Summer Extravaganza Day 3

This is the final day of massive picture book reviews.  I believe I have most of them caught up.  The rest I will just sprinkle throughout my reviews.

 

 

Baffin’s Desire for Fire – Josephine Young

Baffin is a dragonasaurus who can’t breathe fire from his snout. He visits the firebird who lives on top of fire mountain. Read and find out if Baffin gets fire. This is a cute book about a young dragon who feels different because he is told he is different.  He wants to grow up too fast.  He learns a valuable lesson while up on the mountain.

 

 

Boo & Doo and the Crazy Clouds – Michael Yu

Boo and Doo live in the town of Oobaoo. Their houses are made of sugar. Every time it rains they lose their homes. One day an angry rain cloud came in and destroyed their homes. The town meets in a cave to figure out a way to stop the angry cloud. Boo and Doo step forward with a plan.  The question is, will it work?  Read this wonderful and brightly colored book to find out how they save their town.

 

 

 

 

 

The Bath Time Book – Michael Yu

It was bedtime and Alfie wanted to continue playing. As he prepares to take his bath his imagination is turned to high. This is a wonderful book to read to your child before bed time after they have taken their bath.

 

 

 

Emma Learns to Sprout – Shir Guez

This is a cute book about Emma and her mother who teachers her all about sprouting. I’m ashamed to say, growing up on a farm I was clueless about sprouting. I had never even heard of sprouting. The story explains the process so that it is simple yet fun. The best part is that the whole process encourages children to eat what they sprout, which is healthy for them.

 

The Honk of Zagonk – Pat Hatt

This cute story is about dragons gathering for the dragon games where they will learn what kind of flame they will get.  Zagonk waits patiently. When his turn comes all that comes out is a honking sound.  Of course all of the other dragons laugh at him.  He flies off ashamed of himself.  Trouble visits the other dragons.  It will be up to Zagonk to use his gift to help them all.  This is a fun read about using the talents you are given.

 

If You Were Me and Lived in Portugal – Carole P. Roman

This is a book that follows along I the same way the author’s other books do. In Portugal you learn the capital, what your parents are called, popular boy and girl names. The author always talks about where you would go on vacations and what you would see. My favorite part is learning about some of the foods you would eat. These are great books for getting children interested in learning about other countries.

 

 

 

 

 

Animal Friends: Floating Orange Cubes – Rob Towner

This is the story about a cicada and other creatures who accidently get on the bad side of a group of birds. By trying to get revenge on each other, something catastrophic happens. There is only one way to fix this situation.  It will require a sacrifice.  Read to find out what must be sacrificed and if it is enough to bring everyone together.

 

 

 

 

 

Matzo Frogs – Sally Rosenthal

This is a wonderful story of helping your neighbor.  A woman prepares some matzo soup for company that will be joining her later in the evening. She ends up spilling it.  She has promised to help a neighbor with something else and knows she won’t have time to remake the soup.  She leaves disheartened.  Imagine her surprise when she returns and finds new batch of soup made. Who could have done such a special thing for her and her company.  This was a fun book to read and can be enjoyed by young and old alike, whether you are Jew or Gentile. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous

 

 

 

The Little Seed – Martha Wolfe

A little seed drops from heaven and begins to grow. It grows strong and beautiful. Many things are made from the plant. One day the government comes in and destroys the plants.  Then it rains and more of the plant has grown.  Man can’t stop what God has started for a purpose. This is a great book teaching how plants start and mature.

 

 

Stars in the Pool and Other Stories – D. R. Tara

This book was filled with real short stories that had morals or lessons at the end of each one.  It starts off with a story of three brothers. Ned is the oldest and works hard. Ted and Zed are lazy and play all day.  One day Ned decides to go out into the world to seek his fortune so that he can bring it back and share it with his brothers.  Ted decides to do this as he has never been a help.  He finds an old woman and asks her for shelter.  She gives him a task to do and he decides it is impossible so he goes home.  Ned goes out and meets the same old lady.  He is given the same task as the other brother.  Ned sets to work to fulfill the task.  This story teaches we must use our hands if we want to reach our dreams and goals, we can’t sit around and wait for things to happen.  A second story tells of a man who has great riches.  He hears some robbers in his garden and tells his wife to listen to him and to answer yes to what he says.  Speaking loudly he tells his wife that it was a good thing that he hid all of their riches at the bottom of the well where no one would be able to get to them.  The robbers empty the well trying to get to the riches.  In the process they have watered the crops of the owner and find themselves arrested. The moral of the story is not to believe everything you hear.  The rest of the book is filled with similar stories. It was very enjoyable.

 

 

 

Billy’s Most Peculiar Hike – Sophia Aguilera

Billy is a young boy who loves to be outdoors. On this particular day of hiking he decides to walk a trail up a mountain. Along the way he sees many strange creatures. The book is written in rhyming form Much like Dr. Seuss the illustrator has used a limited color palette which actually enhances the story. This was a fun book to read. This would be great for a pre-writing book where you have students create their own blended creatures.

 

 

 

If I Were a Robot – Scott Gordon

A young boy describes what his life would be like if he was a robot. He has quite an imagination. This is a fun way to teach kids about using their imaginations.

 

 

 

 

Leading the Way: Darby's Ranger Noel Dye by A.H. Durshimer III

Genre: Biography, WWII

Source: Purchased a copy

 

I had the privilege of meeting the author at a summer workshop. We work in the same district. When I overheard him discussing his book, I looked it up online. I immediately did two things. I ordered the book and scheduled it’s review. I then took my card to him and told him what day the review would be posted.  I was that interested in the book.

Art is extremely knowledgeable about the Vietnam War and the World Wars. Through a friend he had the opportunity to meet Noel Dye, who was one of Darby’s Rangers.  I had heard of Darby’s Rangers. I had watched the movie.  I did not know who Noel Dye was.  Art has skillfully taken this man’s story and told it in a way that you feel like you are sitting in on the interviews.  For me that is important.  I have limited knowledge of wars.  When some part or some person in a war peaks my interest then I dig deeper and learn more.  This book has once again set me on that path and made it easier for me because it included a bibliography.  With all of the facts I was afraid it would read like a list of battle facts.  This is so far from the truth.  I was very impressed with not only the story, but the writing of the story.

Noel is a very down to earth person.  One thing that was obvious as he was telling the story to the author was how vivid his memories were.  My mother and I were discussing this. Her father fought in WWI.  She said the one thing that haunted him was sitting in a fox hole with his buddy having a conversation. When his buddy didn’t answer he looked over and saw his head had been blown off.  She remarked that he had said it just so matter-of-fact.  This is how Noel talks of his injuries and losing his buddies.  These are memories that never leave you.  Hopefully the soldier finds a way to deal with them so they no longer haunt them.

Two other things I loved about this book.  There are a collection of letters that Noel’s family had saved for him. In this way we see what was going through his mind, and how little he was able to relay to his family.  The other thing was the pictures he graciously allowed the author to put into the book. I am very pleased I overheard his conversation mentioning his book.  The funny thing in all of this is that you would think that with such a love of history that Art would teach that subject.  He teaches English.  In my book this makes his students extremely lucky.  When he has to find extra reading materials, be it books, essays, letters, etc. to go with his lesson, he is in a position to do so. He has a wealth of knowledge in his hands. Any parent would be lucky to have him for a teacher. He is currently working on another book. I look forward to reading it when he has it finished.

 

About the Author

Art Durshimer is a high-school English and journalism teacher in Bradenton, FL. He is married and the father of three children. Durshimer, 56, spent 25 years in various newsrooms as a reporter and editor. He began teaching 11 years ago, fulfilling a longtime goal of working with young people. His wife, Meg, also is a former journalist who now teaches elementary school. Durshimer is a lifelong history buff, a habit he indulges through historical re-enactments and presentations of World War II and the Vietnam War era. He, his wife and children all are Florida natives; his sons Ben, 18, and Jake, 20, are the fourth generation of his family born in the state. Durshimer’s daughter, Amy, and his three grandchildren live near Athens, Ga. His hobbies include historical re-enactments, reading (favorite author is Pat Conroy), writing and beachcombing with his wife on Florida’s gulf and Atlantic beaches.

Summer Extravaganza Day 2

This is the second day of picture book reviews.  Sit back and see what is available for your little one.

Caterpillars Don’t Check Email – Calee M. Lee

This is a simple story that explains how caterpillars become butterflies. It is full of beautiful photographs. This book is short and simple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Queen and the Cats – Calee M. Lee

This is the story of Empress Helena, mother of Constantine. In the story when she visits Cypress with a holy gift she realizes the people are unable to worship in their church because of snakes. The Empress sends a gift to Cypress that will make it possible for people to worship once again.  Read this historical book to find out what gift she sends and with whom she trusts the gift.

 

We Love Bugs – Calee M. Lee

This is a book of thirty-one poems about bugs. These range from nursery rhymes we remember as a child, “Little Miss Muffet”,  to those I was not familiar with. Read wonderful poems by well  known poets like Emily Dickinson and John Keats. This is a great book to share with your children or grand-children.

 

Harley the Alligator – Stacie Murphy

Harley was an alligator who loved to swim as fast as she could through the water. One day she was going so fast she couldn’t stop. She slammed into a tree and knocked out a tooth. She was afraid of what the other alligators would think. Read to find out what Harley learns about teeth.

 

The Nutt Family – Angela Muse

Nutt family Hazel and Fillbert, along with their children Chess and Praline lived in an old Maple tree. The children tied leaves around their necks like capes and pretended to be superheroes. One day a woodpecker, pecking on their home caused Chess to fall from his knothole. His sister Praline jumped out to help him. Soon they found themselves in a real life adventure. This is a wonderful story. I loved the way the author gave each acorn the name of a different type of nut. When I read about them tying leaves around their necks, I was reminded of my sisters and I tying scarves around our necks pretending we could fly as we jumped off of the porch. I also loved the facts at the end of the book about acorns.  Even though I grew up with lots of oak  trees, yet I was still able to learn a lot from this book.

 

Sparkly Me – Ally Nathaniel

This is a cute book for four to five year olds. This is perfect for the girl who likes all things sparkly. This book teaches them that all the glitter on the outside doesn’t matter. It’s what is on the inside that matters.

 

Happypotamus – Jason Plassard

This is the story of two very different animals, Walter the Whinceros and Hailey the Happypotamus. Hailey and Walter had similar life experiences. Hailey chose to look at the positive while Walter always looked at the negative. Hailey also trusted God to take care of her.

 

Carnivors – Aaron Reynolds

I have to say that the book cover is what drew me to this book. The lion, great white shark, and the timber wolf are carnivores. They eat other animals. It bothers them that the other animals talk bad about them. They come up with several plans. When they try them out they discover they need a better plan, How will they solve this problem?

 

 

 

Fumbulgumbul – Jason Sandberg

Mister Gumbul makes delicious cookies. They smell so good he’s followed by a poodle just waiting for him to drop one. When he comes to a puddle he gets a ladder to climb over the puddle. The poodle returns. What will happen? Will the poodle finally get some cookies?

 

Silly Tilly – Eileen Spinelli

Tilly we learn is a silly goose who does silly things like bathing in apple juice. She combed her feathers with a rake. After all the silly things she did the other barnyard animals had finally had enough. The question you must now discover  is what will happen around the farm with Tilly no longer acting silly.

 

Tinky and the Baby Butterflies – Susan Spira

Mommy butterfly needed a babysitter and asked if Tinky would do it. Tinky was to keep the babies safe at home. What do you think will happen when they play a simple game of hide-and-seek?

 

How Oakley Lost His Spots – D.C. Swain

One day Rover asks Oakley where his spots are. Both dogs are dalmatians so Oakley knows he should have spots. He looks all over for them thinking he has lost them. His mother explains when the time is right, he will get his spots, but Oakley doesn’t want to wait. This is a great story about trying to grow up too fast.

 

I’ll Follow the Moon  Stephanie Lisa Tara

This is a very vivid book full of sensory words that help you understand what happens when turtles hatch. It is told from the baby turtle’s point of view. The common thread is that they follow the moon to get back to the ocean. The language is as beautiful as the pictures. Great way to teach young and old about sea turtles.

 

Kitty is Looking for Friends – Anat Umansky

This is the story of a kitty looking for a friend to play with. Each animal that offers to play with her is rejected for one reason or another. Will Kitty learn what it takes to be a friend or will she forever remain lonely?

 

The Camera Shy Monster – Susette Williams

Brooke didn’t like having her picture taken. She makes friends with Nessie the Loch Ness Monster, who also hates to have her picture taken. They decide to hide all day and night. When she gets hungry Nessie tries to bring her food. When they hear people coming they hide again. Soon they realize they can’t stay hidden forever. Read to find out how they solve their problem.

 

The Day My Parents Got Lost – Susette Williams

A trip to the fair causes distress for a young boy when he loses his parents. He was checking out a game and when he turned around his parents were gone. He checks everywhere and finally stops security for help finding them. This was a wonderful twist on parents losing their child. Great way to teach a lesson.