Serious Goose

Serious Goose. Jimmy Kimmel. 2019. [December] 40 pages. [source: Library]

First sentence: This is a serious goose.

Premise/plot: Jimmy Kimmel introduces readers to a very serious not at all silly goose in his picture book for young readers. He wrote and illustrated the book—this shows because they go together splendidly. I couldn’t imagine one without the other. So the plot is simple, can anybody or anything turn this serious goose into a silly one?! What will it take to make this goose giggle or smile?!

My thoughts: I was always terrible at “Poor, Poor Kitty.” Perhaps even the world’s worst Poor, Poor Kitty player. Probably because I am totally a silly goose. This one is good for a couple of laughs. I definitely enjoyed reading it. I think it would be a good choice for parents to read aloud. I think the page with the mirror is great fun for the intended age group.

Text: 5/5
Illustrations: 5/5
Total: 10/10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Vegetables in Holiday Underwear

Vegetables in Holiday Underwear. Jared Chapman. 2019. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: I’ve been waiting all year long...for holiday underwear season!

Premise/plot: The vegetables are back and starring in a new picture book by Jared Chapman. Their first appearance was in his Vegetables in Underwear. It was a gimmicky book designed especially for a certain audience that finds illustrated underwear hilarious. This book obviously is hoping that if regular underwear is hilarious, holiday underwear is more so. But is it?!

My thoughts: Is this book necessary? A thousand times no. But is it fun? I can’t really answer that question objectively. I am not in the target audience, and underwear doesn’t make me laugh. The best scene in this one comes when three baby vegetables stacked together pose as Santa. It turns out baby corn, baby carrot, and baby beet aren’t allowed to join in the holiday fun since they are diapered. But even at the best moments of this one there’s a feeling of so what?!?!

Text:2/5
Illustrations:3/5
Total: 5/10 

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Santa and the Goodnight Train

Santa and the Goodnight Train. June Sobel. Illustrated by Laura Hiliska-Beith. 2019. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Santa’s coming! Ho! Ho! Ho! The Goodnight Train is all aglow!

Premise/plot: I believe this is the third book starring the Goodnight Train and its crew. Earlier books in the series include The Goodnight Train and the Goodnight Train Rolls On. In each book, characters travel to Dreamland. This one is set on Christmas Eve.

My thoughts: For little ones that love, love, love the previous books in the series, this one might prove quite the treat. I know that trains can be fascinating for young ones and that some never really outgrow their love of trains. (Others do.) This one is written in rhyme. The illustrations are very Christmasy. Santa does make an appearance.

I can at times overthink picture books, can expect sense when it is clearly nonsense being served. I don’t know why I am having trouble with the nonsense of this fantasy when I have welcomed wholeheartedly the nonsense of In The Night Garden. But my hesitation should not stop enthusiasts from picking this one up to share with their families.

Text: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Total: 6/10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Dasher

Dasher: How A Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever. Matt Tavares. 2019. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Life was not easy for the reindeer family of J.P. Finnegan’s Traveling Circus and Menagerie.

Premise/plot: This is the ‘real’ story of Dasher (the doe) and how Santa’s sleigh came to be pulled by reindeer instead of a horse. It seems only fair that she gets an origin story. Why should Rudolph remain the most famous reindeer of all?!?!

My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this one! It is a bit text heavy. So perhaps this one is best suited to a slightly older young reader. Children who have grown past chewing books and are ready to settle into a story. It is an entertaining story, beautifully written and illustrated. I thought the artwork was gorgeous.

If this were adapted into a special, I would definitely watch it every holiday season.

Text:4/5
Illustrations:5/5
Total:9/10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Mustache Baby Christmas

The Mustache Baby Christmas. Bridget Heos. Illustrated by Joy Ang. 2019. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: You know that Baby Billy was born with a mustache. And that Baby Javier was born with a beard. But did you know that on Christmas Eve, Javier’s beard...that made him Santa’s #1 helper, Santa Baby!

Premise/plot: Mustache Baby (Baby Billy) is Back and starring in his fourth picture book. In this holiday adventure, these two friends become Santa’s helpers. Javier becomes Santa Baby and Baby Billy becomes an elf. A toy-making elf. But toys are made to be given away, right?!?! Will Billy want to give away the toys that he has made?! Or will he want to keep them ALL?! Will he be on Santa’s naughty or nice list?!

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this one! It’s a cute and clever holiday read aloud just about perfect for families. It is definitely full of puns. These puns may get old after the fiftieth time or so, but I definitely think it’s an again again read aloud to bring out season after season.

Text: 5/5
Illustrations: 5/5
Total: 10/10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

All You Need For A Snowman

All You Need for a Snowman. Alice Schertle. Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee. 2002/2019. 28 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: One small snowflake fluttering down—that’s all you need for a snowman. EXCEPT two more snowflakes...three flakes...four...five...six...seven thousand...eight million more...Billions of snowflakes piled in a mound, pat them and pack them and roll them around into one big ball.

Premise/plot: Do you know what it takes to build a snowman?!?! In this rhythmic poem, little ones learn exactly what is involved in the building of a snowman. At least according to the author Alice Schertle. In truth snowmen like snowflakes can be very unique.

My thoughts: I definitely liked this one. It is a cute wintry read aloud to share with little ones. It was originally published as a picture book in 2002. It is newly published as a board book.

Text: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Total: 7/10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Santa's Cookie Is Missing

Santa's Cookie Is Missing. Illustrated by Anne Passchier. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2019. 16 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: We always share cookies on Christmas Eve and save one for Santa with a tall glass of milk.

Premise/plot: This is a novelty board book. It features die-cut pages—circle-shaped, of course. Sant’s cookie goes missing!!! Can young ones solve the mystery and discover what happened to his cookie?

My thoughts: I liked this one. I didn’t love, love, love it. It is a novelty treat and not great literature. It is a book probably worth sharing with little ones during the holidays. But probably not destined to become a classic.

The illustrations are the best part, in my opinion. 

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Ye Olde Cat Memes

Ye Olde Cat Memes. Eulalie Osgood Grover. 1911/2019. 96 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I am the Queen of all the Kittens.

Premise/plot: Love kittens? Love cats? Enjoy vintage books? This one was originally published in 1911 as Kittens and Cats: a First Reader. It is a themed collection of poetry. Each poem is presented alongside a black and white photograph of, you guessed it, a cat or kitten dressed up and posed. The overall story is that the Queen is having a great party and all the cats and kittens are invited. Half the book is focused on getting there, the other half on the night’s entertainment. The Queen must be amused after all.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this one.

A Stranger
I’ve met the cat that lives behind
The looking glass, you see.
He’s very handsome, and he looks
For all the world like me. (53)

I liked the poems. Some were great fun, others not quite so much. But all the photographs were marvelous. I don’t know how they got the cats to pose. It’s a quirky book. 


© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Max & Ruby and Twin Trouble

Max & Ruby and Twin Trouble. Rosemary Wells. 2019. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Max’s sister, Ruby, knew all about new babies. Mama and Papa were going to have one. “You can see for yourself, Max,” said Ruby. “There’s a new baby in there!” But Max knew Mama had eaten too many cookies. He showed Ruby the cookie jar. It was empty. “See!” Max said to Ruby.

Premise/plot: Max and Ruby are going to have a new brother or sister. Max knows little if anything about babies. Ruby, of course, claims to know everything. She remembers Max’s baby days. Plus she has a Hannah the Howler doll. But is this family ready to welcome twins?!?!

My thoughts: I love Max and Ruby though I am still adjusting to a Max that talks. But even though some things have changed through the years, this brother sister pair still have charm and humor.

Text: 5/5
Illustrations: 5/5/
Total: 10/10 

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Everybody's Favorite Book

Everybody's Favorite Book. Mike Allegra. Illustrated by Claire Almon. 2018. 40 pages.  [Source: Library]

First sentence: You are very lucky. You are reading Everybody’s Favorite Book. There is not one person anywhere who has a different favorite book.

Premise/plot: Can ONE book really please or satisfy everyone and actually be everyone’s favorite?!?! The author offers such a book (I hope with a great deal of sarcasm) to young readers.

My thoughts: So why one star? Allegra tries a little too hard to be clever and funny. I was leaning more towards a “Bless his heart” but mom was more “what a waste of paper?!” Things to keep in mind...neither of us is the target audience. A young reader might find it amusing, perhaps even worthy of a laugh, and not just stupid. There is one whole page dedicated to poop jokes.

I started out thinking it might have potential. I did. But it was just way too scattered and pointless.

This is as good a time as any to share my philosophy on picture books. I do believe they are the most subjective kind of book there is. Every single book has the potential to be someone’s favorite and best book. It doesn’t matter what any adult may think, to that one reader it may be the one. It will be—to that reader—a magical book worth reading again and again and again until it’s memorized by everyone in the family. It will be loved and cherished forever. Parents can share books that they really love and enjoy and want to be ‘the one’ but it is the child who ultimately chooses. The world is a better place because each individual has his or her own favorite and best book.

Text: 1 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 4 out of 10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

The First Christmas Jumper

The First Christmas Jumper and the Sheep Who Changed Everything. Ryan Trubidy. Illustrated by Chris Judge. 128 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: I’d like to tell you a curious story the likes of which you have never heard before. This tale begins with a sheep. Not a red-nosed one, just a regular, run-of-the-mill, everyday, nothing-to-see-here sheep.

Premise/plot: Hilary, the super-unique sheep, loves, loves, loves, loves, loves Christmas. One day the farm receives a very special visitor. Hilary's life may never be the same. This chapter book is a fun look at how the first Christmas jumper (aka sweater) came to be.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this humorous tale. Hilary and the other sheep live on an Irish farm. It was a cute-enough tale that little ones may love. It features some illustrations throughout.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Look! I Wrote A Book!

Look! I Wrote A Book! Sally Lloyd-Jones. 2019. 34 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: When you want to write a book, first you need a Good Idea. You can get one from: your brain, your notebook, people, all around wherever you go, staring out of the window.

Premise/plot: Sally Lloyd-Jones has written an absolutely hilarious nonfiction guide for children on how to write books. (My library shelves it as nonfiction; I will admit it’s more entertaining than most fiction storybooks.) It includes plenty of writing tips and great examples. It may be the most quotable book I’ve read this year.

My thoughts: Is this the best book Lloyd-Jones has ever written?! I’ll qualify my YES. (For Christian families, her Jesus Storybook Bible remains the absolute best, best, best book she’s given us.) Every page is perfectly perfect. The advice seems to genuinely be true and good. The examples are hilarious. Whether you want to write a book yourself or just have a good time...this is a great book.

Here’s what you also need to know: who’s it for. If you’re writing a book for your grandma, for example, but it’s all about tractors and dump trucks, she will be snoring because it is NOT EVEN INTERESTING to her! You should write about things grandmas LOVE. Like The Olden Days. Or tap dancing. Or you.

A speech bubble dialogue adds a little girl saying, “When I was a tiny baby...” and her grandma enthusing, “It seems just like yesterday.”

If you’re writing a bedtime book for babies, you can’t have scary monsters inside or they will be screaming and not sleeping.

The illustrations steal the show on this spread. The little girl is sitting on a couch with five babies. She’s reading aloud a book titled Monsters Will Eat You. Three babies are crying. Two more look near tears—their eyes drawn big to express terror. Only the stuffed animal grins on without a care in the world.

Now you need a title (which is what your story is called). Here are some Good Titles:

Again the illustrations combine perfectly with the text. The titles are shown in the illustrations. Commentary is provided in the text. About the title, Spiders on the Ceiling, she adds, “This is a Horror Story.” Cleaning My Room is described as a tragedy. When I Was a Baby is labeled a history book. Only One Shoe is called a mystery. Clearly Lloyd-Jones knows how to make readers laugh or smile.

From start to finish, this book is marvelous. Highly recommended.

Text:5/5
Illustrations:5/5
Total:10/10


© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Flubby Will Not Play With That

Flubby Will Not Play With That. J.E. Morris. 2019. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I have toys for Flubby. I have lots of toys for Flubby.

Premise/plot: Will Flubby like any of the toys?!?!?! It is looking doubtful. But cat lovers may be able to predict the one thing Flubby wants to play with that came from the pet store.

My thoughts: I loved this adorable early reader. The story is simple, predictable, yet always delightful. If you love cats, I think you would enjoy meeting Flubby! 

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

I Am Someone Else

I Am Someone Else: Poems About Pretending. Lee Bennett Hopkins, editor. 2019. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: There is nothing better than being yourself. You are unique and special in every way.

Premise/plot: This is a collection of poems that celebrates playing pretend or make believe. Many poems imagine what it would be like to be to be a grown up. Think...a police officer...a fire fighter... an architect...etc.

My thoughts: I wanted to love this one. I did. I loved playing pretend when I was little. I loved to pretend I was Laura Ingalls going west in a covered wagon. I loved to play going on vacation. I could go on, but I won’t. Instead of really being about pretend and make believe...it focuses instead on career options and choices.

I think careers are covered in many curriculums. This would be great for classroom use.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Toys Then and Now

Toys Then and Now. Nadia Higgins. 2019. 24 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Toys help us play. Pretend. Think. Some even help us move.

Premise/plot: This nonfiction book is for young beginning readers. The subject is toys then and now. It has three chapters: “Simple Toys,” “New Features,” and “Fads and Favorites.”

My thoughts: Is it horribly mean of me to think how little do you have to know to find this informational?! It probably is. It includes very basic facts about toys. Though they do get one thing wrong—at least. It is LEGO not Legos. Adding an “s” is wrong, wrong, wrong. You can have LEGO bricks or LEGO sets but not LEGOS. I do think young readers might enjoy this one.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Birth of the Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound

Birth of the Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound. Kathleen Cornell Berman. Illustrated by Keith Henry Brown. 2019. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Mornings in East St.Louis, Miles Davis sits as close as he can get to the radio.

Premise/plot: The Birth of the Cool is a picture book biography of jazz musician, Miles Davis. It is written in verse. I should add beautifully written in verse with compelling illustrations. It is the story not only of how he became a musician but how he became his own musician with a new, unique style.

My thoughts: I enjoy jazz. I do. I love that there are many picture book biographies of many different jazz artists and musicians both male and female. I am glad to see this one published on Miles Davis. Reading this one inspired me to listen to the album Birth of the Cool. I would recommend that as an extension activity for all ages. 

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Henry's Awful Mistake

Henry's Awful Mistake. Robert M. Quackenbush. 1981/2019. 48 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Henry the Duck invited his friend Clara over for supper. All day he chopped, stewed, and stirred to make a fine meal. Just as he was about done, he saw an ant in his kitchen.

Premise/plot: What will Henry do when he sees an ant in the kitchen?! Can readers predict what will happen next as Henry faces down his nemesis?! Maybe. Maybe not. But chances off it will keep readers smiling.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved this one. I did. I could so relate to Henry and his predicament. I have felt just like Henry—in over my head. When you’re in situations like this, it is anything but funny. But afterwards, well, you just have to laugh and laugh hard. I laughed with this one. Then I shared it with my mom. I would love to share it with my dad too. No matter how young or old, this book might lead to a grin or two.

Text: 5/5
Illustrations: 5/5
Total: 10/10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Kindness Book

The Kindness Book. Todd Parr. 2019. Little Brown Young Readers. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

 First sentence: What is kindness?

Premise/plot: This picture book seeks to define or illustrate kindness for a young or very young audience. Every spread seeks to encourage or inspire acts of kindness. The book concludes that it is easy to be kind.

My thoughts: Didactic books are trendy these days—for the past few years actually. There was a time when virtue-driven teaching books would be frowned upon—at least by some groups. Books shouldn’t moralize. Books shouldn’t be teaching a moral, a lesson. That’s actually what I learned in college classes teaching children’s literature. But now things seem to have shifted. Many picture books now present quite clearly and openly a worldview, now want to teach little ones how to be good humans. Picture books communicate messages; that is finally being acknowledged. Authors and illustrators are teaching generation(s) of children how to interact with others, what to believe, who they are, who they might be, what is right, what is wrong.

For the record, I am pro-kindness. I don’t have a problem with this specific worldview. But I would challenge the conclusion. If kindness was “easy” why wouldn’t everyone be kind all the time. Kindness requires effort. It does. Kindness can become a habit—something the book is essentially pushing—and once a habit, it becomes easier. But kindness often requires a little extra, something that we are often too selfish, too busy, too scared to do. Certain acts of kindness require bravery: when you’re going against the crowd, standing up for what is right. If it was easy for kids to speak up when they see someone being bullied, then we’d live in a different world. Kindness is definitely more complex than the book presents. Also sometimes it is a kindness to speak up with an uncomfortable truth. Hey, you’ve got spinach in your teeth. Hey, you’ve got toilet paper on your shoe. Hey, your dress is tucked inside your underwear. Hey, your shirt is on backwards.

Text: 4/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Total: 6/10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Who is the Mystery Reader?

Who is the Mystery Reader? (Unlimited Squirrels #2) Mo Willems. 2019. 96 pages. [Source: Library]



First sentence: Who is the mystery reader? Let’s read and find out!

Premise/plot: The Unlimited Squirrels are starring in their second book. In this “adventure“ the squirrels are trying to discover the identity of the mystery reader wearing a mask and underwear. But perhaps I am rushing ahead. The squirrels see a stop sign and are puzzled by its meaning. What do the letters s,t,o, and p mean? The mystery reader—also a squirrel— comes to “save” the day by helping them read the word. The mystery reader knows how to sound things out. Most of the book is filler having very little to do with this.

My thoughts: Is the book intentionally busy-busy-busy to mimic a scatterbrained squirrel? Is it intentionally filled with a dozen or so distractions to be amusing? I am not amused. There’s enough story to fill about 24 pages. Unfortunately there are about 85 pages in the book. The rest of the book ranges from junk to junky-junk to super-junky. So much is needless.

I hate that I am not a fan of the new book, new series. I love, love, love Mo Willem’s books typically. But this, well, it reads like he was getting paid by the page. (I doubt that is true). I mean he’s a genius with his other series. I mean he writes with intent making every sentence count. So surely this change has a reason. I just don’t get it.


© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

I'm Not Grumpy

I'm Not Grumpy. Steve Smallman. Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. 2019. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Mouse was in a grumpy mood.

Premise/plot: I’m Not Grumpy is a predictable yet enjoyable storybook for parents to read aloud to their children. Mouse, our hero, is misunderstood, right? Surely he’s not grumpy! And perhaps he is slightly cranky at the start, but doesn’t he have a good reason? I mean who could be cheerful when you discover that a HUGE bottom (badger bottom) was blocking all of their front door?! But Mouse doesn’t stay grumpy, as his kindness increases, his grumpiness decreases.

My thoughts: I had high expectations for this one based on the cover alone. Yes, I judged this book by its cover. I was not at all disappointed with the illustrations. I loved, loved, loved them so much. That opening spread where we see the badger bottom, the adorably fuzzy badger bottom, was great. There are many scenes that I love. But the story itself was only so-so for me personally. I found it predictable, a tad moralizing, a bit wordy. I liked it well enough, but didn’t love it.

Text: 3/5
Illustrations: 5/5
Total: 8 out of 10 

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers