Fantasy Post #3

Title: Bedtime Monsters
Author/Illustrator: Josh Schneider
Lauren's Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Bedtime Monsters is about a boy who is afraid of going to sleep alone because of the monsters that might be under his bed. When he sees the monster that he was afraid of, the monster tells him that he is afraid of another monster. After several monsters are afraid of each other and get under the covers with the boy, they realize that the scariest monster is an "Arnold" who eats the heads off of other animals. Arnold is the boy who plays and pretends to be a monster during the day.

This story is very clever and I liked the message it gave at the end. I think that the illustrations, especially the monster outline drawn around the boy, is creative and intriguing. The story is based off the of the usual idea that kid's fear monsters under their bed. However, this fantastical book plays on the fact that the monsters might be afraid of you. The use of cool colors, such as purple and blue, when the lights are turned off show the child and monster's fear in the dark. I liked the story and I would recommend this book to children that have this fear or want to read a very different book.

Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication date: 2013
ISBN: 978-0-544-00270-8

Fantasy Post #2

Title: Raising Dragons
Author/Illustrator: Jerdine Nolen and Elise Primavera
Lauren's Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Raising Dragons is a story about a boy who finds a dragon egg. His parents tell him to stay away but when the dragon hatches he takes care of him until he gets too big. He then sends him to Dragon Island, where Hank, the dragon, gives him a bunch of dragon eggs, so that, he can raise these babies.

This is a cute story that would perfect for a children who could read very well and who likes dragons. I think that the long paragraph-like text took away from the illustrations. I liked that the story featured an African American family. It showed that diversity can be shown in children's literature. I also enjoyed the cartoon like illustrations that were made with pastels. The details in the illustrations were beautiful, as well as, the colors. Each page was consistent with the text. The fantasy-like qualities in the book were excellent. The author also portrayed the dragon in a way that he seemed like a normal pet. I did enjoy this book but I feel like it would be too challenging for a young child and text might get boring.

Publisher: Harcourt Brace & Company
Publication date: 1998
ISBN: 0-15-201288-5

Fantasy Post #1

Title: The Day the Crayons Quit
Author/Illustrator: Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
Lauren's Rating: 5 out of 5

The Day the Crayons Quit is a funny, fantasy story about the different colors of the crayons rebelling against their user, Duncan. Some of the colors like their use, others want to be used more, and others are fighting over the objects that they are being used to color in. In the end, Duncan draws a picture with all of the colors, according to the standards of the crayons.

This is a hysterical story that I would recommend to every child and their parents. This story not only present a fun story but it uses fantasy to make the crayons seem like real people.  The illustrations that include paper with writing on it from the crayons and the drawings that have been drawn with that crayon make it very easy to read and follow. There are lots of words on each page but they use simple words and the meaning behind the words are understandable. This would also be a great book to read to children who cannot read and it could help with color identification. In the end the boy's resolution is very appropriate to the audience. This story is relatable in the fact that children frequently use crayons but it has an awesome fantasy plot line to go along with it. If you have not read this book before, I would recommend to grab it for a quick read!

Publisher: The Penguin Group
Publication date: 2013
ISBN: 978-0-399-25537-3

Realistic Fiction Post #3

Title: Math Curse
Authors: Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Lauren's Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Math Curse is a story about a boy who was told by his teacher that everything in life is a math problem. Suddenly, the boy starts to panic because everything around him makes him think of math and how is he supposed to solve these problems? In the end, he thinks he broke the math curse that he thought his teacher put on him by solving his original problem of how long it takes him to get ready in the morning.

This very different and unique book is perfect for an elementary student that struggles with math. The fun use of illustrations and boxes that surround the main questions, makes a child realize that math is in everyday life. As the book continues, the boy realizes that he can solve these problems and he is confident with math. This will help children feel more confident about math, and if they are having problems, then they can relate themselves to the boy. On one page, the text is written on the edge of the page, going all around. This requires the reader to turn the book while reading, which helps make the book even more exciting. This is a great book for more advanced, school-aged children!

Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication date: 1995
ISBN:0-670-86194-4

Realistic Fiction Post #2

Title: Underground
Author/Illustrator: Denise Fleming
Lauren's Rating: 4 out of 5

Underground is about all of the creatures and what happens under the soil. It includes rabbits, moles, earthworms, and garter snakes. It starts and ends above ground, but it shows that there is a huge underground world.

This is not as much of a story, as it is, an informational and informative text. The lyrical text, use of pictures, and limited amount of text makes this a great beginner reader book. I liked that the book showed images that a child would understand, such as, a dog digging into the ground to hide his bone. It makes the story more easily understood. My favorite part of the book, and the reason why I rated this book so highly, was because of its last page. It included the name and description of each of the animals and insects shown previously. Although some of the animals were scary, such as, spiders and snakes, they used this book to describe the purpose of these animals. I think that this book is a great way to educate children as well as have them enjoy a fun story at the same time. I also think that is would be a good book for children that are interested in soil and digging outside!

Publisher: Beach Lane Books
Publication date: 2012
ISBN:978-1-4424-5882-6

Realistic Fiction Post #1

Title: Knuffle Bunny
Author/ Illustrator: Mo Willems
Lauren's Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Knuffle Bunny is a story about a little girl named Trixie who goes to the laundromat with her father and her stuffed animal. She cannot tell her father that she forgot her bunny in the washing machine because she cannot talk yet. Her mother realizes that the bunny is missing, so the whole family runs back to the laundromat and finds the bunny!

This is an adorable tale that not only broke the family dynamic stereotypes, but also used photographs and cartoon art to illustrate. The photographs are real black and white pictures from New York City and the cartoons are drawn in with colors. The story included both parents in a caring and loving way. The story is fun and relatable and the illustrator used space outside of the photograph to show movement. The illustrations are exciting and the story is creative. I love that the child cannot talk, but tries to, with her father. I also love that the child has her first words at the end of the book. This is a book that a picture walk could be used with a younger child. I would recommend this story to every parent and young child. The text is simple and the illustrations are amazing.

Publisher: Hyperion Books
Publication date: 2004
ISBN: 078681870-0

Traditional Literature Post #3

Title: Coyote in Love with a Star
Author/Illustrator: Marty Kreipe de Montano and Tom Coffin
Lauren's Ratings: 3 out of 5 stars

Coyote in Love with a Star is about a coyote who left his home on the Potawatomi reservation in Kansas and moved to New York City to find a job at the World Trade Center. He was homesick so he went to the top of the building and saw a beautiful star. The star and him danced together while the star lifted him into space. When he fell back to earth, he created a huge hole which turned into a reservoir. Currently, coyotes howl around the reservoir to yell at the star for killing their grandfather.

This story was created with the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in order to celebrate the Native American culture. This folktale talks about the hardships of someone leaving behind their home. I love how they incorporated different aspects of both communities to show how strange New York seemed to this person. The photos were used to compliment the text, but the focus was the story. The story was a bit strange, but it would be a great book for a child with an incredible imagination to read. The folktale included paragraphs on each page. Therefore, the reader would have to be advanced. The cultural aspect of this book was very impressive.  I also liked the use of a coyote as the main character. I feel like this helped get rid of the barriers between races. Overall, I think that this would be a good book to read to children or have them read, in order to, open up the conversation about different cultures.

Publisher:Abbeville Press Publishers
Publication date: 1998
ISBN: 0-7892-0162-3

Traditional Literature Post #2

Title: Dinorella: A Prehistoric Fairy Tale
Author/Illustrator: Pamela Duncan Edwards and Henry Cole
Lauren's Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Dinorella follows the traditional cinderella story with dinosaurs as its characters. Dinorella gets dressed up, with the help of a fairy, and heads to a party. On her way there, the boy dinosaur, Duke, that everyone wants to be with is being attacked by a carnivore. Dinorella is brave and fends off the bad dinosaur with a diamond that she threw at him. Duke finds the diamond that leads him to Dinorella. They live happily ever after.

This book consists of that happily ever after aspect that most fairy tale books do. I do like how the woman is the one to save the man, rather than, vice versa. This book is easy to follow because of its resemblance to the cinderella story. However, with its excessive use of words beginning with the letter 'd', it is very hard to understand what is being said. A lot of the words are very complex and hard to understand for a young reader. The placement of the words within the illustrations are clever. The story consists of excellent illustrations that contain lots of detail. The use of space and composition are especially important within the book. Without the words, this book would have gotten a higher rating. The text takes away from the story. I would only recommend this book to children that are advanced readers or I would suggest a picture walk for a younger audience.

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Publication date: 1998
ISBN: 0-590-63503-4

Traditional Literature Post #1

Title: Shrek!
Author: William Steig
Lauren's Rating: 4 out of 5

Shrek! is a fairy tale story about a hideous ogre and his continuos adventures after his parents set him off into the world. He runs into a witch who tells him to go find an ugly princess. Shrek is overjoyed. Finally, after defeating a dragon and knight, he finds his princess and they live happily ever after together.

After watching the very popular movie series based on this book, I was surprised by some of its details. A lot of the ogre's powers, including the fire-breathing and laser-beam powers, were not included in the movie. This story is similar to all fairy tale stories, in that, the guy finds the girl in the end and they live happily ever after. I liked the simplicity of the illustrations. However, even simple, the story could be determined through the images. The colors that were used for the illustrations were captivating. The vocabulary, number of words, and content are definitely geared towards a child who is an experienced reader. I liked this book and I would recommend it, especially because of the popularity of the movies.

Publisher: D&M Ltd.
Publication date: 1990
ISBN: 0-606-06000-6