Books of the Week: The Dragon of Doom; Mother & Son Tales; My Father's Dragon; Pearl and Wagner

Here are our favorites from last week:

Tintin, age 8

The Dragon of Doom (Moongobble and Me)
Author/illustrator: Bruce Coville/Katherine Coville
Publisher: Aladdin (January 2005)
Source: Public library

In part 1 of a trilogy, Young Edward gets a job helping Moongobble the Magician, who happens to need a lot of help, seeing as how all of his spells keep turning things into cheese. When Moongobble fails to prove he is good enough to join the Society of Magicians, the head of the society gives him one more chance: Moongobble must face the Dragon of Doom and bring back the Golden Acorns of Alcoona. Edward, of course, insists on coming along, but can he help the magician before being turned into cheese?

Tintin's note: My favorite part was when they found out that the Dragon of Doom was little.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

The Barefoot Book of Mother and Son Tales
Author/illustrator: Josephine Evetts-Secker/Helen Cann
Publisher: Barefoot Books (February 1999)
Source: Public library

Ten tales of mothers and sons from around the world are retold in this book. Each tale tells of the bond between mother and son. There are giantesses and ogres, a goddess and a genie. And boys named Snot-Nose and Cinderello. At the end of the book is a notes section, which covers such topics as the mother-son bond, the mother and luck, separation, and recurring symbols. Tintin has enjoyed listening to me read these tales to him, but he's also brought the book up to his room to read by himself.

Tintin's note: My favorite story was "Snot-Nose" because he kept doing funny things with the ogres.

Find it: Amazon

Johnny Boo, age 5

Three Tales of My Father's Dragon
Author/illustrator: Ruth Stiles Gannett/Ruth Chrisman Gannett
Publisher: Random House (1998)
Source: Home library

Originally published between 1948 and 1951, these three tales--My Father's Dragon, Elmer and the Dragon, and The Dragons of Blueland--tell the story of Elmer Elevator and his new friend, Boris the flying dragon. Elmer has always wanted to fly. When a stray cat tells him of a flying dragon in a faraway land, Elmer sets off to find the dragon, save him from his captors, and fly off with him. Elmer goes through a lot to save the poor dragon, but once he finally does the adventure is not yet over. They face a terrible storm and are forced to land on Feather Island, where the king is dying of the island disease, and they must save Boris's family, who are trapped in a cave. I read this with Tintin a couple of years ago, and it became one of his favorite books. Now Johnny Boo has fallen in love with it, as I knew he would.

Johnny Boo's note: I thought My Father's Dragon was great and awesome because I like when his father rescued the dragon because it was a good part and the people who saw the dragon freaked out.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Pearl and Wagner: Two Good Friends
Author/illustrator: Kate McMullan/R.W. Alley
Publisher: Dial (September 2003); Grosset & Dunlap (September 2011)
Source: Public library

Pearl and Wagner are best friends. In each of this book's three chapters, they prove what good friends they really are, whether they are losing together at the science fair or making up with each other after one hurts the other's feelings. Not only is this a good book about friendship, it's also one that boosts Johnny Boo's confidence in reading.

Johnny Boo's note: I like when Pearl said, "Do you like my new green boots, Wagner?" It was great and awesome.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Books of the Week: Disney's Storybook Collection; The Companions; Fortunately, Unfortunately; Ricky Vargas: The Funniest Kid in the World

Here are our favorites from last week:

Tintin, age 8 & Johnny Boo, age 5

Disney's Storybook Collection
Editor/designer: Nancy Parent/Todd Taliaferro
Publisher: Disney Enterprises, Inc. (1998)
Source: Public library

Disney's Storybook Collection includes 23 Disney stories, starting with "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and ending with "Three Little Pigs." With colorful illustrations and gilded pages (a plus for Johnny Boo), the collection makes for a great read-aloud, although both boys insisted on reading it themselves.

Tintin's note: I like Disney's Storybook Collection because it has lots of good adventures and it's cartoony.

The Companions
Author/illustrator: Lygia Bojunga-Nunes
Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux (November 1989)
Source: Public library

Three animals meet and become fast friends. One has been abandoned and the other two have run away. The rabbit is afraid of being alone again and can hardly believe his luck when he finally finds others who want to be around him. But the animals' fun doesn't last long--the dog is found and brought back to her owner and the bear is caught and brought back to the zoo, where he falls in love with a selfish zebra. The Companions is a touching story of friendship that shows just how much these three friends will risk to stay together.

Tintin's note: I like how they became friends, and it shows a lot of friendship.


Johnny Boo, age 5

Fortunately, Unfortunately
Author/illustrator: Michael Foreman
Publisher: Andersen Press (January 2011)
Source: Public library

A monkey named Milo is asked by his mother to take an umbrella back to his grandmother. Unfortunately, several things go wrong along the way to Granny's house, such as when it begins to rain and when Milo falls off a cliff, gets swallowed by a whale, lands in a lost world atop a volcano, etc. But fortunately a lot of good things happen to Milo, too, and he finally ends up at Granny's house. The umbrella's a little beat up, but at least he gets to eat cake and enjoy it with some friends he made on his adventure. Johnny Boo had me read this over and over again. Fortunately, it was so good that I didn't mind.

Johnny Boo's note: I think the whole book was good and marvelous.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Ricky Vargas: The Funniest Kid in the World
Author/illustrator: Alan Katz/Stacy Curtis
Publisher: Scholastic (June 2011)
Source: Scholastic book fair/home library

Ricky Vargas is a funny kid. Funny enough to make kids snort milk out of their noses, even when they're not drinking milk. Ricky is funny at the spelling bee, during class picture time, and when he creates a new language, but he quickly learns that it's not always good to be funny. With three short stories and illustrations that take up much of each page, Ricky Vargas is perfect for readers who aren't quite ready for (or are sometimes intimidated by) longer chapter books.

Johnny Boo's note: I liked it so much that I laughed.

Books of the Week – November 13, 2010

Here are our favorites from the past week:

Tintin, age 7

Wayside School Is Falling Down
Author: Louis Sachar

Wayside School Is Falling Down is the sequel to Sideways Stories From Wayside School, which Tintin read not too long ago. It's just as funny and weird as the first book, with each chapter focusing on a different student from the 30th floor of the school (which has one classroom on each floor, and no 19th floor, although there are three chapter 19s). Tintin's favorite part is when the lunch lady's mysterious food makes one boy kiss the teacher, who is really into gravity and not afraid to throw a brand-new computer out the window to teach her kids about it.

The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales
Author/illustrator: David Lubar

Speaking of weird, The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies is that, plus, as the title says, warped and creepy. Lubar's fourth short-story collection is really for ages 10 and up, but we've been reading it together on and off and Tintin really likes it (and not just because of the word "Weenies" in the title, although that helps). I think we'll have to reread this one in another few years, though, because I think it will take Tintin that long to fully appreciate the sections at the end of the book, in which the author talks about how he got his ideas and provides discussion questions and activities to go along with his stories.

Johnny Boo, age 4

We Are in a Book!
Author/illustrator: Mo Willems

Finally, we got a copy of Mo Willems's newest Elephant & Piggie book, which we had on hold at the library ever since we first found out about it. Johnny Boo loves Gerald (the elephant) and Piggie so much that just yesterday he had a tantrum when I didn't buy him a four-book set of Elephant & Piggie books, even though he already owns two of the books in the set. As usual, he loved taking turns with me reading the two characters' parts (he especially enjoyed reading Gerald's lines this time). This would make a great bedtime book for kids (but maybe not for parents) because they have Elephant & Piggie's permission to read the book over and over again.

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Green
Author/illustrator: Keith Baker

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Green is the first in a series of four books about two fun-loving alligators. After finishing all of the George and Martha stories, I was excited to find a similar series for Johnny Boo. In this book, with stories about camping, pancakes and the county fair, emerging readers will find lots of examples of descriptive prose and learn lots of different shades of green (apple green, lime green, screaming green, olive green, mint green, shamrock green). Johnny Boo especially likes the pancake story. How can you not like an alligator who, after eating 100 pancakes, says, "I'll eat just one slice of chocolate cake now...And save the others for after lunch"?


We're linking this post up with Little Sprout Books, Kid Konnection at Booking Mama, and What My Child Is Reading at Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.

Books of the Week – October 16, 2010

Here are our favorites from the past week:

Tintin, age 7

Usborne Greek Myths for Young Children
Author/illustrator: Heather Amery/Linda Edwards

Usborne Greek Myths for Young Children is the perfect book for kids who've just gotten into mythology and are eager to learn more. Full of gods and goddesses, heroes and monsters, this was a book Tintin couldn't put down (not even for a trip to the grocery store). We're putting this one on Tintin's wish list – I have a feeling he and his brother will be going back to it often.

Little Bear, You're a Star
Author/illustrator: Jean Marzollo

Little Bear, You're a Star is a simplified retelling of the Greek myth of Callisto and her son, Arcas, and how they became the constellations Ursa Major and Minor. This is a great book for young children, even before they're ready for the Usborne book, which doesn't include this myth. As Marzollo explains, children should be encouraged to read more detailed versions of this myth as they grow older. For children Tintin's age and younger, however, this is a cute introduction that includes a chorus of birds at the bottom of each page who offer a running commentary about what's going on.

Johnny Boo, age 4

George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends
Author/illustrator: James Marshall

In this book are 35 stories of lovable hippo friends George and Martha, as well as a foreword by Maurice Sendak and appreciations by Marc Brown, Jack Gantos, Susan Meddaugh, Nicole Rubel, Coleen Salley, Jon Scieszka and David Wiesner. Johnny Boo (and Tintin too) loves reading about the humorous situations George and Martha get themselves into (like when George finally can't take any more of  the pea soup Martha keeps serving to him and pours it into his shoes rather than telling his best friend how much he dislikes it). Johnny Boo has gotten out all of the George and Martha books he could find at the public library and was overjoyed when I found this one at his brother's elementary school library. Needless to say, this one is already on the wish list.

Pearl and Wagner: Three Secrets
Author/illustrator: Kate McMullan/R.W. Alley 

In another easy-to-read book about best friends, Pearl the rabbit and Wagner the mouse visit an ice cream factory and an amusement park. While there they learn valuable lessons about sharing secrets and feelings with a close friend. After reading this book, Johnny Boo is looking forward to finding the other books in the series: Pearl and Wagner: Two Good Friends; Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day; and Pearl and Wagner: Four Eyes.

We're linking this up with What My Child Is Reading at Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns, Kid Konnection at Booking Mama, and Kids' Picks at 5 Minutes for Books.

Books of the Week – September 11, 2010

Here are our favorites from the past week. The list includes one book each that the boys read alone, one each that they read to me, one each that I (or their dad) read to them, and one that they read together.

Tintin, age 7

Magic Tree House #25: Stage Fright on a Summer Night
Author/illustrator: Mary Pope Osborne/Sal Murdocca

In Stage Fright on a Summer Night, Jack and Annie visit England and star in a play put on by William Shakespeare himself. Tintin sped through this one and learned that Shakespeare contributed more words and phrases to the English language than anyone else. He loved that there was a list of some of them at the end of the book.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Author/illustrator: Roald Dahl/Quentin Blake

I don't want to reveal any spoilers here, but let's just say there's this boy named Charlie and some golden tickets and a lot of chocolate. Tintin's biggest wish is to live near a river of chocolate, so I knew this would be a hit. And, did you know that it's Roald Dahl Month? This is the second of three books Tintin is reading for the Reading Dahlathon (the first was The Vicar of Nibbleswicke), which ends in December.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Author: J.K. Rowling

Wizards, secret entrances, and Wonka-like candy – what more could a 7-year-old boy want in a book? Note that this is the British edition, as are all of our other Harry Potter books (yes, we're Anglophiles), so not only is Tintin reading a great book, but he's also learning the difference between British and American English.




Johnny Boo, age 4

Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever
Author/illustrator: Jay Lynch/Dean Haspiel

Another great TOON book (see this review for more), Mo and Jo is about siblings who become superheroes and must learn to work together to conquer evil. This one's a little more advanced than the other TOON books Johnny Boo has read, but since he read it three times in a row the other morning and has been quoting it ever since, I guess that's not a problem for him.

I Spy Fly Guy!
Author/illustrator: Tedd Arnold

In I Spy Fly Guy! Buzz goes looking for his pet fly and thinks he's lost him forever. The Fly Guy books are easy, and funny, reads for Johnny Boo – if you're looking for good first chapter books that will get kids excited about reading, these are them.

The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh
Author/illustrator: A.A. Milne/Ernest H. Shepard

A silly old bear and his friends get stuck in silly situations. Once we can actually get him into bed, Johnny Boo loves hearing about what happens in the Hundred Acre Wood, plus it's one of my favorites.





Buddy Reading

We Both Read: The Frog Prince
Author/illustrator: Sindy McKay/George Ulrich

In this adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, the parent or, in this case, Tintin, reads the more difficult left side and the child (Johnny Boo) reads the easier right side. I try to have the boys share reading time at least once a week, and the We Both Read series is perfect for that (and helps a lot with that taking turns thing that siblings sometimes have trouble with).