The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats - 4 Stars

 “The Snowy Day” is a very simple story about a boy, Peter who ventures outside after a night of snow fall. He makes tracks in the snow, he builds a snowman, he slides down a snowy mountain, and he has many other adventures in the newly fallen snow. I can understand why toddlers love the simplicity of the story, but older children will find it dull and tedious. I would like to give this classic children's picture book a 5-star rating but honestly it is a 4-star story. 

Published In: 1962
Publisher: Puffin
Age Level: 1-5 years                                                             
AR Level: 2.5
Pages: 28
Awards: 1963 Caldecott Medal                   
Stars: 4

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback - 5 Stars

 Joseph’s overcoat is “old and worn”, so he makes a jacket out of it, then a vest and on and on it goes. By the end of the book, all he has left of his overcoat is a button, but he loses it and he has nothing. So, Joseph makes a book about the overcoat and the different forms it takes over the years. The moral of the story “you can always make something out of nothing”. My granddaughter laughed throughout the book, and she loved the bold and bright illustrations. 

Published In: 1999
Publisher: Viking
Age Level: 3-6 years                                                             
AR Level: 1.7
Pages: 33
Awards: 2000 Caldecott Medal                   
Stars: 5

Stink and the Great Guinea Pig Express by Megan McDonald - 5 Stars

Stink and his friends, Webster and Sophie find three stray guinea pigs while building the Great Wall of China with cereal boxes. At a loss of what to do with them they take off to Mrs. Birdwistle’s, who owns the local pet store. When they get there, they find a lot more guinea pigs and they have all escaped from their cages. Once everything is put back in order Mrs. Birdwistle explains that she had rescued the animals from a lab testing facility for shampoo and perfume that was performing experiments on the guinea pigs. The friends decide to help Mrs. Birdwistle to find homes for all 101 animals. Can they find enough kids to adopt all of them? The story is funny and engaging. Elementary School readers will want more of Stink and friends once they have read one of these books. My grandkids are hooked on the series.

Published In: 2008
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Age Level: 6-9 years                                                             
AR Level: 3.7
Pages: 118
Series: 14 Books                                        
Stars: 5

The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths - 5 Stars

 “The 13-Story Treehouse” is so ridiculous that every chapter makes you belly-laugh. It has just the right kind of humor for 7–12-year-old boys. Andy and Terry live in the 13-story treehouse which has many cool rooms and gadgets. They are constantly experimenting or building something, flying cats, giant bananas, sea monsters or enormous gorillas. They also write funny books and are working under a deadline to get one completed. Will they get their next book written on time or will they have to save the world? All three of my grandsons enjoyed the antics of Andy and Terry. Not only is the story wacky but the illustration back up all the shenanigans.

 

Published In: 2013

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Age Level: 7-12 years                                                         

AR Level: 3.8

Pages: 239                                                 

Stars: 5

Series: 13 Books

Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures The Mount Rushmore Calamity by Sara Pennypacker - 3 Stars

I read the original Flat Stanley books with both my children and grandchildren, which we all really enjoyed. Now Flat Stanley (he’s flat because a bulletin board fell on him) goes on worldwide adventures with his family. These books do not compare with the first books in the series. They do provide the reader with historical content and geography information, but they lack depth. The plots are predictable and the characters are too goody-two-shoes. I advise sticking to the original Flat Stanley.

Published In: 2009
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc
Level: 6-8 years
AR Level: 4.4
Pages: 71                                                   
Stars: 3
Series: 15 Books

Tackylocks And The Three Bears by Helen Lester - 4 Stars

Tacky and his friends are a waddle of penguins, and they are going to put on a play for Mrs. Beakly’s school. They will be preforming Goldilocks (Tackylocks) And The Three Bears. When it’s time for the play to start the penguins are rambunctious and cannot settle down. Will Tacky’s unusual portrayal of Goldilocks keep the audience entertained. It’s a cute book but first get one of these books in the series from the library to see if it will captivate your child.       

Published In: 2002

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Age Level: 4-7 years

AR Level: 3.3

Pages: 32                                                   

Stars: 4

Series: 10 Books

The High-Skies Adventures of Blue Jay The Pirate by Scott Nash -3 Stars

Wish I had read the reviews about this book before purchasing. It is not my cup of tea. First, I am not a fan of animals taking on human attributes. The birds in this book are pirates, farmers, villagers, and guards. Food is running low for the sparrows (non-pirate) and they have to protect their supplies from the marauding Blue Jay pirate.  Second, I hate birds, I have had a fear of birds since childhood. This was not the book for me, I only got through 4 chapters. Maybe other readers will find the adventures of Blue Jay more entertaining.

Published In: 2012
Publisher: Candlewick Press
AR Level:5.5
Age Level: 7-11 years
Pages: 212                                            
Stars: 3