The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss

Well, this is the Seuss book that riles the feathers of some adults. It's got a definite anti-war theme and deals with the consequences of a military arms escalation.

Who's at war? It's the Yooks and the Zooks. Essentially the same sorts of people, they clash over whether bread should be eaten butter side up or down. The story is told from a little boys (?) perspective and is the only Seuss book I can recall that ends on an ominous note.

"Grandpa!" I shouted. "Be careful! Oh gee!
Who's going to drop it?
Will you...? Or will he..."
"Be patient," said Grandpa. "We'll see.
We will see..."

It's hard to say whether kids pick up on these various messages. My own impression is that they won't, unless you sit and have a chat with them. They will be far too busy listing to the clever rhymes and gazing at the wild Seussian artwork.

Meant for practice reading, the Accelerated Reading designation for "The Butter Battle Book" is 3.9 which means that end of year 3rd Graders should be able to read this book themselves without getting too frustrated by words they don't know.

The "Official" Interest Level is given as Preschool thru 2nd Grade, but that makes no sense given the reading level. And personally, I would say that it's more appropriate for First thru Fourth Graders.

My own two children showed moderate interest in the book and they are currently 6 and 8; boy and girl. They requested multiple reads and the book is a pretty good read-aloud. Not amongst Seuss' best, in my opinion. It IS definitely worth a read.

Considerations :::
The Butter Battle Book has an Accelerated Reading (AR) designation of 4.6 which means that the average 4th Grader in the 6th month of school should be able to read it without getting frustrated by the vocabulary. It can be read aloud to any age.

Awards: New York Times Notable Book of the Year

ABC3D by Marion Bataille

This nice alphabet pop-up book is new on the market! The cover is one of those cool optical plates (sort of holographic), where what you see changes depending on your angle of approach.

I think kids-of-all-ages like this sort of thing. Just as we like books where objects pop-up and/or move. To test this out, I not only read ABC3D with my own two children -- currently 6 and 8 years old -- but I loaned it to my son's kindergarten teacher from last year, so that we could get her classroom's opinion. The feedback was immediate and positive. Both the teacher and her assistant, and their room full of kids LOVED the book. I saw Mrs. P~ that very afternoon and she said that ABC3D was such a hit that they made special time that day to read it again in the afternoon.

One of the reasons for the books popularity is that the pop-ups are clever. While generally speaking each letter sits between it's own two pages, there are some clever variations that keep kids guessing. "C" becomes "D" , for example, when the C flops over and a previously hidden vertical bar becomes the upright part of the "D". Similarly, pulling the page taunt, turns E into an F. And O and P have a special transparency page with two slanty-bars that remake them into Q and R. But if you have time, look at the video below and see for yourself.




Considerations :::
ABC3D would make a fine gift for a child as it's an entertaining book that also educates. I know the children I've been around are fascinated by books with moving parts, and this should keep them focused on their letters.

As with all pop-up books, I would suggest that young children use them with adult supervision. Toddlers, Preschoolers and even some Kindergarteners can be especially tough on pop-ups.

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes

When I saw this beautiful big book on the New Arrivals Shelf at the library I snatched it up. For one thing, it had this great big cuddly-looking bear on the front cover, and for another thing it had Kevin Henkes name in big letters, and Mr. Henke's work has always been popular at our house.

If you can't remember what Kevin Henkes has written, I've put together a visual aid that might jog your memory. (gotta love widgets)

~

Old Bear is a book meant for older babies, toddlers and preschoolers. It's a story that begins with a hibernating bear. He is all curled up in his den when he begins to have the most wonderful dreams. Bear dreams about all the things he loves in the world, and his dreams take us through the seasons and through a wonderful range of color palettes.

Spring is lovely pastels. Pinks and lavenders predominate, and there are crocuses and tulips and daffodils, some as big a trees. Bear is actually shown as a cub sleeping inside one of the huge flowers.

Summer is vibrant greens with hints of blue. There are flowers and butterflies, and Young-Bear eats a rain of scrumptious blueberries!

Autumn's scheme is very red and orange! There are fish and birds and falling leaves and Young Bear entertains himself by climbing a tree.

Winter, on the other hand, is done up in blue with small starbursts of color. Young Bear sits watching the winter wonderland and the bright moon. The text says, "It was night, and the sky was blazing with stars of all colors. The cold went on forever." But it doesn't really go on forever, of course. And after sleeping and dreaming, and dreaming and sleeping, Old Bear awakens to be renewed by the beauty of a world that is itself renewed: all dressed up in a rainbow of colors.

Besides the pleasant story, and Mr. Henkes wonderful artwork, what makes this book good enough to merit a review on this website is that it offers so much to talk about. You can sit with babies and toddlers and use the book to teach them about colors and animals. With toddlers and preschoolers you can discuss the four seasons and weather. Old Bear even provides a good opening for we adults to talk with children about dreams and sleep and hibernation.

For all these reasons, Old Bear would be wonderful choice to add to home shelves. Old Bear is a Good Read-Aloud.

Considerations :::
Old Bear has an Accelerated Reading (AR) designation of 2.1 which means that the average 2nd Grader in the 1st month of school should be able to read it without getting frustrated by the vocabulary. Having said that, the actual content I would say is for much younger children. So please consider that this book is really meant to be read aloud to children.

Ladybugology (Backyard Buddies)by Michael Elsohn Ross

We've been reading about bugs this summer. We have covered lice, dabbled in fireflies, and are now touching on ladybugs. Most of the books were good. They generally had interesting photos and they listed the essential information about whatever critter was being discussed; but none of them really stood out from the pack in the sense of format or style. That was until we ran across this Backyard Buddies series, and Ladybugology by Michael Elsohn Ross. With this book we discovered a whole new approach to bug studies.

Unlike the other books, the approach of Ladybugology is very much hands-on. Ross still covers the usual bug information. He discusses their life cycle, body parts, what they eat, and what eats them, but only at the end of the book. Before that he focuses on trying to get children to make their own observations. In essence to be kid-scientists!

"Aware Dare" is one of the games he uses to get kids thinking. It starts when a ladybug is placed inside a clear container. Kids then take turns making observations as the subject(s) flies and crawls around. They jot down the results, until no one can't think of anything new to say. The winner is the last one to make an observation!

While this game might seem simple, it actually brings together quite a few activities. Besides practice in taking turns, it helps children to exercise their powers of observation -- a principal task of a scientist-- and then it gives them a fun reason to practice writing.

Other projects involve arts and crafts, measurement and simple math. Everything from making a gym for the ladybugs, to designing costumes. Really, for being so small, this book is full of ideas.

Give This One a Try!!!

Finally, a bug book that's more than just a list of bug attributes. In this one there are lots of hints and ways to expand the experience: ranging from how to make a ladybug hotel to games.

Considerations:
The Accelerated Reading (ATOS) designation for Ladybugology is 5.7 which means that it is a book for the average 5th Grader in the 7th month of school. It may be read, of course, to children of any age. I have used the activities with a 6 year old, and they can probably be used, with supervision, with even younger children.

Kindness and Consideration -- the book emphasizes gentle handling of these small creatures, and releasing them after a day or so.

Reproduction - The topic of reproduction is handled well. On the one page where it is addressed, the author writes: "It is a common sight to see one ladybug on the back of another. ...But examination through a microscope will show that the ladybug getting a piggyback ride is a male.

"Like other male insects, the male ladybug has a special organ, called an aedeagus... through which he delivers sperm to the eggs of the female."

Smelly Locker by Alan Katz

Alan Katz' lyrics remind me of the silly songs that we used to sing at Summer Camp. The principal difference being that the songs in Smelly Locker are definitely edgier than those of John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt (wiki link).

Here's a stanza to be sung to the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".

I don't want to do homework!
Please, I'm fed up with math!
Don't give assignment's I'll surely botch.
Let me relax, I've got TV to watch!
And on't make me study my English
I've learnt it real extra good!
So please say, "No homework tonight!"
'cause you know you should.

Avant-guard, edgy or not, I have to say that one of the reasons I like this book is because my children --currently 6 and 8 y.o.-- like to read it. I don't know whether it's because of the musical aspect but they are willing (even my little guy!) to plow through the text and figure out words they don't know.

As a consequence, I would recommend this book to school teachers as well as camp instructors, even though at least one teacher-reviewer at Amazon.com made an objection to some of the topics. (Myself, I tend to be VERY tolerant of any book that my children avidly want to read.)

Quick Summary :::
Like other Alan Katz' books, this one has unique songs that combine traditional tunes with goofy lyrics. The artwork is bright, full page, and attractively silly. The songs themselves are not meant for very young children who won't be able to appreciate the snide attitude nor the reasons for the whining complaints. If your children know the lyrics "On Top of Ole Smokey, all covered with cheese..." they would probably enjoy this book.

Considerations :::
Smelly Lockers has an Accelerated Reading (AR) designation of 3 which means that the exact level designation has not been determined. It can be read aloud to any age.

Back to School is Cool! by Jim Jinkins

We borrowed this book from the library and my son (6 years old) loves it. In fact, he drags it to bed every night so we can read it, and he drags it downstairs every morning so he can look at it before school -- and I don't know of a better recommendation than that.

If you aren't already familiar with the television series and books, you should know that the principal characters are Pinky, her little brother Tyler, “Mr. Guinea Pig” (the family pet), and the 'word of the day'. I say the-word-of-the-day is a character because a big deal is made about introducing this word, and a lot of hoopla ensues whenever the word is used. On the television series there's a dramatic pause and ta-da horns are blown. In the book attention and fun is created by the use of funky large print.

As a mom, I love the party atmosphere and the effort that is made to make large-and-impressive words understandable and less intimidating. And I've found that my two kids absorb the definitions and begin using those words pretty quickly.

In “Back to School Is Cool”, Tyler is 'apprehensive' about his first day at school. To demonstrate that all the newness of school is nothing to worry about, Pinky tells Tyler a story about the worst school day imaginable. One where it's Picture Day and everyone has 'bad hair'. Pinky shows Tyler how she and her school mates worked past their apprehension, and how that led them to have a good day. And that he can do the same.

RATING ::: Extremely Good
This book is fun and educational. (Whoo-hoo!) Good Read-Aloud. The artwork is a combination of colorful drawings and pictures, with conversation bubbles and a variety of fonts that 'keep it lively'!

AR (Accelerated Reading/ATOS) level is 2.9

Snowshoe Thompson by Nancy Smiler Levinson

Snowshoe Thompson (Amazon link) was a real person. An immigrant from Norway, he came to Placerville, California in the 1850's in search of gold. While he did not strike it rich, he did become a legend in that part of the country by daring to transverse the frigid Sierra Nevada mountains in the dead of winter in order to deliver the mail: a feat, I should say, that was only made possible because of his knowledge of cross country skiing.

In order to make this story accessible to children, the author takes the essence of Snowshoe's story (wiki link) and weaves it around a the plight of a little boy. In the story, Danny O'Riley wants to send a letter to his father who has gone away to prospect. He wants to tell his dad how much he misses him and that he would really like to have him home for Christmas. The problem, of course, is that the roads are already closed, and Danny is told it will not be until Spring that his letter can be delivered. It is in response to Danny and his community's anguish, that Thompson asserts that he can get the mail through. And Danny and Thompson become friends as Thompson shows him (and us) how to make the skis that help him save the day!


Rating ::: Good
Good Read-Aloud. Okay artwork. The AR designation for this book is 2.2, but non-reading children should like it as well. Certainly my 6 year-old son did.

What I really liked about the book was that it provided us with a jumping off point to discuss the California Gold Rush and how immigrants came to the United States from all over the world. We talked about how Snowshoe introduced skis to his area, and how other immigrants had other 'inventions' that they brought from their homelands, which benefited everyone here in the States.

=========
Reading Level: 2.2

To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street

This is a great Dr. Seuss book. In fact it would be hard to say who enjoyed it more, me or the children. The story is about a boy who everyday as he walks home from school, spends some time concocting a wacky story to share with his dad.

In true Seussian fashion, there is great rhyming, fun artwork and lots of imagination. I particularly liked that the book demonstrates how children can "stretch" their own imagination. The technique is simple and one even very young children can practice and enjoy. It involves taking an ordinary scene and exaggerating first one element and then another, until the whole situation is really outlandish and silly. If you start with a wagon being pulled by a horse, for example, the horse can become a zebra, and the wagon something more elaborate until step by step it becomes one of those strange Seussian contraptions with big and little wheels, and umbrellas in odd places. Trust us, it's great fun! And the sharing of the father and child is very heartwarming as well.

Definitely Give This One A Try!
Both my 6 and 8 year olds enjoyed this book. The artwork is very good Seussian stuff, and the rhyming is some of his best in my opinion. I would also add that Seuss seems to be a very good bet for youngsters that are reading ahead of their age level as the content is not overly sophisticated.

Reading Level :::
The Accelerated Reading level (ATOS) for this book is 3.6 – which means that this book is has been analyzed and thought appropriate for the average child reading in the 6th month of the 3rd Grade. This is only a guide for children practicing reading, and the book can of course be read to children of any age.

And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street

• Accelerated Reading level : 3.6
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
  
• ISBN-10: 0394844947

See Don's Review here.

The Brook by Alfred Tennyson, Charles Micucci artist

Let me start by saying that this book isn't going to be right for every child. However, if you have children who like poetry you ought to give it a try as I think it is an excellent introduction to more adult fair.

What makes “The Brook” a good transition piece is the gentle quality of the poem and in the case of this book, the artwork. The pastel drawings are not flashy, nor something you would hunt down and appreciate on their own, but they are a fantastic match for the theme of the poem, which is best exemplified by the lines: “Men may come and Men may go, but I go on forever....”

In the drawings we see children maturing into young adulthood, wooing, getting married and finally having children of their own. And while they and other wild life grows old, the brook and it's little surroundings of hills and bridges, goes on unchanged.

Because my own children are only 6 and 8 years of age, I quite certain that they don't understand the finer nuances of this poem, but I'm a firm believer that understanding comes in stages and for right now I am satisfied that we've discussed the general gist of the theme, and that they enjoy the cadence and beauty of the words.

Rating ::: A
This is not a 'perfect' book, but without being able to say how they could possibly have improved it, I'm going to give it an “A”. The artwork is simple, attractive and fits the poem beautifully. And the poem... what can one say, Tennyson is delightful and this is a poem that enriches the lives of all who can appreciate it.

Find It!
At Amazon => The Brook

"Lets Make Rabbits" by Leo Lionni

"LET'S MAKE RABBITS" is a book I've been reading off-and-on to my children since my eldest was two. And what amazes me is that every so often, even after five years of reading it, I can still have an 'Oh-Wow' moment in which I discover some new aspect of the book that that hadn't occurred to me before.

At first, of course, I just read the story. We pointed out the names of objects and colors. Then when my children were a little older we talked about how the two bunnies were friends even though they were different. Then even later we digressed and discussed how the pen and the scissors both wanted to make bunnies and carrots and how they both succeeded even though they took different paths to do so.

Then, just yesterday, it dawned on me that part of what Lionni was demonstrating was 'space relations'. That line drawings didn't have shadows, whereas the 'real' objects did. It was rather effortless to explain this to my five and seven year olds, and to tie this particular lesson into my second grader's geometry.

I bring this all up because I want you to know that if you buy this book you aren't just buying it for the baby and toddler years. And that there is a depth of purpose here that you just don't get in most other books. Highly recommend this one. There is just a lot to spark a child's -- and a mom's-- imagination.

A+ ::: "Lets Make Rabbits" is one of those books that unfolds with each reading. Even my own 'take' on it has changed over the years. Good Read-aloud. Just-right artwork. No wonder Lionni has won so many awards.

Talking Points :::
Let's Make Rabbits is one of those books where there is conflicting information about what the Accelerated Reading designation is. We found 2.0 and 3.6. Given that most of Mr. Lionni's books are listed in the in the high 2's and 3's, we are going to go with the 3.6 number.

Let's Make Rabbits can be read to children of any age.

Pam
Somewhere in the X-burbs

Lets Make Rabbits

• Accelerated Reading level : uncertain
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (August 28, 2007)
• ISBN-10: 0394817494
• See-a-Sample

Related posts:

• It's Mine! by Leo Lionni
• Tico and the Golden Wings by Leo Lionni
• Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

What Were "They" Thinking?

In her book, "Children of the Indian Boarding Schools (Picture the American Past)", Holly Littlefield covers a time in which the U.S. Government decided that the best thing for children was to take them -- by force -- from their families.

I have to wonder where the outraged mothers were while this was happening. I can only assume that either people's trust in authority was so great that they were reluctant to act, or else that the people of that time were so racially biased that they didn't think it was wrong to separate parents and their darlings because they were Indian. In any case, here is the review of this interesting children's book.

000

"The School Journal" and "Booklist" suggest this book for children as young as 2nd Grade. But given the subject matter, and given the reading level, I would think that 4th Grade-and-Up might be more appropriate.

The Accelerated Reading listing for "Children of the Indian Boarding Schools" is 5.4. This means that this book is generally suited for 5th Graders in the 4th month of school. That alone, of course, does not suggest that the book is inappropriate for younger children. However this book talks about the Government (ours... U.S.A.) coming and forcefully taking children from their parents. And, in fact, arresting fathers and sending them to prison when they objected to having their families torn apart.

To me, this is difficult material. And while it is handled quite well there are enough dark moments that come to light that I was not comfortable reading the book to my second grader. The author gives us, for example, excepts from letters, and quotes from adults, which speak of their sadness at being taken away from their families. We are also given some sad facts about how many children died in these institutions that were supposedly for their benefit.

Rating ::: Very Good
Summary ::: A moving book about a dark time in U.S. history. Holly Littlefield does a fine job in describing what was involved in the forceful placement of Native American children into Boarding Schools. She discusses how the children were taught English and the Christian religion, and generally made to present themselves in a western fashion. The presentation is somewhat biased towards the negative, although the author does give a few examples of children that appeared to benefit.

The Accelerated Reading designation is given as 5.4.

Note on AR designation: The AR description is a general "guide" that rates books on a relative scale of difficulty. Children can certainly read at levels above or below their group range, so that this number should only be used as a aid to help choose books that are appropriate and not frustrating.

To find this book at a library near you try World Catalog.

IT'S ABOUT TIME! (MathStart) by Stuart Murphy

IT'S ABOUT TIME! is part of Stuart Murphy's MathStart series. It covers time by relating the hours of the day to a little boy's activities: waking up, meals, going to school, playing, going home, story time, nap time, bath time, going to bed, etc. [If you are wondering the early morning hours are spent frolicking with some friendly dream-monsters that dance and caper about.]

The book focuses only on the `hour' so it's only for beginning clock-readers. And I guess non-clock readers as well. You see, besides using this book with my 5 year-old daughter, I also read it to my 3 year old son. With him I bypassed the whole how to read a clock aspect of the book and we focused principally on the larger movements of time. How it passes and how we have certain activities that we do at the same time each day.

As to structure, each hour of the day is given a page which demonstrates not only how that hour is spent but both a digital and conventional (analog) representations of the time. The artwork is colorful and sweet and my only real complaint is that I wish they had separated the pictures of the analog clock from that of the digital clock because it makes it hard to `test' whether a child can read the traditional clock. (Let's face it, digital is so much easier.)

As with all of Mr. Murphy's books there are suggestions for how to teach time at the end of the book as well as various practice/exercise ideas.

In addition, in this book, the author has a recommended reading list of three other books about time: Clocks and More Clocks by Pat Hutchins; My First Book of Time by Claire Llewllyn (couldn't find source); and Train Leaves the Station by Eve Merriam.

Pam~


IT'S ABOUT TIME! 
(MathStart)
by Stuart Murphy
John Speirs (Illustrator)

Reading Information:
Word Count: 143
Page Count: 40
Accelerated Reading level: 1.0 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 86412
--sample pages available



I also found the follow Melissa and Doug Wooden Shape Sorting Clock helpful. (You might have one in the toy box. I used mine first for number recognition, and then for shape sorting.)




updated August 2013