And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street

And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss

A little boy concocts a wild tale.

Mom's Review: Another one by Dr. Seuss. OK, so apparently it's not Dr. Seuss that I don't care for, it's The Cat in the Hat. And ya know what? I never would have realized that if it wasn't for Abby. I like this book a lot. The rhymes are fun and the boy's imagination is epic. However, I still do not like Dr. Seuss' illustrations. There's nothing really wrong with them, I was just never really found them appealing.

Daughter's Review: I liked it because of the thing. The mechanical thing.

Puss in Boots

Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault Illustrated by Fred Marcellino


The tale of the smart cat who wore a pair of boots.

Mom's Review: OK, I'll admit it, I became curious about the origins of Puss from the Shrek movies. Sue me. Sure, I've heard of Puss, but not until Shrek was I curious of his past. I really like this book because (in my best Abby impression): I like cats and I like pretty pictures. Puss is one clever cat. Yeah, he's manipulative and sneaky, but whatever. He's a talking cat. In boots. Would I recommend it for your kiddos? Difficult to say. Read it yourself first. It's definitely written at a level more advanced than what a five-year-old can comprehend. Also, Puss kills a bunny (Abby thought that was awesome... should I be concerned?!), there are some nasty threats(Puss threatens to turn some working people into sausage meat if they don't comply with his wishes). Overall, I like this book, the illustrations are absolutely stunning. If you don't want to read it to your child, at least show him/her the pictures and make up your own words. They're that appealing.

Daughter's Review: I liked it because I like pusses. That's it.

Good Morning, Chick

Good Morning, Chick by Mirra Ginsburg pictures by Byron Barton

A little chick is born and faces farm life.

Mom's Review: This is one of Abby's selections. Primarily a picture book, it's not too bad for a quick read. It's very simplistic, but still entertaining. True, it seems to be for younger kids, but Abby was intrigued. While I wouldn't purchase it, we will probably check it out of the library again.

Daughter's Review: I liked it because I like animals. But not the chick. The chick was weird.

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon

The tale of a chain reaction of a mosquito's buzzing.

Mom's Review: Not one of my favorite books. It's one of those chain reaction things that you hope will have a really cool conclusion. Except it doesn't. And an owlet is killed by a falling monkey. (Skipped that sentence while reading, but the child still picked up on it.)Avoid this book. In my opinion, you don't want a children's book to have dead baby animals in it. Despite the Caldecott Medal, the artwork didn't do much for me.

Daughter's Review: I liked it because I like animals.

Song and Dance Man

Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman illustrated by Stephen Gammell

A Grandpa who used to be a vaudeville performer entertains his grandchildren before dinner.

Mom's Review:
Seriously, I love this book. I think parts of it were lost on Abby; we need to discuss some concepts such as "the good old days" and what exactly vaudeville is. For me, however, I loved it for a few reasons: 1. I love the idea of climbing up into an attic to finding treasures. We had an attic in our old house. We didn't have any treasure. One of my goals in life: have a fun attic for grandchildren (no pressure, Abby!) to explore. Also, it must contain at least one of the following items: a sewing dummy, a large hope chest, a map that leads to pirate's gold; however, the gold must end up saving the town from demolition. (Goonies never say die!) 2. Vaudeville is completely enchanting to me. 3. Seriously? This is a Grandpa who can still shake his money-maker? Awesome!
I think this book is more for adults who have a fondness for the past. (Um, hello! That's me!)That being said, kids can still enjoy it. What kid wouldn't want to see a grandparent sing and dance?
This book won the Caldecott Medal, so the pictures are pretty captivating as well.


Daughter's Review: I liked it because I like dancing. That's it.

Horton Hears a Who!

Horton Hears a Who! by Dr. Seuss


The title explains it all.

Mom's Review: My view of Dr. Seuss was made perfectly clear not too long ago. My daughter, sensing my dislike of Seuss' writing, decided to check out approximately five books by the fine "doctor." She likes to keep her Mommy agitated in every way possible. I will eat crow and announce that I have discovered a Dr. Seuss book that I like. I really, really like Horton. The Seussian rhymes don't irritate me in this book; I don't know why, though. I love Horton and his willingness to help. He's a pretty awesome elephant. We actually own the movie, but only ever watched it once, and frankly, I was probably on Facebook during most of it. The best line, which I'm sure those who enjoy Seuss already know: A person's a person, no matter how small. Maybe we'll watch the movie tomorrow.

Daughter's Review: One thumb up. One thumb down.

Mailing May

Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnell Illustrated by Ted Rand


A little girl is mailed (don't worry, she's not in a box!) to her Grandma's house.

Mom's Review: While reading this book, it read kind of oddly. It seemed to have weird bits of information here and there. When we got to the end of the book, we learned why. It is based on a true story! So weird. And kinda cool. Knowing it is based on a true story, I'm going with a thumbs up for this book! The girl is "mailed" to her grandma's because her parents don't have money to pay for a train ticket. May's dad, who she calls "Pa," has a cousin who works on the train's mail car. The girl has stamps placed on her back and a tag with the address she is being shipped to.
The illustrations are beautiful. I love well-done watercolor illustrations. And these, are stunning. You just want to look at them to absorb all the details.

Daughter's Review: I liked it because I the kitty cat and the pretty pictures.

Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways

Zelda and Ivy The Runaways by Laura McGee Kvasnosky

Fox sisters Zelda and Ivy have three adventures in this "chapter" book.

Mom's Review: Admittedly, this book is marked "easy reader," so obviously it's intended for beginning readers. It has "chapters," but really, each chapter is another little story. The stories themselves are cute, not fantastic, but cute. The illustrations didn't do anything for me, however, so that was disappointing. And, to be perfectly honest, the only reason I picked up this book is because we have a cat named Zelda. This book wasn't great, but we probably won't read it again. That being sad, it held Abby's attention and I could see her looking at each page in detail, so when I find out her thoughts**, that will determine whether or not we get more of these Zelda & Ivy books.

**Not that this is vital information, but how I usually do this is, after we read the book, I sit in bed with the laptop while she falls asleep (yeah, she's 5 and still doesn't fall asleep on her own). I do my part and then, the following morning or afternoon, I ask her her opinion.


Daughter's Review: I liked it because I like the names "Zelda" and "Ivy."

I.Q. Goes to the Library & Dancing Matilda

I.Q. Goes to the Library by Mary Ann Fraser

I.Q. the mouse enjoys attending the library every day during library week.

Mom's Review: A really good book to introduce all the aspects of the library to kids without being "preachy" about the the values of being a library patron. Each day the kids and the mouse (and no, I don't know why the mouse was part of the class, or why/how he could read and write. It's just one of those things that you just have to accept) would go to the library to experience all the awesome things available: like..... puppets, CDs, computers, DVDs, and, of course, BOOKS! Reading through this book made me realize that I need to take the child to a really cool fun library like the big one in center city. Or maybe, at least, the regional library; it has more than one level and lots of departments. The library we usually go to is awesome because it's small and quaint, but I think I'd like her to get the full library experience.

Daughter's Review: I liked it because I like to read books a lot and I like pets. Sometimes mouses can be pets.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dancing Matilda by Sarah Hager and illustrated by Kelly Murphy

Matilda the kangaroo just loves to dance!

Mom's Review: At first it was kind of annoying, but once we got into the rhythm of it, it was fun; however, I could tell that my husband (the other story time attendee) was getting irritated with all the "dance and dance and dance and dance..." parts that were continually repeated. And, yeah, if I was listening to it, it would get on my nerves too, but since I was the one reading it, it wasn't too bad. I can parallel this to when some one is chomping on gum and you just want to hit them on the back of the head so it goes flying out of his mouth; BUT, when you're the chomping chewer, there's something really satisfying about each noisy chew. (What? Am I the only one?)

Daughter's Review: I liked it because I'm a ballerina dancer.

Alice the Fairy

Alice the Fairy by David Shannon

Alice discuss the plight of being a "temporary fairy."

Mom's Review: This is the first book that I've read by David Shannon. I've seen his "David" books around, but never really bothered looking at them, and I'm not sure why. The little girl is kinda creepy looking, but other than that, I enjoyed the illustrations a lot. I particularly like how some letters of some words were used to illustrate the word. I'm sure that that has a specific word, but I'm exhausted and have no desire to google it right now, so you'll just have to accept that I am not a fountain of knowledge. An example, in the word "crown," the "w" is drawn to look like a crown. I think it's clever and cute. I like when the words are part of the illustration; it makes a book feel complete to me, and it helps me to appreciate the effort the author/illustrator has put into the work. The story, too, is cute. I'm going to make an effort to look for more David Shannon books.

Daughter's Review: I liked it because there were fairies in it, but I didn't like her head.

Olivia Saves the Circus

Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer

Another book on the adventures of Olivia.

Mom's Review: I really love Olivia. Her personality is just awesome. She's imaginative, creative, and confident. All the characteristics that I find in my little lady.

Daughter's Review:
I liked the story, but I didn't like the clothes. I didn't like that the pages were the same color.

Queen of Hearts and A Drive in the Country

Queen of Hearts by Mary Englebreit

A little girl named Ann Estelle creates a box for her Valentine's Day cards.

Mom's Review: Meh. Cute story about Valentine's Day, but nothing really spectacular. I do enjoy Mary Englebreit's color usage, so that's a plus.

Daughter's Review: It was OK. I liked it because I like Valentine's Day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Drive in the Country by Michael J. Rosen Illustrated by Marc Burckhardt

A Sunday drive with the family.

Mom's Review: At first it was starting to get on my nerves because I felt like it was trying to be all magical and whimsical. But then, I realized I was enjoying it. Perhaps it was my pent up hostility about aimless car rides. (Ugh!)But, then I started to enjoy it. The words are very visual and I like that. One of my favorite parts is when the family picks some milkweed:

"...We split the pods with their million airy seeds, and send them out the window of the speeding car, one pod at a time, in a stream of wishes." Does a "stream of wishes" just sound beautiful?

Daughter's Review: I liked it because I like road trips.