Cock-a-Doodle Mooo! A Mixed-Up Menagerie by Keith DuQuette caught me with the title. I’m a word girl, in case you can’t tell. The book starts with ancient mythical mixes of creatures. Then it moves into modern options with rhymes. The rhymes are good, at least partially because he made up the names that had to…
Annie Was Warned by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2003, appealed to me from the title. I wanted to know what she was warned about. Annie’s parents and sister warned her away from the old haunted mansion. As if that wouldn’t be enough to get her there, her friend dares her…
The Next Place by Warren Hanson, published in 1992 by Waldman House Press, is beautifully illustrated. This is a book about “after death.” I disagree with some of the philosophy expressed and I felt that some of the rhymes are forced. The illustrations are beautiful and soothing. Even the illustrations, though, may not be enough to…
English nerd alert! Being an English nerd, I am drawn to books on language. Did You Say Pears? a 2006 Tundra Book by Arlene Alda caught my attention because it seemed that’s what it would be. It fulfilled my expectations. Sure enough, that’s what it was. The back matter even explains both homonyms (same spelling, different pronunciation,…
She Did It! 21 Women Who Changed the Way We Think written by Emily Arnold McCully and illustrated by Liz Casal is a 2018 Disney Hyperion book. I was most interested in the story of Ida M. Tarbell, a pioneer investigative journalist. It was interesting. I did wonder about bias, as this tale seemed to be written…
The Perfect Piñata/La Piñata Perfecta, an English/Spanish story, written by Kelli Kyle Dominguez, illustrated by Diane Paterson, and translated into Spanish by Teresa Mlawer, was delightful. I haven’t read Spanish in quite a while and I enjoyed reading the book through in Spanish. It read very well. This is about a birthday treat. The story…
What Does It Mean to Be American? written by Rana DiOrio and Elad Yoran and illustrated by Nina Mata (2019) was an unexpected pleasure. I thought the book would be treacle sweet, but instead it was thoughtful. It was very much a “learn this lesson” book, which most publishers don’t want to publish, but since…
Another book I picked up at the library book sale was Love, Lizzie: Letters to a Military Mom. Written by Lisa Tucker McElroy and illustrated by Diane Paterson, it is an Albert Whitman & Company book, published in 2005. The point of view character Lizzie is the daughter of a deployed military mother. Her father…
This book is way too old for me to have purchased from the book sale, but I bought it anyway. I bought it because as an English professor I’ve heard “I hate English!” a lot. I Hate English! by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Steve Bjorman, is a Scholastic book from 1989. (Yes, I know that…
You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Roman Gladiator! written by John Malam and illustrated by David Antram is a Franklin Watts book and was published when this year’s college freshmen were born (2000). I like history, so I chose this even though it was older than my original intention to purchase at the library book sale.…
