Posted by Becca
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Dogs, Good Read Aloud, Meindert DeJong, Out of Print, Quick Read
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Jon and Vestri are staying at their grandparent’s farm for summer vacation. While they are at the farm, their grandpa tells them about some puppies that are being given away. He sends Jon and Vestri to pick one, but their grandparents end up coming along, too. Because they are unwilling to separate the puppies, Jon, Vestri, and their grandparents take all three. The rest of the summer is fun for Jon and Vestri, until the final days of vacation come and they are faced with the fact that they will have to leave the puppies behind when they go back home.
Puppy Summer is a short book, but it is still a good one. I love how DeJong did the whole thing about the hat (which I couldn’t include in the review without giving away too much of the story). Puppy Summer is out of print.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Fiction, Picture Books, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Animals, Birds, Easy Read, Foxes, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Josephine H. Aldridge, Out of Print, Weasels
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“Don’t eat the raisins,” says Little Fox’s mother. She wants to make pudding for dinner. But Little Fox disobeys and takes the raisins on his bike. And so begins a series of events with several people who have reasons for what they do.
Here’s a great story to read aloud. Not only does it teach that people have reasons for what they do, it also shows that some people have a reason entirely different than the reason they tell. Young children will love the fun story line in Reasons and Raisins.
Posted by Kyle
Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Picture Books, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Arnold Lobel, Easy Read, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Out of Print, Quick Read
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A wizard, who lived in a time in which there were no colors except black, white, and gray, invents the color blue. The rest of the people see him painting his house and want some blue. The wizard gives them his invention and they paint everything blue, which after a while, makes everyone sad. The wizard then invents yellow and red in turn, each having a different effect on everyone.
The Great Blueness, just like all of Arnold Lobel’s books that I’ve read, has a hint of silliness. Don’t forget to look at the pictures because a lot of the silliness is in the pictures.
Posted by Becca
Categories: Fiction, Picture Books, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Animals, balloons, Dogs, Easy Read, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Out of Print, Quick Read, William Pene du Bois
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Otto the giant otterhound lives with his master in France. One day Duke, the owner of Otto, decides that Otto is too big to live in France and takes him to Africa. At a fort in Africa, Duke and Otto learn that Abou the Fierce and his bandits are planning an attack on the fort. Duke offers to fight them with only Otto to help.
The ending of Otto in Africa is rather funny. It is well worth your time to read this book. Otto is unfortunately out of print.
Posted by Becca
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Cats, Jim Kjelgaard, Muskrats, Out of Print
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Frosty is a black kitten who lives in a shed in a town. His owners pay a man named Luke Trull to take Frosty and his siblings and find them some homes. Unfortunately, Luke is dishonest and instead of doing what he promised, he merely dumps the kittens in the hill country where he lives. Frosty makes his way to a meadow and learns how to survive in the wild. One night, however, Frosty is picked up by an owl and rescued by Andy Gates, a young man who is living alone in a swamp that he is trying to stock with muskrats. Frosty decides to live with Andy, and Andy enjoys Frosty’s company. But then Andy finds Luke Trull spying on him, loses his temper, and hits Luke. Not being of a forgiving nature, Luke holds a grudge and sets out for revenge.
I was a bit surprised at the ending of this book. It resolves in a rather unexpected way. I also found a few parts where Jim Kjelgaard was a little wordy, but most of the book flows pretty well. The story switches between Frosty and Andy, though sometimes they are together for a short while. Sadly, this book is out of print so you may have to juggle your way through inter-library loans to find a copy.
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