Fudge-A-Mania

The novel, Fudge-A-Mania by Judy Blume is intended for ages 8-12. The very first chapter did a great job of painting a picture of the atmosphere of the novel. I could picture Peter fainting, while the little brother, Fudge, freaks out and the mom goes along with the boy’s silly conversation. I like that the story really relates to the child that is reading. It is very typical for a child between 8 and 12 years old to believe that everyone has cooties and for young children to want to be called a name other than that of their own. The family is spending 3 weeks in Maine and Peter, the oldest, gets to bring a friend, Jimmy. They will be sharing a house with Sheila Tubman’s family. Sheila is the girl Fudge thinks he will marry and Peter calls the cootie queen. The only reason he wants to marry her is because he thinks she will snore at night to keep the monsters away. It is funny because Sheila is Fudge’s babysitter, yet he calls her honey whenever he talks to her. She keeps things entertaining and comical by always bickering with Peter. I like that on pg. 21, the author makes all the words come out sounding like the characters have colds. When the bird, Uncle Feather, gets lost, it is funny because they go looking for him and people think that they are really looking for their actual uncle. It is funny when they all run around chasing the bird and then one stops and they all run into each other. I also like that Fudge never knows the meaning of certain words and Peter is always getting frustrated from trying to explain them to him. He is the typical little brother that asks a million questions a day. I like the library scene where Fudge and Peter are at the library and Peter throws a temper tantrum because he can’t find a library book all about him and Peter fantasizes about the good-looking librarian. It is funny that Fudge asks his grandma if she still snores because this is something that many children believe is a characteristic of an elderly person. Page 92 relates to any little boy because it is a joke that could be told with friends about poison gas that comes out when someone eats something that doesn’t agree with them. Fudge is just a hilarious character because he is a typical little sibling that is always talking, blurting out blunt comments, annoying everyone but all together has a good heart. He talks about everybody’s business and he tells everyone that Peter got dizzy because he has a crush on the librarian. This really makes Peter mad. The author does a good job of emphasizing when a character is thinking something that is important by using italics and punctuation. It is cute how the author brings in sarcasm when Peter swallows a fly by having Bicycle Bob tell him about the, “I swallowed a Fly” club and tells him to eat ice cream to cure it. It is also funny how the kids bicker about small things every time they sit down to eat. I think many kids would think it was funny that Peter poured his entire juice on Fudge. The author does a good job of describing the blueberry incident because when the reader first reads that Fudge is blue, they might think that he has choked on something. I really like that the book ended with a baseball game that everyone, even grandma and Isobel partook in. It was a good message that Peter was really upset about the game but then after Jimmy thanked him for making him play and Fudge kissed him and called him the best big brother, Peter became happy and realized that it is okay to lose and he could always do better next time. Although there were many conflicting incidents throughout the book, the author ended it with everyone being happy in the end. Jimmy’s father created new art from the baby sister’s foot prints on his ruined painting. Grandma and Buzzy Senior fell in love and got married. This meant that Peter and Fudge would have to be related to the Tubman’s. They all accepted that they would have to deal with each other and the very last paragraph wrapped up Peter and Sheila’s love-hate relationship. They shook hands that even though they were related, they would agree to always hate each other. This book was so much fun and never had a boring moment. I would recommend it for both girls and boys in elementary school because it is easy to relate to and very humorous.

Picky Mrs. Pickle

Picky Mrs. Pickle by Christine M. Schneider is intended for grades K-2. It is very corky and fun for all children. The author makes the book fun to read by rhyming every other line. The words take a poetic form because the lines are broken up into stanzas. The pictures tell a thousand words and would probably make the kids laugh a lot throughout. Children would probably get a kick out of it because everything in Mrs. Pickles life is green. It is very comical that she has so many jars of pickles in her cabinets and even her dog's name is "Dill". It is silly that the ice cream flavors called "eggplant" and "tomato" are so bizarre. I think that this would be a great book for the first day of school or even just a transition between subjects. I absolutely loved this book and hope to keep it as a future reference in case I have a class of 1st or 2nd graders. It would be an awesome way to start off the year. The teacher could read the book and then ask if any of the students are picky. Then, teach them that if they never try anything new, they will never know what amazing things might be out there. This could lead to the teacher asking that each student have an open mind for the school year and be willing to try new things.

Belinda the Ballerina

Belinda the Ballerina by Amy Young is a picture book intended for ages 3-8 and is about a little dancer who has very large feet. She gets criticized by dance judges that her feet are too big to be a dancer. In the end she is seen by others as an amazing dancer and they do not even notice her oversized feet. The book is aimed towards little girls because it is full of shades of pink and is all about dancing. I like that the author makes the story seem somewhat magical by starting out with "Once there was..." and putting a few of the pictures in a cutout circle. The names of the characters are very unique and fun like, "George Peach Crumbcake", "Winona Busywitch" and "Sir Fostercheese the Third". The book creates a very good message for young children because oftentimes this is the age that they are experimenting with new interests and may not be good at everything. Children need to learn to not worry about the opinions of others and to do things for their own enjoyment. It also teaches kids that flaws are what makes you an individual and they shouldn't let them get in the way of their dreams. It is eye-catching to see Belinda dancing in the air on different pages and the words in all different places. This is very age-appropriate because there is not an overload of words on each page.

Imogene's Last Stand

Imogene's Last Stand by Candace Fleming and Nancy Carpenter is a picture book intended for ages 4-8. The pictures are very vivid in a way that makes me feel like I am actually there. I like that the back of the cover page gives little tidbits about important things in American history. This would be a great book for a 1st or 2nd grade history lesson. It is very broad and brings up certain historical people and events throughout. It would be fun to call on students throughout the book to see if they could tell the class about different people or events that come up. The teacher could ask things like, "Can anyone tell me who Davy Crockett is?", because he is referenced in the book. I like that the quotes in the book are given differently throughout with expressions like, "cried", "snorted", "fumed", "sniffled", "begged", etc. This brings a lot of emotion into the book and gives her character a stubborn but brave personality. This book is a good way to show children how important history is because even someone their size cares a lot about it. The author used a clever approach to bringing in different people from history by making Imogene quote them each time something happened. A really good message that a teacher could give for this book would be to stand up for what you believe in and in order to create change, you have to fight. This could be a good introduction to having the children write a letter to the mayor about a local problem that they want changed.

Weird Friends

Weird Friends by Jose Aruego and Adriane Dewey is a picture book intended for ages 4-8. It is more of an informational book that a parent or teacher would read to a child. The pictures are very vibrant and intriguing. It informs children that creatures that may be threatening to one animal, actually protect others from being hurt. It is good for children to learn that many animals work together to provide protection for each other. The animals protect each other and in return receive food or protection for themselves. I like how the authors label each new set of animals before discussing their relationship. This makes it easier for the child to switch to learning about something new without mixing all of the animals up. It is interesting to see that Crocodiles and Water Thick-Knees lay their eggs together because most people would assume the Crocodile to eat the bird's eggs. It is also very helpful that the last page shows information about where each creature can be found. This would be a really great book for a unit in 1st or 2nd grade on animals. I think that the author should have rapped the book up with an important message instead of just ending it with the last animal. The message could be that animals that may be threatening to humans are actually very friendly to some and may just be trying to protect themselves and others.

Do You See A Mouse

My first picture book is called, Do You See a Mouse? by Bernard Waber. It is intended for ages 4-8. I really like that each page somewhat repeats the same words. Therefore, this makes it easy for beginner readers because they can become familiar with select words. I also like that each page has the mouse hiding somewhere, so the child can have fun trying to find the mouse on each page. It is also funny because the person talking always says that they do not see a mouse. I think that the people's names are a little bit hard for a child between 4 and 8 to try and pronounce. I like that the mouse catchers are so funny and put on a little act when they are trying to catch the mouse. It is cute that the mouse is in every scene and in the end they do not see it. I like the last page in which the mouse says good-bye. One thing the author should change is the cover picture, because it is hard to see the mouse and does not really show what the story will be about.