197. The Brilliant Ms. Bangle. Cara Devins. Illustrated by K-Fai Steele. 2023. 32 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: It was the very first day of school at Belford Elementary, and the students were so excited to be back.
Premise/plot: The kids may be happy to be back at school, but they are not happy to learn that their librarian from the previous year(s), Ms. Stack, has not come back. Ms. Bangle is the new librarian. Will she get a fair chance? Maybe. Maybe not. Can she out-smart this class of students? Probably.
My thoughts: Ms. Bangle knows all about reverse psychology. Possibly also love and logic.
I liked this one okay. Ms. Bangle is certainly a character. Is this a book kids will love? Maybe. Maybe not. Is it a book adult librarians will love? Probably. Possibly.
198. Nothing's Wrong! A Hare, a Bear, and Some Pie To Share. Jory John. 2023. 40 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: Chop, chop, chop, mix, mix, mix, pat, pat, pat. "Ahhhhh, a warm apple pie, freshly baked, straight out of the oven. Jeff will absolutely love this! I can't wait to see the look on his face. It'll be perfect for our picnic this afternoon."
Premise/plot: Anders has baked a pie....but things don't go according to plan when a sudden storm ruins everything. Jeff (the bear) doesn't know what is wrong--Anders is not forthcoming. Can he cheer up his friend?
My thoughts: Very text-heavy (for better or worse). I enjoyed this friendship. Apparently there is a previous book starring these two friends--Something's Wrong. I enjoyed this one enough to put that one on hold at the library. This one has some mini-lessons on friendship tucked in. I'm not sure these lessons are subtle (or that they are trying to be). But these mini-lessons could potentially be useful in teaching readers (of all ages) how to be a good friend in various situations.
I liked it well enough.
199. Rain. Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Lisa Congdon. 2023. 48 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: There is a softness
and a quiet
before the rain comes.
Premise/plot: This book celebrates...you guessed it...RAIN. It focuses on animals and nature. Readers see how various animals react/respond to coming rain, actual rain, and the aftermath of a good rain. (Hint: everyone loves rain).
My thoughts: What you see is what you get. If you are looking for a picture book about RAIN then this one is a good, strong, [poetic] choice.
I liked this one. I loved the text more than the illustrations. (But that could just be me).
200. Our Dragon. Mem Fox. Illustrated by Linda Davick. 2023. 32 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: So here is our dragon! Our dragon is little. He's almost brand-new! And his favorite thing--how I wish it weren't true--is breathing out fire wherever he goes. It comes from his mouth, and it comes from his nose! He doesn't say sorry. He doesn't know how. So his parents say firmly. "Please listen, right now."
Premise/plot: These two human parents are super-frustrated with their new dragon. (Why did they get a baby dragon if they weren't prepared to deal with a baby dragon????) In particular, they get angry that their dragon, their baby dragon, breathes fire. As they continue to try to teach him manners, how to control himself, etc, they continued to scold and express their disappointment. After the baby dragon is crying, then they decide perhaps a little comfort is not out of place. The end.
My thoughts: I did NOT like this one even slightly. Though if I had to pick something to praise about it, it would be the illustrations. I over-think picture books. It's what I do. I read a picture book and take it way too seriously. I think of dozens of questions that pull apart the book's logic and reason.
In this instance, why are two humans adopting a dragon? Isn't this sending the wrong message about adoption? I'm 99.99% certain that was not the intent. So is the dragon a stand-in for ANY new baby? And if that's the case--which the jacket flap tends to suggest--WHAT on earth is the fire supposed to correlate with???? Fire is literally a hazard--to them, to their house, to everything. And it's something they would have had to known about before bringing it into their home. So obviously they weren't thinking or planning ahead. Fire also seems as natural as breathing to a dragon...so them scolding and reprimanding the dragon until it cries seems not only counterproductive but just plain cruel. It accomplishes nothing useful and is harmful to bonding. Is the fire supposed to represent the messes baby naturally makes? that any and every baby makes? If so, it just seems weird and well, WEIRD.
I didn't like these two as parents.
The rhyming felt HORRIBLE in a forced, un-rhythmic way. Like WHY does it have to be told in rhyme like this????
© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers
No comments:
Post a Comment