Zombiekins

We're back after almost a year!

Review by Tintin, age 10

Zombiekins

Author/illustrator: Kevin Bolger/Aaron Blecha
Publisher: Razorbill (6/2010)

Zombiekins Website

Zombiekins is an awesome horror story written by Kevin Bolger about a boy who goes to a witch's house and gets a toy called Zombiekins. One night Zombiekins comes alive. The next day, he starts biting the kids at school and turning them into zombies. My favorite part was when the boy turned the kids back into normal. I would recommend this book to kids who like horror stories with zombies. I would rate this book 5 stars.

Zita the Spacegirl & The Incredible Rockhead

Review by Tintin, age 9

Legends of Zita the Spacegirl
Author/illustrator: Ben Hatke
Publisher: First Second (9/2012)
Genre: Graphic Novel

Legends of Zita the Spacegirl is about a girl who saves the planet Lumponia from star hearts. A robot who is pretending to be the spacegirl is messing things up. I like it because it is an adventurous story. My favorite part was when they used a giant to destroy the star hearts. I will recommend it to kids who like space adventures.

Review by Johnny Boo, age 6

The Incredible Rockhead
Author/illustrator: Scott Nickel/C.S. Jennings
Publisher: Stone Arch Books (8/2012)
Genre: Graphic Novel

Rockhead is about a boy named Chip Stone. In the nurse's office there was a bad guy. He gave him a pill that he doesn't usually take, and it turned him into a rockhead. Chip said, "Rockhead, smash!" His friend turned into someone called Scissorlegz. I liked everything about the book. I would recommend it to people that have rockheads.

Book Review: Invisible Inkling

Review by Tintin, age 9

Invisible Inkling

Author/illustrator: Emily Jenkins/Harry Bliss

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (April 2011)

Hank Wolowitz lives in New York and owns an ice cream shop called The Big Round Pumpkin with his mom, dad, and his sister, Nadia. One day at the shop, Hank feels something under the sink. It feels furry. He finds out it is an animal called a bandapat, and it is invisible and can speak. The bandapat's name is Inkling. Inkling's three favorite foods are squash, pumpkin, and pizza. I liked that the book was silly. My favorite part was when Inkling jumped on Mrs. Cherry. I would recommend this book to children who have invisible friends.

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Johnny Boo (6) says, "My mother read this book to me twice because I liked it so much."

The Big Round Pumpkin is loosely based on Blue Marble, an ice cream shop in Brooklyn. Here are Tintin and Johnny Boo at the Blue Marble stand at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn:

Invisible Inkling, about a boy starting fourth grade without his best friend and dealing with a bully who takes his lunch, is the first book in the Invisible Inkling series. The second book, coming out July 24, is all about Halloween:

Phineas and Ferb and A Platypus' World

Some of us have a small obsession with Phineas and Ferb. At the most recent Scholastic book fair, each boy got a Phineas and Ferb book, as well as a Phineas and Ferb poster to share. Tintin also recently asked for a book on platypuses because he correctly assumed Perry the Platypus was not your average platypus and he wanted to see what they were really like. A couple of reviews:

The Phineas and Ferb Comic Reader #1: Nothing But Trouble
The Phineas and Ferb Comic Reader #2: The Chronicles of Meap
Author: John Green
Publisher: Disney Press (June 2010)
Category: Graphic Novel

The book we actually got from the book fair is two books in one, Nothing But Trouble on one side and The Chronicles of Meap on the other. (We also got Phineas and Ferb's Guide to Life but haven't delved into it enough to review it.) In Nothing But Trouble, Phineas and Ferb experiment with gelatin, but of course something goes wrong and out of a pool of gelatin emerges an enormous gelatin monster. The evil Dr. Doofenschmirtz gets involved and Perry steps in to save the day. In the second part of Nothing But Trouble, Phineas and Ferb and their family explore London. Candace uses Sherlock Holmes's method of deduction to bust her brothers (once and for all). There's a little bit of Big Ben and of course appearances from Dr. Doofenschmirtz and Perry the Platypus.

The Chronicles of Meap is about a cute little alien who has crash-landed in Phineas and Ferb's yard and needs help defeating his evil enemy. Phineas and Ferb (and Perry) come to the rescue and, with the help of the universal mustache translator, Meap can finally show his appreciation.

The boys liked this book so much that I had to hide it to stop them from fighting over it.

And a review by Tintin, age 9:

A Platypus' World

Author/illustrator: Caroline Arnold

Publisher: Picture Window Books (January 2008)

Categories: Picture Book/Nonfiction

In this story it tells about platypuses and their life. It tells about their habitats, prey, enemies, food, and how babies are made. I thought this book was great. I liked how there were little pink platypus babies. My favorite part is how they make the burrows. I would recommend this book to animal lovers.

The Sea of Lost Books, and Our Reading Response Journal

The Sea of Lost Books (Return to the Library of Doom)
Author/illustrator: Michael Dahl/Bradford Kendall
Publisher: Stone Arch Books (August 2010)
Category: Chapter Book

Tintin has a journal in which he writes down the names of the books he's just finished. In the same journal there's a section for him to write book reviews in the form of a letter to me. When he's done I write a letter back to him. Here is our first exchange:



Dear Mommy,

The Sea of Lost Books was about a giant named Atlas, and there was a man named the Librarian. Atlas and the Librarian don't like each other. They fight in battles. I liked when the Specialist saved the Librarian. My favorite part is when the Librarian gets stuck in the book pages. I would recommend this book to children that like monsters.

Sincerely,
(Tintin)

Dear (Tintin),

I'm glad you liked The Sea of Lost Books. I thought it was interesting how Atlas used his letter tattoos as weapons. Even though he had letters tattooed all over his body, I don't think he liked letters very much. If he did, he'd probably use them for good, not evil. I liked how some of the words in the book look like what  they are, like when the word "shadow" has its own shadow and when the word "steps" has steps coming off the "p." It reminded me of the Geronimo Stilton books.

I can't wait to read your next letter!

Love,
Mommy

Check out the rest of the Return to the Library of Doom series (both boys, 9 and 6, love it)!

A Kid's Review: Valentine the Porcupine Dances Funny

Review by Johnny Boo, age 5




















Valentine the Porcupine Dances Funny
Author/illustrator: Derrick Brown/Jenny Lewis
Publisher: Write Fuzzy
Source: The publisher

Valentine the Porcupine is about a radio with a porcupine who says, "Will someone dance with me?" Her momma says, "Strange is cool," and Valentine says, "I believe you, Momma." And then her momma says, "I love you because you're you." My favorite part is when she got a laser that would give homeless people homes and when the blowfish said, "Will someone dance with me?" The pictures are awesome. My favorite picture is when Valentine is holding the blowfish up. I would recommend this book to silly people.

Buy it: Amazon


It took illustrator Jenny Lewis 10 months to cut out, glue and paint every element of every page. Below she demonstrates how Valentine came to be:

5-Year-Old Boy's Review: Hot Hands and the Weirdo Winter

Review by Johnny Boo, age 5

Hot Hands and the Weirdo Winter
Author/illustrator: Derrick Brown/Matthew Carver
Publisher: Write Fuzzy (January 2010)
Source: The publisher

Hot Hands freaks everyone out because her gloves are made out of metal and her hands are fire. A little boy went to school and he fell in love with Margo. The boy made a snowman for Margo because when she builds one the snowman always burns out. I like this book because it's so awesome and great and rockin'. It teaches me that you should be a friend. My favorite part is when the boy met Margo. The art was so great that I freaked out. I would recommend this book to kids who have hot hands.

LitLass's note: Ralph is the new kid at school. Until he meets Margo, or Hot Hands as everyone calls her, he doesn't have any friends. Margo's hands are made out of fire and she's shunned by her classmates because of it. Ralph doesn't care that Margo is different. In fact, he thinks being weird is good (he'd like Johnny Boo). He finds lots of good things about Margo, and about her hot hands. He says to her, "I would never be afraid of the dark if I could carry around the sun!" Together Ralph and Margo learn what it means to be a true friend.

At the end of Hot Hands is a picture of Margo with a blank face. As soon as we finished reading the book the first time, Johnny Boo ran to the office with it and made two copies. Here are his drawings:

Ralph and Margo make a caramel popcorn snowman together. Tintin (8) made our popcorn, Johnny Boo helped make the caramel, and Tintin and I made the snowmen (our recipe). Johnny Boo would have helped with a snowman, but he was nursing his own hot hands after touching the stovetop. He was much better after having his snowman.

Thanks to Write Fuzzy for the book! We'll have a review of another Write Fuzzy book, also by Derrick Brown, up soon.

Find Hot Hands and the Weirdo Winter: Amazon, Write Fuzzy

8-Year-Old Boy's Review: The Diamond Tree & Margaret the Medusa

Reviews by Tintin, age 8

The Diamond Tree
Author: Michael Matson
Publisher: Untreed Reads Publishing (July 2010)
Source: The publisher

The Diamond Tree is about a prince [Prince Dall] who goes on a quest to find the diamond tree to break the spell and turn it back into a princess. Her tears turn into diamonds. He goes to a castle and the angry prince likes riddles, so he gave a riddle to him. And then he solves it and then the Prince of Rage said, "Don't say the name!" And then he ran and then he fell. I like the adventure that [Prince Dall] went on. My favorite part was when the Prince of Rage fell into the moat. My favorite character was the Prince of Rage because he was silly. I would recommend this book to people who like going on scary adventures.

LitLass's note: Prince Dall is the youngest of four brothers. When it comes time to prove himself and win honor, the prince finds out there's nothing left to accomplish. His three older brothers have already defeated the two-headed dragon, the giant, and the evil wizard. Dall soon receives some information from an old woman, however, that convinces him there might just be one more exciting quest left for him. The Diamond Tree has the perfect amount of adventure for an 8-year-old boy and makes for a great read-aloud.

Find it: Amazon (Kindle), The Untreed Reads Store (PDF, EPUB, Palm Reader)

Margaret the Medusa
Author/illustrator: Sunny C. Griffith/L. Aerin Collett
Publisher: Untreed Reads Publishing (February 2011)
Source: The publisher

Margaret the Medusa is about a medusa named Margaret who looks ugly and can't find any friends. I like when Margaret says to the boy, "I can't turn you into stone!" and the boy says, "I'm already in stone. I'm a gargoyle!" And then Margaret and the gargoyle became friends. I like how they made friends. I would recommend this book to people who like ancient monsters.

LitLass's note: Margaret just wants to fit in at school and have friends, but no one likes her. No matter how much she tries to be like everyone else, she's still a medusa, with snakes for hair and eyes that'll turn people into stone if she removes her glasses. Her classmates are scared of her, except for one boy who shows Margaret that it's okay to be herself. Tintin likes anything having to do with Greek mythology, so this one was a winner.

Find it: Amazon (Kindle), The Untreed Reads Store (PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Microsoft Reader)

Thank you to Untreed Reads Publishing for providing these books for review!

The Trouble With Chickens

Review by Tintin, age 8

The Trouble With Chickens: A J.J. Tully Mystery
Author/illustrator: Doreen Cronin/Kevin Cornell
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (March 2011)
Source: NetGalley

The Trouble With Chickens is about two chicks and one chicken and one dog who go on an adventure to find their two missing chicks. Moosh is a chicken that is annoying. She bothers the dog by talking too long. Moosh is very loquacious. J.J. is very taciturn. He used to be a search-and-rescue dog and now he lives on a farm. I like that scary dog at the end because he's silly. I like the adventure they go on. My favorite part is when they tricked Vince. I would recommend this book to kids who like mystery and adventure books.

LitLass's note: As a retired search-and-rescue dog, J.J. Tully longs for another mystery to solve, but not one involving a crazy chicken who runs around "like a chicken without a head." He's approached by Millicent the chicken, also known as Moosh, and reluctantly agrees to help her find her two lost chicks. When his nose leads him to the house, and to inside dog Vince the Funnel, the real adventure begins. The short, humorous chapters (the black-and-white illustrations are fun to look at, too) make this detective book a great read-aloud but also wonderful for both reluctant and not-so-reluctant readers. And Tintin was happy to find out that this is the first in a planned series of J.J. Tully mysteries.

Find it: Amazon (check out the book trailer), IndieBound

To go along with the book, we made our own chicks. We started by dipping cotton balls (with a tweezer) into a cup of water and yellow food coloring:

And then we glued googly eyes and a folded-up piece of orange pipe cleaner to the head, glued the head to the body, and stuck the whole thing in a cleaned-out egg shell:


















We're linking this up with stART, A Crafty Soiree and Kids Get Crafty.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

It seems that someone posted to the blog without my knowing it. I've added a picture.

Review by Tintin, age 8

Harry Potter has many adventures. I think this is a really great book. I think people should read this book because it has magic and magical creatures. Harry Potter is a boy who learns magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I would recommend this book to kids and adults who wish to learn magic.

iPad App Review: The Three Little Pigs

 Review by Johnny Boo, age 5

 













The Three Little Pigs
App developer: Nosy Crow
Price: $7.99 ($1.99 till end-of-day March 3); free lite version
Requirements: Compatible with iPad (will soon be available for iPhone and iPod Touch)

The Three Little Pigs is about a wolf coming in the neighborhood. The pigs were building their houses. And then the wolf couldn't blow down the brick house. I like The Three Little Pigs because it's good and wondrous and wonderful. I like when the wolf hides against the pigs' house in the very beginning. I like to flick the van up. I would recommend this app to kids who like little pigs and kids who are wolves for Halloween.

LitLass's note: I don't think my boys will ever tire of this app. They are of course familiar with the story of The Three Little Pigs, but they've never seen it like this. They can touch the pigs to make them talk, jump or spin; flick the wolf's van to make it jump or flip over (their favorite part); help the pigs build their houses; and help the wolf blow the houses down by blowing into the microphone. They can also tilt the iPad to see more of the scene and zoom in to reveal hidden details. Everything about this app (Nosy Crow's first, by the way) is, as Johnny Boo says, wondrous.

The Three Little Pigs is the first of at least four fairy tale apps from Nosy Crow. The others are Cinderella (summer 2010), Little Red Riding Hood (autumn 2011), and Goldilocks (early 2012). 

March 3 is World Book Day! To celebrate, Nosy Crow is dropping the price of The Three Little Pigs to $1.99 in the U.S. (£1.19 and 1.59 Euros) for one day only. 

Find it: full version, lite version

Disclosure: We received a promo code for this app from Nosy Crow at no cost in exchange for this review.

Midway Monkey Madness

Review by Johnny Boo, age 5

Midway Monkey Madness (DC Super-Pets)
Author/illustrator: Sarah Stephens/Art Baltazar
Publisher: Picture Window Books (January 2011)
Source: e-galley from NetGalley

Midway Monkey Madness is about Gleek and Beppo and Grodd. Gleek and Beppo are super-pets. Grodd is mean to them. Beppo hears crying and Grodd lets the carnival animals get out of their cages. I like this book because it's my favorite book and it's ridiculous, preposterous and lovable. My favorite part is when Grodd locks Beppo and Gleek in the cage. And I also like when Beppo and Gleek throw the cherry on top of Grodd. I would recommend this book to kids who are lovable and like books about animals.

LitLass's note: Written by the author of Bean's Games, the first board book we bought before Tintin's birth, and illustrated by the author/illustrator of the Tiny Titans graphic novels, Midway Monkey Madness is one of six new books about the DC super-pets. With colorful pictures and short chapters, it's just right for reluctant readers. Beppo is Superman's pet and shares his powers, and Gleek belongs to the Wonder Twins, who make an appearance in the book and help the monkeys save carnival-goers from the evil Gorilla Grodd. Johnny Boo really wants the rest of the DC Super-Pets books now, and his 8-year-old brother does as well.

Capstone Kids, which along with Picture Window Books is operated by Capstone Publishers, is having a DC Super-Pets writing contest for 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders. The contest runs until February 28, so I guess have your kid enter if you think he can beat mine.

Oh, and because Beppo, a monkey, loves chocolate-covered bananas, we made our own frozen chocolate-covered bananas:

The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True (The Knights' Tales Series)

 Review by Tintin, age 8

The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True (The Knights' Tales Series)
Author/illustrator: Gerald Morris/Aaron Renier
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (April 18, 2011)
Source: NetGalley

Sir Gawain the True is about a knight who goes on a quest to the Green Chapel. He cuts off the green knight's head. He meets Sir Gologras and Spinagras. Spinagras is a dwarf. Sir Gawain saves people from recreant knights. I like this book because there's fighting in it and there are good people in it. My favorite part is when Sir Gawain cut off the Green Knight's head and then the head talked. I would recommend this book to people who like knight stories and King Arthur stories.

LitLass's note: The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True is the third book in the Knights' Tales Series and the second that Tintin has read. After reading the first (The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great) and now this one, Tintin definitely wants to read the second book, The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short. In the latest book, Morris tells the story of the celebrated Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. As with the previous books in the series, both the text and the illustrations are humorous, even to adults (especially if they're Monty Python and the Holy Grail fans), so this would make for a great read-aloud. Plus, there's a nice little message about loyalty and friendship. And I agree with Tintin, fans of other King Arthur stories would love this book, and the other two in the series.

I asked Tintin to draw a dragon to go along with his review, and this is what he came up with (a dragon with a lion's head and chicken legs):

Little Mouse Gets Ready

Review by Johnny Boo, age 5

Little Mouse Gets Ready
Author/illustrator: Jeff Smith
Publisher: Toon Books (September 2009)

Little Mouse Gets Ready is about a mouse who talks. He put on clothes and his mother said, "What are you doing? Mice don't wear clothes!" I liked this book because it's bookyish. My favorite part is when he takes off his clothes and goes running to the barn. I would recommend this book to silly kids who like mice.

Editor's note: Little Mouse Gets Ready is one of 11 beginning graphic novels put out by Toon Books that are aimed at the preschool and early elementary crowd. This is one of the easier ones (the other Level 1 books are Jack and the Box and Silly Lilly), and although Johnny Boo can read the Level 2 and Level 3 Toon books all on his own, he still loves the little mouse's story, and also enjoys taking turns with me reading the mommy part and the kid part.

To find out more, go to the Little Mouse Gets Ready page at Toon Books, and be sure to check out the Professor Garfield Toon Book Reader, which includes all 11 Toon books, and the Cartoon Maker, which helps your child create his or her own cartoon using Toon Book characters.

And to add to our "bookyish" adventure, we made a felt "Little Mouse," complete with clothes (underwear over pants is funny to 5-year-old boys, for some reason), for our flannel board:

Disclosure: We are an Amazon affiliate, which means that if you click on the first link in this post and purchase anything, we will earn a small commission through our relationship with Amazon.

The Fantastic Mr. Wani

 Review by Tintin, age 7

The Fantastic Mr. Wani
Author/illustrator: Kanako Usui

Mr. Wani is about a crocodile who is invited to the froggies' home. He met some animals along the way and the animals helped him get to the party. He gets to the froggies' home and has a  thrilling  time. I liked this book because it's funny and  the pictures are beautiful. My favorite part is when Mr. Wani bumps into an elephant and there is smoke puffing out of his trunk. I would recommend this book to kids who like madcap books.

Editor's note: Both boys love this book and think it's hilarious. We've read it several times and each time we read about Mr. Wani bumping into the elephant's behind or acting as a sled for the penguins, there are many giggles. By the way, I've introduced the thesaurus to Tintin, in case you couldn't tell.

Here is Tintin's crocodile (or crocolator, actually), drawn the Ed Emberley way*:








* We used Ed Emberley's Big Green Drawing Book.

Johnny Boo and the Mean Little Boy

Review by Johnny Boo, age 4

Johnny Boo and the Mean Little Boy (Book 4)
Author/illustrator: James Kochalka

Johnny Boo and the Mean Little Boy is about Johnny Boo and Squiggle. Johnny Boo and Squiggle are ghosties. Squiggle had to make new friends. The mean little boy comes over and thinks the ghost is a butterfly. Johnny Boo finds Squiggle in a jar. My favorite part is when Johnny Boo lets Squiggle out of the jar. I like this book because it's funny and pleasurous. The funny part is when the mean little boy pees in his pants and he changes his pants. I would recommend this book to hilarious kids and funny kids.

Editor's note: My Johnny Boo doesn't know it yet, but Johnny Boo Does Something! (Book 5) is coming out in August. I think I'll wait until July to tell him about it – otherwise I'll be hearing "Is it August yet? How about tomorrow?" every day for the next several months.


And to show you what a completist he is, here he is with his Johnny Boo collection, including Owly and Friends from 2008 and 2009 (we still need the one from 2010):

Flip-a-Word Books and a Giveaway

Johnny Boo's favorite books when he was learning to read were the Flip-a-Word books by Harriet Ziefert and Yukiko Kido. He couldn't get enough of them then, and he still enjoys reading them now, even though he's on to more-advanced books.

Each Flip-a-Word book focuses on three word families:

• Crab Cab (the ot family, the ab family, the it family)
• Pig Wig (the ig family, the ug family, the at family)
• Quack Shack (the ack family, the ick family, the ock family)
• Snake Cake (the ake family, the oat family, the ant family)
• Snow Bow (the eet family, the ate family, the ow family)
• Stop Pop (the op family, the un family, the an family)
• Wet Pet (the et family, the ed family, the am family)

Review by Johnny Boo, age 4

Flip-a-Word: Snake Cake
Author/illustrator: Harriet Ziefert/Yukiko Kido
Publisher: Blue Apple Books

Snake Cake is about a snake, a cake, a rake, a goat, a boat, a coat, an ant, a plant and a slant. My favorite part is when the goat is in a coat and the goat floats on a boat. I like this book because it's funny and recommended. I think the pictures are fantastic because they're nicely painted. I would recommend this book to kids who like fantastic and enormous* books.

*Editor's note: If by enormous he means "able to carry in one's medium-sized purse..."

Johnny Boo modeled his own mini flip-a-word book after Flip-a-Word: Pig Wig and turned a rug...:

...into a bug:


















Of course, he told me that these words are too easy for him now and requested that we make a book with harder words (he suggested "comet" and "vomit," but I don't think those will work).

And now, a giveaway! I have an extra hardcover copy of Flip-a-Word: Stop Pop to send to one of my readers.

Here's a little blurb from the publisher:

Turn the pages to see new words and pictures appear before your very eyes! 

Bold illustrations and die-cut pages add special kid appeal and guarantee success for beginning readers. Learning how to read has never been so much fun!

To enter, just leave a comment telling me your favorite book for beginning readers. Also, follow and subscribe to my blog. Or not. I'll use random.org to pick the winner. Giveaway probably ends December 2, 2010. Residents of the U.S. and Canada only.

Dec. 3 Update: Giveaway is almost over. I've decided to let Johnny Boo pick from a hat, so I'll accept comments until that happens.

Dec. 5 Update: We have a winner, picked by a blindfolded Johnny Boo. Congrats to Danelle, whose comment was "My favorite first book to read is Good Night Moon. I also like Baby Baby Baby."

Green Books Campaign: Erik's Enigma (Ranger in Danger)

From Eco-Libris:

This review is part of the Green Books campaign. Today 200 bloggers take a stand to support books printed in an eco-friendly manner by simultaneously publishing reviews of 200 books printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper. By turning a spotlight on books printed using eco-friendly paper, we hope to raise the awareness of book buyers and encourage everyone to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books. 

The campaign is organized for the second time by Eco-Libris, a green company working to make reading more sustainable. We invite you to join the discussion on "green" books and support books printed in an eco-friendly manner! A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on the Eco-Libris website.

Review by Tintin, age 7

Ranger in Danger: Erik's Enigma
Authors/illustrator: Sean Willmore and Alison Reynolds/Andrew Hopgood
Publisher: Five Mile Press
Printed on 100% recycled paper.

Erik's Enigma is about two rangers who go on different adventures in Scandinavia. This book is a Decide Your Destiny book. That means you get to pick different adventures. Ranger in Danger goes to Scandinavia because he is going to help Rigmor, another ranger, find a Viking named Erik. They think he is doing bad things to the environment. I like this book because I got to choose my own pages and find different endings. My favorite part was when Ranger in Danger's tongue stuck to the ice. I would recommend this book to kids who like to read about rangers and kids who like to save animals.

LitLass's notes: Tintin loves this kind of book and wants to collect them all. Here are the rest of the books in the Ranger in Danger series:

• Diablo's Doom (set in Africa)
• Hernando's Labyrinth (set in South America)
• King Cobra's Curse (set in India)
• Rapscallion's Revenge (set in Australia)
• Takama's Tyranny (set in the Pacific)

And some cool facts we learned from Erik's Enigma:

1. Your tongue will stick to ice if you lick it.
2. A musk ox will attack you if you take a picture of it.
3. About 100 people can fit inside a blue whale's mouth.

A couple of activities to go along with the book:

Since this is a Decide Your Destiny book, we turned a walk at our local nature preserve into our own Decide Your Destiny adventure. Our mini rangers chose which paths to take, but they faced many dangers: sharp cacti, red (blood-stained?) leaves, poisonous berries, protruding limbs threatening to trip them, secret messages scrawled on the wood railings leading to the "Dragon Tower." Fortunately, we made it back safely, but who knows what could have happened if we had chosen a different trail.

Safe and sound back at home, we made Viking helmets. According to Erik's Enigma, Vikings didn't wear horned helmets in battle; the horns were popularized in the 19th century to attract operagoers. So here are the boys, sporting their hornless Viking helmets (which might also double as stay-put yarmulkes come Passover).

To make them, I put an old t-shirt around their heads and duct-taped around their foreheads. I then cut off the extra t-shirt material that was below their foreheads and we duct-taped the rest. They added some gold duct tape for decoration.

Now that you've gotten through this review, please go to the Eco-Libris website to find reviews from the 199 other bloggers participating in the Green Books campaign today. Of course, feel free to comment here first.

The Snowy Day – A Kid's Review

On October 7, the boys and I read The Snowy Day, along with everyone else who participated in Jumpstart's Read for the Record. We read the book online at We Give Books, which ended up donating about 40,000 books (one for each book read online) to preschool classes in low-income communities across America.

Here is Tintin's review:

The Snowy Day
Author/illustrator: Ezra Jack Keats

The Snowy Day is about a boy named Peter who plays on a snowy day. He makes a snowman and he puts a snowball in his pocket. The next day it's gone and he feels sad. There's more snow the next day, so he can make another one. My favorite part was when he dreamed that the snow melted away. I liked this book because it has snow in it and I like to play with snow. I would recommend this book to kids who like snow books.


And because it's barely even fall here in Texas, we decided to make a frozen treat to go along with the book. Pumpkin shaved ice, sweetened with agave nectar (not my favorite, but according to the boys, it was better than french fries but not as good as ice cream):

We're linking this up with the Book Lovers' Blog Hop at Story Time Under the Stars and Read-Aloud Thursday at Hope Is the Word.

Cookie's Week – A Kid's Review

Review by Johnny Boo, age 4

 Cookie's Week
Author/illustrator: Cindy Ward/Tomie dePaola

Cookie's Week is about a cat named Cookie. Cookie is a cat that does silly things. On Monday he fell in the toilet. On Tuesday Cookie upset the trash can. On Wednesday Cookie ran into the closet before the door closed. On Thursday Cookie dressed up like a princess. On Friday Cookie went into the vanishing room. The vanishing room is where you sing songs. On Saturday Cookie climbed the curtains. There's no Sunday. I like this book because it's sweet and cute. My favorite part is when Cookie ran into the closet. I would recommend this book to kids who like days-of-the-week books.

Editor's note: This review was dictated from memory and therefore should not be considered 100 percent accurate. Oh, and sorry, girls, the princess thing? Never happened. And I'm not sure where the heck the idea of a vanishing room came from, but I want one.


Johnny Boo's cat, a chalk drawing inspired by I Can Draw Animals, by Ray Gibson:

And another cat, inspired by How to Draw a Sailing Cat and 99 Other Adventurous Things, by Joy Sikorski:

Tintin (7) felt a little left out, so here's his drawing:

We're linking up with Our Little Masterpieces at Welcome to Our Wonderland, The Book Lovers' Blog Hop at Story Time Under the Stars, Kids Get Crafty at Red Ted's Art Blog, stART at A Mommy's Adventures, and Read-Aloud Thursday at Hope Is the Word.