How to Read a Story, written by Kate Messner, illustrated by Mark Siegel. This upbeat, creative, and absolutely wonderful book promotes a cozy love for reading that is positively contagious. Messner offers a child-friendly step-by-step process of finding a great book to read and then engaging with the text. Step 1 for example tells the reader to "Find a Story, " Step 2 "Find a Reading Buddy," Step 3 "Find a Cozy Reading Spot" and so on. Siegel's packs his witty, rather adorable illustrations with many playful details, many involving a book about a princess, a dragon...and a robot. Messner makes suggestions about having fun giving characters different voices, holding the book so your reading buddy can enjoy it as well, and sounding out words you don't know. One great page suggests that you should talk to your reading buddy and predict what will happen next, giving plenty of examples of the kinds of questions you can ask. This is an interactive winner.
Little Red Henry, written by Linda Urban, illustrated by Madeline Valentine. Sometimes a family can love you too much...when you're the baby in the family. That's the angsty situation of poor Henry, whose parents and older brother and sister do everything for him: pick out his clothes, feed him, and ferry him everywhere in his little red wagon. Urban does a fantastic job getting into Henry's head as the not-little-anymore tyke rebels by showing that he can do things himself. Valentine has fun showing the family's concerned faces as the suddenly independent Henry keeps reaching milestone after milestone after milestone (one hilarious page shows him trying on a variety of clothes before finding the right one to fit his mood). In a fantastic twist, the family members, first saddened by Henry not needing them anymore, suddenly explode with newly found artistic ambition: writing, dancing, playing music instruments. But in a sweet ending, we find out that sometimes Henry does need a good cuddle and reassurance every once in a while. Something the loving family provides at the end of this wonderful treat of a tale.
Tommy Can't Stop, written by Tim Federle, illustrated by Mark Fearing. Dancing across the CIP and title pages is Tommy...a kid leaping, bounding, exploding with captivating (if maddening) energy. Mark Fearing captures this indefatigable lad's personality right from the very first jump. Federle, basing this story on his rambunctious younger self, gives us a nice, bouncy rhythm and extremely funny situations. "Tommy's gotta bop. (He can't keep still.)" We see overturned furniture, books knocked onto the floor, cushions and curtains going kerplunk as Tommy looks at the reader with a funny "what? who me?" expression. His poor family tries to keep up with the rollicking kid who does such wild things as pretending to be a bulldozer while kicking a soccer ball at his exhausted dad in the kitchen. His family tries to tame him but they cannot. In a twist that lifts the whole book to another level, Tommy discovers an outlet for all his energy: tap dancing! Suddenly the book becomes a tribute to the joys of artistic expression, telling guys it's cool to dance! Tommy looks like he's in heaven as he hops, brushes, and stamps. A must for action-packed story times.
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