Lucy & Company

Author & Illustrator: Marianne Dubuc
Kids Can Press Ltd. (2016)

Lucy & Company by Marianne Dubuc has three parts to it; The Snack, The Treasure, and The Hatchlings. The main characters are Lucy, Marcel the mouse, Henry the rabbit, Dot the turtle, Adrian the snail and Anton the bear. The first part of the book, The Snack is about Lucy having a snack with Marcel the mouse. She shares her strawberry biscuits with him and then Henry the rabbit comes along with hazelnuts. Lucy again shares her biscuits with him and then along comes Dot the turtle and his snack had dropped in the pond as he was walking over it. As Henry is sharing his hazelnuts with everyone, one screams "NOOOO! Don't eat me!" to find out it's not a hazelnut instead its Adrian the snail (Dubuc 12). He becomes one of Lucy's friends and now Marcel is the only one with a snack left so he shares it with all of his friends. The next section of the book is The Treasure; it is about the five friends reading a map and trying to find the big red X that has treasure. As the friends are walking along they come across Anton the bear. They think he is the rock they're looking for but once they realize that they just disturbed the big bear they continue walking before he gets any angrier. After crossing the bridge they find the actual rock they were looking for and rabbit starts to dig. Rabbit digs up a present that had decorations and a cake in it for his birthday. The last part of the book is The Hatchlings; it is about the Adrian the snail finding three eggs. When the Adrian and Lucy try to brood the eggs, they began to hatch and three little baby birds came out. They had thought Adrian was their mother and Adrian had no idea what to do, he didn't know that he had to keep them warm. Once the birds started to sneeze they took them to Anton and he kept them warm. Many criteria are used in Lucy & Company; these include text, questions, pictures, drawing, and style.


Text is the first criterion used. The text used in Lucy & Company is short and simple. On each page of the book there are only two to three sentences. On some of the pages don't have any words at all just pictures. The words on the page are easy for a younger audience to understand. Most of them are words we use on a daily basis. I think the text used in the book is good for a younger audience because it's short and won't lose the audience's attention. The next criterion used is questions. 

The next criterion used is questions. Questions can be used in Lucy & Company because in the first part of the book, The Snack many questions can be asked. Once the friends realized that the hazelnut wasn't a hazelnut, Marcel asked "What are you" That's when they found out it was a snail (Dubuc 13). Questions can be asked throughout the entire book and it helps keep the younger audience attention. Some questions that could be asked are "What kind of food did the five friends share?" "What animal might this be?" "What do you think they'll dig up?" "What do you think is in the eggs?" The list of questions can go on and the younger audience can get all the answers from all of the pictures. I would ask questions in this book because it's not very long and the answers are easy to find. The next criterion used is pictures. 

The next criterion used is pictures. There are many visual elements used in pictures and the elements that Lucy & Company includes are line, shape, texture, and color. Lines are either curved or straight in picture books. In this book, the lines that are used are straight because the trees and the grass in each picture they have lines that are all straight. The shape of the pictures is curved because the Lucy and the animals in the story have a curve to them. Angular is also used in the book especially in the picture when Lucy is holding the map and the playing card are on the ground. The map and playing cards are a rectangular shape whereas everything else is curved. The textures of the pictures are smooth and soft with the medium because they're drawn and colored with a pencil. The picture uses value, secondary, and they're cool. A value color such as light blue is used for the sky and pond. Whereas secondary colors such as green is used for the grass and tree leaves. Blue and green would be the cool colors used because they're light and not too bright and it gives the audience a cool feeling. By looking at the pictures you can tell what is going on in the story. I think the pictures in Lucy & Company are made for a younger audience because they could look at the pictures and tell what was going on in the story. The next criterion used is drawing. 

Another criterion used is drawing. The pictures in Lucy & Company are drawn and colored with a pencil because if you look very closely at the characters and their clothes you can see the lines from a pencil. When drawing with a pencil the audience can see the full range of lightness to darkness. Rabbit's ears the audience is able to see the color going from a white to a pinkish color. I think the drawings being drawn with a pencil fit well with the story because you can see every detail in each character and on the trees. The next criterion used is style.

The last criterion used is style. The style used in Lucy & Company is realistic because the characters look like real life humans and animals. They also fit the proportion of an actual person and animal, they fit the page. The younger audience can tell what they actually are and what they're supposed to be. The illustrator didn't draw them to look like cartoon characters but to look like actual characters. I think the style was perfect for this book because everything looked real and everything fit the proportion of the page. 

Lucy & Company was a great picture book to read. It's easy to read and it would catch the attention of a younger audience such as preschoolers or Kindergartners. By looking at the pictures, the audience could tell what was going on in the story. All of the criteria's were met, from text to style. Overall, this book is a great book to have in the classroom and I would recommend it to teachers and families. 

Review by Jennifer Wingard

Leave Me Alone!

Author and Illustrator: Vera Brosgol
Roaring Brook Press, 2016

The book Leave Me Alone!, written and illustrated by Vera Brosgol, can be classified as an easy reader. This book is about a woman who becomes so overwhelmed with what is happening around her that she one day decides she is going to leave to find some peace and quiet. She is surrounding by so many grandchildren that it becomes too much when she needs to knit sweaters for the cold season. Throughout this book it tells of the adventures that the woman goes on trying to find quiet. She goes through the dark forest where she meets a family of bears who will not leave her alone. She goes further and runs into some mountain goats, they will not leave her alone either. She packs up and moves away from the goats, she has traveled so far up she ends up on the moon. On the moon, she meets little creatures who have never seen a human before and they want to know what she is so they try to use their beeping scanners. It seemed to be impossible for the woman to find a place that is peace and quiet. She decides to climb through a worm hole where it is completely dark. Here, she finds the perfect quiet she needs. She sits down, does her knitting, drinks some tea, and enjoys herself. She then decides to pack up and go home where everything is exactly as she left it. Throughout this piece, the pictures work hand in hand with the words to create a children's book that is engaging and relatable. The content and design of this book are intriguing for young children wanting to improve their reading skills.
The content is laid out in a specific way so children do not lose focus within the first few pages. The author does an excellent job of using sight words and words that are easier to decode. Children are easily discouraged and it is important in the early stages, that they do not stray away because they find it too difficult. Along with the vocabulary, the sentence lengths are not too long and the amount of words on each page are just enough so that the individual can read through the page and understand all that is happening. The words are not everything that make up this piece though. The pictures are an important factor in a way that they help the reader decode words that they may have not seen before. 

Although the content in this piece is exactly what readers who are at this level need, the design is exceptional as well.  When writing a children's book, the author needs to understand the age level that will be reading the piece for it to be successful. Brosgol does an excellent job of keeping line lengths short and to the point. The words on each page are somewhat in a bunch which leaves more space on the page. White space on pages is important for children reading at this level. They need to rest their eyes as they read so that they do not become overwhelmed. There is plenty of white space between the words and the illustrations. Illustrations are something that cannot just be thrown into a book. They need to be placed accordingly so that the reader is not distracted while reading. 

This is an overall well written piece that children who are moving up into easy reader and transitional books will be able to understand and grasp. The content is complete and the design is well throughout by the author. Children who are trying to further their reading skills will enjoy this easy reader. From a teacher point of view, this book would be an excellent book to have available for any first or second grader. This is also a book that could be used for story time or even a lesson that is being taught. Vera Brosgol has put together an excellent piece for children at the easy reader level.                                                                                                                 

Review by Cathleen Woenker

The Airport Book

Author: Lisa Brown
Roaring Brook Press (2016)

As a future educator, being able to critically analyze a book and decide whether it should be used in the classroom is a skill that will be essential. There are many different types of children's books to choose from and a teacher needs to be able to figure out which books should and should not be used. For example The Airport Book, written by Lisa Brown, is a book of information that teaches the reader about the process of maneuvering through an airport. The Airport Book is centered on a family that is traveling with a young child that is experiencing an airport and flying for the first time. This is an effective book of information because of the sequence of the content, the illustrations, and the overall sentence structure. 


First, The Airport Book is an effective children's book because of the logical sequence of events it takes the reader through. If the aim of a book is to teach the reader about the process of something, it is important that the events are taught in the correct order. This is something that author Lisa Brown does very well with her book. A younger reader has the opportunity to see all of the required steps of entering and exiting airports. The book demonstrates the family leaving their home and arriving at the entrance. It then goes on to show the reader checking in luggage and going through security. Later on it also shows the reader what happens on the plane and what happens when the plane lands. If one of those steps were out of place, the reader could be confused and misinformed about traveling around an airport. The fact that the author was careful and included each step in its logical sequence helps with the impact of the book. In addition to the sequence of events, the illustrations keep the reader engaged throughout. 


Arguably, the illustrations that fill each page contain wonderful colors and images that bring the words to live for the reader. The illustrations are perfect when it comes to The Airport Book because it helps visually demonstrate what a person might see when the go to an airport. They are extremely accurate and are rich with detail. It shows the machines that check bags and what the inside of a plane would look like. The pictures of certain events typically take up two pages at a time and are big so they can easily be identified. Also, the characters within the images will have little bubbles where it shows them saying different things. For example, the security person has a "Next in line!" phrase next to him to show how everyone must be checked before entering (Brown). The illustrations further explain the content and all for the reader to visually see what is being talked about. Similar to illustrations and sequence of events, the sentence structure is an essential part of the impact. 


Lastly, the sentence structure is something that can be helpful as well. An author never wants to make a children?s book too difficult. However, authors still want to challenge readers to help make the book useful for the development of the student's reading skills. In The Airport Book, Brown uses short and to the point sentences to get across the information. An example of the sentences found on a page would be, "A flight attendant walks up and down the aisle. Sometimes you get something to eat. Sometimes you get something to drink" (Brown). All of those sentences are short and contain little bits of information. This is done so the text can easily read and understood. The words are not too difficult but there also might be words that are not part of the vocabulary of the child. The book is not too difficult and does not scare children away from attempting to read it. 


In conclusion, The Airport Book is effective and should be used in classrooms with students. This book should be used in classrooms with students because it has a logical order of events, contains creative illustrations, and provides simple sentence structure. Brown does a wonderful job of providing a positive book that readers can come to and learn from. As a future educator, this would be a book that I would want in my classroom. 
     
Review by Mitchell Rickard

In Plain Sight

Author: Richard Jackson
Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney
Roaring Brook Press (2016)
Ages 4-8years


An African-American girl, Sophie, lives with her grandfather and parents. Every day after school she greets her grandfather and he always has something that has gone missing. Sophie is eager to find her grandfather's missing object and wanting to return it. back to him. 

Ultimately, I would not recommend this book for children to read because I do not think any valuable lesson of importance is taken from this story. I also think that the pictures are hard to make out and hard to understand what they are representing.

Review by Erica Harder

The Notebook of Doom: Rumble of the Coaster Ghost

Author and Illustrator: Troy Cummings 
Scholastic, Inc., (2016)

Classic children series have excelled in improving reading skills and comprehension. The series interest all young readers and encourage them to keep reading. Some of these series include The Boxcar Children, Junie B. Jones, Nancy Drew, Captain Underpants, and Magic Tree House. These classic series have been around for many years. A new series, The Notebook of Doom, written by Troy Cummings just may become a new favorite of many readers. In the novel, The Notebook of Doom: Rumble of the Coaster Ghost, sparks an imagination of young friends, pulling young readers into the novel. Through Cummings captivate approach, grabs young reader's attention and fully engages them in a book, creating an effective learning experience for all.

Throughout the entire illustrated early chapter book, it challenges young readers from grades first through third, expanding their vocabulary and their reading literacy skills. The intellectual context of the book rated at a second-grade level is effective in the learning of young students.  The early chapter book is 89 pages long. This is a great challenge for second graders as the book is long. This is effective because it is helping their attention span, comprehension of a longer book, and their focus. To many, they have never read a book with that many pages in. It is not too long where no child will be interested in it, but long enough to challenge the new, young reader. The vocabulary within the books, some words will be new to many readers, but will be able to use their reading comprehension skills to figure out the meaning of the word. For example, in the beginning of the book, Alexander, Rip, Nikki, and Dr. Tallow are in class and Dr. Tallow says to them, "All right class", pocketing the note. "Now about that surprise" (Cummings 3). The word "pocketing" is a new word for young readers but because of the context clues, they will be able to figure it out. That is the most effective part of this book is because of the literacy skills used throughout the book. It challenges the children reading the book, but makes them apply knowledge that they learned in class. The intellectual context of the book is effective in the reading of young readers. It broadens both girls and boys imagination and lets children get lost in the book. 

Secondly, this book grabs the attention of children by just looking at the cover. The cover with bright yellow and monsters on it looks like a notebook. This cover will get students attention to grab the book and read it. The illustrations are effective for the reading of children because it enhances the information in the book and breaks up the text so it isn't too long. The use of black and white is effective because it is preparing young readers for harder and unillustrated novels. The illustrations are still children friendly. They are close to the text and wrapped in some part of the text. This is the most effective way for second-graders. They are moving away from color illustrations to going into harder illustrations. The use of black pages throughout the mid of the work changes the view a little and keeps readers interested till the end of the book (Cummings 61-78).  The illustrations are relevant and enhance the information. This helps students visualize what they are reading and helps them use their own imagination. It is the perfect amount of use of illustrations to get students to read the book and enhance their reading levels. 

In conclusion, overall the early illustrated chapter book, The Notebook of Doom: Rumble of the Coaster Ghost is a book that will begin to fill many libraries and classrooms throughout the nation. It is a series and book that many teachers, librarians, and parents will encourage young readers to read, as it will be something they will enjoy. This gender-neutral book grabs the attention of all students. With the use of illustrations, it corresponds with the intellectual context making the book engaging and effective for reading comprehension, attention-span, and reading literacy.

Review by Brittany Kahle

I Hear a Pickle

Author: Rachel Isadora
Illustrator: Marikka Tamura
Nancy Paulsen Books (2016)

In fact, "I Hear a Pickle" written by Rachel Isadora is considered an overall effective recently published children's book. However, "I Hear a Pickle" is described as a picture book in children's literature. The story is about children explaining their five senses, such as hear, smell, see, touch, and taste. Having said that, the senses are explained with the children's action of doing something. For example, the child hears, smells, sees, touches, and tastes an object. Therefore, the object in the end is a pickle. In the meantime, the four major components are brought into the story to make it successful for a child to read and understand. 

Children's literature could be observed through a picture book. A picture book is defined as "a special challenge to the critic because they require evaluation of art, text, and how the two work together to create a unique art form" (Horning, 85). To have an overall successful outcome, a children's picture book is required to have four major components. These four components include text, structure, predictability, and picture.
In fact, "I Hear a Pickle" written by Rachel Isadora is considered an overall effective recently published children's book. However, "I Hear a Pickle" is described as a picture book in children's literature. The story is about children explaining their five senses, such as hear, smell, see, touch, and taste. Having said that, the senses are explained with the children's action of doing something. For example, the child hears, smells, sees, touches, and tastes an object. Therefore, the object in the end is a pickle. In the meantime, the four major components are brought into the story to make it successful for a child to read and understand. 
Presently, the first component presented to make the book overall effective is the text used. "Since most picture books are thirty-two pages in length, and since most of those pages are covered with illustrations, their texts are necessarily short" (Horning, 88). This is because children are limited of certain ways to obtain knowledge from a book that is out of their level. Located in the "I Hear a Pickle" children's book, the author uses up to 15 words per page. For this reason, it allows a child to understand the quality of the text without feeling overwhelmed or puzzled. However, the text of the children's book leads into the structure of how it is made. 

Meanwhile, the next component of how "I Hear a Pickle" is an overall effective children's book is the use of structure. The four components that make up structure is rhythm, rhyme, repetition, and questions. The book holds a variety of sentences that include repetition. According to "From Cover to Cover", Horning relates repetition to Brown's writing by stating, "By doing so she is using a familiar, expected pattern to make children feel comfortable and ready to face the familiar and unexpected" (Horning, 90). For example, in "I Hear a Pickle" repetition is used within the words of, I hear, I smell, I taste, I see, and I touch. Having said that, this creates a child to predict what is going to be said next. 

Another component used in "I Hear a Pickle" to make it overall effective is predictability. "Sometimes writers of picture books build predictability into the text with repeated actions or phrases or by using the same sentence structure over and over again" (Horning, 92). Rachel uses much repetition for the child to know what comes next. However, reading a similar sentence over and over will cause the child to know more about the five sentences stated in the book. 

Lastly, the picture is a huge quality for a book to have to be overall effective. "Artists must make decisions about composition, or how to arrange the elements on each page" (Horning, 94). To create a picture in a book, things such as line, shape, texture, color, and value need to be included. Curved shapes are used in Rachel's to create the child or animal on each page. Also, the colors used on each page are warm, meaning red, yellow, or orange. The location of the text and picture create a huge difference in the reader's eyes. However, "I Hear a Pickle", the text and illustrations are located differently of each page. This creates excitement for a child to read the book. 

In conclusion, "I Hear a Pickle" is an overall effective children's picture book. It has noticeable elements in showing the four components that include text, structure, predictability, and picture. Some may disagree, but based on my reasoning's it shows clearly. 

Review by Bailey Bellitto

Giant Squid

Author: Candace Fleming
llustrator: Eric Rohmann
Roaring Book Press (2016) 
Ages 6-10

The book to be evaluated is Giant Squid written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Eric Rohmann. This is a book of information written for children, approximately ages six and older. Giant Squid is an effective nonfiction children's book because the sources are well documented, the illustration is mysterious and entertaining, the design positively contributes to the overall effect of the book, and it is educational but still intriguing. 

To summarize Giant Squid, the book begins by introducing the ocean and hinting at a creature deep down in the sea before introducing the subject of the book, which is the giant squid. First, the tentacles are explained, as well as how they seize their prey and push the prey into the squid's beak. Second, the book explains how the squid swallows and digests its prey with its mouth and tongue. Third, the eyes are described as it sees a creature in the water. Fourth, the book details how the squid can change colors, and it describes the squid eggs that hatch. Fifth, there is danger in the water and the squid must ink to get away. 


An element that contributes to the overall effectiveness of Giant Squid is the lengthy and detailed citation of sources. The bibliography contains each of the sources used to create the book and are properly cited. There is also an important acknowledgement of a marine biologist, deep sea explorer and bioluminescence expert who fact-checked the book. This adds an even further aspect of credibility to Giant Squid. 


Another element that contributes to the overall effectiveness of the book is the illustration. The illustrations are dark and create a mysterious mood that is replicated in the text. The dark and mysterious illustrations are extremely detailed and used to emphasize the mechanisms of the squid that are mentioned in the text, which not only adds interest to the story but also allows a young reader to use the illustrations as context for reading the book. 


One aspect of the book that positively contributes to the overall effectiveness is the unique design of the text and illustration. The illustrations are all very dark, and the text is bright white. The text is placed in columns of varying row length and indentation to utilize the dark open space around the illustrations. There are some single lines on pages to create a dramatic effect. The design of the book draws the reader in and increases the mystery and anticipation within the book, convincing the audience to read on. 


Giant Squid is not only nonfiction and educational, but it is also suspenseful and intriguing. The combination of the ominous, even frightening, text with the dark, swirling, and mysterious illustration turns the factual information into a suspenseful and entertaining story for children. There is also a great educational illustration at the back of the book which explains the parts of the whale and their functions, such as fins, mantle and eyes. There is also a section at the end of the book that indicates various websites that could be visited to learn more about the giant squid, which would allow inquisitive teachers and students to take their learning and knowledge beyond the information the book provides.

Overall, Giant Squid is an entertaining, educational, well organized, and uniquely illustrated, written and designed. These elements combine flawlessly together to create a nonfiction children's book that is matchless to any other I have read. This book would be a terrific addition to an elementary classroom to add intrigue and interest to a science lesson or activity, as well as provide a unique book for students to explore and read on their own.   

I would recommend this book because it is unique, suspenseful, and intriguing while still providing educational value to the reading. 

Review by Lauren Alexander

Maybe Something Beautiful

Author: Isabel Campoy & Theresa Howell
Illustrator: Rafael Lopez
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016

Picture books have played a huge role in our lives, from the time were just unconscious infants to the rapid stages of adulthood. Whether society is aware of it or not, we were first exposed to picture books when we were sitting in a crib, being comforted by our parents before they said "goodnight." Even as teachers and adults, we are carrying on the legacy of picture books as we pass them down to our students, or future children and grandchildren. An effective modern day picture book that is written for children should be an engaging piece that works to send a message to its audiences, using simple text and creative illustrations.

During a recent visit to the Jerome Library, I traveled to the Curriculum Resource Center, where I had the opportunity to explore a variety of recently published children's books. After viewing several different tales, I found one story in particular that seemed to portray all of the unique elements of picture books. The story I selected was Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell. This story is about a young girl, Mira, and her experiences of having a deep passion for art as she grows up living in a dull city. Mira loved to express her thoughts and creativity, so she enjoyed doodling, drawing, and painting on paper whenever she could. Her room was covered, from wall to wall, with her colorful artwork, so she decided it was time to bring her work out into the gray city she called "home." Mira began giving her artwork to all of the townspeople she passed on her way to school, until she came in contact with a muralist who had caught her eye with the paint brushes he held in his back pocket. The artist told Mira that he enjoyed expressing his artistic skills on walls, so the two teamed up together and began decorating all of the walls within the city. The pair worked to cover the gray buildings using plenty of bright colors and pictures. Eventually, the townspeople that Mira had passed earlier on that morning had seen what the two were doing and decided to join in. The whole city became a rainbow of color and everyone felt more unified than ever.

All picture books should work to relay a message for readers, so that it becomes more meaningful and appropriate. This specific selection is useful for young children because it focuses on the experiences of a young girl named Mira, who falls within the same general age group of most audiences. The story focuses on her interest in art, which is something most children are familiar with and have an interest in themselves. When stories exert messages, they are more likely to gain support from the public because people will have something in which they can think and reflect on using their own personal experiences or beliefs. In this story, the message that the authors want their readers to understand is that the world is your canvas, so express yourself and your ideas without fearing what others will say. The authors are also trying to point out how Mira and the muralist are leaders in this story because they worked to get the townspeople involved by not only transforming the city, but striving to bring people together as a community. Therefore, another message that may be obtained through this story, regards taking a stand towards different leadership responsibilities. 

Next, all picture books should include simple text and creative illustrations. Picture books are designed for children, so the text should be expressed using rather short sentences that are made up of comprehensible vocabulary. In this particular story, the sentences are short fragments in which very little detail is executed. The vocabulary is rather simple, however there are some words that may be tricky for some children. These words require students to break them up into smaller sections, sounding them out one by one and then eventually piecing the full word back together. For example, the word "paintbrush" may be hard for some children to immediately understand, therefore these students may be required to break it up into two separate words, "paint" and "brush." The illustrations in this text make up for the somewhat difficult vocabulary because the pictures are very detailed and strive to explain exactly what the authors have written. According to Kathleen T. Horning, "it is a complex, carefully planned work of art that creates a satisfying interplay between text and pictures to tell a story that a small child can understand" (113). If a student is unable to comprehend what they read in the text or is unable to figure out the context clues presented, they may look back at the pictures for guidance. In each of the illustrations, there is plenty of color used to help pull the audiences in. In the beginning of the story, the colors mostly consist of black and different shades of gray. As the story progresses, the colors drastically change and the pages begin to follow a rainbow color scheme. The illustrations are created using a medium that is focused on various watercolors, which tends to fit well with the story's theme about painting and using the world as your canvas. 

As a teacher I would show this book to my class because I do think the message is really important for others to understand. I would read this to my students during class time and then give them each a plain white piece of paper with plenty of crayons and colored pencils. I would ask them to draw whatever they want, using as much color as they can, and then ask them to share their work as soon as they finish. Once the murals are finished, I would either tape them up on the outside of our classroom door or the walls outside in the hallway, so that other students and staff could see. This activity would demonstrate the same concepts discussed in the book because the class would understand that the world is their canvas and they are able to express themselves freely using the supplies I have provided. In addition, while we are working to spread color on the hallway's walls, we are coming together as a unified class and sharing common ground, similar to how the townspeople did throughout the story.  

Picture books are designed for children, whether they choose to acknowledge them for their graphics or use their skills to actually read the text that is presented in them. Picture books should work to emphasize messages that audiences are able to think and reflect on after they read. These books should also use a short, comprehensible textual structure so that the book can be more useful for a larger group of audiences in terms of age group and skill level. At the end of the day, picture books are some of the first tools we have in the literary world, so they should be effective in creating positive educational experiences.

Review by Allison Hartnett

One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree

Author: Daniel Bernstrom
Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel

Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (2016)

The book that I chose for this assignment is titled One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree and is written by Daniel Bernstrom. This is a picture book about a boy who was eaten by a snake in the eucalyptus tree. He convinces the snake that he can eat more and more until eventually he cannot eat anymore. He eats one last thing and he throws up everything that he had eaten including the boy. This book is a good one for children to read because it uses simple language that allows the book to be easily understood, it uses a lot of repetition, and it has great pictures that help to move the story along and keep the children more interested.

This book uses very simple language and I think that is one of the reasons why it is so good for children because it also makes it easier for them to understand and follow along with the story. "One day in the leaves of the eucalyptus tree hung a scare in the air where no eye could see, when along skipped a boy with a whirly-twirly toy, to the shade of the eucalyptus, eucalyptus tree." (Bernstrom, 2017, 1-2). This is a quote from the book that is showing the type of simple language that is used throughout the book. I think that this language is important because it allows children to better understand the story. I think that this language is used so often in these kinds of books because the authors know that it is essential to making a successful children's picture book. I think that this language is so effective because it is simple, and it makes the words and the pictures that go along with it to make more sense to children. Another thing that this book does that makes it good for children to read is it uses repetition.

The repetition that is used in this book is something that I think is very important and helpful when reading it to children. I think that repetition is important because it one of the ways that children learn. "I'll bet," said the boy, in the belly dark and deep, "That you're still hungry, and there's much more that you can eat." (Bernstrom, 2017, 9). This quote is s phrase that is used quite a few times in this book and I think that it is very important that it is said this way. I think that it is important that it is said this way because it helps to show that the boy is going to continue to do the same thing throughout the book although you do not know exactly why until the end. I think that the repetition is important also so that the children can learn more form the story and anything that it is trying to teach the children because they will most likely be hearing that part being repeated. One more thing that this book does that makes it such a great book for children is the illustrations that are in this book.

The illustrations in this book really help to move the story along and I think that they are a big part of why I like this book so much. I think that illustrations are supposed to move the story along, entertain the children, and add life and interest to the story. I think that the illustrations in this book do that perfectly. The illustrations are particularly good on pages 2, 5, and 14. I think that these illustrations help the story in very unique ways. I think that they show the progression of the story very well and improve the storyline. I think that one of the most important things about these illustrations is that as the snake eats more and more the snakes stomach gets bigger and bigger on the pages. I think that because these illustrations are so good that it makes the book and the storyline so much better for children to read.

This book is a great book for children to read for many reasons, and a few of them are that it uses simple language to help children to better understand the story, it uses repetition throughout the book, and it has wonderful illustrations that do a lot to help the progression of the story. I think that these are all important aspects a picture book because they all help the storyline and the progression of the book.

Review by Sophia Seitz

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A Horse Named Steve

Author & Illustrator: Kelly Collier
Kids Can Press (2017)

A horse named Steve is looking to become exceptional. He finds a gold horn and decides to put it on his head. As he goes to show his friends, it falls below his chin. He becomes worried and upset and frantically tries to locate his beautiful horn. He eventually comes to realize that he can be exceptional without his horn.

Kelly Collier created a new picture book titled A Horse Named Steve. Collier's story takes the reader on Steve's adventure as he seeks to become exceptional. This story is written using creative language and includes excellent illustrations and a thoughtful lesson/theme. A Horse Named Steve is bound to make the reader laugh-out-loud as they read the humorous story of a silly horse. This book is a terrific story with an important theme about the difference between what people think will make them special and what really makes them special. 
The story of A Horse Named Steve begins with an introduction to Steve the horse. The reader learns that he wants to be exceptional. Author Kelly Collier includes a small arrow that points to a simple definition of exceptional. She writes:
"He wants to be exceptional" (1).  (arrow points to word exceptional and underneath it says "that means special" (1). )
This small edition allows beginner readers to understand some of the more challenging vocabulary words used. Next, Steve begins his adventure of becoming exceptional. He comes across a gold horn in the woods. Again, Collier includes small arrows with humorous text that help develop the story. Steve thinks about what to do with this his newly found golden horn. He comes up with the idea of making it a unicorn horn. He runs to show his friends his new horn and tells them they should all get one too. All his forest friends make their own horns out of twigs and rope. When Steve asked his raccoon friend what he thought of his golden horn, he was confused because there was not a horn on his head. It had slid to under his chin without Steve knowing. Steve became worried and frantically searches for his beautiful golden horn. He looks everywhere for it, but can't find it anywhere (it is strapped under his chin). He begins to sob hysterically. He goes to get a drink from a nearby pond and sees his reflection in the water. He is relieved when he sees his horn in the reflection and reaches to grab it. (he thinks it is in the water and doesn't realize it is still strapped on). Steve reaches so far into the pond that he falls in. Poor Steve is now wet and hornless. His beautiful horn is now lost in the water. Before Steve began to cry again, he thought of something. As Steve looks at all his friends with horns strapped to their heads, he says "All of you look exceptional but I just look realized that I look exceptionally different!"(33). The book ends with a picture of Steve smiling. 

Throughout this book, Collier utilizes creative text in her story. She incorporates small captions and quotes from other animals or from Steve himself. This adds to the story and makes it much more fun and exciting. An excellent example of this is seen on pages 23 and 24. Page 23 includes a picture of Steve, who has just fallen in the puddle, surrounded by two animals with horns on their head. Collier explained how Steve was hornless and drenched. She draws another arrow to the word "drenched" and simply explains it writing "that means really wet" (23). She also includes some little speech bubbles from the two animals saying "Still no luck with the horn. Huh?" (23) and "Too bad. It was really exceptional" (23). On page 24, Collier explains how Steve is becoming upset because all his friends had special things strapped to his head and he didn't. Then, Collier adds some humor to the page by drawing an arrow to the picture of Steve and writing "Uh-Oh. Here come the waterworks" (Collier 24). These simple editions enhance the story and make it fun to read. Aside from the fun and creative captions, Collier also chose the font of her text wisely. The text is large enough to read and is in a font that is easy to read. One special tough she added was Steve's name. Collier also chose to make Steve's name different than the rest of the text, highlighting that he is exceptional. She uses a swirly cursive font to write Steve's name throughout the story.  Collier's creative use of text makes her book stand out from the others, and makes it exciting and enjoyable to read.

Another wonderful feature of Collier's picture book is the illustrations. Collier herself illustrated this book and filled it with creative black and white, pen and ink drawings. These creative illustrations are present on each page and help add to the humorous story. Pages 10 and 11 are two excellent examples of how Collier used her illustrations to help tell the story. These two pages show Steve going around to all of his friends and showing them his new horn. Collier chose to add footprints to show Steve's movement from animal to animal. In each picture, the reader also notices Steve's horn slipping down as it falls below his neck. Collier's illustrations are simple but are fun and imaginative. Her illustrations correspond with the text and help young readers understand what is happening in the story. 

The theme embedded in Collier's book is an important one for all young children. This book teaches children about being exceptional, as well as taking pride in being yourself. It teaches young children that everyone is special in their own way. It is important that picture books teach young children important lessons that they can incorporate into their lives. A Horse Named Steve does just that. The story teaches children about the importance of accepting one's self and being an individual in a fun and exciting story about a horse wearing a golden horn. This theme is evident throughout the entire story there are even questions throughout the story that make the reader think about how Steve feels when he is not like the others.   

Kelly Collier's new picture book A Horse Named Steve, is an excellent example of a creative story. Collier's use of simple drawings, humorous text, including speech bubbles, and an important theme make reading this book an absolute delight! Collier's book makes children feel like they are part of the story because of her use of questions and creative writing. Children of all ages will enjoy hearing the story of a silly horse who wants to become exceptional and will learn important lessons along the way. 

Review by Julianna Larkin

Henry & Leo

Author: Pamela Zagarenski

Books for Young Readers (2016)

The book Henry & Leo by Pamela Zagarenski is about a boy who believes in the magic of his stuffed animal. The book tells the story from Henry's point of view and how he truly believes Leo, his stuffed animal is real despite the comments his family makes. The author does a great job at making the pictures in the book come to life. The target audience for this would be young children ages five to nine. This story is a quality picture book for young children because of the color and size of all of the illustrations.

The illustrations on each page are delicately drawn and painted and the reader is even able to see some of the brush marks and sketch lines. Every square inch of every page is filled with color. Each page includes contrast. Like on the page where the family is entering the woods, the tall vertical dark brown trees are surrounded by the light green and bright yellow color to represent the sun and grass. By implementing contrast, the reader's eyes are drawn to those spots first. The beginning of the story takes place during the day so the colors are more bright, light, and airy. As the book goes on, time passes on and moves towards night. These colors are darker, more mysterious, and not as comforting. Some of the pages in the middle of the book do not even have words on them which shows the reader how strong the illustrations are that they can speak without words to carry on the story. There are a wide variety of colors used within this book. In every page, you can see how the blues, greens, yellows, oranges, and reds all come together to make these beautiful illustrations. The sizes of each picture help understand the point the author is trying to make.  The size of the picture is sometimes more important than the picture itself. The author uses size to make a point and is able to create perception through size. Most of the illustrations are large so a younger child is able to see all of the pictures. Yet, there are some that are created smaller than others to get a sense of perception. When the family was walking into the woods, the children were larger and at the bottom of the page. Whereas the parents were smaller and more in the top left corner. By looking at this illustration the reader is able to gather that the parents were further away from the woods and that their children were ahead of them. The author also seems to draw most things to scale. On the page where there is a bear and Leo, the bear looks massive compared to Leo the stuffed lion. There are other animals on these pages as well and they are all relative to their real-life size. The family is drawn to scale too, they are all different sizes and heights in respect to their age. By designating a specific size to each illustration, the author is making a statement to the audience.   

The book Henry & Leo, showcases how a child's imagination really comes to life. The book also showcases the bond between a young child and their stuffed animals and how they consider them real and part of their family. The author and illustrator, Pamela Zagarenski has a real talent and was able to create unbelievable illustrations with great detail. The reader is able to stop and appreciate these details as the brush strokes are visible on each page. The readers are able to see the blending she had to do to create certain colors as some sections are darker than others with blending. The colors on each page are careful chosen to impress and catch the eye of each individual reader. The sizes of each individual illustration are drawn to scale and with the use of perception. In my opinion, this is an extremely effective picture book and I would want this book in my classroom and would recommend this to other colleagues and parents as well. 

Review by Emily Longo

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