The Tale of One Bad Rat / Bryan Talbot

The Tale of One Bad Rat is a graphic novel by Bryan Talbot about a runaway teen girl who is trying to survive on the streets of London and as she travels in the English countryside. Helen carries a pet rat on some of her journey and she is apparently tracing a path followed by Beatrix Potter at one point in her life. Helen tries to avoid religious zealots, groping-drunk politicians and prostitutes. Helen also has hallucinations about dying or being in dangerous situations. Helen is fleeing an abusive father and harassing mother and she meets plenty of kind people in her travels, but she has a hard time trusting some of her new friends.

The Tale of One Bad Rat is an emotional and thought provoking story. It doesn’t tread lightly on the nature of sexual abuse or living on the street. Helen faces many dangers and has a huge mental obstacle to navigate in overcoming the guilty she feels from being abused. The illustrations in the story support the text, by showing the girls physical circumstances, her hallucinations, and instilling a mood over each scene in the story. Bryan Talbot has written and important story for anyone who needs to know about child abuse!

Talbot, B. (1995). Tales of one bad rat. Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Comics, Inc.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants / Ann Brashares

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a charming movie based on the book of the same title by Ann Brashares. The story is about four teenage girls who have been friends all of their lives. One day all four girls go shopping and they find a pair of jeans that fit all of them perfectly. This is a surprise, because not all four girls wear the same sized clothing. The girls take this find as a mystical sign and choose to share the pants for one week at a time over a summer when they will spend most of the time apart. The girls all have eventful summers and some think the pants bring good luck, while some think the pants bring bad luck.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants deals with issues that typical western teen girls have like, boyfriends, sex, family problems, and friendships. The story is not a hard edged one even though it deals with some potentially thorny issues. The girls lead fairly comfortable lives and in the end they all deal with their issues in a mostly positive manner. This is a feel good story for girls, which allows them to believe in the magic of friendship and in real magic… if they want too.

Chase, D. M. (Producer), & Kwapis, K.(Director). (2005). Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants [Motion
picture]. Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video, Incorporated.

American Born Chinese / Gene Luen Yang

American Born Chinese is a very interesting graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang. The book works as three separate stories told alternately throughout the novel. All three stories come together in the last chapter when we find the characters are actually integrated with each other story. One story appears to be a Chinese legend of a monkey king who wanted to become a god, while the other two stories appear to be of a typical American teenager stories. The young adult stories are with male main characters and they include themes of racism among Asian children living in mainly white communities.

American Born Chinese is an intriguing book, because it weaves three stories that show parallels between Chinese legends and teenagers of today. All characters have a mix of desires, strengths, weaknesses and frailties which are shown in their relationships with friends, schoolmates, and the gods. American Born Chinese is interesting, because it seems to be directed toward male teens and it deals with some of their issues like dating, being bullied, anger, frustration and embarrassment. The illustrations are well done and paint extra food for young and old minds to digest while reading this excellent story.

Yang, G. L. (2006). American born Chinese. New York : First Second.

Ghost World / Daniel Clowes

Ghost World is a graphic novel by Daniel Clowes about the relationship between a couple of teenage girls. The two girls spend time at home and in their communities talking about their friends and their own lives. Enid and Rebecca spend time together complaining about their lives and the oddities of the friends and strangers who pass their paths. The girls create stories for people they see in restaurants and on the street and occasionally make prank calls. Much of their discussions are about their love lives or the lack of their conquests.


Ghost World is explicit about masturbation and sex and the girls find themselves wondering if the are lesbians or not. The language is graphic and the girls are cruel in their criticisms of friends and strangers alike. This book is probably a close parallel to the lives of some girls, but I find it very dark and depressing. This book has a place in a library if not to show that other girls have the same thoughts and concerns as the two characters in this book, but it also allows teens to look at themselves from the outside to lay a critical eye on their own thoughts and behaviours.


Glowes, D. (1997). Ghost World. Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books.

Zel / Donna Jo Napoli

Zel is a new version of the old fairy tale Rapunzel as it is imagined by Donna Jo Napoli. The tale is expanded and given more symbolic detail than the original tale. The story of Rapunzel is often modified to be more suitable for younger children, but Zel has more mature content and is suited to a young adult or adult audience.

It is not clear that Zel is the story of Rapunzel until one gets well into the book and the story gives life and imagination to the thoughts and desires of the three main characters. The themes in Zel include jealousy, deception, love, lust and desperation. The themes of this story I feel combine to produce a powerfully emotional and compelling story that I thing would be very meaningful to young adults of today.

Napoli, D. J. (1998). Zel. Toronto: Penguin Group

Hit Squad / James Heneghan

Hit Squad is another high /low book I?ve read about Mickey a tough teen who is having a tough time in his new school. Bullies have been running the roost at this school and Mickey is not the only target. Mickey gets involved with a vigilante group at school who decide to take the bullying issue into their own hands with tragic results.

Hit Squad certainly has a high level of interest and drama which would no doubt hold the attention of most teens. Bullying is a common issue for school children and if someone has been bullied then they have no doubt harbored thoughts of retribution. This story speaks to the issues of bullying and vengeance without trying to soften the issues. The story presents the main character with moral issues to deal with at every turn, which is something that teens will no doubt be able to relate.

Heneghan, J. (2003). Hit Squad. Victoria, BC : Orca Book Publishers

Refuge Cove / Lesley Choyce

Refuge Cove is the story of Greg a teenage boy who has just moved with his mother from Toronto to the small Newfoundland community of Deep Cove. Greg discovers some refugees one day while out sailing and he is drawn into the
drama of protecting them from what they believe are authorities that will send
them back to a dangerous homeland.

Refuge Cove is a short easy read that moves along quickly and has a high interest factor. The drama of the story keeps the interest level high while Greg's main role as a teenager makes this story appropriate and appealing for teens. The story also presents some ethical issues like; should one turn in refugees to the authorities, and how communities can pull together to help strangers. Even though this story was short and had a simple plot, it was not a simplistic book that speaks down to the reader.

Choyce, L. (2002). Refuge Cove. Victoria, BC : Orca Book Publishers

Kit's Wilderness / David Almond

Kit's Wilderness is the story of a group of children in the small town of Stoneygate. Kit's story has him involved with his friend John Askew in a mysterious game called death. Kit begins seeing mystical visions of past generations and doing rituals that draw the condemnation of his community. Kit sees visions of children who once worked and died in the pit mines of Stoneygate in the recent past and he dreams and writes a story of Lak, a boy from his distant past.

Kit's Wilderness was the 2001 YALSA Michael L. Printz Award winner. Kit's Wilderness is a mystical magical story that may prove to be controversial with some readers. Rituals, visions, abuse and run-a-ways, are main themes in this book, which may prove to be too intense for some readers. The various stories told in this book work together to weave a powerful story linking past and present, but may prove to be difficult for some readers to follow.

Almond, D. (2001). Kit's Wilderness. Toronto: Random House of Canada.

Anne of Green Gables / L. M. Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables is a classic tale of a young orphan girl who is adopted by a brother and sister who live in rural Prince Edward Island sometime in the late19th century. Anne is a precocious, troublesome, talkative and well-meaning 11 year old who does her best to be a “good girl,” but has a knack of saying and doing just the wrong thing. Anne matures throughout the course of the story as she plays with her friends, attends and succeeds at school and as she develops a close relationship with her new guardians, Matthew and Marila Cuthbert.

Even today I think Anne of Green Gables teaches lessons of imagination, enthusiasm, tolerance, and self discipline to readers. The enduring nature of this book certainly attests to the power of the story and the character of Anne and her fellow citizens of Avonlea. The book is beautifully written yet easy to read for those with lower reading skills. Young adults of today may have difficulty associating with the values espoused in this book, but they can associate with the friendships and relationships which are an important part of the whole story.

Montgomery, L. M. (2006) Anne of Green Gables. Toronto: Scholastic Canada, Limited.

Saving the world and other extreme sports / James Patterson

Saving the world is a science fiction novel about a group of genetically altered youth who have wings and various characteristics of birds as well as “other” interesting abilities. Max, the leader of the group guides the flock though the adventure of defeating a group a mad scientists who created her and her friends. The scientists have a plan to extinguish half of the population on the earth by eliminated anyone who is sick, disabled, or somehow defective. Most of the time Max and her followers have to overcome insurmountable odds and they are always on the edge of being killed themselves.

The chapters of Saving the world are very short, averaging less than three pages and it reads easy and moves along quickly. Occasionally, Max speaks directly to the reader which may prove confusing or enticing to some readers. Max is extremely sarcastic when dealing with the enemy (adults) and she often gets the better of the bad guy in any verbal joust. The story is very much like a super-hero story and the fact that the heroes are teens and children, make this story one which young adults probably will like very much.

Patterson, J. (2008). Saving the world and other extreme sports. New York: Grand Central Publishing.

The 7 habits of highly effective teens / Sean Covey

The 7 habits of highly effective teens (7 habits) is a self help book for young adults. It is clearly based of the bestselling book by Stephen Covey called The 7 habits of highly effective people. 7 habits outlines a set of strategies or “habits” which teens can follow to become more successful and content with their lives. Strategies endorsed in this book include creating private and public victories for oneself by considering one’s; personal actions, controlling one’s future, will power, thinking win-win, listening then speaking, keeping a balance between one’s body, brain, heart and soul and more.

There is a great deal of good advice in this book that if taken seriously could lead teens to live more fully and completely without some of the angst that they typically have to navigate. Following some of the advice offered in this book would be helpful in guiding teens though some of the plentiful and sometimes dangerous peer pressure that they feel in their lives. 7 habits is easy to read and has lots of examples relevant to the lives of teens, so I think this book would not seem preachy and be a turn off to teens. This book could prove to be a life-altering read in the lives of young adults who are looking for some direction in their lives.

Covey, S. (1998). The 7 habits of highly effective teens. New York: Simon & Schuster.

101 ways to dance / Kathy Stinson

101 ways to dance is about young adults and sex. There are no actual sex scenes in this set of short stories, but many sexual topics are examined such as; homosexuality, teen pregnancy, and restricting contact between two teens showing “interest” in each other. The young adults in all of these stories have sexual thoughts and desires and are learning to deal with the feelings they have in these situations.

If any book has a chance to be controversial, it is this one. Some adults like to think that restricting their children access to materials about sex will somehow make them better able to deal with the issue. It may be more accurate to say that those adults hope that their teens will then not have wrong or inappropriate thoughts about sex. The stories in this book examine sex in a very accurate and level headed way: Two boys trying to “get lucky” are exposed to the results of what reckless sex can cause. Girls wonder if they read and book about lesbians and they “like” the book, if that means they are gay. A dying young adult has an experience which he will remember for the rest of his short life. I think this book would be valuable for most all young adults to read and even discuss with their friends and if possible with their parents.

Stinson, K. (2006). 101 ways to dance. Toronto, ON: Second Story Press.

Inexcusable / Chris Lynch

Inexcusable is the story of Keir a high school boy who is having trouble figuring some things out. First of all he feels he is in love with his long time friend Gigi, but Gigi has a boyfriend. Keir also figures some things other people do are inexcusable. His sisters for example acting in a reprehensible fashion when they refuse to come to his graduation and Gigi’s boyfriend is a heel because he refuses to come to her graduation.

This is a character driven story told completely from Keir’s point of view with his thoughts of events dominating every chapter of the book. Keir sees his relationship with his father, the high school football game where he accidentally kills another player, and the antics of his football team off the field through a distorted personal lens.

Inexcusable portrays the thoughts of a boy in trouble, who thinks various people around him who challenge him act in an inexcusable manner and he fails to evaluate his own actions with the same scrutiny even when he does something inexcusable to the girl he loves.

This is a powerful story that examines how a teenaged boy can have a distorted view of his own actions to the point that he doesn’t take responsibility for some very inexcusable actions on his own behalf.

Lynch, C. (2007). Inexcusable. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Services and Resources for Young Adults

This is the point where I have completed my journal for Services and Resources for Children, and I start journal entries for Services and Resources for Young Adults.

Kidspace [Website]

KidSpace is a parallel website to Internet Public Library with topics of interest to children at a level that children can understand. The website consists of various collections of more websites organized in groups such as "Health & Nutrition," "Reading Zone" and "Math & Science." The links that are provided within each grouping are also at a level appropriate for children and the sites I looked at were mostly well.

It seems obvious that some thought has gone into checking the links in this site for reading level and appropriateness. I only found one inactive link, and most of the linked sites are approprite for a higher reading level. I only found one link that I would say was for younger children. The site is colourful, nicely laid out with little scrolling and clicking to do to get where you want to go. There is also a function that allows children to ask a question which I did not test for speed or accuracy. The main criticism I had was with the search function which seem to take children to the parent site to do the search over again. So, in effect there is no search on the KidsSpace site.

Big George / Eric Pringle, ill. Colin Paine

Big George is "England's very first visitor from outer space." George crashed on earth in the earth year 1103 and he lost all memory of who he was and what he was doing there. Big George is the story of an alien with the long neck who towers over and frightens all of the earthlings he meets except for Tilly Miller. Tilly is a young girl who is being forced into marriage to the local Baron's son. This story tells of the adventure that Big George and Tilly go through to protect each other from the angry and powerful Baron.

Big George is not a highly sophisticated novel, but it does tell and interesting and compelling story. I think the best part about science fiction is how it mixes human drama and miraculous events to tell a story. In this this regard science fiction is much like fairy tales and I think they speak skillfully to the human condition. Big George speaks to the fears and desires of children who approaching young adulthood. The language of Big George is not highly advanced so it might be good for those children starting to read chapter books. The illustrations are very rudimentary and they speak to the humorous appeal of the book.

Kids Konnect / Jan Belzer [Website]

Kids Konnect is a website for children that was created in 1999 by Jan Belzer, who has maintained and updated the site since that time. The content of the site is encyclopedic in nature in that it has entries on a large range (hundreds) of topics. Each entry is not a comprehensive treatment of the subject, and sometimes it is basically a set of links to other websites, but the content and links are appropriate for children in elementary school.

I find that the site is arranged in an easy to use fashion, which is probably due to the fact that Jan Belzer is a teacher and she understands how to make websites relevant for children of a certain age. The pages are colourful, often animated and fairly short in length. Sometimes the colour of the page makes it difficult to read, but generally they are simple well done and not adorned with advertisements.

James and the Giant Peach / Roald Dahl, read by Jeremy Irons [CD-ROM]

James and the Giant Peach is the fantastic story of James Henry Trotter who discovers a gigantic peach growing in an old tree. He begins to explore the confines of this incredable fruit and encounters some equally large and fantastic bugs. The entire crew of this giant peach decide to go on a voyage of and this is the story of James' adventures. All of the characters seem to have their "issues," just as James does living a miserable existence with his two oppressive aunts.

The story of James and the Giant Peach comes from the fertile mind of Roald Dahl who comes up with some of the most incredable stories I have read. Needless to say that Dahl is one of my favourite authors and the talented voice of Jeremy Irons gives this CD-ROM great appeal form those who wish to take a marvelous journey without even leaving their easy chair.

Puss in Boots / Retold by Lincoln Kistein, ill. Alain Vaes

Puss in Boots is a classic fairy tale of a young man and the very clever cat he inherits from his father. The young man seems to get the short end of the stick in this inheritance except for the fact that the cat has a knack of being able solving problems like destroying an ogre who is terrorizing some peasants and getting the young man some new respectable clothing. In the end the young man finds himself married to the daughter of a king all without exerting much effort.

The illustrations in this book are grand, colourful and reminiscent of a much older time with castles and kings. The artwork is beautiful and fills the pages with images that are realistic yet caricatures at the same time. This book is well worth reading this story one more time.

The ugly duckling / Hans Christian Andersen, retold and ill, by Troy Howell

The ugly duckling is the classic folk tale of Hans Christan Andersen as told by Troy Howell. If I recall the original story does not have as much dialog as Troy Howell's version, and some elements may be different than the original, but the basic story is still the same. A young bird is hatched in a duck's nest who looks nothing like his brothers and sisters. The "duckling" goes through a series of trials and tribulations and spends all this time worrying about how ugly he is until he discovers that he is not a big ugly duck, but a handsome, majestic swan.

This classic story of self discovery and transformation will speak to most people young and old and this version is supplemented with beautiful, full page, detailed illustrations. The illustrations appear to be oil paintings with lots of green, yellow and brown tones which evoke the moods of the seasons, the animals and the storyline.

Titanic Crossing / Babara Williams

Titanic Crossing is a fictional story about Albert Trask a thirteen year old boy who takes a trip across the Atlantic ocean on a marvelous new ocean liner called the Titanic. This story takes place in April and May of 1912 and most people today know what happened on that fatal voyage. The tragedy of this event is told through the eyes of Albert who has recently lost his father and his family is moving to Washington, D.C. to a future that not many of them are optimistic about.

Looking at the Titanic story through the eyes of a child is an interesting exercise, but it is not filled with as much drama as one might expect of such a story. The boat does not hit the iceberg until two-thirds of the story has gone past. The action is confined to about two chapters and most of the previous chapters deal with relationship issues between, Albert his mother, uncle, sisters and friends. The book is well written and interesting, but I think it is oriented toward girls more than boys, yet a boy is the main character. I was left a bit confused by this contradiction.

The Salem Witch Trials / Michael Martin, ill. Brian Bascle

The Salem Witch Trials is a graphic novel about a historical event in the late 1600's in the early days of the colonization of New England. The novel tells of how some young ladies began having fits in which they verbally accused people in their communities of being witches. For some reason the authorities in this Puritan community took these young ladies seriously and tended not to believe the accused citizen's pleas of innocence. The sad result was than many of the accused people were jailed and/or hung for being witches, until public opinion put a stop to the practice.

The illustrations in this book are not like a regular picture book for young children. They are stern, passionate and grim. The dialog is fairly basic English, but not likely the same dialect as would have been used in the 1600's. The dialog is in call-outs, while there is a narrative in other boxes on each page. This book deals with prejudice, executions and lots of unreasonable behaviour on the part of this community. The story is an interesting way to introduce a historical event, and it may be more interesting to children that are interested in illustrations as much as they are interested in the printed story.

Minnie and Moo: The attack of the Easter Bunnies / Denys Cazet

Minnie and Moo: The attack of the Easter Bunnies is an amusing book about two cows who are concerned that Mr. Farmer will not be playing the role of Easter Rabbit at Easter. The two cows go around the barnyard trying to enlist various animals to play the role of Easter Bunny with little success. Finally, Minnie and Moo decide to be bunnies themselves and book ends up in a Easter Parade of bunnies.

This level 3 reader is a bit more complex than the level two reader I read recently. The story is longer and more detailed, yet the sentences are still short and fairly simple. In this book there is not too much difficult language and I felt that the level may have been comparable to the earlier level 2 book that I read earlier. The story is funny and engaging and it is certainly appropriate for children that are just learning to read.

The Berenstain Bears: That Stump Must Go! / Stan & Jan Berenstain

That Stump Must Go is a cute story about Papa Bears struggle with a little stump he trips over in his yard. With his son looking on, Papa Bear attempts to dislodge the stump and discovers that it has a very large root system. Papa Bear’s struggle with the root reaches epic proportions as it eventually affects the entire neighbourhood.

That Stump Must Go is a nice book. The narrative is easy and lyrical and the images are colourful and comical. This book is written as a simple poem so it rhymes and has a simple sentence structure. That Stump Must Go, is a level 2 reader, being longer level one books, but I would say the sentence structure was not more complicated than the previous level one book I read. Longer stories can introduce more vocabulary and variety into a beginning readers understanding and I think this book is interesting and challenging enough to stimulate improvements.

Big pig and little pig / David McPhail

Big pig and little pig is a simple story of two pigs who decide they are so hat that they need to build their own pools. The big pig builds a tiny pool and the little pig builds a big pool. They each then enjoy their own creations. This is a very simple, funny story with a simple narrative which is intended for beginning readers.

I would say that the message and text of this book is simple enough for beginning readers. The story is intentionally short which is also meant to accommodate beginning readers. I think the strategy of this beginning reader is probably correct and proper for very early readers and those readers having difficulty learning to read. The problem I have with this reader is that is maybe a little too simple for beginning readers. If beginning readers only read these level 1 readers then I think they would get board fairly quickly, because they are not challenging enough. Then they should probably be encouraged to go onto level 2 readers.

Fred's Favourites / Fred Penner [CD-ROM]

Fred's Favourites is a collection of 15 songs on CD-ROM. The songs are appropriate for children and include such titles as; What a Day, Imagination, Proud and Favourite Things. The songs are not ones that you will find on Billboard's top 40 list, but they do seem very appropriate for younger children. The music is mainly Fred's voice with minimal instrumentation. The songs are fairly short, being only 2 or 3 minutes long and they are all catchy, repetitive and easy to sing along with. Most songs have children's voices accompanying Fred.

I like this CD for three main reasons. First, the songs are very positive, encouraging and optimistic, which is I think important for children (and adults) to hear on a regular basis. The music has a nice child-like quality. The music is and inviting to dance to, which I am sure many children love to do when listening to Fred. Lastly, I don't think the music speaks down to children. I think the positive messages children hear are that they are worthwhile and useful members of society.

The secret garden / Frances Hodgson Burnet (Video)

The secret garden is one of those timeless stories that everyone has seemed to have read, and loved. I am one of the few who had not read this story, so I was expecting big things from the story. In this story Mary Lennox loses her parents to a fatal disease in India and she is shipped to a massive castle in England to live with friends of her parents. Mary is a spoiled, demanding child who gives staff nothing but grief until one night she follows a ghostly sound in the castle and finds Colin, who at first she believes to be a ghost. Colin in fact is the invalid son a the spooky owner of the manor and Colin is even more spoiled and demanding than Mary. Mary's interactions with Colin and Dickon the calm, wise, mystical young brother of one of the house staff has a maturing effect on Mary and eventually Colin. Mary discovers a forgotten "secret garden" on the castle grounds and the three children and the gardener rejuvenate the plants and bring the garden to a state of splendor.

This video starts off in what I think is quite a gruesome and disturbing way as is shows death and grief in India and then the demanding nature of Mary. Eventually, as the relationship between the children develops I found the story slowly grabbed my interest until I had to see the ending with the adult Mary and Colin meeting in the garden after the war. The video is not as fantastic and exciting as some other classic children's books that have been made into film, but then the book is not in the fantasy genre as many of the current films like the golden compass or some of C. S. Lewis' works. The secret garden stands up well on its own as a marvelous story that all children should know.

The dot / Peter H. Reynolds (Video)

The dot is a video base on the book of the same name. The story is of Vashti a young girl who is sad, because she feels she cannot make good drawings like other kids in her class. When her teacher encourages her she angrily makes a dot on her piece of paper with her pencil. Her teacher then does something that surprises Vashti and the girl starts making all kinds of dots until she hold an entire art show of dots.

This simple story is a surprisingly effective encouragement for those who feel they couldn't possibly do art. While I watched this video I found myself wondering about what encouraged me in an artistic sense and if I considered my "art" "real art." It also made me think some about those teachers who had encouraged me as I went through public school. Teachers can truly be influential people in the lives of our children and they deserve all the praise and support that we can give them.

The man who wlaked between the towers / Mordicai Gerstein

Mordicai Gerstein has produced a book that touches upon many difficult topics in his Caldecott Medal winning picture book "The man who walked between the towers." Gerstein dares to address the fate of the World Trade Center towers and to make that address to children. He does this task with tack and compassion while attaching it to a "joyful memory" of the towers about a daring young man named Philippe Petit. The story of "The man who walked between the towers" may also bring up issues of doing dangerous pranks, and breaking rules that children will no doubt have questions about.

The art work in this book is beautiful. The main colours of blue, black, white and yellow and the layout evoke a feelings of freedom, daring and being alone. Heights and size are portrayed vividly with the lines and perspective of the illustrations and the ever present sky and clouds frame each picture lending it a special mood. The twin towers are a great force in each frame they appear as their gleaming white walls tower over the smaller buildings nearby. This book is worth of winning the prestigious Caldecott Medal and it is worthy of consideration by children and adults alike.

Talking like the rain: a read-to me book of poems / Selected by X. J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy. Illustrated by Jane Dyer

“Talking like the rain” is a book of some well known rhymes. All the poems in this book have a nice rhythm, interesting repetitive phrases, clever, creative imagery and there is never a dull moment. The poems are selected from authors such as; Emily Dickenson, Ogden Nash and Robert Louis Stevenson. The art work in this book is a beautiful set of water coloured images that relate directly to the poems on the page.

These poems remind me of verses a mother would chant or sing to a baby or young child. They don’t always seem to make a lot of sense, but they flow nicely and can evoke some silly and fun images. It is a beautiful book for adults, but I’m not a sure that children of reading age would appreciate it. On the other hand maybe their simplicity and imaginativeness will appeal to readers with creative minds.

Good dog Carl / Alexandra Day

"Good dog Carl" is a beautiful little board book with a wonderful premise. Mother leaves the house and tells Carl the large Rottweiler to "Look after the baby." As soon as it is clear the mother has left, the baby crawls out of its bed onto Carl's back and the two proceed to have a grand old time. Carl and baby, bounce on mother's bed, they play dress up and run through the house with abandon. Baby swims in the fish tank and the two dance on the carpet in the front room, then rob the refrigerator. After a while, Carl gives baby a bath and puts her back to bed. Then Carl cleans up the house just in time for mother to come home and tell Carl he has been a "good dog."

This is a great book. All children love dogs and see this wonderful story of Carl and the baby would lead to long periods of discussions about dogs and the fun that Carl and baby had while mother was out of the house. The lack of text is not a problem for this book, because the pictures speak volumes. The pictures are simple and subtle, because it is the story told by the pictures that is important, not the grand artwork. I love dogs and I love this book.

Helen Keller her life in pictures / George Sullivan

"Helen Keller her life in pictures" is primarily a book of black and white photos of Helen Keller, the two significant translators in her life and the important people she met in her lifetime. The photos are beautifully done and are well complimented by the white pages with black text. The text gives the highlights of Keller's life; her accomplishments, her important contacts, her charity work and even her political proclivities.

Although the text for this book is not very extensive or detailed, it is clearly written and logically presented in a chronological order. Assuming all of the facts are correct, this book would prove to be a nice introduction for any younger child that has a couple of years reading under his or her belt. This book is certainly not an highly detailed, but is just right for a child who is simply curious about Kelller's life, or for a younger child who is possibly doing a project on a famous person.

Jack and the Beanstalk / Steven Kellogg

Steven Kellogg is one of my favourtie illustrators and his version of “Jack and the Beanstalk” does not disappoint me. The story is from the basic fairy tale with which most readers are familiar. The author supplies a note telling readers that the book is based on an 1889 version titled “English Fairy Tales.” In the story, Jack trades his family’s last means of support, an old cow, for five magical beans. When the beans grow into a towering beanstalk, Jack climbs into the clouds and risks fooling a giant to steal valuables on three different occasions.

Kellogg’s illustrations fill the pages of “Jack and the Beanstalk” with colour, mood, fine details and imagination. Kellogg’s animated characters are very expressive and action seems to flow with lines and colours on every page. Each corner of every page of this book is filled with stars, or stairs, or candles, or cats, or Jack poking his head out of an oven. The giant is illustrated as a monstrous, angry, creature that is out for blood, while Jack is pictured as a handsome, happy young man who is obviously out for adventure.

DK First Nature Encyclopedia / Bingman, C. & Morgan, B. (eds)

This “First Nature Encyclopedia” is another quality publication by DK Publishing. The reading level is somewhat lower than the book about dogs that I reviewed earlier, and that is probably reflected in the classification of the earlier book as being in the “Eyewitness” series. This nature encyclopedia illustrates various habits around the world and gives details of those systems on several pages. For example Desert Regions are broken down into desert animals, plants, after dark, the Sonoran Desert, rainfall and oases.

Once again the organization and content of the text is very good. As mentioned earlier, the content is appropriate for a younger reader and as far as I can tell the facts are accurate. The illustrations are as fantastic as all DK publications. Photos are large and bold and the backgrounds are landscape photos of that typical habitat. Little touches’ like questions at the bottom of the page about the habitat and “curiosity quizzes,” add a game like atmosphere to this book.

Be Careful What You Wish for..

"Be Careful What You Wish for.." is another fast paced horror / thriller from the R. L. Stine, Goosebumps series. In this story, klutzy Samantha Byrd meets a strange woman who is lost in the woods. Sam helps the woman find her find her way to a familiar street and the woman grants her three wishes. Samantha who is perpetually picked on by some girls at her school blurts a wish to make her life better and things go downhill from there.

The elements in this book seem very similar to "Chicken Chicken" which I reviewed earlier, which suggests that this series is very formulaic. Elements like magic, a desperate quest to fix a problem, disbelief and conflict among friends, and a surprise turn-of-events ending. This book was an easy read and although it is not very intellectually challenging, it book is interesting enough that even reluctant readers would have a hard time putting down.

Eyewitness Dog / Juliet Clutton-Brock

“Eyewitness Dog” is a lush, colourful, detailed volume about dogs. This well illustrated book covers everything from; the evolution and behaviour of dogs to the class and care of this domesticated wolf. “Dog” provides the reader with large quantities of detailed and accurate information about dogs, written in a clear and somewhat scientific fashion. “Dog” does not dumb down the language for children, so a reader can not have a low level of reading skills to understand the text of this book. The images in “Dog” run from large coloured photos of and drawings of dogs and images of carvings and dog skeletons all on a white back drop. These marvelous illustrations combine to produce a visual feast for the eyes and with the excellent information, a glossary, index and list of useful websites, makes “Eyewitness Dog” a valuable reference tool for children and adults alike who what to know about man’s best friend.

Silly Sally / Audrey Wood

"Silly Sally" is a lovely board book that portrays Sally as she tries to get to town, walking backwards, upside down. Sally runs across a dog, a pig, a loon and various other characters on her journey and they all end up walking to town (backwards and upside down) with Sally.

Silly Sally is a colourful, fun, interesting, lively, tough little book. The bright yellow, blue and purple colours are sure to catch the attention of young children and the bouncing lively narrative will be fun for infants and toddlers to listen to and repeat. The actions in the book also merit the attention of readers and listeners as Sally dances with the pig, as she sings with the loon, and she sleeps with the sheep. This is a tough little book that could endure lots of handling by little hands, and I'm sure it will instigated a round of tickling near the end of the story.

Full moon rising / Joanne Taylor, ill. Susan Tooke

"Full moon rising" is book about the mythology of full moon naming. Each month the full moon has been given a name relating to events that happen in that month like; the Snow Moon or Planting Moon. The story is told from the point of view of a youngster living on a farm who describes events that take place during that moon phase.

The narrative evokes images of rural life and the changing of the seasons. The illustrations are lush and detailed and filled with joy and contentment. The background for each page is a print of a seasonal nature which sometimes distracts the eye from the main illustration. This book may not be one that grabs the attention of a distracted toddler, but it is beautiful and interesting and it would be nice for a sleepy morning story time.

Goosebumps: Chicken Chicken / R. L. Stine

“Chicken Chicken” is a story about a brother and sister named Crystal and Cole. Crystal and Cole get caught at the scene of a practical joke being played on Vanessa (the town weird woman), and she whispers “chicken chicken” at them as they run away. After that weirdness gets a new name as sister and brother slowly begin turning into chickens.

This book is just plain fun. I have not previously read any of the Goosebumps series and I thought they were mainly spooky tales. “Chicken Chicken” is a fast paced, simple, thrilling and spooky story. All these elements make for a story that would probably catch the interest of any older children. There are seems to be simple moral in this the story which may or may not strike a cord with readers, but it certainly clearly makes a point about politeness and respect.

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you hear? / Bill Martin, Eric Carle

"Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you hear?" is a simple and colourful picture book that would be ideal for story time. The story asks an animal what it hears and it replies with the name of yet another animal. This goes on until the zookeeper hears children making the sounds of the animals in the zoo.

The text in this book is simple and repetitive and would fit story time perfectly, allowing children to make their favourite animal sounds on the last page with the rest of the children. The images are large (filling the whole page), colourful and set on a clear background. I can imagine children would ask to have this book read time after time.

I want a dog / Dayal Kaur Khalsa

May is a young girl who is obsessed with the thought of owning a dog. She thinks about dogs constantly and regularly asks her parents to get her one. May tries several strategies to convince her parents to buy a dog, to no avail. Eventually, May starts walking her roller skate around by its lace (leash) and she tells everyone she is practicing for when she gets a dog. After some teasing, May's friends start walking their rollers skates as well.

The text complexity and story about responsibility makes this story more appropriate for children old enough to understand this concept. The illustrations are a simple, colourful representation of a typical North American suburban neighbourhood. I like the fact that their story shows a young girl's persistent, creative and proactive methods of convincing her family that she could handle owning a dog. I think the story is a very encouraging book for children with problems they are working to solve and it encourages them to 'think outside the box.'

My friend gorilla / Atsuko Morozumi

When a small boy's father brings home a gorilla from a zoo that has just been closed, at first the boy appears to be very surprised and apprehensive. As the gorilla spends time living with the boy and his family, the boy seems to become more at ease with the new family member. The gorilla plays with the boy, sleeps in the bunk under him and attends his birthday.

This picture book is large colourful and is beautifully illustrated. The premise of "My friend gorilla" is very odd, but it may be intended to be a book that encourages younger children to think about new additions to their family like; pets or new siblings and how they will eventually become accustomed to the new addition and even miss them if they leave. The odd premise will not likely be a problem for a young child, and it may prove to be a good subject for debate among older children. The text is very simple and repetitive, but not rhythmic. I think a better working of the text may enhance the book, but in general the it is well done.

Tales of a fourth grade nothing / Judy Blume, ill. Roy Doty

"Tales of a fourth grade nothing" is a story told by Peter the older of two brothers living in a New York apartment next to Central Park. Peters younger brother Fudgie, is always getting into trouble often at Peter's expense. Peter is regularly put in the embarrassing position of doing things so that his little brother will then imitate his older brother. Each chapter of this story presents a misadventure that this family undergoes in the run of a day.

Tales of a fourth grade nothing is well written and entertaining story that some children of Peter's age (9 years) could relate to if they had younger siblings. Of course Fudgie pulls some very outrageous stunts, but those tricks may certainly have similar parallels in the lives potential readers. The boy's parents usually handle the situations well and we find that Peter is usually a good sport and helps his parents deal with his precocious younger brother.

Is it hairy? Is it scary? / Annie Owen

"Is it hairy? Is it scary?" is the first picture book that I have read for INFO 6450. The text for this book is a simple rhyme that compares various animals and traits that they may have in common with other animals or traits that may be different. An example of the text is: "Does it have...no legs? two legs? four legs? or more legs?" This two page spread is accompanied by illustrations of animals with various numbers of legs. Each animal is named and there are a number of humans included on each page.

I found this book only moderately interesting. I consider myself a bit of a naturalist, so I enjoy books about animals, but I was not overly impressed by the illustrations in this book. I might have been more impressed if the animals had been put in their natural environment or if the illustrations were somehow organized in a more creative fashion. It might have also been interesting to make the labelling of the animals into a game, the readers of the book would have to match the name to the illustration. I do like the way that the author compares animals to humans by including some drawings of people that resemble an animal on the page and by making that relationship more obvious on the concluding page of the book. The simple rhyme makes this book appropriate for young children.

Encyclopedia Brown saves the day / Donald J. Sobol, ill. Leonard Shortall

Encyclopedia Brown is a ten year old boy who lives in Idaville. Encyclopedia is reported to be the brains behind the fact that all crimes in Idaville are solved. Even crimes that his father, the police chief, deals with are solved at the dinner table along with Encyclopedia his brilliant son.

The "Encyclopedia Brown saves the day" is broken into ten chapters which are each short separate mysteries. The one page solution to each mystery is printed at the back of the book, apparently to encourage readers to solve the mystery themselves, before reading the actual solution.

I found this book curiously unsatisfying. The short mystery / solution concept is a interesting idea, but it did not seem to work well. The solutions to the mysteries should be ones that readers could reason out for themselves and sometimes that was the case, but often it was not. I think this book may appeal to readers with very short attention spans, but it does not give the same satisfaction as reading a good fully developed mystery.

Ramona the brave / Beverly Cleary

"Ramona the brave" is the first of the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary that I have ever read. Ramona is six years old and Beverly Cleary provides us with an entertaining interpretation of the way the mind of a six year old works. Ramona is fiercely independent yet she also desperately wants acceptance from her parents, sister, teachers and friends.

This book explores how Ramona thinks about bravery. Ramona has to deal with a strange angry dog who steals her shoe, staying in a room by herself at night, a scary gorilla in a book on her shelf, protecting her older sister from some name calling boys and various other classroom challenges.

I think Ramona the brave is an excellent look into the mind of a six year old. The book is written from the point of view of Ramona with all of her thoughts, judgements, prejudices, and description of events. Parents might find these books an educational look into the mind of their own child, while children would find the book an interesting look at how another child acts and reacts in certain situations that they themselves may find themselves.

The lion, the witch and the wardrobe / C. S. Lewis

The first book that I read for my INFO6450 course was "The lion, the witch and the wardrobe" by C. S. Lewis. The version I read came from HarperCollins Publishers collection of stories published in 2001 as the "Chronicles of Narnia."

The story follows the adventure of four children who are moved to the English countryside during the second world war for their protection. The house where they stay has a wardrobe in a spare room that ends up being a portal to a fantastic world called Narnia. The children disappear into this new land and find adventures among this new land with the Faun, the White Witch, the beavers, the lion and many other magical creatures.

This "classic" story is known and loved by many readers today and has been produced in many forms including a recent film version. The story is well crafted, written and creates a marvellous world that readers or listeners can partially create in their own minds. The readings skills necessary to understand this story may be a bit beyond some children, but the story of battle between good and evil is timeless and can be enjoyed by listeners of all ages.