Horton Hears a Who

Title: Horton Hears a Who
Author: Dr. Seuss
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading Level: 1 and up
Pages: 60
Genre: Picture Book










Summary:

Horton was in the pool when he heard a tiny noise. He couldn't tell where it was coming from, and then he saw a small speck of dust. That was where it was coming from! He picked up the speck and dropped it onto a flower for safe keeping. Horton tried to tell others about the people, but nobody believed him. Everyone thought he was crazy and that he should give up the speck. However, he wouldn't and then he heard it speck! The speck had Whos living on it! A whole town with buildings and a mayor and familes and books. Horton couldn't believe it. Then the Wickersham Brothers came and stole the flower with the speck on it! They took it to Vlad Vlad-i-koff. He took the flower and dropped it into a field full of the exact same flowers. Horton searched and searched and searched through the flowers until, finally, he found the Whos. There town had suffered damage but everyone was ding alright. However, all the animals still thought Horton was crazy. They decided to boil the flower in Beezle-Nut oil. Horton was terrified, and he told the maor of Whosville to get everyone to yell so that everyone else could hear them. However, no matter how hard they tried, nobody could hear them. They searched to make sure everyone was making noise when they found a little Who. The mayor rushed him to the top of the tower where he shouted 'yopp.' That yopp broke through and everybody heard the Whos. They all decided to protect the Whos then. The pictures in this book aren't very colorful, but they are full of all the creatures and craziness of the story. They definitely make the story full as you see the facial expressions and all the work that Horton does in the field.

My Reaction:

I've grown up with this book so I love it. Dr. Suess is always fun to read, and it's always an adventure.

Potential Problems:

The other animals are rude to Horton, and the evil bird takes away the Whos and almost loses them forever. Also, they try to boil the Whos, but everything works out in the end.

Recommendations:

I recommend tho book to everyone! Especially if they love Dr. Suess. This one is definitely a classic and I think everyone would love it.

The Very Hungry Catterpillar

Title: The Very Hungry Catterpillar
Author: Eric Carle
Publisher: Philomel
Reading Level: 1 and up
Pages: 22
Genre: Picture Book







Summary:

Once there was an egg on a leaf. After a while it cracked open and out came a very tiny and very hungry caterpillar. He started looking for food and he ate through everything you can think of for a full week. Then he wasn't feeling so well, and he wasn't very little anymore. He was huge! He made a cacoon and rested inside of it for many days. When he came out he wasn't a caterpillar anymore. He was a beautiful butterfly! Eric Carle tells this story of a hungry caterpillar, but his pictures are what makes the book come to life. Some of the pages are even shortened when there is only one item that he ate. The pages lengthen as he eats more each day. Every food that he eats through has a hole in it that you could actually put something through. It's very colorful and attention grabbing.

My Reaction:

I think this is a great book. It's just fun and it's different from most of what's out there to read.

Potential Problems:

I didn't recognize any potential problems with this book.

Recommendations:

I would recommend this for a fun read aloud with children. It would also be fun to teach the life cycle of a butterfly to students in a classroom.

Verdi

Title: Verdi
Author: Janell Cannon
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Reading Level: 2 and up
Pages: 42
Genre: Picture Book





Summary:

Verdi loves his bright yellow skin and his black stripes. When his mother tells him to go grow big and green he can't understand why. He decides to ask the green snakes but they are boring and rude! So Verdi decides he will be the speediest snake and jump and climb so that he stays yellow. He grabs onto a branch and flings himself into the air. He has so much fun, but at his first molt he notices a long green stipe on his body. He is mortified! How could this have happened? He grabs leaves and jumps into the water trying to rub off the green. A fish almost eats him, but Verdi bites his nose and he is flung into mud. It covered him all over and it didn't feel very good, but at least he wasn't green. Once the mud dried it began to crack and Verdi was greener than ever. He grabbed a branch and flung himself into the sky again. However, he fell to the ground and he couldn't move. The greens had been watching him and they came to the rescue. They splinted him to a branch and all he could do was listen to them. He was shocked to hear that they had been just like him when they were young. When he was healed they untied him and told him he could come join them. He didn't feel like he was ready yet, but he sat there while the sun set. He loved the night life and how the moon changed. Soon he was so green that he blended into the leaves. One day two young snakes came up to him and joked about how lazy he was. He remembered how he was like that and then he asked the yellows if they wanted to climb trees and see his figure 8. They did a triple firgure 8, and Verdi was glad that even though he was green he was still Verdi. Each spread in this story has a full sized picture on one side. The deatail of the snakes is adorable and fun to see. The detail of the scenery is also beautiful and fun to search through. When the snakes smile you see their tongues sticking out, and you see all their emotions in their face.

My Reaction:

I think this is a great book. It is fun to read at and to look at. It's fun to see how it is a cycle with the snakes. They all didn't want to be green, and then once they were green they were content, and they were teased by younger snakes. I just love it all.

Potential Problems:

Unless a child is deathly afraid of snakes I don't see any potential problems with this book.

Recommendations:

I recommend this book for a read aloud in a class. It's fun, and it teaches that it's okay to grow up because you can still be you.

The Grasshopper and the Ants

Title: The Grasshopper and the Ants
Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Publisher: D.C. heath and Company
Reading Level: 2 and up
Pages: 28
Genre: Picture Book










Summary:

The grasshopper loved to enjoy the summer, and he went around having fun and singing. When he ran into the ants working he told them to play. However, they knew winter was coming so they worked hard all day to store up for the winter. The grasshopper did not like this way of life, so he kept singing and danceing and eating whenever he wanted. One day he met an ant and told him to 'take the grasshopper way' and have fun. The ant loved the music so he stopped working. Then the queen of the ants came and the little ant left to keep working. The queen told the grasshopper that he would be sorry when winter came, but he continued to sing and play. The queen hurried off to keep working, and the summer continued. The ants kept working and when winter started to set in they settled into their home with all the food they would need. Grasshopper, on the other hand, was frozen and he couldn't find any food. He saw the ants having fun in their home and then he fell to the ground almost frozen. He knocked and the ants let him in and cared for him. When he saw the queen he asked for a second chance, and she told him he must work. She handed him his fiddle and ordered him to play! Everyone statred to dance, and the grasshopper changed his ways. This book contains full page pictures of all the events. The grasshopper is portrayed as making the good decision with the colors, and the ants seem boring. However, when winter comes it changes. The ants home is fun and full of color, and the grasshopper is frozen. I love the reactions and facial expressions of all the ants. I think they are all so cute!

My Reaction:

This is a great book! I love the pictures and it has a great moral.

Potential Problems:

Kids might be sad that the grasshopper almost freezes, but nothing bad happens to him.

Recommendations:

I wolud recommend this book to everyone. It teaches a good lesson of preparing now for the future instead of waiting around until the last minute. Everybody needs a reminder every now and then.

Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp

Title: Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp
Author: Carl Diggory Shileds
Publisher: Candlewick
Reading Level: 1 and up
Pages: 24
Genre: Picture Book

Summary:

This adorable book is set up with rhymes and a bunch of fun for kids. The dinos are spreading the word that it's time for the Dinosaur Stomp. Everyone is very excited and they start to get ready. Everybody is washing up to lok their best, and then they race to the Dinosaur Stomp! The different dinosaurs all get there and the part began. It was fun and exciting and sometimes a little scary. All of a sudden the bad struck up. Time for dancing! Dinos began dancing the night away, and they even started a conga line! As the night continued they watched the firwork show from the volcanoes, and they even danced up an earthquake! They danced through the Cenozoic era and then they were beat. They laid down to slepp until it was time for the next Dinosaur Stomp!! This book is fun with how it rhymes and the dinos dancing up an earthquake. The best part is the pictures though. Each picture takes up the whole page, and you see the dinos at theier best. You see the diferent types heading to the stomp, and you see all the fun they have once they get there.

My Reaction:

I've always loved this book. The rhyming was catchy, and I loved the pictures. I think it would be fun for kids to read and be able to rhyme with.

Potential Problems:

I didn't recognize any potential problems with this story. Unless someone is afraid of dinosaurs!

Recommendations:

I would recommend this for a read aloud to young children. They will love the rhyming and the pictures are great!

Huggly Gets Dressed

Title: Huggly Gets Dressed
Author: Tedd Arnold
Publisher: Cartwheel Books
Reading Level: Preschool and up
Pages: 22
Genre: Picture Book






Summary:

Huggly is a monster under the bed. At night he sneaks out and the room is a mess! He loves it! He doesn't want to wake the 'people child,' so he tries to be quiet. He goes all over the room and he bumps his head on a dresser. All of the 'people child's' clothes fall out! Huggly decides to wear the clothes, but he doesn't know what goes where. He tries to get everything on and he is proud of his accomplishment. However, there is suddenly a knock on the door! It is time for the 'people child' to get up! The mom had asked if her son needed helped getting dressed, and Huggly said oh no because he was afraid he would get caught. The mother opens the door to make sure he doesn't need help and Huggly books it for the bed. He runs right into the 'people child!' However, he makes it under the bed, and the mother walks in to see her son dressed very differently than he should be. This story is hilarious! However, you definitely need the pictures to make is so great. When Huggly is getting dressed the text describes it from how Huggly sees it. This means that the words pants, socks, shirt, hat, etc. are not used. However, through the pictures you see which item he is putting on and how it is in the very wrong place. The pictures are simple, but they are very well done.

My Reaction:

I love these books. They are simple and younder children (before kindergarten) love them because of the pictures and the humor.

Potential Problems:

If your child is afraid of monsters under their bed you might not want to read this to them. :) Other than that, it is a very cute book and I think most children would love it.

Recommendations:

I recommend this to anyone who wants to read a story out loud to little kids. They will love it!

The Relatives Came

Title: The Relatives Came
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Publisher: Atheneum
Reading Level: Kindergarten and up
Pages: 28
Genre: Picture Book










Summary:

The relatives from Virginia decide to come visit one year during the summer. They left at four in the morning in their station wagon full to the brim of stuff. They traveled for a long time and thought about their home back in Virginia, but the also thought about their relatives ahead. They ate up all their snacks and they finally pulled into the yard. Then hugging went on for hours! There was some crying, but they just kept on hugging. Once they were in the house it there was laughter and happiness all around... and more hugs! There was a huge supper, and finally people began to settle down. Then it was time for sleeping. The relatives were all over and on top of everyone and everything, it was very interesting. They stayed for weeks and helped around the house and yard, and nobody was worried about Virginia. However, they had to go back at some point. One morning, at 4 AM, they packed up and headed out. The house seemed empty without them! The relatives drove for a long time again and thought of Virginia, but they also missed their family they had left. They got to their home in Virginia and went to bed dreaming of next summer. This books is an adorable and crazy little story of a family reunion. You don't quite get the chaos through the text, but the pictures capture it perfectly. Even driving in the car the relatives have things falling off and things breaking. The facial expressions show how happy they are and how much fun they are having.

My Reaction:

I think this is an adorable story. It reminds me of the family vacations that I've been to. Crazy, and good to be home, but you still had a blast.

Potential Problems:

I did not recognize any potential problems with this story.

Recommendations:

I would recommend this to any little kids who loves to read. It's fun to relate to your own family and see what happens.