childrens – One Chapter

The Underwearwolf by Gideon Sterer

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

This book is hilarious! I read this one to my 6-year-old grandson and we laughed and laughed. A birthday gift from his Uncle Larry turns into an awesome present he wears them.

His uncle knew that he liked underwear, but the weird yellow wool pair was STRANGE! He didn’t think the moon looked full as he looked out his window, but we sure did (the full yellow moon took up most of the page in the book). He read the warning label that came with the underwear and he slipped them on. Instantly, his body began to change. Shivering, tingling, his body was changing into the underwearwolf. Growling and a grunting, he flew out the window and was now on the loose. Tearing up the neighborhood! He knew he should take off the underwear but then he would be BUTT NAKED and he didn’t want that to happen.

He doesn’t stop. He takes to the streets, swinging from roofs and lampposts. He’s having the time of his life. He knows he really should take off the underwear, but he doesn’t. The night is getting crazy and then, he hears them. They are calling him. Who? Yep! He runs into the dark woods where he meets them, and the ending of this book will have you smiling.

As an adult I thought this book was funny. The boy puts on the underwear, and he turns into The Underwearwolf. Covered in fur, complete with big ears, long arms and legs, he transforms and runs through the night under a full moon. He runs, jumps, climbs and acts crazy while wearing the underwear. He knows that he should take off the underwear but, if he does that, he will be butt naked and he probably will turn into a regular boy again. So, he doesn’t and he continues on into the night. It’s only when the night starts to turn into the next day does the boy realize that his fun is about to come to an end and he has to do something about the underwear. The illustrations are cute in this book, and I liked how the boy acts like a “maniac” and a “menace” but he doesn’t do anything harmful. My grandson thought the book was funny and he liked how the boy changed. A fun book to read. 5 stars.

Scaredy Squirrel Gets a Surprise by Melanie Watt

4 Stars Children’s Picture Book

Always the extreme with this guy! He’s a hoot!! Scaredy reads his horoscope and finds out that he’s supposed to get a surprise. What! He doesn’t like surprises so …. Of course, he gets all dressed like he is going on a safari hunt, and he sets out to look for this “surprise.” Scaredy finds a crate under his tree and Scaredy thinks of all the horrible things it can be. A shocking robot, an octopus that will ink him, a dinosaur egg that will hatch (and who knows what will happen then), and of course there are other scenarios that has Scaredy all nervous. Scaredy tries his best to get rid of the crate with the help of Ivy. I loved how Scaredy wanted to move, and then, he wanted to move the crate to Antarctica. Ha! Good thing Scaredy has some logical friends.

When the gang finally get the crate open, it proves not to be so scary. But they do have more problems to solve. Always more problems, ha. Things do calm down for a while…..just for a while and the gang does have some fun. And the story, it somehow ends in Antarctica 😊

I have to be in the mood for Scaredy as he jumps all over the place for me. I do like how his imagination works as he dreams up lots of ideas for things, but I don’t like his negativity. There seems to be too much of it. I did like this book more than some of the other books I have read about Scaredy. 4 stars

The Thing on the Wing Can Sing: A Short Vowel Sounds Book With Consonant Digraphs by Brian P. Cleary

5 stars Nonfiction

This is part of a series of books which can help an individual learn to read. This book is devoted to short vowel sounds with constant digraphs. Letter combinations that create a new sound. Combinations like CK, NG, KN are used in this book. The author uses three rhyming words on each two-page spread in this book; to create a sentence and it’s then illustrated on these pages for the reader. The author takes those words and illustrates them first. Then, there is a sentence and an illustration based on that sentence.

On the first two pages the words are Chin, Shin, and Thin. The sentence is: “His chin and his shin are thin. “The rhyming words are highlighted in bold print in the sentence, and the illustration is colorful and it shows a man pedaling a bicycling. There is also a mouse on each 2-page spread throughout the book and the mouse asks the reader a question about the words that were used on these pages. This book seems simple yet it’s a great concept for new readers to grasp. Repetitive, rhyming, simple, and a great way to get emerging readers exposure to these concepts

What I liked: * easy to understand * easy to follow * large print * illustrations are colorful and go with words on the page. * rhyming * words used are illustrated (for clarification) * difficulty of this book gets harder as you progress through it * great as a refresher for vocabulary words

What I didn’t care for: * the book progress (which is good) but at the back of the book, there are added rhyming words added to the sentences which are not illustrated and part of the 3 rhyming illustrated words for that 2-page spread. Which could be confusing or hard for some readers.

Overall, I liked this book, and I think I am going to check more of these out for my grandson this summer as he is going into 1st grade and I think it would be a good series to keep him reading. 5 stars

You Poop Here by Paul Meisel

4 stars Children’s Board Book

This is a very basic board book which addresses where different creatures poop.

The creatures range from ants, beetles, grasshoppers, bears, bats, bees, seals, seagulls, jaguars, sloths, etc. So, you see….it’s a wide range of creatures. The concept is simple but important for little ones. Where do these creatures’ poop at? In the air? In a rainforest? In a desert? In the water? From a tree? So many different places! At the end of this book, the author asks the reader, “Where do you poop?”

And it gives the answer with great illustrations with a variety of children sitting down on the potty. 4 stars

What I liked:

the easy-to-read text * great color scheme * the easy-to-read text * text has repeated words * characters have great facial features *variety of children *variety of animals and situations * subject matter

What I didn’t care for:

the children on the potty were playing with toys

Judgy Bunny and the Terrible Beach by Scott Rothman

4.5 Stars Children’s Picture Book

I liked this book a lot! With colorful illustrations and a great message – this book gets huge marks from me. Judgy Bunny is a negative bunny at the beginning of the book. The reason? He is not part of the group, or he just likes to see the negative in every situation. It’s “too hot!” or “I can do that better!” or “that is terrible.” Some of the situations involve other bunnies and some do not. The book changes gears when Judgy Bunny is invited to join the other bunny’s party. Judgy Bunny gets all snooty at first and is resistant to join, it’s like he wants them to beg him to come.

When the other bunny grabs his hand and pulls him to the party, Judgy Bunny is shocked! Does he have a good time? No, he’s still miserable until something happens at the party which Judgy Bunny feels is his fault. The other party guests are shocked but…….the party continues on.

I liked Judgy Bunny emotions in this book. I liked how the other bunnies accepted him into their party and how their party continued on after Judgy Bunny joined them. I liked how they didn’t try to “cheer him up” but just accepted him as he was.

The expressions in this book were good and helped tell the story. I think this story would be a great read a loud for children. 4.5 stars for me.

Puzzled: a Memoir About Growing Up With OCD by Pan Cooke

3 stars Nonfiction

I had been looking forward to reading this graphic novel. This is the author’s true account of growing up with OCD which was supposed to be heartful, honest, and funny. I appreciate that the author shared his experience and was honest about it. There were parts that made me smile, parts that I felt sorry for him, and parts that were ok.

I think what really hit home with me in this book was the countless times that anxiety took over for Pan. Pan knows that he has issues and he tries desperately to ignore them. He tries to act normal (or what Pan feels is normal) but before he knows it, he becomes overwhelmed with a puzzle that is floating around inside his head. Pan must solve that puzzle! He feels compelled to solve it before doing anything else. Unfortunately for Pan, once that puzzle is solved, another puzzle pops up inside his head and the process begins again. Pan wants out! It’s too much. Pan just wants to be like his peers as this constant roaming, attention seeking activities are consuming his life.

I appreciate the author sharing his story with us, but I felt I was missing something. I didn’t feel any connection as the story felt like the worst of times. Having OCD affects your life but I felt like the book showed the worst of times whereas every aspect of his life, his OCD takes over in the worst way. I didn’t understand where this all began or when things started to occur or what a typical day is like. The book is great to show someone that they are not alone in this diagnosis and to help others understand this condition. I really do appreciate the author’s honesty and time to open himself up so others can understand. 3 stars

Refugee: The Graphic Novel by Alan Gratz

3.5 Stars Graphic Novel

I usually love these adaptations to graphic novels but this one, I didn’t. I had a hard time following each of the individual stories at times even though the stories were so different. It also felt like the story was rushed, the story felt like it had some gaps and didn’t flow like I thought it should.

Each of these three children were experiencing turmoil, a need to flee from their home. I liked that almost everything about each of their escapes was unique.

From their reason for fleeing, their transportation, who they were traveling with, the difficulties they faced on their journey, and how their journeys began. None of their journeys were easy.

I’ve read the novel that this book was taken from, and I feel that this adaptation has suppressed the emotions, energy, and power that the book possessed. The illustrations are good and they help but they don’t make up for what I feel is missing. 3.5 stars

Eerie Education: Scary Schools and Libraries (Where You Dare Not Go) by Dinah Williams

4.25 Stars Nonfiction

I’ve read quite a few of these Where You Dare Not Go books. I like the short little stories that go with each stop, as they take you around the globe, hitting on a few of the most particular and interesting places that pertain to each of the books in this series. Each book features actual pictures that accompany each story, a captivating tidbit highlighted in a eye-catching bubble, and in the back of each book, the author expands upon the books theme. This week I read 2 of the books in this series. Eerie Education was filled with 18 stories of ghosts. This must be the reason why each of these individual places are the way they are, right? Ghosts! Ghosts with unfinished business, ghosts who just like to make noise, and ghosts who like to cause some mischief.

In California, there is a high school that is said to be haunted by three, yes, I said 3 ghosts! It’s a very old all-girl school, where three different ghosts roam the premises. To me, that sounds like somewhere I would like to visit. I wouldn’t mind running into the white, glowing spirit of a nun floating around the library. Since she is seen most often in the library, she must be a quiet spirit, but I wonder what her story is. Why does her spirit still remain? If you hear a piano playing in the school, see if you can find the source. Most likely, you will not be able to find one. That is ghost #2. Ghost 2 likes to play the piano, but you will not find it or the piano. There had to be piano in the school at one time, wonder why it’s so connected to it. Ghost #3 might be an issue for me. Careful when swimming in the pool at this school. Years ago, there was an accident where a girl drowned. Sometimes, individuals swimming feel that someone is pulling on their legs. Yep, that would freak me out.

What about the school who built their bell tower on the grounds of an old cemetery? Think that went, ok? What about the college student who was pledging for a fraternity when the members took him to some railroad tracks? Call it unexpected, call it total trust, I call it insane. When the fraternity brothers came back, this college student was dead. Now, his spirit is seen every year in the fraternity house he wanted so badly.

I found that this book is my least favorite so far. I think because all the stories dealt with ghosts and the stories were very tame in nature. Most of the stories had closure, they weren’t creepy in nature, and the spirits were not evil.

I really like the map feature on the back. In the back, there is A World of…… Eerie Education. On this 2-page spread, the author marks each of the places that was featured inside the book on the map. All the places in this book were in North America, from coast to coast. In the back is also a great glossary and index. There’s a page of Read More which gives the reader 4 more books they can read to gather more information about this subject matter. On this page, there is also Learn More Online which features a QR Code to scan (if you like) or a web address that you can go to that links you up to a lot more information. It’s a entertaining book to read about some schools in North America which individuals believe are haunted with ghosts. 4.25 stars.

Horror Healing: Scary Hospitals and Asylums (Where You Dare Not Go) by Dinah Williams

5 stars Nonfiction

I’ve read quite a few of these Where You Dare Not Go books. I like the short little stories that go with each stop, as they take you around the globe, hitting on a few of the most particular and interesting places that pertain to each of the books in this series. Each book features actual pictures that accompany each story, a captivating tidbit highlighted in an eye-catching bubble, and in the back of each book, the author expands upon the books theme. This week I read 2 of the books in this series. Horror Healing was filled with 18 stories of creepy, haunted, and/or famous hospitals and asylums.

Many were for individuals who were fighting diseases, some had “doctors” who were “practicing “ on their patients, and some lived their whole lives inside a building because of their health.

There’s the state hospital in Illinois where individuals lived and died. A patient who had worked as a gravedigger for the hospital passed away. As they lowered his coffin into the ground, they heard crying from a nearby tree. In years pass, this would be the gravedigger who was crying for the other patients who have died but now, the gravedigger is the one being laid to rest. As the grievers looked towards the tree, they saw the deceased individual crying. Then, there is the story inside a Massachusetts’ state hospital where a patient came up missing. When her purse was found, they discovered an axe inside it. She had been killed with that ax! She had been killed by another patient, but how did she get that ax inside her purse?

There are many stories of hospitals that were being used to treat individuals for diseases. Thinking about all the chaos and death inside the hospitals – it’s so sad. How to keep the patients who are trying to get well separated from all the death around them had to be stressful and emotional. One hospital used rail cars to transport the dead outside to awaiting hearses. Designing a 500-foot, pitch-black chute, this body chute secretly transported the dead bodies to the outside world.

I found that this book very interesting. From Gettysburg, Singapore, Florida, and onto New Zealand, this book covers the world. Some stories are creepy, ghostly, and/or haunting, so think about the reader before giving this book to a small child. I really like the map feature on the back. In the back, there is A World of…… Horror Healing. On this 2-page spread, the author marks each of the places that was featured inside the book on the map. The places in this book cover North America, Europe, Australia, Asia, Hawaii, New Zealand, Singapore, and Italy.

In the back is also a great glossary and index. There’s a page of Read More which gives the reader 4 more books they can read to gather more information about this subject matter. On this page, there is also Learn More Online which features a QR Code to scan (if you like) or a web address that you can go to that links you up to a lot more information. It’s an entertaining book to read about some hospitals and asylums around the world which are not doing any healing. 5 stars.

Hansel and Gretel by Stephen King

5 stars Children’s Fairy Tale

I liked this new interpretation by Stephen King of the old classic. Make sure you read the introduction at the beginning of the book as it sets the stage for this children’s picture book, and I felt it helped me appreciate the story more. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak, King took the illustrations and wrote this book based on the whimsical drawings contained inside the book. King used some of the original sentences from this classic fairy tale within the story, but King also added his own touch creating a story that is more elaborate than the original.

Hansel and Gretel lived with their father and their stepmother at the edge of the great dark forest. Their father is a poor broom maker, and the stepmother is a spoiled wicked woman. The family is running out of food so the wife convinces the husband that in order to survive, they must take the children out deep into the forest and leave them. She convinces him that God will care for them and they will be safe in the forest. Now, father was not convinced that leaving his children out in the wild forest but she kept at him, convincing him nonetheless.

Hansel had overheard the plans and started making a plan. Gretal was upset after learning what her parents were planning to do but Hansel convinced her that it would be okay. As they slept, they both had dreams. You can imagine how different their dreams were from one another. The next morning, father and mother walked off with their children into the forest. It was just like the parents had planned, only they didn’t know that Hansel had a plan of his own in the works. The personalities of both the parents were felt and seen as this scenario played out.

The parents returned home alone as the children found refuge with each other inside the dark forest. Imagine the stepmother’s surprise when the children knocked on their door the next day! Ha – surprise! Time passed and food was still scarce. The woman again convinced her husband that the children had to go. They had to leave them deeper into the dark forest this time! Oh, she was wicked!! Just like before, father needed to be convinced, Hansel heard the plan, he thought of a different plan, Gretal was scared, and the dreams came back. They journeyed into the dark forest. When the parents returned home, they were alone and the children had fallen asleep in the dark forest. Hansel had put his plan to work. When the children awoke, they were surprised to find that Hansel’s plan had failed. Stuck in the dark forest, would the children ever make their way home again?

I liked how King wrote the story to match the illustrations. These were definitely Maurice Sendek’s signature illustrations. From the candy cottage in the forest, to the twisted trees swallowing up the pages, and the children’s dreams materializing on the page, Sendek and King worked their magic on this classic. There’s harmony with the text and illustrations, each of them sharing the spotlight. What a great combination. 5 stars