This is a collection of my writing and correspondence with a few bits of poetry and random thoughts mixed in. I started this blog after learning that some of my letters had an uplifting quality.
In the pages of this blog you will find my real life trials and tribulations, the nature of what I think is truth, and the dust and grit of my real life.
'Are You a Spider?' by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries is a book that teaches children
about spiders and engages them with the question 'are you a spider'. Well, I'm not a spider and not all spiders are really well defined in this book. Still, there is a lot of fun to be had in this book so long as your child is smart enough not to eat flies. Otherwise, I thought this book was nicely done and well illustrated. Who should read this book? Smart children Books read: 69 of 5000
'Haley Helps at School' by Blaine Fronczak is an activity math book with a story to go along with
the learning. It features pictures and not drawings so it is grounded in reality, and none of the tasked needed the math. This is a book one would read with their child and ask them to do the math problems along with the book and it would be worth reading for preschool and maybe kinder garden children. Who should read this book? Very young children an their parents. Books read 68 of 5000
'Hugo and the Really, Really, Really Long String' by Bob Boyle is the story of a hippo named Hugo who finds a string and decides to
follow it until he finds the end. Along the way he makes friends and has adventures. Hugo is drawn in a cubist style that really lights up the imagination with fun images and surreal situations that children will love. This is a fun book that teaches the lesson that sometimes the experience is more important than the end product. On the down side, Hugo will not make a good bedtime story because the colors will serve to wake up your child rather than put them to sleep. Who should read this book? Children reading before school. Books read: 67 of 5000
'Blaze and the Lost Quarry' by C. W. Anderson is a beautifully illustrated book about a boy who takes his horse to see
an abandoned quarry in the woods. This book features monochromatic sketch illustrations that are very well done and transport the reader to the world of the boy and his horse. That said, there is little to this anecdote and the story is more a vehicle for the images. I think this is a great story to read your child before bed, because it's a feel good tail with little excitement. Who should read this book: Horse lovers Books read: 66 of 5000
'The Moon' by Allison Lassieur is a book about the moon. It covers both the Moon and our
investigation of it throughout history. As a book for children this lacks a story and is not particularly fun so if your children are not into the Moon and space you're not looking at a good book for them. Then, I've never heard of a kid that didn't look up at the stars and want to know about them. Who should read this book? Everyone. Books read: 65 of 5000
'Stop and Go, Yes and No: What is an Antonym' by Brian P. Cleary is a book that teaches children about antonyms that does a little teaching as it gets your children to do something other than bother
you. Like the other books in this series this one is populated with fun illustrations of monstrous fat cats with giant noses. This book is fun for children, but don't go expecting it to resolve the concept of antonyms without the benefit of further instruction. All in all, this is one of those books I recommend people pick up at the library because they're child should read it but I can't recommend owning one unless you have a vast collection of books. Who should read this book? Anyone Books read: 64 of 5000
'The Longest Night' By Marion Dane Bauer is a book about animals in what looks like the Alaska wilderness talking about who
can bring back the sun. Animals like the crow, moose, and fox are found to have no ability to bring the sun back, but that small little bird has that kind of power. This is a good book about how the little things matter, but it's not a good bedtime story for your child. This is a story about morning and all the blue in the book, yes I mean the use of the color blue, will wake your child up and get them ready to play. Who should read this book? Anyone. Books read: 63 of 5000
'Turramulli the Giant Quinkiny' by Percy Trezise and Dick Roughsey is a book involving the lore around the Turramulli spirit
of Australian aboriginal beliefs. Turramulli is a creature not unlike a Bigfoot but bigger and more 'I'm going to eat you'. In addition, this creature is the largest example of its kind. Now, this story is on the bloody side for children and it shows aborigines in their native garb. You see a number of dark backsides in this book. As a parent you need to think hard about what is right for your child and given that this book is for very young children it is questionable. As I pointed out with the last book by these authors: what would happen if your six year old drew something out of this book in class?
Who should read this book? The open minded. Books read: 62 of 5000
'A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What is a Noun?' by Brian P. Cleary is another learning book by Cleary. I will say that I liked this
book better than 'Pitch and Throw, Grasp and Know' having better art work that I think children will find more fun. Like the last book it can be improved by the addition of what a noun is not and more words devoted to the learning aspect of the book. This, however, does not change the fact that this book will enrich children. Who should read this book? Everyone Books read: 61 of 5000
'Pitch and Throw, Grasp and Know: What Is a Synonym?' by Brian P Cleary is a book designed to teach you children what a synonym
is and telling you a fun story as you go. Well, learning takes a back seat to fun in this book and that's not a bad thing but the story is just a poem told in rime. The artwork is fun but the learning is a the slim side. I will say that like anything this book could be improved, but it would be a good thing to have your children read. Who should read this book? Everyone Books read: 60 of 5000
'Where the Wiled Things are The Movie Storybook' is what it sounds like. It's a companion to the movie 'Where the Wiled
Things are' using still from the film to tell the story. This book is in no way better than the original by Maurice Sandak. Note that the original was controversial for it's dark imagery and questionable morality this book does nothing to counter that fact. Further, it references characters that I can only believe I would recognize if I had seen the film which I have not. That makes this book only something fans of the film can truly enjoy. Who should read this book? Fans of the Movie. Books read: 59 of 5000
'Gidja the Moon' By Percy Trezise and Dick Roughsey is a story of the creation of the moon from an Aboriginal tribe in Australia. In this case the moon started as a rather ill formed human who was
made fun of but had strong magic. Now I will have to point out the the people in this book are depicted an a slightly abstract but natural way. That is to say you've got bums and knockers in this book, and it's up to the parent to decide if that's right for their child. I mean, can you imagine if a six year old drew something from this book in their class? The parents would get phone calls I'm sure. Who should read this book? The open minded. Books read: 58 of 5000
"I'm Trying to Love Spiders" by Bethany Barton is a somewhat interactive learning book about our arachnid friends. It features a short description of spiders and how they live and impact our lives. In addition the author has chosen to take the journey with us to
understanding our eight legged friends. This will help children resolve any gilt they may feel at splatting spiders as a few get splatted in this book. All in all this is a fine book to read. It has fun artwork and a somewhat interactive story that will give your child an experience they otherwise would not have have. Who should read this book? Everyone Books read 57 of 5000
They're There on Their Vacation by Brian P. Cleary is the story of a family going on vacation. They go out and see the worlds largest underpants.
Now this is a learning book for the words they're, their, and there. That means that getting this book for your children may just save them some embarrassment later in life. After that, the pictures in this book are rich and full of funny images. Children may like to look at the pictures over and over again and see new things from time to time. Who should read this book? Everyone Books read: 56 of 5000
'Cinders the Chicken Cinderella' by Jan Brett is the classic story of Cinderella only told with chickens in a little girl's dreams where her best friend chicken winds up being the number one of the new rooster.
I can say this is a well drawn book but it adds nothing to the story of Cinderella and is wholly forgettable. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with this book, but the story is rehashed and rehashed until we all know it very well. In addition, this book has large foldout pages that can get snagged and damaged. This will impact the longevity of this book. I think children will enjoy the pictures in this story, and it's a nice book to have, but otherwise just one of many in the world of children's books. Who should read this book? Parents who love children's books and take very good care of them. Books read: 55 of 5000
Rows of Roses by Rebecca Felix is a book about homophones. These are words like rows and rose and sound the same but have different meaning and spelling.
As with all the books in this series this book puts education first and does not tell any kind of story making this a textbook but one with information of value. It could be told in a better way with more inspiration, but the book does get the job done. Who should read this book? Everyone. Books read: 54 of 5000
'The White Nights of Ramadan' by Maha Addasi is a look into the tradition of Ramadan and most closely the three knights when the moon is brightest.
Ramadan being celebrated according to a lunar calendars this is important. You can think of this as a comparable event to the American Halloween. Who should read this book? People who want to know about Ramadan but currently know very little.
'Wait Until the Moon is Full' by Margaret Wise Brown and Garth Williams is the story of a young raccoon who wants to know what the world is like at night.
I find this odd because I know that raccoons are nocturnal animals and that they should mostly know what the world is like at night. Still the raccoon's mother bids him to wait until the moon is full so that he can see all of what goes on at night. This is a silly book that is meant to entertain but not be taken seriously. Who should read this book? People who want to have a fun read. Books read: 52 of 5000
'Fly Guy Presents Bats' by Tedd Arnold is a book about bats punctuated with the interjections of Fly Guy and his owner Buzz.
This is a fun little learning book that will give you a look into the world of bats and other nocturnal animals. On the down side where as there are a few jokes there is not much of a story to this book and it's more of a survey of bats rather than a look at what these animals really are like. Further, I do believe the book is just not that accurate on bats and it depicts vampire bats as blood suckers. As I believe vampire bats lick blood they draw with their teeth I think this is a misstep. Still, a child should definitely read this book to get interested in bats. Who should read this book? People who know little about bats. Books read: 51 of 5000
