Jenn's Bookshelves

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Balzer & Bray; 1 edition (June 22, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 006176275X
• Source: Personal copy

Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten is an charming and adorable book about preparing your child (or buffalo!) for kindergarten!  It discusses things your kindergartner might be worIried about, including being shy & sharing.  It assures children that they don’t need to know how to do all of these these before starting school.  What I loved most about it was the underlying theme of “everyone is special in his/her own way.”

My youngest son, Justin, is starting kindergarten in just a few weeks.  We purchased this book as soon as it released and we’ve read it several times since then, so I wanted to make sure to include his thoughts.  To keep it simple, I asked what he liked about this book:

“I think the book is very silly.  I thought it was funny when the buffalo tried to put on a suit and it was too small.  The funniest funniest funniest part was when he was trying to balance on the tight rope! The tower of blocks they built was very cool! And when the buffalo got his bum stuck on the swing? That was very funny!   Oh, and I liked the part  when the buffalo got grumpy (I added: You know you can’t be grumpy at kindergarten?)  Of course, Mom, but I can still like it!”

Justin picked up on the illustrations of Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten right away.  The illustrator is Daniel Jennewein, and his drawings are the perfect complement to this story.  They are quite humorous!  Justin spent hours pouring over this book, talking about each of the illustrations.

Justin was very excited to hear that Audrey & Daniel will be in town in September for a signing.  He’s looking forward to getting his first “autoscratch” (autograph).

I highly highly recommend this book to any child preparing to enter kindergarten. I think it will alleviate any fears they may have starting school.

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• Review: How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills (13)

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Schwartz & Wade; 1 edition (July 27, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0375858997
• Source: Library

Rocket is an adorable little puppy who loves to do little puppy things, like chase leaves and chew sticks.  At the end of a day, he would plop down in his favorite spot under his favorite tree. One day, he happens upon a little yellow bird.  This little bird is a teacher, so Rocket must be his student!

When the little bird discovers that Rocket can’t read, teaching him to read becomes the little bird’s mission.  Rocket is very reluctant to read; he’d much rather take a nap. This doesn’t dissuade the little bird.  She picks up a book and begins to read anyway.

At first Rocket was annoyed by the book. But in no time at all he become absorbed in the story.  He pictures it in his head.  The anticipation builds up and he must know the end of the story.

Every day Rocket returned to the little bird’s classroom.  She teaches him the alphabet, how to sound out each letter, and soon they were spelling entire words!

But soon the spring turned to fall and the bird flew away, promising to return in the winter. Despite the cold winter, Rocket couldn’t stop thinking about reading!  He continued to practice his letters and sound out words, and before long it was spring again!

This time, Rocket and the little bird began to read together

I read How Rocket Learned to Read to my youngest son, who will be starting kindergarten this fall.  Since his brother has reviewed for me, as well as his father, he wanted a turn at reviewing.  So, here are Justin’s brief comments:

Why did you like this book?

I liked Rocket.  I like dogs!

Other than Rocket, was there anything else you liked about this book?

YES MOM!  Rocket was learning to read.  I am learning to read! Rocket spelled out letters in the snow! Mom, can I do that when it snows!?

Yes, Justin.  It’s 90 degrees out now so we might be waiting a little while.  Was there anything you didn’t like about this book?

Yes! It was over!! Oh, and when the teacher bird left in the winter, I was sad.

So there you have it…Justin’s reviewing debut!

Personally, I loved How Rocket Learned to Read because it describes the steps to learning how to read in a fun and exciting way.  The illustrations are vivid and interesting.  It grabs the reader’s attention, just as all books should. As I explained to Justin as we read, if he follows the steps that Rocket took, with time and practice he, too, would be reading before he knew it.

How Rocket Learned to Read is the perfect book for a preschooler or a child just about to enter kindergarten.

Since we’re about to start kindergarten here, Justin & I have been reading a lot of books about school and kindergarten. Check back each week as we feature our favorite back to school/kindergarten books!

Is there a book about going back to school or starting kindergarten that you’d like to recommend?

Buy this book now from:

These are affiliate links. If you purchase an item from either of these links I will earn a small commission, which goes toward the hosting of this blog & other routine costs associated with running this blog.

Related posts

• Tales of a (Formerly) Reluctant Reader: Visit by Eric Wight, Author of the Frankie Pickle Books (23)
• Review: Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? by Audrey Vernick (6)
• Adventures in Parenting: Relunctant Readers (12)

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (April 1, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 1561455210
• Source: Publisher

It never fails to astound me how much nature is impacted by the action of humans. For example, the insecticides sprayed on crops not only kill the insects they are engineered to destroy, they also kill frogs as well.  And tadpoles are killed by chemicals farmers use to increase the growth of crops. A Place for Frogs is an incredibly detailed and informative picture book about how we can protect frogs and the environments in which they live.  Each spread discusses a particular problem; the first page describes the problem and the second details a solution.  Also included are several examples of frog species and environmental dilemmas they are in.

The book is also full of very vivid illustrations, thanks to the talented Higgins Bond (that name alone is lovely!)

My boys and I read this book together one evening.  Following are their comments:

Justin (4): There were so many frogs.  I liked to count all the frogs.

This was one of the things that make this book perfect for many ages…the hidden details.  After my oldest son and I read the text, my youngest would then count the frogs, tadpoles, birds, or other creatures found on the pages.  It kept both of them engaged.

John (10): The thing I like about this book is that it shows a lot of details about frogs.  It talks about what we can do to help keep frogs alive. One of nature’s greatest things is frogs.  Frogs help people by eating annoying insects like mosquitoes.  People: Every time you find a frog/toad in a dangerous place, take it to a safe place. Frogs are a part of nature, too.  Don’t do anything to hurt them.  SAVE THE FROGS!

A Place for Frogs would be a great addition to any home, school or public library collection.

Today I would like to tell you about the Black Lagoon Adventures #11: The Snow Day from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler. I picked this book because we had a blizzard right before Christmas, school was canceled, and winter break started early!

Hubie hates snow.  He hates winter. He only wants it to snow once, right around Christmas.  He hates it because it’s so cold, and because of all the clothes you have to wear to go out in it.  By the time you are all bundled up, you have to go to the bathroom!When Hubie sees on the news that they are getting a horrible snow storm, he starts to freak out!

When he wakes up, the entire town is covered in snow.  His mom makes him get all bundled up to go out and play in the snow.  His friend Eric comes over and they go sledding and have a snowball fight.  Hubie begins to see that snow isn’t as bad as he thought.  Once the snowball fight is over, Hubie and his friends go inside his house. It begins to snow again so they have to stay inside. They play board games and roast marshmallows in the fireplace. They tell spooky ghost stories to one another, including the tale of Sammy the Ghost who couldn’t scare anyone.

The next morning, the snow has been cleared and school is open again. Hubie’s teacher, Mrs. Green, asks the kids to write about what they did on their snow day.  This book is Hubie’s report.

What I liked about this book:

There are a LOT of illustrations in this book.   This really breaks up the book and almost seems like you are reading a comic book instead of a chapter book. Here are a few of them:

Second, the book is made up of more than just a story!  It has funny knock-knock jokes and drawing. Here’s an example:

Finally, the words are large and easy to read.  This helps out a lot when I’m reading in bed at night!  And I liked that I didn’t need to use a dictionary or ask my mom to help out with some of the words.  They were perfect for a kid my age.

The only problem is that most of these Black Lagoon Adventures books are hard to find in bookstores, which is sad because I really love them!  My mom says they are out of print.  She was able to find a few of them in the local bookstore but had to place a special order for the rest.

*Edit: After a little of research, I found a site where you can purchase The Black Lagoon Adventures books.  Some of the series can also be purchased directly from Scholastic.

I hope you have enjoyed the first review in my new feature! Check back in a few weeks for another episode of TALES OF A (FORMERLY) RELUCTANT READER!!!

All Tales of A (Formerly) Reluctant Reader episodes are written by my ten-year old son, John. FTC: These books were all purchased out of my son’s allowance!

Tags: 4-8 years of age, 7-10 years of age, Kid-Lit/Middle Grade, Tales of A (Formerly) Reluctant Reader

The people of El Camino Street enjoy the peace and quiet.  They don’t like kids, people with big families, or pets. They enjoy spending their time enjoying the peaceful things in life. A new family moves in, a new family with three kids and a pet fish.  Still, their peace and quiet seems to go on uninterrupted. 

Then suddenly, a giant camper pulls up in front of the new family’s home, a camper that took up half the block.  People start streaming out.  It started with three teenage cousins.  The neighbors shook their heads in astonishment and say “Too many visitors for one little house!” But family members continue to come out of the camper and each time they do, the neighbors respond with the same comment. All together, fourteen people (and a wandering stray dog!) arrive and enter the new family’s home.  The neighbors are in an uproar! They don’t appreciate all the noise that comes along with this many house guests!

But on their way to filing a complaint with the city’s complaint department, they are greeted by the Mom, holding a plate of Nanny’s apple strudel!  They are invited into the family’s home and instantly remark: “There are never too many visitors for one little house!”

My boys LOVED this book!  The illustrations, done by Veronica Walsh, were very colorful and vivid.  They enjoyed the repetitive text “There are too many people for one little house” and enjoyed repeating it each time a new group of visitors entered the house.  My four year old son, Justin, liked counting the guests as they arrived. My oldest son, John, thought Grandma, with her prune juice, and Grandpa, with his rolls of toilet paper and plunger, were downright hilarious!  So, kids of varying ages each take away something different from this hilarious tale!

About the Author:  Susan Chodakiewitz is a writer, composer and producer. She is the founder of Booksicals Children’s Books- Encouraging the love of reading through the arts. Through her company Booksicals she has created the Booksicals on Stage literacy program which is currently presenting musical performances of the picture book Too Many Visitors for One Little House at schools, libraries, and special events.

Susan lives in Los Angeles in a lively household filled with music, three sons, a husband, a Dalmatian and lots of visitors. Susan loves picture books and when she wrote a musical based on one of her favorites, she realized it was time to start writing her own picture books. Too Many Visitors for One Little House is Susan’s debut book. You can visit her website at www.booksicals.com.

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802797725

Felix is not happy, not happy at all.  His Mom and Dad are bringing home a baby sister.  Before he even meets her, he has decided he doesn’t like her.  Afterall, he already has his best friend Poncho (his stuffed Donkey), why would he need anyone else?

When his parents bring home his baby sister, he wants nothing to do with her.  She goes to bed late and wakes up wailing every morning.  Felix believes his parents should just take her back!

One day, Felix and his parents (and yes, unfortunately his little sister too!) go to the zoo. Felix LOVES the zoo. As they walk along, he devises ways of getting rid of his sister.  For example, the elephant is big enough to sit on his sister and the giraffe’s neck is long enough to place her up in a tree where she can never bother him again.

Felix loves the zoo so much he doesn’t want to leave.  He cries the entire way home!  His parents can’t seem to quiet him.  And then, his sister hands him his best friend, Poncho, and his tears stop.  How is it that the thing he despises so much could understand what he wants? He then discovers that his baby sister isn’t as bad as he made her out to be!

I read Bye-Bye, Baby! to both of my boys: John (10) and Justin (4).  To be completely honest, John has entered the phase in which he can’t stand his brother.  Justin gets on his nerves in a matter of seconds.  We remind John that Justin simply enjoys spending time with his big brother and that he should feel special that Justin cares for him so much.

Well, after we read Bye-Bye, Baby! we talked about John and Justin’s relationship with one another.  John was a bit different than the character in the book, Felix.  John loved Justin as soon as he saw him (he was in the delivery room) and cherished his sweet little brother.  It wasn’t until Justin was able to walk into his room (and steal some of his toys) that we had a problem.  We discussed this, and how much nicer it would be if the two of them got along.  I think it had an effect on him, which you can see in his mini-review below.

John’s Review:

I think Felix was being a little too rough on his baby sister.  When they went to the zoo, Felix was crazy with all these ideas.  I know his parents were trying to do everything to stop him from crying but it didn’t work.  Now he knows, when you have a baby sister, you must always give her a chance.  And now YOU must do the same with YOUR brother or sister!

Do you sense a bit of guilt there?

My review:

The author, Richard Morris, did an outstanding job of portraying a very series subject among young children: the arrival of a new sibling. He puts it in a format and language that young children can easily understand.  Each page has very elaborate illustrations (by Larry Day) and a small amount of text, so it does a good job of holding a young child’s interest. While neither one of my children have to be worried about another child coming into our house, it allows them to realize that siblings are there for one another, to help them when they need it. I highly recommend this book for any family getting reading to add a child into the family or, as in my case, a family with siblings that sometimes don’t get along.   John, Justin, an I really enjoyed reading Bye-Bye, Baby! We keep it in our “Bedtime Reading Bin” and reach for it very often!

Halloween is a popular holiday in our household, so when I was approached by Sourcebooks about reviewing a children’s Halloween book I jumped at the opportunity!

Everyone is familiar with the Twelve Days of Christmas, right?  What about the Thirteen Days of Halloween?  In this hilarious story, a ghoul tries to win the heart of his beloved.  He does so by presenting her with a slew of outrageous and ghoulish gifts, including bats, cooked worms, and hissing cats.

My boys demanded to read this book as soon as we received it (back in the summer!).  They fell in love with the silly and lyrical language.   They loved counting down the days and  would both call out each gift as we went along.  They enjoyed screaming the first gift “A VULTURE IN A DEAD TREE!!!” The elaborate illustrations, done by Tim Raglin, were a perfect complement to the engaging text.  As we read along with the text, my boys made a game of finding each of the “gifts” in the illustrations.  We all had a great time guessing what the final gift was; the final consensus was “an ugly zombie!”  What can I say, they’re my boys!  We all have an obsession with zombies!

This book will definitely be making a reappearance as we get closer to Halloween and a treasured book for years to come!  This is a must read for any ghoul this Halloween season!  Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing me a copy of this book for review.