Little Hansie Bear, who loved to pretend, thought it would be fun to walk like a duck. Unfortunately he fell over sideways into a deep-down ditch. He hurt his knee and couldn't get out again. His dad came to help.
I am not usually one who gushes over Sam McBratney. Guess How Much I Love You is not my favorite or best book ever. But. I really did find myself liking his newest book, There, There. It is the story of a father and son. It is the story of two not-so-good days. It is a tender story about comfort: showing love, giving support, cheering up.
Little Hansie is not having a good day. It starts when he's pretending to walk like a duck, but, that's just the first injury of the day. His father comforts him with hugs and a calm there, there. But Hansie isn't the only one who needs some love. His father, who was NOT pretending to be a duck, needs some love too. And Hansie knows just what to say and do to make his dad feel all better.
I really loved, loved, loved the illustrations. If I didn't love the illustrations so very much, I might not love the book so much. The text is good: very sweet. But the illustrations, for me, make it extra-special.
Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10
A bear lived in the woods. He had a little cave, just big enough for him. Every morning, the bear would crawl out of his cave, rub his eyes, stretch, and feel the morning sun. Then he would look around for something to eat.
I really, really adored Bear in Love. Bear is a lovable character. I love, love, love the fact that he likes to make up his own songs and hums. I love his personality. I just do. Someone else must have been watching Bear too. Someone else must think he's special too. For Bear has a secret admirer. Someone who leaves him presents. It starts with one little carrot. But that's just the beginning. Bear likes having a friend, even if he doesn't know who his new secret friend is. Soon Bear starts leaving gifts in return. Will Bear ever stay awake long enough to discover who his new friend is?!
I loved this one. I thought it was a great story. The illustrations, well, I loved them too. There was just something charming about them!
Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10
Your everyday song,
my favorite alarm clock--
good morning to you!
I found this collection of poems charming. I did. The poems are short, of course, because they're haiku. I like the emotional nature of the poems. These are poems of joy, of love, of friendship, of family.
For example, I just love this one:
you hug away tears,
making boo-boos all better--
best teddy ever
Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10
Penelope Pig has been planning a party, a sleepover party for Saturday night. All around town, pigs are putting on pj's. They're packing and snapping and zipping up tight. We're pigs in pajamas, to Penny's we go--in prints, plaids, and pinstripes, a sleepywear show!
Pigs in Pajamas is playful, very playful. It is a celebration of the letter P. If the alliteration in the text doesn't convince you that P is a wonderful letter, perhaps, the illustrations will. Yes, this picture book has illustrations worth paying attention to every little detail.
Overall, I liked it.
Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10
Rain!
Rain!
"Nasty galoshes."
"Blasted overcoat."
"There goes my hair..."
"Is it raining cats and dogs?"
"It's raining frogs and pollywogs!"
"Hippity-hop!"
Rain has dual narrators. One narrator is a very grumpy old man who does NOT like the rain, not at all. The rain is ruining his day. He's a complainer through and through. The other narrator is a child who LOVES the rain, who is so very excited to go out in the rain and play. When these two cross paths that morning, something happens. Will the old man lose a bit of his crankiness?
I liked this one. It is simple. There isn't a lot of text. The illustrations are very expressive.
Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10
One day in class, Duncan went to take out his crayons and found a stack of letters with his name on them.
Hey Duncan,
It's me, Red Crayon. We need to talk. You make me work harder than any of your other crayons. All year long I wear myself out coloring FIRE ENGINES, apples, strawberries, and EVERYTHING ELSE that's RED. I even work on holidays! I have to color all the Santas at Christmas and ALL the hearts on Valentine's day! I NEED A REST! Your overworked friend, Red Crayon
Quite simply, I loved, loved, loved this one. I read it months ago, but, I put off reviewing it because I knew that I could never do it justice in a review. I knew that I could never express just how clever and fun it was. I also knew that I would be tempted to quote from every crayon's letter. I knew that would be too much.
Have you read this one? What did you think? I loved the premise of this one. I liked the creativity of it. I liked the personality of it. And I adored all the "kid art." The ending was very fun!
Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10
© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
1 comment:
I don't think I've read any of those. I'm definitely going to have to hunt The Day the Crayons Quit I think my 4 year old would love that one!
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