Davidson, Ellen Dee. Princess Justina Albertina: A Cautionary Tale. Illus. Michael Chesworth. Watertown: Charlesbridge, 2007. (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
Princess Justina Albertina is a high-maintenance girl who always likes to have her own way. Lucky for the Princess, her personal nanny is by her side completing her many demanding requests. With her arms crossed and a smirk on her face, Princess Justina Albertina announces that she wants a pet. The first pet she receives is a polka-dotted puffer fish, which is no fun because the Princess wants a pet that “notices her.” In her second attempt, the nanny “roller-skated to town and bought a two-headed dog.” But once again, the Princess is not satisfied. As her nanny continues to search around the world to find the perfect pet, Princess Justina Albertina always demands more. Finally, after searching the castles in the clouds in a hot air balloon, the nanny finds a gryphon—an animal with a lion’s body with an eagle shaped head and sharp talons. Princess Justina Albertina finds him to be the exact pet she wanted—that is until the gryphon unexpectedly swallows the greedy princess in one gulp!
In a classroom of twenty-five kindergarteners, the room was completely silent as this story was read aloud. Many students commented that the Princess was very bossy and rude to her nanny. Readers found the ending to be a complete surprise, and many children thought it was quite funny! As one adult reader shared, “It’s refreshing to see a not-so-nice princess who gets what’s coming to her.” The illustrations, done in watercolor with colored pencil and gouache, were very appealing to children—especially the expressions of Princess Justina Albertina.
Author Ellen Dee Davidson lives in Bayside, California and illustrator Michael Chesworth lives with his wife, two children, and three perfect pets in Amherst, Massachusetts. ASHLEY ROEMER
DeFelice, Cynthia. One Potato, Two Potato. Illus. Andrea U’Ren. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006. 2007 Wanda Gág Honor Book (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
Mr. and Mrs. Grady, who are elderly, poor, and lonely, live in a small cottage with just one of every thing: one coat, one blanket, one chair. Their garden on a bare, rocky hillside yields one potato per day. This is the couple’s breakfast, lunch, and supper. One day while digging in the potato patch, Mr. Grady finds a huge, black pot. He carries it home to show his wife, and they soon discover that whatever is dropped in it doubles. One hairpin, one potato, and one cold coin each become two. When Mrs. Grady accidentally falls into the pot, her husband pulls out two identical wives. To make things even, Mr. Grady jumps in and also gets doubled. Now they have their greatest wish, each has a friend. The couples decide they now have everything they could ever want so bury the magic pot for someone else to find. Pen and gouache illustrations in earthy tones emphasize the couple’s poverty.
Children from ages four through nine listened intently to this story and enjoyed chanting “one potato, two potato.” They found the story exciting and liked making predictions about the magic pot. They also laughed at the illustrations of Mrs. Grady falling into the pot, and Mr. Grady jumping in. Readers appreciated the theme of receiving, but not abusing, good fortune. Teachers noted that the book is helpful for learning the mathematical concept of doubling.
Author Cynthia DeFelice lives in Geneva, New York, and illustrator Andrea U’Ren makes her home in Portland, Oregon. CAROL HANSON SIBLEY
Delaney, Mary. Mabel O’Leary Puts Peas in Her Ear-y. Illus. Kathy Couri. New York: Little, Brown, 2006. (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
Children often try to find unique ways to cleverly get rid of the food on their plate. Mabel O’Leary is no exception, especially when it comes to eating peas. Although she has a pet dog close by her side, Mabel instead chooses to put the peas in her ears! Her mother is proud of her for clearing her plate. However, Mabel finds it difficult to hear with her ears stuffed with peas. With the use of limerick-style poetry, readers “bounce along” with Mabel: “Mother yelled, ‘Stop!’/But Mabel heard ‘Hop!’/Which seemed like an odd thing to say./But wanting to please her/she tried to appease her/by hopping and yelling ‘Ole!’”
Children enjoyed the difference between what Mabel’s mother said and what Mabel heard throughout the story. They also found the concept of putting peas in your ears to be quite funny. The cartoon style illustrations, in watercolor and watercolor pencil, added to the humor of the text. Students often laughed aloud and made various comments and predictions based on the bright and colorful pictures.
Author Mary Gerlaugh Delaney lives with her husband and three children in Bolton, Massachusetts. Illustrator Kathy Couri lives with her three dogs in Prairie Village, Kansas. ASHLEY ROEMER
Dewdney, Anna. Llama Llama Red Pajama. New York: Viking, 2005.2006 Wanda Gág Honor Book (Toddlers-5)
After being read to, kissed, and put to bed by his mama, Baby Llama suffers from separation anxiety. As he waits for his busy mother, his anxiety escalates into a full-fledged tantrum. Dewdney tells her story through rhyme, rhythm, and the natural language of young children. The full-page paintings darken as Baby Llama’s angst reaches its climax. Dewdney creates her engaging and exaggerated facial expressions from her own self-portraits.
Two-year-olds through kindergartners wanted this book read again and again. Children liked the predictability of the repeated, rhyming phrase “llama llama red pajama” and chanted and clapped along with the story. They also enjoyed the lighthearted tone, the changing facial expressions, and the excellent word choice. In the words of readers, this is a “funny, cozy, interactive” picture book that uses “honesty and humor in depicting inner thoughts and emotions of children.” It’s a perfect book for storytime and bedtime.
Anna Dewdney lives in Putney, Vermont. CAROL HANSON SIBLEY
Diakité, Penda. I Lost My Tooth in Africa. Illus. Baba Wague Diakité. New York: Scholastic Press, 2006. (6-8)
Young Amina tells the tale of traveling with her family from Portland, Oregon to the African country of Mali. On their way to visit her father’s family, Amina realizes she has a wiggly tooth. “My dad says if you lose a tooth in Africa and put it under a gourd, you will get a chicken from the African Tooth Fairy!” Amina does lose her tooth in Mali, but it takes awhile before her gift arrives. Readers learn about various foods and games as Amina plays with her cousins and gains insightful knowledge from her aunts, uncles, and grandma. After waiting patiently, Amina receives both a rooster and a hen from the Tooth Fairy. After her hen lays eggs, she worries about whether the chicks will hatch before she returns to America.
The folk style ceramic-tile illustrations help readers better understand the Mali culture. Second grade students thought the tooth fairy tradition was “neat.” They had discussions after hearing the story, particularly about the clothing and geography of Mali based on the illustrations. This book was also a hit for elementary English language learners. These children “found something to relate to and really got into the story.” The book’s back matter includes notes from both the author and illustrator, a glossary, the words to grandma’s good night song, and a recipe.
Penda Diakité lives in Portland, Oregon with her family and pets. She originally wrote this story when she was eight years old. “It’s a true story about what happened when her little sister lost her tooth in Africa.” Illustrator Baba Wague Diakité, Penda’s father, was born in Mali, West Africa, and now lives in Portland, Oregon. ASHLEY ROEMER
DiPucchio, Kelly. Mrs. McBloom, Clean Up Your Classroom! Illus. Guy Francis. New York: Hyperion, 2005. (9-12)
“Heavens to belly buttons!” After many years of being a school teacher, Mrs. McBloom is “‘fixin’ to retire.” However, she has a slight problem, one that has been growing year after year. Her classroom is a mess! Remains from science experiments, stacks of books, and even a Ruby Red apple tree fill the classroom in the city of Up Yonder. In order to prepare the classroom for the next year’s teacher, Mrs. McBloom asks her students for help to resolve the messy problem. With a variety of unique suggestions, Mrs. McBloom finally decides to follow Georgia Peachpit’s advice of inviting the members of the community to remove one item from her classroom. This event in Room Five of Knickerbocker Elementary is filled with touching memories and community collaboration.
Students and adults alike took interest in this humorous story. The colorful, cartoon style illustrations were fun and filled with details. Students enjoyed searching for funny things within the classroom. The text included funny expressions and tongue twisters. In the middle of the story, a group of fourth grade students had enjoyed pausing during the read aloud to come up with their own solutions to clean up Mrs. McBloom’s classroom.
Author Kelly DiPucchio lives in a suburb of Detroit with her husband and three young “whippersnappers.” Illustrator Guy Francis makes his home in Provo, Utah with his wife and four children. ASHLEY ROEMER
Dodds, Dayle Ann. The Prince Won’t Go To Bed. Illus. Krysten Brooker. New York: Melanie Kroupa Books-Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
“The castle was in trouble. Nanny scratched her head. The King and Queen are at the ball and the Prince won’t go to bed!” The castle is in disarray when the itty-bitty Prince decides he is simply NOT going to bed! Everyone offers a different idea to get the young Prince to finally go to sleep. The cook thinks he needs some pudding of peach and juicy plum while Lady Lorali is convinced that a lullaby is in order. But every time the people of the castle try something new, they receive the same response from the small and increasingly bratty Prince: “‘WAA! WAA! WAA! I will not go to bed!’” It is not until his older sister, Princess Kate, comes to the rescue that this stubborn behavior ends. She rushes from her room to find out what all the commotion is about. She chuckles as the Prince whispers in her ear why he will not go to sleep. All he wants is a simple goodnight kiss! Illustrations combining paint and collage create a vivid and detailed medieval setting. As the story progresses, the small Prince gets larger in every illustration as he creates more and move havoc.
Readers described this as the perfect story for rhyme, repetition, and pattern. Readers enjoyed changing their voices to represent the many characters in the story. Listeners paid close attention during the read aloud sessions, as they thoroughly enjoyed the silly, exaggerated story.
Dayle Ann Dodds resides in Carmel Valley, California, and illustrator Krysten Brooker lives in Edmonton, Canada. CHRISTINE FALZON
Donaldson, Julia. The Gruffalo’s Child. Illus. Axel Scheffler. New York: Dial Books, 2005. (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
On a winter’s night, the young Gruffalo asks her dad why she cannot go into the deep dark wood. “Because if you do, the Big Bad Mouse will be after you . . .” he tells her. But curiosity and mischief get the best of the young Gruffalo, and she makes her way into the dark forest in search of the Big Bad Mouse. Many animal creatures are introduced through a repetitive, catchy rhyming pattern, but it is not until the end that the young Gruffalo actually meets the mouse. With clever wit, the mouse scares the Gruffalo back to her cave where the Gruffalo’s child was “a bit less brave” and “a bit less bored.”
Children and adults alike enjoyed the rhythm and rhyme of the story, along with the mixed media cartoon style illustrations. Children found it exciting to predict what creatures the Gruffalo would find based on the many picture clues. As one adult reader noted, “the pictures are great—the sequence of discovery to find the great Bad Mouse was interesting and fun.” Children found much to discuss after listening to this story.
Julia Donaldson lives in Glasgow, Scotland and illustrator Axel Scheffler makes his home in London, England. ASHLEY ROEMER
Doner, Kim. On a Road in Africa. Berkeley: Tricycle Press-Ten Speed Press, 2008. (6-8)
In this riveting, rhyming, poetic picture book, Doner tells the true story of Mama O, an animal rescuer who takes care of orphaned wildlife in Kenya. As she travels from her home to the village to collect donations and food from the community for the animals, the reader will travel along on the adventure, learning what it’s like to live in Africa with animals that share the environment. The engaging text is repetitive and informative, with Swahili words children will surely be excited to learn. As Mama O rescues a chameleon, feeds a cheetah, and gives handmade toys to lions, readers will chant along with the recurring phrase, “Where you gonna go, Mama O?” and learn about the daily life and struggles in East Africa. A vocabulary list, detailed information, and photographs about the real Mama O accompany the story.
The illustrations, rendered in markers, oil washes, pencil, and colored pencil, realistically portray both human figures and animals. Intricate detailing and artistic light sources beautifully reflect the warm, subtle tone of the story. Doner uses a diverse pallet of colors, giving the energetic, invigorating illustrations bold and bright tones, and the cozy, intimate illustrations softer, more muted shades. The amalgamation of media used give the illustrations tactile texture and tone, combining artistic creativity with realistic representation.
Children in second and third grade were captivated by this true story. Nudging closer to the book, pointing, helping turn the pages, chanting repetitive phrases, and asking questions about the book, the students showed that the book is a wonderful choice for a read aloud. Teachers noted the informative, yet entertaining tone of the text, and its unique ability to introduce children to African culture and language. Teachers appreciated the message of helping wildlife, along with the beautiful illustrations and informative glossary. One teacher commented, “I would love to have a copy of this book for my library at home.”
When she was young, Kim Doner wanted to be a ballerina, veterinarian, and artist, and now she combines all of her passions by sharing her love of the arts through her books and teaching. She lives in Oklahoma. KATIE CLAUSEN
Durango, Julia. Cha-Cha Chimps. Illus. Eleanor Taylor. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. (Toddlers-5)
“Deep in the forest in the dim moonlight, ten little chimps sneak out for the night.” With their bright colored, polka-dot pajamas, ten little chimps make their way to Mambo Jamba’s where they dance under the stars. Different dances are introduced as the chimps meet other animal friends. Cobra loves to belly dance and does the limbo, and Hippo “hams it up” by telling jokes and starting the “hokey-poke.” One by one the chimps join other dancers until only one chimp is left doing the “cha-cha-cha.” “Yikes! Mama Chimp comes stomping through the door. The band stops playing as the dancers leave the floor.” The chimps try to hide but end up marching back home to bed. After all ten chimps are tucked in, Mama Chimp calls the babysitter and heads out to do some dancing of her own.
Children loved the rhyme and flow of this story. They also really liked the wild and colorful watercolor and pencil illustrations. Children often pointed at the pictures and all the details they found. Adults found Cha-Cha Chimps fun to read, and they liked how children participated during the reading. Children especially liked joining in on the repeated phrase, “ee-ee-oo-oo-ah-ah-ah! 10 little chimps do the cha-cha-cha.”
Julia Durango lives in Ottawa, Illinois and illustrator Eleanor Taylor lives with her husband and son in London, England. ASHLEY ROEMER
Durango, Julia. Dream Hop. Illus. Jared Lee. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005. (6-8; 9-12)
After falling asleep into a frightful nightmare, a young brave boy is able to “dream hop” into a more pleasant place. But when a fighting knight shows up at the enchanting castle and a fleet of angry pirates appear on a sailing ship, the only way out is to shout “dream hop” in hopes of entering into a happier dream. The boy eventually ends up in the safe-haven of his classroom. Thinking nothing could be creepy or cruel, his thoughts quickly change as he realizes he has lost his pajama pants and is left standing in front of his classmates in his underwear! After all of his dream-world adventures, the brave boy awakens in his bedroom, only to find a mysterious ending to his story. The rhyme and rhythm of this nighttime tale are matched by framed cartoon illustrations created in colored inks and dyes with hatched lines to provide plenty of detail and texture.
Students enjoyed reading along each time the book said, “Dream hop!” They also loved the silliness of the story and pictures. One reader noted the attentiveness of her students and liked hearing the predictions they made by observing the details in the illustrations. “I think the end of the story took them by surprise because it left them in suspense. I believe that the children really reacted well to this book.”
Author Julia Durango is from Illinois and illustrator Jared Lee lives with his wife and many animals in Lebanon, Ohio. ASHLEY ROEMER
Durant, Alan. I Love You, Little Monkey. Illus. Katharine McEwen. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. (Toddlers-5)
Poor Little Monkey wants nothing more than to have Big Monkey play with him. After being sent to play on his own, Little Monkey soon gets bored of climbing trees, throwing figs, and dancing. In every effort to be good, Little Monkey finds himself in trouble. “‘Oh, that was naughty, Little Monkey,’” says Big Monkey. Little Monkey thinks he can make up for his misdeeds by helping Big Monkey. “‘NOW will you play with me?’” asks Little Monkey. Soon, Little Monkey begins to worry that his naughty behavior cause him not to be loved by Big Monkey. However, he doesn’t need to worry. Big Monkey tells him: “‘I may not love the naughty things you do, but I love you always. Even when you’re naughty.’”
Young children really enjoyed this book. When listening to the story, they were very engaged, listening carefully and anticipating what was going to happen. Many children related to the feelings that were shared in the story. The bright watercolor and pencil illustrations attracted the children. They enjoyed pointing out all of the animals and various details on each page. Some children even identified with the name “monkey” because that is what their moms call them!
Author Alan Durant lives with his wife and three children in Surrey, England. Illustrator Katharine McEwen resides in Kent, England. ASHLEY ROEMER
Duval, Kathy. The Three Bears’ Christmas. Illus. Paul Meisel. New York: Holiday House, 2005. (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
The Three Bears’ Christmas is a Goldilocks story with a holiday twist. Rather than letting their porridge cool, the three bears let their gingerbread cookies cool as they take a walk through a wintry forest. When they return, a familiar turn of events takes place—cookies are eaten, chairs have been sat in, and beds have been slept in. In addition, new clues are discovered throughout the three bears’ home—objects of red material and fluffy white trim. Rather than finding someone in his bed, Baby Bear discovers a big red and white coat has been left behind, along with gifts under the Christmas tree and in the stockings. As the three bears rush outside, they discover “‘someone jolly,’” and they wish him a Merry Christmas as he flies away in the sky.
Young students liked how the book related to the original story of the three bears. The children also enjoyed predicting who was leaving the clues throughout the house. The cartoon style illustrations, often filling an entire double page spread, provided details that enhanced the story. This is a great book to share with children during the Christmas season.
Author Kathy Duval spends her holidays in Texas, and illustrator Paul Meisel enjoys Christmas in Connecticut with his family. ASHLEY ROEMER
