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

Apples to Oregon

Apples to Oregon: Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (And Children) Across the Plains. Deborah Hopkinson. Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. 2004. 40 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence:  My daddy loved growin' apples. And when he got ready to pull up roots and leave Iowa for Oregon, he couldn't bear to leave his apple trees behind. So Daddy built two of the biggest boxes you could ever hope to see. He set them into a sturdy wagon and shoveled in good, wormy dirt. Then he filled every inch with little plants and trees. Hundreds of them! Daddy was ready for the most daring adventure in the history of fruit.

Premise/plot: Apples to Oregon is a tall tale story. A girl named DELICIOUS is telling the story of how her Dad brought apples, peaches, pears, plums, grapes, and cherries with the family on their trek west on the Oregon Trail. Misadventure abounds but so do solutions to every problem.

My thoughts: If you're looking for a DELICIOUSLY silly story, then this one might fill you up. It is not to be taken at all seriously. There was a man who did bring apples and other fruits to Oregon, but this isn't his story.

The narrative is a tall tale. If you're looking for an example of a tall tale to share with little ones--perhaps to teach the concept of a tall tale--then this one might do well.

Here's an example of the silliness:

The wind began to throw around everything that wasn't lashed down--our boots, baby Albert's diapers, every pot and pan Momma had, even our own little wagon. Next, hailstones big as plums came hurtling out of the sky.
"Guard the grapes! Protect the peaches!" Daddy howled.
So we all started tearing off our clothes and holding them over Daddy's darlings. Bonnets, petticoats, trousers, hats--even Daddy's drawers!

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

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Little Monster At School

Little Monster At School. (A Golden Look-Look Book) Mercer Mayer. 1978. Golden Books. 24 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Early in the morning, Mom wakes me and says, "Get up, Little Monster, it's time for school."

 Premise/plot: Little Monster goes to school and makes a new friend, Yally. Yally isn't the most likable or outgoing--in fact, for most of the day (most of the book) he's pout-y and grumpy. But Yally and Little Monster end the day friends at last.

My thoughts: When I think of Mercer Mayer I typically think of Little Critter. I love, love, love, love Little Critter. I remember so many Little Critter books clearly. I had a vague memory of his other series, the Little Monster series. When I saw a couple of these at the local charity shop, I decided to buy them and read them.

I liked this one. I liked Little Monster. Little Monster is empathetic to Yally; Little Monster's kindness--persistent kindness--leads to a new friendship.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Just a Secret

Just A Secret. Gina and Mercer Mayer. 2001. 24 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: I asked Dad to help me make something. It was special. It was a secret.

Premise/plot: Little Critter has a secret to keep--an actual secret to hide. Can he keep it secret? Can he keep it hidden? Or will he hide it a little too well?

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. It was sweet; it was sweeter than I was expecting from Little Critter. Little Critter often makes me laugh.. 

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

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Just A Mess

Just A Mess. Mercer Mayer. 1987. 24 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Today I couldn't find my baseball mitt. I looked in my tree house. I looked under the back steps. I asked Mom if she had seen it. She said I should try my room. I never thought to look there. What a mess!

Premise/plot: Little Critter has a messy room. (Anyone caught by surprise there?!) Since he can't get anyone to help him clean his room, he decides to do it for himself...in a way that only Little Critter can. (Well, I take that back. Little Critter's technique isn't all that original.) Will he find his baseball mitt?

My thoughts: Perhaps with the exception of Ramona Quimby (did she have a messy room too?) the character I most identified with as a child was LITTLE CRITTER. I love, love, love, love, crazy love Mercer Mayer's Little Critter.

The rest of the mess could fit under my bed. So I put it there. Then I made the bed. Won't Mom be pleased. 

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

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Just Go To Bed

Just Go To Bed. Mercer Mayer. 1983. 24 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: I'm a cowboy and I round up cows. I can lasso anything. Dad says..."It's time for the cowboy to come inside and get ready for bed."

Premise/plot: Will Little Critter go to bed willingly?! Or will his dad have to get super-creative and match the wits of his son?!

My thoughts: I love, love, love, love, SUPER love Little Critter. I grew up on Little Critter books. I'm not sure if I love Little Critter because I grew up with him, or if regardless of when I met him I would see myself. 

Quotes:

I'm a space cadet and I zoom to the moon. I capture a robot with my ray gun. Dad says..."This giant robot has captured the space cadet and is going to put him in the bathtub right now."
I'm a sea monster attacking a ship. Dad says, "It's time for the sea monster to have a snack."
I'm a zookeeper feeding my hungry animals. Dad says..."Feeding time is over. Here are the zookeeper's pajamas." 

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

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Thin Ice

Thin Ice. Jerrold Beim. Illustrated by Louis Darling. 1956. 46 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Lee and his brother Bobby went to school in the morning. Bobby was in the kindergarten and Lee was in the second grade. Lee liked everything about school except--reading!

Premise/plot: Lee struggles with his reading. It is his least favorite subject in school. Honestly, he's not sure what is all that great about reading. But he changes his mind after a close call on the skating pond. He reads the sign: KEEP OFF! THIN ICE! in time to warn his younger brother, Bobby.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I bought it at a local charity shop. The first thing I noticed were the illustrations by Louis Darling. (I find vintage illustrations hard to resist.) The illustrations alternate between black and white and color: three colors to be precise: blue, red, and maroon. My favorite illustration is the HUGE smile on Lee's face when he finally 'gets' reading and is able to read a page in front of his reading group.

The story itself is about a boy who struggles with reading. The book provides a snapshot of how reading was taught in the 1950s.

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

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Make A Wish, Molly

Make A Wish, Molly. Barbara Cohen. 1994. 48 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: I didn't know about birthdays. In Russia we hadn't celebrated birthdays. But I learned once we came to Winter Hill. I had started school in the fall, and I'd hated it. But by spring I didn't hate it anymore. That's because I had a friend. Her name was Emma. Her desk was next to mine.

Premise/plot: Molly gets the chance to learn about birthdays--and birthday parties--in this early chapter book by Barbara Cohen. But perhaps more importantly she gets the chance to learn something about herself.

Molly sees a BEAUTIFUL decorated cake in a shop window. Her friend says she'll have a cake like that and her birthday party in a few weeks. Molly might get a chance to taste such a delectable cake for herself--it seems almost too good to be true.

Unfortunately, the birthday party takes place during Passover week. Molly does NOT want to take her own food to snack on--not while her friends are enjoying that incredible cake. Could she--should she--eat the cake anyway?

My thoughts: What a lovely little story! It's historical fiction--presumably early to mid-twentieth century. The family of our wonderful little heroine is Jewish--recently arrived from Russia. Their traditions are not the same as everyone else. Part of Molly longs to fit in no matter what. Coming-of-age novels address the question who am I? This does just that. I loved Molly's confidence by the end of the novel!

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Bonjour, Mr. Satie

Bonjour, Mr. Satie. Tomie dePaola. 1991. 32 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Ever since the postcard arrived from Paris, Rosalie and Conrad had been waiting for the arrival of their uncle--Mr. Satie, world traveler--and his companion, Ffortusque Ffollet, Esq. Every day they asked Mama and Papa when they would arrive.

Premise/plot: Rosalie and Conrad are happy to welcome Mr. Satie--and guest--into their home. Mr. Satie arrives and has a wonderful story to tell about recent goings-on in Paris. Mr. Satie was at a gathering of friends--of artists--and he was able to help make peace between two factions. One group LOVED Henri's new style of painting and thought it was the BEST. The other group loved Pablo's new style of painting and thought it was the BEST. It wasn't only that one "needed" to be better than the other. No, each group HATED the other style and thought it the WORST--that it wasn't even worthy of being called art. Can Mr. Satie help maintain the peace--not just for one night--but for good?!

My thoughts: I found the book to be odd. Not necessarily odd in a bad way. Mr. Satie and his family are cats. His friend, his guest, is a mouse. That's not the weird part. I almost expected the whole cast of the picture book to be one or the other or even both. Animals in place of people. But, no, Pablo, Henri, and all the artistic crowds in Paris are people. So it isn't strictly animal fantasy OR historical/realistic. The story itself was okay. I found it interesting. If you're looking for an 'art-appreciation' book to share with little ones, this one is worth considering.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

A Gift for Mama

A Gift for Mama. Esther Hautzig. 1981/1997. Penguin. 64 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Sara was sick and tired of making presents. And Mother's Day was coming. For birthdays and for Hanukkah, for anniversaries and for Mother's Day, Sara always had to make a gift. Mama said that the best presents were handmade presents.

Premise/plot: Sara, our heroine, has determined that she will BUY her mother a present this year. This won't be easy. She doesn't have an allowance. She doesn't have money saved up. She has nothing but her determination--her grit--to find a way to make it happen. She knows exactly what she wants to buy her mother--a pair of slippers that her mother has admired from a store's window display. She knows exactly how much they cost--nine zlotys. How resourceful can one girl be?

My thoughts: The setting of this one is very understated. I believe it is set in Poland in the 1930s. It stars a Jewish family in a Jewish community. The focus isn't on HISTORY or DANGER or THREATS. The focus is on family--immediate and extended. The focus is on relationships. I love seeing how close Sara is to her aunt, Margola. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED seeing their bond. And Sara also has a close relationship with her grandmother. This is without a doubt a character-driven story. And it packs a lot of emotion and intensity into its pages.

For better or worse, the Mama of the family--whom Sara LOVES--seems to have some big issues, unresolved issues from her past. And she's far from perfect. But just because she's far from perfect--in our eyes--doesn't make her any less loved by Sara or any of the rest of her family.

I could relate to Sara--her stubbornness, her sensitivity, her wearing her heart on her sleeve, her feeling emotions so deeply and intensely. Sara is the exact opposite of her mother in so many ways. But love connects them even if communicating by words--even actions--doesn't. I think that you could say they speak different love languages.

I'm not sure what I would have thought about this one as a child, but I could relate to it as an adult. 

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

McBroom's Zoo

McBroom's Zoo. Sid Fleischman. Illustrated by Kurt Werth. 1972. 40 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Beasts and birds? Oh, I've heard some whoppers about the strange critters out here on the prairie. Why, just the other day a fellow told me he'd once owned a talking rattlesnake. It didn't talk exactly. He said it shook its rattles in Morse code. Well, there's not an ounce of fact in that. Gracious, no! That fellow had no regard for the truth. Everyone knows that a snake can't spell.

Premise/plot: How did Josh McBroom and his family get to have a zoo on their magical one-acre farm?! Well, it started one stormy spring day....when a tornado was spotted. That tornado sucks up ALL the topsoil from his farm, but McBroom won't be beaten by a storm. He'll chase it and see where his magical soil ends up... But the storm didn't just take...it also gave.

My thoughts: I LOVE the McBroom stories. I have read McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm: Three Tall Tales (1966) and McBroom's Ghost (1971). I would read the whole series if I could find them. I love spending time with Josh McBroom who would "rather sit on a porcupine than tell a fib."

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers