animal – One Chapter

Cat Nap by Brian Lies

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

I think this book is great for older elementary readers but for younger readers, I think it needs to be explained to them. My 3-year-old grandson picked it out as it had a cat on the cover and well, it was a bit slow for him. I added a few words here and there as we read, relying on the illustrations to tell the story, so he did enjoy the story by the time we got to the end of the book.

Mouse wants to remain undetected as he slips into the painting on the wall, but Cat sees him and follows. Yes, they both go into the painting.

Going into the painting, they come out on the other side of the wall, into another piece of art. This art is a limestone carving which they end up destroying. This artwork is supposed to be carved but somehow the cat, the mouse, and the rats which are in the carving have knocked the items in the carving down. The chase is on!

Cat continues to chase mouse everywhere! Cat ends up having a conversation with a clay dog, an ornamental mask, and multiple pictures.

Cat is on the prowl. Does he ever catch the mouse? Will he ever get back home?

I enjoyed the concept that the author had with this book. Altering items that the cat and mouse encountered in the book was very entertaining and creative. I appreciate the author’s notes at the end of the book as he shows the reader how he made the art to complete this book. Sure, he could have relied on AI or computer images but as the author notes, “where’s the satisfaction in that?” The author goes on to say that if you like to make things, keep practicing. Use your imagination to create an idea and then take the time developing the skills to create what you want. “You can make pretty much anything you want to, if you teach yourself how.” There’s also information on the actual art pieces that the author used in his book.

Interesting concepts and a book that should be appreciated for what it does.

The Monster in the Lake by Leo Timmers

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

Three ducks want to go to the lake but the mallard is worried about the monster. His friends say there is nothing to that story. When Mallard looks under the water at the lake he sees a huge monster fish. The monster fish smiles at him, and Mallard follows him under the water. Mallard finds at the bottom of the lake a huge party of monster fishes and Mallard has a good time down there. Mallards’ three friends are still swimming up above and don’t really notice that Mallard is gone until later. When they realize that Mallard is gone that are scared that he was taken by a monster until Mallard tells them that there’s no monster in the lake. Yet, as Mallard walks off on dry land, all the monsters from down below are making their way onland, happy smiling monsters.

Funny, cute story. The illustrations are amazing! It’s a simple story with few words but the story is good and has a good message. 5 stars

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Rainbow by Lucille Colandro

3 stars Children’s Picture Book

A take on I Know An Old Lady, this book follows the same rhyming storyline. A person swallows various items, correlating to the previous swallowed item and then, at the end, they spit everything out.

We thought while reading this version of the story, that some of the items that she swallowed items were strange. She swallowed glitter to brighten the cloud (which shows clouds sparked with glitter) and in the next few pages, she swallowed a cone to catch the glitter.

Why would she want to catch the glitter that is now brightening the cloud? She’s then swallowing a pole to lift the cone.

I understood at the end what the purpose was but perhaps she could have swallowed something different to create the final scene.

We weren’t fans of this version. 3 stars

A Dog in Georgia: a Novel by Lauren Grodstein

4 stars Fiction

Well, why not? I was a bit envious when Amy escaped her everyday life to pursue something dear to her heart. Amy knew what she was supposed to be doing, she knew the roles that she was supposed to fill but inside she felt empty. Getting away just might be the answer that she needs to get back into the swing of things.

Amy is fascinated with Angel and has become a regular watcher of Angel’s YouTube channel. Helping the area schoolchildren across the street, Angel has become quite a sensation. When Angel is discovered missing, Amy wonders if perhaps her talent for locating lost dogs could help locate Angel. Toying with the idea of searching for Angel, Amy ponders the possibility of her actually joining in on the search. As Amy contemplates this decision, I enjoyed her thoughts and how she analyzes the situation. It’s not like she’s going for a short drive to assist: Amy will need to leave her comfort zone and be independent. It’s all or nothing.

When Amy arrives in Georgia, she knows that her main concern is the dog Angel but every step in this journey is about discovery. This book is not about light bulb moments but it’s about the steps and revelations that help Amy rediscover herself and passion about life. 4 stars.

The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse by Mac Barnett

4 stars Children’s Picture book

Why had I not read this before? This was a funny yet great tale. The illustrations took a bit to get used to but after reading the story, I understood their use. With dark tones, the book tries to explain the reasoning behind why wolves howl.

Mouse has been eaten by Wolf, so he tries to make the best of the situation and begins to make himself at home inside the stomach of Wolf. Mouse discovers Duck, tucked into his own bed, inside the stomach of Wolf and the two individuals decide to cook up some breakfast. Mouse discovers that Duck is quite content living inside Wolf, and he is quite clever.

Having Duck and Mouse living inside his body is hard on Wolf yet Wolf discovers that perhaps it’s better than not. So, that’s why Wolf howls at the moon, “oh, woe!” 4 stars

What is Inside THIS Box? (Monkey & Cake #1) by Drew Daywalt

5 stars Children’s Reader

Cute, simple story for young children. Simple short sentences for beginning readers and a great book to introduce graphic novels to young children. It’s also a great story about using your imagination and the concept that anything is possible.

The story is about Monkey and a box that he has. Monkey claims that inside the box is a magic cat. Cake wants to see the magic cake and that is where the issues come into play. See, Monkey claims, “the cat disappears when” the box is opened. Hum?

Technically, the cat is in the box when the box is closed but how can Monkey prove it? Monkey makes a drawing of this, and I had to laugh when Cake tried peeking into the box.

I think it’s a super cute book and instead of Cake getting mad at Monkey, Cake tells Monkey he doesn’t believe him and why. Monkey is not upset. It’s a cute ending and that’s why Monkey and Cake are great friends. My grandkids liked it too and we talked about the book as we read it. 5 stars

Bear Finds Eggs by Karma Wilson

4 stars Children’s Picture

Beautiful, bright pictures filled with nature grabbed my attention with this children’s picture book. While bear and his friends walk through Strawberry Vale, Raven spots a robin’s nest in a tree and alerts bear. Owl, rabbit, mouse, and many other animal friends gather to watch Bear climb up the tree to see what is inside this nest that Raven found. Baby eggs. Three pretty, little robin eggs, tucked high up in the tree.

Bear leaves the babies a present in the nest for the day that they hatch, and they continue their walk. Hare finds the next treasure when he spots a large nest in the reeds by the pond. All the friends gather around the nest as bear again leaves a special present for the babies on the day they hatch.

What’s this? The group hears someone crying. Something has happened to Mama Meadowlark’s eggs, as they are missing. Bear and his friends spring into action! I love the way the friends scatter on the page and how they instantly help this mama. This hunt takes the friends in different directions, but they all gather as they find each one. They decide to paint the eggs, so they don’t disappear again, and they put the eggs in a container for safe keeping. Mama bird is happy as the group finds her eggs.

The end of the book is sweet for bear and his friends. This is a cute book, and most children will enjoy the happy story and love all the animals the story inside it. The illustrations are wonderful, and they pop right out of the book. I had some questions as I read the book, but this is the adult in me as I pondered why they painted the eggs when they found them. I also didn’t want bear to disturb all the eggs when he came upon them in each of the nests. I loved the friendship in the book and how they all worked together. 4 stars

Roger is Reading a Book by Koen van Biesen

5 stars Children’s

This is a cute story with few words. You don’t need a lot of words to understand what’s happening and if you follow along with the illustrations, the pictures tell the story. In the story, Roger is knocking and, in the illustration, Roger is standing but instead of seeing his right arm bent in a fist knocking, the author put three views of his right arm, in three different angles, so it looks like that arm is in motion. I think this is very clever. There are other instances of this in the book, examples of motion, where the character is just drawn on the page.

Roger is trying to trying to read a book. Sitting on a stool with his dog lying beside him on the floor, Roger is concentrating on his book when Emily starts playing in the room next door. Roger knocks on the door and I have to assume that he asks her to “shhhh!” Roger goes back to his chair to read and Emily, well she doesn’t bounce the balls anymore for now, she starts to sing. REAL LOUD! Again, Roger has to stop reading and now, the dog gets into the action. Roger knocks again “noisily” and yes, my friends the two characters retreat. Roger to reading and Emily to ………are you ready? Playing the drums!! Holy Batman! The illustration on this page is hilarious!!

The look on Emily’s face and poor Roger and his dog. You have to know what happens next. Will Roger ever be able to read his book? Why is Emily not letting Roger read? Can the dog help anyone? The ending is perfect.

It’s such a cute and entertaining story. There’s not a lot words and the ones that are used are repeated so this is good for beginning readers. The illustrations aren’t fancy and colorful but they are perfect for this book. I have to say that I was hesitate about this book when I saw it at the library but after reading it, I had to pick it up and read it with my grandkids. We all had a good laugh and really enjoyed it. A fun, simple, entertaining story. 5 stars

That time of year

Our bushes were beautiful but they were bare. We noticed that the caterpillars hadn’t shown up yet and we were concerned that it has been too hot for them. Then, the next day, they arrived! We counted about 25 of them crawling around on the bushes. This number was a bit less than last year, I can’t take myself away from them when they arrive, I’m constantly checking on them throughout the day and just watching them. After 3 days, all but 1 of them have disappeared. We’ve only located 3 pupas hanging nearby ( we bet the rest are hiding under the bushes) and now, I check on them. This is such an amazing process!!

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.