Snugglebug Friday: Mother Goose

Engelbreit, Mary. HaperFestival: 2005-2008

Mary Engelbreit's Happy Mother Goose

Mary Engelbreit's Silly Mother Goose

Mary Engelbreit's Funny Mother Goose

If you love Mary Engelbreit's art and you love classic children's rhymes such as Hey Diddle, Diddle, then you will absolutely love these three books. Engelbreit crafts her classic artistry to illustrate even more classic rhymes. Children love the rhymes about Humpty Dumpty and Jack and Jill, and Engelbreit brings them to life in each of her illustrations.

The rhymes are the same Mothergoose rhymes that most people grew up reading and repeating. Occasionally, a word is slightly different but that is typical of most books repeating the classic rhymes. The rhymes include: Hey Diddle, Diddle; Rub-a-Dub-Dub; Humpty Dumpty; The Old Woman in the Shoe; Mistress Mary; Wee Willie Winkie; Jack and Jill; Pat-a-Cake; Old King Cole; Ring Around the Roses (with different words than the original); Little Bobby Shafto; and Little Boy Blue. These are just a few of the poems in the three books.

A few of them Ladybug had never heard such as:

Three little ghostesses,

Sitting on postesses,

Eating buttered toastesses,

Greasing their fistesses,

Up to their wristesses,

Oh, what beastesses

To make such feastesses!

Every child should know these classic rhymes and what better way to enjoy them than with Mary Engelbreit. Snugglebug and Ladybug enjoyed these three books and hope you do, too!

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Young Readers Challenge: Month Four

It is time to share any reviews you might have written for the Young Readers Challenge. (Sign ups are still going on here.)

If you don't have a link to share, you can always just talk about your books in the comments themselves.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine

Simon, Francesca. 2009. Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine. (Originally published in the UK in 2005).

Out of the four Horrid Henry titles I've read so far, this may just be my favorite and my best. There is something about Horrid Henry--the character--that I just love. True, he's a bit horrid--has a mean streak and a good dose of stubborness--but he's just so darn lovable!

This chapter book contains four stories: Horrid Henry's Hike, Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine, Perfect Peter's Revenge, and Horrid Henry Dines At Restaurant Le Posh.

Horrid Henry has a brother, Perfect Peter, and in the story Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine, Horrid Henry pulls off the perfect prank for his perfectly gullible younger brother. A prank involving among other things a cardboard box. It's funny. But Perfect Peter tries--and a bit imperfectly at that--to get his revenge in the follow-up story!

Through it all, I just enjoyed myself. I think this is a great series of chapter books for kids.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy

Simon, Francesca. 2009. Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy. (Originally published in the UK in 1997).

I've already mentioned how much I love Horrid Henry in my review of the chapter book, Horrid Henry, but let me just briefly restate how much I love this series by Francesca Simon. These books are funny--really funny--and just pure delight to read. It's easy to see how they could get kids excited about reading. (They'd also make great read-alouds, for these books are just as enjoyable if you're an adult!)

This chapter book includes four stories: Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy, Horrid Henry's Wedding, Moody Margaret Moves In, Horrid Henry's New Teacher.

If I *had* to pick a favorite, I'd say that Moody Margaret Moves In is my favorite and my best. It had me laughing the hardest.

Horrid Henry seems a bit more horrid than usual as is revealed in Horrid Henry's Wedding and Horrid Henry's New Teacher. But even if he is a bit horrid, it's hard not to like him!

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Horrid Henry's Stinkbomb

Simon, Francesca. 2009. Horrid Henry's Stinkbomb. (Originally published in 2002 in UK).

If you're looking for funny chapter books to share with your kids, look no further than Horrid Henry. Each book contains four stories about Horrid Henry and his friends and family. (Featuring characters like Perfect Peter, Moody Margaret, Sour Susan, and Clever Clare.)

This chapter book includes these four stories: Horrid Henry Reads A Book, Horrid Henry's Stinkbomb, Horrid Henry's School Project, and Horrid Henry's Sleepover. My favorite from these four is Horrid Henry Reads A Book. Because as horrid as Henry is, he's clever and imaginative in how he goes about it!

Henry isn't perfect, he doesn't necessarily follow the rules, and he rarely minds authority, but he's just so likable.

I highly recommend this series of chapter books. I only wish I'd known of them sooner!

© Becky Laney of Young Readers