Picture Books Post #3

Title: No, David
Author/Illustrator: David Shannon
Lauren's Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

No, David is a story about a mischievous boy named David and how his mother always tells him to stop all of the bad things that he is doing. David is always doing something that he is not supposed to be such as coming into the house with mud all over him and playing with his food. At the end, David is upset because he broke a vase in the house, but his mother explains to David that she still loves him.

This classic picture book is very simple. However, it is an excellent book with a powerful ending. The illustrations are amazing and unusual. The author drew the pictures when he was a little kid so all of the pictures are cartoon-like and intriguing. I think that children would love to look at a book with this type of illustration. It might also entice a child to draw or write a book for themselves. The colors are very bright, there is minimal text and the illustrations take up the full page. These are very good qualities to have in a book to start kids off with or to get them interested in reading. The story is very relatable for young kids who are always getting into trouble. However, no matter how much the mother yells at this child and tells him to stop when he does not, she still loves him unconditionally. That is a very important message that children should know. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to parents that want to get there kids into reading!


Publisher: The Blue Sky Press
Publication date: 1998
ISBN: 0-590-93002-8

Picture Books Post #2

Title: Where the Wild Things Are
Author/Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Lauren's Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Where the Wild Things Are is an adventure story about a boy named Max who gets in trouble with his mom and gets sent to his room without dinner.  He creates this crazy world with wild creatures where he is the king and all of these creatures do everything that he says. At the end, he smells something good so he goes back to his world and his mother left his dinner waiting for him.

I read this book because it is a classic and it won the Caldecott Medal. I find this story to be amazing. Firstly, the little boy in the story is very relatable to boys that age. He has a huge imagination and wants to create mischief in his house. The boy's imagination is extraordinary and I think that children would want to dive into their imagination after reading this. To tell a child that he or she is in charge of their own imagination is important. I also love how the illustration in the beginning of the book is small but as the boy's imagination grows, the pictures grow larger and larger, until the whole page is filled! The creatures have that scary quality to them, but are not terrifying which is perfect for some children that want scary things and others who would not. I would definitely remind this book, especially to any children that wants to be crazy! The book sends a message that sometimes the fun and mischief has to happen in your head, rather than in person!

Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 1963
ISBN: 0-06-025493-9

Picture Books Post #1

Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Author/Illustrator: Eric Carle
Lauren's Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a story about a tiny caterpillar who eats every food comes into his sight including an apple, lollipop, and a pickle. After eating all of this food, he becomes very big and fat and so he wraps himself into a cocoon. He then emerges from the cocoon two weeks later and has transformed into a beautiful butterfly!

This classic picture book included several aspects that I enjoyed immensely. Firstly, the colors are magnificent. They make every page pop out and each illustration is engaging. I loved how he used the book to also help children learn how to count numbers and be able to identify different types of foods. The tiny wholes in the food that the caterpillar ate also made it fun because it made the story come to life. Finally, I love how the story described the transformation from caterpillars to butterflies accurately. Carle did an amazing job on this children's picture book.

Publisher: Philomel Books
Publication year: 1987
ISBN: 0-399-20853-4

Decodable Texts Post #3

Title: What Can I Be?
Author: Cari Meister
Illustrator: Matt Phillips
Lauren's Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

What Can I Be? is a story about a little girl who wants to discover who she can be. She goes through her toy chest and tries on different outfits that she finds to be "too scary, too hairy, and too silly." In the end she realizes that she does not need to be anyone else but herself!

This story has a low word count and is a good way to learn how to read. It is also a rhyming book. The book has one or two words on each page that correlates with a specific adjective that is then drawn out with a detailed picture. The concept is also good for children to realize that they are special all by themselves and do not need to change anything about themselves. However, this book is not the best phonics book. There are at least four words that are non-decodable. This makes it harder for children to try and sound out a word.

Publisher: Children's Press
Publication date: 2003
ISBN: 0-516-22876-5

Decodable Texts Post #2

Title: The Pup Speaks Up
Author: Anna Jane Hays
Illustrator: Valeria Petrone
Lauren's Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Pup Speaks Up is about a boy named, Bo, and his new puppy named, Pal. Bo wants to know what sound the dog makes. Him and Pal pass by other animals, cars, and even babies that all make different noises. Then Pal sees a cat and finally makes a noise and Bo is happy!

This phonic reader simplified its reading so that new readers can enjoy a book. I liked how the book rhymed and there were not a lot of words on each page. However, the dog does not 'woof' at the end, which is typically described as a dog's sound. I enjoyed the detailed illustrations that were bright and colorful. I also enjoyed how they used a little boy and his new dog as the main characters. It makes the story more relatable to a child of that age. It was a good book but it would not be my first choice for decodable texts.

Publisher: Random House
Publication date: 2003
ISBN: 0-375-91232-0

Decodable Texts Post #1

Title: My Pup Jed
Author: Susana Foster
Illustrator: Ingela Peterson
Lauren's Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The story of My Pup Jed is about a little girl that describes to the audience what her dog, Jed, can do. Jed acts as though a puppy would do and hops up on her, runs in mud and wags his tail. Before all of the activities, Jed would not take a nap but after all of his playing he takes a nap at end of the day.

The focus of this book is to help children learn how to read using their phonic skills. The book overall has a story but it is not congruent with the previous sentences. However, the several decodable
words rhyme and are simple so I do think that this book would be suitable for children. I also think that it would be appealing to children because of the cute dog that plays throughout the book.

Publisher: Harcourt School Publishers
Publication date: 2006
ISBN: 0-15-364085-5