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s_n_arly's reviews
730 reviews
Not All Princesses Dress in Pink by Rebecca Guay, Jane Yolen
4.0
This is a nice alternative to the disgustingly girly, pink-taffeta wearing, needing to be rescued princesses that are omnipresent in our culture. In typical Jane Yolen fashion, the text rhymes without being sing-songy or saccharine. The illustrations are fun and engaging. The ever-present sparkly crown was a hit.
Despite avoiding Disney princesses like the plague, our three-year-old daughter has taken a shine to the whole princess phenomenon. Rather than banning princesses, which could lead to a more intense interest in them, we are trying to give her some alternatives, preferably strong princesses who don't fit the stereotypes we object to. This book really fits the bill.
Despite avoiding Disney princesses like the plague, our three-year-old daughter has taken a shine to the whole princess phenomenon. Rather than banning princesses, which could lead to a more intense interest in them, we are trying to give her some alternatives, preferably strong princesses who don't fit the stereotypes we object to. This book really fits the bill.
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems
5.0
This was our introduction to Mo Willems, and we became pretty instant fans. The tale and pictures will engage even the very young (it became one of our daughter's favorite books shortly after her first birthday), and the message will appeal to (and amuse) the grownups reading it aloud.
The pictures are a combination of cartoony drawings on photgrahpic backgrounds. Two years later, my kids still like to look at each page and point out the things that are important to them (the dachshund in the park, the Pigeon on the jogger's t-shirt, the school that shows up in the next book).
The text is not in a rhyming scheme but it isn't dumbed down for the younger audience.
The pictures are a combination of cartoony drawings on photgrahpic backgrounds. Two years later, my kids still like to look at each page and point out the things that are important to them (the dachshund in the park, the Pigeon on the jogger's t-shirt, the school that shows up in the next book).
The text is not in a rhyming scheme but it isn't dumbed down for the younger audience.
Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner
5.0
This was an unexpectedly fabulous find at the doctor's office. It's silly, it's engaging, it's as fun to read aloud as it is to listen to, and our kids asked for it again and again. The only downside is that we don't have this book at home, and apparently need to do something about that.
Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese kitten with unconventional ways (he wakes up with the birdies) and a terrific imagination. I don't speak Spanish (I took German), but the bits that re in Spanish add flavor andthe context makes the meaning clear.
Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese kitten with unconventional ways (he wakes up with the birdies) and a terrific imagination. I don't speak Spanish (I took German), but the bits that re in Spanish add flavor andthe context makes the meaning clear.
Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann, Elizabeth Kann
1.0
Oh where to start? I actively dislike this book. It's pretty much everything I can dislike about a picture book rolled into one.
1 - it's disgustingly pink, and for those trying to allow for more flexibility in gender roles, this book does not help.
2 - the parents are idiots, as in literally of low intelligence. They let their kid have numerous cupcakes and then are horrified by her sugared up behavior. They are easily fooled and they appear to let their kids do whatever the hell they please. If my kid had this sort of reaction to pink cupcakes, they wouldn't still be around for little Pinkerbelle to steal more of. I read and write young adult, and this is something I can't abide when I hit it there, too.
3 - the consequences for the spoiled bratty child's behavior are lame. Oh noes, she turns pink. Oh noes, she turns red (oh the humanity, she didn't want to be red, she wanted to be pink!).
4 - the solution is worse - healthy food is vilified. In America we have more than enough overweight kids, they do not need this message. I don't care if it's coming from an unreliable narrator, kids don't understand that and they do not need to get more of the "eeew green food is yucky" message (they get enough of that from commercials and trips to the grocery store and classmates...). If she ate the vegetables and realized she liked them, that might make the book salvageable. And for those who aren't aware, there are kids who love vegetables.
5 - no lesson is learned, apparently by anyone as little brother turns pink next since the stupid parents didn't do something smart about the apparently addictive and evil cupcakes.
I have no problem with kids behaving naughty in books. While that bugs some reviewers, it's not a big deal to me. I don't particularly like snotty spoiled characters, but they may be representative of the audience and can provide good teaching discussion points. Unfortunately, the cover has a cute girl in pink and dressed as a fairy, so my three-year-old daughter (who is of an age that she totally buys what they're selling) thinks it is the coolest thing ever.
1 - it's disgustingly pink, and for those trying to allow for more flexibility in gender roles, this book does not help.
2 - the parents are idiots, as in literally of low intelligence. They let their kid have numerous cupcakes and then are horrified by her sugared up behavior. They are easily fooled and they appear to let their kids do whatever the hell they please. If my kid had this sort of reaction to pink cupcakes, they wouldn't still be around for little Pinkerbelle to steal more of. I read and write young adult, and this is something I can't abide when I hit it there, too.
3 - the consequences for the spoiled bratty child's behavior are lame. Oh noes, she turns pink. Oh noes, she turns red (oh the humanity, she didn't want to be red, she wanted to be pink!).
4 - the solution is worse - healthy food is vilified. In America we have more than enough overweight kids, they do not need this message. I don't care if it's coming from an unreliable narrator, kids don't understand that and they do not need to get more of the "eeew green food is yucky" message (they get enough of that from commercials and trips to the grocery store and classmates...). If she ate the vegetables and realized she liked them, that might make the book salvageable. And for those who aren't aware, there are kids who love vegetables.
5 - no lesson is learned, apparently by anyone as little brother turns pink next since the stupid parents didn't do something smart about the apparently addictive and evil cupcakes.
I have no problem with kids behaving naughty in books. While that bugs some reviewers, it's not a big deal to me. I don't particularly like snotty spoiled characters, but they may be representative of the audience and can provide good teaching discussion points. Unfortunately, the cover has a cute girl in pink and dressed as a fairy, so my three-year-old daughter (who is of an age that she totally buys what they're selling) thinks it is the coolest thing ever.
Tallulah's Tutu by Marilyn Singer
4.0
I don't generally go for overly pink and girly, mostly because I'm trying to provide a wider range of options for my kids than most gendered books, toys and media present. But I saw this on the shelf at the library and thought my daughter would love it (because she does love pink).
This is a really nice take on the message that practice and patience are worth the effort. Tallulah is a little girl who desperately wants a tutu. She feels she is a fabulous ballerina and would be perfect if only she had a tutu (ideally in lavender). But in this tale, one must earn her tutu. Tallulah is not patient, and she finds this entirely too unfair. In the end, Tallulah realizes that some things are worth the wait. And she does earn her tutu.
The illustrations are nicely done and help define some of the ballet terms that readers may be unfamiliar with. There is a lot of pink and red.
Some of the nice details are that there is a boy in the ballet class and Tallulah's brother is fascinated by ballet. Also nice are the way that Tallulah applies dance movements to other things in her life (the neighbor's dog standing in second position and the serving spoons forever doing tendus).
Yes it's pink. Yes it's girly. But yes, it's a good book. Pass on Pinkalicious and go for this one.
This is a really nice take on the message that practice and patience are worth the effort. Tallulah is a little girl who desperately wants a tutu. She feels she is a fabulous ballerina and would be perfect if only she had a tutu (ideally in lavender). But in this tale, one must earn her tutu. Tallulah is not patient, and she finds this entirely too unfair. In the end, Tallulah realizes that some things are worth the wait. And she does earn her tutu.
The illustrations are nicely done and help define some of the ballet terms that readers may be unfamiliar with. There is a lot of pink and red.
Some of the nice details are that there is a boy in the ballet class and Tallulah's brother is fascinated by ballet. Also nice are the way that Tallulah applies dance movements to other things in her life (the neighbor's dog standing in second position and the serving spoons forever doing tendus).
Yes it's pink. Yes it's girly. But yes, it's a good book. Pass on Pinkalicious and go for this one.
Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson
4.0
This was a terrific take on the tale of Cinderella. My 3 and 5 year old liked it more than the more traditional version we checked out of the library at the same time. They requested this one repeatedly.
The premise is that Cinderella has a neighbor, Cinder Edna, who's pretty much in the same boat. She has wicked stepsisters and has to work all the time. Ella is lovely and mopey. Edna finds a way to enjoy life (she tried sitting in the cinders once but it just wasn't her thing). Ella requires a fairy godmother to get to the ball and can't really figure anything out on her own. Edna is self sufficient, puts a dress on layaway and takes the bus. At the ball we meet two princes. One who is arrogant and lovely (and not terribly bright) and one who is down-to-earth and intelligent.
Can you guess which couple lives happily ever after?
The illustrations aren't terribly great, though they certainly work (it can be hard to tell who is who, at times though). There are quite a few funny barbs that adults and older kids familiar with the story will get.
The premise is that Cinderella has a neighbor, Cinder Edna, who's pretty much in the same boat. She has wicked stepsisters and has to work all the time. Ella is lovely and mopey. Edna finds a way to enjoy life (she tried sitting in the cinders once but it just wasn't her thing). Ella requires a fairy godmother to get to the ball and can't really figure anything out on her own. Edna is self sufficient, puts a dress on layaway and takes the bus. At the ball we meet two princes. One who is arrogant and lovely (and not terribly bright) and one who is down-to-earth and intelligent.
Can you guess which couple lives happily ever after?
The illustrations aren't terribly great, though they certainly work (it can be hard to tell who is who, at times though). There are quite a few funny barbs that adults and older kids familiar with the story will get.
City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems
5.0
As a fan of Mo Willems' books (Knuffle Bunny, The Pigeon, and Elephant and Piggie), and a fan of Jon J Muth's beautiful watercolors, we thought this must the most perfect book ever when we picked it up at the library.
It is a wonderful book, perhaps as good for adults as it is for children. Be warned; it may bring tears to your eyes and cause awkward questions about that whole circle of life thing. You may want to give it a read through before reading it to the kids.
That said, the illustrations are gorgeous in typical Muth style. He really captures the energy and playfulness of City Dog. The story is engaging and told in typical Willems fashion, with an economy of words. We follow the friendship of City Dog who is new to the country, and Country Frog who teaches City Dog the pleasures of the country.
It is a wonderful book, perhaps as good for adults as it is for children. Be warned; it may bring tears to your eyes and cause awkward questions about that whole circle of life thing. You may want to give it a read through before reading it to the kids.
That said, the illustrations are gorgeous in typical Muth style. He really captures the energy and playfulness of City Dog. The story is engaging and told in typical Willems fashion, with an economy of words. We follow the friendship of City Dog who is new to the country, and Country Frog who teaches City Dog the pleasures of the country.
Elephants by Kate Riggs
4.0
This is a nice basic non-fiction book on elephants geared toward the pre-school/early grade school crowd. It has a lot of photos of elephants and gives the most basic facts (where elephants live, what they eat, the three kinds of elephants, etc) giving children a vocabulary and starting point for more complicated life cycle and biology as they're ready for it.
The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians by Carla Morris
4.0
Stumbled across this at the library of course.
This is a fun tale of a boy's friendship with three reference librarians and how their lessons and help greatly influence his success over the years. We are reminded repeatedly that librarians identify, organize and catalog because they just can't help it. They help you find information, because that's just how they are.
The art is okay, nothing special, but not a detraction either. It's nice to watch how the four central characters change through the years.
This is a fun tale of a boy's friendship with three reference librarians and how their lessons and help greatly influence his success over the years. We are reminded repeatedly that librarians identify, organize and catalog because they just can't help it. They help you find information, because that's just how they are.
The art is okay, nothing special, but not a detraction either. It's nice to watch how the four central characters change through the years.