Book Review: The Call of the Cowboy

Author: David Bruins
Illustrator: Hilary Leung
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up

A Note From the Publisher: When the bear wants to spend the afternoon photographing birds, the exuberant cowboy inadvertently makes a nuisance of himself as he loudly chews bubble gum, hops on a pogo stick and slurps a pop. When the ninja just wants to read quietly, the cowboy is wildly distracting as he drums on rocks, bats a paddleball and gabs on his cell phone. The cowboy's boisterous mood prompts the ninja and the bear to drop their respective activities, leaving their pal alone to wonder why no one wants to be with him. Can he find the peace and quiet he needs to figure it out?

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Ever been focused on an activity and there is a constant interruption? Kinda annoying. Walk into a classroom and you will see all kinds of concentration going on. Take a closer look and you might see some kids off task interrupting that focus. This book is for those little darlings - the invaders of learning. I also love how the story starts out describing cowboy as a good friend, kind, caring, and fun. It's important for the interrupters to know we think they are awesome. But they can be more awesome if they show respect to the other learners around them. This is a short sweet story and it will be making the rounds with me this fall as kids get back into their school groove.

A Link to This Book and Others You Might Find Helpful:

Book Review: The Lonely Book

Author: Kate Bernheimer
Illustrator: Chris Sheban
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up

From the Publisher: When a wonderful new book arrives at the library, at first it is loved by all, checked out constantly, and rarely spends a night on the library shelf. But over time it grows old and worn, and the children lose interest in its story. The book is sent to the library's basement where the other faded books live. How it eventually finds an honored place on a little girl's bookshelf—and in her heart—makes for an unforgettable story sure to enchant anyone who has ever cherished a book.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I saw this on a book list in the spring and showed it to our librarian. Our thinking was it would be a great encourager to get kids to not just focus on the shiny new ones but to take a look at ALL the books no matter how tattered they may seem. But of course since I always have my counselor hat on I saw a bigger message in the story. This is such a cool and empathetic way to introduce the feeling of loneliness. A little girl Alice is the perfect model of inclusiveness and friendship. Can't wait to read this in the fall to the kids. I want them to remember to take an interest in everyone. Lets not overlook one another. What a sweet kind story!

A Link to This Book and Others You Might Find Helpful:

You Are My Wonders

Have you ever read the books You Are My I Love You or You Are My Miracle? If yes, then get out your tissues again because New York Times Bestselling Author Maryann Cusimano Love (yes, her last name is Love!!!) has written a book called You Are My Wonders honoring teachers and students. I'm going to sneak this book into a few teacher mail boxes next year and then listen to them read it to their class and of course boo hoo my eyes out!

From the Publisher: The creators of You Are My I Love You pen an ode to students and their teachers, just in time for back to school

No one captures the essence of our most cherished relationships quite like Maryann Cusimano Love and Satomi Ichikawa. Whether parent and child or grandparent and grandchild, Maryann's tender, playful text and Satomi's childlike, colorful illustrations are nothing less than odes to these universal bonds.

Now the two shine their spotlight on students and teachers, enriching each other through storytelling, art, music, and of course, guidance. Perfect and reassuring for the youngest of students, You Are My Wonders is sure to be a hit at story time at home or in the classroom.

From the Author's website:

Origin of the Story - In the Author's Words -

I come from a family of teachers. My Irish grandmother, Mary Ann Hart, whom I was named after, was a special education teacher at a time when people thought that special needs children could not be educated. As a teacher myself for over twenty years, I know first hand how much I learn from my students, and how important the special bond is between students and teachers, each rooting for each other and helping each other to grow. While we teachers have the honor of introducing young people to new ideas, our students give us amazing gifts, seeing the wonders of the world, fresh through their young eyes.

When we sent our first child off to preschool two mornings a week, we realized again how important that special teacher/ child relationship is. I was smiling and crying at the same time, seeing my little one grown up enough to wear a bright back pack almost as big as she was, toddling off to school. Yet I was reassured that she was in the good hands of someone who also cared about her, and was working to help her grow.

Helping every child grow into the best person they can be is a vocation parents and teachers share. I was reflecting on this on my way home from church one rainy Sunday morning, thinking about how my child’s preschool teacher was helping her learn how to button her raincoat, when the beginnings of You Are My Wonders came tumbling out of my imagination. I’d heard from plenty of teachers who loved You Are My I Love You, You Are My Miracle, You Are My Wish, and Sleep, Baby, Sleep, but wanted to know when I would write a book for them. Teachers today face many challenges that my Grandmother never faced, so I wanted to write a book celebrating the simple joys of class time together, growing seeds, reading stories, and sharing the wonders of the world.

Click on the cover of the book to head on over to Amazon!