Dragon's Fat Cat

Dragon's Fat Cat (Dragon #2) Dav Pilkey. 2019. (1992) Scholastic. 64 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: One snowy day in January, Dragon heard a funny noise. "Meow!" "That sounds like a cat," said Dragon.

Premise/plot: Dragon makes a new friend in this early chapter book by Dav Pilkey. That friend is, you guessed it, a cat, a FAT, GRAY CAT. There are five chapters in this one:

• "Meow!" 
• Life With Cat
• Problems
• Left Behind
• Home Again

In the first chapter, Dragon meets a fat, gray cat and invites him inside.

In the second chapter, Dragon takes the cat inside and names him, "Cat." Dragon prepares a special bed for his new friend/pet. (The Cat takes Dragon's bed.)

In the third chapter, readers learn just how much Dragon does NOT know about owning a cat.
(Dragon does NOT know that his cat needs a litter box, for example.) He eventually finds himself at a pet store.

In the fourth chapter, Dragon realizes that he left Cat behind at the pet store. He must find and "rescue" Cat. When he finds Cat, he finds a big surprise! The reason why Cat was so FAT...

In the fifth chapter, Dragon returns home with Cat and her kittens. He starts preparing beds for all the little ones--he's named each one KITTY. Will Cat and kittens sleep in their beds?! Or will they still have ownership of Dragon's big bed?!

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved, loved, CRAZY-LOVED this one. I enjoyed the writing very much. It was funny.

Dragon liked living with Cat,
and Cat liked living with Dragon.
But Dragon did not know
how to take care of Cat.
He did not know how to train Cat.
That was a problem.
Dragon did not know what to feed Cat.
That was a big problem.
And Dragon did not know what to do
about all the yellow puddles Cat made.
That was a smelly problem.

 I think this one will hold great appeal for young readers. I first read and reviewed this one in 2009. It has been newly republished this year. 

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Berenstain Bears' New Baby

The Berenstain Bears' New Baby. Stan & Jan Berenstain. 1974. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Down a sunny dirt road, over a log bridge, up a grassy hill, deep in Bear Country, lived a family of bears--Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Small Bear. They lived in a large tree which Papa Bear had hollowed out and made into a house.

Premise/plot: Small Bear wakes up to discover that his once just-right bed is now too small. Papa Bear and Small Bear go out to the woods to chop down a tree to make a new just-right bed. Mama Bear--still silent--smiles contentedly as they go out for the day. But what will happen to Small Bear's bed?! Could Mama Bear have a secret?!

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. Sister Bear is adorable as a baby. This is an essential to read if you're going to read any of the books in the series.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10


© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Big Honey Hunt

The Big Honey Hunt. Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain. 1962. 72 pages. [Source: Own]

First sentence: We ate our honey. We ate a lot. Now we have no honey in our honey pot.

Premise/plot: When the Berenstain Bear family runs out of honey, what should they do? Well, if they listen to Mama Bear, they'd go to the store and buy some. But is Papa Bear likely to listen to his wife? He thinks the BEST honey to bring home is the kind that they hunt for themselves. So he takes his son along on a bee hunt. But can they find the right kind of tree?

My thoughts: This early reader is BELOVED. It wasn't that I loved, loved, loved the series in general. This was the first book in what would become a series. But it wasn't written--if Wikipedia is to be believed--with a series in mind, let alone a super-super-super long series. But there is just something DELIGHTFUL and FUN about the story. I think the rhythm and rhyme of this one helps make it memorable, quote worthy, a true classic.

I also LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one because just like the bears in this story, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED honey and often found we were running low on honey in our own honey pot. 

Favorite quotes:

Is that a bee?
He went, "Buzz! Buzz!"
He looks like a bee.
Why, yes!
He does.

Are you getting honey?
Are you getting a lot?
Will we take home honey
In our honey pot?

Well, it it looks just so.
And it feels just so.
Looks so. Feels so.
So it's SO!

When a bear is smart,
When a bear is clever,
He never gives up.
And I won't, ever!

The best sort of honey
Never comes from bees.
It comes from a store.
I would like some,
Please. 

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Mercy Watson Goes for A Ride

Mercy Watson Goes For A Ride. Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. 2006. Candlewick Press. 80 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Mr. Watson and Mrs. Watson have a pig named Mercy. Every Saturday, Mrs. Watson makes a special lunch.

Premise/plot: Mr. Watson loves driving fast almost as much as Mercy loves eating buttered-toast. On Saturday, this father-daughter duo enjoy spending time together. First, they go for a drive. Mr. Watson drives. Mercy Watson rides. That is how it is supposed to go. But one Saturday, well, Mercy Watson gets the notion--reckless or not--that SHE is going to take Mr. Watson for the ride. She wants to be the one DRIVING super-speedy-fast. That just happens to be the day that one of their neighbors decides to join in the fun...

My thoughts: Mercy Watson Goes For A Ride is the second in Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson series for young readers. The books are short and funny. If you like quirky. Because even though these books may be for younger readers--a younger audience than Tales of Despereaux and Because of Winn Dixie and Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane--DiCamillo still brings quirky characters to life, still brings plenty of humor. I liked the introduction of Officer Tomilello. I think he is great fun!

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Mercy Watson to the Rescue

Mercy Watson to the Rescue. (Mercy Watson #1) Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. 2005. 80 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Mr. Watson and Mrs. Watson have a pig named Mercy.

Premise/plot: Can a pig save her human 'parents'? That is the question raised in Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson To The Rescue. Why do Mr. and Mrs. Watson need to be rescued? Well, Mercy herself--if she could do more than oink--might tell you if you could get her mind off food. You see, it all starts one night when Mercy becomes frightened. She runs and jumps in the Watsons' bed. And there the trouble starts. All three are sleeping, dreaming busy little dreams, unaware that danger is lurking!

What does Mercy dream of? Whether asleep or awake, Mercy's mind is always, always on food. In particular, her favorite food, lovely buttered toast. But can Mercy's weakness lead to some saving strength?

My thoughts: I enjoyed rereading this first book in the series. It has been nine years since I first read through the Mercy Watson chapter book series for young readers. Mercy is certainly a memorable character with a one-track mind. She loves, loves, loves buttered toast. If she can't have that treat, then another may do just as well.

I enjoyed meeting the neighbors as well. I liked that they inadvertently help save the day.   

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Monster At the End of This Book

The Monster At The End of This Book. Jon Stone. Illustrated by Michael J. Smollin. 1971. Golden Books. 32 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: What did that say? On the first page, what did that say? Did that say there will be a Monster at the end of this book? It did? Oh, I am so scared of Monsters!!!

Premise/plot: Grover does NOT, I repeat does NOT, want you to keep reading this book. Grover tries--but will he fail?!--to keep readers from turning pages. Is there really a monster at the end of the book?

My thoughts: This one is a classic for a reason. It is a FUN, DELIGHTFUL, SILLY read for parents to share with little ones. It is a great example of an again-again book--a book that almost begs you to read it again and again and again and again. Does one ever tire of Grover?

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat

Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat. (Henry and Mudge #8) Cynthia Rylant. Sucie Stevenson. 1990. Simon & Schuster. 48 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: One night Henry and Henry's father and Henry's big dog Mudge were watching TV.

Premise/plot: Henry's family takes in a stray cat; this stray cat is unique looking: it looks like mashed prunes. The family is happy to take the cat in--for a few days, a few weeks. But because having Mudge is like having five dogs--that they can't take the cat into their home permanently.

The first chapter is about taking the stray cat into their home. The second chapter is about how happy the cat is in her new home, and, how much Mudge loves being mothered by the cat. Essentially the family does come to like the cat. The third chapter is "bittersweet" I suppose. The cat's original owner is found, and the two are reunited. But Henry's family misses the cat.

In one week the shabby cat had become Mudge's mother. It washed Mudge all the time. It washed Mudge's ears. It washed Mudge's eyes. It even washed Mudge's dirty feet.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed rereading this Henry and Mudge book. It was my first book to read in the series and it still remains my favorite--at least so far.

Have you read the Henry and Mudge series? Do you have a favorite title? 

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Now We Are Six

Now We Are Six. A.A. Milne. 1927. 102 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: When you are reciting poetry, which is a thing we never do, you find sometimes, just as you are beginning, that Uncle John is still telling Aunt Rose that if he can't find his spectacles he won't be able to hear properly, and does she know where they are; and by the time everybody has stopped looking for them, you are at the last verse, and in another minute they will be saying, "Thank you, thank you," without really knowing what it was all about.

Premise/plot: This is A.A. Milne's second volume of poetry written for children. His first was When We Were Very Young.

My thoughts: While I don't absolutely love, love, love Milne's two poetry collections as much as I love his two Pooh novels, I do appreciate them. My favorite poems from Now We Are Six include:

• Busy
• Binker
• Us Two
• The Engineer
• The End

From Busy

I think I am a Muffin Man. I haven't got a bell.
I haven't got the muffin things that muffin people sell.
Perhaps I am a Postman. No, I think I am a Tram.
I'm feeling rather funny and I don't know what I am--
BUT
Round about
And round about
And round about I go--
All around the table,
The table in the nursery--
Round about
And round about
And round about I go;
I think I am a Traveller escaping from a Bear;
I think I am an Elephant,
Behind another Elephant
Behind another Elephant who isn't really there...

 From Binker

Binker--what I call him--is a secret of my own,
And Binker is the reason why I never feel alone.
Playing in the nursery, sitting on the stair,
Whatever I am busy at, Binker will be there.
Oh, Daddy is clever, he's a clever sort of man,
And Mummy is the best since the world began,
And Nanny is Nanny, and I call her Nan--
But they can't
See
Binker.

From Us Two

Wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
"Where are you going today?" says Pooh:
"Well, that's very odd, 'cos I was too.
Let's go together," says Pooh, says he.
"Let's go together," says Pooh.

Original audience born circa 1920 to 1924.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

When We Were Very Young

When We Were Very Young. A.A. Milne. 1924. 100 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: At one time (but I have changed my mind now) I thought I was going to write a little Note at the top of each of these poems, in the manner of Mr. William Wordsworth, who liked to tell his readers where he was staying, and which of his friends he was walking with, and what he was thinking about, when the idea of writing his poem came to him.

Premise/plot: When We Were Very Young is a collection of poems dedicated to A.A. Milne's son, Christopher Robin Milne, aka Billy Moon. It was, I believe, Milne's first work for children. It wouldn't be his last.

My thoughts: If I loved poetry more, I think I would appreciate When We Were Very Young more than I do. I found the introduction charming. It does contain plenty of poems that I like, love, or even adore. Poems that are easier perhaps to adore if you were lucky enough to have heard them sung. (Winnie the Pooh: 17 Songs from the Pooh Song Book: Starring Jack Gilford. The album features: "Sing Ho! For the Life of A Bear," "Cottleston Pie," "Lines Written By A Bear of Very Little Brain," "Oh! The Butterflies are Flying," "I Lay On My Chest," "3 Cheers for Pooh," "They All Went Off To Discover the Pole," "Christopher Robin is Going," "Missing," "In the Fashion," "Halfway Down," Buckingham Palace," "Politeness," "The Christening," "Brownie," "Lines and Squares," and "Vespers."). My favorite poems from When We Were Very Young are:
 

Buckingham Palace
Lines and Squares
Politeness
Missing
Halfway Down
Teddy Bear

From Teddy Bear

A bear, however hard he tries,
Grows tubby without exercise.
Our Teddy Bear is short and fat
Which is not to be wondered at;
He gets what exercise he can
By falling off the ottoman,
But generally seems to lack
The energy to clamber back.

From Missing

Has anybody seen my mouse?
I opened his box for half a minute,
Just to make sure he was really in it,
And while I was looking, he jumped outside!
I tried to catch him, I tried, I tried...
I think he's somewhere about the house.
Has anyone seen my mouse?

From Buckingham Palace

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace--
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
Alice is marrying one of the guard.
"A soldier's life is terrible hard,"
Says Alice.

Do you have a favorite Milne poem? 

Original audience born circa 1918-1922. 

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Finding Winnie

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear. Lindsay Mattick. Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. 2015. Little, Brown. 56 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: "Could you tell me a story?" asked Cole.

Premise/plot: Cole, the author's young son, asks for a story--a TRUE story; he wants a true story about a BEAR. What the author shares with her son--in the story--and with readers--in the book--is indeed a true story. The story of how a young soldier on his way to war--the author's great-great grandfather finds a bear at a train station, buys it, and takes it with him. The bear's name is WINNIE. And when Harry Colebourn goes to the front, he leaves Winnie in the London Zoo. Many people loved going to see Winnie, but, the best known perhaps is A.A. Milne's young son.

My thoughts: I love several things about this one. I love the personal connection. The author is sharing her own family history with readers. Older readers may enjoy looking at the album at the back of the book. Many photos and captions are included. This grounds the book very well as being a TRUE story. It brings the story to life.

But I also enjoy the framework of this one. It is a book that celebrates storytelling and families. I believe it is a bedtime story he's asking for. I love the idea of parents sharing their own stories with children, and true stories at that! Throughout the story, readers hear the mother and son chatting. It works.

I also just genuinely love the writing of this one!


ETA: I read this first in 2016. I reread it again in January 2019. I love it just as much this second time reading it. I may even love it more. The author has now written a new book for young readers a fantasy novel from the bear's point of view.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers