Book Review #58

Patrick Picklebottom and the 

Penny Book

Author: Mr. Jay
Illustrator: Gary Wilkinson
Publisher: ‎New Paige Press, 2021
ISBN: 978-1734598049

Reading Level: 3 and up

Main Characters: Patrick Picklebottom and an elderly shop owner.

Plot: A kind shop owner sells Patrick Picklebottom a book for one penny. The book takes him on adventures and helps him find joy in his own imagination. Other friends try to convince Patrick that hi-tech is the way to go, but Patrick finds his own way and experiences the love of physical books.  

Settings: Patrick moves through his neighborhood and ends up in his own bed reading. 

Genre/Theme/Style: Children's Books, Stories in Verse.

I Gave This Book 5 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁

Why 5 Roars? I loved this book! It is a great reminder of how children need to use their imaginations more in life. Children need to be submerged in the total reading experience that printed books offer. 

This book should be in every school library and parents should add it to their young reader's collection! 

“'Would you like to buy this?' asked an elderly man.  'I'd like to,' said Patrick,'but I don't think I can.  I've only one penny, and not one penny more, then he hung his head low, and he turned toward the door.  'As it happens,' replied the kind-hearted gent, 'This book only costs a single red cent.'”
~~ Patrick Picklebottom and the Penny Book

What a great mental image the author created with the above verse. The vivid idea of the older generation helping the younger generation, and one book lover passing the torch to the next book lover. It is a powerful vision we can all embrace.

Patrick Picklebottom is a Bookworm in the making! You go Patrick Picklebottom!

Critical Analysis: The topic of physical children's books verses ebooks or hi-tech children's entertainment is a difficult one. While, I believe they both have a place in children's lives, I do not think one can replace the other. There is simply no substitute for physical books in children's lives.    

“People prefer to read physical books because they offer something more tangible and grounded. There’s something that can feel more 'permanent' about real books over digital formats.” ~~Dr. Elena Touroni. 

I would also add that in a world full of passing novelties, the physical book not only grounds us, but makes us feel safe and offers a touch of stability in difficult times.

The author tackles this subject with grace and ease. He gives us a book that is a great way to encourage the love of reading for both young and old. 

Connections: Children's ebooks vs print.

Book Review #57

 The Little Mushroom

Author: Alexandra Arola
Publisher: Alexandra Arola, 2020
ISBN: ‎978-1735691107

Reading Level: 3-7 years

Main Characters: The Little Mushroom

Plot: The Little Mushroom tries to make friends with the forest animals.

Settings: A forest by a lake.

Genre/Theme/Style: Children's Books, Woodland Animals, Mushrooms, Fungi. 

I Gave This Book 4 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁

Why 4 Roars? The story is simple but a great way for kids to connect to nature. The question that came to mind was, Why is the mushroom trying to make friends with the animals instead of other mushrooms?   

Critical Analysis: The book is full of great illustrations. The illustrations portray a beautiful Fall afternoon by a lake. The art work is lovely and who doesn't love a little mushroom? 

There is also a Finnish edition of the book titled, Pieni Sieni. 

Connections: Fungi for Kids

Book Review #56

 The Good, The Bad, and The Spooky!

Author: Jory John
Illustrator: Pete Oswald
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2021
ISBN: 978-0062954541
Reading Level: 4-8 years

Main Characters: The Bad Seed

Plot: A sunflower seed in a bad mood cannot find a Halloween costume that he likes. He tries to convince everyone that Halloween has to be delayed.  

Settings: Halloween in Bad Seed's neighborhood 

Genre/Theme/Style: Children's Humor, Halloween, Costumes, Trick-or-Treating  

I Gave This Book 4 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁

Why 4 Roars? The book is fun and silly and kids will want to read it, but I thought it was a little too long for younger readers. 

Critical Analysis: Readers will enjoy the positive messages of not stressing over things that should be fun. It's not your costume that counts, but how much you enjoy the holiday. 

Kids will relate to the idea of not having to compete with other people to enjoy themselves and the whimsical humor makes it appealing.

 

"The text cultivates emotion in the botanical protagonist, while the digital illustrations are seeded with funny facial expressions—now with bonus jack-o’-lanterns 

and silly costumes." 

~~ Horn Book Magazine

Connections: Easy Halloween Costume Ideas from Michaels

Meet Me at the Library!

Book Review #55

 Ruby Red 

Author: Kerstin Gier
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 2011 (Audiobook)
ASIN: B0062QRSL0
Narrator: Marisa Calin

Reading Level: 12 to 18 years

Main Characters: Gwyneth Shepherd, her cousin Charlotte, fellow time traveler Gideon, Leslie, Gwyneth’s best friend, and Gwyneth’s Mother.

Plot: Gwyneth unexpectedly inherits the time travel gene instead of her cousin Charlotte. Gwyneth was not prepared for the job. She finds herself unsure of who she can trust in the mist of conspiracy theories, and secret societies.

Settings: London, but the settings change as they move through time.

Genre/Theme/Style: Time Travel, Historical Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy 

I Gave This Book 4 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁

Why 4 Roars? I gave this book 4 roars only because it is not really a stand alone book. It does not have much of an ending. The reader will need to read the other books in the trilogy. However, the entire trilogy is worth reading. If you read it as a stand alone, it will be disappointing.

Critical Analysis: It was great as an audio book series. I liked the English accent of the narrator and moved through it quickly. 

I enjoyed the characters and became attached to them. Murder, mystery, secret societies, and well developed relationships make trilogy a worth while selection. 

   

“As she narrates this fast-paced puzzler, Gwen convincingly conveys the bewilderment, fear and excitement of a teen rooted in the present but catapulted from her school-girl routine into the past. Bell's deft translation captures an engaging heroine with a cell phone and a sense of humor, an emerging romance and a complex, unresolved time-travel mystery spanning four centuries.” 

~~Kirkus Reviews

The book was originally translated from German. I like the idea of reading books by authors from all over the world. It gives the read a wider scope and perspective.    

“Exciting fantasy with lots of wordplay and a pinch of romance. Now the impatient waiting for Volume Two will start.”

~~Westfälische Nachrichten

Connections: The other books in this trilogy are Sapphire Blue (The Ruby Red Trilogy, 2) and Emerald Green (The Ruby Red Trilogy, 3).

Book Review #54

The Pigeon Has to Go to School!

Author: Mo Williams
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children, 2019

ISBN: 978-1368046459
Reading Level: 3 to 5 years
Main Characters: Pigeon 

Plot: Pigeon is back and has to go to school. In typical Pigeon fashion, he is concerned that his head will pop off if he learns too much. Besides, Pigeon already knows everything! And "reading can be hard with one big eye."

Settings: Bright colored, mostly bare, pages that focus the attention on Pigeon.

Genre/Theme/Style: Children's Humor, Picture Books. 
 
I Gave This Book 5 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁

Why 5 Roars? Because who doesn't love Pigeon? And his enthusiasm about school buses cracks me up. It is hard not to see a little bit of Pigeon in all of us from time to time. 

Critical Analysis: The book is lighthearted and fun. Kids can related to Pigeon's fears and anxieties about going to school. 

“Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely 

ease the way."

~~ Kirkus Reviews

Illustrations: Williams uses subtle cues in his illustrations to add to the story. Pigeon becomes smaller in size when he admits that he is scared. These types of additions to the illustrations keep the momentum of the story in line with classical Mo Williams storytelling style. 

Connections: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. by Mo Williams

This book is great for all those little lion cubs starting school! 

Have fun and stay safe!

Book Review #53

 The Okay Witch  

Author: Emma Steinkellner 

Publisher: Aladdin, 2019

ISBN: 978-1534431454 

Reading Level: 8 to 12 years 

Setting: Founder’s Bluff, Massachusetts

Genre/Theme/Style: Graphic Novel, Children's Fantasy

I Gave This Book 3 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁

Why 3 Roars? I wanted to love this book. I thought this graphic novel would be a great selection for young fantasy readers. 

Unfortunally, it was just way too predictable. There was nothing new or interesting to be found. I lost interest quickly and thought it piggybacked off of significantly better stories.

I went back and looked at books like Little Witch by Anna Elizabeth Bennett, Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono, and Dorrie & the Weather-Box by Patricia Coombs, all offering something considerably more original, in my opinion.

“Moth befriends a sassy talking cat, a magical diary transports her to another dimension and she takes the awkward first steps toward learning to fly. Steinkellner 

hits all the checkpoints of

witchcraft-as-coming-of-age-metaphor.”

~~ Jen Wang

Critical Analysis: The story subtly implies that witch hunts were carried out, because witches were not of European decent. The settlers of Founder’s Bluff are represented as white European colonists, but the witches appear to be from many different backgrounds.

This is misleading for young readers and not an accurate portrayal of the history of witch hunts in America. A young reader could be easily mislead into believing that American witch hunts were directed at persons of color. However, it was more correctly considered to be the struggle of the Catholic and Protestant churches, attempting to cleanse their own flock of heresy.

Illustrations: The illustrations are lovely but tell an underlying story that is misleading for young readers with no understanding of American history, which sadly is not "Ok." 

Connections:

“The Salem witch trials and executions came about as the result of a combination of church politics, family feuds, and hysterical children, all of which unfolded in a vacuum of political authority (Wallenfeldt, 2021).”

Work Cited:
Wallenfeldt, J. (2021). Salem witch trials. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Salem-witch-trials.