July 6, 2011

The Carnival of the Animals (by Jack Prelutsky)

Posted by Blurber Blabber at 11:52 PM 0 comments
Title:  The Carnival of the Animals
Author:  Jack Prelutsky
Summary:  Lose yourself in the fun animal romp of The Carnival of the Animals, a classic orchestral piece composed by Camille Saint-Saens, and now accompanied with new lyrics by Jack Prelutsky and illustrations by Mary GrandPre.

Blurber Blabber Review:  Buy it now!

Blurb:  A beautiful and fun book that covers various segments of Camille Saint-Saens' The Carnival of the Animals, with catchy rhymes by Prelutsky, and energetic illustrations by GrandPre.  Enjoy this by reading the book, listening to the CD, or doing both.  This can be as interactive or lazy of a read as you want it to be.  I bought this for my niece and nephew last holiday season for the concentrated all-day family events when I knew we would all be too busy and too tired to read books all day.  It was perfect.  
Age Range:  General recommended age range is 4-8, but this can definitely work for any younger age.
Story Type:  Rhymes
Scary Factor:  None, although some of the pictures include loud animals showing their teeth, like a lion roaring, and a donkey braying.  I guess it depends on how sensitive your little ones are, but my niece and nephew never had a problem with any of this when they first received this at the age of 3.
Reading Out Loud:  The beauty of this book is that it comes with a fully orchestrated CD of Camille Saint-Saens' music with Jack Prelutsky reciting his new verses.  It's awesome because you can pop in the CD and read along with it or just enjoy them separately.  Each section starts with Prelutsky's reading, followed by the relevant section of Camille Saint-Saens' music.
Rereadability:  Great book and CD to reread/relisten to.  There are 15 sections, including an intro and finale, so you can do it all at once or in chunks.  I love that you can skip around and play the different sections depending on what your little ones demand.  
Illustrations:  Fun and beautiful illustrations by Mary GrandPre, famous for her work on the American version of the Harry Potter series.  Her illustrations really stand out here with great movement and vivid colors.
Medals/Honors/Recognition:  N/A
Published: 2010
Length:  30 pages
(Read on for the more detailed "blabber" review)

July 1, 2011

Corduroy (by Don Freeman)

Posted by Blurber Blabber at 11:25 PM 0 comments
Title:  Corduroy
Author:  Don Freeman
Summary:  Classic children’s book about Corduroy, a stuffed bear that yearns for a home and a friend, as he sets out in a department store at night to find his missing overalls button.

Blurber Blabber Review:  Buy it used or on sale.

Blurb:  Corduroy holds a special place in my heart as we follow an adorable bear as he searches for his missing button in a department store at night.  Who doesn’t love a nighttime excursion in a department store?  And the sweet ending will relate to any one who loves (or has loved) a stuffed animal.
Age Range:  Recommendation is anywhere from baby to preschool.  But I can speak from personal experience and say that this works for beyond preschool into kindergarten and 1st grade.
Story Type:  Third person narrative.
Scary Factor:  None.
Reading Out Loud:  A great story to read aloud to your little ones, especially before they go to sleep as they are holding onto their beloved stuffed animals.   
Rereadability:  A quick read, it’s one that can be enjoyed many times.  But it’s a pretty simple and straightforward story, without many nuances to appreciate on multiple reads.  
Illustrations:  Simple and old-fashioned illustrations by Don Freeman, with a distinct old school feel, especially in the pictures of the shoppers at the department store (love the old fashioned outfits and scarves around the heads).  
Medals/Honors/Recognition:  N/A
Published: 1968
Length:  32 pages
(Read on for the more detailed "blabber" review)

Once I Ate a Pie (by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest)

Posted by Blurber Blabber at 10:43 PM 0 comments
Title:  Once I Ate a Pie
Author:  Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest
Summary: Snap your fingers and appreciate the lyricism in fourteen poems that reveal the inner thoughts of a wide array of loveable dogs.

Blurber Blabber Review:  Borrow it from the library.

Blurb:  Ever wondered what your dog was thinking?  Once I Ate a Pie explores the inner thoughts of various dogs in the form of free verse poems, accompanied with adorable illustrations that capture the essence of each dog.  The little ones will love the cute pictures and creative usage of font, but will probably not appreciate the poetry until they are older.
Age Range: General recommendation is 4-8.  I think this is fine for kids 2 and older who love dogs because they will appreciate the pictures, but the poetry structure will be best appreciated by the older kids.
Story Type:  Free verse poetry.
Scary Factor:  None, unless your little ones are scared of dogs.
Reading Out Loud:  I always feel pretty stupid reading poetry out loud unless it's silly rhymes like Dr. Seuss but go wild with your best spoken word skills.  The creative usage of words, fonts, shapes and spaces encourages some interpretive readings like imitating a dog as you, "BARK! BARK! BARK!" or altering your volume as you read, "They say I am tiny," and "I am HUGE."
Rereadability:  If your little ones are dog lovers and/or love the poetry structure, then this can be a fun book to reread as it's pretty quick to get through and the fourteen different poems and dogs help avoid boredom.
Illustrations:  Humorous and cute full page oil illustrations by Katy Schneider with realistic depictions of dogs.
Medals/Honors/Recognition:  N/A.
Published: 2006
Length:  29 pages
(Read on for the more detailed "blabber" review)
 

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