Maisy Dresses Up by Lucy Cousins

What will
Maisy be?

She looks in her
dress-up box.

She could be
a pirate.
But Charley is
already dressed up
as a pirate.

Maisy Dresses Up is a cute book that begins with Maisy being invited to a costume party at Tallulah's. The idea of a party, particularly a costume party, is pretty interesting to most small fry, and from what I've seen this topic grabs their attention right away. Particularly after the author asks the question, "what will Maisy be?"

Maisy Takes a Bath by Lucy Cousins

Maisy runs back
upstairs and gets
undressed.

Maisy jumps into
the bubble bath.

Ding, Dong!
who is ringing the doorbell now?

Hello again, Tallulah!

Believe it or not this one's controversial.

You see, some people were just shocked and/or annoyed that Tullulah kept coming back to Maisy's home when she was trying to bathe. For example, one lady from Turkey writes,

how would you read this book to your valuable one? how could you explain the action of a character forcefully entering your home, taking off her (his) clothes and going in the bathtub with you?

while another one opines,

I am not super conservative or anything but the fact that Maisie answered the door in her towel bothered me. Plus, Maisy answers the door each time, not her mom or dad. Then, her friend runs upstairs and jumps in the tub with her. I just feel like this book wasn't very thought out and may reinforce reckless behavior.

Now, if you are thinking of whipping over to Amazon to defend Ms. Cousins, don't worry. "Joe" has already made this his personal mission. Me? I think I'll remain a neutral party.

Talking Points:::

Maisy Takes a Bath has the same bright colorful artwork that typifies this series from Lucy Cousins.

Controversy aside, there's some useful aspects to this book as it's a wonderful way to revitalize interest in bathtime.

Pam T
Somewhere in the X-burbs

Maisy Takes a Bath

• Reading Level: Unknown
  
• Paperback: 24 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick
  
• ISBN-10: 0763610844

Maisy se bana
(Spanish Edition)

Other Maisy Books you might like:
Maisy's Pool
Maisy Cleans Up
Maisy Dresses Up

Maisy's Pool

Maisy and Tallulah
are feeling hot.

Maisy has an idea.

She looks in her shed...
and finds
the wading pool.

Maisy blows it up.
Puff, puff, puff!

This one is a lot of fun, and honestly one of my favorite Maisy's — probably because I am already nostalgic for those wading pool days.

In the story Tallulah and Maisy pull out their wading pool only to find that it has a hole. Being the type of people that don't give up at the first sign of trouble, Maisy and Tallulah locate a patch, fix the hole, and fill the pool with water. Which is when Eddie shows up. Eddie, if you don't remember, is their elephant buddy. And he comes along in his bright orange swim trunks and joins in the fun. Only problem is, that it's a size 1 pool with a size 2 elephant in it.

"Oh, Eddie, there's no room for Maisy and Tallulah"!

It's a silly problem, but Eddie's solution still makes me laugh.

Talking Points:::

Maisy's Pool has the same bright colorful artwork that typifies this series from Lucy Cousins.

Kids will love seeing Maisy and the gang overcome adversity. And they'll laugh and giggle when they see that Eddie fills the ENTIRE pool!

I don't know why, but the artwork in this book is some of my favorite. Everybody looks so happy and colorful in their swimsuits. And what child doesn't like wading pool fun!

Pam T
Somewhere in the X-burbs

Maisy's Pool

• Reading Level: Unknown
• Paperback: 24 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick
  
• ISBN-10: 0763609072

Other Maisy Books you might like:
Maisy Cleans Up
Maisy Takes a Bath
Maisy Dresses Up

Maisy Cleans Up by Lucy Cousins

Maisy Cleans Up came out in 2002, however I just ran across it and wanted to give parents, teachers, and other adults a quick idea of what it's about.

The story opens with a picture of Maisy mopping. She's interrupted by Charlie who's "come for a visit". The text goes on to say, "He can help Maisy clean!" However, he doesn't get down to that right away as he smells cupcakes in the kitchen. He wanders in to view them more closely, but can't because the floor is wet. We're told that Charlie has to wait for the floor to dry, which is when he begins to help Maisy by picking up toys and washing windows. The story ends with a celebratory "good job!" and cupcakes.


I thought there were two useful lessons in this text. The first is, obviously, that cleaning up is something we all ought to do; and the second is that sometimes we all have to wait. As children aren't keen on either of these two activities, I think it's nice that they are given credit and support by such a likable character as Maisy.

I also think the idea of placing a reward at the end of clean-up activities is a good reminder to we adults that small things can provide incentives for children to keep going at tasks they don't particular like. However, I sort of wish that besides eating sweets Maisy nad Charlie had gone for a walk or bike ride. [I know this desire is a little over the top, but there's just so much junk food and sweets out there, and childhood obesity is a real problem. Forgive.]

Talking Points:::
Like all Maisy books, this one features bright kid-friendly artwork that is suitable for the kindergarten and under crowd.

Adults might like it better than kids because it features 'cleaning up' --which if my two are any indication, isn't an activity they want to be reminded of.

I like that "x" talks about how we all have to wait sometimes. I also think the idea of having a treat after cleaning up is a good one. I may try that with my two -- although I have some hesitation in implying that food=treat.

Pam T
Somewhere in the X-burbs

Maisy Cleans Up

• Reading Level: Unknown
• Paperback: 24 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick
  
• ISBN-10: 0763617121

Other Maisy Books you might like:
Maisy's Pool
Maisy Takes a Bath
Maisy Dresses Up