Little Blue Truck

Written by Alice Schertle

Illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Most enjoyed by Preschoolers through 1st Graders

Little Blue Truck is loved by all of the farm animals. When he drives by with his cheery 'Beep!', they answer in return in their own unique way. Along comes Big Yellow Dump Truck pushing his way through. He has no time for niceties and lets everyone know it. But when he gets stuck in the mud, who comes to his rescue but the little truck with the big heart. As he pushes Big Yellow with all his might, Little Blue Truck finds himself stuck in the mud, too. At the sound of his 'Beep!', the animals come to his rescue.

'Little Blue Truck' is a sunny little truck who loves helping anyone. Young readers will cheer for his animal friends as they help their buddy, especially when it's the littlest friend who provides the most help. A great read-aloud, 'Little Blue Truck' is one you don't want to miss.

Benny and Penny and the Big No-No!

Written and illustrated by Geoffrey Hayes
Most enjoyed by Preschoolers, Kindergartners, and 1st Graders

With simple, clear text and appealing characters, 'Benny and Penny and the Big No-No!' is a perfect book for the youngest of readers. It's easy to see why this book won the 2010 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. It's easy enough for a first grader to read on their own and just right for a parent-child read-aloud.

Benny and Penny know it is wrong to go next door without asking, but Benny has lost his pail and he's pretty sure the new neighbor has taken it. But who is the new neighbor? A monster? When Benny peers over the fence separating their yards, he accidentally falls into the neighbor's yard. There's his pail alright, but there's also some neatly made mud pies. Would a monster make mud pies? Benny and Penny hide when they hear the monster coming but the monster is as surprised by their presence as much as they're surprised by the monster's real identity. As they hurry over the fence with Benny's pail, they make a discovery that leads to the realization that perhaps the new neighbor isn't such a monster after all.

What I love about this book is the simple lessons it teaches in such a subtle way. There is a consequence for Benny and Penny's actions, those no-no's of the title, yet each is resolved in a manner that begs to be repeated in real life. For example, when Benny and Penny discover that Benny has falsely accused the neighbor of taking his pail, they go back over the fence to apologize, showing readers that a simple 'I'm sorry' can often be all it takes to right a wrong. The no-no's are situations youngsters often find themselves in, such as disobeying a rule or taking something that doesn't belong to them. Common, ordinary events that are part of growing up but that often need gentle instruction.

While 'Benny and Penny and the Big No-No!' is the second book in a series created by Geoffrey Hayes it is the first one in our collection. And once it starts circulating, I suspect it won't be the last!

Spring Break is Here!

This week is Spring Break week at Zion. It's a week to take a much-needed hiatus from our studies and ready ourselves for the final 8 weeks of learning before summer vacation. Our blog will be taking a break, too, in order to catch up on reading. Look for more great book suggestions next week! Happy Spring and Happy Easter!

Funny Farm

Written and illustrated by Mark Teague

Most enjoyed by preschoolers through 2nd graders

Spring planting season is just around the corner. Keep your eye peeled as you pass the fields that surround our town. You'll see farmers getting their fields ready for planting. If you're a newbie to farming like Edward, there may be a few surprises in store but probably not as exotic as those found on Hawthorne Farm. Here, the pigs pull practical jokes, the mice churn their own butter, and owners Uncle Earl and Aunt Josephine make their own maple syrup. Not much funny in that except the two are dogs and everyone knows dogs don't make syrup, right?

Poor Edward is in for a new learning experience when he visits his relatives' farm and so is the reader. While Mark Teague's text lists the activities done on the farm each day, his pictures bring the text to life and leave the reader laughing. For example, when we read that 'In the morning, everyone gets up early', we see sheep brushing their teeth and washing their faces. When it rains, we see Edward in the house watching the pigs play in puddles and Mama Robin shelter her babies with an unbrella. There's something quirky to look for on every double-page spread.

In fact, while 'Funny Farm' is a short book, it's not a quick read as I discovered the other day when reading it to some preschoolers. We lingered over every double-page spread looking closely to find the 'funny' on the farm. We weren't disappointed and shared quite a few giggles. It's the memory of that laughter that won't keep 'Funny Farm' in the shelf for long.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

Written by Rodman Philbrick

Most enjoyed by history fans in 5th through 8th grade

Homer P. Figg, little brother to Harold, is known to embellish his stories a bit. He'll need to really tell some whoppers if he's going to get his brother out of the Union Army. You see, Harold went a bit too far when trying to stop his uncle, Squinton Leach, from hurting Homer. Now, Squinton has conned a judge into enlisting Harold into the Union army despite the fact that Harold is too young. Homer watches in agony as his brother is taken away, vowing to leave that night to rescue Harold. But Harold's lead is too great and Homer must rely on the kindness of others to help his search. From a Quaker minister helping runaway slaves to a kind newspaperman who tells Homer the stark truth about war, Homer's search leads him to the front and Harold himself. But the happy ending Homer had hoped for comes with a price, one that he and Harold live with forever.

I really liked this book. The characters are well-drawn, the story's pacing fast enough to propel the reader onward. It didn't sugar-coat the brutality of the Civil War, yet it didn't make it so graphic that it might turn away the squeamish. It's an excellent work of historical fiction that well deserves the Newbery honor medal it received.

Our 6th grade book club just finished discussing 'Homer' and those that finished the book before our discussion enjoyed it. The students loved Homer's ability to get himself out of major trouble with his tall tales. The biggest complaint was not about the book but about the cover art work. Group members felt it didn't accurately portray the subject matter of the book and made the book look as if it were appropriate for a much younger audience. We hope that when the paperback version comes out, the cover is redesigned. But the group consensus was that 'The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg' is great historical fiction for junior high readers.

The Lion's Share

Written and illustrated by Matthew McElligott
Most enjoyed by 1st through 4th graders

Matthew McElligott has a way with math concepts that makes them so simple to understand. In 'Bean Thirteen', reviewed here, he covered simple division. In 'The Lion's Share', he tackles fractions and does it so well it can almost be said that fractions are easy (note, I said almost!).

Each year, the Lion holds a special dinner party for his animal friends. Ant is invited for the first time and is quite excited. Wanting to make a good impression, he arrives on time only to discover that the other guests are there already, indulging in a glorious feast but displaying terrible table manners. When the lion serves dessert, he invites his guests to help themselves and each does in his own greedy way. The elephant feels that half is his fair share so he takes half of the cake. The hippo feels that he can take half of what's left since the elephant took half. The gorilla takes half again and so on until the portion left for the ant crumbles before he can take a bite. Feeling terrible, the ant offers to make the lion a cake. When the others hear this, they wish to outdo the ant, offering twice what the guest before him has offered. So the beetle offers to make two cakes, followed by the frog who offers four, and so on until the elephant, who started the whole greedy affair, must offer a staggering number of cakes in order to save face.

Not only does 'The Lion's Share' excel at showing the effects of halving and doubling, it also serves as a great object lesson for greed and humbleness. Kids see what happens when one is self-centered but they'll cheer for the simply humility of the ant. The book demands using real cake to demonstrate the halving for the kids. M&M's could be used to show the doubling. It would be an object lesson that would stay with the kids and I'm sure would soon be a favorite. I'll be on the look-out for more math books by Matthew McElligott.

Big Wolf & Little Wolf

Written by Nadine Brun-Cosme

Illustrated by Olivier Tallec

Most enjoyed by readers in Kindergarten through 3rd grade

Big Wolf sees a small something coming towards him in the distance. What could it be? Will it want to stay? If it does, should he share his blanket? What about the tree that has always belonged to him? That small something turns out to be Little Wolf, who stays and does everything Big Wolf does. At first, Big Wolf shares a little of what he has - a little of his blanket, a little of his food. When he returns from a walk in the woods to discover that Little Wolf is gone, he realizes how much he's become used to having Little Wolf around, how much he misses his company.

Sometimes, when new people enter our lives, we're wary of them, uncertain how to act or how they will act towards us. The relationship of Big Wolf and Little Wolf beings with that tentative hesitation, but as Big Wolf becomes more familiar with Little Wolf, he opens up his heart and lets Little Wolf in. They become friends in a simple, quiet way. 'Big Wolf & Little Wolf' reinforces the idea that friendship is built on trust and little acts of kindness. What a great reminder for kids and the rest of us as well!