The Willoughbys is reminiscent of so many classics – Mary Poppins and The Secret Garden, to name only two – all rolled together.
Author: TCBR Contributor
TCBR Contributor
The Children’s Book Review, named one of the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) Great Web Sites for Kids, is a resource devoted to children’s literacy. We publish reviews and book lists of the best books for kids of all ages. We also produce author and illustrator interviews and share literacy based articles that help parents, grandparents, teachers and librarians to grow readers. This article was written and provided by one of TCBR's regular contributors.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling Reading Level: Ages 9 – 12 Hardcover Publisher: Children’s High Level Group (December 4, 2008) The Tales of Beedle the Bard are J.K. Rowling’s latest addition to her Harry Potter series. If you have read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – the seventh and final novel of the series – you will also be familiar with The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Hermione Granger is given the book by Albus Dumbledore (don’t read this lightly colored sentence if you have not read book number seven – The Tales of Beedle…
Hello Day by Anita Lobel Reading level: Ages 0 – 5 Hardcover: 40 pages Publisher: Greenwillow (March 25, 2008) This is one of my new favorite picture books. With its beautiful illustrations and straightforward text, which includes a new animal sound on each page, it’s the perfect progression from the trustee old board books. The story has the kind of ending that leaves you thinking, “Awwww!” It’s peaceful yet captivating, and perfect for reading right before the lights go off and your toddler slips into dreamland for the night. Hello Day is a colorful trip through the countryside, ending with…
If you like Fancy Nancy (and you should) and you also happen to like Madame Alexander dolls, then I think you’re going to LOVE the new Madame Alexander Fancy Nancy Doll. She goes on sale September 1, 2008. Take a look at her, I think she’s adorable … Just in case you are thinking “who the heck is Fancy Nancy?”, she is the latest craze in books for girlie girls ages 4 through 8 (although I know a ton of two year old girls who are hooked on the series, too). The books are written by Jane O’Connor and Illustrated…
Great news! Oprah’s Book Club has teamed up with the American Library Association (ALA), to create the Kids Reading List. The list has been divided into separate categories: Infant-2, 3-5 Years, 6-9 Years, 10-12, 12 and Up, and Classics. The lists can be found at the website of Oprah’s Book Club and are based on the recommendations from the ALA. Each list has two pages: the first page is for new releases and the second is for classics – except, of course, the list titled ‘Classics’ which is made entirely of … classics. As I read each list I was…
Working in a Washington, DC children’s book store regularly reminds me that I am not, in fact, an American. It’s not really because people sometimes ask me if I am from Boston (please come back cute Australian accent!), but rather because of the books people request as childhood classics. I know now that no home in the US is without a copy of Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown, and there’s probably more than one copy, as it is a baby shower gift staple. So anyone looking for some new ideas, or any fellow Australians now residing overseas desperately trying…
Recently, I posted a book review of The Pout-Pout Fish, by Deborah Diesen, and now here comes the fun part … an exclusive interview with the lovely author. The extra insight into the world of Mr. Fish makes me adore the story even more. And wait until you read the description of her next book to be published, it sounds hilarious – but you’ll have to read the interview to find out more … Bianca: The Pout-Pout Fish is such a fun book, what was the inspiration behind it? Debbie: The story grew out of an actual pout! My elder…
Melvin Might? by Jon Scieszka (author), David Shannon (illustrator), Loren Long (illustrator), and David Gordon (illustrator) Reading Level: Ages 3-8 Hardcover: 42 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, (October 28, 2008) COMING SOON! Adorable! Melvin Might is the latest addition to Jon Scieszka’s Trucktown series – an energized series based on very personable truck characters, and teamed with great pictures from a very notable team of illustrators. I just love Melvin’s character, he’s a worrier with a BIG heart. If you are not familiar with the Trucktown series, it has plenty of kid appeal – in fact Scieszka’s main…
The Pout-Pout Fish (A New York Times Best Seller) by Deborah Diesen (Author), Dan Hanna (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-6 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (March 18, 2008) The Pout-Pout fish is a very ‘glum’ fellow with a well illustrated pout. Many of his ocean friends question his demeanor, to which he always responds with the same clever rhyme, explaining that it’s just the way he is and that he is destined to always have the “dreary wearies”. Or is he? Well … you’ll have to read it to find out if it’s possible to…
The combination of rhyming text, bold illustrations (black, white and hot pink are the main colors used), the gloss finish of Darkness, and Burfoot’s clever ability to create a story based on fear, yet never actually label it, make this a wonderful book for any child afraid of the dark.