Bear and Bee

I read Bear and Bee by Sergio Ruzzier.
I checked it out from my library.
5 stars!

After snoozing all winter, the world is springing to life. Bear puts on his flip flops (yes, flip flops! How adorable.) and heads out to calm the hungry rumble in his belly. He comes across a honey bee hive. But bears are afraid of bees! Bear hopes he doesn't see a bee, and thankfully a little friend is there to help him figure out how to get the honey. Bear already has an idea of what a bee looks like in his head, and he is quite surprised when he finds out exactly what his new friend is.

Bear and Bee is a wonderful story about discovering the world around you with an open mind. What you are expecting isn't always what happens, so don't judge things (or people, or animals) before you have all of the details. Add in an ending that teaches how great it is to share. The illustrations are simple and adorable, perfect for reading aloud. The story is short enough to read to young children but funny enough to keep the older children listening. This one made me laugh out loud as well as get that warm fuzzy feeling inside. After one trial run reading it to a group of pretty young preschoolers, I know for sure that this is a story time hit!

That is Not a Good Idea

I read That is Not a Good Idea by Mo Willems
I checked it out from my library.
5 stars!

Written in a style that resembles an old silent film, That is NOT a Good Idea! is the story of a wolf inviting a goose to dinner and the audience that knows what is inevitably going to happen. The kids hearing this story are, of course, a part of the audience along with the chicks. They will be shouting their warning to the main characters. The unexpected ending somehow managed to make this book even better. I can already see the kids' faces when they hear the ending, and hear the parents chuckling in the background at the same time.

I always worry when there is a Mo Willems book that appears on our new book cart at the library where I work. Will it be another gem, or will it feel like another one he just churned out? That is NOT a Good Idea! is definitely a gem; Willems at his finest. I haven't had a chance to read it to a group of preschoolers yet, but I can already tell it will be a hit. It is an easy read-aloud. The illustrations are classic Willems, very appealing to children. The chance for kids to interact with the story is definitely a plus. Adults will appreciate the silent film theme (I love it!) along with the simplicity of the story, and the ending will be a chuckle as well. It's an original story that has a great ending, and it appeals to both children and adults. Win!

Brief Thief

I read Brief Thief by Michael Escofier and Kris Di Giacomo
I checked the book out from my local library.
5 stars!



What do you do when you have to poo and there is no toilet paper? That is what Leon has to figure out. Thankfully there is something nearby that should do the trick. But then his conscious speaks up, and he must correct what he did wrong.

I love this book. It is hilarious; potty humor at its finest. The illustrations are different, not necessarily cute, but very intriguing. They work perfectly for the book. The empty roll of toilet paper on the tree cracks me up. The story itself has a good lesson to it as well as a good laugh. With large, thick pages, children will love exploring this book. The ending was somewhat expected with a funny twist. You will have to read it to find out what happens.

I work at a library and am always looking for books I can read in story time. I think the kids would absolutely love it, but I just can't bring myself to read it. Sitting in front of 20 preschoolers and saying "And now, Leon has to go poo" isn't going to happen. I don't think it is gross, and I don't think parents would care, but I would be laughing too hard to read it. When I try to practice reading it out loud, I lose it at that page. Maybe I will be able to laugh while the children are hysterically laughing as well. I will see if I'm ever brave enough to try, but I'm sure it would be a crowd favorite if I did.

Twerp

Free ARC provided by NetGalley

Twerp by Mark Goldblatt

Julian Twerski is at that awkward age where he is trying to define himself. He is a boy growing up in the Sixties. He is the fastest runner at his school. He is a follower, mostly to his best friend Lonnie. He is smart. Sure, his friends might make fun of his intelligence, but his teachers appreciate it, especially Mr. Selkirk. That is why he is allowing him to write a paper about himself instead of about Shakespeare. Mr. Selkirk  might also want to see if Julian will tell the story of what happened to Danley, the reason why Julian was suspended. Can Julian learn to think for himself instead of letting Lonnie tell him what to do, and will he lose a friendship because of it, and what is the big secret that got them all in so much trouble?

This coming-of-age story is told in an unexpected way, as a paper written to his teacher. It really works here too. I was quite a few of Julian’s stories into the book before I even remembered that this was a paper, and there was a reason he was asked to write it. The point of the assignment was brought up just enough to keep me guessing and wanting to know what he got in trouble for. Before that is finally explained, what you have is a story of a typical 6th grade boy getting into trouble. I am nowhere near a 6th grader or a boy, but I still found the stories very interesting. I loved really getting to know Julian and his gang of friends.

I mentioned that this story was set in the Sixties. That was another part that I kept forgetting. There were definite references that put it in that era, but the story could have been about any 6th grade boy at any time in history. I believe that makes the book even better, something many kids will be able to relate to. An entertaining and heartfelt read for middle grade kids.

Ribbit!

Ribbit! Is the story of a family of frogs that live in a pond. One day they find a surprise, a pig! All the pig will say is “Ribbit!” Is the pig confused? Is he making fun of the frogs? Maybe all of the animals that live nearby can figure out what is going on. Trying to figure it out might actually cause some problems with all of the animals. Thankfully the wise old beetle should be able to figure it all out. Then again, figuring out the problem is pretty difficult when you can’t find the frog. Where will he turn up next? I don’t want to spoil the ending, because it is extra special. It shows how it is okay to think outside of the box or branch out to others you might not normally be friends with. It’s totally okay to be different!

The illustrations in this picture book are sweet. I like the colors. I love that the pig’s nose is a heart on many of the pages. Even the words look cute (I love the font).  It is slightly long to read in story time at the library where I work, but I think it is just cute enough to work anyway. There aren’t too many words per page, and the story is pretty captivating.  It even has humor. The fact that there is a good moral to the story makes it even better. I read it to a group of mostly 4 and 5 year olds. They really listened to it and told me they liked it. It was slightly interactive for them, and that really helped.

Cooper and the Enchanted Metal Detector

Free ARC provided by NetGalley

Cooper and the Enchanted Metal Detector was a surprising read. I chose to read it based on the title alone, a personal connection with the name Cooper. It wasn't necessarily the best reason to pick a book, but I'm glad I did.

Cooper is a young boy that lives with his mother. They run an antique shop. They used to go to garage sales together to find items to sell in their shop. Now, Cooper does most of the work. He basically runs their home and business. Unfortunately, it is obvious pretty early on that Cooper wishes his mother would be more of a mom and less of a child. They are barely squeaking by. Cooper has to decide which bills to pay each month and see if there is any money left over for food. Thankfully he is able to work his way into garage sales early and get the best picks. One day, he meets a woman that gives him a metal detector. He decides to use it at home, and he uncovers some amazing things. Mr. Shepherd from the historical museum wants those items in the museum, but he also wants to help Cooper. Add in someone else coming and trying to take their land, and you have one nervous adventure of growth.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the fact that Cooper talks to things. He talks to his bicycle, his mop, his stuffed animal, Earth, and ghosts. Yes, this is a surprising ghost story. It absolutely works in this book though. It isn't a scary story with tons of ghosts walking around. It is actually very tastefully done. There is also a lot of history in this book. Cooper is discovering items from a battlefield from the Revolutionary War. I love historical fiction, but only if it is written in a way to keep my attention. Many historical fictions can get very wordy. I will admit there were a few times where the history seemed a bit longer than necessary, but most of the time I was completely captivated.

Cooper has a lot of obvious psychological issues, just like his mother. There are many demons in their past that are revealed the further you get into the story. What starts as a somewhat confusing story is weaved into a very perfectly detailed story of growth. I had a hard time putting this book down because I genuinely cared about Cooper. While the other characters didn't have as much as an impact on me, I wouldn't go so far as to say they were underdeveloped. I feel like I have so much more I could say about this book, but I have already said so much. I also don't want to ruin any of the surprises this book holds. So, definitely pick this one up, and be prepared to want to pick up a metal detector as well.

Welcome

I write a lot of book reviews on Amazon.com, and I really enjoy it. I thought I might go ahead and do a blog. I work at the library, so I get to read a lot of books from there. I also get to talk to a lot of other readers. This makes it easier for me to figure out what to read next, and then I get to discuss the books with my coworkers.
I read a lot of children's books. I'm always looking for good ones to read to preschoolers in story time, and I'm excited to be able to read them to Quinn when she gets a little bit older (right now she loves to look at books but doesn't want to sit still to listen to much). I also read a lot of teen. I love teen books because they are often very well written, have a great story line, but don't have too much extra (what I like to call fluff). Surprisingly, I do read adult books too. I'm definitely a lot more picky with adult books. I don't read them unless they sound really interesting to me, and I don't waste my time if I read 1/4 of it and can't get into it.
My plan is to update this whenever I put a review on Amazon. I might even write more on here than there. Sometimes I read books that have hundreds of reviews already on Amazon, and it seems silly to add another one. I might just go ahead and post my reviews here. Hopefully some people will read them and get help picking what to read next. That's my ultimate goal. To start off, I will just get some of my reviews on here. Then I will focus on organizing the blog and making it more attractive. Let me know if you're reading this and what you think I need to work on. Happy reading.