A mother and son live on a farm growing wheat. It’s almost harvesting time. They have to get a good harvest to keep the farm. A tiny man is seen in thA mother and son live on a farm growing wheat. It’s almost harvesting time. They have to get a good harvest to keep the farm. A tiny man is seen in their field taking the wheat and the boy gladly lets him have it. He asks the man if he can help them bring in the wheat. The harvester machine breaks down and the mom doesn’t know how to bring it in. The boy says they will bring it in 2 tassels at a time if they have too. There is also a plague of locusts on the way that will eat it all up.
After the man leaves the boy blows a horn that he finds on the farm. That night he finds a lot of little elephants under his bed. They are very cute. It all works out alright in the end. I love the ending and what happens.
I think this is one of the times I was most surprised with the unexpected. This was some good imagination. I love Graeme and his work. The artwork here is not the best I’ve seen of his, but it’s very good.
The nephew loved this story too. He loved seeing all the little elephants and everything they do. This story reminds me just a bit of the elf and the shoemaker. He loved the ending of the story. He gave this 4 stars too....more
I love when you just happen upon a book that is amazing and wonderful. Why haven’t I heard of this and why aren’t people talking about it. It’s from 2I love when you just happen upon a book that is amazing and wonderful. Why haven’t I heard of this and why aren’t people talking about it. It’s from 2012. I saw the title sitting at the library and I snatched this book up and I’m glad I did.
My nephew loves the Gingerbread man. The phrase, “You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man” wove it’s way into his heart. This book reminds me of that.
Leon makes a valentine for Zoey. He proclaims his love on the back after making a face, arms and legs. When he’s done, the valentine gets up and runs away from him yelling:
“Love is Yucky. Stinky too. It will turn your brain to GOO!”
There is a chase through town, I won’t say more about the plot than that. The kids now run around the house yelling and singing “love is yucky, stinky too. It will turn your brain to goo.” They laugh at that.
We were laughing and having fun with this story so that the niece had to come into the room and see what was going on. The nephew read it to her and she loved this story too. This story is perfect for our house. I loved the ending. We all did. This was a perfect 5 star rating in our house. The niece loved it - 5 stars; the nephew thinks this might be one of his favorite books - 5 stars and I love it. The parents read it too and they thought it was a funny story so the whole family is in on the joke.
Spread the word, this is a Valentines book everyone should read. It should be made into a cartoon short. It would make a great Valentines gift. It is still a sweet story, but the 2 hearts keep it from being overly sugary. They put a little sour in the mix, maybe salty too. ...more
I enjoyed this story. Lord Baltimore is mad, no doubt, but don’t mess with him. He is one deadly dude. He is stilVampires, zombies and madness, oh my!
I enjoyed this story. Lord Baltimore is mad, no doubt, but don’t mess with him. He is one deadly dude. He is still hunting his Vampire that killed his wife and here he gets close. We see that anyone that comes into contact with him is doomed, still. There is some insane inquisition dude following Baltimore and he is evil, my gosh.
Lord Baltimore finds a monastery full of nuns that have been turned into Vampires and he must stop what’s going on inside. He charges right into this nest. The dude is crazy.
It’s gruesome and dark and yet it’s not too much for me. I’m enjoying this story. This was better than the 1st volume. I look forward to Vol. 3....more
Still, no snow here, so I’m reading about snow in books.
It snowed for week after week and then this town built a massive snowman with industrial equiStill, no snow here, so I’m reading about snow in books.
It snowed for week after week and then this town built a massive snowman with industrial equipment. Some town members loved it and people came from all over to see it and some town members hated it. They say it will melt and form a lake.
It’s told in Rhyme and you know I love a story told in verse. The artwork is nice for beginners. It’s a story for young kids and people who like snow.
The nephew thought the idea of a giant snowman was awesome. He thought this was a cool idea and he wanted to build one. I told him we don’t get enough snow or cold to build one here. I don’t think we are going to get any winter again this year. That will make 2 years in a row. Maybe some will show up this month, if we are lucky. He gave this 4 stars for a great idea....more
We have a winner. I love the foil used on the cover to make it such a glorious bright red. Lovely. This is my first changing book. There is a page of We have a winner. I love the foil used on the cover to make it such a glorious bright red. Lovely. This is my first changing book. There is a page of dialogue and the other side is a beautiful picture. There is a tab at the bottom you pull down below the dimension of the page and it changes the picture into a new picture. There are horizontal bars that slide down to make a new picture. This library copy had 2 pages that didn’t work.
There was a lovely Christmas poem about the cozy joys of Christmas.
The best part was seeing my nephew occupied for a very long time. He was going wild in the afternoon and I got this book out and we read it. Then he just pulled the tabs over and over watching the picture switch back and forth. It was magic seeing him so focused. He needed to know how it worked. He was mesmerized. He must have spent close to 20 minutes being still and quiet. He gave this 4 stars as well. He loves Christmas. It’s infectious to be around his Christmas joy....more
This is a book for history minded children or children who might be doing a report on Native Indian cultures for grade school. This is a long picture This is a book for history minded children or children who might be doing a report on Native Indian cultures for grade school. This is a long picture book and not for younger kids. I saw this and I did not bother reading it to the nephew as I knew he couldn’t sit through something like this.
It is a well told story. I, as an adult, enjoyed it. It tells the story of Buffalo Bird Girl who was a real person and was old in 1912. She was a Hidatsa Indian. There are plenty of illustrated pictures and interspersed with those are actual photos of Indians doing things the story spoke of and it said ‘this is what Buffalo Bird Girl would have looked like’. I thought that was a nice touch.
We get to see how they lived and survived and the troubles they had. The Lakota peoples constantly raided them and attacked them. Winter was harsh and growing food was everything. I find it so strange how separated men and women were in society. They did not eat as whole families, but men ate together and women and children ate together. Most everything was separated. It’s so strange to my modern sensibilities.
I learned a lot and I thought it was a good book, but I can’t see it being a book most children enjoy reading in that age range. ...more
It’s gloomy out in Nancy-land and the kids at school are glum. Nancy suggests they throw a fancy day to excite the kids and the teacher loves the ideaIt’s gloomy out in Nancy-land and the kids at school are glum. Nancy suggests they throw a fancy day to excite the kids and the teacher loves the idea. It’s Nancy’s kind of day.
I love that Lionel makes bloody Shark teeth on his crown and Nancy simple thinks he’s a goofball. That’s funny. There are some cute ideas in this one. I know school isn’t this sweet, but it’s nice to visit a place for kids that it was this idealized. Jane O’Connor makes Nancy’s world so fancy.
The nephew wouldn’t read this book. He refused. The niece read it on her own and she didn’t think this was as good or as believable. She gave this 2 stars. ...more
This book is hilarious. I know from my mom that a teacher’s lounge is a boring place, but great because kids aren’t in there. This book has a curious This book is hilarious. I know from my mom that a teacher’s lounge is a boring place, but great because kids aren’t in there. This book has a curious boy seeing amazing things in the teachers lounge like teachers snow skiing, water skiing and going on safari to name a few. The artwork is eye-popping and colorful and I love the humor of Jerry.
The nephew thought this was funny too. He kept asking if I thought teachers could really do that in their lounge. When I asked him if he thought they could, he said No. I think he really wanted it to be possible. He laughed at the teacher that was almost eaten by a shark or the teachers eating “frog-eyeball soup, or snake-brain pizza and elephant-toenail cupcakes”. He loved that part. It’s contrasted nicely with on the opposite page the student meals that are healthy and balanced. He loved this and gave it 5 stars.
I read the first chapter and I was wondering why this was so popular. What was going on? I put it down and finally, a month later or so, I read the 2nI read the first chapter and I was wondering why this was so popular. What was going on? I put it down and finally, a month later or so, I read the 2nd chapter. I still wasn't in the book. I wasn't getting the big deal. 3 days ago, I picked this back up and all the sudden the story took off. I read the rest of the book in mostly 2 days.
All the sudden the story had dimension and the characters got interesting. I am a big fan of the story now. I will admit it was difficult to get past the first 2 chapters. This is a futuristic Sci-fy take on a fairy tale. There is no magic in the story, not really. All the classic story elements are here mostly, but there is technology and science that pushes the whole story forward.
All the points from the fairy tale are pretty much hit, but how she does it and how she gets there is new and twisted. I will say that there were some big plot points that you can figure out before you get there. There was a hint dropped in the first part of the story that lets you know a surprise later in the story.
I want to talk more about this, so I'm putting up
Spoiler WARNING:
I was disappointed in the ending. It wasn't a high ending. It makes the story more of a tragedy than a fairytale. The prince doesn't accept her at the end, he is confused. It may make sense realistically, but I have to say that it did let me down. It's why I don't think it's 5 star book. It was a huge cliff hanger and I felt like the story was left in the middle and not the end. It's the end of the fairy tale, but not this story and that frustrates me, but I do want to read the next book, so it worked. Cinder is left such an outsider. She is worse off than the book started. My heart aches for her. Maybe the story needed this, but I will say, I did not like the ending at all.
I was surprised that the step-sister, Peony died. It was heart-wrenching. I tell you something, Cinder is abused this whole story. The Prince does find her, but I mean, she is put through the ringer over and over and she would end up with PTSD. It is terrible what she is put through. It is almost too much. Yes, Cinder does overcome, but it's brutal.
Cinder is a mix of everything. She is a Lunar, which people fear and hate and she is a cyborg. I mean she is the low of the low of society. She's part of the most undesirable people in the country and you really get to see how that puts her down. It's interesting.
Cinder is property in this society. She is a person that uses internal android parts and somehow this makes her no longer a person. Why does this life saving technology make you lose personhood?
Despite the ending, despite the beginning and all the questions, this was a great story. I got into it and I really couldn't put the book down. I had to keep reading and that is what I'm looking for in a fantasy story. I want new ideas and I want a book that bites me and won't let go. I am now interested in the rest of the story and I can't wait to read the rest of it. Rapunzel or Cress was hinted at in this story and I'm excited to see how she has put this all together. I want to know how Marissa ends this series. I want to finish this series and I need to find the next book so I can do that. Marissa made me a fan. I'm in. ...more
I love the artwork in this story. It’s so whimsical and colorful with plenty to discover in the pictures. This is about a child not ready to go to sleI love the artwork in this story. It’s so whimsical and colorful with plenty to discover in the pictures. This is about a child not ready to go to sleep. That is both of our kids, but mostly the nephew. He is never ready to stop. He doesn’t want to miss anything. They are very wiggly and they can toss for an hour or more before they fall asleep. It is finally beginning to get better.
So this little kid in the story claims not to be tired and the parents are like, ok, just put on your pajamas and so on. Then the kid asks about all these animals and if they sleep like the bat, bear and tiger. So as the kid is finally falling asleep, he sees himself like each animal. It is a lovely story.
The niece enjoyed the artwork and said the story was ok. She gave this 3 stars. The nephew agreed, but he did like the big tiger. He said he would sleep with a tiger in his bed too if he could. He also wanted to see if he could sleep hanging off the bunk bed like a bat and that was a hard no because he might really try to. He gave this 3 stars too. ...more
I find Jerry Pallotta very funny. I enjoy getting his books for a laugh. Each page in this story is a different animal and the one line of text will sI find Jerry Pallotta very funny. I enjoy getting his books for a laugh. Each page in this story is a different animal and the one line of text will say that this animal did one. The whole time the niece and nephew laughed saying, he farted. Haha, they are farting. Jerry is leading us to think this the whole time. I was thinking it too. At the end, we see that he was talking about burping. haha, the ol’ switcheroo. These kids are rubbing off on me too much, aren’t they. Anyway.
The nephew loved the book and he gave this 5 stars. The niece thought it was cute and she gave it 3 stars. I thought this was rather simple for Jerry and I did enjoy the art. Still, hearing the kids laugh is worth it. I gave it 3 stars. ...more
Presidents, presidents everywhere. This book is full of fun and interesting facts about the presidents of the US; the good, the bad and the bizarre. E Presidents, presidents everywhere. This book is full of fun and interesting facts about the presidents of the US; the good, the bad and the bizarre. Each president here is mentioned at least once for something. Most of them have similar names or lived in log cabins - 9. There have been 6 presidents with the name James, 1 went by Jimmy. We learn the tallest, the shortest and the biggest president. Very little judgement is made, but it does talk about Clinton and Nixon telling lies. This was updated in 2012 so Obama is included in the mix here.
I thought this was a fun little facts filled nonfiction book for anyone interested in learning about the presidents of our country. It’s obvious some were much better than others. I have started watching Untold history on Netflix and its a great show about modern presidents and I have been learning so much, so this book is interesting right now. I do hope someday soon we can add a woman to this list. It's much needed now.
The niece loved this book. She loves little facts about things. She gave this 4 stars. The nephew thought some things were funny. He thought Taft being lowered into the bathtub by a crane was funny and some other things, but mostly he wasn’t too interested. He gave this 2 stars. ...more
I don’t understand why, but this is already difficult to get at our library and this is a relatively new book.
It’s a wonderful beginning book on the I don’t understand why, but this is already difficult to get at our library and this is a relatively new book.
It’s a wonderful beginning book on the shade of green with fun cut-outs on each page placed perfectly so that the colors do fun things. Stuff like this fascinate the nephew and he has to turn the page back and forth over and over to see how it all lines up. Each page is a different scene and a different shade of green
The niece thought this was cute and she gave it 3 stars while the nephew loved the book and he gave it 5 stars....more
A very proper boy who loves his tuxedo goes to the aquarium with his dad one day. He avoids all the mobs of children and finds himself around the pengA very proper boy who loves his tuxedo goes to the aquarium with his dad one day. He avoids all the mobs of children and finds himself around the penguin tank. He asks his dad if he can get a penguin and his dad gives him 20$ for a stuffed animal. Elliot goes to the tank and picks out a small penguin and takes him home.
I do enjoy the artwork and the story of this fun little story. David Small uses just a little splash of color here or there and keeps the cleanness of the black and white mostly. Elliot does take good care of his new pet.
Well, my nephew has always loved penguins. He has stuffed animals and he just loves them. He goes to the zoo to see penguins. He wants to bring one home like Elliot did. He loves this story. He thinks its the best idea in the world. He gave this book 5 stars. The niece found this story entertaining. She said it was good. She gave it 3 stars. ...more
Babymouse is running for Student body president and the competition is fierce. Babymouse actually finds her voice in this one and what she believes inBabymouse is running for Student body president and the competition is fierce. Babymouse actually finds her voice in this one and what she believes in.
I have fun reading these little stories. They are lighthearted and the character has been endeared to me. This went down quick. I did offer to let my niece read this one and she isn't interested. Bummer....more
I didn't care for the art and I didn't think the little changes here and there added anything to the story. Ben changed quite a bit and I don't see hoI didn't care for the art and I didn't think the little changes here and there added anything to the story. Ben changed quite a bit and I don't see how that is adding to the story. I feel it's just being different for different sake.
I do think the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland are new classics in our fairy tale literature. I think Harry Potter is also added to that, but time will tell.
I'm not impressed by this, but others might really enjoy it. Try it out and see for yourself. It's not for me. ...more
A nonfiction look at 15 couples in American history part of an outlaw marriage. It is incredible that these people were able to do this, but they wereA nonfiction look at 15 couples in American history part of an outlaw marriage. It is incredible that these people were able to do this, but they were also famous and people with money. I think that is what insulated them and allowed them the privilege to do this. People let wealthy and famous people do whatever they want really. It’s no wonder these are the people who could do this.
Walt Whitman, Gertrude Stein, Gretta Garbo, Aaron Copeland were a few of the people listed in this book.
Rodger Streitmatter does a great job here. He goes into their career and how they made themselves, how they met their partner and their outlaw marriage and how it worked for them. Some of them ended in decline, but most ended in death as most unions do. This was very fascinating to read actually. It was a little fact based and not as fleshed out as it could be, but it's so interesting to read these stories in a time when being gay was almost criminal....more
A sweet story about a kid hanging out with his grandparents in the summer. The kid want to ride the roller coaster like his grandpa did, but he’s scar A sweet story about a kid hanging out with his grandparents in the summer. The kid want to ride the roller coaster like his grandpa did, but he’s scared. His grandma tells him he will face his fear when he is ready - there is plenty of time.
This is about facing your fears and eventually he does face his fears. There is a little bit sad thread in this and a little bit about loss and a whole lot about the things we fear. It has a hint of ‘UP’ in it.
The kids thought this was a cute book. My niece is the one who actually picked it out from the library. She gave it 3 stars and whatever, I know she liked it. The nephew gave it 5 stars. He wants to ride a roller coaster this year of some kind.
I love the art and it really conveys the feeling of being on the rollercoaster. I appreciated this book....more
This is interesting as we get to see Batman as a real father. Damian is his DNA child and Damian get up under one of Batman's enemies. Damian is much This is interesting as we get to see Batman as a real father. Damian is his DNA child and Damian get up under one of Batman's enemies. Damian is much like his father. He is angry and restless for a fight and he is only 10 years old. He doesn't have the impulse control that his dad does.
Damian does kill someone. The whole book is this debate about the use of killing someone to stop them verses not crossing that line. It works pretty well that way. This is the Damian who goes on to lead Teen Titans in Rebirth.
This was a Batman family story for sure and it certainly was dark enough. I like all the bat characters they are adding to the story. I hope the movies will follow suit and start adding them. It's fun. Spider-Verse did it and it worked really well. ...more
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