One Chapter

Two Dogs on a Trike by Gabi Synder

How hilarious! I’m still laughing about this one! This counting picture book is so cute and fun! I don’t know where to begin on this review as there were many things that stood out in this book. I’ll begin by saying that I had to read this multiple times. Just reading it once doesn’t do this book justice, you have to stop and savor the illustrations. I compared the illustrations which made the book more hilarious. I’ll definitely have to get this one to read to my grandchildren.

When dog spies the gate open, he goes for it and he escapes out of the yard. Dog thinks he’s being sneaky, going undetected, yet we spy cat, watching him out the window drinking her coffee. Dog jumps on the back of a trike which is driven by a poodle who has also escaped and now, we have “two dogs on a trike.” As we turn the page, this duo now jumps on a scooter being driven by another escaped dog which makes “three dogs on a scooter.” I loved watching the dog’s actions and their faces as they continued on their way. They were having the time of their life, even the dog wearing the lamp shade. It makes me laugh now, just thinking about it. The story gets even better because I haven’t mention who else is in the picture. Cat. Leaving her coffee and house slippers behind, Cat has been trailing the dog and all of his buddies since he left the yard. It was a hoot to see Cat, in her own various means of transportation secretly spying on the dogs as he makes his journey in various mode of transportation too.

Each step of dog’s journey, another dog is added until the count gets up to ten and then, the story reverses and it counts back down. It’s more than a counting book, it’s a fun adventure!

I loved the energy and creativity that was put into this book. I couldn’t help laughing at the dogs while they were on their journey and then, seeing cat who was spying on them, not that far away. When the book starts counting backwards, the reactions from the dogs have changed. Comparing the same numbers from counting up to counting down was entertaining and comical. I have to thank the author for leaving the ending of this book open. I really like it when an author sets up a book and then leaves something for the reader to ponder that’s not a huge cliffhanger.

I really enjoyed this book! I think children will love this book also. I can also think of many applications of how to build off this book at home or in the classroom. From having your child come up with their own numbers book based on this concept, to having your child finish the book where the author left off, to having a child use different modes of transportation or animals. This was a super book!!

Here is the author being a Special Guest Stay at Home Storytime Reader at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library and reading Two Dogs on a Trike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcymc9JbfVo

Swashby and the Sea by Beth Ferry

Captain Swashby just wanted to retire all alone by his longtime friend: the one who he loved and who he felt knew him, the sea. Since he retired, the sea had provided everything he ever needed and Swashby enjoyed his quiet, sandy beachfront world until a granny and her granddaughter moved in next door.

Swashby’s new neighbors were just being friendly but he didn’t want neighbors and he sure didn’t want them to be disturbing his current lifestyle.

Swashby tried to communicate with these new arrivals by writing messages in the sand for them but the sea would find them and rewrite them for him. The water erasing each letter or word, so the neighbors would now read an altered message. Which, would make Swashby angry. I enjoyed this funny and clever talent that the sea possessed. Swashby had been so proud that the sea knew him and had taken good care of him over the years and even now, the sea was doing his writing. What does that tell you, Swashby? I wondered if Swashby feeling were because he was used to be being alone and he wanted to stay that way.

I kept wondering what it would take to get him to lighten up and at least be nice to his new neighbors, when that something finally happened. Captain Swashby at your service! The ending of this book was perfect.

This was a fun book to read. Swashby was a person who liked to be alone, was content with the way things were. He seemed happy until the neighbors moved in and then, he became crabby. He didn’t want to talk to them, he didn’t treat them very nice, he complained, and he just wasn’t the same person anymore. Why was that? Yet, the new neighbors were happy individuals who continued to be happy throughout the book. The little girl was so full of life and she tried repeatedly to reach out to Swashby even though he wasn’t very nice to her. I liked how things worked out in the end, its like the saying, “Everything happens for a reason.”

We Thought We Knew You: A Terrifying True Story of Secrets, Betrayal, Deception, and Murder by M. William Phelps

I’m new to reading true crime novels so I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this book. I know that I hadn’t heard about this case before, so that was a plus. I like to watch true crime shows on television and reading this book was just like watching an investigation unfold on television. I liked that there were just a few individuals to keep track of, therefore, I narrowed my suspects down to two, quite quickly.

When Mary arrived home from work, she wasn’t feeling well. Mary would normally fight off an illness, letting her cheerful-self shine through but whatever she had, it was getting the best of her. When her husband Bill awoke in the morning and found that Mary had not slept all night but had been sick all night, he took her to the hospital. They ran tests, gave her fluids and Mary started to feel better. Reluctant to leave her side, Bill finally went home that evening to sleep while the hospital staff took care of Mary overnight. It wasn’t long before the hospital called the family in, as Mary’s condition deteriorates. Within 24 hours, Mary’s illness had killed her.

Crazy! Mary was considered a healthy person. Suddenly, she gets sick and then, just dies?!? Something is just not adding up. When Bill left that night after he took her to the hospital, she was improving and then, the family is summoned to the hospital when things take a turn for the worse. They ordered an autopsy and it was finally discovered that Mary was poisoned. How? On purpose or accidentally? I liked how the author showed this process, how in-depth and difficult this procedure really was. Mary wasn’t poisoned with your typical toxic either which leads to more investigations and boy, the story really starts to gets interesting now.

When we meet their son Adam, he was working at the family’s chiropractic business in the office. This kept him busy fulltime until he decided to go back to school. He seemed to have it all together until we are introduced to his girlfriend, Katie. Katie was, in my opinion, needy. Katie played Adam and he fell for it. Katie becomes a big part of the family as she takes over in the office when Adam returns to school. She makes the perfect office manager or so, it looks like she does. They were my suspects from the beginning. Their motive for the killing? I didn’t have one but I felt it must be in the book somewhere. Their relationship was off and on, all the time. They’d fight, then made-up and I wondered if they even remembered if they were together or not, half the time.

The investigation itself was interesting and I liked how it was laid out. I was curious and was feeling analytical as I turned the pages, trying to predict what would be happening next. Although, I felt at times that some of the investigation was repeated or rehashed over and over again. I don’t know if that was done as a means to connect pieces together or to remind us what had already occurred but I just wanted to move on. I did like how the author fed the information to the reader. It was definitely an interesting story and I think I’m going to look into other books this author has written.

Goodnight, My Angel by Billy Joel

What a sweet lullaby and the illustrations that accompany this book couldn’t be any sweeter. Written for his daughter, Billy Joel wrote the song after his daughter aquestioned him about death.

Even though you may not be with the one that you love, they will always be a part of you, is just one of the messages that I took away from this picture book. Memories and dreams, they are in your heart and become a part of you. This would be a great bedtime book. It comes with a CD or you can watch the video of Billy Joel singing the song on YouTube.

Listen to Billy Joel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcnd55tLCv8

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Emma Kragen

Super cute book! Each day of the twelve days of Christmas, the book features a different breed of dog. There’s a poodle, huskies, Basset Hounds, Golden Retrivers, and a few others. Each day, the dogs are doing something: there are dalmatians dancings and boxers boxing, etc. The book follows the same lines as the song which makes this book fun, if you know the song.

The pictures of the dog look realistic but the dogs are set in cartoon backgrounds. Sometimes the dogs wear accessories, like scarves or hats and they too are cartoonish on the realistic-looking dogs. It’s super cute especially if you like dogs. There’s a nice a surprise on the twelfth day of Christmas. I didn’t listen to the CD.

We Will Rock Our Classmates by Ryan Higgins

I love Penelope because she’s more than a T-Rex. Penelope loves to go to school and the students in her class don’t treat her any different just because she’s a dinosaur. Instead of playing cops-n-robbers, they play cops-n-dinosaurs so Penelope can play with them. Penelope loves to read, play, and draw just like any other child plus Penelope has feelings just like they do too. Penelope’s favorite thing to do in the whole wide world is, to rock-out on her guitar!

Penelope gets so excited when the teacher announces a talent show that she’s the first one to sign up. She had to walk past Walter the Goldfish to get to the signup sheet, now that’s a brave dinosaur. Rehearsing over and over again at home, Penelope is ready for the big night when she can play on stage.

When they have a school rehearsal, Penelope freezes! What!?! Penelope can’t move. She can’t play her guitar. What will happen on the night of the talent show when everyone comes to watch Penelope rock-out?

Doubt has started to creep into Penelope. She wonders about her ability to play. How can she get the confidence she needs to play? A cute book about this fantastic dinosaur and her classmates.

The Circus of Stolen Dreams by Lorelei Savaryn

She just wasn’t ready so, when the Land of Dreams appeared, Andrea was more than ready to pay the price of admission. Her price was: one of her dreams or a memory but what awaited her was, the opportunity to forget her troubles. This was definitely a good deal, Andrea thought. As the carnival specular surrounded her, Andrea tried to put the past 3 years behind her.

It had been 3 years since Andrea’s brother disappeared. Her parents have been moving forward and have decided to finally get rid of the rest of Francis’ possessions that have been boxed up and stacked in the garage. Andrea just couldn’t deal with moving on without Francis. When she came across Reverie, I think she was hoping that this might be the escape that she was looking for.

I was mesmerized by this novel. I loved how Andrea fell for Reverie and it’s magic. She befriended Penny, who shows Andrea how the Land of Dreams works. Penny has been at Reverie for a while so she knows everything about it. It’s a magical journey as Andrea travels to Reverie searching for answers. I enjoyed the little twists in the story and the adventure that it took me on. I enjoyed the character of Andrea as she had a huge heart and she was much stronger than she thought she was. I really loved the love and the bonds that I felt in this book. A fantastic book that I really enjoyed.

“I ask the Sandman”

“To a land of dreams, in which I can play”

Escape This Book! Titanic by Bill Doyle

I had to laugh when I opened up this book, as whoever had read this book from the library before me, had literally started to do the activities inside the book even though, it was a library book. Inside the front cover, they had written “Please ~~araus~~ earese me.” As I started to read, I noticed this individual had did many of the activities on the pages of the book; they had drawn, folded, and even ripped inside the book, according to the directions. I understand their actions as this book is very interactive and as I read the text, I got very involved in the story.

On page one of this book, you’re told to draw a face directly on the space provided, following the directions they provide. Now, the story unfolds. You have just drawn yourself trapped in this book (which is the Titanic) and soon, the Titanic will hit an iceberg and well, the boat floods with water and it’s not good. The narrator in the book is looking for an assistant for a special mission but you have to escape out of this book first. He’s sent his pet gopher to see how you do since he can’t be there himself. So, grab a pen/pencil and doodle, get destructive, and navigate your way out of this book to survive.

I thought this book was really cute. I liked how the author engages the reader inside the pages. Once you get onboard and accomplish a few challenges, you’ll get to decide what type of traveler you’ll want to be for the voyage: first, second, or third-class, crew member, or a stowaway. Each of these classes has a % of survival rate attached to it which will also affect the challenges you will have to do inside the book. After you choose your path, you’ll learn what it was like being a traveler for that type of passenger on the Titanic. It’s great educational information, presented in a fun, entertaining manner. I enjoyed the illustrations and the facts that are a part of this journey. During this journey, you’ll have to do a variety of tasks to survive and when things don’t work out, you’ll find yourself in the water. Perhaps you’ll “sink below the surface, you wonder what would have happened if you had decided to …….” “Return to page xxx to pick a different path!” OR if you’ll lucky, you just might be one who survives.

I thought it was a fun adventure and there are plenty of opportunities to divert your path. The black-n-white illustrations were fun and entertaining and the information was engaging. If you do end up not surviving, the author gives you the option of going back “to page xx” and starting over, where you can choose a different path. For the child who is a hands-on learner, this would be a great book for them to learn about this event in history or a great tool for any child, as it’s like a game.

I do have to wonder, after you have made it through the book one time (through all the different scenarios), and you have completed all the activities, then what? Is it still fun for them? I’m glad to see that a paperback is coming out soon, it would be fun to have your child perhaps do it again at a later date and see how their answers change. I also think, perhaps kids could share their books/answers if one of their friends have the same book. I think if you borrow this book, make sure your little ones don’t mark it up. If they like it, buy them a copy, use the borrowed copy as a preview copy. I love the idea of the book, it’s just not one you should “use” unless you own it. 4.5 stars

Prairie Days by Patricia MacLachlan

I’ve been hearing a lot about this book lately so I had to have a look. The cover didn’t do much for me but what’s inside the cover, caught my attention. I felt myself slowing down as I read, the text had its own song. Written in the author’s own lyricism and unique book spacing, a peaceful and whimsical feeling came over me. I found myself out in the country, where the clock didn’t matter and the sun, set the time. The scenic countryside was painted, each layer told a story that set with the changing of the seasons, and it was hard to believe that someone actually created these beautiful illustrations.

Let me get lost in this countryside where the kids played kick the can and they cooled themselves off by lifting the lid of the cold-water, lift-top tank to grab a drink. Herding cattle, resting on the front porch, and swimming in the farm pond were all just part of a normal day. Author Patricia MacLachlan does a fantastic job showing us a glimpse of prairie days.

You have to look at these illustration as they are just beautiful. I had to know how Micha Archer created such works of art and these are actual multilayers created with origami and tissue paper and pattered papers that she makes with homemade stamps. Wow, I mean wow! I found it amazing that she was once a kindergarten teacher for 15 years and then, was a carpenter for another 15 years, and now she writes and illustrates children’s books. That does make sense, looking at this book. I’m going to look and see what other books she has illustrated. This book was definitely a keeper! 5 stars

Maker Lab: 28 Super Cool Projects by Smithsonian Foreword by Jack Andraka

This book got me excited for doing science experiments at home, I just need my granddaughter and we would be off! I liked how this book is set up with 4 different sections: a food section, a water and outside section, and then, experiments for around the home. By looking at the instructions, they’re not limited to those specific areas but I think it helps that they’re grouped. There are at least 6 experiments in each section and most of the items that you’ll need, are items that you should have somewhere close by.

Each experiment is laid out with numbered step-by-step instructions with illustrations for each step. But, that is not all, no…. there is an explanation on why this experiment works, which is the important thing. It’s fun to make experiments but it’s even better, if they work. There’s also a difficulty level meter and an estimated time (in minutes) on how long each experiment should take. I love how there are tidbits of information included in each experiment because it’s also fun to learn something neat and interesting while you’re being a scientist, as you never know when you might need to know this information later.

Some experiments are ones that we have done before (like the erupting volcano, sticky slime, dancing snake (although ours was a bit different)), there are some that look very interesting. Sugar lollipops, kaleidoscope, rocket car, stalactites, orbs, and a few others. There’s a glossary and an index at the back of the book to help navigate within the book. And yes, I also thought a few of the experiments, I wouldn’t even attempt. I just had no desire to do them.

From personal experience, I have to say that there are a few experiments that are geared for the younger crowd. These experiments would be ones that can be accomplished quickly, results can be seen rapidly, and they can be explained without much difficulty. That being said, there are some that look time-consuming (not necessarily difficult), the results might take a few days to accomplish, and the reasoning behind why they work, might be more involved. The majority of the experiments, I feel fall in the middle. DK produced another great book that will provide hours of fun and education and will spark the minds of our future generation. 4.5 stars