Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated Harry Bliss

Louise the chicken dreamed of adventure on her family farm. One day, she left the farmhouse where she lived and found adventure!

In four short chapters, DiCamillo recounts Louise's adventures on a ship, in a circus and at a far away land. With each return, the other chickens inquire where Louise has been, and she doesn't indulge until her final adventure when she relives her experiences with the other chickens.

What I Thought:
This is a wonderful story, so full of imagination! I love how the adventures how split up into short chapters, giving the readers the sense of conclusion to each adventure before the next one begins. I also loved how Louise finally shares her adventure with the other chickens in farmyard, sparking the sense of adventure with each of them.

The illustrations are wonderful, great attention to detail was taken and the illustrations are very fun to explore.

Overall, this book is very highly recommended, this book is a sure winner!

Want to see more? Check it out on Amazon: Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated Harry Bliss.

Who Shrunk Daniel Funk #1: Attack of the Growing Eyeballs by Lin Oliver, illustrations by Stephen Gilpin

The day Daniel's eyeball growled is a day that he will never forget. It was the day he shrunk to the size of his fourth toe.

One moment he was normal sized, just hanging around, living the life of a normal guy--being bothered (and pestering) his sisters, trying to understand his crazy family. The next second, BAM! He was inches tall, then he sneezed and returned to his normal self.

If that wasn't weird enough, his Granny Nanny totally understands his dilemma. She even shocks Daniel with the news that he has a twin brother, Pedro, who is tiny.

As Daniel tries to figure out what makes him shrink and get to know his newly-found brother, he is frustrated at his sisters upcoming pre-pre-pre-pre prom party. Together they plot to ruin the party with a cockroach.

Will they succeed? Will Daniel figure out what makes him shrink?

What I Thought:
This is such a fun book. I think tween guys will be clamoring for this new series, and I'll be right there with them! It is a great premise with adventure and even annoying sisters!

The dialogue is very friendly, Daniel is telling the story to his audience and the words chosen in this book reflect that. He talking straight to ten year old boys. Plus, fun illustrations!

Highly recommended.

Want to see more? Check it out on Amazon: Who Shrunk Daniel Funk #1: Attack of the Growing Eyeballs by Lin Oliver, illustrations by Stephen Gilpin

The second book in this series (Who Shrunk Daniel Funk?) has been released: Escape of the Mini Mummy. Look for a review as soon as I can get my hands on a copy. (And read it, of course!)

The Tales from Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

In this much anticipated book by J.K. Rowling, five "fairy tales" from the wizarding world are presented to readers.

While Rowling wrote the book, she actually made part of the storyline to be that the stories are actually "translated from ancient runes by Hermione Granger," "commentary by Albus Dumbldedore," with "Introduction, Notes, and Illustrations by J.K. Rowling."

So, each of these stories have a different "moral" and meaning that kids who grew up in the wizarding world grew up listening to, just as the stories that we all know by heart, like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty.

The stories, which range from stories about not cheating death, being nice to others, to about love.

What I Thought:
This is a very interesting book. I am a fan of the Harry Potter series and was excited to read this book. I very much enjoyed reading the actual tales, though the commentary by Dumbledore proved to be challenging and felt like I was reading an academic journal for a research paper. (Which I am sure that fits in to Rowling's overall vision of the book, but I wasn't in the mood for that at the time.)

Anyway, this book is a must read for Harry Potter fans.

Want to see more? Check it out on Amazon: The Tales from Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling.

Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein, illustrated by Ed Young

Wabi Sabi the cat wants to know the meaning of his name. She asks her master and several of the animals near her home, but no one tells her. Everyone gives her an excuse of "it's hard to explain" or "you'll never understand." A bird directs Wabi Sabi to visit Kosho for the answer he desires.

So Wabi Sabi sets out on her journey and Kosho explains to her what her name truly means.

What I Thought:
This book is simply amazing. The illustrations in the book are will simply take your breathe away. Young makes the story simply come to life and makes the concept of Wabi Sabi real. They are peaceful and interesting, spectacular. I also love how the book laid out vertically, and not the normal horizontal layout.

Check out this blog where Ed Young is interviewed and explains further about the illustrations, as well as the story about how Young submitted his work only for it to be misplaced and him having to redo the work. (It's an interesting story, definitely check it out.)

Another great thing about this book is that each page includes two haiku poems that accents the storyline. One haiku is in English, while another one is written in Japanese symbols. The symbols are translated at the end of the book both in Japanese and English. There is also a wonderful explanations of the haiku poem and the concept of Wabi Sabi.

This picture book could be used in so many ways. I plan to use it this summer with school aged children at the library as we practice writing haiku poems and Japanese symbols. And I can't wait to see how the kiddos like it!

A wonderful book, very highly recommended!

Want to see more? Check it out on Amazon: Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein, illustrated by Ed Young.

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee

(Caldecott Honor Sticker should be on cover soon!)

One summer, James went to visit Eamon's and his grandparents at the beach. They were going to attend a nature day camp, and Eamon's grandpa is so excited to teach them about penguins and take them to the Natural History Museum, and teach them about Antarctica.

Things don't quite work out as planned however, but the best week ever is definitely had.


What I Thought:
I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK. And if I have anything to say about it, I will own it very soon.

Seriously, this book is just pure joy. I love picture books where the text tells one story while the pictures tell the complete opposite, and this is one of those books. The text tells one story from the narrator's standpoint, and the illustrations with the balloon text tells another story from the boys standpoint. Which is simply hilarious.

When you read this book, make sure that you inspect each inch of the book, the end papers have some great illustrations that supplement the story.

This book is the recipient of a 2009 Caldecott Honor Book, Boston Globe Horn Book Honor Award for Picture Book, and numerous Best Book of the Year Award from several prominent book review publications.

Very highly recommended, I promise you'll love it.

Want to see more? Check it out on Amazon: A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee.