Wonderbook – One Chapter

5 stars Picture book/Wonder book

This was a wonderful picture book. I was fortunate enough to get this in a Wonder Book so I was able to listen to the book after I read it. From the way the story was presented to the illustrations, this book was prefect.

I don’t remember much about this book when I read it as a child. I do remember having to read it in school with my classmates and how the dog Buck, found himself in some new surroundings, trying to adapt. There are some individuals who get all emotional when you mention this book but as you can see, I’m not one of them. After reading and listening to this I can understand how they feel.

The story begins with Buck living comfortably on a ranch. He’s alone but he’s the “king of the ranch,’ and he enjoys that. One night while out for a walk with one of the farm workers, Buck gets dognapped. Buck is confused as he travels not just by truck but by trains and ship to his final destination. Buck’s new home is a noisy, busy place. Buck is no longer alone but he’s now become part of a team, a team of sled dogs.

The sled dogs were mean and the work was hard. Buck was smart though and knew that if he had to work hard, if he was going to survive. His owners had only one thing on their mind: seeking their fortunes. Working in the snow was new for Buck but he got used to it and soon he became the lead dog. Buck’s owners came and went but Buck, he was always the lead dog. As spring arrived, Buck heard a calling in the wilderness, a summons that pulled deep within him. This past winter had been a rough one for Buck but also a good one. Buck was different and he noticed it. This is a great transition in the book. A terrific section where it’s good to think back over everything Buck has been though this past winter and to think about what will happen with Buck in the future. Buck is ready to take the lead again when he gets a new owner, but Thornton is different. I liked how Thornton and Buck came together and the adjustment they made for each other. The ending was perfect and I can see why some individuals get emotional when this book is mentioned.

The illustrations were terrific. Bright, bold colors and just enough details to bring the story alive on the page. There were instances of turmoil and chaos in the book and I liked the way that the frantic and wild illustrations that accompanied this. The easy-to-read text had a great flow and the print was bold and easy to understand. 5 star read for me.

They came here to find a place to call home. That’s all they wanted. They were comfortable, they found what they needed, and they thrived. They had a library, a post office, and their own little Black Wall Street. A one-mile stretch on Greenwood Avenue hosted so many black businesses that a business leader Booker T. Washington called it “Negro Wall Street of America” and that name stuck. They had lawyers, schools, doctors, heck they had it all! Hotels, movie theatres and even their own airplanes. They were comfortable and enjoying their wealth.

Not everyone was pleased with how well the African Americans were doing in Tulsa. This was 1921 afterall and some of them were making more money than the white population. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

When a 19-year-old shoeshine man enters an elevator, times were about to change. The 17-year-old elevator operator charges the shoeshine man with assault and causes chaos in the city. The shoeshine man is an African American and the elevator operator, a white female. Town people fearing for the safety of the shoeshine man rush to the jail to save him but are met by thousands of armed white individuals. This will not be the last day these two groups are left with dead supporters. It was heart-breaking reading what was once a peaceful, thriving community being torn apart by hatred.

With fantastic illustrations, this nonfiction book brings to life this terrible event that occurred in history. The author includes in the last few pages of the book some author’s notes about the event and the illustrator has written some notes also. I enjoyed reading these also. What a great book. Thanks to the author and illustrator for sharing this event to our young readers.

I choose a Wonderbook for this book. This was my first Wonderbook and it fantastic! These types of books are new to our library so I wanted to check them out. Basically, what it does is read the book to you while you follow along with the printed text. You don’t need to supply anything – no batteries, no plug-in, nothing. The directions are inside the cover of the book. I pushed the button to start the book, it chimed to tell me to turn the page, and I could follow along reading the text or in-the-case with this picture book, I could just follow along with the illustrations. I could stop the book whenever I wanted also. I see that there are other children’s books including chapter books for these Wonderbook titles and I’m going to look into these for further reads. What another wonderful way to read books. 5 stars

Tag: Wonderbook

The Call of the Wild adapted by Ellyn Alcott

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford