Three Little Kittens by Marilyn Janovitz

Stars: ****
Remember the song about the Three Little Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens? This is the story version. More lyrics have been added to make the story longer. The illustrations are adorable. My daughter loved this.

I received a copy of this book to review from Tundra Books.

Stars: ***

A cute and simple book about what different animals eat. There’s a picture of the animal and what it eats and the only words are the name of the animal and the name of the food. My toddler likes it and it’s very vibrant and colourful. My only problem with it was that it said rats each cheese which is only a little bit right. Rats eat scraps of food which may be cheese but can be almost anything else as well. It also says dogs eat bones which isn’t exactly true but is more true than the rats one.

The Chanukkah Tree by Eric A. Kimmel
Illustrated by Giora Carmi

Stars: *****

Adorable story of a guy selling christmas trees who has only one left and convinces the not so bright town Chelm that it’s a Hanukkah tree and it’s all the rage in America. So starts a tradition. 5 and up.

Stars: ****

The author of The Bare Naked Book and Red is Best has a new book!

Summary: The farm is the perfect place for a little girl's playful - and sometimes surprising - observations of the things found "inside" other things. With questions that encourage preschoolers to chime in, this delightful picture book is an ideal read-aloud.

My daughter likes this book, marketed for ages 2-5. Children of this age love repetition and while the things keep changing, the fact that they are inside something else doesn’t and I think that’s what will attract children to it. Also a question is asked first (Can a tree have a cow in it?) which encourages children to interact and give an answer. My daughter found this fun.

Stars: **** I received this book for review from Annick Press.

This is a non-fiction book about animal babies for ages 7-10. It would be interesting for ages 5 and 6 if you read it to them. Each double page spread is a different animal baby. There is a colour photograph of the animal baby, the name it is called, a sentence or two about the animal baby and some fun facts. There are also illustrations by Mariko Ando Spencer in each section.

Clifford The Firehouse Dog by Norman Bridwell
Stars: ****

The story of when Clifford visited his brother Nero at the firehouse and was there to save the day when a large fire broke out in an apartment building. Very cute story and the last page has 7 Fire Safety Rules.

Clifford and the Big Parade by Norman Bridwell
Stars: ****
The town Emily Elizabeth and Clifford lives in is celebrating 100 years of existence with special events and a large parade. Clifford wants to get in on the action too! Little does he know he’ll have a very important part in the festivities. This was another cute Clifford story as they all are.

Stars: **** This book was read for the Jewish Literature Challenge.
Basic storyline is a child who has a well-loved blue blankie. It gets so worn out that the mom says it has to go but Grandpa makes it into a coat. Then it wears out and mom says it has to go and Grandpa saves it once again by making it into a vest. This continues all the way to a button. Although I’ve seen this idea before (can't find the name of the book. This one was read and I think a bathrobe first,) this one is nicely written with beautiful illustrations. Also if you look closely, at the bottom of the page mice are shown in the space below the house and they are using the scraps cut off the blankie/coat/vest etc… to make their own clothes. By the end of the book. All the mice are clothed in blue.

Stars: ****

I'm giving this book the Tundra Books tag because it's from that publisher but I didn't receive this for review, I just found it at the library.
With adorable illustrations by Claudia Davila this book tells the history of how candy came to be. From ancient marshmallows (circa 2000 B.C.) to Jelly Belly’s rule (2006 A.D.) you can find it all in here. Along the bottom of all 63 pages is a timeline extending between the dates mentioned above. It not only has the dates certain candies and chocolates were invented but other interesting tidbits such as when marsh mallow root sap was thought to cure the common cold the candy practices of ancient civilizations. There is even mention of when sugar was connected to diabetes and when inventions such as the ice box and electric dental drill were created.

When I first saw this I thought it said Enormous Challenge LOL. Then I read it again and I was like, Epony what? I'll be reading 4 books from March 1 to May 31 whose titles contain at least one of the characters names (like Oliver Twist) or a description of a character (like Merchant of Venice)

So here's my list:

We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (Also Book Awards)
Waiting For Sarah by Bruce McBay (Also Canadian Book)
The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan (Also Whitecoulls List)
When Madeline Was Young by Jane Hamilton (Also 888)

The first Book Awards challenge is coming to a close and the second one will be starting soon. The rules are slightly different this time. From August 1, 2008 - June 1, 2009 I need to read 10 books that represent 5 different awards (in other words, they can't all be from the same award) This list can be made as we go and changed at any time. I'll post some tentative reads after I give it some thought.

From April 1 - November 30, 2008 I'll be reading 5-8 books by authors who go by their intials. (e.g C.S. Lewis, R.L. Stine, T.S. Eliot....)

I only have a few set out for now. No lists are necessary so I can add to this as I see a book I want to read that fits.

1. The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
2. A Woman in Jerusalem by A.B. Yehoshua (Also for Jewish Literature and Spiritual Book Challenge)

Okay so this wrap-up is only 28 days late. :) I just barely finished this challenge on time although I still haven't posted the reviews for the last two. I ended up changing my chosen author near the end to Richard Peck. I read Strays Like Us, Through a Brief Darkness and A Long Way From Chicago. I enjoyed them all and will be reading more Peck for sure.

Stars: ***** I won this book from 5 Minutes for Mom (5 Minutes for Books.) I also counted it towards the Canadian Book Challenge.

Well I don’t know about EVERYTHING. I find it hard to believe any book could contain EVERYTHING but it does a good job of covering many aspects. The Categories are Astronomy, The Earth, Plants, Animals, The Human Body, Our History, Today’s World and The Arts. The book is full of very colourful graphics, illustrations, graphs, maps and other diagrams. There are also Timelines, mini-biographies, famous quotations, colour photographs and kid’s questions and answers.

Stars: ***

I received this book from Tundra Books for review and read it during the Read-a-thon.

First Times is a collection of stories about “first times” but not the usual ones you read about, with a few exceptions. First time falling for pervert’s trick, first crime, first time seeing a dead body etc.. Not for young children that’s for sure. I’d say 13 and up at least.

Stars: *****

I chose this book because I picked it up at a library sale but I’m 95% sure I’ve actually read this once before. This is also the first 5 Star book of 2008. (Even thought it's not the first 5-star review posted.) I also read this for the Casual Reading Challenge.

It’s the story of Lauren and her friend Andrea who both feel too fat and want to lose weight. Only Andrea takes it too far. It’s the story of Anorexia and a teen girl’s pressure to be thin. It’s told very well and I think it would be the perfect book to read along with your teen and discuss. I think if more parents discussed this book with their teens, we might make teens more aware of anorexia and the warning signs.
I HIGHLY recommend this book to all teen girls ages 12 and up.

Dewey is hosting the Printz Award Challenge. The challenge is to read 6 Printz Award winner or honor books in 2008. My list:The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak (Also 888 and Book Around the World)
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen YangLooking for Alaska, by John GreenA Step From Heaven, by An Na

I finished this challenge on time. I challenged myself to read 12 books and I finished them all.

I did make a goal to catch up on my reviews which I did but I'm behind again unfortunately. I had fun and hope to participate again next year.

You can see my list of books read here.

Stars: ****

This book was read for the Reading the Author challenge.

This one was better although I still think I liked A Brief Darkness better. It’s hard to say, they are so different. This one is actually a Newbery Honor book, National Book Award finalist and an ALA Notable Book.

Stars: *****

I received this book for review from Annick Press. Although it’s not by the same author, it’s similar to Cheetah Cubs and Beetle Grubs and Naturally Wild Musicians. This book shows us the past and ancient past of six modern animals: Dragonflies, Crocodiles, Camels, Sloths, Armadillos and Beavers. It covers the first known type of that animal, how it evolved into what it is now and why it may have changed. The book also explains how ancient time is explained (Mesozoic era, Precambrian eon, Pleistocene epoch, cretaceous period etc….

Stars: ****

This book was read for the Unread Authors Challenge and because I won it in a contest.

I actually read this a few months ago but didn't get a chance to review it.

I really enjoyed this book, the storyline was very well thoughtout and very interesting. My only problem with this book was it was a little long. I like books that cut to the chase and don't have a lot of insignifcant detail (like Ray Bradbury.) I think a few chapters could have been cut from this book and it would still have been fine.

Stars: ****

I recieved this book for review from Annick Press.

Shoe Shakes is a picture book for ages 4-5 although my 2 year old enjoyed hearing me read it. Instead of being one story it's a bunch of poems, both short and long. In this book, each one has to do with shoes or feet or walking.

It's a really cute book and really cute poems. I also own one of her other books, Nothing Beats a Pizza which is cute too but Shoe Shakes is much better, especially for preschoolers.

Stars: ***

This is a cute book that tells a myth to explain why Blackmouth Monkeys sleep on thorns at the top of the trees.
The illustrations are different than most and the story was fun to read. For ages 2-5

Stars: *****

This book was read for the Celebrate the Author challenge and the Heart of a Child challenge.

So I read this when I was a child although I didn’t really remember much about it. What a cute little book! Just like how she captured the thoughts of Socks the cat in her book Socks, Beverly Cleary has captured the thoughts of a five year old rambunctious girl. I don’t remember much about being five but I’ve worked with five year olds and I do think that most of how Ramona behaves and what she thinks is consistent with a five year old. Ramona is what we are now calling a Spirited Child.

Stars: ***1/2This book was read for the A to Z Challenge.

This is a cute story of a boy who really wants a dog but instead of getting a dog for his birthday, he gets a picture of a dog. After getting over the initial disappointment and anger he finds a way to have a dog he can see only with his eyes shut. (Imaginary) I can’t really say more without spoiling the story but the book has good lessons in it. As explained in the afterword by the author, the book is specifically written so that you have to wait in suspense to find out what will happen next. This makes up for the lack of large adventures and opposing forces in most kid’s books.
It’s a sweet story but it wasn’t really my style or it would have received a higher rating.

Celebration Edition Over 20 Years in Print

Stars: *****

I received this book for review from Annick Press.

I've read a LOT of potty books lately as I'm trying to train my 2 year old but this one is different (in a good way.) Instead of showing how a child goes potty, it shows what would happen if different animals tried to use the toilet. For example, an elephant would crush it to pieces, a lion would think it was it's throne and a seal would slip right off the seat.

This new edition has new illustrations and a few new creatures added. The back says: "Guaranteed to bring on giggles, Toilet Tales is the perfect companion for both the toilet-ready toddler and kids who have passed this stage." I have to agree with that. Kids in the (anal stage ??) would love this book since they are so focused on toilet habits. My daughter loves it.

Stars: ***1/2 These books were read for the Decades 08 Challenge and as part of the A Novel Challenge Mini-Challenge 2008.

Alice in Wonderland was first published in 1865 and Through the Looking Glass was first published in 1871. However I read a 2006 edition by Parragon Publishing in the UK. It’s a part of the Children’s Classic Collection. (not the cover pictured)

This was the first time I’d ever read these books, which I thought were one book, but I did know the storyline from the movie. Although I liked the movie, I wasn’t as fond of the book. Since the majority of what happens in the story is nonsense, it can be hard to follow so the movie made it a little easier. I’m not real fond of either though. They are well written and very creative, but just a little too strange for me.

Stars: ****

This book was read for the 2nds Challenge.

I chose this book because I had read Gone Forever and liked it so much, I wanted to try more Diane Fanning.

Stars: **1/2

Willie’s Dad is a picture book for children who have parents in Prison. Willie is a five year old boy whose father has been in prison almost his whole life and who will be there until he’s a grown man. Willie and his Mother don’t visit his Father very often and when they do, they go with Duane, who is growing attached to Willie’s mom. His father makes a selfless decision and tells Duane to go ahead and marry the mother because Willie needs a dad and he’s a good man.

The story is pretty good and it’s nice to see a book for children on a subject not often seen. Unfortunately there are quite a few children who have a parent in prison and who could use this book.