This is really a 3.5 for me. The beginning is actually kind of scary. Page 3 has this big mustached circus conductor yelling ferociously at the boat's captain, and then the boat freaking sinks leaving a bunch of animal swimming in the ocean. Kind of dark for kiddy books. Also, I read the last...
Audience:The audience for the book is primary elementary. I think it would best fit third grade.Appeal: I think boys and girls would find this interesting since it contains circus animals. It takes place in the sea and on an island which also appeals to children who may not have experience knowin...
Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit (Kindergarten-2nd grade students)Randy Riley is a genius; he is great at math and a science whiz. He also loves baseball, but he’s just not very good at it. He misses the ball every time. One day after striking out in baseball, Randy Riley returns to his room to study...
I used to dream about what I'd have in a house as a kid. The fact that this boy is "bringing" his mom through the different rooms as if they're there is like he's living the dream. Flying room? room on top of a tower with an enormous slide? The illustrations make it feel real, too. It inspired a ...
Hugo is a king who is excessively arrogant, and is eventually cursed by a witch so that his head would grow physically larger with each egotistical thing he said about himself. His head becomes massive, and he demands the witch remove the curse. When she explains why she put it on him, he claims ...
Mr. Magee and his trusty dog, Dee, are enjoying a peaceful camping trip when all of a sudden they find themselves plunging down a mountain and teetering on the edge of a huge waterfall! How will they find their way out of this slippery situation? Chris Van Dusen, the creator of Down to the Sea wi...
Art, Rhymes, Story - It All Comes TogetherYou know, with kids' picture books you hardly ever get the whole package. There can be beautiful or at least interesting illustrations, but strained and practically amateurish writing and story telling. Or you get a great story, but the drawings are eithe...