

Notes for Teachers:

This makes a great addition to fairy tale unit studies as either a read aloud, book club or individual read. The original tale is a short piece but makes a wonderful comparison to Hale’s book. I taught a fairy tale study with seventh graders one year and I would easily add this to my classroom library. The social studies curriculum for seventh grade includes medieval China. This might be an interesting book to connect to the rise of Genghis Khan and his conquering of the Asian steppes.

The illustrations are done with the wonderful cutout paper feeling and free spirited hand of Lane Smith and reminds readers of his other works like The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. Young readers will like the collage like feeling, while older readers will appreciate the complex layering and texturing of the drawings.

The writing does not lose its upbeat and slapstick nature for a minute. Cowboy’s rugged attitude and Octopus’ sensible nature play off one another. Whether they are commenting on each other’s choice in hats or food preferences, the fact they are friends makes this even more hilarious. Fans of their other picture books and short chapter books alike will appreciate their wit.

]]> http://www.childrenslitreview.com/?feed=rss2&p=48 http://www.childrenslitreview.com/?p=46 http://www.childrenslitreview.com/?p=46#comments Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:25:23 +0000 bethp http://www.childrenslitreview.com/?p=46 Gemma’s quest to save the realms continues in Rebel Angels, the sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty. The story picks up right before the Christmas holidays for the girls of Spence. Gemma is excited to spend her first Christmas in England and enjoy the holiday in London. She has been avoiding the realms and has lied to her two friends, Felicity and Ann about her powers, telling them that she can no longer conjure the door to the realms. Gemma must overcome her fears and face the new dangers unleashed by her when she broke the binding of the magic in the realms. Her enemy, Circe, is on her trail and is looking to bind the magic to herself. The Christmas holiday looks to be anything but relaxing for Gemma. Help comes to Gemma from a new corner, a girl named Nell Hawkins. She is a patient of Gemma’s brother, Tom, at the Bethlam Royal Hospital, a place for the insane. Through her archaic and troubled state, she tries to help Gemma and her cause. The girls are reunited with Pippa in the realms and discover that not all is well in paradise. Each girl learns about their true self and the power within them and as a reader we learn the back story behind many of the characters.

The second of the longer, three part series, Rebel Angels is a blend of Victorian mystery and fantasy and modern strong girl characters. Middle school readers will love the edgy nature of this series and the author’s ability to tackle such issues as drug addiction, child abuse and elitist attitudes without flinching. This is not a story for the faint of heart!

Notes for Kids:

As the second book unfolds, we are able to see the magic realm and what lies ahead for the girls. Gemma must learn to trust herself and her instincts, while watching her own friends change into their own people as well. This book is definitely about finding the power within you to do great things. To quote Peter Parker, “ With great power comes great responsibility”. Gemma must learn from her mistakes and take on the responsibility of being the chosen one.

Notes for Parents:

Although it is the second book in the series, Rebel Angels is just as intense and electrifying as the first. This not a book for the younger reader by any means. Libba Bray does not steer clear of such hard hitting issues as sexual abuse and drug abuse. If you are looking for a light hearted, girls’ adventure novel, look elsewhere as this one contains a serious under story. It is a good older reader choice.