Look Out, Lion Cub!

Author: Michele Coxon
Illustrator: Michele Coxon
Publisher: Star Bright Books
Copyright Date: 1997
Number of Pages: 14
Reading Level: Ages 4-8




Summary
The little lion club is bored so he leaves his family. He tries to climb a tree but he can't climb as well as a monkey. Then he tries to reach the top of a tree like a giraffe. He then falls into the river and can't swim as well as a crocodile but an elephant comes and pulls him out of the water. In the end the little cub is frightened and calls for his mom and dad. The mother lion hears the lion cub and carries him back safely and the little cub falls asleep and dreams of climbing high into the red African sky.

Personal Response
I thought that this book was absolutely adorable. This is a great fun book because it has flaps in the book that help make the story fun and exciting. It helps the child participate in the book. I love how some of the words to the story were underneath the flaps it provides a little bit of excitement as the child tries to guess what could be underneath the flap. The illustrations were wonderful and the warm color choice made the story inviting and interesting.

Potential Problems
I couldn't find any potential problems of this story.

Recommended to...
I would recommend reading this to children that like running off on their own. It may encourage them to stay with their parent where they will be safest.

And My Mean Old Mother Will Be Sorry, Blackboard Bear

Author: Martha Alexander
Illustrated  By: Martha Alexander
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Copyright Date: 2000
Number of Pages: 30
Reading Level: Ages 4-6



Summary
In this book a little boy is upset because he keep getting in trouble with his mother. He complains that she yells at him all the time. Suddenly a Bear comes out of the blackboard and says he could run away with him. So they set out together. The boy eats as much as he wants saying that mom never let him eat that much because she claimed that he would get sick. He gets sick. They continue on and the boy wants a hamburger but the bear only has fish that were still wiggling. When it gets dark the bear takes the boy to a cave for the night. While there the boy wishes that he could have his pillow and blanket. He starts missing his mother and wonders if she is lonely. He says that she is mostly a good mom. He really wants to go home. The bear gives him a ride back hme and the boy finds his Teddy underneath the window. In the end the little boy climbs back into his room clinging to his Teddy Bear.

Personal Response
I absolutely loved this book. The illustrations are absolutely wonderful. I love how it shows the Blackboard Bear coming out of the Blackboard. This book addresses children's very real feeling that parents can be really mean. However, this story turns it around back at the child, and says in response, parents can be really nice to. It shows how parents are mostly nice even if you get in trouble sometimes.

Potential Problems
At the very end instead of the mother telling the child how much she loves him it ends with the boy telling his teddy bear that he loves him. The mother doesn't actually show her son how much she cares about him.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to young children who get in trouble. This would be a good book for children to realize that parents don't tell their children not to do things because they're mean, it's because they know whats best for them.

Hush

Author: Minfong Ho
Illustrated By: Holly Meade
Publisher: Orchard Books
Copyright Date: 1996
Number of Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 4-8





Summary
After the mother put her baby to sleep the hushes the entire forest starting with the mosquito. In the end everything is finally quiet and the mother falls asleep. The baby is laying awake in his bed.

Personal Response
I thought that this book was very entertaining. It is really funny that after the mother goes out of her way to hush the entire forest her little baby wakes up all smiley when everything is quiet and the mother is asleep.

Potential Problems
I couldn't find any potential problems in this story.

Recommended to...
This would be a great book to read to any child as a bedtime story. I would not recommend reading it to a classroom except perhaps before a nap time or quiet time.

The Trouble With Twins

Author: Bonnie Worth
Illustrated By: Tom Leigh
Publisher: Jim Henson Productions
Copyright Date: 1993
Number of Pages: 26
Reading Level: Ages 7-12





Summary
This story is about two twins named Skeeter and Skooter. Skeeter was really good at using her new yoyo and skooter was very jealous because of all the attention that Skeeter was getting. It made him remember when they had gotten pogo sticks and Skeeter had been so good at it. It also reminded him of when they got beanbags for juggling and Skeeter was really good at it but Skooter couldn't do it right. Then the teacher announed the science fair. Skooter was really excited about it. He decided that he would make a model rocket. Skeeter first decided to make a model of the solar system but she made it out of oranges and lemons and they went bad before the science fair. So she decided to make a model of a robin but it didn't work. Then she decided to pick flowers and label them in a book but the flowers fell apart. Finally, Skooter helped skeeter realize that she could use her yoyo for the science project by explaining gravity and motion. In the end Skooter won the grand prize and Skeet won the certificate for the most practical project.

Personal Response
I thought this book was wonderful. It confronts the very real feeling of jealousy. It shows how the one twin overcomes his jealousy by doing something that he is good at and then helping the person he was jealous of. It would be a great book for a child that can relate to that feeling, and that is pretty much every child.

Potential Problems
I couldn't find any potential problems in this story.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this to children that are learning how to deal with other people. This would be good for children that are becoming aware of other children. This would be a great tool to start talking about ways to deal with and overcome feelings of jealousy or inadequacy.

Strega Nona

Author: Tomie DePaola
Illustrated By Tomie DePaola
Publisher: Simon And Schuster
Copyright Date: 1975
Number of Pages: 30
Reading Level: Ages 4-8





Summary
Strega Nona was the Grandmother which that created potions and cures for the town. She had a magic pot that would fill itself when Strega Nona sang a certain song. To get it to stop she would sing another song and blow three kisses. Big Anthony, her helper, was fascinated by her ability to do this and he learned the song. Trying to impress the villagers he sang the song and fed all of the people. Then he sang the song to make it stop but he did not blow three kisses so the noodles kept coming out of the pot. The pasta was about to cover the whole town when Strega nona came down the road and sang the magic song and blew three kisses. As a punishment Big Anthony had to eat all of the pasta.

Personal Response
I absolutely love this book. I remember reading it as a child. The illustrations are very unique and so is the story line. It teaches children to not play with things that they don't understand and are potentially dangerous.

Potential Problems
At the very end Big Anthony is forced to eat all of the pasta as a punishment and his stomach is bulging out a little bit. This would be very bad for children that are worried about their weight. It gives the false impression that eating noodles makes you fat.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to both boys and girls. It would be a good story to read at anytime.

Old Macdonald Drives A Tractor

Author: Ton Carter
Illustrator: Don Carter
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Copyright Date: 2007
Number of Pages: 24
Reading Level: Ages 4-8





Summary
In this book Old Macdonald goes through everything that he has to do in the day. The story talks about what a farmer has to do. It talks about him pulling a seeder, watering the land, cutting down the wheat field, spreading manure, harvesting his crop, and pulling all of the animals to the fair with his tractor. In the end after working all day the farmer climbs up his stairs to bed.

Personal Response
This book wasn't the best book I read but it was entertaining. I thought that the pictures were necessary for this story because they show what some words mean. Many children do not live on a farm so they have never seen a tractor. This book would be a wonderful one to read before or after a trip to the farm. A child would be much more interested if he or she has actually seen the things that are in the book.

Potential Problems
I couldn't find any potential problems in this book.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to young children that are learning about animals on a farm. This would be a wonderful book to read before or after going to a farm.

Maisy's Pool

Author: Lucy Cousins
Illustrator: Lucy Cousins
Publisher: Walker Books
Copyright Date: 1999
Number of Pages: 24
Reading level: Ages 4-8





Summary
In this story Maisy the mouse and Tallulah are very hot so Maisy has the idea to get out the little pool. After they blow it up and fill it with water they realize that there is a whole in it. Maisy mends it but then elephant comes and decides to get in the pool. Elephant was so big that Maisy and Talulah couldn't fit. In the end the elephant uses his trunk as a sprinkler.

Personal Response
I absolutely love the Maisy Mouse books. I think they are great books for young children that are learning to enjoy reading. This particular book would be a great one to read during the summer. It is a very cute story where Maisy encounters some problems and is able to come up with conclusions. Very young children learn the basics of problem solving in this book. I also absolutely love the illustrations and the colors. They provide for a very relaxed happy mood.

Potential Problems
I couldn't find any potential problems in this story.

Recommended to...
This book would be a great one to read during the summer to both boys and girls.

Dog's Colorful Day

Author: Emma Dodd
Illustrator: Emma Dodd
Publisher: Penguin Group
Copyright Date: 2000
Number of Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 3-6





Summary
This story is a number book with the dog spot that has one dot on his ear. On each page Spot gains a new colorful spot. In the end he has ten colorful spots. He has a red post of jam, a blue blob spot from paint, a green spot from grass, a yellow spot from pollen, a brown spot of chocolate, a pink spot of ice cream, an orange spot of juice, a purple smudge of ink, and the black spot on his ear. Then his owner gives him a bath and he goes back to bed with no spots.

Personal Response
This is a great number book. It is really creative and very fun. The colors of the spots are all bright and colorful. I think it is a perfect book to teach children to count to ten. Also, on one of the pages  it includes synonyms for spot. It would be a great book to introduce very young children to the more complicated idea of a synonym.

Potential Problems
I couldn't find any potential problems in this story.

Recommended to...
I would recommend reading this to very young children of any gender. This would be a great book to start teaching a child to count.

The Littlest Pilgrim

Author: Brandi Dougherty
Illustrated By: Kirsten Richards
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Copyright Date: 2008
Number of Pages: 32
Reading Level: 9-12





Summary:
The littlest pilgrim named mini goes around asking everyone if she can help or tries to help. The people either don't notice her or say she is too little to help. She is very sad so she goes off alone and picks some berries. Then she sees a little indian girl in the woods and goes over to talk to her. In the end she decides that she is too little for many things but she is not too little to make friends.

Personal Response
I absolutely loved this book. I thought it was well done in every aspect. I think that even younger children could enjoy this story. I think it does a great job at making pilgrims real to children. I also like how it shows relationships. It shows the relationships among the family and also the relationship between the pilgrims and the Indians. The colors were so much fun to look at. I love the style and the colors used. It made the story real.

Potential Problems
I couldn't find any problems in this story.

Recommended to...
This would be a great book to read around Thanksgiving time. I would recommend teachers or parents to read it to their children around that time. It is a wonderful book that would especially be fun for younger children who may try to help out around the house only to not be noticed or to be told that they are too young to help.

Boo Boo

Author: Olivier Dunrea
Illustrated By Olivier Dunrea
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Copyright Date: 2004
Number of Pages: 32
Reading level: Ages 4-8





Summary
 This story is about a little gosling that likes to eat. The book talks about everything that she eats. When the gosling is done eating it keeps burping and the turtle tells it to drink some water to stop burping. In the end the gosling stops burping and continues to eat.

Personal Response
I thought that this book was too simple. I don't think that children in this age group would find this book interesting. I think that children that are learning how to talk would like this book. However, I think it would be too simple for even slightly older children. The illustrations were very simple and cute with very bright happy colors.

Potential Problems
This book may be too simple for some children. Other than that, there are no apparent problems with this book.

Recommended to...
I would recommend parents to read this to very young children. Since this book is so simple I would recommend that parents only continue to read it a few times. The child wouldn't learn very much from this book but it might be enjoyable to read anyway.

Petunia

Author: Roger Devoisin
Illustrated by: Roger Devoisin
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Copyright Date: 1950
Number of Pages: 28
Reading Level: Ages 4-8





Summary
In this book Petunia finds a book and believes that it will make her wiser. She carries it around with her everywhere and sleeps with it. She believed so firmly that it was making her wiser that she helped other animals with there problems. For example, she told the horse that was having a tooth ache that he simply needed to take out all of his teeth. One day the animals discover a red box and Petunia wisely proclaims that they need to open it. The box was filled with dynamite and it blew up and blew open the book. In the end Petunia looks inside the book and realizes that it is not enough to simply carry wisdom, you have put it in your mind and heart. So from that day on she started reading the books and putting the words into her ind and heart so that she could become wiser.

Personal Response
This book was very cute and fun to read. I loved how clearly the author shows how mistaken Petunia is with her ridiculous ideas to help the animals. The illustrations in this book went along really well with the story. I also really liked how the pictures were simple and yet dignified.

Potential Problems
This book may not be considered appropriate by some parents because of the dynamite at the end. Also, Petunia's suggestions cause harm on the other animals.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to children that like when there is a meaning behind the story. This would be a good book to use if a parent or teacher wants to motivate the child to read or work on becoming wiser. This is a motivational book.

Snowballs

Author: Louis Emert
Illustrator: Lois Emert
Publisher: Voyager Books
Copyright Date: 1995
Number of Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 3-5




Summary:
In this book a child is telling the story about a day when his family made snowmen in the front yard. The child says that they made a snow dad, a snow mom, a snow boy, and even a snow cat and dog. Later the sun comes out and the child tells how the snow melted so the snow dad, mom, boy, cat, and dog melted. In the end of the book it shows the names of different things and talks about what snow is and where it comes from.

Personal Response:
I thought that this book was magnificent. It's Illustrations are extremely fun. They are photographs and the story is read in parts on both pages and it is turned so that its read sideways.

Potential Problems:
I couldn't find any potential problems.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to very young children that live in a snowy place or during the winter time.

Gilberto And The Wind

Author: Marie Hall ETS
Illustrated By: Marie Hall ETS
Publisher: Penguin Group
Copyright Date: 1963
Number of Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 4-7





Summary
This story is about the wind and a little black boy. The child talks about wind and what it likes or doesn't like. He  is with the wind when it blows away his balloon, blows the laundry on the line, blows down an apple from the tree, and finally when the wind stops blowing. In the end the little boy lies down under the willow tree and falls asleep with the wind.

Personal Response:
I liked the simplicity of the story. I really like it when stories make you aware of or make you think about aspects of like that you hadn't really thought about before. The child's simple response and thoughts about the wind are very calm and sweet. I really liked how simple the illustrations were. There were only three colors throughout the entire book.

Potential Problems:
I couldn't find any potential problems.

Recommended too...
I would recommend this book to young children that need to settle down or go to sleep. This book seems very calming.

My House

Author: Rebecca Emberley
Illustrator: Rebecca Emberley
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Copyright Date: 1990
Number of Pages: 20
Reading Level: Ages 3-8



Summary:
This book is a book for learning words. There are two languages in this book English and Spanish. The story says what things are in the house, such as the rooms and things that are commonly seen in the different rooms.

Personal Response: I think that this is a great book to help children learn words.

Potential Problems:
I couldn't find any potential problems.

Recommended to...
I would recommend that parents read this book with a child to help them become familiar with common words.

I Lost My Bear

Author: Jules Feiffer
Illustrated By: Jules Feiffer
Publisher: Harper Collins
Copyright Date: 1998
Number of Pages: 38
Reading Level: Ages 4-8





Summary
In this story a little girl is looking for her lost bear. Her parents wont help her because they want her to be able to find things on her own. She looks everywhere and can't find it. Then she gets distracted because she finds other things that she had lost. Then when were mother says its time for bed she remembers that she couldn't find her bear so she starts crying because she felt so bad that she forgot about it. Then she asks her mom again if she would help her find it. In the end the bear was found in the girls bed under the blanket.

Personal Reaction:
I thought that this book was really cute and really funny and dramatic. I really liked the use of color. For example, when she is so upset that she is giving up the illustrator made everything black and white. The background was black and the girl was white and she had a single white tear running down her face.

Potential problems:
I couldn't find any potential problems.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to a child that is upset because he or she cannot find their toy.

Time Train

Author: Paul Fleischman
Illustrated By: Claire Ewart
Publisher: Library of Congress Cataloging
Copyright Date: 1991
Number of Pages: 28
Reading Level: Ages 4-9




Summary
In this story a young child tells a story about the Rocky Mountain Unlimited train. On the trip the children encounter dinosaurs and make scrambled eggs with dinosaur eggs. In the end the father of the child asks if she saw any dinosaurs. In response the child says one or two.

Personal Response:
I didn't really like this story because I thought it was unclear and rushed. I think that the story line was confusing and it didn't really make sense. However I really liked the illustrations. They reminded me of the illustrations in The Polar Express. They were well done.

Potential Problems:
I couldn't find any potential problems.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to an imaginative child that likes dinosaurs.

Presenting Tanya the Ugly Duckling

Author: Patricia Lee Gauch
Illustrated By: Satomi Ichikawa
Publisher: Philomel Books
Copyright Date: 1999
Number of Pages: 32
Reading Level: 5-9




Summary
In this story a young girl named Tanya is preparing for a dance performance of the Ugly Duckling. She is the Ugly duckling in the story. She learns to put herself into the story. She feels like she is the Ugly Duckling, she is afraid because she doesn't know if she will be ready. She feels like she has two left feet and that everyone else can dance better than her. Then for the dress rehearsal when they get to the end where the ugly duckling realizes that she is a beautiful swan the young Tanya gains confidence. In the end she proclaims that she is ready for the performance.

Personal Response:
I really enjoyed reading this book. I think it was well-written and the illustrations were really well done. I really like how the Illustrations were necessary for this book. They show how Tanya puts herself into the story.

Potential Problems:
I couldn't find any potential problems.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to all young girls that are becoming more aware of themselves and those who are focusing on what other people think of them instead of looking at who they are for themselves.

Hurty Feelings

Author: Len Lester
Illustrated By: Lynn Munsinger
Publisher: Walter Lorraine
Copyright Date: 2004
Number of Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 4-8





Summary
In this story there is an elephant named Fragility that is very fragile. Whenever someone gave her a compliment she turned it into something offensive. When the monkey said you look nice today she claimed that cupcakes are nice so you're comparing me to a cupcake and she started crying. One day the hippos were playing soccer and Fragility was the goal. She defended the goal so well that the elephant named Rudy came up to her and he had heard how fragile she was so he began to taunt her by saying she had legs like tree stumps and funny looking ears. Fragility after sobbing finally said that Elephants have funny looking ears too. The elephant then goes and looks at his reflection and starts crying. Fragility comforts the elephant saying she knows exactly how he feels. At the end Rudy tells Fragility that she is a real  solid piece of work. Fragility was about to say something rude back but instead she just said thank you.

Personal Response:
I didn't really like this book because I thought that it was too unrealistic to be helpful to children. I have never heard of someone getting upset over a compliment. I think the story was too unrealistic. I did like the illustrations though because they really went well with the story.

Potential Problems:
I could not find any potential problems.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this story to a child that is extremely sensitive.

Kamishibai Man

Author: Allen Say
Illustrator: Allen Say
Publisher: Walter Lorraine Books
Copyright Date: 2005
Number of Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 9-12





Summary:
In this story an old Japanese couple lives with no children. One day the old man says that he wants to go our on rounds. He was an old kamishibai man. He banged his wooden blocks together to invite the crowd and began telling his story of how he used to tell stories to many children. How he would give candies out and tell his many stories. Then one day the television was invented. Fewer and fewer children listened to his story until there was only one left, the poor boy that could never afford to buy candies. That was the last day that the man had told any stories until that day. Then a man proclaimed that he was that boy. When the old man looked up he saw that a huge crowd of adults had gathered around him and listened to his story. They were so pleased because they had been the children that used to listen to him. They had grown up with the mans stories. They requested their favorite stories. That night when the man went home his wife asked if he would be going out the next day. He proclaimed that he would be and he asked her to make him more candies to give out.

Personal Response:
This was a great story that is very informative about a different culture, the Japanese. It is a wonderful description of what life was like before television. The illustrations are beautifully made and they do a great job at supporting the story and adding to it.

Potential Problems
I couldn't find any problems with this children's book.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to children that are interested in other cultures. I would also recommend this book for parents to read this book to children that watch too much television, so they can see what life was like before television.

The Shine Man

Author: Mary Quattlebaum
Illistrated by:Tim Ladwig
Publisher: Eurdmans Books
Copyright Date: 2001
Number of Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 8-10




Summary
In this Christmas story Larry, whom people call shine man because he shines peoples shoes. Stops at a town. He never stays in the same town, always traveling because times were hard. It is in the winter just a few days before Christmas. He stands on the side of the road and calls to people to come get their shoes shined but nobody will stop because they are too busy getting ready for Christmas and they don't have any money to spare. Then Larry notices some trash on the sidewalk and he makes a spoolie angel out of it. After it is finished a young boy comes over and proclaims that he'd love to have one. The old man notices how tattered the boy's shoes are and then he sees how weathered the boy's hair is. He gives the boy a hat proclaiming that the boy would put to better use a good hat. The next day the boy comes back with no laces. He had given them away. Then Larry gives the boy some sock gloves proclaiming how the boy causes such trouble. The next day the boy comes back and he has no socks. Larry asks what the boy wants from Santa for Christmas. The boy says that he wants some socks. Larry proclaims that the boy should get something more special for Christmas. So he shines the boys shoes until light shines off of them. Larry gives the boy the little angel. When Larry looks up the boy is shining. Larry asks who the boy is. He is the Heavenly Child. Then the boy holds Larry's hand and they fly through the sky giving off light for the rest of the night.

Personal Response:
This was a beautifully written story with wonderful illustrations. Each picture was like a beautiful portrait worthy of a picture frame. This story portrays beautiful selflessness from Larry as he sacrifices for the child again and again. The use of color is very wonderful. The artist uses purples to portray the cold winter weather. Purple is a color that is seen throughout the book. The words were very well written. In the end the Heavenly Child is referred to as the shine man. This shows the connection between Larry and the child. This book was beautifully written.

Potential problems:
Some people may not approve of the way that Christ is depicted in this book.

Recommended to...
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone to read around Christmas time. It is a beautifully written story.

Wombat Goes Walkabout

Author: Michael Morpurgo
Illustrated By: Christian Birmingham
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Copyright Date: 1999
Number of Pages: 30
Reading Level: Ages 4-8





Summary
In this book a young Wombat leaves his mother and goes to dig a hole. He began to think and he wandered off. He climbed out of his hole and looked around for his mother but she wasn't there. On his search for his mother he encounters many animals that are very proud about what they can do and ask Wombat what he can do. He tells each of them that he can dig holes and think. None of the animals think that his skills are of any worth.Towards the end of his search Wombat climbs up the highest hill thinking that he will be able to see his mother from the hight. He doesn't see his mother but while he's up there he sees fire and its coming straight towards him. So he thinks a lot and he begins to dig. The animals proclaim their dismay yelling at him to run. They come up to him and ask what he's thinking. He tells them that he thinks that the fire can burn faster than they all can run. He invites everyone into his hole. When the fire passes he emerges from the hole and tells the animals that he is looking for his mother. They then join him in the search and bring his mother back to him. In the end his mother asks him what he'd been doing. He tells her that he hasn't done much, just thinking and digging.

Personal Response: This book was very thoughtfully written. The Wombat first is discouraged because none of the other animals think that his skills are of worth. In the end however he proves to them that it is valuable because he ends up saving their lives. I love the message that it gives that even though other people may not think that your talents are valuable, they are valuable. The use of colors is noteworthy. I really like how very warm colors are used in this book.

Potential Problems: One of the animals that claims that the Wombats skills are insignificant is a human boy.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to young children that like animals and/or are becoming aware of their talents and abilities.

My Very Big Little World

Author: Peter H. Reynolds
Illustrated By: Peter H. Reynolds
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Copyright Date: 2006
Number of Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 4-8





Summary
In this story a young girl named Sugar Loaf talks about her world. She talks about many things that are big. She talks about her family. He tells how her and her dad are morning people and how her mom wake up later. She talks about playing with her toys and throwing tea parties with her stuffed animals. In the end she talks about how her and her mom were looking up at the stars. She says that the stars are little but the sky is big. Her mother tells her that actually stars are very big but they look small because they're so far away. At the very end she says that some things are big and small at the same time, like her.

Personal Reaction
I love how the story does a wonderful job at showing that though the children are small they are so important and they are always learning things. I love the simple child's view.  I really like the illustrations in this book. They are done with water color but the illustrator is very precise with how he uses the color. On some page the color is very focused on either the young girl or the objects in the room or both. On one page the illustration covers two pages and it is a beautifully done. The bright colors make it a very happy playful page.

Potential Problems
In this story the father is a baker and the mom is a dentist. Families that are very traditional may not like that this book has the mother working.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this book to very young children that are starting to grow up and becoming more aware of their surroundings and the actions of their parents.

Something Might Happen

Author: Helen Lester
Illustrated By: Lynn Munsinger
Publisher: Walter Lorraine Books
Copyright Date: 2003
Number of Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 4-8





Summary
Twitchly Fidget was afraid to do anything because something might happen. He was afraid to shampoo b ecause the shampoo could get stuck in his hair, he was afraid to eat his cereal because the crunching noise might startle him, he was even afraid to put on his sneakers because he thought that if he put them on the wrong feet he would have to walk cross-legged for the rest of his life. The other lemurs invited Twitchly to many different events like a parade and a marshmallow roast. Each time Twitchly refused to go because he was afraid that something might happen.  Then one day his Aunt Bridget came to visit him. When she saw how dirty and skinny he was she decided that he needed a fixin'. So she put some shampoo on his head and sprayed him off with a hose. He was amazed that the shampoo didn't stick. Then she made him eat some cereal, and he was astonished that he actually enjoyed it. In the end Twitchly works up the courage to dig out windows and a door to his house. He marches strait out of his house having conquered his fears.

Personal Reaction:
I really enjoyed reading this book because it was so creative and very cute. The illustrations were very humourous. It was illlustrated using water colors so the colors are farely bright and pretty. I really like the illustrators use of the pages and the depictions of what Twitchly thinks will happen if he does simple things. The message behind the story is that in order to conquer your fears you need to confront them. Twitchly overcomes his fears with his aunts help, showing that other people can help you and motivate you to overcome your fears.

Potential Problems:
The aunt is very forceful and may give the impression that other people can make you do things. It may give the impression that people can make you overcome your fears instead of the reality that you need to overcome your fears by yourself. The realizations need to be internal.

Recommended to...
This book would be great for children that are very young and very worried about everything. I think this would be a great bedtime story or a story to read for someone that is afraid to do something. I used to babysit a child that was afraid to go outside for various reasons including the fear of getting stung by a bee, even though she'd never been stung before. I think that this book would be great for helping children such as that child overcome their fears, or at least learn how to overcome their fears.

Smoky Night

Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrated By: David Diaz
Publisher: Harcourt, Brace and Company
Copyright Date: 1994
Number of Pages: 28
Reading Level: Ages 4-8





Summary
 A young boy named Daniel lives in an apartment with his mother. One night there were people rioting in the streets below their apartment. Daniel tells his point of view of the riot and what his mother tells him about it. Daniel sees men steeling a television from the appliances store, he sees peope taking shoes from a Fashion Shoes store, he even sees people stealing from Kim's market. He describes how Mrs. Kim yells at the people like he would yell at Daniel's cat who's name is Jasmine. That night his mother has him sleep in her bed but in the middle of the night she wakes him up in a hurry. The building is on fire and everyone started evacuating. He talks about the smoke and his fear that his cat was still in the building. The people are taken to a shelter where they are safe. The firefighter comes carrying two cats that hadn't gotten along previously. At the end Daniel's mother wonders at the how the cats are getting along. Daniel then states  "They probably didn't know each other before."

Personal Response
This is a wonderfully written and uniquely illustrated book. The author did a wonderful job at portraying such a horrible thing as rioting in a way that children can understand and learn from it. The illustrations are drawn colorfully but also include picture collages of photos that were taken by the illustrator. This makes the pages very unique. It is absolutely wonderful in the aspect that it has the underlying message that people hate other people because they don't really know them.

Potential Problems:
This may not be appropriate for very young children because of what it is about. It would be better for more mature children that can understand what it is about and learn from it.

Recommended to...
I would recommend this to children that need to learn about getting along with others. This would be a wonderful book to explain that when you learn more about people and you understand who they are and what their motivations are you learn to care about them or at least get along with them.

4 Anderson Fairy Tales

Author: Hans Andersen
Publisher: NA (found on internet)
Stories Read: The Real Princess, The Little Match Girl, The Story of a Mother, and The Happy Family
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Genre: Fairy Tales





Summary of The Story of a Mother
This story is about a mother's son that is very ill. Death tried to take the mother's child from her but she was not ready to part with her child. The mother followed directions to the path to his garden where he would pluck up the flower that was her son. Each plant in the garden was a person or child. In her journeyings to Death's garden she learned that she must lay a trap for death. To do this she would have to threaten to pull up a plant. This is because death could only take those people that God told him to take. When death appears with her child the mother threatens to pluck up two of the flowers in the garden. Death then showed her the lifes that would exist if the plants remained. Death showed her that the child’s life would be an absolute tragedy. If he were to live he would be in constant pain and misery. In the end she lets Death take her son because she does not wish for her son to suffer his entire life.


Personal Reaction
I really enjoyed The Story of a Mother and all of Anderson's fairy tales. I think that he does a great job at helping people see two sides to a story. He portrays life in a very negative but beautiful way. I think that his fairy tales are very interesting and they truly make you think about aspects of life.


Potential Problems
Though his stories always seem hopeful, or have some positive twist to them, his stories are dark in the sens that they potray some very negative aspects of life. For example, his story The Match Girl is about a child that freezes to death.


Recommended To...
Anderson's fairy tales can apply to anyone. I would recommend these stories to all children of various ages and genders. I think that Anderson's fairy tales are of such a variety that there can be one found for any child.

4 Asbjornsen Fairy Tales

                                     Author: P. C. Asbjornsen

Publisher: NA (found on internet)

Stories Read: True and Untrue, Boots Who Ate a Match With a Troll, Taming The Shrew, The Cat on the Dovrefell

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Genre: Fairy Tales

Summary of True and Untrue

There were two brothers. One was named True, and the other was named Untrue. In their journeyings Untrue tricks True into giving him his food by telling him that they could share food so that it would last longer. When True discovers what Untrue had done he confronts him. Untrue angrily plucks out True's eyes. True then stays in a lime tree that night to escape any wild beasts of the night. That evening the animals came and gossiped about what the king could do do fix his problems. True uses that knowledge to impress the king. True became very wealthy because of his service to the king. Later, Untrue, a poor beggar man begs his brother for provisions, not knowing that it is his brother. True took pity on him and told him to go to the lime tree and listen for the animals. However, that night when the animals appeared they did not talk about what the king could do because they knew that someone had heard them from before.

Personal Reaction

I enjoyed reading True and Untrue. I really liked the message that honesty triumphs over dishonesty. I did not like Asbjornsen's fairy tales as much as some of the other ones. They were very unique and interesting but I thought they were very strange and they might be hard for children to understand. 

Potential Problems

I think that these fairy tales may be harder for children to understand.

Recommended to...

Children that enjoy reading unique fairy tales would enjoy these stories. Also, I think that a young boy would enjoy them more than a girl would primarily because most of these stories include primarily male characters. 

4 Perrault Fairy Tales

Author: Charles Perrault
Publisher: NA (found on internet)
Stories Read: Little Red Riding Hood, The Fairies, Ricky and the Tuft, and Cinderella/The Little Glass Slipper
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Genre: Fairy Tales





Summary of The Fairies

There were once two daughters. First daughter was good and kind but disliked by her mother. The second was unkind and rude but she was much like her mother, therefore her mother loved her more. The kind daughter was asked to do all of the chores, such as cleaning the house and fetching water. One day when the first was fetching water an old lady appeared and asked for a drink. Because the girl was kind of respectful she gave the old woman the water. The old woman then revealed herself as a fairy and made it so that anytime the girl spoke gems and flowers came out of her mouth. The daughter then returned to her mother and told her what had happened. the mother then sent the second daughter to fetch water so that she too could help the old lady. However, instead of an old lady there was instead a woman of high rank that asked the daughter for a drink. Not knowing that it was the fairy the second daughter was unkind to the woman. In return the fairy then put a curse on her so that every time she spoke snakes and insects would come out of her mouth. A prince finds the first daughter crying in the fields alone and asks her if she is okay. He is extremely impressed when gems and flowers came from her mouth. The prince and the first daughter are wed. Abandoned by her mother and everyone else, the second daughter dies alone in the woods.

Personal Reaction

There were things I liked and things I disliked about Perrault's stories. I really liked the stories, but these stories always included some tragedy or negative connotation. I didn't like the ending to The Fairies at all. For one, the second daughter dies in the woods alone and doesn't actually learn anything, and for two, the first daughter only married the prince because he liked that gems and flowers came out of his mouth.

Potential Problems 

The tragic endings and dramatic conflicts might be too much for sensitive readers. 

Recommended to...

Children and adults that want or need to read stories that include the negative realities of life. For example, in the Fairies both daughters are abandoned by their mother. 

4 Jacobs Fairy Tales

Author: Joseph Jacobs
Publisher: NA (found on internet)
Stories Read: The Cinder Maid, The Rat Ettin, The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Way, and The Master and His Pupil
Reading Level: Ages 7-10

Genre: Fairy Tales

Summary of The Red Ettin

There lived two brothers. The older was very foolish. When he was about to leave home to seek is fortune his mother asked him to fetch some water so that she could make a cake for him. Benounced to him, the bucket has a crack in it, so much of the water spills out. Because of this, the mother has to make a much smaller cake. The mother asked if the boy would either give her half and have her blessing, or take it all and have her curse. Since the cake was small he chose to have the curse. This was very foolish because on his journey he encountered many monsters, one of which was the Ettin. This fierce monster asked him three riddles. When the boy doesn't have the answer the boy is turned into stone. The younger brother was much wiser. He noticed the crack in the bucket and patched it with some clay. Because of this, his cake was much bigger than his brother, so he was more willing to give his mother half. His mother sent the boy on his way with her blessing. On his journey he encounters a fairy that tells him the answers to the Ettin's riddles and gives him a magic wand. He also encounters monsters but easily defeats them. When he comes to the Ettin he already knows the answers to the riddle because the fairy had told them to him. He saves his brother and all is well in the end. The youngest brother is wed to the beautiful princess that the Ettin had held captive.

Personal Reaction

I thought that some of these fairy tales were not very creative because they so closely resembled the brothers Grimm's stories. The Red Ettin was my favorite because it was so inventive and exciting. However, I did not understand or appreciate the morals or meanings of these stories as much as some of the other stories I read. I thought that some of these stories were amusing to read, but they weren't as interesting as some other stories.

Potential Problems 

Like the Grimm stories, the Jacobs fairy tales include some gore and bloodshed. I wouldn't recommend reading them out loud to a class.

Recommended to...

I would recommend these stories to anyone that is interested in Jacobs writing. 

4 Grimm's Fairy Tales

Author: The Grimm Brothers
Publisher: NA (found on internet)
Stories Read: Cinderella, Repunzel, Little Red-Cap, and Little Briar-Rose
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Genre: Fairy Tales






Summary of Repunzel
A man and woman lived next to a powerful enchantress. The enchantress had a beautiful garden and every day the woman looked over to it with longing. She wanted a Repunzel from the enchantress’ garden so stronly that she said she would die if she did not get one. The man crept over the enchantress’ wall to get her one because he feared that she would die otherwise. However, the taste was so delicious that the woman only desired more. Believing that she would die if he did not, the man snuck over the wall once more. This time he was caught by the enchantress. Seeing his pain she took pity on him and instead of killing him, she let him have as many as he wanted on the condition that she could have his first child. When the child was born the enchantress came to claim her. The enchantress called her Repunzel and locked her in a tower with no doors, no stairs, and only one window. To entertain herself the beautiful Repunzel would sing to herself. One day a prince heard Repunzel's singing and later discovered that if he said "Repunzel Repunzel let down your hair" she would toss down her very long beautiful tresses and he could climb up to her. At first Repunzel was hesitant to welcome him but once she knew that he meant her no harm they began to fall in love and the prince desired to marry her. In order to get her down from the tower the prince brought a single silk cloth each time he visited her thinking that Repunzel might use them escape. Unfortunately, Repunzel casually asks why the enchantress is so much heavier to pull up than the prince. When enchantress realizes that the prince has been seeing Repunzel she becomes enraged and cuts off Repunzel’s hair and scasts her into the desert. The enchantress then uses Repunzel's hair to pretend to be her. When the prince comes to visit her the enchantress puts a curse on him so that when he jumps out of the tower to escape the enchantress he lands on thorns and is blinded. He wanders looking for Repunzel. Eventually they encounter each other and Repunzel’s tears bring back the prince’s sight.


Personal Reaction
I really enjoyed reading the Grimm's fairy tales. The story of Repunzel reminded me of a musical that my school performed entitled "Into the Woods". I wasn't aware of it before I read these stories, but apparently the musical was based off of the Grimm's fairy tales.


Potential Problems
The brother's Grimm stories are well known for their gory depictions. Some parents might find it too violently colorful for their children. These concerns would arise from the added detail from when the prince's eyes are poked out by thorns, or from the other stories similar blood filled stories. I would not recommend reading this to a classroom of students. 


Recommended to...
These fairy tales would be good to introduce to any child so that they can become familiar with these popular tales. They could be entertaining to boys and girls of various ages.