The House on Dirty-Third Street

Title: The House on Dirty-Third Street
Author: Jo Kittinger
Illustrator: Thomas Gonzalez
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Publication Date: March 1, 2012
Rating: 5 stars

All the houses on Thirty-Third Street were old and run down, but the one with the For Sale sign was the worst. I'd call the whole place "Dirty-Third Street." 
"It's perfect," said Mom. 
"It doesn't look perfect to me," I said.

"Hillbilly Heaven" March 2007

As soon as I read these words in The House on Dirty-Third Street, I knew that I was going to love this book. It took me back to the day my parents bought and old, run down foreclosure. They were going on and on about how beautiful it was going to be. They could see it. My six younger siblings and I couldn't; we thought they were crazy.

The Transformation May 2009

The house, which we named "Hillbilly Heaven," ended up being a two-year-long project that we tackled mainly as a family with occasional (much-appreciated) help from friends. We gutted the house and put everything back together. Now, it is beautiful.

But it didn't get that way without a lot of stress and sweat, and that's why this title from Jo Kittinger rang home with me. Kittinger creates a believable tale about the stress of such a huge project and an inspiring message about the perseverance, faith, and community unity it takes to get through such a monumental task. What will it take to cheer up the house (and the neighborhood)?

Illustrator Thomas Gonzalez's watercolor paintings change from dull and gray to bright and colorful, just like the old house and the main character's perspective. I had to smile when I saw the change, because I remember the change in real-life. It's amazing!

Negative elements: None. Great job, Jo Kittinger!

Overall, reading The House on Dirty-Third Street would be a wonderful opportunity for your child to learn about never giving up, being a beacon of light and hope in a community, and the enjoying the reward that comes with good hard work.

What kind of project has your family completed that felt like it would just never happen? What helped you endure?

ZooZical

Title: ZooZical
Author: Judy Sierra
Pictures: Marc Brown
Publisher: Knoff Books
Publication Date: August 9th, 2011
Rating: 5 stars

"Zoo-Zi-cal, n. a song-and-dance extravaganza performed by the denizens of a zoo."

When I opened up the cover of ZooZical and found Dr. Seuss-style poetry filled the pages, I knew I'd found a gem.

Just when the zoo starts to feel  lonely and depressing because of the cold winter weather and lack of visitors, a small hippo and baby kangaroo get an idea.  They can had a hip-hopping and toe-tapping time all over the zoo.  In fact, they can put on a ZooZical!

Positive Elements: The pages are full of humor and references to traditional children's songs. The rhyming words are original and give the poem a more mature sound.  The pictures are bright and very, very detailed; you'll want to stop every page and take in everything that is happening. 

Negative Elements: I did not find anything I felt was negative in this work; three cheers for author Judy Sierra!

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Amazing Animals: Elephants and Cheetahs

Title: Amazing Animals: Elephants
Author: Kate Riggs
Publisher: The Creative Company
Publication Date: April 15, 2011
Rating: 5 stars


This fairly new series of books explores many animals from the world in a way that even young readers will love.  Every few sentences is accompanied by a full-page picture.  Children learn how much the animals weigh, what they eat, where and how they live, who their predators are, and other basics.  There is also a short fable included in the back of the book about some aspect of the animal.  For example, in the elephant title, readers enjoy the Rudyard Kipling tale about how the elephant got his long nose.  Also included at the bottoms of the pages are definitions of big words. For example, in the Cheetahs books, there is a definition of cubs ("baby cheetahs").  Also, there is no discussion of origin, so parents need not worry about the ideas of creation vs. evolution that are presented within the book.

I look forward to seeing more of this series.

Title: Amazing Animals: Cheetahs
Author: Kate Riggs
Publisher: The Creative Company
Publication Date: April 15, 2011
Rating: 4 stars

Did you know that the oldest female elephants are the leaders of the herd? Or that a cheetah' tail is about 30 inches long?

When a Dragon Moves In

Title: When a Dragon Moves In
Author: Jodi Moore
Illustrator: Howard McWilliam
Publisher: Flashlight Press

Publication Date: May 1, 2011
Rating: 5 stars


'If you build a perfect sandcastle a dragon will move in..."

As a young child, I loved the 1977 Disney movie Pete's Dragon.  Elliot the dragon was so playful and mischievous and always made me laugh.

The dragon in this funny picture book reminded me of Elliot.  The little boy in this story is on the beach creating a perfect sandcastle when to his delight, a rambunctious friend shows up. As much as the boy tries to explain the existence of his friend, his family won't believe him. At first the boy doesn't mind.  His family just can't share his marshmallows that the dragon toasts him or fly the kite that flies without any wind.

But then his family starts blaming him for the troubles that the dragon is causing.  They are convinced that the boy must have thrown sand on his sister, eaten all of the PB&J sandwiches, blown bubbles in his lemonade, and put fingerprints in all the brownies. All his dragon does when his parents accuse him is laugh, heh, heh, heh... What is the boy to do?


Positive elements: This is a tale of friendship and imagination.  It is a silly story to brighten your child's day.  The pictures are detailed and the character's expressions are varied and exaggerated. The boy learns that he can't stay mad at a friend.

Negative elements: The boy does allow the dragon to be a bad influence on him and starts participating in some of his escapades. The boy acts out in anger (but later regrets it and accepts his dragon friend again).

I am very impressed by this new book from Flashlight Press.  I hope to see more from this author and illustrator, too!

What would your perfect sandcastle look like?

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Zoomer's Summer Snowstorm

Title: Zoomer's Summer Snowstorm
Author/Illustrator: Ned Young
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: May 10, 2011


Zoomer's Summer Snowstorm was a great book for me to find on a day that is in supposed to be 95 degrees Fahrenheit and very humid here in the Peach State.  I only wish I could have as much imagination as Zoomer does!

What starts out as a small snowcone ends up an entire empire called Zoomartica plus an amusement park.  Zoomer and his family are soon enjoying hot chocolate and chili in the middle of the hot summer.

Ned Young's illustration are impressively detailed. All of Zoomer's snow sculptures look real.  All but two of the pages (that show Zoomer inside the house) include a monarch butterfly that is fun to find.  Painting with rich colors allows Ned Young to transform the silly into the spectacular.  I dare say they will make you (as the parent) laugh, too.

One specifically positive element is that Zoomer is careful to clean up after his play without his mother needing to tell him to.

So put on your mittens, grab a cup of hot cocoa, and curl up with Zoomer's Summer Snowstorm.

What's your favorite game to play in the snow?

Detective Blue

Title: Detective Blue
Author: Steve Metzger
Illustrator: Tedd Arnold
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication Date: July 1, 2011

I love books that take the nursery rhyme characters and re-mix them into a innovative new story, so much in fact that I hope that I will be able to do so successfully one day. 

Detective Blue explains the life of Little Boy Blue all grown up.  He's now a detective and he has a most difficult case to solve.  What happened to Miss Muffet?  She's missing! 

Detective Blue makes his way through the case and comic-book-style illustrations to discover something quite new about Miss Muffet that is sure to surprise all readers. What if she has a double identity?  Could you guess what other nursery rhyme character she might be? 

The only possible negative element about this tale is that some of the jokes are more aimed at an older age group, much like some the cartoons of today.  For example, Detective Blue refers to Humpty Dumpty as "a good egg."  Other than little things like this that young children might not pick up on, this is a fun read. 

Detective Blue has few words so it would also be great for older readers who might be struggling with reading.  It would be enough like a graphic novel or comic strip to keep their attention but still have simple words.

Make sure you pay attention to Tedd Arnold's illustrations, though!  There are many clues to the mystery hidden in them!

What is your favorite adaption of nursery rhymes? Why?

Wiener Wolf

Title: Wiener Wolf
Author/Illustrator: Jeff Crosby
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: July 5, 2011

I have not had a picture book make me laugh as much as this one did for a long time. 

Wiener Wolf could be a word-less picture book and still be hilarious.  But it does have words, and they make it even better!

Wiener Dog has found life with Granny to be a bit lame.  Kind of like we all find life sometimes.  But then he sees a television program about wolves and decides that they have the life. Off he goes to the nearest State Park to join a wolf pack.  But is the forest on the other side of the TV really greener?

The illustrations in Wiener Wolf are vivid and exaggerated.  Weiner Dog has a great variety of expressions, and readers can tell that the author/illustrator Jeff Crosby has spent a good bit of his life with his own wiener dogs, Baron and Fritz. 

Though a bit unrealistic when it comes to a wiener dog living with a pack of wolves and not being eaten, Wiener Wolf holds great lessons about contentment, friendship, and love.

Have you had a time where the "other side of the fence" looked better? How did you learn otherwise?

The World CHAMPION of Staying Awake

Title: The World Champion of Staying Awake
Author: Sean Taylor
Illustrator: Jimmy Liao
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: June 28, 2011

When I saw a new release on the kids' shelf at Barnes and Noble from Candlewick Press, I had to check it out.  I love Candlewick, and their books have proven to be some of my favorites over these past few months. 

The World Champion of Staying Awake definitely met my expectations.  This delightful picture book combines a prose narrative with a bit of poetry.  The mix of genres is uncommon in children's literature today, especially done well, but author Sean Taylor has created a lovely multi-genre tale. 

Stella is having a problem.  When Daddy says that it's time to go to bed, Stella cannot sleep.  Who could sleep if they had Thunderbolt the Mouse, Beanbag Frog, or Cherry Pig to get to sleep first? 

Stella will just have to outsmart them--with poetry!  Only Stella could make a pillow a ship, a shoe box a train, and a toy basket a hot air balloon headed for the land of sleep.  Will ANYONE be The World Champion of Staying Awake or will Stella trick them all?

Jimmy Liao's bright and textured illustrations capture the mischievous and cleaver actions of one little girl.  Children will love how her bedroom can be transformed into so many different worlds.

This is a great book to read to your youngsters the next time they are trying to be The World Champion of Staying Awake; you might just be able to use it to fool them, too! And for helping you do that, I'm sure that you'd give it five stars!

Have your children ever been world champions for staying awake? What did you do?

Mr. Popper's Penguins GIVEAWAY!

Because, overall, Mr. Popper's Penguins is such a great book....

The Twenty-Six Letter Imagination is holding a giveaway!

Mr. Popper's Penguins

by Richard and Florence Atwater

Originally Released in 1938

From Little, Brown and Company
See the book review HERE.

Giveaway Rules:

1. You must be (or become) a follower (either on Google, Twitter, or Facebook) to enter.

2. You must comment below to receive one (1) entry.
3. The giveaway will close on Saturday, July 30th, 2011 at 5 pm. EST.

4.. Winner will be randomly chosen.

5. Winner will be announced on the blog and will have one week to provide a mailing address before the book is given away to a different winner.

 6. Residents of the U.S. only, please.
 

In order to receive extra entries and increase your chance of winning, you may consider the following...

* You may receive one (1) additional entry for posting a link to this giveaway on Twitter using the hashtag #26letterpenguins or tagging @26letterblog

* You may receive one (1) additional entry for posting a link to this blog on Facebook, as long as you tag "The Twenty-Six Letter Imagination: A Children's Book Blog" group page.

* You may receive (5) additional entries by posting about this giveaway on your own blog and providing me the link to your blog entry in your comment below.



Which is your favorite penguin from Mr. Popper's Penguins?


Note: I have been informed that Blogger is giving people trouble when they try to comment on this post using their openID, LiveJournalID or URL.  I'm sorry for the inconvenience.  Please still post using your Blogger name, your personal name, or as anonymous (if posting as anonymous, give me some way in your comment to identify you if you win). Thanks!

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Title: Mr. Popper's Penguins
Author: Richard and Florence Atwater
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: (Originally published in 1938)

There's been a lot of discussion about Mr. Popper's Penguins and the new movie with the same name in the past few weeks.  Let me just preface this review by saying that the book is NOTHING like the movie.  At all.  Pretty much the only aspect that they share is the fact the main character gets a penguin.

Unlike the selfish, haughty character that appears in the movie, the Mr. Popper of the original book is a selfless and kind family man who daydreams of traveling and loves everything exploration.  He has a wife and two kids (whom he loves dearly), and they live in the days-gone-by in a modest house on Proudfoot Ave.

And then one day out of the blue, Mr. Popper—the humble painter—becomes the most popular man in the small town of Stillwater.  However, the reason behind his popularity has nothing whatsoever to do with his own merit or personal gain.  His favorite Antarctic explorer, Admiral Drake, sends him a surprise in response to a fan letter.  The surprise turns out to be life-altering—the Popper family soon has snow all over their house and a large freezing plant installed in the cellar--not to mention twelve additions to their family of four!  But Mr. Popper’s unique visitors could not have come at a more opportune time; the Poppers are in financial trouble and his friends can save the day.

Positive elements:
The Popper family is always respectful of each other in their conversation. Family values are also held in high-esteem--something that the literature of this day could use a heftier amount of. The penguins are trained to be polite.  Despite the fame that his penguins give him, Mr. Popper remains humble and seeks to only do what is best for the penguins instead of seeking his personal monetary gain. Flexibility and patience abound. Admiral Drake gives of himself to help Mr. Popper in a time of need. The text is easy to read and well-composed, showing rather than telling; the book won the Newberry Honor Award in 1939 for its excellent literary quality.  The characterizations of the individual penguins are specific and funny despite the fact that the authors could not use dialog to make them so.  The authors present even adult-like concepts (such as the Popper's money problems) with grace and clarity such that even children will be able to sympathize with them and find joy in the solution.

Negative elements:
Typical of the day in which the book was written, Mr. Popper smokes a cigar while reading the paper.  The conclusion seems a short and a bit stiff compared to the rest of the manuscript (but still brings a smile and satisfaction). 

Otherwise, Mr. Popper's Penguins is an excellent example of the a well-composed children's book (that could also serve as a great family read-aloud), and it receives five stars from me!

How do you feel about the differences between the movie and the book?