The Daily Comet: Boy Saves Earth from Giant Octopus

Asch, Frank. The Daily Comet: Boy Saves Earth from Giant Octopus! Kids Can Press. ISBN: 978-1-55453-281-0

Hayward’s dad works for The Daily Comet, a newspaper that only seems to publish ridiculous, positively-untrue stories about monsters and historical figures. Hayward knows that the stories cannot be true, which is why he believes the odd encounters his father and he have during Take Your Son to Work Day must be exaggerated or staged. Or are they? Told in a style befitting any tabloid, Frank and Devin Asch capture Hayward’s disdain so well in both the text and illustrations that the reader believes Hayward’s assumptions have to be right. I had so much fun anticipating what outrageous event would be waiting each time I turned the page. From Elvis to a giant octopus, this one is fun to read and believe.

Kellie Tilton, BGSU librarian

Shrek

Steig, William. Shrek! Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN: 978-0-374-36879-1

Most of us are, by now, familiar with the movie Shrek and its multiple sequels. Many may not be aware that the popular animated movies came from a book of the same name by William Steig. There are, as in any book-to-film translation, some similarities and some differences. The book’s Shrek doesn’t have the emotional side that the movie’s titular character does. Steig’s Shrek does still have the bad manners, ogre appearance and general disdain for everyone that makes anyone from 0 to 99 giggle as he storms the castle looking for his princess. With Donkey’s role much more reduced, I’m not sure how those who have seen the movie first will react to the original material, but the gruesome drawings and Shrek himself should win some over, I would hope.

Kellie Tilton, BGSU librarian

Animal Crackers Fly the Coop

O’Malley, Kevin. Animal Crackers Fly the Coop. Walker & Company. 2010. ISBN: 978-0-8027-9837-4

Animal Crackers Fly the Coop is perfect for joke-lovers. Packed full with wise-cracks and play-on-words, we follow four wannabe-comedian animals looking to make it big when things go bad on the farm. The illustrations are good, although the highlight is the thought bubble jokes that accompany the illustrations – jokes that are bound to keep anyone giggling for days. The story is a cute one and, as I mentioned above, has wry jokes hidden within the text, which makes it great for older kids. This means, though, that some of the punch lines will go above the heads of younger readers. Overall, a book filled with laughs and giggles.

K. Tilton, BGSU librarian

The Junkyard Wonders

Polacco, Patricia. The Junkyard Wonders. Philomel Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group. 2010. ISBN: 3780399250781

In The Junkyard Wonders, Patricia Polacco recounts her experiences of being put in a class for special needs as a child and meeting Mrs. Peterson, the class' teacher. In an incredibly touching tribute to both her former teacher and her fellow "tribe" members, Polacco combines text and colorful, pencil-lined drawings to indicate how bullies affected her life and how Mrs. Peterson and her classmates helped recognize Trisha's potential and inner-genius. The ending is incredibly heart-warming and will have many reaching for tissues.

The Junkyard Wonders is slightly text-heavy, but it would be a great read-and-discuss book for any child. The pictures are done roughly, but provide bright color and illustrate each scene incredibly well.

Kellie Tilton, BGSU Librarian

One Too Many : A Seek & Find Counting Book

Marino, Gianna. One Too Many: A Seek and Find Counting Book. Chronicle Books LLC. 2010. ISBN: 9780811869089

One Too Many is a beautifully illustrated book that encourages visual learning and counting techniques. We begin on page one with 1 flea and with every turn of the page another group of animals joins our flea in the barnyard. The illustrations of each animal are similar in coloring, forcing readers to hunt for each new animal as they join the gathering group of barnyard cronies. The ending also is surprising and funny, which is always great to see in education-based books.

There is little text on each page, usually just a number in the upper-right corner. The final spread does have a bit of text, however, as it provides the answer for the seek and find game and suggests more difficult seeking games to play throughout the book for fun re-reads.

Kellie Tilton, BGSU Librarian

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Furman, Simon. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. IDW Publishing. 2009. ISBN: 9781600104558.

My book is about a Decpticon named Wheelie who was tortured. Then he was led to see a Seeker named Jetfire. Jetfire teleported everyone to Cairo, Egypt. The final battle was going to assault the Decepticons in New Jersey. Optimus Prime was brought in to negotiate. Sam was heading to the Star Harvester. The twins started to fight in the tomb. Optimus joined the fight. Sam put the Matrix dust in his sock. A portal opened and the Ancient Decepticon appeared. For the illustrations, I did not think all the Primes matched the movie. Their forms and weapons are different. I really liked the comic book illustrations though. I think they look like a big kid version of Transformers and that's what I like.

J.K., Homeschooled Group, 3rd grade.

Chicken and Cat Clean Up

Varon, Sarah. Chicken and Cat Clean Up. Scholastic Press. 2009. ISBN: 9780439634083.

The lesson in my book is about Chicken and Cat's cleaning service and how Cat couldn't do anything right. So Cat got kicked out! When he was outside a wanted mouse stole something. So, Cat caught the mouse and turned him in. For doing that Cat got a reward and bought a turtle. In the end, Cat found the one thing he was good at and now it's Chicken and Cat's Cleaning and Mouse Catching Services. The art in this book is cartoonish. My opinion on this book is that if I were babysitting a child ages 1-3, I would LOVE to show and this book to him/her.

M.T., Homeschooled Group, 5-6 Grade.

Errol and His Extraordinary Nose

Conway, David. Errol and His Extraordinary Nose. Holiday House. 2010. ISBN: 9780823422623.

This book is about a little elephant who is trying to find a special talent that he has. There is a talent show coming up at his school. Everyone else has talent and he doesn't. The lesson could be that everyone is special in their own way. Everyone has something unique that they can do. The artwork is cartoonish and brightly colored. It is also expressive in showing what the character is feeling. It is very big and easy to see. The pictures also show the mood and time of day it is. I liked the book because it shows a good lesson that everyone is special in their own way. It is also very colorful and illustrated in a way that is very attractive. The page where the chameleon brothers sing the song, "Sing a Rainbow". I really like it because it says their best talent is making friends, which is a good way to end the book. I think that younger kids would enjoy it. Kids 3-7 years old would benefit and enjoy it especially. Any age group would enjoy it but I think this is the age group it is focused on.

J.D., Homeschooled Group, Upper Grades.

Ten in the Bed

Didion, Griffin. Ten in the Bed. Holiday House. 2006. ISBN: 9780823420278.

This book is about animals falling out of bed and imagining they are someone else. The pictures are very bright and the animals are friendly looking. My favorite part was when the animals were dressed as pirates. It made me laugh. I would recommend this book to newborns to 4 years old.

G.D., Homeschooled Group, 2nd grade.

The Longest Night

Bauer, Marion Dane. The Longest Night. Holiday House. 2009. ISBN: 9780823420544.

The story was about a moose, crow, and fox trying to get the sun back because it is winter and they're tired of the cold. This little chickadee is tired of the cold too. The moose and fox say they can bring the sun back because they are big and strong. The crow says it can bring the sun back because it can fly better. But, the wind says they are not the right ones to awake the sun. The chickadee is really small but the wind says it was the right one to awaken the sun. The lesson is no matter how small you are, you can always do it. The illustrator really put his time in it because it was really detailed. It was with dark colors but it was still really cool. My favorite part was at the end when the wind said that the chickadee could awaken the sun. I definitely recommend this book to other kids. I would reccommend it to smaller kids because the chickadee was small and could still awaken the sun and to kids who are interested in nature.

M.C., Homeschooled Group, 5-6 Grade.

The Underground Gators

Casey, Tina. The Underground Gators. Dutton Juvenile. 2009. ISBN: 9780525472131.

This book tells you the opinion of what the kid is thinking about, which is, what the alligators do in the city. The art is descriptive and humorous. It has some what cartoonish illustrations. I think this would be a good book for kids 2-6 years old.

W.D., Homeschooled Group, 5-6 Grade.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Gilroy, Henry. Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Dark Horse. 2009. ISBN: 9781595823496.

This book is about Anakin, Obi-Wan, R2-D2, and Ahsoka. They went to a ship to see if any slaves were on it. They didn't find them. So, they are going to go to an auction to find them in the next book. The pictures are darker colors. They are comic pictures because it is a graphic novel book. My favorite part was the middle because they were fighting the bad guys on the ship. I would recommend this book to people who like Star Wars.

D., Homeschooled Group, 2nd grade.

Love That Puppy

Jarka, Jeff. Love That Puppy. Henry Holt and Co. 2009. ISBN: 9780805087413.

This book is about a little boy who decided he wanted to be a dog. The lesson is just be happy with who you are. The colors of the illustrations described feelings. It was creative, comic, cartoon art. It was a fun family book. My favorite part is when Peter told the teacher he ate his home work. I would recommend this book for families with kids 3-9 years old.

H.C., Homeschooled Group, 4th grade.

Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer

Brendler, Carol. Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2009. ISBN: 9780374384401.

This book was about a girl named Winnie Finn who loved to care for worms. It was a creative book with more realistic pictures. I loved how expressive Winnie's cat was. It's hilarious! The lesson was that something little doesn't always do little things. It can do big things too. I love this book because she cares so much for something most people find disgusting. I like when everyone wins first place and Winnie gets a new wagon. I would reccomend this book to kids 5-10 years old. I thought it was fun!

A.C., Homeschooled Group, Upper Grades.

Every Cowgirl Needs a Horse

Janni, Rebecca. Every Cowgirl Needs a Horse. Dutton Juvenile . 2010. ISBN: 9780525421641.

This book is about a cowgirl who wanted a horse. The pictures are friendly. My favorite part was the end because she got a horse. I would recommend this book to 4-6 year olds.

M., Homeschooled Group, 2nd grade.

Tough Chicks

Meng, Cece. Tough Chicks. Clarion Books. Illustrated by Melissa Suber. 2009. ISBN: 9780618824151.

This book is about 3 chicks; Penny, Polly, and Molly. They are very tough and do not act like normal chickens. It was a very cartoony book with nice fictional, colorful pictures. I thought it was very cute. It teaches that some people are not as bad as you think. You might like them anyway. I thought it was cute and funny. I liked how they always went over and beyond on everything they did. I liked how they kept tinkering with the farmer's tractor. Funny! I think lots of kids would like this book, probably ages 5-9. I loved it!

A.C., Homeschooled Group, Upper Grades.

The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza

Numeroff, Laura. The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza. Abrams Books for Young Readers. 2010. ISBN: 9780810984127.

This book is about girls who had to write a book report on something they liked. Only Anna wanted to do this. But she got her friends in the library, and then they liked it. But, Anna got scared when she gave her report. Her friends helped her. We should always stick with our friends. The pictures are pretty. I like the colorful jellybeans. The animals looked furry and soft even though I can't really touch them.

L.K., Homeschooled Group, 2nd grade.

Wolf Camp

McKy, Katie. Wolf Camp. Tanglewood Press. 2009. ISBN: 9781933718217.

A girl named Maddie asks her mom if she can go to camp: wolf camp. When she got back she acted strange. She only ate meat, she scratched her head with her foot, and growled at the dog! Is Maddie turning into a wolf?! The artwork was pretty good. I think the expression was very accurate. The way the illustrator made Maddie look with the torn jeans, stuff in her hair, and other things like that helped me to imagine Maddie really acting the way she did. It was a very good book. I really loved it. My favorite part was when she was playing tug-o-war with the dog. It was a cute book. I recommend this to children ages 4+ and children who like animals.

R.C., Homeschooled Group, 5-6 grade

Drag Racing

Kelley, K.C. Drag Racing. Marshall Cavendish. 2010. ISBN: 9780761443841.

Overall, the book Drag Racing is astonishing. It hands out facts everywhere. It really keeps the readers into the book. I think the inside stories were really awesome, too. The pictures really catch the readers eyes. There is one where the Mustang is exploding with fire like a bomb. For the benefit of kids across America, I would recommend this book to 4th graders. If they like drag racing, they will like this book.

J.N., St. Pius X School, 7th Grade

Monster Trucks

Gigliotti, Jim. Monster Trucks. Marshall Cavendish. 2010. ISBN:978-0-7614-4385-8 .


Monster Trucks is about how monster trucks came into sports. Many monster trucks are just normal trucks with big tires. It also shows what is in the monster trucks. I liked this book because it was very interesting, and the photos were really cool. I would recommend this book to grade 5th through freshmen.


F.B., St. Pius X School, 7th grade