Monday Reading - More Goodness

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It's been a full, full week as I'm sure all of you have had. I am reading Wildman by J.C. Geiger, an arc from NetGalley. Then I got hooked on Who Killed Christopher Goodman?, Allan Wolf's latest book. And they are both about teens and crazy decisions made in good times and bad. I haven't finished either one, but they are both YA books you should look for.

 When you order a kitten and the company is out of kittens, so sends a lion instead, it's a good thing to have this "how-to" book. Sauer and Cummings include all the best tips, like how "not" to look like a gazelle, a zebra or a bunny. I'm sure it will make a good read aloud, and using it as a mentor text for both 'how-to' books and cartooning work beautifully.

 Yellow Bird has a button, which does nothing, or so he says! Red Bird and Blue Bird have more to say about it when they “push” the button. One of my favorite things aside from that "do-nothing" button is Blue Bird's cute hat. And then there’s that little worm. Lots of Elephant & Piggie at the end and the beginning, and lots of laughs in between.

From a well-known storyteller who grew up in a large Romani family, a well-known writer in Great Britain and an artist also from Great Britain comes a story of Ossiri, a young girl “traveler” or “Romani”. “Travelers do not have homes, but move their homes in carts or trailers, scavenging and making use of discards. You may know them as “gypsies”. This story is one handed down through generations. A young girl loves music so much, and there is no money for one so she creates her own, which she names “Tattin Django”. She loves playing it, but others say it hurts their ears. When the community moves to a new place, another girl warns Ossiri not to play the music too loudly because she might wake the Bala Mengro. She won’t tell what will happen when he does wake up, but says, “You don’t want to know?” What happens when Ossiri persists with the music is a fun ending. Stories passed down from through the years are always special, like this one. Illustrations are colorful and like folk art, a fitting style for this story.

Two New Bear Books!  See my long list in the bar above!

      Benedict the bear lives a lovely life, including a jar of honey left on his doorstep each morning! At least it's good until it isn't! One day a small bee comes by to tell Benedict that the bees are on strike! No more honey, no more deliveries. This bear doesn't realize the work that the bees are going to just to deliver those jars. He's told that they now have to travel miles to gather their needs, and two queens have left! The hive is falling apart, too. Benedict has no idea of the problems, and fortunately, he does something about it. He does the research, restores his field by planting more flowers and finally he's ready to share. The illustrations are wonderfully emotional as this bear is at first dismayed to the point that his life is in disarray. It doesn't stay that way long and it's great to see his response to help those striking bees. It's a good read-aloud story, a lesson about the environment and the plight of bees as well as a beginning lesson in understanding labor unions. It's hard to believe that so much has been included in a brief picture book, but it is a great story.

     Discovered at my library is another book about the love of books, the need for more, and sharing what one has. Fox, Bunny, Mouse and Hedgehog love to read, but they only have one book! In a search for others, they find one and see that it belongs to bear. They walk to return it, but Bear isn't home, so they return it through a window. Unfortunately, Mouse falls in with the book, and then lets the others inside, to a wondrous home. It's filled with books! They begin to read and are so absorbed, they forget that they really don't belong, and Bear arrives home. What happens then is a sweet scene, and both Bear and the other animals get their wishes. Full page and boldly colored illustrations will delight young readers. 

Next: After finishing the two mentioned above, time to Read March Three and finish the trilogy. I also have a book to start for my book club.