Roald Dahl,s Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

This book of rhymes spoofs fairytales. It is both funny and amusing but it’s not for young children. Dahl puts a very dark and hilarious twist on well-known childhood stories. Parents beware there is a lot of inappropriate language and outcomes. The Prince in Cinderella calls one of the “Ugly Sisters” a “dirty slut” and then proceeds to chop off her head. In the Three Little Pigs, Red Riding Hood has a pistol and shoots the wolf in the head. She then makes a coat out of his fur. This kind of behavior will be hard for parents to explain to elementary school children.

The illustrations are spot on and complement the text perfectly. I laughed out loud at each of the fairytales. I would recommend the book for at least middle school students and older. For adults with a dark sense of humor get this book from the library.

Published In: 2002
Publisher: Knopf
Age Level: 10-14 years
AR Level: 4.4
Pages: 43
Stars: 5

Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

Family reunions are events that make some of the best childhood memories. The book centers on a boy who anguishes over what he is going to share at the reunion with the family. The author details all the activities of the day. A great book about family and how important these people are in a young boys’ life. A wonderful addition to a home library.

Published In: 2019
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Age Level: 4-8 years
AR Level: 3.5
Pages: 32
Stars: 5
Award: 2020 Caldecott Honor

Knight Owl by Christopher Denise 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

Cute story about an owl that wants to become a knight. He enrolls in knight school to learn how to be “brave and clever”. Once he graduates, he is assigned to protect the castle on the Knight Night Watch where he encounters an intruder. Will the owl be able to keep the castle and other knights safe?

Great illustrations with a suspenseful story with just enough scary pictures to keep a preschooler enthralled but not give them nightmares. The book length is perfect for that 1 more book before bedtime. A wonderful addition to the home library.

Published In: 2022
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.
Age Level: 3-6 years
AR Level: 2.6
Pages: 40
Stars: 5
Award: 2023 Caldecott Honor

Hello, Universe by Drin Entrada Kelly 🟌🟌🟌🟌

Four middle school children’s lives intersect when one of them, a bully plays a prank. The book takes place all in one day. The four kids are unique and very different. One is a deaf girl who loves nature. Another is a self-proclaimed psychic. Third is a boy who is the bully. Finally, a shy boy who is on the receiving end of the prank and gets trapped in a well. As a heroic rescue is performed to rescue him a friendship develops.

I am the mother of 3 boys and all of them loved playing sports as children. As adults they have become caring husbands and fathers. I am continually disappointed when authors make the bully character a boy and a child that likes sports. Overall, the book is engaging but please stop stereotyping sport-loving boys as bullies.

Published In: 2017
Publisher: Greenwillow
Age Level: 9-11 years
AR Level: 4.7
Pages: 313
Stars: 4
Awards: 2018 Newberry Medal

Very Good Hats by Emma Straub 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

This book is so much fun. Hats are very silly but turn hats into a book and it’s a homerun. My 5-year-old granddaughter loved the illustrations, and the bright colors are exactly what she likes in a book. Who would have thought there were so many different types of hats. Hats for people, animals, hats for specific jobs and even hats for objects. This book is perfect for the preschoolers in your life.

Published In: 2023
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books
Age Level: 2-5 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 32
Stars: 5

How to Eat a Book by Mrs. & Mr. MacLeod 🟌🟌🟌

Based on the title of this book I could not resist checking it out of the library, “How to Eat a Book” what a great concept. Everybody knows you can get lost in a book but the thought of one eating the reader intrigued me. The girl, Sheila sits down to read a book and puff the book eats her. Then the same thing happens to her cousin and sister. After the children are eaten by the books the story lost me. It felt like a bunch of jumbled thoughts thrown together on the page and I couldn’t follow them. Many of the reviews called this book whimsical but to me it felt chaotic and confusing. The illustrations are clever, fun and in my opinion are the best part of the book.

My granddaughter enjoyed the book and there were lots of giggles from her when the children were being eaten. But like her Nana she could not follow the rest of the story. I asked her what was the best part of the book and her answer was the pictures. I would check this book out from the library, but I would not have it in my home library.

Fun Activities: Ask your child what book they would like to be eaten by and then re-read it.
                                                                     

Published In: 2022                         
Publisher: Union Square & Kids
Age Level: 3-8 years
AR Level: N/A
Pages: 48
Stars: 3

Greenglass House by Kate Milford 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

The Greenglass House aka the smuggler’s inn is usually quiet during the Christmas season. The innkeeper’s family takes time to relax and celebrate the holiday. However, this year the guest bell is ringing again and again. As the guests arrive, they all have secrets that revolve around the history of the house. When items go missing from the guests’ rooms Milo the innkeeper’s son and Meddy the cook’s daughter set out to find the culprit. The two sleuths soon find themselves immersed in mystery.

“Greenglass House” is the first in a series of five books. If your child likes books with mystery in the style of “who dunit” this is the book for them. It was very enjoyable to read with lots of surprises, twists, and turns.

Published In: 2014
Publisher: Clarion Books
Age Level: 10-12 years
AR Level: 5.4
Pages: 376
Stars: 5