Four More 2012 Board Books

My Turtle and Me. Owen Berstein. Illustrated by Carol Thompson. 2012. Scholastic. 10 pages.

My turtle goes everywhere with me. And I go everywhere with my turtle. My turtle lights up when we're together! My turtle goes down the slide with me. And he's right by my side when I play in the sandbox. My turtle shines when we play! 

A book written to be companion to a popular toy nightlight. Cloud b is the maker/creator of a constellation nightlight--originally available as a turtle, I believe it now comes as a ladybug too. Both according to product descriptions, shine the constellations onto a child's ceiling. This little boy seems to enjoy his turtle-nightlight-toy all throughout the day.

As a book, this one didn't wow me. The text doesn't seem to me to have rhythm or natural flow. The sentences also don't seem to work together as one narrative. For readers who have turtles of their own, this one may prove satisfying.

Let's Get Dressed. Caroline Jayne Church. 2012. Scholastic. 10 pages.

First we need a brand-new pair of super-duper underwear. 
For our top, what will work? Head and arms through our best shirt!
Our silly legs love to dance in our comfy dancing pants!

This little one is becoming more independent. Learning to get dressed! The illustrations are super-cute, and the text is short and simple.

Dinosaurs: A Prehistoric Touch-and-feel adventure! Jeffrey Burton. Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. 2012. Scholastic. 12 pages.

Long neck...stretches! Strong legs stomp,
Short arms wave, but sharp teeth chomp!

Fuzzy fur, bumpy scales,
feathery wings, and spiky tails!

For little dinosaur lovers this board book may charm. The text rhymes, for the most part, and the book incorporates several interactive elements. Many of the dinosaurs have textured skin to feel, for example.

God is Good...All the Time. Dr. Margi McCombs. Illustrated by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov. 2012. Scholastic. 20 pages.

God makes flowers in pink and blue to show his love from me to you.
God is good...all the time!
God sees the kitten way up high and sends some friends who hear her cry.
God is good...all the time!
God gives us friends to have some fun--to show his love to everyone.
God is good...all the time!

I am always, always looking for Christian books to recommend to families, and I'm happy to have found God Is Good All The Time. The book is simple, sweet, and lovely. I just love the refrain! The rhyming text improves, I feel, as the book goes on. (I admit that the first sentence isn't amazing and wonderful.) By the end, it was definitely working for me!

This one is also available in Spanish.


© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Four 2012 Picture Books

Jangles. David Shannon. 2012. Scholastic. (October) 32 pages.

When the sun goes down and the weather's just right, Big Lake gets smooth as glass and a thin mist whispers across it. That's when you might catch a glimpse of Jangles. My father told me lots of stories, but my favorite was about a giant trout he saw when he was a kid. I still remember sitting with him in front of the big stone fireplace at the cabin. He pulled out a dirty green tackle box and shook it a couple times so it rattled. Then he told me this story....

My review: I found this one dark and creepy. The author probably wasn't going for scary-creepy-dark-and-disturbing, I think I brought that along with me. But there *was* something disturbing about the art to me. I can't help that. The text of the story itself is fantastical. It is a celebration of storytelling, perhaps. Not that I exactly appreciated the subject of the storytelling: the big fish that always, always gets away. I can see this one appealing to fish enthusiasts. For boys who love going fishing with their fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, etc. But for me, it didn't appeal at all.

Read Jangles
    •    If you love fishing
    •    If you love tall tales
    •    If you love books that celebrate fathers telling stories to their sons

Bailey at the Museum. Harry Bliss. 2012. Scholastic. (September) 32 pages.

Today is the school trip. Bailey is excited.

My review:  I believe this is not the first picture book starring Bailey. Anyway, Bailey is a dog in Mrs. Smith's class. (His classmates are all human.) He is very, very, very excited to be going to the museum. As are most of the other students. But Bailey has a way of getting into trouble--more trouble--than the other members of the class. He gets into so much trouble that he has to have a new partner for the day, a guard.

Read Bailey at the Museum
    •    If you like silly picture books starring trouble-making dogs.
    •    If you like picture books about field trips and museums.

It's Duffy Time. Audrey and Don Wood. 2012. Scholastic. (October) 40 pages.

Oh no!
Duffy overslept!
The air smells like breakfast.
Duffy races into the kitchen and asks for a bite to eat.
"Not yet," his mistress says.
"It's time to go out and potty."
So Duffy does.
Waiting at the door in the warm sunshine makes Duffy sleepy, so he takes his before breakfast nap.

My review: This one was very, very cute. I think for dog-lovers especially, it will be a must read. This book celebrates dogs and their doggy habits. What does Duffy love? Well, Duffy does love playing. And he does love eating. But most of all Duffy loves to take naps. He takes before breakfast naps, after breakfast naps, midmorning naps, early afternoon naps, etc. The text is just fun. And I'd definitely recommend it for those that love dogs.

Read It's Duffy Time
    •    If you love dogs
    •    If you love naps
    •    If you love Audrey and Don Wood

Tabby McTat: The Musical Cat. Julia Donaldson. Illustrated by Axel Scheffler. 2012. Scholastic. December. 32 pages.

Tabby McTat was a busker's cat with a meow that was loud and strong. The two of them sang of this and that, and people threw coins in the old checked hat, and this was their favorite song: "Me, you, and the old guitar, how perfectly, perfectly happy we are. Meee-ew and the old guitar, how purrrr-fectly happy we are."

My review: I do love cats. And I do love music. But oddly enough this picture book about a musical cat just didn't work for me. It was definitely an almost book for me. Tabby McTat becomes distracted one day by an oh-so-lovely cat with green eyes. He becomes so distracted that he doesn't notice that Fred, the busker, has been robbed and in the process of chasing the thief, he breaks a leg and has to go to the hospital. Later when he is somewhat less distracted and ready to return to his work, Fred is gone. He thinks Fred has left him, abandoned him. So he finds a new home  (with his lady friend) and in due time three kittens are born. Meanwhile, part of him still misses Fred. And this missing-Fred grows and grows until he decides one day to leave his new family and go in search of his old. He does find Fred, but, he also finds that the musical life is no longer for him. However, one of his kittens, seems to be a perfect match for Fred.  This one was so odd! And slightly disturbing in some ways!

Read Tabby McTat

    •    If you like/love cats
    •    If you like/love music, traveling musicians

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Four 2012 Board Books

1, 2, 3 in the Sea (With Big Flaps). Sue DiCicco. 2012. Scholastic. 10 pages.

1 one fin
2 two eyes
3 three fish

1 one tail
2 two faces
3 three sea horses

 An ocean-themed board book about counting from one to three. It's bright, colorful, simple. The illustrations feature fish, turtles, sea horses, and whales. Overall, I like the "big flaps," however, I'm not sure about the biggest 'big flap' that unfolds more like a pop-up from a pop-up book. Flaps and little ones seem to do okay, pop-ups not as well with little hands. But for the most part, I think it works.

1, 2 at the Zoo (With Big Flaps). Sue DiCicco. 2012 Scholastic. 10 pages. 

1 one foot
2 two flippers
2 two penguins


1 one neck
2 two faces
2 two giraffes

A zoo-themed board book about counting from one to two. It is bright, colorful, oh-so-simple. The animals in the illustrations are fun: penguins, giraffes, monkeys, and elephants. The final flap reveals a Mom and her son at the zoo having fun. Most of the flaps, I think, will be fine. There is the one pop-up flap which I'm less sure about, but, for the most part I think this one works well.

Read 1, 2, 3 in the Sea and 1, 2 At the Zoo

• If you have little ones who love animals, zoos, aquariums, etc.
• If you want a very basic, very simple counting book

Go! Go! Go! Nicola Bird. Illustrated by Fiona Land. 2012 Scholastic. 10 pages.

Baby, say
scooter
motorbike
what a long car! 
limousine
ding! ding! bicycle
trailer

A touch-and-feel book about transportation. There is no story to this board book, just vocabulary--words identifying each method of transportation (ambulance, fire engine, police car, truck, van, hot air balloon, plane, etc.) The book is large--more the size of a traditional picture book than a board book. It's a very busy book.

My Race Car. Ace Landers. Illustrated by David A. White. 2012. Scholastic. 10 pages.

Race car, race car, zoom, zoom, go!
Around the racetrack, never slow.
Turn left, turn right, now just fly!
Take the lead and speed on by.

A simple, rhyming text about the thrill of racing. Fun size and shape, colorful, and the rhyming isn't bad at all. This would be a fun one to share with little ones. Perhaps easier to share with little ones that Go! Go! Go! since it actually has a story to it.

Read Go! Go! Go! and My Race Car

• If you have little ones always on the go! If your little ones like cars, trucks, and other vehicles
• If your little ones need another book to chew

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Raider's Ransom (MG)

Raider's Ransom. Emily Diamand. 2009. Scholastic. 368 pages.

Cat puts up his nose to sniff the breath of wind barely filling the sail, and opens his small pink mouth to speak.

Knowing that I could never quite do justice to Raider's Ransom in my review, let me encourage you to just pick up this one and give it a try. I can't promise that you'll love it. But. You just may. It's that kind of book. The kind that actually delivers what it promises.
If you like action/adventure quests, I think you'll really, really appreciate Raider's Ransom. I think you'll enjoy the world Diamand created in the novel. I think there will be scenes that stay with you. I think you'll enjoy not only her world-building but her characterization and storytelling too.

The heroine of Raider's Ransom is a young girl, Lilly. She may be young, but she's a fisherman with a small (very small) boat of her own. And to the dismay of some, she's the owner of a cat, a sea cat. Not something to be taken lightly in her community of survivors. When she's at home, on land, she stays with her grandmother. But. Readers don't get a chance to see a more relaxed Lilly. For the novel opens with Lilly discovering the tragic truth: when she was out sailing her vessel, out fishing, the raiders (or should that be Raiders?) attacked her village. They were looking for something specific, the attack wasn't just random. I don't know if that makes things better or worse for Lilly since one of the things they were looking for was her cat. The Raiders kill Lilly's grandmother, and kidnap the Prime Minister's daughter. One might think that they kidnapped her for a nice ransom, but, they had something even more in mind. They return without their sought-after object, a particular jewel. And that's only the beginning. The problem? Well, I can't talk about this one without revealing too much. I think this is one of those that is best discovered all on your own. Trust me.

So. I won't go into details. But I will say we get another narrator. And that proves most interesting indeed! For I certainly wasn't expecting it at all.

This one went above and beyond all my expectations. It really did. It surprised me in a good way.

Read Raider's Ransom

• If you like survival stories or starting over stories; 
• If you like action/adventure stories with a quest, a journey, a mission
• If you like action stories with battles and close escapes
• If you like dystopias, novels set in the future with a society quite unlike our own
• If you like good storytelling

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Irises (YA)

Irises. Francisco X. Stork. 2012. Scholastic. 304 pages.

From the prologue: Kate had finally agreed to pose under the willow tree.
From chapter one: Kate and her father sat in the shade of the willow tree, side by side in two wooden chairs. It was unusually hot for an April day in El Paso. 

Kate and Mary are sisters. Kate, 18, dreams of being a doctor, dreams of going away to Stanford for her college education. Mary, 16, is an artist, an artist struggling to recapture her initial joy perhaps, but a very talented, very dedicated artist nonetheless. In the first chapter of Irises, both girls receive a bit of a shock: their father, a pastor, dies. Arguably he knew the end was near for he has a great heart-to-heart with his daughter, Kate, urging her to look to her soul, mend her faith, take care of the family, etc. He tells her: "Love makes everything that is heavy light" (4). Kate, of course, not realizing the gravity of the situation, perhaps just thinking that her oh-so-strict father is just in an odd mood, quickly leaves the house and goes to study with her boyfriend, Simon. It is Mary, ever-sacrificing Mary, who is left behind to care for their Mom, who is in a vegetative state going on two years now, who discovers that her Dad has died in his sleep. While the two sisters have an aunt who lives in California, both girls know that more than likely they'll be on their own. Aunt Julia isn't exactly the most-nurturing type, after all. And Kate and Aunt Julia are like oil and water. The girls are facing at least half-a-dozen BIG, BIG decisions. And coming to agreement may not be easy...

The facts:

• Mary and Kate have very limited funds, in part because their father's insurance is being denied; the insurance company will not make good with his insurance policy after his death.
• Kate is having to make a decision about college; she's received a scholarship to Stanford, but taking it  will mean leaving her mother and sister behind. Is it fair to leave the care and to some extent the expense of caring for a mother in a vegetative state to a sixteen year old girl? A job that is emotionally, psychologically, financially, physically challenging for anyone.
• Mary secretly wishes that there was a way for the family to stay together but she's afraid to disappoint Kate. 

Irises may not appeal to every reader, but, I liked it all the same. Was it too heavy or too heavy-handed? I'm not sure there is a right answer to that. Some might feel it was in-your-face with a somewhat potentially controversial (at least in some circles perhaps?) issue. The issue of when is it "right" or "ethical" to take someone off of life support. Some might feel there was too much God-talk. A few might feel there is not enough God-talk.

Irises is almost by necessity a serious-minded novel. It explores many questions while not necessarily giving ready-made answers to those questions. At least not ready-made-answers for every-single-person. What does it mean to be in a family? Who is in your family? Can you walk away from family without looking back? Is it right to ever turn your back on your family and put yourself first? What is love? How do you know you love someone? Does love always mean making sacrifices? Can you love someone and by your choices cause them hardship? Can you love someone and still love yourself more? By always putting yourself and your needs and wants first are you selfish? Is it always wrong to be selfish? What's the difference between being true to yourself and following your dreams and ambitions and being a horribly selfish self-centered person? Does being honest about how selfish you are help redeem your selfishness in any way? Does being selfish mean indulging your HUGE ego?

The rest of the review will be spoilerish, so I'll go ahead with...

Read Irises

• If you are a fan of Francisco X. Stork
• If you are looking for an art appreciation novel; Artistic Mary is a great narrator, and the way she uses art to help Marcus (her potential love-interest) is great. 
• If you are looking for a YA novel that explores faith, hope, and belief
• If you are looking for a book that addresses the complexity of what it means to be sisters
• If you are looking for an issue book, a serious book; this one is about death, dying, grief, letting go, making sacrifices, reaching hard decisions, etc.
• If you're looking for books with a Texas (West Texas) setting.

If you read the book jacket, you'll learn that there are three men in the picture. Two relate to Kate, one to Mary. I definitely don't want to spoil the book for anyone, but, I have to talk about one of the men: Andy.

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Reverend "Andy" Soto was certainly charismatic in an oddly appealing and equally revolting way. When readers first meet him, he seems very dynamic, very charismatic, very friendly, very much a good guy. And yet. And yet. His true nature is revealed through the course of the novel. And he's so very, very, very slimy. There are some warning signs we can pick up on as readers--or adult readers may pick up on--but it isn't surprising that Kate doesn't quite see him clearly. 

Is he 100% evil? NO! That's NOT what I'm saying. Though his tact could use a LOT of work, (I hate to think what his bedside manner would be if visited the sick or dying or the family members of the sick or dying.) Some of his advice was actually good advice. Some of what he had to say needed to be said...by someone, by anyone.

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S
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I definitely found his EGO to be revolting. He was young, just twenty-two, and ambitious and selfish, and all ME, ME, ME, I LOVE MYSELF. And the way he behaved with Kate, well, it was a bit shocking or surprising. You would think that he'd learn somewhere along the way that inviting an eighteen year old girl, a member of your congregation, into his apartment to spend the night even if it was just "talking" or mainly talking...after his advances were halted...by her...with an apology for sending mixed signals. I do think he plays an extraordinary part in the novel. Mainly by mirroring to Kate the extremities of selfish ambition and pride and ego. His "you should totally do this without feeling guilt in any way whatsoever" attitude actually was a BIG, BIG wake-up call to Kate. I just LOVED her confrontation with him!!!! I was cheering her on!!!! Tell him, tell him, TELL HIM!

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip (MG/YA)

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip. Jordan Sonnenblick. 2012.  Scholastic. 304 pages.

The first picture is a wide-angle shot, taken through the chain-link fence of the backstop behind home plate. There's a boy standing on a pitcher's mound in full uniform: green and gold. His cap is pulled low over his eyes, and his unruly black hair sticks out below the brim in all directions. He leans in toward home plate, his throwing arm dangling loose at his side. He must be looking in to get his sign from the catcher.

I expected Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip to be good--really good. Why? Well, Jordan Sonnenblick rarely--if ever--disappoints. He's an amazing writer; he's great at writing characters that I just love. His stories tend to be emotional and compelling. Though almost always they have a lightness to them as well. Curveball The Year I Lost My Grip did not disappoint. While I'm not sure that it is my favorite, favorite Sonnenblick novel--he's written so many that I just love!!! It is easy to recommend this one.

The hero of Curveball is Peter Friedman. The summer before his freshman year in high school, he plays his last baseball game. The injury in his arm is so severe that doctors tell him he'll never, ever be able to play the game he loves so much. So who is he if he's not a great pitcher and catcher? Who is he if he's not a great athlete? Well. He'll have plenty of time to figure that all out.

One of the main characters in Curveball is Peter's grandfather. I just LOVED him. I think there aren't enough--could never be enough--YA books that highlight the special relationship between grandparent and grandchild. Inter-generational stories make me happy, very happy. Even when they're sad. Even when they're bittersweet. Peter and his grandfather are incredibly close. And so it's not all that surprising that Peter's interest in photography becomes all that much stronger. (His grandfather was a professional.)

So Peter's interest in photography leads him to take a class where he meets a girl that wows him...

This YA book has it all. Great characters, good storytelling. It's just an enjoyable read!

Read Curveball The Year I Lost My Grip

• If you're interested in baseball
• If you're interested in photography
• If you like realistic romances
• If you're a fan of Jordan Sonnenblick
• If you like coming-of-age stories with a strong emphasis on friendship

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Bedtime Board Books

Yawn. Sally Symes. Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. 2011. (December 2011) Candlewick Press. 24 pages.

Sean gave a yawn while sitting on his mat. Guess who he gave it to. A Scruffy, fluffy.....cat.

Yawn is probably my favorite and best of the bedtime board books I'll be reviewing today. What do I love about it? Well, it is fun and playful. There is a story to it. (It's not just describing the nightly rituals or routines of bedtime: taking a bath, brushing teeth, putting on pajamas, hearing a story, getting kissed, etc.) And board books with story are a good thing! But the thing I probably love most about this one is the rhyming! The rhyming helps little ones predict who will yawn next. I also enjoyed the ending...where readers see all the animals who've caught the yawn, snuggling up with Sean in his bed. For all these animals are his toys. I thought that was clever and fun! I also liked how baby-friendly this one was. There is a large die-cut hole that is the yawn for the characters. This book serves as a dare to parents to read it without yawning.

Read Yawn

• If you're looking for a GREAT bedtime story in board book format to share with little ones
• If you're looking for a great story with some predictability and repeat value to it

Noodle Loves Bedtime. Nosy Crow. Illustrated by Marion Billet. 2011. (September 2011). Candlewick Press. 10 pages.

Noodle loves to splash.
Noodle loves to drink.
Noodles loves toothpaste and brushing at the sink.
Noodle loves to snuggle with a soft, fluffy sheep.
And just like Noodle, you love to sleep!

If you're looking for a super-short, super-simple board book about bedtime routines, then Noodle Loves Bedtime might be the one for you. Noodle is a new character--a panda, of course--that will be the star in several board books.

I am not a fan of Noodle--not yet anyway. While Noodle Loves Bedtime doesn't make the mistake of being sickeningly sweet and cute, it does lack story, in my opinion. This one shares very simple statements about bedtime with children, but they're not very entertaining statements. The back of the book uses exclamation points to sell you on the idea that this is a great book because it has "objects to spot and name" with your toddler. But any illustrated book features objects that you can spot and name.

Noodle Loves Bedtime is a touch and feel book. But not all of the touch-and-feel elements are truly touch-and-feel. (Shiny isn't so much a texture to feel. Yes, your eyes can see that the bubbles have shine to them. And the bottle texture is unlike any bottle I've ever seen. The two best touch-and-feel elements are probably the sticky-sticky toothpaste and the soft, fluffy sheep. The book also includes a mirror.)

Read Noodle Loves Bedtime

• If your little one just LOVES pandas
• If your little one just loves touch-and-feel books
• If you're looking for a quick bedtime story to share with little ones;

Good Night, I Love You. Caroline Jayne Church. 2012. Scholastic. 20 pages.


It's time for bed, so let's get ready.
Bring your bunny. Bring your teddy.
Bath fun at the end of the day!
Laugh, splash, giggle, and play!

I liked this one. I did. I liked it. Illustrations are very subjective, I know. And chances are you'll either love these by Caroline Jayne Church...or you won't. You might think they are a little too sweet, a little too cute. But. For me, they are just right. I just love the way she illustrates her books. I love the way she draws children!

Good Night, I Love You does rhyme. And it is a pleasant enough rhyme. This one does focus more on bedtime rituals than a true story. But because of all the details, because of all the descriptions--laughing, splashing, giggling, etc. I don't seem to mind it as much.

Read Good Night, I Love You

• If you're looking for a cute, rhyming bedtime story to share with your little ones

The Things I Love About Bedtime. Trace Moroney. 2012. Scholastic. 16 pages.

I love bedtime, and these are things I love most...
I have a bath,
brush my teeth...
and put on my favorite pajamas.
Mom pretends she is a huggle-monster and chases me into bed, and gives me a great....big....hug!
I snuggle into bed with my teddy-bunny and Dad reads me a story.
Then we talk about the best moments of my day....

The Things I Love About Bedtime actually surprised me with the amount of text it has! I was expecting it to be simple and cutesy. Now, this one does have those super-cutesy moments--think Guess How Much I Love You--but it offers more than just sentimental sweetness. I was expecting it to be a little more like Jane Yolen's Good Night, Little Bunny. It is probably the longest and most complex of the board books I'm sharing today. Which might make it more appropriate for a slightly older little one. (The pages of this board book are a little thinner as well, though they are still thicker than ordinary paper in 'gentle' books.)

Read The Things I Love About Bedtime

• If you're looking for a board book about bedtime routines--happy, calm, safe, gentle, sweet routines.
• If you're little one loves bunnies
• If you're looking for a bedtime story with a little more substance
• If you're looking for bedtime books that feature both a mom and dad

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Three Odd Picture Books

I Want My Hat Back. Jon Klassen. 2011. Candlewick Press. 40 pages.

My hat is gone. I want it back. 

I'll start by talking about my favorite of these three 'odd' books. Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back. In this quirky but delightful picture book, children are introduced to a bear who has lost his red, pointy hat. The bear is going from animal to animal asking everyone if they've seen his hat. It takes him a little while to find the culprit--perhaps readers will spot the culprit first!!!--but his hat will be found. Was justice served?! You be the judge.

Probably my favorite scene in this one is when Bear 'interrogates' the rabbit...and walks away. The text and illustrations show that the rabbit is obviously lying. But Bear isn't exactly observant.

Bear: Have you seen my hat?
Rabbit: No. Why are you asking me.
I haven't seen it.
I haven't seen any hats anywhere.
I would not steal a hat.
Don't ask me any more questions.
Bear: OK. Thank you anyway.

Have you read this one? What did you think?! Here is the book trailer for it...

Chilly Milly Moo. Fiona Ross. 2011. Candlewick. 32 pages.

Milly Moo the cow was sad. 
"What's up?" mooed the other cows.
"I'm too hot!"
Milly Moo the cow was glum.
"What's up?" asked the farmer.
"It's too hot for me to make milk."
Milly Moo wanted to churn out the finest, loveliest, tastiest, creamiest milk. But she couldn't.

Milly Moo isn't like the other cows on the farmer's farm. No, Milly Moo does NOT like the heat. In fact, she is unable to make milk because the weather is so disagreeable to her. But when the weather changes, the farmer sees that his other cows are now miserable...Milly Moo is deliriously happy...but will she be able to make milk?! Maybe, maybe not. Maybe she'll produce something colder, richer, creamier than milk. To the farmer's and reader's great dismay. (I personally had a hard time believing it...but...each reader will have to decide for themselves what to make of Milly Moo and her talent.)

This one I felt was a bit different, a bit odd, a bit out there. Not horribly so. Not unforgivably so. Just not your usual, typical picture book about cows and farmers.

My Rhinoceros by Jon Agee. 2011. Scholastic. 32 pages.

When I bought my rhinoceros, I didn't really know what I was getting into. He was a nice animal. Quiet, shy. He stayed in the yard. Kept to himself. After a couple of days, I noticed that my rhinoceros wouldn't chase a ball. Or a stick. Or a frisbee. He didn't roll over. He didn't do anything. I called a rhinoceros expert...

For those looking for picture books about unusual pets, exotic pets--and there are many, many picture books out there in this category--this one will be a treat. The little boy that stars in Jon Agee's My Rhinoceros has quite the pet. Even if he doesn't know everything his new pet can do...just yet.

The book is very, very silly. And I haven't quite decided what I think of it yet. Have you read it? What did you think?!

Here's Jon Agee talking about his new book...



© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews