"Painting Pepette" by Linda Ravin Lodding

"Painting Pepette" 

by Linda Ravin Lodding

40 pages /  Print / Realistic

Summary: A little girl from Paris adopts a small rabbit, Pepette. The girl notices that the walls in her home are covered with painted portraits of each family member, but not Pepette. She decides to wander into town with Pepette to get its portrait painted. The girl and Pepette encounter four famous artists, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, and Henri Matisse. They all paint Pepette in their own unique style, but none look realistically like Pepette. The girl and the rabbit return home where the girl decides to paint Pepette's portrait herself.

 Evaluation: This book is a work of art, illustrated in beautiful watercolor painting. The book can teach students about different famous artists and what makes their style unique. This would be a good introduction for an art history unit. The theme of "being yourself" is present when the girl decides to illustrate what Pepette looks like.

Appeal Terms: animal, realistic, easy, gentle, art, character centered, vivid, well developed

"Leaves" by David Ezra Stein

"Leaves" 

by David Ezra Stein

30 pages /  Print / Fantasy

Summary: A bear encounters falling leaves during an afternoon stroll. It tries to catch them all before they fall to the ground. The bear becomes overwhelmed and decides to put all the leaves in a hole in the side of the hill. The bear then enters the hole and stuffs it closed. The bear stays in there for the winter, warm and safe. Winter passes and Spring comes, when the bear awakes and greets the new season.

Evaluation: This book is a simple yet effective way to teach young learners about animals that hibernate. The images play along with the text, adding a clear explanation for bears and hibernation. This book could be used as an introduction to a unit on bears, hibernation, or Fall.

Appeal Terms: animal, easy, heartwarming, gentle, well developed

"Shark Dog" by Ged Adamson

"Shark Dog" 

by Ged Adamson

40 pages /  Print / Science Fiction

Summary: A girl has a dad that is a famous explorer. They land on an island one day and the girl befriends a Sharkdog. The Sharkdog does dog things like a shark, and shark things like a dog. Everything is going well until one day Sharkdog gets sad because it misses its friends and family. The girl and her father return the Sharkdog to its home. The girl and dad start sailing away but Sharkdog starts swimming after them. In the end, Sharkdog prefers its new family (the girl and father) as opposed to its own family.

Evaluation: This is a gentle and heartwarming story of friendship, new surroundings, and family. Some students that are separated from their family might feel a connection to Sharkdog and theloneliness it feels. Sharkdog teaches that we can find comfort and happiness in new situations and new relationships. Sharkdog is also a combination of two very popular and well liked animals for children, thus motivating young readers to choose this story to read.

Appeal Terms: animal, science fiction, easy, heartwarming, gentle, family centered, hopeful

"Pete's a Pizza" by William Steig

"Pete's a Pizza" 

by William Steig

34 pages /  Print / Realistic

Summary: Pete is not having a good day because it is raining and he cannot go out to play. Pete's dad decides to make him feel better by helping Pete use his imagination to keep him entertained. Pete lies on a couch and dad pretends that Pete is pizza dough. After kneading and tickling Pete, dad puts some "pizza ingredients" (household items) on Pete and then pretends to bake him in an imaginary oven. Pete thinks all of this is so fun and forgets about his troubles. In the end, the sun comes out and Pete can finally go outside to play.

Evaluation: This book has already sparked many after-reading extension activities for young readers that involve them pretending to be Pete and his dad (sprinkling fake cheese, pepperoni and tomato sauce over someone). I think this book is a good lesson for children to teach them that our imagination is a great gift and we should use it more often. It also teaches children to take a bad situation and make a good one out of it. Everyone can relate to Pete's woes of not being able to go outside, but we can all learn from his father's idea of using imagination.

Appeal Terms: realistic, easy, leisurely, humorous, heartwarming, gentle, family centered

"Moonday" by Adam Rex

"Moonday" 

by Adam Rex

40 pages /  Print / Fantasy

Summary: A little boy and his family take a drive one night up a hill. They watch the moon from atop the hill, but the moon then follows the family back to their home. The moon stays in their backyard that night and into the morning. The next day is very dark outside, and all the townspeople are tired because it is still night. The boy returns home from school and has a plan. The family gets in their car to drive back to the hill. The moon follows them to the top of the hill. The boy tells the moon to "stay", and it does. The moon stays at the top of the hill and the sun rises the next morning.


Evaluation: I have always had a fascination with the moon, so this story makes me think of how I would stare at the moon as a child and hope to touch it. The dark shades and shadows throughout this book give the reader a sleepy feeling, like the townspeople felt. I think students will enjoy the illustrations of the sleepy and yawning people on each page, who cannot go to sleep until the moon returns up in the sky. This book is full of imagination and warm moments.

Appeal Terms: science fiction, easy, magical, heartwarming, gentle, plot centered

"Harold and the Purple Crayon" by Crockett Johnson

"Harold and the Purple Crayon" 

by Crockett Johnson

64 pages /  Print / Fantasy

Summary: Harold explores a world as he draws it with his purple crayon. He draws himself into different situations; climbing mountains, sailing the see, and sharing a picnic with animals. When it is time for bed, Harold draws him back back home with the help of the moon.

Evaluation: What a great book that captures the imagination of a young child. The illustrations are simple but important to the plot of the story. Johnson's use of line on each page makes your eye follow the shapes and movement of Harold's journey. The line from the purple crayon moves the story along and leaves you excited with the next magical thing to happen. The visual clues left on each page makes you guess what will happen next. This is a great story to read as a class and guess where Harold will go off to next!

Appeal Terms: adventure, easy, humorous, magical, gentle, well developed

"Press Here" by Herve Tullet

"Press Here" 

by Herve Tullet

56 pages /  Print / Humorous 

Summary: "Press here. Now press here. Shake the book." "Press here" by Herve Tullet allows you to press different color dots on the page and watch them transform into something else on the next page. Dots multiply and change shape, doing all sorts of magical things.

Evaluation: This book invites the reader to interact and engage with the pages in the book. Through the 56 pages, I found myself smiling the entire time. This book is very original and will win over any reader that picks it up. Warning: if you are easily embarrassed, the do not read the book in public. It will have you clapping, shaking the book, and laughing hysterically. The colors used are very simple, just four primary colors. By keeping the colors and design simple, the author can focus more on the fun aspects of the book. This is a book that is better read alone so you can interact with it directly.

Appeal Terms: realistic, humorous, deliberate, easy, interactive, quirky

"A Log's Life" by Wendy Pfeffer, Illustrated by Robin Brickman

"A Log's Life" 

by Wendy Pfeffer, Illustrated by Robin Brickman

32 pages /  Print / Realistic

Summary: "A Log's Life" brings us through the amazing life cycle of tree as it falls, decomposes and gives life to a new tree. Many animals and insects depend on a tree in each stage of its life. The book reads like a story, but it is very educational. Realistic illustrations add to the value of this fascinating book.

Evaluation: This book is an excellent tool for understanding and appreciating nature's greatest gift, trees. A teacher could use this book in a science class to introduce a unit on earth science. The illustrations and text are very meditative, making you feel like you are walking through a shady forest. The message of this book with surely make readers appreciate trees and how many creatures interact with it. The message of rebirth (of the tree) is beautiful and could be used as a metaphor for human life.

Appeal Terms: animal, realistic, engrossing, easy, engaging, event oriented, fact-filled, life like

"Cinderella" by K.Y. Craft

 

"Cinderella" 

by K.Y. Craft

32 pages /  E-Book / Folktale

Summary: Cinderella, forced to serve her stepsisters, finds herself meeting a prince in the woods. The prince fancies her very much, but Cinderella runs off to care for an injured bird she found. The bird ends up being a fairy godmother that transforms Cinderella into a beautiful princess. The godmother also gifts her a magical coach to accompany her to the gala at the prince's castle. The prince sees Cinderella at the gala and falls in love. Cinderella leaves the gala before midnight because the magic spell will end at that time. She forgets one slipper, but the prince retrieves it. The prince searches for the owner of the slipper by visiting every woman in the kingdom until he finds someone that fits it. Finally, the prince gets to Cinderella and the slipper is a perfect fit. They marry and live happily ever after.

Evaluation: This book is a work of art. Craft has created fantastic illustrations that play off the magical story of Cinderella. Each illustration in the book (oil painting) could stand on its own and tell a story. The style of illustration matches the time period of the story, my guess is the late 1600s. The story of Cinderella has many variations from around the world, but this story is much like Disney rendition. The  font used in the book is difficult to read at times, the only weakness of this book. The illustrations are so large and full of life, while the text is small and thin. The book is recommended to people that love this classic fairytale, or people that appreciate visual masterpieces. The illustrations are lifelike, so it helps ground this fantastical story into our reality.

Appeal Terms: fairytale, easy, romantic, magical, character centered, dramatic