Category: Uncategorized

Recommended for ages 2-8

Ben Kachoo is a hippo with allergies. Unfortunately for him, he lives in a swamp at the zoo that does nothing but aggravate those allergies. He uses his sneezes as a positive, though; they are so forceful that they propel him through the water – until the day they send him crashing into a crocodile named Arrow. You see, the crocodiles and the hippos don’t mix, despite sharing the same swamp; so his collision with Arrow leaves Ben  worried, at first, and he apologizes profusely. Arrow couldn’t be friendlier, and not only accepts his apology but strikes up a friendship with the sneezing hippo.

The story of how unlikely friendships occur (with an emphasis on manners) is a great story for young readers and for read-alouds. The cartoon-type artwork is bright and lively, with exaggerated facial expressions taking up much of the pages and making it accessible for young, pre-readers to enjoy and follow along. The story font is black, bold, and in an expressive, angular font that will keep the interest of slightly older readers.

The accompanying plush Ben is a friendly, soft companion for a read-aloud. A squeeze of his tail activates one of his six sneezes, a “Whoa!” and an “Excuse me!”. which can enhance the storytelling. The story is also a good candidate for felt board storytelling; there are many sites that offer animal printouts.

This would be a great addition to a read-aloud on either friendship or manners. DLTK’s website offers a friendship craft where children trace their hands and cut them out to form a wreath.

Recommended for ages 2-5

An adorable kitten sees her first full moon. Believing it is a saucer of milk, she sets out to have a taste. Her curiosity leads her on a series of misadventures where she ends up with bugs on her tongue, hurt from a leap off the porch, and soaking wet from a dive into a pond. The 2005 Caldecott Medal winner places Kitten’s actions in a repetitive series: she sees the moon and wants to drink from it; she takes an action and deals with the consequences; and the moon – referred to as the “little bowl of milk” – waits for her next move. Will Kitten learn from her mistakes? Kevin Henkes uses a charcoal and cream-colored palette, with simple, understated illustrations outlined in thick, black line, to tell his tale, and Kitten’s face is very expressive. The brief text on each page is simple, bold, and black; it causes no distraction for young readers and listeners. Preschoolers will see themselves in the tenacious Kitten, who is single-minded in her goal.

The repetitive actions of the story and its happy resolution make this book a good choice for a story time read aloud. This could be part of a moon stories read aloud with companion books like Bringing Down the Moon by Jonathan Emmett, which tells a similar tale. There are moon rhymes and fingerplays that can flesh out this story time.

The author’s website offers teaching resources for parents and educators.

Recommended for ages 2-5

A cranky duck warns the reader not to tickle him – not to tickle his stomach, his foot, or under his wing – but really enjoys it when you do. Textured spots on each page add an additional dimension for young readers.

This 2006 Bulletin Blue Ribbon winner features a duck, reminiscent of a child who demands not to be tickled, only to shriek with laughter when tickled. It becomes a game, just as it does with this story. The story begins and ends with the endpapers, making use of every bit of space the book has to offer, and the different, touchable textures on duck’s body are exciting for younger, more tactile readers. The cartoon artwork and the big, colorful fonts will appeal to readers. The artwork is boldly drawn and outlined in black; the colors are simple – blue-gray, yellow, orange, and white – but stand out. The book could provide a fun laugh-out-loud read-aloud with an enthusiastic leader.

There are four books in the Duck series: Tickle the Duck!; Stop Kissing Me; Duck’s Afraid of the Dark; and Have You Been Naughty or Nice?

The author’s website offers more information about his books.

Recommended for ages 9-12

What would you do if the school oddball showed up with an Origami Yoda on his finger and started dispensing advice one day? What would you do if his advice actually made sense and worked? That’s the dilemma facing McQuarrie Middle School sixth grader Tommy Lomax as he creates the case file known as The Strange Case of Origami Yoda.

At first, Tommy and his friends think Origami Yoda is just another one of Dwight’s odd quirks, but as Origami Yoda’s advice continues to produce positive results and even borders on predicting the future, Tommy and his friends end up seeking Dwight and Origami Yoda out. Tommy has a particular reason for wanting advice and struggles between believing in Origami Yoda’s connection to The Force and the fear of falling victim to a hoax. He compiles a series of case studies from classmates’ experiences with Yoda to review and make a decision; his friend Kellen adds illustratrations and his frenemy Harvey adds his own commentary. Harvey does not believe in Yoda and thinks everyone’s crazy for buying into the whole scheme.

The book is hilarious. It’s a fun read, written from the point of view of Tommy and his friends, with different handwriting and computer fonts and line drawings to give the reader a feeling of reading a middle schooler’s notebook. The banter between characters, carried out on paper, is fun and realistic – there’s sarcasm and anxiety aplenty to go with the light humorous pace. The book is a great, quick read for boys and girls alike looking for a funny book.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is the first in a planned trilogy of books by Tom Angleberger. Its sequel, Darth Paper Strikes Back, was released this past summer. The book has won several awards including the Cybil Award for best middle-grade fiction, The Dorothy Canfield-Fisher Award for 2011/2012, and the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award for Middle Grade Fiction.

The author maintains an Origami Yoda/Darth Paper blog that offers tips on folding one’s own Yoda or Darth Paper, along with a “Super Folders Forum” for users to communicate. He also shares a blog with fellow author Sam T. Riddleburger, Berger & Burger.

Greetings, and welcome to my blog, Mom Read It! I’ll be blogging about what I read here, mainly ‘tween focused, for my LIBR264 class, Materials for Tweens, at San Jose State University. I’ll be using  my own kids, as well as their teachers, as a guideline for a lot of these books. Please feel free to post your feedback and suggestions.