'Tis The Season

Just a few fun videos to put you all in the Christmas spirit! :-)

Abe's Fish: A Boyhood Tale of Abraham Lincoln

Bryant, J. (2009). Abe's fish: A boyhood tale of Abraham Lincoln (A.J. Bates, illus.). New York: Sterling.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Picture Storybook
Age Recommendation: 5-12 years

If your children didn't know who Abraham Lincoln was before reading this book, they will afterwards, and they'll want to know even more about him. Based off of Abraham Lincoln's childhood during the War of 1812, this story is a perfect reflection of the strong character that defined one of America's greatest presidents and how it was molded. The story begins with young Abe going out into the woods with the hopes of helping his father chop some wood, but the axe is too heavy for him to be of any use so he gets sent back home. Dreading the fact that he'll probably have to help his sister pick berries, Abe is reluctant to head back, yet when he gets there his mother instead asks him to go fishing. Abe doesn't hesitate to meet his mother's request and heads to the river where he successfully catches a big fat fish. My favorite part is at this point in the story as he begins to head home: "Abe had one worm left. He rolled it in a damp leaf and, smiling to himself put it in his pocket. A nice surprise for Sarah's pillow tonight." I simply love the boyishness of that line. Continuing on, as Abe is heading down the road home he comes across an American soldier who looks worn and hungry. Abe wrestles with himself, but in the end decides that the soldier probably needs the fish more than him and gives the fish to the man. The soldier graciously thanks him and continues down the road, but just then Abe yells "Hey---wait!...Did you find freedom?" The soldier replies, "I reckon I did see it sometimes...But other times it seemed a long way off." Abe goes home and his family is disappointed that there's no fish, but are certainly proud of his selflessness.

I absolutely loved this book. The watercolor illustrations were stunning, and I loved the fact that the text was always surrounded by a log border, which was so fitting to both the story and the life of Abraham Lincoln. I recommend this book to children ages five to twelve. They'll enjoy the illustrations, yet more importantly they'll learn an important moral lesson within the story. They'll learn about freedom and selflessness, and hopefully their curiosity about Abraham Lincoln will be sparked so that they'll go on to learn more about this great American leader. Teachers and librarians should seek to add this to their collection as it would make a great aid in teaching American history, and parents should add it to their home collection simply because it's such a wonderful book. Overall, this book's a real gem.

Bryant, J. (2009, April 1). Abe's fish: A boyhood tale of Abraham Lincoln [A book review of Abe's fish: A boyhood tale of Abraham Lincoln]. School Library Journal. Retrieved May 6, 2010 from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6648615.html?q=abe%27s+fish.

Bryant has many positive things to say about this book, especially the artwork, saying "Bates's lively watercolors have rich detail, depicting Abe as a boy in a coonskin hat, still too small to lift his father's ax. The full-spread, sepia-toned paintings capture his rustic lifestyle, the Kentucky landscape, and the reactions of Abe's family to his generosity." Whereas Bryant did not describe the plot, he did describe the story as a Good Samaritan story, which is entirely appropriate since that is the very biblical reference which came to young Abe's mind as he pondered giving the fish to the soldier. In addition, Bryant believes the boyishness of Lincoln to be captured well, which I absolutely agree with: "Additional details reveal a boy who can be a prankster, wishes he were taller, and ponders the meaning of words like 'freedom'." Overall, he described the book to be "a worthy addition to the iconic portrait of a man so lauded by history," and I deem this review to be worthy as well.

Highlights Magazine

Clark, C.F., Ed. (2010, May). Highlights for Children, 65(5).

Genre: Informational/Fiction
Format: Magazine
Age Recommendation: 6-12 years

Ah, sweet memories. Highlights for Children is just as delightful as I remember it. The magazine is not just any magazine, but serves a higher purpose of both educating children and teaching them proper behavior. Throughout the magazine were scattered several short stories and poems, one which featured the topic of new step-siblings learning to get along. Also scattered throughout were blurbs created purely for entertainment value, such as comics, games, crafts, jokes, and reader art. Yes, the classic favorite are still there. I can't even express how ecstatic I was to see hidden pictures, The Timbertoes comic strip, and the reader art splayed across the pages. It just goes to show that the greatest of things can outlast time. The crafts were just as exciting too, as there were so many things to make. Kids could make a shoebox puppet theater and accompanying cardboard tube puppets, a braided bracelet, a may basket, and a puppy dog made out of beans. I would recommend this magazine for kids ages 6-12 years, as kids first of all need to have a reading ability. There are so many topics and activities scattered throughout that kids will no doubt be entertained and at the same time both education and a positive morality will be enstilled within them. I would have recommended Highlights as a child, and now I'm recommending it as an adult. Teachers, librarians, parents...subscribe! You won't regret it!

*Note: No review could be found for this magazine.

National Geographic Kids

Bellows, M.G., Ed. (2010, May). National Geographic Kids, (400).

Genre: Informational
Format: Magazine
Age Recommendation: 7-13 years

Even though this is a kids magazine, just like the magazine for adults, National Geographic Kids does not disappoint. The entire magazine is filled with incredible, eye-popping photographs of animals, people, and everything else imagineable. Not only is it a visual feast, but it is also an accumulation of so many facts that after reading a single issue the kids are sure to be ready to compete on Jeopardy. This particular featured sections on outrageous facts, guinness world records, cool inventions, and facts about our world. They even had a "Green Scene" where it spoke of vehicle emissions, and in order to encourage bike riding offered a do-it-yourself craft for a bike plate. One can not overlook the educational importance of the magazine, either, of course. There were several articles on animals, including a section on "Amazing Animals," otters, and the "Secret Life of Sea Turtles." Also included was a blurb called "Culture Trek," which this month featured an article about Kenya. The back of the magazine is sure to entertain kids as well as it provides jokes, games, comic strips, reader art, and in this issue the winning pictures of a reader photography contest. This magazine is a real winner, and I would recommend it for children ages seven to thirteen, as children within this age span are becoming much more interested in the world outside of home---what's in it and how it works. I would not hesitate to recommend this magazine to teachers, librarians, and parents.

*Note: Review could not be found for this magazine.

Hi! Fly Guy

Arnold, T. (2005). Hi! Fly guy. New York: Scholastic.

Genre: Easy to Read
Format: Chapter Book
Age Recommendation: 5-7 years

Hi! Fly Guy is the perfect introductory chapter book to young readers. With simple sentence structures and illustrated pictures, readers will learn the story of a newly formed friendship between a boy named Buzz and his pet fly, Fly Guy. At first, Buzz's parents try to swat the little fly and tell their son that a fly isn't suitable for a pet, but they soon discover how smart Fly Guy is and make him at home. Then in the last chapter, Buzz tries to enter Fly Guy in an amazing pet show, but everyone laughs at him because, once again, "Flies can't be pets. Flies are pests!" Yet Fly Guy shows his stuff with some fancy flying and in the end impresses everyone and wins the award for smartest pet.

I would recommend this book for children ages five to seven. They'll love the fact that a fly is the main character, and they'll especially feel a sense of accomplishment at being able to read entire chapters, even though a chapter is merely a few simple sentences. The illustrations are fun and cartoonish, yet the text seems to be a little lacking, which is mostly due to the fact that no complex sentences are used. Overall, it's a cute plot but a mediocre execution, yet I would still recommend it to librarians and teachers as a means of introducing chapter books to young children.

Knickerbocker, A. (2006, February 1). Hi! Fly Guy [A review of the book Hi! Fly Guy]. School Library Journal. Retrieved May 5, 2010 from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6304147.html?q=hi+fly+guy.

Short and sweet, Knickerbocker goes straight to the point and gives a brief overview of the plot of the book. She then goes on to say "the cartoon illustrations showing characters with exaggerated wide eyes are delightful, but the text is somewhat weak and disjointed." That's really all she had to say of the book, and given the short length of the book there isn't much more to be said, but I think in order for a review to be considered good an author must go into more depth. I agree with her on what she said, yet wish she had gone into more detail.

Naughty Cherie!

Oates, J.C. (2008). Naughty Cherie! (M. Graham, illus.). New York: HarperCollins.

Genre/Format: Picture Storybook
Age Recommendation: 3-5 years

Simple and charming, this book is a perfect book for young children who just want to hear a story. Cherie is the cutest of his litter and is by far the little girl, Evan's, favorite. There's only one problem, though: Cherie is very naughty! He climbs on the table, pulls down the curtains, gets inside the piano, and causes all kinds of ruckus. One day the Smith family had enough, so Mrs. Smith put Cherie in a time-out in the corner, but all the little kitten thought was "I don't have to be 'good.' I'm little Cherie." It was then that Cherie noticed a small crack in the wall that led the kitten down a stairwell and into "Little Friends Kindercare," where a baby elephant, ostrich, giraffe, monkey, and panda were all gathered together playing. Cherie spent time with the other animals only to witness their misbehavior and in time grew weary of them and their shenannigans. Cherie then headed back upstairs and from then on was on his best behavior.

The best part of this book was by far the illustrations. The paintings perfectly captured the expressions and mannerisms of a real kitten, and even the Smith family were drawn with extreme realism. The plot, however, suffered in my opinion. The books greatest flaw was its failure to provide an explanation as to what "Little Friends Kindercare" was and why it was there. Was it a magical world? Was the kitten merely dreaming? No explanation is given whatsoever, so readers are left wondering "What just happened?" The scene is of course a necessity to the story as it's how Cherie learns his lesson, but the effort should have been taken to provide some logical explanation. I would recommend this book for young readers ages three to five years, as it provides a lesson about what is good and bad behavior and how inconvenient and hurtful bad behavior can be towards others. In addition, the fact that the main character is a kitten will certainly keep their attention. Overall, I would consider this to be a mediocre book, and therefore wouldn't recommend it for anything other than light reading.

Blankenship, D. (2010, January 11). Naughty Cherie! by Joyce Carol Oates. Retrieved May 5, 2010 from http://www.booksforkids-reviews.com/2010/01/naughty-cherie-by-joyce-carol-oates.html.

It was difficult to even find a review on this book as it surprisingly, despite its well-known author, hasn't gained much attention in the literary realm. This review gave the basic background of the plot to the story and had many positive things to say, but it wasn't of the greatest quality. The grammar and the sentence structure was poor and a little too simple for an adult audience, so that made it difficult for me to take anything they had to say about it seriously. I would agree that the illustrations were good and even the text was for the most part decent, but I wouldn't rave about it near as much as Blankenship did.

Finn McCool and the Great Fish

Bunting, E. (2010). Finn McCool and the great fish (Z. Pullen, illus.). Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear.

Genre: Folktale
Format: Picture Storybook
Age Recommendation: 4-12 years

Hailing from Irish folklore, Eve Bunting's Finn McCool and the Great Fish is a delightful read. Finn McCool is a gentle giant, whose constant good deeds, kind heart, and protection of the townspeople of Drumnahoon has made him loved by all. There's only one problem, though: he isn't very smart. Sometimes the townspeople whispered, although kindly, that "He's a bit of a turnip head....He doesn't know much. But he's a great big man for all that." One day Finn heard the whisper and set out in search of an old man in a nearby town who was said to know the source of great wisdom. Never before had the old man imparted this knowledge to anyone, despite the constant pleas and gifts bestowed upon him, but come to find out he didn't do so because he was waiting for Finn all this time. The old man tells Finn, "In the River Boyne there lives a fish, a great salmon, the red of the sky at sunset. In him is the wisdom of the world. Catch him, cook him, and eat him, and that wisdom will be yours." Finn sets out to do this great task, and gets as far as catching the fish when he can't bear to kill the poor thing. However, because the hook cuts both the fish's mouth and Finn's thumb, their blood gets mixed and the gentle giant magically receives the wisdom he desires. From that moment on, Finn was known for his wisdom as well as his size, and he always had the townspeople pondering why he always sucks his pink thumb when he's thinking.

As if the storyline weren't wonderful enough, the illustrations were absolutely stunning. The acryllic artwork perfectly captured every kind expression, every wrinkle on his brow, every tiny hair on his head. No combination of author and illustration could have better captured Irish culture and tradition the way Bunting and Pullen did. I would recommend this book for children ages 4-12. No matter how young or old they are, children will be drawn by the detail in the illustrations, and the story will warm their heart. This is a must read and I highly recommend it to librarians, teachers, and parents, especially for a storytelling time.

She Is Too Fond of Books. (2010, February 20). Children's Book Review: *Finn McCool and the Great Fish* by Eve Bunting. Retrieved from http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2010/02/20/childrens-book-review-finn-mccool-and-the-great-fish-by-eve-bunting/.

This review had nothing but positive things to say about the book. She was especially fond of the illustrations, saying "Zachary Pullen’s illustrations are gorgeous – detailed acrylics that carry the landscape of Ireland, the strokes of thatch on a roof, and perhaps most telling, the expressions on Finn McCool’s face." In addition, she points out that it's enjoyable for all ages, saying "Bunting retells the legend in a way that a 5-year-old will sit for it, and a 12-year-old will read it on his own." I couldn't help but agree with everything said in this review, and I liked the fact that she included publishing information as well as the books own description along with her review.