Mouse Minor is what everyone calls him, but it's not his real name. The hero of The Mouse with a Question Mark Tail doesn't have a name. And it bothers him immensly. He never knew his parents either. He lives with Aunt Marigold under the Royal Mews, the carriage house of Buckingham Palace. Mouse Minor... Continue Reading →
The Three Questions
Author and illustrator Jon J Muth retells one of Leo Tolstoy's classic tales in the picture book The Three Questions. In his retelling, the main character is a boy who asks three important questions of his friends, a crane, a monkey and a dog. His questions are: When is the best time to do things? ... Continue Reading →
Xander’s Panda Party
Linda Sue Park is one of my favorite authors (see reviews of other books here, here and here), so when I saw she had written a picture book, I snatched it up. I was hoping it was as good as her chapter books, and I was not disappointed! Xander is a panda, and a panda... Continue Reading →
Albert’s Alphabet
Albert the duck is the carpenter at Pleasant Valley School. One day he comes to work and finds a note from the principal, asking him to build an alphabet for the children. Albert has tools and a box of wood, but he soon finds it's not enough to get through the entire alphabet. He comes... Continue Reading →
Mary Engelbreit’s Nutcracker
If you're a fan of Mary Engelbreit's artwork, you'll really enjoy her book Mary Engelbreit's Nutcracker. Engelbreit summarizes the story line of the famous ballet into a book format, lavishly illustrated in Engelbreit's signature style. If you plan to take a child to see The Nutcracker ballet this holiday season, this is a great way... Continue Reading →
Lemony Snicket Christmas Books
It does seem odd putting "Lemony Snicket" and "Christmas Books" together in a title. Snicket is best known for his children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events - books which I tried reading. However, I could not enjoy them because they were so depressing. So what inspired me to pick up Lemony Snicket's Christmas... Continue Reading →
Olive the Other Reindeer
Do you remember when Ramona Quimby (from author Beverly Cleary) suggested to her father that he turn on the "dawnzer light"? Her family laughed so hard because she misunderstood the words to the national anthem - "by the dawn's early light." Olive, the dog, has a similar problem. As she walks through town during the... Continue Reading →
Thank You, Sarah
Children may think that Americans have celebrated Thanksgiving since the very first Thanksgiving the Pilgrims celebrated with Squanto and his friends. While in one sense this is true, Thanksgiving wasn't established as a national holiday until much later in history. Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson explains the history of Thanksgiving as a holiday,... Continue Reading →
It’s Thanksgiving
If turkey's thought, they'd run away A week before Thanksgiving Day, but turkeys can't anticipate, And so there's turkey on my plate. My children and I always enjoy a good rhyme from author Jack Prelutsky. In It's Thanksgiving, Prelutsky entertains readers with short and long poems about Thanksgiving. Written for beginning readers, this book has... Continue Reading →
Marshmallow
I had never heard of anyone having a rabbit as a house pet until my co-worker Cindy introduced me to her rabbits. They roamed her apartment, hiding under the couch and nibbling on cords she had forgotten to hide away under the area rug. Author & Illustrator Clare Turlay Newberry tells the story of her... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 