Officer Buckle And Gloria - Peggy Rathmann (1995)

                 Caldecott Winner - 1996

         Safety Tip #1 : Never tell a safety tip, without some fun added to it. Well, this book followed this tip to a T, and it is a grand success with kids.

Safe Fun

        Officer Buckle, of Napville town, knows many safety tips. But, safety tips are not fun to hear. So, no student in Napville school listens to the officer's 'safety tip' speech. But, things change, when Officer Buckle brings a new police dog, Gloria, along to his speech.

If You're A Robot And You Know It - David A.Carter & Musical Robot (2015)

         If you are happy and you know it, obviously you know what to do. But, what if you are a robot? Maybe, this techno twist of the classic nursery rhyme could tell you.

Action Bots

         Just take the rhythm of "If You Are Happy And You Know It" and change it into "If You Are A Robot And You Know It". Yes, you are all set for a world of robotic actions. This is the lovely theme of the "If You Are A Robot" song by "Musical Robot" band (released in 2013). Now, this book is the next upgradation to that blasting song. The cut-out and pop-up robots in each page of this book clap hands, jump, beep, and shoot laser beams, according to the actions in the modified song (The song is downloadable for free).

Finders Keepers - Keiko Kasza (2015)

        "Finders are Keepers". Especially, the animals in this book follow this rule. But, though each of the animal find the same object, they keep it in different ways. Confusing? Read further and you will understand.

A hat? A nest? A boat? A nose?

     
          The hat in this story starts as a marker to where a squirrel stores its acorn. Soon the wind lifts the hat and lands it on a tree and a bird uses it as a nest. (Remember "Finders Keepers"). It doesn't stop there, the hat (Or, the nest now) soon becomes a boat and a clown nose. (Yes, it moves in the hands of various animals). After all life is a circle, so the hat finally reaches the place where the squirrel leaves it.

You Are What You Eat And Other Mealtime Hazards - Serge Bloch (2010)

ISBN 10 : 1-4027-7130-4
ISBN 13 : 978-1-4027-7130-9
(Hardcover)

              Imagine a potato lying on a couch ("couch potato"), a stomach opens its mouth to growl ("stomach growling") and a horse dining in a table("eat like a horse"). Yes, you got it. This book cartoons the various idioms based on food, interluded with the story of a picky-eater changing into a "tough cookie".

Fun Down to a T

              The protagonist of this book is a picky-eater, who eats like a bird. Even when he is advised to "think outside the box" and to "use his noodle", he is not ready to change. But things get a different turn, when he is invited over to his friend's house (whose mom is a "health-nut"). Does this picky-eater "chicken-out" or "brave it out"?

Nighttime Ninja - Barbara Dacosta (2012)

ISBN 10 : 03162 0384X
ISBN 13 : 978 01362 03845

A Sweet Mission

  
       A Ninja! A mission! A target! A ninja goes on a mission. The mission is to attain a target. The target is, well, inside a refrigerator. 

        It has been a quiet, night time. When the clock strikes midnight, the ninja starts on his mission. He crosses all the hurdles by climbing, clambering and with all his ninja techniques. Nothing is going to stop this brave ninja from accomplishing his mission.

Princess In Black - Shannon Hale & Dean Hale (2014)

ISBN 10 : 07636 6510X
ISBN 13 : 978 07636 65104

Out-of-the-world Princess

           Princesses are pretty. Princesses are perfect. Princesses wear pink. Princesses ride ponies. (Ufff... how many 'p's?) But, not this princess Magnolia. The authors Shannon Hale and Dean Hale portray a princess who breaks almost every rule of 'Princess' community.

        Princess Magnolia (minus her thrilling secret) is a perfect princess, sipping hot chocolate in a gracious way, with her nosy guest, Duchess Wigtower. All goes well, until Princess' monster alarm sounds 'Brring'. Without making the Duchess to doubt her, now the princess needs to change from adorable pink to mighty black and become 'Princess In Black'.

Very Little Red Riding Hood - Teresa Heapy (2014)

ISBN 10 : 05442 80008
ISBN 13 : 978 05442 80007

   ( Note : The author and the illustrator (of this book) together has come out with a "Very Little" series, putting a modern spin on classic tales.) 

A Very Big 'Good' change

         It is completely unfair of humans to treat wolves as mean and cunning animals. But, this Very Little Red Riding Hood is taking a chance and believes Wolf. Will the Wolf live up to her belief?

Buying, Training & Caring For Your Dinosaur - Laura Joy Rennert (2009)

ISBN 10 : 03758 36799
ISBN 13 : 978 03578 36794

A Petrifying Pet

  
            Dinosaurs are so adorable (except the times when they chase us to eat us). Some day, you might like to have a pet dinosaur. But where do you start? What kind would you buy? How to take care of it? Not to worry, the author Laura Joy Rennert has come up with this complete guide on how to buy, train and care for your pet dinosaur.

Z is for Moose - Kelly Bingham (2012)

ISBN 10 : 00607 99846
ISBN 13 : 978 00607 99847

An Alphabet Catastrophe

          'M is for Moose' is all, what the moose (in this book) wanted. But, wait, 'M' can be anything like 'monkey', 'mole' or a 'mouse'. This small mishap caused a big rampage in this story.

           Zebra is conducting an alphabet show (A huge line of alphabetical objects and animals are waiting behind stage). Moose is all excited to appear for 'M'. He can't wait from the time 'D is for Duck' appears. He is questioning zebra annoyingly, till 'M' comes.

The Hueys in 'It Wasn't Me' - Oliver Jeffers (2014)

ISBN 10 : 03992 57683
ISBN 13 : 978 03992 57681

(Note : This is the second book, with the Hueys, the oval shaped creatures, introduced in "The Hueys in the New Sweater", also by Oliver Jeffers.)

Is it me, or you?

             There are certain aspects about children's fight,

                        1) They won't know why they are fighting.

                        2) Every kid, involved in the fight, thinks that he didn't start it. 
                   

A Bean, a Stalk and a Boy Named Jack - William Joyce (2014)

ISBN 10 : 14424 73495
ISBN 13 : 978 14424 73492

Story of Jack and the Beanstalk, Kinda

   
      You gotta admit that a smallish boy and a smallish bean can achieve a lotta biggish things, after reading this book. 

   
      (Oh, my, I have been reading this book a lotta times, this past week. So my language is sorta (Oh! No!) influenced by the Brooklyn accent of this book.)

Planet Kindergarten - Sue Ganz-Schmitt (2014)

ISBN 10 : 14521 18930
ISBN 13 : 978 14521 18932

3...2...1... To Planet Kindergarten

  The Countdown starts!

         3.... Suit up.

         2.... Gears up.

         1.... Heads up.

   Now................ launch into mission kindergarten.


           Well, yes, it is first day of kindergarten. This brave boy is all set to accomplish the great mission. Assigned to a commander (teacher), he takes a look at his space capsule (classroom). After some initial disagreement, he becomes friendly with a crewmate (classmate). But after some time, he cannot withstand this new atmosphere. But, it is time, he remembers the saying in NASA: "Failure is not an option".

Happy Endings - Robin Pulver (2011)

           Suffixes are meant to be in the end of a word (Absolutely rightful). But what would happen if they are at the beginning? (lyTotal ingconfus?)

Begin with the end
       
       Mr.Wright's students are excited, as summer vacation is nearing. When Mr.Wright is about to start teach suffixes, they are completely not in a mood for learning. So Mr.Wright announces that the endings would be tackled after the lunch. 

Nap Time - Iris De Mouy (2014)

ISBN  10 : 15549 84874

ISBN 13 : 978 15549 84879

          (Note : This book was originally written in French by the author, Iris De Mouy, in 2013. It was translated into English by Shelley Tanaka, in 2014.)

It's naptime in Savannah

       Many kids hate to hear this from mom, "It's naptime". You can expect a "I'm not tired", "I am not a small baby to sleep" etc. Finally, what is your tactic to make your little protester to nap?

        Here, a little girl has the responsibility to put animals in savannah to nap. But the animals are not making things easy(just like our little protesters). The zebra looks crossed at the talk of nap. The hyena laughs as if it heard a joke. The crocodile and hippo consider nap is just for babies (tiny little babies, to say it right). 

If You Were a Dog - Jamie A. Swenson (2014)

ISBN 10 : 03743 35303

What animal are you?

       It is kind of hard to be humans, all the time, right? For a change, grab this book and mimic your way through the life of animals.

     If you were a dog, you could be a speedy-quick, frisbee catching, pillow-hogging kind of dog. If you were a fish, you could be a coral peeking, toe nibbling, wave-jumping fish. If you were a frog, you could be a giant-hopping, ribbety racing kind of frog. And there is so much of adventurous life, if you were a cat, bird, bug and dinosaur (Mm, Wow!). 

     But, do not worry, if you cannot do any of those. You can still read this book and 'Giggle, Giggle, Giggle' all the way.

      Illustrated By : Chris Raschka

      Publisher : Farrar Straus Giroux

     Classification : Funny (Pretend play)

     Age : Preschooler, Kindergartener, Grades 1 - 3

       

My Comment:

      Before starting to read this book, clear the space right around you. There is going to be some lovely actions and mimics by your kids. Teachers should clear a bigger space as this book can work great in classroom atmosphere too.

      The book is totally appealing with its so-lovely illustrations and jazzy layout. The illustrations bring out the vibration of the book in vibrant colors. The inventive vocabulary in this book is out of the world. Who could have imagined  flutter-by-er, toe-nibbler, ribbety-racer? Amazing.

      But, make sure you read this book to your kids, not around bed time. The book is so energetic and can make the kids so excited and active.(Imagine the kids stomping like a dinosaur or hopping like a frog before bedtime).

   

      Anyway, what animal would you change into, if you were given a grant? How would you act if you were really given a chance to be your favorite animal?

      Yet to Read, Best, Good, Okay? What is your 'book thought' for this book? Mark your option down.

<Home>

      

Stuck - Oliver Jeffers (2011)

Awest(r)uck

    
         Kites always have a knack of getting stuck in trees. But things get a lot worse, for Floyd, when he tries to rescue his stuck kite.

    

        Floyd throws a shoe, to get his kite back. Sadly, the shoe also gets stuck. Then he tries another shoe, which gets stuck too. He throws a cat. Obviously, the cat gets stuck. Then a ladder, a bucket of paint, a duck, a chair and there is a whole list of other things including a boat, a house, a whale, a truck.....

Go, Shapes, Go! - Denise Fleming(2014)

It's Show Time

              The show is about to begin. But it is not any ordinary show. It is a show of shapes, conducted by a mouse. At first, a square slides in, then an oval bounces to the top of square. Then a circle comes rolling to fit in the oval. Soon, triangle, rectangle, arc and some more shapes fly in. All the shapes together form a monkey.

Once Upon an Alphabet - Oliver Jeffers(2014)

              Oliver Jeffers has tried a new wave of short stories, each one to go with an alphabet A to Z. The story for A is with an astronaut, B centers a bridge, C is about a cup and so on.

A is for Amazing, B is for Brilliant ....... Z is for Zesty    

            Bob and Bernard live on either side of a bridge. As they were battling for a long time, Bob decides to end this battle. He burns down the bridge from Bernard's side, so that Bernard can't use the bridge. Alas, how could he return to his own home now, without the bridge?

Black and White - David Macaulay(1990)

ISBN 10 : 03955 21513
ISBN 13 : 978 03955 21519

                    (Caldecott Winner- 1991)

         There are four stories in this book, if you consider all of them are different. If you think they are related, there is only one story. David Macaulay has presented a ingenious story (or, stories) which are interconnected and sequential and also offers the readers a story puzzle. 

Travel Between Stories       

         There are four columns in each page. The four stories progress simultaneously in each page in their column.     

     1) A boy is travelling in a train to reach his parents.
      2) There are passengers waiting for a train in a railway station.
      3)The parents of two kids, who return home from work act weirdly.
      4) There is a thief, who is trying to steal  cows.