 | August 2013 Reviews 2013-07-29 Author: Pam Heller |
For Younger Readers
Little Owl’s Orange Scarf
by Tatyana Feeney
Little Owl lives with his mommy in a tree house on the edge of a park. His life is full of many joys including math, ice cream and riding his scooter, but he’s bothered by his too-long, too-scratchy orange scarf! He makes many attempts to rid himself of the problematic scarf to no avail, until one day he returns from the zoo without it. Together, Wise Mommy and Little Owl select a new, very soft blue yarn to make a new scarf. The final pages reveal, with humor, the mystery of the whereabouts of the missing orange scarf. Can you guess who might be enjoying it now? For ages 2 to 5.
No Fits, Nilson
by Zachariah OHora
Childhood is a wondrous adventure filled with important lessons to be learned; you never know who the teachers might be. In this book, it’s a little girl named Amelia and her oversized blue gorilla named Nilson. Through their day together, Nilson is faced with many challenges that result in his throwing tantrums – gorilla-sized tantrums. Amelia offers Nilson some familiar techniques that parents will recognize with a smile. As the day wears on, Amelia is triggered into a tantrum and Nilson is the one to help her calm down. At the end of the day, the illustration reveals that Nilson is really a small stuffed animal that has been helping Amelia learn to control her own behavior. For ages 2 to 5.
For Older Readers
Stick Dog
by Tom Watson
Stick Dog and his pals (Poo-Poo, Stripes, Karen and Mutt) are hungry and plotting to somehow partake of some of the great-smelling burgers grilling in the nearby park. Each dog has a plan, but Stick Dog manages (through his repeated attempts at using reverse psychology) to get his friends to go along with his ideas. The execution of the plan doesn’t go as smoothly as hoped, leading to some humorous situations. The slapstick humor (did I mention Stripes is a Dalmatian?) and graphic novel-styling make this a winning combination for reluctant young readers venturing into chapter books. For ages 6 to 10.
Here Where the Sunbeams Are Green
by Rebecca Stead
Two sisters, 12-year-old Madeline and nine-year-old Ruby, embark on an adventure to find their father, who has been strangely “gone-too-long” on a bird-tracking assignment in Central America. When the girls arrive with their mother at the lavish spa where their father is working, his behavior is uncharacteristically distant; the girls set out to discover what is really going on with their father. With the help of a legend-telling old woman and her 14-year-old grandson, the girls discover a tropical bird near extinction that seems to be at the center of the mystery. Set in a beautiful rainforest, this mystery/eco-adventure tale will keep young readers in suspense to the final pages and possibly entice a curiosity leading to further study about the plight of endangered environments and species. For ages 10 to 14.
