Have you seen my cat?

I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good,

Book review on "Have you seen my cat?" by Eric Carle.

This book is very simple and is highly recommended for babies to about three to four years old. A kid is searching for his cats, asking different types of people if they have seen his cat. These people are of different ethnicities and come from different places in the world, so they point at big cats that seem to match where they are from. Such as jaguars, pumas, or even a persian cat. The child eventually finds his cat and it turns out it is a bunch of cats he was looking for.

Definitely a book for the cat lovers! The pictures are very different than in most books, so I feel this would be appealing to babies because they look textured. I think this book is good for the kids just learning to read to because the book is predictable and they can keep up with it!

Mischief Managed.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good,

Book review on "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!" by Mo Willems.

This book starts with the bus driver leaving and telling the read not to let the pigeon drive the bus. The book then goes through the pigeon begging the reader to drive the bus, he begs, freaks out, and tries all different ways to try and convince the reader to let him do it. The bus driver then returns and thanks the reader, then he leaves. The end of the book has the pigeon seeing a truck and wanting to drive it.

I think this book is a good book for the younger ages, it is adorably written and very simple. I love how it's showing the pigeon begging us but we still don't allow it. It's like showing the reader how to follow rules almost and that's what I really liked about it.

Mischief Managed.

Bullies Never Win

I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good,

Book review on "Bullies Never Win" by Margery Cuyler.

This book is about a girl named Jessica who is always worried, she is worried about her socks matching and her knobby knees. Her biggest worry in first grade was Brenda Bailey, the perfect girl at school. This girl made fun of Jessica's knobby knees, made fun of how she played kick ball, and made fun of her when her mom packed her brother's lunchbox for her. Brenda is the bully in school and she has gotten Jessica down, even to the point of eating with Jessica's friends and having her eat alone. Jessica talks to her mom about it and she tells her what she should do and how she should stick up for herself. Jessica goes back to school and gets made fun of by Brenda again, but Jessica sticks up for herself and that takes Brenda by surprise! Then there was no more bullying for Jessica!

Evaluation:
This book is highly recommended for the older ages, such as ten to fourteen! I think those entering the higher grades could really use this book because it is important for them to know how they could get rid of bullies since they tend to exist a lot. I think this is a good book to show them that bullies can be gotten rid of, they just really need to stand up for themselves!

Mischief Managed.

Little Cub

I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good,

Book review of "Little Cub"  by Olivier Dunrea.

This book is about a little cub and an old bear who both live on their own. They are both tired of living on their own, but there isn't really anything they can do about it. The little cub wants to catch fish, wants to get honey but is scared of the bees. The little cub doesn't want to be alone at night either. Here's the thing, the old bear does all of that. He catches a big fish but can't eat it all and wants someone to share it with. He eats honey every morning but he has no one to share it with. He goes out and hears a noise behind a rock and it's the little cub, he picks him up and decides to call him little cub and he wants to take him in. The little cub is taken to his house and together they live, old bear telling him bed time stories and ready to do all the stuff he wants to do.

I thought this book was really cute, it basically shows the importance of having someone in your life. This isn't just friends, it's also talking about family. It's very adorable and I think it would make a good bed time story for younger kids. They would be able to follow how little cub can't do all this stuff but old bear can!

Mischief Managed.

Olivia and the Fairy Princesses

I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good,

Book review of "Olivia and the Fairy Princesses" by Ian Falconer

This book is about Olivia the pig, and she is talking about how princesses aren't special anymore because for everything she's been to the girls(and sometimes boys) dress up as princesses. She went to a birthday party and everyone was dressed as princesses but her. She went to a ballet class and everyone was auditioning for the fairy princess role but her. She went to a halloween party and everyone was dressed as fairy princesses while she was dresses as a wart hog. She was always dressing up as something different and she felt wanting to be a princess wasn't something original anymore. She is trying to go to sleep, and she can't because she is too busy thinking about what to do about this situation. She decides that instead of being a princess, she wants to be a queen.

I thought this book was so cute and I actually want to share this with my children's literature class. I have this obsession with Olivia the pig anyways, because I share her name. I have just always loved Olivia because she shows children to do something different and to dare to be different.

Mischief Managed.

Under My Hood I Have A Hat

I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good,

Book review of "Under My Hood I Have A Hat" by Karla Kuskin.

This book is about a little kid who is pretty much prepared for the snow outside, and is wearing a ton of layers just for that. The kid has a hood, a hat, then flat hair. She also has a coat and a red sweater and a blue sweater. She has a scarf, or a muffler as she calls it, gloves and mittens. She has on two pairs of pants, boots, shoes, and socks on. It ends with her outside with her puppy and saying she cannot fall because she is unable to move with all the layers on.

I thought this book was quite adorable especially for really young ages. I think it shows them how they should dress for winter weather so they don't get sick, and it is very simply written for little kids. I think this would be the perfect winter book to read to children before bed or before it snows.

Mischief Managed.

moni the pony

I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good,

Book review of "Noni the Pony" by Alison Lester.

This is a story about a pony named Noni who is best friends with a cat named Coco and a dog named Dave. She likes to eat apple, carrots, and hay and the cows like to watch her as she trots and prances around the field. She also kicks with hens and ducks and at night she gets scared of the leaves that rustle in the forest. At the end of the day, she falls asleep with her two best friends and is happy as can be.

I really enjoyed this book because it was simple, definitely for the younger ages. I think a five year old would love this book! It has good, simple pictures and it also has rhyming! I personally love children's books that rhyme and this does just that. I also like that it shows the true meaning of friendship also! Definitely a recommendation for the little kids!

Mischief Managed.

cock-a-doodle-hoo!

I solemnly Swear I am Up To No Good,

Review of "Cock-a-doodle-hoo!" by Nick Manning:

An owl wanted a warm place to stay, so he found it. He woke up surrounded by hens who were all shocked he was in there. The hens decided to test him, but he couldn't peck like a hen or scratch, and he especially couldn't cock-a-doodle like a hen either. There was one hen who decided she would teach him how to be a hen, but even when he learned a lot of things that hens do, the others were still not impressed. The little owl still couldn't cock-a-doodle like them! Then one hen was freaking out because there was a rat in the barn eating their food! The owl went in and did he owl thing, he gobbled up the rat! Once the hens saw what he did, they accepted him and he became a part of them!

This book is adorably illustrated and I love the way it is laid out. I would have probably enjoyed it more if there was some rhyming in it, but I like the way the hens finally did accept him even though the owl was different than they were. I loved the lesson of accepting others no matter what they look like, there is something special about them!

Mischief Managed.

The Watson's Go to Birmingham-1963 Review

The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963

by Christopher Paul Curtis

Summary- “The Watsons go to Birmingham” by Christopher Paul Curtis is a story narrated by a young boy named Kenny. The parents are Daniel and Wilona Watson, and they have three children Byron who is thirteen and ten year old Kenny, and their little sister Joetta who is five. As any normal brothers Byron and Kenny give each other a hard time but when it comes to defending each other in the end they are there for each other. Byron constantly causing problems for the family as a young delinquent forcing his parents to plan a trip to mommas’ old home in Birmingham, Alabama to whip in into shape. While in Birmingham they witness a church bombing that almost took the life of the youngest child Joetta. Bringing the family into a new reality and bringing them closer together.

Evaluation- This story is narrated by a nine year old, he tells all about his adventures with his family whom is referred to as “The Weird Watsons.” This is a very good read and laid out in a very simple way. This story is split up into these different events that sort of shape each character and what makes the family who they are. I love that the author combined these historically important events with a bit of family problems that are hilarious. There are so many hilarious parts to this book, one I loved and feel kids would love was the part where they were de-icing the car. Kenny was doing the right thing, while Byron decided to admire himself in the mirror, when he kissed his reflection…his lips got stuck! Oh man, I was laughing like a hyena! The author really focuses on family ties as one of the main themes of the book. Along with the historical problems the country is facing the reader also see's the problems of the Watson family. Curtis has the reader feeling what the characters in the story are feeling, whether good or bad.

                I feel that the reader is really engaged with these characters and the book itself, so once the book takes a turn in events, it’s almost a tragedy/dramatic story now. I feel this book engages adults, especially young kids because it looks at historical tragedies a little differently, it shows this bombing in a personal experience that most books do not. As I read this book, and got further into the tragedy during this Civil Rights Movement, I was tearing up.  Those four little girls that died, that part really got to me. I had grown into these characters, that it was hard to see all this happening to them.

                I believe that this book is perfect for the middle school age, all the way up to adulthood. I think it would be great to have in the middle school library. I feel like almost everyone could relate to this book, especially children. I feel it shows that growing up is always hard, it doesn’t matter what time period you’re in. I really enjoyed this story and it was one that grew on me!