171. Cat Dog

Cat Dog. Mem Fox. Illustrated by Mark Teague. 2021. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: So there was a scary dog, right? No! But there was a cat, right? Yes! And thew dog was wide awake, right? No! But the cat saw a mouse right? Yes! And the dog knew something was up, right? No!

Premise/plot: Cat Dog is Mem Fox's newest picture book. It stars a cat, a dog, and a mouse. But what is the *real* story?

My thoughts: The illustrations and narration sometimes clash in this call and response picture book. I thought it was funny. I think it would probably work best one on one--a parent and child. I think as a read aloud for a larger group of children, it would be harder to see all the details of the illustrations. And most of the story is told through the illustrations.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

170. I Don't Want To Read This Book

I Don't Want To Read This Book. Max Greenfield. Illustrated by Mike Lowery. 2021. [November] 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I don't want to read this book. I know it happens to be the title of this book, but let me make myself very clear. I really don't want to read it. I meany why would I read this book?

Premise/plot: The narrator--a reluctant reader--does NOT want to read this book. There are plenty of reasons WHY.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved this book. I did. I thought it was so much fun and definitely relatable. I wouldn't ever classify myself as a reluctant reader--not really. But I was reluctant to read most things attached to school assignments. I remember one time writing in an actual assignment that I chose to read this book--I believe it was a biography of Sam Houston???--because it had LARGE PRINT and pictures.
But back to the book in hand, I loved this one because the narrative was GREAT.

I think my favorite quote was, "I don't want to read any book that has a paragraph in it. Paragraphs belong in chapter books, and chapter books are for people with nothing better to do."

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

169. The Smart Cookie

The Smart Cookie. Jory John. Illustrated by Pete Oswald. 2021. [November] 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Greetings, I'm a cookie. I live in a bakery on a street corner near a river.

Premise/plot: The Smart Cookie is a motivational speech disguised as a children's story book. The narrator, a cookie, is a SMART cookie. But this cookie didn't always feel smart. There was a time this cookie felt anything and everything but smart.

My thoughts: There wasn't much there besides a motivational speech. I guess the message is a good one, a necessary one. But The Smart Cookie is FAR from Leo the Late Bloomer. There just wasn't much story or development beyond the didactic, motivational speech.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

168. Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast

Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast (Interrupting Chicken #3) David Ezra Stein. 2021. [October 26] 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It was bright and early for the little red chicken. "Good morning, Papa!" said the little red chicken. "Oog," said Papa. "Wake up!" "Chickennn," groaned Papa. "I don't want to wake up yet. It's Saturday!" "But look! I brought us breakfast in bed." "Really?" said Papa.

Premise/plot: LITTLE Chicken--our INTERRUPTING chicken--has brought his Papa breakfast in bed!!! Three guess as to what he's serving!!! But will Papa go for this? Will he really allow them to eat cookies....for breakfast???? This amusing exchange results in some stories...and some interrupting. Cookie may just find their way into some classic Mother Goose rhymes.

My thoughts: I really LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. I do recommend the other two books in the series. Though I don't think you'd have to read them first to enjoy this one. I love these two characters. I love the stories. I love the interruptions. I love Little Chick's one track mind!

I think my favorite dialogue is this,

"Cookies are healthy! They have lots of vitamins."
"What vitamins?"
"Vitamin C for Cookie!"
"Let's just read, okay?"
"Okay, Papa."

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

167. Little Red and the Cat Who Loved Cake

Little Red and the Cat Who Loved Cake. Barbara Lehman. 2021. [November] 64 pages. [Source: Library]

Little Red and the Cat Who Loved Cake is a wordless picture book. Mostly. There are technically words in this narrative free picture book, but the words are on signs, shirts, etc. It appears to be set in a fractured fairy tale world where all fairy tale characters mix and mingle. Little Red is delivering a cake to Grandma. But Little Red's CAT comes along--secretly or not so secretly. The cat is fairly insistent to be included in any eating of cake.

If I had known BEFORE borrowing from the library that it was a wordless picture book, I would have not checked it out. To be honest, I need words in my stories. It isn't that it is impossible for stories to be told without words, but all the best of the best stories have words. Even if the text is super-simple and just a few words per page--think of Max's communication skills in Max and Ruby--I need words.

But I was drawn to this one because of the word CAT in the title.

I thought the super-playful and "sneaky" cat was cute. Is the cat trying to steal cake enough of a gimmick to make me love a wordless picture book???? Probably not.
 

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers.

166. The Welcome Chair

The Welcome Chair. Rosemary Wells. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. 2021. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: In the year 1807, Sam Seigbert is born in the kingdom of Bavaria.

Premise/plot: An immigrant, Sam Seigbert, crafts a wooden rocking chair and engraves it with the word 'welcome.' (Technically WILLKOMMEN) Through the years, the word 'welcome' is engraved in a handful of different languages. The picture book provides a glimpse into almost two hundred years' worth of immigration stories. (Not that there is a story for every year--or even decade. But the book allows for readers to see how immigration and immigrants has been viewed. The first story taking place circa 1820s.) 

My thoughts: I went into this one wanting to love it or at the very least like it. It has at least three starred reviews (Booklist, BookPage, Kirkus). It is on a timely subject--immigration. The fact that the author was inspired by a family diary from a hundred years ago, it made me want to love it. 

But it just didn't work for me. I thought the story linking all these immigration stories together into one bigger story was weak. The individual stories had merit--I just didn't see the need to link them all together by using a physical chair. I didn't see how one chair could find its way about so many families, so many generations, so many places. 

The author's note reveals that some of the earlier stories were from her own family tree, but she felt the need to tack on other immigration stories from other decades to bring the story to the present day. And the other stories do feel tacked on. Yes, that's just my opinion. Yes, I'm just one person. There are many, many, many people who seem to love and adore this one just as is. But for me it just didn't work. 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

165. The Cat on the Dovrefell

The Cat on the Dovrefell: A Christmas Tale. Illustrated by Tomie dePaola. Translated by George Webbe Dasent. 1979/2021. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Once upon a time, in the faraway land of Finnmark, a man caught a great white bear. "This bear will be a great gift for the king of Denmark," he said. So he set off.

Premise/plot: A picture book retelling of a traditional fairy tale from Norway. A man (and his bear) take refuge in a couple's home. But the couple are fleeing from their home because of TROLLS that come every year to eat their Christmas feast. The man (and his bear) are welcome to stay, however. They do. The trolls come...and well...let's just say it might be their last time to come visiting this particular house.

My thoughts: What a strange, strange book. I knew absolutely nothing when I picked it up at the library. I was expecting, well, I was expecting an ACTUAL CAT. If you've read the story, you know there isn't really a CAT to be found in the story. I wasn't expecting a traditional folk tale that has been translated (multiple times) into English. I was definitely NOT expecting trolls. So the book caught me off guard as far as what I was expecting versus what I got. That being said, if you weren't reading the book looking for an adorable little kitty kitty, then you probably would end up enjoying it more than I did!

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

164. Dragon's Merry Christmas

Dragon's Merry Christmas. Dav Pilkey. 1993. 48 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: One cold morning Dragon went out to find the perfect Christmas tree.

Premise/plot: Dav Pilkey's Dragon stars in FOUR stories in Dragon's Merry Christmas. The stories in this Christmas-themed collection are: "The Perfect Christmas Tree," "The Candy Wreath," "Mittens," and "Merry Christmas, Dragon." The stories all take place during the holidays, but aren't directly connected to one another. (Perhaps with the exception of Mittens and Merry Christmas, Dragon.) Dragon's personality (to know him is to love him) shines through in all the stories.

My thoughts: I haven't read ALL the Dragon books. I've read three. I can honestly say that I do love and adore Dragon. My personal favorite in this collection is THE CANDY WREATH. I know people overuse the word awesome. Yet, I'm tempted to use it when gushing about this story! I think it will appeal to children and adults alike. In The Candy Wreath, Dragon makes a wreath out of candy. But when he hangs it on his wall, a few pieces fall off. OOPS. What's a dragon to do? He must eat the candy, of course!!! The following pages are PURE DELIGHT as readers learn the fate of the wreath. All the stories are enjoyable.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

163. The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams

The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams. Mindy Thompson. 2021. [October 26] 272 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The bookshop is feeling blue today. I sense it the moment my brother James and I arrive home from school. The lights are low, the ever-shifting wallpaper is a cheerless dark gray, with somber books on display--Wuthering Heights, Old Yellow, A Little Princess. The gloom sinks into my bones.

Premise/plot: The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams has an intriguing premise. It is set during the Second World War--1944 to be precise. But its main setting is a bookshop. Rhyme and Reason is one of a handful of magical bookshops. "Our shop isn't a normal bookshop, it belongs to the world of magic ones. Just like the others, Rhyme and Reason finds people from outside of our time and brings them to our door. It searches a hundred years into the future and the past to find customers who need the light and hope it can offer through books and community. Papa says bookshops are good for broken souls and wounded hearts." Poppy, our heroine, is quite a bookworm. She loves, loves, loves, loves her family's bookshop. She loves meeting all the customers--all ages of customers--from all time periods. But the shop has been acting weird, strange, out of sorts, unpredictable, moody. And Poppy feels called--in more ways than one--to try to mend the shop and set things right again. But that process is complicated. How does one *know* what the right thing to do is? There can be a subtle difference between something feeling right and being right. And sometimes doing what is right breaks your heart--shatters it. Still the fate of the bookshop may be in her hands--as incapable and unsure as she feels. 

My thoughts: This book had the potential to be super-fluffy and just pure delight OR the potential to be a weighty complex read. It was certainly heavier than I imagined it might be. The premise is pure delight: a MAGICAL bookshop. Customers coming into the shop from ALL time periods. Being able to read books from other time periods. Books finding the right reader at the right time. Books connecting people together. A true sense of community between readers--no divisions or divides. Pure delight. But it goes beyond that and ventures into more familiar territory perhaps--the battle between good and evil, light and dark. The magic that makes the bookshop possible is more complex than you might think. Magic comes with a price--in the words of Rumpelstiltskin from ONCE Upon A Time. There is a showdown between light and dark in The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams. And the book has more layers than you might expect. I found myself accurately predicting a few things, but it held some twists and turns that I did not guess, would never have guessed.

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

162. Clarice the Brave

Clarice the Brave. Lisa McMann. 2021. [October] 272 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Mutiny. I'd heard that word before.

Premise/plot: For those that enjoy--even love--animal fantasy I'd recommend Lisa McMann's Clarice the Brave. This children's fantasy takes place mainly at sea--mainly. It stars two young mice--brother and sister--Clarice and Charles Sebastian. Life on board ship is HARD and full of dangers. Humans and cats pose the greatest risk--though the natural elements of wind, waves, storms pose a risk as well. But what will happen to these two when DISORDER breaks out on ship? Mutiny spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E. When Clarice and Charles Sebastian are separated--by circumstances beyond their control--can either survive long enough to find the other?! The book follows both Clarice and Charles Sebastian in alternating chapters. (Or I believe they are alternating equally.) 

My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this one. I personally found it hard to keep track of the alternating narrators. I wish that the book had better signals or indicators to let readers know with confidence who was narrating. I found myself searching for clues and context--anything to help me clarify if it was Clarice or Charles Sebastian. 

Reading is subjective. And sometimes you read a book with several distractions going on that the author is not to blame for. That could be the case here. I'd have to reread this one later to see. Since I mostly enjoyed it more than not, that isn't out of the question. 

I think Clarice the Brave would make a lovely animated film. I do. 

I thought Special Lady was a GREAT cat. I was very, very, very, very angry with the book for a couple of chapters. Think CHARLOTTE'S WEB upset.

I loved the recurring message. It only takes one mouse to believe in you. And that one mouse is me.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers