Ahhh, I felt a change within myself as I read this book. I noticed that slowly, I had picked up a rhythm. The words had their own tempo. The book seemed dark, based on my first impression but it’s not the pictures that I should be concentrating on. It’s a combination of the two of them put together, the illustrations and the text with all its elements, that make this book special. What began as a wintry friendship between a young child and a bison, develops into a lifelong sense of security and affection.
She saw him again, as she walked with her mother, out by the forest. She’d meet up with him every day, inching closer and closer to him, until she was able to finally feed him. He was her bison. Spring is coming and the bison must leave with his herd. The girl knows that he will return to this spot, like before, but that doesn’t stop the bison from enjoying this moment with the girl before he leaves.
Its Winter again, finally! She knows that her bison will be arriving soon. She has missed him terribly and she can’t wait to talk to him again. The bison listens patiently as the girl tells the bison all of her stories. With soft illustrations, they work perfectly with the text.
As the years go by, I liked how the two of them continued to meet, their friendship deepening and strengthening until the year when her bison doesn’t show-up. This was a sweet story about a unique friendship and losing someone important. 4.5 stars
What I like most about this book is how colorful it is. This book screams color! The book addresses indviduals to be who they are, whoever that may be. They want individuals to accept who they are and also, to present your true self to others. No matter what is going on in your life, no matter what has happened in your life, you need to be yourself. Indivdiauls need to have a fun life and embrace life.
The book is written in a positive light which is great. The statements on each page are short and I’m on the fence about this. I like the idea of this but I have to wonder if the message that they’re trying to convey, is really getting across to the readers of the book. This book would be a great starting-off book as it has a variety of topic for conversations or another activitities.
“Be Your Own Family” “Be brave” “Try new things”
The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak
Definitely one that needs to be shared with others. This is such a cute book that forces the reader to say silly things to their audience. You don’t really need an illustration, if you’re admitting that you’re a monkey with a head made out of blueberry pizza but wait, did I just say that? Reading the text, you can’t help but get into a rhythm and a character, as you read these humorous and outrageous ideas and then, realize that you have just done these crazy things because you are reading the book. I really liked the font and how the author’s used the space in the book. Definitely a book that will leave a smile on your face.
“And now it’s time for me to sing you my favorite song!
A song? Do I really have to sing a —–“
Little Elliott, Big Fun by Mike Curato
This is the best Little Elliot book yet. Little Elliott and Mouse are going to the far edge of the city to the amusement park. I thought Mouse would be the one with issues being the smaller one but Little Elliot is just not liking the looks of what Mouse likes. Mouse seems to like the adventurous rides and he like all the different sights of the park but not Little Elliot.
I liked that Mouse didn’t get upset with Little Elliott when he didn’t like what Mouse liked. I liked that Mouse accepted Little Elliot’s fears and insecurities. Little Elliot did try to have fun after being scared at first and by the end of the book, they had a great time together and the ending was so sweet. The ending is what makes them best friends. You can have differences and still have fun together and be best friends. What a great book!
SumoKitty by David Biedrzycki
He was just a hungry kitty looking for food when he met up with the sumo wrestlers. He’d sneak in and eat their leftovers after they finished their meals each day. Kitty was soon offered a job at the heya (training center) and he doesn’t have to sneak around the heya any longer.
Kitty was good at his new job, actually he was very good and it began to have a negative effect on Kitty’s appearance. It got to the point where it started to affect Kitty’s job but he just couldn’t do anything about it. Or could he? He’s had an ideal opportunuty right in front of him this whole time yet he hadn’t realised it until now. It might take some hard work and lots of disapline but within Kitty there lives a SumoKitty.
I learned a lot about sumo wrestling while reading this book, which was interesing and included more specific words than I realized. This story had some humorous moments which the ilustrations do an excellent job emphasizing. This was an entertaining read and I thought there were some great messages in the book.. The illustrations were fun and they definitely added to this story. 4.5 stars
A Stone Sat Still by Brendan Wenzel
This is all about perception. This is a stone (or a rock) which is surrounded by water, dirt, and grass and it is, what it is. To all different animals, through all the different scenarios, this stone sits where its at and it becomes whatever it needs to be for its habitat. It could be daylight, the stone could be large for some animals or tiny for others, it didn’t matter the time of the year or the weather condition, the stone was there. This stone, this hard, solid piece of matter was predictable, and all the the animals were using it.
The illustrations were fantastic and I loved how they showed exactly the different scenarios how the stone was used. It’s a great book to get you to start thinking. What a terrific book.
The Story of Fish & Snail by Deborah Freedman
I will admit, I had to read this picture book a second time to fully understand it. There were a few key points that I was definitely missing to fully appreciate this story even after I slowly read it and looked at the illustrations the first time through. The story is about two friends who have a disagreement and what happens.
Fish and Snail live inside the pages of a storybook. Snail waits patiently, every day for Fish to arrive, to tell him a story. Snail’s ideal story would have kittens and princesses in it but when Fish arrives today, he wants Snail to join him in a new book that he has found. A huge agruement errupts as Snail doesn’t want to leave their current book yet Fish tries to presude his friend how much better, the new book actually is. Fish is ready to make the leap into the new book and leave his friend behind.
I can’t talk about what caused my confusion without giving away some of the story’s ending but it made more sense for me after a second reading. I was really surprised by Fish’s actions and I thought that Snail was brave. I can see children enjoying this story. The illustations were creative and interesting too.
Some new and some older children’s books made my stack. I’m glad to have found some great books in here. I really enjoyed a few of them and plan on adding them to a list of books I want to purchase for my own library for my grandchildren. I hope you found some you are tempted to read or check out.
The illustrations in this book are fantastic. I like how the animals are realistically draw and their facial expressions are fun. What wonderful messages this book expresses.
There is a large barn where a variety of animals are safely tucked away during a rain storm. Snuggled inside, all the animals feel safe and secure. As the lightening scatters overhead and the rain pours down, a family of foxes is left outside. Discovering a light in the barn, the adult fox glances into the broken barn window as the barn animals stare up at her, their eyes wide. A fox! Some of the animals feel threaten by this predator and the message they send, is not friendly.
As the fox moves away from the window and returns to the family, the barn door is opened. Why? Good question. Who exactly opened the door, that is another great feature that I liked about this book. A beautiful illustration awaits me as I turned the next page.
The other animals watch from afar, as the brave animal approaches the fox. There is a line that separates them, a line that can be crossed if they are brave enough and ready to cross.
I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book. It’s a beautiful book! There were some strong messages in this book which could be applied to many situations in our own daily lives. The text and language that the author uses, was dynamic. Short, simple sentences composed of familiar words mixed with some more challenging words (dapple, prevails, gash, asunder). I’m going to have to pick up a copy of this one, I think my grandchildren will enjoy it.
This is a cute story about a friendship between a squirrel and a bear. They do everything together and the two of them seem to think that size doesn’t matter until one day it does. Squirrel has had enough! After bear has sunk the boat, thrown him off the seesaw, blown his house apart, and squashed him too many times, Squirrel needs his space. He tells Bear, “I think I need to be on my own. If you don’t mind?”…….There’s bearly any room.”
I liked the way Squirrel approached Bear on this matter and the look that Bear gave his friend, it made me smile. Squirrel thinks he’ll be happier without Bear and he is, for just a short while and then, he isn’t. But what can Squirrel do now?
It’s a super sweet book and it reminds you that not every relationship is perfect. That you have to work through things in a friendship. A great book to give, one to share with your children, or even one to add to your library. The illustrations are adorable, the text bright and easy to read. An all-around great book.
One Chapter 