Posted by Ruth
Categories: All Ages, Fantasy, Fiction, Incredibook!, Review
Tags:Animals, Dragons, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Kenneth Grahame, Quick Read
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The Boy isn’t surprised when a dragon moves in near the Downs. After all, he’s read lots of books and is quite knowledgable on the subject. He soon befriends the dragon, who is of the quieter sort, spending much of his time writing poetry. But when the townspeople discover the presence of the dragon, they immediately send for Saint George, pleading with him to fight and kill this monster who has been destructing their town. Of course, the dragon has done no such thing. And when the Boy warns him of the inevitable upcoming battle, he positively refuses to fight. Saint George can’t just up and leave without doing anything, and they both turn to the Boy to fabricate a solution.
A delightful little story! Although it’s not nearly as well known as The Wind in the Willows, I think it deserves equal recognition. Geared toward younger children, but enough to make any adult chuckle. Great fun all around.
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 Sarah
Categories: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Animals, Award Winner, Cats, Chickens, Dogs, Good Read Aloud, Horses, Patricia Maclachlan, Quick Read
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Out in the country of early America, Anna and Caleb’s father puts an ad in the newspaper for a wife. His previous wife died not long after Caleb’s birth. A woman named Sarah answers the ad and comes to live with them for a month for a trial period. But often she misses the sea, where she came from. Will Sarah stay, or will she return to the sea?
A somewhat simple, short story. I read Sarah, Plain and Tall in about an hour, if I remember correctly. This book might be a little better for people younger than me. It’s alright, but not my favorite. Oh, and Sarah, Plain and Tall is the beginning of a trilogy. There are two more books after this one.
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.
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