I Am a Tiger

The first of the Texas 2x2 nominee books Mom and I read was "I am a Tiger." I am a Tiger" was written by Karl Newson and illustrated by Ross Collins. Mouse is the main character in this story, but he does not believe that he IS a mouse. In fact, Mouse has big dreams; he is convinced that he is a tiger. One at a time, all of the other animals take turns trying to convince Mouse that he is a not a tiger, but Mouse is determined. He lists all of the reasons that he knows he is a tiger. Not even Tiger himself can convince Mouse that he is wrong. In fact, Mouse tries to convince the other animals that they are not who they think they are. 

This funny and engaging story will make readers laugh out loud. Collins mede the illustrations are large, bright and colorful, with easily recognizable animals that stand out on the plain blue background. 

Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet

 Today we read Frankie Sparks & the Class Pet book 1 by Megan Frazer Blakemore and Illustrated by Nadja Sarell. The most exciting thing ever is happening in Frankie Spark's third grade class! their teacher, Ms. Cupid has just announced that the class will be getting a pet and they will have to work together to choose the perfect class pet. Frankie knows right away what the class pet should be: a rat like the ones her Aunt Gina works with at the university.  After all, it meets the requirements given by Ms. Cupid: 1. It fit in an aquarium, 2. It costs less than $50.00. 3. It is easily Portable 4. (After Frankie invents the Automatic Rat Feeder 3,000), It is able to be alone for the weekend. Now she just has to convince her classmates and teacher that t a rat is the best choice. Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet is a fast-moving story and full of humor. Students who enjoy STEM projects will enjoy reading about Frankie inventing the "Automatic Rat Feeder 3000". 

The first of the Bluebonnet nominees that Mom and I read was a picture book biography of former congresswoman Barbara Jordan, written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Ekua Holmes. “What Do You Do with a Voice Like That: The Story ” is targeted to elementary students with easy-to –understand text and colorful, eye-catching pictures.  Reluctant readers will stay engaged with the fast-moving text as it chronicles the life of Barbara Jordan and the impact she had on our nation’s history with the repetitive question “What do you do with a voice like that?” A time line of Barbara’s life is located at the end of the book, along with an author’s note and artist’s note. Readers will be inspired to think about their own gifts and how they can use them to change the world around them. This is an excellent book for students to read when doing research on famous Americans, or for a teacher to read aloud during Black History Month.

We give this book 4 paws up! 🐾🐾

The Homeschooling Begins

Hi, I'm Bitsy. My mom is Lisa Keefer, the Librarian for Willow Springs Elementary. Mom thought that since the other kids were being home schooled right now, I should be too. So it is back to the book grindstone for me! My Mom and I are going to read and review as many of the 2020 Texas Bluebonnet and Texas 2x2 nominees as we can get our paws on. Here we go!

Jangles: a Big Fish Story by David Shannon

            David Shannon, award winning author and illustrator of the NO, DAVID! Books, spins the whopper of all fish tales in Jangles, a Big Fish Story. The narrator tells us a story that was told to him by his father when he was a boy, about a mysterious gigantic trout which swims in the lake. The fish is named Jangles, because he has so many fishing lures and hooks stuck in his mouth that you can hear him coming, because they all clinked and clattered as he swam. The narrator’s father spins a yarn about an encounter he had with this huge fish one night when he was all alone in the middle of the lake, and how the fish took him down to his secret and magical lair, spoke to him, and told him tales of the time long ago before humans inhabited the earth. Lest one would be tempted to not believe this fanciful tale, the narrator, then shows us proof.

            What fisherman, child or adult, hasn’t dreamt of catching “the big one?” This story was captivating. I found myself enthralled with this tall tale, and drawn into the magic of the fish’s story. The beautiful oil paintings set the mood for the story, from the stunning colors on the ancient rainbow trout, to the colorful lures stuck into his mouth. Detailed pictures showed lifelike expressions on the faces of the characters, and background colors call emphasize to the action on the pages. For example, the background was red, when a foolish fisherman accidentally blew up his boat with dynamite, and cool, dark and mysterious when Jangles was pulling the narrator’s father through the water to his cave. I highly recommend this story. Children and adults both will love it.

Book jacket downloaded from barnesandnoble.com.

Click here to view book trailer.

Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break if You Want to Survive The School Bus

by John Grandits

        It was the first day of school, and Kyle’s first time to ever ride a school bus. Last year, his brother James rode the bus, but Kyle’s mom walked him to school. This year, James gets to walk, while Kyle rides the bus. Will he be able to remember the ten rules James told him to never forget if he wants to survive on the school bus? If he doesn’t follow all of them, James said he might get pounded! Kyle is nervous, and it doesn’t help that there’s a scary dog on the corner right where the bus stops. On the way to school, Kyle has already broken several of the rules, met the school bus bully, and had to sit by a girl. Will he make it home without getting pounded? When he does get home, Kyle has a new rule tell his brother: never pay attention to your brother’s list of rules!

          What a funny book! Anyone who has ever ridden a school bus will be able to relate to Kyle’s fears. John Grandits did an excellent job capturing the worries of the new kid on the bus in a humorous way. Michael Allen Austin captures the mood and energy of the story with full-page  acrylic  illustrations which add depth, meaning, and lots of laughs to the story. Austin has skillfully captured Kyle's vivid imagination in in the lifelike paintings. For example when the text says that Kyle feels like “a zebra at a lion party," the illustrations show Kyle as a zebra in boy’s clothes and lion’s tails and feet hanging off of the bus seats. John Grandits is an award-winning book and magazine designer.

Book jacket source: barnesandnoble.com

Click here to view book trailer.

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie

by Julie Sternberg

        Eleanor is sad. Her parents have some difficult news to share with her. She thinks it might be as bad as when her mom lost her hamster, but it is worse. It’s “as bad as pickle juice on a cookie.” Eleanor’s babysitter Bibi is moving away. Bibi has been Eleanor’s first and only babysitter, and she can’t imagine what she will do without her. At first, Eleanor’s mom spends some time at home with her, but she has to go back to work eventually, and Eleanor has to get a new babysitter. To top that off, she is nervous about starting third grade. Eleanor soon discovers that her new babysitter, Natalie, is not so bad. She isn’t Bibi, but she likes to play board games and do fun things with Eleanor. When school starts back up, and Eleanor’s best friend Pearl comes back from vacation, she finds out that third grade might just be fun. Natalie is a pretty cool second babysitter, and best of all, Eleanor just got a letter from Bibi.

          This is a cute and sensitive book about a time of loss in a young girl’s life. Julie Sternberg handles it with just the right light touch. Any child who has had a friend or adult friend in their life who moved away will relate to it. The realistic fiction story is written in verse, with short words and lines as an eight year old might write. It is illustrated with black and white drawings which perfectly capture the mood of the text. This is an ideal beginning chapter book for young readers. Julie Sternberg has also written Like Bug Juice on a Burger.

Book jacket source: amazon.com.

Click here to view book trailer.