The Crocodile Who Swallowed The Sun

Written by Bachar Karroum

Illustrated by Luis Perez

A crocodile living in the swamp sees himself as king of all creatures. He wants to see all creatures cower before him.

One day he decides to swallow the sun to demonstrate that power. The rooster, donkey, goat, and rabbit try to persuade him to change his mind. When the crocodiles baby brother runs out of food, he realizes his mistake. The sun is necessary for all living things to survive.

What lessons does the crocodile learn? Can he repair the damage that he has done?

This is a cute, nicely illustrated rhyming picture book for preschoolers and primary grade readers.

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National Park (National Park Trilogy Book 1)

Written by Hinesh Vithal

An interesting tale narrated by Rajah, a puggle comfortably ensconced with the Patel family in suburbia. When the family decides they will take a vacation trip to the game preserve, he is excited but remains haunted by a dream that his life will be cut short by a lion attack.

Readers will learn about life in the wild as they meet lions, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, crocodiles, buffalo, and wild dogs. As the family ride through the game preserve, readers feel as if they are a part of nature. The personified animals have a complicated system of government to which all inhabitants of the national park adhere led by a Council of the Big Five. When the vehicle in which Rajah is riding is overturned, he is injured and rescued by the animals. Rajah becomes an integral part of a habitat that is far out of his comfort zone, yet he is rapidly assimilated into their culture and conflicts. When internal discord threatens to wreck the government of the animals and their safety, Rajah becomes an unwilling hero.

This book contains one or two curse words, but is appropriate for readers twelve and older. The plot is cleverly done, if sometimes a bit wordy. Readers will take away factual knowledge of the game preserve, its inhabitants, and some messages that animals and humans might well take note of. Looking forward to see what happens in the rest of the trilogy.

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Kids Book: Judge Monkey and other Stories (Illustrated Moral Stories for Children)

Written by D.R. Tara

Five stories from varied cultures which illustrate moral codes of behavior. In the first story, Judge Monkey is asked by two hungry cats to settle a dispute. Coming upon a piece of bread, they want to know how they can possibly divide it equally. The clever monkey offers to be an impartial judge but tricks both of them. Our two hungry cats learn the moral the cooperation between friends is better than fighting. The second tale about a tiger, farmer and jackal is much longer than the first. The characters learn that despite appearances one must never give up because a clever person can get out of the most difficult situations. Two other tales center on a money lender and a farmer and a foolish student. My favorite story is the one about the King Cobra snake and the ants. The cobra is puzzled when the ants appear unafraid of him. Working together the ants sting his scales, proving that a bully can be overcome when those who are oppressed unite against the bully.

Each story is previewed with a large color illustration depicting the main characters in the tale. These assist a young reader in interpreting the moral. While the tales are targeted for ages nine through twelve, I believe the length of the book is more appropriate for readers in the five through eight age group. Suggested use is a read aloud followed by discussion or a bedtime story.

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But Aren’t I Lucky That….

Written by Deanna Beech

Illustrated by Steven Lester

“Tiger” wakes up thinking about his upcoming baseball game. He is sad to note that his dad has to go the work and will miss the game. When baby sister Maya smears dad’s shirt with jelly, he just laughs. Mom points out that they are lucky that dad has a job. Then Mrs. Wong, a neighbor, falls and hurts her ankle; “Tiger” is afraid they will be late for the game. Mom guides him to understand that doing a good deed in helping someone else, makes us feel even better about ourselves. When they finally arrive at the game, the other team is crushing them. Will “Tiger” find a way to understand that even storm clouds might have a silver lining?

This book will help children in elementary grades learn that real happiness lies not in material possessions but in positive thinking. The author hopes to give parents and teachers a way to communicate this to their children through her story. Lester has done a marvelous job with the illustrations. The models for the characters come from Brazil, Trinidad, Puerto Rico and the United States. They paint a multicultural picture for children of all races and genders. Highly recommend this book for parents, teachers and librarians of elementary school children as a thought-provoking read.

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The Mermaid Tales: Celia’s Best Friends

Written by Chloe Sanders

Celia is a friendly mermaid who enjoys splashing in the water, while she plays and sings with her friends. She lives in the City of Pearl. Celia has lots of ocean friends like Ophelia the Octopus and Billy the Fish. While playing hide and seek with Billy, they come across Squatina the Shark bullying a white clownfish. Celia, who wants to be friends with everyone, devises a strategy to outsmart the shark and teach her a lesson. Squatina learns the real reasons behind her bullying, and finds ways to be a friend instead.

This early chapter book contains approximately thirty-six pages with a few color illustrations of the characters in action to move the plot along. Early readers learn some valuable life lessons while reading. Short enough to be a bedtime story. I read the kindle version. My rating would be higher if not for the numerous errors in formatting; words run into each other with no spacing. I did not read the paperback edition and cannot say whether the errors are present in that edition. It is a bit difficult to read, particularly for independent readers who have reading or learning disabilities.

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Oliver and Jumpy: Stories 31-33

Written by Werner Stejskal

Illustrated by Mario Tereso

If you haven’t read any of the Oliver and Jumpy stories, you are in for a treat. Oliver is a stylish tomcat who is best friends with Jumpy and Joey, two kangaroos. The first tale takes place on New Year’s Eve in Oliver’s treehouse. Every year the crockery and cookery in his kitchen come to life to entertain Oliver and his friends. Children will delight as the colorful objects cook, clean, dance, and play music, a delightful and innovative way to celebrate New Year’s Eve. In the second adventure, the three friends are playing with the whales making their way down the coast to Antarctica. But Joey gets a bit too rambunctious when he goes for a swim and a shark comes up to eat him. Oliver will have to devise a clever ploy to save his friend’s life. The third tale is reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. When Oliver enters a special door of a local castle, he transforms himself into a tiny creature. Oliver becomes a tour guide for us as he leads readers through the minuscule world of caterpillars, beetles, ants, and lady bugs. We will learn what it is like to a speck in a big universe.

Beautifully illustrated with color that is a feast for young eyes. These stories teach preschool and primary school children important moral lessons and appreciation for animals, plants and the world we live in.

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Brush Your Hair, MEDUSA

Written by Joan Holub

Illustrated by Leslie Patricelli

This board book targeted for little ones ages one to three is the newest addition in the mini myths series for tots. This story is based on the myth of Medusa, the sea monster with hair of snakes who turned anyone who dared to look at her to stone. In Holub’s version children are introduced to a tot of the same name who does not like to brush her hair. Grandma is coming for a visit so dad chases Medusa around the house trying to get her to tame her hair. Medusa has other plans. She comes up with all kinds of stalling tactics. But Grandma is wise. She comes up with a solution that makes everyone happy.

Each pages contains a large, simple illustration and no more than one sentence of text. As with other books in the series, the complete mythological story is included at the end for reference.

Make a Wish, MIDAS!

Written by Joan Holub

Illustrated by Leslie Patricelli

Main characters are Mom and little Midas. There is no doubt that Midas is a stubborn child. He is finicky about what clothes to wear and the foods he eats, all of which must be yellow. When he decides to paint, the chosen color is yellow, but he gets upset when he can’t get the yellow paint off his stuffed dinosaur pet. Does everything have to be yellow? Will Dinoboo ever be the same? How can Midas solve his problem?

Cute story with the moral, “Be careful what you wish for.” Like Midas in the myth who got his wish to turn everything to gold, sometimes one has to think about the long-term consequences. Children will realize this when an adult explains to them what the myth is about.

The author does a good job of simplification for little ones. The books have vibrant illustrations that are somewhat marred by smudge marks on some of the pages. This is clearly a printing issue that will probably not bother a toddler, but one that the adult buyer might want to examine.

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About the Books

Title: Brush Your Hair, Medusa! (Mini Myths) | Author: Joan Holub | Illustrator: Leslie Patricelli | Publication Date: March 24, 2015 | Publisher: Abrams Appleseed | Pages: 24 | Recommended Ages: 1 to 3

Summary: Medusa refuses to care for her hair, her long locks getting messier with each passing page. Her hair rebellion elicits frozen expressions of shock from her family, but nothing will convince Medusa to brush. Only her hairdresser approaches Medusa with bravery and scissors, successfully solving the problem . . . with a short haircut! All are pleased with this drastic yet adorable solution. Leslie Patricelli’s depictions of this physical comedy bring a lively visual narrative to Joan Holub’s expertly focused text. Includes a summary of the original Medusa’s Wild Hair myth at the end.

Purchase “Brush Your Hair, Medusa!”

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | iTunes

Title: Make a Wish, Midas! (Mini Myths) | Author: Joan Holub | Illustrator: Leslie Patricelli | Publication Date: March 24, 2015 | Publisher: Abrams Appleseed | Pages: 24 | Recommended Ages: 1 to 3

Summary: Midas wants everything to be his favorite color – yellow! He chooses yellow clothes, eats yellow foods, and uses only the yellow paint at his art easel. But when he impulsively paints his beloved green Dinoboo, Midas discovers that too much of a good thing is a big mess! Joan Holub’s carefully crafted text is brought to life by Leslie Patricelli’s famously humorous illustrations. Includes a summary of the original Midas’ Golden Touch myth at the end.

Purchase “Make a Wish, Midas!”

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | iTunes

The Buzz About Mini Myths

Patricelli’s preschool-age Pandora couldn’t be cuter, and an endnote explains the original myth in greater detail. Genuinely funny and sweet. ~ Publishers Weekly, starred review

Amazon Editors Pick and Amazon Best Books List for September

Remarkably entertaining . . . delightful painted cartoons in rich colors . . . the life lessons the source material inspires are spot-on. ~ Kirkus

About the Author: Joan Holub

About the Illustrator: Leslie Petricelli

Leslie Patricelli is the bestselling author-illustrator of many adorable board books, including Yummy Yucky and Toot!

Tommy Goes Trick-Or-Treating (Bird Brain Books 4)

Written by Emlyn Chand

Illustrated by Noelle Giffin

Story revolves around two animal friends, a woodpecker named Tommy and his raccoon friend, Michael. Both enjoy watching humans for amusement. One day Tommy notices something strange; all the children are dressing in weird costumes and knocking on neighbors’ doors asking for candy. Michael tells Woody that this is the custom on Halloween.

Woody is jealous; he wants some of his own candy. So he enlists Michael to go trick or treating with him. At first they are unsuccessful, until they figure out that they need their own costumes and must say the magic words, “Trick or Treat.” Once they get the hang of it, the two animal friends go off the deep end and abuse the custom. Read the book and find out what happens to them and what lessons they learn.

Illustrations cleverly done in Halloween colors are interspersed throughout and will hold the interest of younger readers. The book is an excellent choice for an early chapter book. Don’t be fooled by the length; half the pages are not part of the actual story but rather author background and summaries of other books in their series. Teachers might use the book as a read aloud for Halloween and parents might want to discuss its lessons before their children go trick or treating. I would recommend it especially for ages six through nine. This book is also available in Spanish. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe by clicking on the word Follow or by hitting the orange RSS Feed button in the upper right hand corner of this page.

Beatrix Potter Illustrated Collection 22 Complete Books 660 Illustrations

Written by Beatrix Potter, Timeless Reads

Many parents and grandparents may have a hardcover edition of the Tales of Beatrix Potter on their bookshelves. If one goes searching for a vintage copy today, you might have some difficulty acquiring one. Timeless Reads has done a magnificent job of putting together most of the Potter stories as well as the classic illustrations both in color and black and white. Now you can take them with you on an electronic device, though I strongly recommend that you read them on a larger, color enabled device.

These stories and their lessons are timeless. Most of these tales were originally written at the turn of the twentieth century: in this collection, The Tale of Peter Rabbit written in 1902 is the earliest, while Cecily Parsley’s Nursery Rhymes are the most recent penned in 1922. Potter’s characters are familiar to children living in many cultures. Examples of the more well-known characters are Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Miss Moppet, Jemima Puddle Duck, and the town and country mouse. There are stories featuring the three pigs and those mischievous kittens who cannot be kept in tow by their mother Tabitha.

This inexpensive kindle collection is nicely indexed with a Table of Contents that provides an easy reference for finding a particular tale. It is perfect book choice for a bedtime story, to teach a particular lesson, or to comfort a sick child. Younger children will enjoy the soft colors and pencil detail of the illustrations. The longer stories will entertain and teach older children. Adults will enjoy reminiscing with tales from their childhood that can be shared with the next generation. Highly recommended for ANY age.

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