Stealing and Honesty

Yoon and the Jade Bracelet
Author: Helen Recorvits
Illustrated by Gabi Swiatkoska
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up

From the Book Jacket: It is Yoon's birthday and all she wants is a jump rope so she can jump and sing with the other girls in the school yard. Instead, Yoon's mother gives her a Korean storybook about a silly girl who is tricked by a tiger. Yoon also receives a jade bracelet that once belonged to her grandmother. The next day at school, an older girl invites Yoon to join in jump rope, but she wants to borrow Yoon's bracelte for the afternoon. When Yoon tries to get her bracelet back, the girl swears it belongs to her. Yoon must use the lessons learned in her storybook and Her "Shining Wisdom" to retrieve the precious keepsake.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This was thoroughly enjoyed by all of the classes I read to at the end of last year. It's got a lot of good stuff in it regarding friendship, telling the truth, being proud of who you are, and stealing. Even though it was easy to focus on the older girl and how she had wronged Yoon. It become apparent to the kids that Yoon actually played a part in getting herself in this circumstance. Some great discussion questions we pondered: Why are some kids willing to sacrifice who they are and their values for a friendship? When faced with a tough decision, how can we motivate ourselves to do the right thing? How can we stay true ourselves?  I also loved the cultural angle - there is definitely a struggle for some kids to fit in for fear of being rejected. Can't wait to read it again this year.

Little Croc's Purse
Author/Illustrator: Lizzie Finlay
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up

From the Book Jacket: One hot day, Little Croc finds a lost purse. "Finders keepers!" shout his friends, imagining a treat of lemonade and a lovely cool swim. But Little Croc is determined to find the purse's owner...Will his honesty be rewarded? Or will he be tempted to spend the money inside?

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This story reminded me of the word temptation. Kids (and adults) can be put in positions where they are tempted to make the wrong decision - because they might benefit. Long story short here.....Little Croc does the right thing but not without his friends pressuring him to keep the purse. In the end, he gets to keep the purse as his reward for being honest. The only thing I would change in this story is putting more focus on the internal rewards he received for doing the right thing. Sure, it's great he gets the purse - but that's not the TRUE reward. Make sure to go into this with your kids/students. Definitely glad this is on my bookshelf. 



A Link to These Books and Others You Might Find Helpful: 


 

Review: The Cat in the Hat

The Cat in the Hat

Written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss

Publication Date: 1957
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0-394-90001-4

According to the quick search I did on Wikipedia, this story was written in response to a challenge to write a book for children using a limited number of words considered important for children starting school to be familiar with.
Obviously, this is a classic that we remember from our own childhoods, and with good reason. The rhyming is engaging, the story is fantastical (a weird-looking cat wearing an oversized hat who just shows up on the doorstep and wrecks havoc!), and there’s enough suspense to keep us all interested to the last word.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review written by team_s

Trudy Ludwig Has a New Book Out

  

Better Than You
Author: Trudy Ludwig
Illustrated by Adam Gustavson
Publisher: Tricycle Press
Interest Level: Ages 6 and Up

From the Book Jacket: Tyler's neighbor Jake brags about everything. Tyler can't show Jake a basketball move, a school assignment, or a new toy without Jake saying he can do better - and it leaves Tyler feeling like he shouldn't even try. With help from his uncle Kevin, Tyler begins to understand that Jake's bragging has nothing to do with Tyler's own abilities.

Jake's story gives kids insight into what lies beneath the urge to brag and shows them how adopting a "better than you" attitude can break friendships rather than build them. This sensitive story will prove a welcome resource for any parent, teacher, or counselor.

My official review is coming on this one soon....but it already gets an A+.........
I was excited to receive Better Than You in the mail today by one of my favorite authors - Trudy Ludwig. I believe some of my comments after reading it were....."awesome" "love it" "right on Trudy!" I'm excited about it. It's really gonna change kids - for the better of course! So I'm going to do another review on this book after I read it to the kiddos at school. But I'm letting you know about this new one now because you're going to want to order it and get it in your Trudy Ludwig collection of books. And if you don't have a collection - get ALL of her books. They're great!
 

Review: Who's There, Spot?

Who’s There, Spot?

Written and Illustrated by Eric Hill

Publication Date: 2011
Publisher: Puffin Books
ISBN: 978-0-141-33479-0

This is another super lift-the-flap book featuring the loveable puppy, Spot. It begins with Spot answering the front door, in the morning, and follows Spot throughout the day as he goes to school and plays around the house. Along the way he uncovers surprises behind bushes, a pile of washing, doors and other coverings.

This is a lovely addition to the Spot book collection (like most children, my kids are HUGE fans of the lift-the-flap stories). My only concern is that one of the characters is a strange-looking creature and when my kids ask what it is I don’t know how to answer! It might be a type of dog, but I can’t be sure…

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review written by team_s

Review: Topsy and Tim At the Farm

Topsy and Tim At the Farm

Written by Jean and Gareth Adamson

Illustrated by Belinda Worsley

Publication Date: 2010
Publisher: Ladybird Books Ltd
ISBN: 978-1-40930-336-7

Summary/back cover:
Topsy and Tim have all sorts of new experiences – just like you! Read all about the twins’ exciting day out at the farm.

Review:
Topsy and Tim are a series of stories about girl/boy twins who live in a village in the United Kingdom and go through the same sort of experiences most children encounter. Some of the other books in the series are Topsy and Tim Start School, Topsy and Tim Have a Birthday Party, and Topsy and Tim Learn to Swim.

In Topsy and Tim At the Farm the children accompany their mum to her friend’s farm, where the children collect eggs, dodge angry geese and help a calf learn to drink milk.

At the end of the story there is a basic puzzle that is suitable for even my two year olds to try, although probably better suited to the 3+ age group.

My rating: 3.8 out of 5

Review written by team_s

Review: Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

Written and Illustrated by Dr. Seuss

Publication Date: 1990 (originally published in 1957)
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN-13: 978-0-00-786026-5

Summary/back cover:
From bang-ups and hang-ups to lurches and slumps, Dr. Seuss takes a hilarious look at the mishaps and misadventures that life may have in store for us.

Review:
Okay, if I could take a moment to amend an earlier review, this book is the one you should be sure to give your kids when they leave home. I wish it had been given to me as a burgeoning adult. It’s fantastic for putting life’s ups and downs into perspective and filling the reader with a strong sense of self:

“Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.”

This story is as beneficial to us parents as it is to our kids. In fact, it’s possible I enjoy reading this story more than my two year olds enjoy listening to it. I think some of the illustrations weird my kids out a bit! I do feel this story is a bit more grown-up than some of the others by Dr. Seuss (ie. The Cat in the Hat). It is a yellow back book, which in the Dr. Seuss collection is considered to be ideal for those children who can already read fluently.

A classic Dr. Seuss story that deserves to be included in your children’s book collection, next to Green Eggs and Ham, and The Cat in the Hat.

My rating: 4.8 out of 5

Review written by team_s

Review: Quaky Cat

Quaky Cat

Written by Diana Noonan

Illustrated by Gavin Bishop

Publication Date: 2010
Publisher: Scholastic New Zealand Limited
ISBN: 978-1-77543-029-2

Summary/back cover:
“On a cold Christchurch morning, while the city was sleeping,
before the birds roused him with twitters and cheeping,
curled up on the end of his friend Emma’s bed,
Tiger woke with a start… and a feeling of dread.”


Written in response to the Canterbury earthquake of 2010, Quaky Cat is an evocative, uplifting story that will touch the hearts of all who read it.

Review:
The earthquakes we’ve experienced, here, in Canterbury, over the past 12 months have had a profound impact on our family. My kids’ grand-dad lost his job and him and Nana moved away. My kids no longer wave Daddy ‘good-bye’ at the front door because his building was in the cordon and he now works out of our third bedroom. The kids tell us the washing machine is “noisy like ur-cake (earthquake)”, and they are often subjected to the sight of crumbled remains of demolished buildings around the city.

It’s difficult to fully understand the emotions of children who were only a year old when the first earthquake struck last September, but my best deduction is that they’ve found the earthquakes and associated events both scary and intriguing. Those seem to be their emotions about Quaky Cat, too.

Quaky Cat is a regularly requested story in our house. The illustrations are quite unique, often depicted through paint-splattered silhouettes. I wasn’t sure what the kids would make of them, but my boys love the illustrations. I think they love the character of Tiger, the cat, too. I get the impression they feel they can relate to his fears and confusion over what’s happening around him. I think this book has given the kids a way to understand what’s happened to their city and to give them a way to discuss what happened through the careful use of images and language that bring the impact of this natural disaster within the scope of a child’s limited vocabulary and comprehension.

The flip-side is that the book appears to remind the kids of the earthquakes and sometimes seems to upset them by reliving the trauma.

Despite that, I still think this story is important and would recommend it to all families in New Zealand as a sweet story of what’s really valuable in life, and a way to approach the discussion of earthquakes with the littlies.

My rating: 4.8 out of 5

Review written by team_s



Side note from Bronwyn:
If you're interested in purchasing a copy of this book, you can find it here at Fishpond.

Review: It's Heaven Having You

It's Heaven Having You

Written by Giles Andreae

Illustrated by Vanessa Cabban

Publication Date: 2002
Publisher: Orchard Books
ISBN: 1-84121-693-3

Summary/back cover:
From feeding ducks at the duckpond to running a bath full of bubbles, Little Bear discovers that Heaven can be so many things, especially when he’s with Granny and Grandpa Bear.

Review:
This story is by the same team and follows the same central character as Love is a Handful of Honey. Like its predecessor, this story features the same sort of sweet illustrations and loveable rhymes.

It focuses on all the wonderful things about what makes spending time with Little Bear so special. The story is cute and cuddly and sweet and warm. It’s a lovely book to read to the littlies while winding down to bed-time.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review written by team_s

Review: Wee Little Bunny

Wee Little Bunny

Written by Lauren Thompson

Illustrated by John Butler

Publication Date: 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 978-1-4169-7937-1

Summary/back cover:
A young rabbit enjoys a “busy, dizzy” day of playing in the meadow near his home.

Review:
This is a perfect book for young listeners and those learning to read on their own. There’s only a sentence or two per page, and the rest of the page space is taken up with gorgeous illustrations of the wee bunny’s adventures.

The story is simple and sweet and reads beautifully. My two year-olds already have some of the words memorised and love to help me read the story.

My rating: 4.8 out of 5

Review written by team_s

Review: Eyes, Nose, Toes Peekaboo!

Eyes, Nose, Toes Peekaboo!

Written by Dawn Sirett

Photography by Dave King

Publication date: 2008
Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Limited (DK)
ISBN: 978-1-40533-148-7

Summary/Back cover:
Point to your eyes, nose, and toes and play peekaboo!
Lift the big flaps with baby.
Help baby develop thinking and memory skills.
Enjoy hours of peekaboo fun!

Review:
This book is aimed at children under 2 years of age. It has simple but beautiful photographs and simple text. Babies love lifting the flap and touching the touchy-feely patch under each one. This book, as the title suggests, focuses on body parts like eyes, ears, nose and toes of both children and soft toys. Both my kids loved this book and the others in the series. The books are board books with very sturdy flaps.
Some other titles in the same series are:
Farm Peekaboo
Bedtime Peekaboo
Bathtime Peekaboo
Dress up peekaboo

5/5

Review written by Judith

Review: 1001 Animals to Spot

1001 Animals to Spot

Written by Ruth Brocklehurst

Illustrated by Teri Gower

Publication date: 2002
Publisher: Usborne Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4095-0864-9

Summary/Back cover:
Teeming with animals to find, count and talk about, this bright picture book provides hours of puzzle-solving fun. It also helps develop basic word and number skills. The busy scenes bring to life different habitats from around the world. Children will delight in finding all kinds of familiar and exotic animals – from lambs on the farm to armadillos in the rainforest.

Review:
This book has busy and bright illustrations that encourage conversation about various animals. Each page has 10 animals to spot and count. It encourages 1-1 matching and number recognition. My son loves this book as he is really into counting at the moment. Some animals are easy to find and others are not so it provides challenges as well as some guaranteed success. There are several other titles in this series including 1001 Things to Spot on the farm, 1001 things to Spot around town, and even a fairy and a pirate version.

5/5

Review written by Judith

Review: Baby Einstein See and Spy Counting

Baby Einstein See and Spy Counting

Concept by Julie Aigner-Clark

Illustrations by Nadeem Zaidi

Publication date: 2001
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN: 978-0-78-680808-3


Summary/Back cover:
The concept of numbers and counting from 1 to 5 is demonstrated by the Baby Einstein characters in a variety of playful, amusing scenarios. Young children will delight in finding, naming, and counting a variety of objects in each illustration. The book also builds vocabulary, and teaches the names of parts of the body.

Review:
My almost-3 year old loves this book - the general gist is that each page has five questions along the lines of "How many sunflowers are painted on the canvas?" and ""How many bananas is the monkey holding?" - the questions are simple, the numbers are counting from 1 to 5, and kids seem to love it!  I honestly thought my son would be bored of it halfway through, but he's read it over and over, and enjoys taking it to bed to read to himself - the version we have is a board book, so is perfect for this.  I enjoy listening to him reading to himself - "How many baby ducks are there? One, two, three, four, five." Occasionally followed by "sixseveneightnineten!!"

It's not a reading book as such, as there's no storyline, but this book slotted into both our reading time and our play time quite happily - my almost-1 year old enjoyed looking at the pictures, and his big brother enjoyed 'reading' it to him: "That's a duck.  You say 'duck'.  There's one, two, three ducks."

My rating: 4 out of 5.  A great book for early counters.

Review written by Bronwyn

Review: Fizz the Fire Engine

Fizz the Fire Engine

Written and Illustrated by David Wojtowycz

Publication date: 2003
Publisher: Orchard Books
ISBN: 1-84121-484-1


Summary/Back cover:
Emergency! A train is stuck in the tunnel . . . Fizz the fire engine wants to be a brave hero, but can he overcome his shyness to save the day? Full of noises, action and fun, this colourful first picture book is prefect for vehicle-crazy little ones.


Review:
This book immediately appealed to my two sons because of the content - a fire engine, complete with written sound effects!  It appealed to me before I'd even picked it up, due to being another Wojtowycz book - he's become a firm favourite in our household with adults and children alike.


The illustrations, it goes without saying, are just beautiful - vibrant colours, gorgeous animation of vehicles that will appeal to any child.  The storyline has a little 'moral' running through it, about how sometimes you need to overcome your shyness for the good of others.  My almost-3 year old hasn't picked up on this theme yet, as he's too busy waiting for the "Nee-nar, nee-nar, flash, flash flash!" lines in the book!


My rating: 4.5 out of 5 - definitely one to read your vehicle-mad preschool sons!


Review written by Bronwyn

Review: Don't Worry Douglas!

Don't Worry Douglas!

Written and Illustrated by David Melling

Publication date: 2011
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
ISBN: 978-0-340-99981-3

Summary/Back cover:
Where do you go with a BIG worry?  Douglas knows he can count on Dad...

Review:
This is a gorgeous wee book about a bear who is given a new hat, and accidentally destroys it.  It is a perfect book for my almost-3 year old, as the moral of the story is that it's best to just own up and tell the truth - and it all turns out OK in the end.  As we read through this book the first time, my son was a bit worried about whether Douglas would be in trouble, but told me he should "get his Daddy to fix it" - and each time we've read the book since then, he shouts at Douglas on the 3rd or 4th page to "tell your Daddy to fix it!" - not quite the solution, but close enough for now!

This is a great book to read to preschoolers - the illustrations are lovely and clear, the text is perfect for littlies.  And I personally love the whole "you won't be in trouble if you tell the truth" moral that runs through the book.

My rating: 4.2 out of 5 - a definite keeper for our bookshelf.

If you'd like to purchase a copy of this book, you can find it here at Fishpond

Review written by Bronwyn