No comments about Summer Beat.

1 comments about Happy New Year, Julie (American Girls Collection).

1. Christmas is here, but it's different this year. For the first time, Julie and her older sister Tracy will be celebrating Christmas twice: once with their mother and once with their father. The girls are still getting used to their parents' divorce, but it's proving especially hard for Tracy. She initially doesn't want to go to their dad's house - their old house, which now looks and feels empty and strange - and even though she eventually goes along, she ends up leaving early. Shortly thereafter, Julie gets involved in preparations for Chinese New Year with her best friend Ivy and her family.
   
   Happy New Year, Julie is the third book in the Julie line written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Robert Hunt. Julie Albright is one of the American Girls, books which offer realistic glimpses into America's past through the eyes of young girls. Throughout the series, Julie has grown more optimistic and thoughtful. This book in particular shows how she always finds things to celebrate and appreciate, including her family.

2 comments about The Greentail Mouse.

1. In a take on the town mouse and the country mouse, Leonni tells the tale of happy forest mice who try to recreate a Mardi Gras celebration of their own, after hearing about it from a city mouse. This fable is, as always beautifully illustrated; although this time, there are no torn-paper mice, but, as my seven-year-old noticed, "really painted" pictures. However, we never find out why the mouse`s tail stays green -- as a reminder, perhaps of the dangers of trying to be what you are not? A little too ambiguous, maybe. Not as captivating as so many of his other stories. Save your money and borrow this from the library.



2. I disagree with the first review...it is precisely the ambiguity of this tale that makes it so delightful and so easy to turn to again and again as we try to puzzle it out. I'm not sure we're meant to "know" everything, or would want to. The mystery, and ambiguity, of lived experience is the most "real" thing of all--and children get that. My students and I still haven't figured out The Greentail Mouse and we still enjoy trying.

No comments about Cinco De Mayo: Celebrating the Traditions of Mexico.

No comments about Labor Day (Pebble Books).

2 comments about It's Groundhog Day.

1. A perfect book to introduce Groundhog Day on February 2! Illustrations are good, the plot is easy to understand and enjoyable, and this book could also be used in teaching character education. My diverse classroom of 20 students all loved this book, and continued to look at it during DEAR time. (Drop Everything And Read)



2. Godfrey Groundhog predicts -- months ahead of time, and only on a hunch -- that he won't see his shadow and an early spring will ensue. Most of his friends celebrate the prospect of fewer weeks of winter. But Roland Raccoon runs a ski lodge, and he's not a happy camper at all. He sabotages Groundhog Day by kidnapping Godfrey. The groundhog eventually slips away, and Roland apologizes. Spring DOES come early, and Roland opens up a hot dog stand on the beach.
   
   Compared to other Groundhog Day picture books, this one's pretty weak. The characters and settings are too cartoony for my taste, and the thought that a raccoon would kidnap a groundhog is just too unbelievable, even for a children's book. See my Listmania list for other Groundhog Day recommendations.

No comments about Little Bear's Special Wish.

No comments about Father Bear's Special Day (Maurice Sendak's Little Bear) (Festival Reader).

2 comments about Mother's Mother's Day.

1. When a mouse, Hazel, takes a small woodland Mother's Day gift to her mother, she finds the tree trunk vacant. Mother has gone to visit her mother ... and so and so on ... (Many mouse generations can coexist.) Finally, they all find each other for the celebration. Children learn that every mother has a mother and they all have names. They can live independently, but they love and watch out for each other.



2. When a mouse, Hazel, takes a small woodland Mother's Day gift to her mother, she finds the tree trunk vacant. Mother has gone to visit her mother ... and so and so on ... (Many mouse generations can coexist.) Finally, they all find each other for the celebration. Children learn that every mother has a mother and they all have names. They can live independently, but they love and watch out for each other.

2 comments about Fair!.

1. It's criminal that Ted Lewin's "Fair!" has only "limited availability." This book perfectly captures the sights, smells, and sounds of a fair. The NEW YORK TIMES named "Fair!" one of the best illustrated books of 1997, and that's right on the money.

   Lewin apparently used a fair in Clearfield, Pennsylvania to do his paintings, but truly, this could be a fair anywhere in the United States. We see the roustabouts setting up rides, checking electrical connections, and hoisting enormous, lightbulb-laden ride signs high into the air. Sweat glistens, the sun beats down mercilessly, muscles strain--Lewin captures the physicality of the scene as though he were merely snapping a photograph. We then move on to the 4-H sheds, where youngsters prepare their sheep, cows, pigs, and goats for inspection. The sunlight streams in from outside, lighting the leaves on the trees to a glowing citrus green, and picking up the gleam on the cows' coats. Day moves inexorably into afternoon and then into night, complete with a luminous fireworks display and a walk along the midway.

   Lewin's painting skill is nothing short of astonishing. These watercolors have all the richness and mood of the fair itself. We are fortunate that he has chosen such a multi-faceted subject with which to bedazzle his readers.




2. I grew up in Clearfield, the setting for the fair in this book, so I'll admit my bias. However, to cite another source: I bought this book for my nephew, who is 19 months, and this is currently his favorite book to select from the shelf before being read to. The pictures and storyline (sometimes paraphrased) are compelling even to a little boy under the age of 2.