One Chapter

Hot Dog by Doug Salati

I think we all can relate to the dog in this story. I think it helps to understand what kind of dog this is too. I think this looks like a dachshund to me, a brown wiener dog. Known for their short legs and long bodies, this dog lives in the city and belongs to a woman who takes him for walks on a leash.

One particular hot sunny day, they head out, so the woman can do her errands. The sun has already heated up the sidewalks. The women ties the dog up outside as she slips inside each of the businesses she has to stop at. The dog starts to get irritated at being left outside. It’s hot, it’s noisy, and today, it’s just too much. Too much noise. It’s too hot. Too many people. She keeps dragging him along, stop after stop. Finally, he dog has had enough and he stops. In the middle of the road and ….she got it. She understood.

The ending is so sweet that it will leave a huge smile on your face as the dog and the woman just escaped life for the day. What a great day to be a dog. 5 stars Hot Dog by Doug Salati

The Big Slide by Daniel Kirk

Cute story! It’s spring, time to get outside and play yet Little Pup is afraid of the Big Slide. Going to the playground with his mom he sees all the other kids going down the slide and he wants so badly to be like them but he’s not brave enough.

Finally, the day comes when Little Pup decides to be brave and he heads off to join the line for the slide BUT he decides that he’s still not brave enough. Telling his mother that the line was too long, he’ll try another day. When that day arrives, Little Pup tries again and this time, he makes it up to the top of the slide. WOW! Yet, Little Pup can’t seem to slide down. He’s just not brave enough yet. Will Little Pup ever be able to go down the slide? With his mother encouraging him, Little Pup feels discouraged but determined to conquer the slide before the summer is over.

A great story with fantastic, colorful illustrations. Highly recommend this one. The Big Slide by Daniel Kirk 5 stars

White Bird by R.J. Palacio

I liked the story behind this book but I thought that the book was slow at times. It took about 4 days to finish this book as I just had a hard time getting back into it once I put it down. I had a hard time liking Sara as I thought she acted selfish yet I liked the friendship she had with Tourteau. I thought he brought out her good qualities which she needed in my opinion. My heart was in it for Tourteau as I thought he really was just a good person and he tried to keep his emotions out it. The text was easy to follow and the illustrations were okay. White Bird by R.J. Palacio

Kisses for Jet by Joris Bas Backer

I was totally confused in this graphic novel. I felt as if I was missing whole sections of the story and the author just provided these random thoughts and called it a story. I was hoping for a more complete story, one that didn’t leave me confused.

When Jet is forced into attending a boarding school, she has more than that adjustment to focus on. She’s on her own, living and going to school with other kids who Jet needs to start, to connect with. It’s supposed to be easy but as Jet begins this process, she begins to wonder exactly where she fits in all of this. She knows where she’s “supposed” to fit but is that where she feels she belongs? With a staff that’s supposed to now care for her needs, Jet wonders what those needs are.

I liked the use of the single color in the illustrations. I thought using one color, brought more focus on the issues in the text than to the illustrations. Some of the illustrations were great and others seemed so washed out. I liked the concept of this graphic novel but it was really hard following this story. Our library had this as a child’s graphic novel but for the content/illustrations that this graphic novel includes, I think it’s more of a middle school novel. (Nudity, smoking, sexual content) Kisses for Jet 2-2.5 stars

Red Scare: A Graphic Novel by Liam Francis Walsh

This was an interesting graphic novel and I really enjoyed the ending. The story revolves around Peggy who has polio and uses metal crutches to walk. Peggy feels like a victim (why me?) and although her doctor says she’ll get better with exercise, Peggy doesn’t do them. Peggy has a brother Skip who I feel, puts up with Peggy. Peggy meets Cynthia one day at the doctors. Cynthia has this powerful energy and this positive attitude which surprises Peggy. It also motivates Peggy because Cynitha also has polio but her future is not so positive.

Peggy helps her mom clean rooms at the local hotel. Instead of cleaning though, Peggy pulls out a book and lies down on the floor in one of the hotel’s rooms she’s supposed to be helping her mother with and she starts reading. Suddenly, the door opens and a guest is ushered in and Peggy hides under the bed. She escapes later when the gentleman washes up in the bathroom. This sounds simple enough except this book takes place in 1953, when there’s talk of Communist Spies and secret missions. And Peggy, she didn’t sneak out of the room with everything that she came in the room with. Big problem! When Peggy finds herself in possession of an amazing device, a device that changes everything in her life, I enjoyed how Peggy herself changed. She became alive with energy and her whole attitude was transformed. She has some individuals who have taken an interest in her but Peggy is more excited about how her life has changed to concern herself with them. The illustrations in this graphic novel were fantastic and I could feel the energy on the pages as the drama unfolded. There’s quite a bit of action taking place in this book but it’s not difficult to follow and I really enjoyed this book. 5 stars Red Scare

Sunday Pancakes by Maya Tatsukawa

That’s what friends are for. I loved how Cat’s friends helped her out when she needed them in this entertaining picture book. It’s Cat’s tradition to have pancakes on Sunday morning but she doesn’t have all the ingredients to make them. Calling up her friends, moonbear and rabbit, she asks if they have the missing ingredients and invites them over for breakfast. They’re so excited to come as they arrive with what Cat needs plus other food they want to share. They quite comical making pancakes so be ready for some fun as the three friends prepare the breakfast. It’s a cute, sweet book to read and the simple, pastel illustrations work nicely with the story. Don’t forget to look at the back flap of the book, for it has a recipe for pancakes. 4.5 stars Sunday Pancakes

Everything Will Be Ok by Anna Dewdney

You’ll be okay. That’s the vibe from this children’s book as the author asks the reader a variety of questions and tells them that they’ll be okay. So, you hurt yourself, you’ll be okay. So, you lost your kite and now, you can’t play that game anymore. It’s okay, find another game. Feeling sick? It’s okay, you’ll be better soon. Scared? Miss your parents? Things not working out how they’re supposed to? It’ll all be okay; you’ll be back where you need to be soon. How often we all need to understand and apply what this book has to say. With bright colorful animals with great facial expressions, the illustrations support what the message of this book is trying to tell us all. It will all be okay, maybe not right now but soon.

I liked how this rhyming book says it all but it’s not wordy. The text is catchy, it’s easy to rhythm and I found myself bouncing back and forth as I read it, (bouncing to the beat). The book covers a lot of subjects that children face that can throw them off and affect them. Instead of getting upset or changing their behavior because of a snag in their day, this book helps them realize that it’s going to be okay, that they can handle it. I think this would be a great book to read often with a class and talk about the implications that this book addresses. A good book to have at home too and talk about how bumps in their day doesn’t have to ruin their day. Everyone needs to read this one! A million stars Everything Will Be Ok by Anna Dewdney

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I Survived The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (I Survived Graphic Novel series) #1

I’m enjoying this series. There’s nothing like getting some education while reading a graphic novel and if we can get our young readers to pick up this series and read them, they’ll acquire some historical information along with a great story. With text boxes that are easy to follow, colorful illustrations, and a story that grabs your attention and moves quickly, the I Survived the Sinking of The Titanic, 1912 graphic novel, is a book that you’ll finish once you pick it up.

The story begins with the sinking of the Titanic and we’re witnesses individuals falling into the Atlantic Ocean. We hear a few comments from the passengers as they begin to realize what lies ahead for them. We now flashback to the previous day, nineteen hours earlier, when a young girl and her brother awake inside their cabin. Their aunt has taken them on this voyage. Sister is easily entertained but brother likes to have some excitement in his life, hence his ability for trouble to follow him. Their idea to check out the ship wouldn’t seem like such a bad idea but it’s what happens along the way and the timing of their inquiry that turns their little excursion into something big. I enjoyed the use of the different sized text boxes in this graphic novel and the illustrations. The illustrator was able to add more details and provide more emphasis by varying the sizes of the text boxes. The illustration’s attention to detail and the use of color added to the story and helped to create a mood within the story. The author states that this is more of a historical fiction book with the characters of the book being fictional but the facts about the Titanic being factual. I thought the story was entertaining and there wasn’t a lot of characters to keep track of. At the back of the book, the author writes to her readers a personal note pertaining to the book and she also includes various information about the Titanic on a few pages

I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 (I Survived Graphic Novels #3) by Georgia Ball

Another great I Survived graphic novel for children. Addressing the Nazi Invasion of 1944, there’s nothing like reading how a family is forced apart and the young siblings try to outsmart their enemy, to get your blood flowing late at night. I know from reading previous stories about the Nazi’s and hearing personal stories, that this period in history is one of the darkest but each time I read one of these stories, I still shake my head. To allow someone to have that much control and then, all the individuals that followed every one of his commands. I think it’s so sad.

It’s bad enough that families have been pulled out of their own homes and placed into a ghetto with who-knows how many other displaced families. Just when they think this might be their new home, they’re yanked out and their lives are rearranged again. For Max, he had his sister Zena and his Papa nearby until the Nazi’s decided they could use Papa elsewhere and they took him away. Now, it’s just Max and Zena, and they’re trying to survive. Can they do it alone?

I really enjoyed the illustrations in this graphic novel, the use of color was fantastic. The action was nonstop as this family was pulled from their surroundings and became one of many. If you haven’t checked out this graphic novel series based on the I Survived series, I highly recommend that you do.

Little Houses by Kevin Henkes

Walking along the shoreline, you spot the most unique shells but are they just pretty? As you read this picture book by Kevin Henkes, he has you examining shells beyond their outer beauty. For you are now looking at these shells from all angles: where did this shell come from? Is it empty? If not, who lived in it? If someone lives in it, who is it? Why is it shaped the way it is? Why does it make the sound it makes when I put it up to my ear? As this granddaughter takes a walk with her grandmother on the beach, she is taught to look beyond what her eyes sees.

I liked the flow of the book as it begins with the granddaughter just enjoying her walk on the beach looking at all the shells and then, as her grandma starts talking to her about the shells, her mind gets going about all the different possibilities these shells might have when a few minutes ago, they were just pretty shells. Grandma helped the girl start to think on her own. This creative thinking continues as the girl looks out into the water and she begins to wonder about life under the water (something that she can’t see from above). Grandpa gets into the picture when he tells her how big the world is and that someday she’ll know everything about it. With great illustrations that share the stage with the text, this book is fantastic. What a great story time book, bedtime book, or read aloud. Would be a good book to help start a discussion on questions children have about the world they live it. I highly recommend this one. 5 stars