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(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Scott Brundage.
A cumulative tale modeled after "The House That Jack Built" depicts the journey of the first three astronauts who traveled to the moon on Apollo 11. Additional bulleted facts accompany the author's lyrical, descriptive verses up to the welcome afforded the heroic travelers upon returning home. Brundage's cool palette enhances a mainly night-set story well-suited to bedtime reading. Reading list. Bib.
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Daniel Kirk.
"Over by the dirt pile in the sizzling summer sun / works a mama bulldozer with her little dozer ONE." Each of ten taut rhymes (which follow the scheme of "Over in the Meadow") spotlights a parent-truck-and-offspring collaboration. Catchy rhymes, cheerful-looking trucks with individualizing features, onomatopoeia ("moosh moosh"), and words that stutter ("s-s-swoop s-s-swup")--what preschooler would turn away?
40 pp.
| Sleeping Bear
| May, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-1-58536-796-2$15.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Brian Ajhar.
Library Lou promises treasure to pirate Big Pete, but only if he'll behave himself and let her teach him to read; otherwise, he's banned from the premises. Through a lengthy rhyming text that maintains its meter impressively, Pete learns that books are the real treasure. Cartoonish illustrations use light and shadow well to create dimension.
32 pp.
| Walker
| March, 2010
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8027-9729-2$14.99
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Maggie Smith.
Spring, summer, winter, fall: the best of times in every season are those spent with a loving mommy or daddy. In these companion books, two children use metaphors to express their feelings for their parents. Realistic, perky illustrations capture the affection between the boy and his father and the girl and her mother, but the rhyming text borders on syrupy. Review covers these titles: Daddy Is a Cozy Hug and Mommy Is a Soft, Warm Kiss.
32 pp.
| Walker
| May, 2010
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8027-9728-5$14.99
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Maggie Smith.
Spring, summer, winter, fall: the best of times in every season are those spent with a loving mommy or daddy. In these companion books, two children use metaphors to express their feelings for their parents. Realistic, perky illustrations capture the affection between the boy and his father and the girl and her mother, but the rhyming text borders on syrupy. Review covers these titles: Daddy Is a Cozy Hug and Mommy Is a Soft, Warm Kiss.
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Susan Gaber.
The celebration of the birth of Jesus starts as a cumulative rhyme and then, halfway through, reverses direction until it ends with the beginning verses. The circular narrative may confuse some readers because the events do not occur in logical order. The acrylic art, however, captures the Nativity scene and the shepherds' wonder at the angel who appeared to them.
32 pp.
| Zonderkidz
| February, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-310-71097-4$9.99
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Santiago Cohen.
This is a gentle, sanitized version of the familiar Old Testament story. Cohen's color-drenched illustrations in deep blues, greens, and browns are more engaging than the text's uninspired rhymes ("Then lightning flashed! / and thunder ROARED! / When all were in / God shut the door"). Lucy Cousins's Noah's Ark is a more successful book for the same age group.
32 pp.
| Holt
| June, 2005
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-7010-9$15.95
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Dan Andreasen.
Two of young children's abiding obsessions--animals and firefighting--are fed in this look at a team of bears who spend their days protecting the neighborhood. There's no cumulative payoff--the story amounts to a series of disasters narrowly averted--but the rhymes snap and the illustrations offer the right blend of menace (smoking buildings) and reassurance (toylike bears).
32 pp.
| Dutton
| September, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-525-47292-4$16.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Henry Cole.
On Christmas Eve, Santa enjoys snack after snack left by kind children. Then ascending a chimney, he gets stuck. Above, the reindeer pull; below, a dog and a cat and her kittens push. Finally a little mouse gets an idea, and Santa is freed. The cheerful rhyming text and playful illustrations work together to make this a silly and enjoyable read-aloud.
32 pp.
| Dutton
| July, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-525-47125-1$$15.99
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Mike Lester.
When a frenzied mob of students stampede into their classroom, a chain reaction of mishaps begins: a spilled ant farm lures a show-and-tell pet snake from its box, making a girl shriek, causing a boy to spill birthday cupcakes, which the janitor then slips on..., etc. The book is long, but Greene wisely breaks up the cumulative repetition. Lester's bustling, sketchy, bold-outlined illustrations add deadpan humor.
32 pp.
| Holt
| June, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-6336-6$$15.95
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Karla Firehammer.
A young dog's day is chock full at Grandma's house. They take a ride in Grandma's canoe, pick berries, check out cattails and fireflies, and finally curl up with a book before bedtime. Gentle illustrations extend the story that is told in simple three-line verses consisting mainly of nouns. The form, however, becomes a bit repetitive by the end.
32 pp.
| Atheneum
| March, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-689-83047-5$$16.00
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jos. A. Smith.
Any child whose parents have explained away noises in the night will enjoy this rhyming tale that reveals (finally) the causes: "The grown-ups blame the wind, a cat. / The children know it's more than that." The nighttime-hued illustrations show two small monsters shaking the house, scratching windows, and howling until the children finally turn the tables. This is probably better as a story-hour read-aloud than as a bedtime tale.
32 pp.
| Atheneum
| October, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-689-83301-6$$15.95
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Susan Gaber.
The cumulative verses forming this account of the first Thanksgiving from a Pilgrim perspective have definite kid appeal. Beginning and ending with the "Indians, skillful and strong," the rhymes are catchy if occasionally forced, and the chronology--from the feast backward to the settlers' departure from England, then forward again to the feast--is innovative. Careful, somewhat stylized acrylics illustrate the text.
32 pp.
| Eerdmans
| February, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-8028-5213-0$$16.00
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Anne Wilson.
In the pattern of "The House That Jack Built," Greene retells the story of the creation of the world from the Hebrew Bible. The text focuses on the wonder and beauty of creation, leaving room for a range of both literal and symbolic interpretations. The exuberant artwork spills off the pages as if the world cannot be contained.
32 pp.
| Scholastic/Orchard
| November, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-439-29310-3$$15.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jason Wolff.
On the annual jungle Jamboree Day, all the animals gather for a wonderful celebration. The acrylic illustrations in bright jungle colors show parrots, cheetahs, chimps, and crocodiles as they arrive for a day of playing and dancing until the sun sets. The rhythm of the buoyant, rhyming text helps capture the mood of the joyful party.
40 pp.
| Atheneum
| October, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-689-81258-2$$16.00
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Susan Gaber.
The celebration of the birth of Jesus starts as a cumulative rhyme and then, halfway through, reverses direction until it ends with the beginning verses. The circular narrative may confuse some readers, because the events do not occur in logical order. The acrylic artwork, however, captures the Nativity scene and the wonder of the shepherds at the angel who appeared to them.