Notice, my article, “Are Shorter Books Better for Kids?” in the upper right of Story Monsters Magazine's August edition, is listed just above James Patterson.
Max Elliot Anderson
Friday, July 26, 2019
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
The Green Giant
The children in my circle enjoy stories about giants, so the green giant in this story caught their interest. Half of our granddaughters live in Chicago, and the others do not. So both sets of kids have a clear understanding of the difference between city life and conditions, and places outside the city. They also enjoy fantasies, so this story fits right in with stories they like.
At first the giant appears to be a frightening character, but this is far from the case.
From the publisher: A young girl, Bea, and her dog, Iris, are staying with her grandpa in the country. Bea is bored, but Iris's adventures lead them to the small and rusty old greenhouse next door. Inside the greenhouse, Bea finds... a giant. A giant made entirely of plants and greenery. Bea is scared, but the giant reassures her and explains that he has escaped from the grey city. Bea and the giant become friends, but can they do anything to make the grey city, and the world, a greener place?
It's Your World Now
This book is visually exciting and interesting from the very first page. I identify well with its contents because of our five small granddaughters. This book allows for lots of discussion as we move through the pages. These pages cover all sorts of things that happen in everyday life. I also enjoyed the use of rhyme. here's an example.
"As for you my bouncing ball, well you can truly have it all. Yes, you can set the world alight, my child-so-small, your future's bright."
As the publisher says, "A beautiful, lyrical and funny celebration of the world and the potential of every individual within it. This is the perfect book to read to children to help them appreciate the wonderful things that exist in the world, and the wonderful things that they can do, as well as allowing them to understand some of the setbacks that may happen. And in the end, whatever happens, the child is reassured that their parents will always love them."
Readers will find that this is a book you won't want to rush through with small children. Take your time, enjoy every page, and use the time together to help teach the children in your family about life's possibilities.
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Special Paws
Authors of books for children are often encouraged to take something familiar and give it a new twist. Special Paws does just that.
We see what it might be like for animals to wait in a shelter, hoping for the right people to come along, find them, and take them to a new home.
Our grandchildren especially enjoy Lady and the Tramp. I think, in part, because it is also written from the animals’ point of view. I look forward to introducing them to Boston and Hunter.
When Boston finds herself in a shelter, Hunter becomes her friend in the neighboring crate and offers to help her make a very special list. Enjoy reading how these two adorable rescue dogs figure out who they want to live with and why! What does your family list look like?
Sunday, July 7, 2019
Review: Big Cat
Big Cat
Big Cat is a wild excursion into a story about a very large cat. In some ways, he might remind young readers of Clifford the dog because of his immense size.
Being a grandfather of five girls, ages 1 - 7, I can identify with what might happen if I couldn't find my glasses. Such is the fun that develops when the grandma in this story loses hers.
Max Elliot Anderson
Big Cat is a wild excursion into a story about a very large cat. In some ways, he might remind young readers of Clifford the dog because of his immense size.
Being a grandfather of five girls, ages 1 - 7, I can identify with what might happen if I couldn't find my glasses. Such is the fun that develops when the grandma in this story loses hers.
Yes, Isobel's grandma has lost her glasses and she can't see a thing without them. While Isobel and Gran are in the garden searching for the glasses, they come across a cat. A very big cat. A very big and friendly cat. The big cat moves in with them, much to the disgust of all gran's other cats. He might be good fun, but he takes up lots of space and eats every scrap of food. Eventually the new cat's mom and dad turn up, looking for their missing son. And they just happen to have found gran's glasses too. The tiger family are delighted to be reunited--and gran now sees that she's been sharing her house with... a tiger!
Review: The Big Book Adventure
The Big Book Adventure
This book not only illustrates the adventures and travel experiences that can be found in books, it encourages reading in order to discover them.
The Big Book Adventure allows the older reader to go back through childhood classics like Peter Pan, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and more in this picture book about the joys of reading! At the same time, it creates an interest, in younger readers, to look for these stories in other books. It may even ignite curiosity to the point that library visits could become more common, in order to search out the stories.
There is nothing like a book to take you to places you’ve never been. Best friends Foxy and Piggy can’t wait to tell each other about all of their adventures in reading! Flying over Neverland, swimming with a mermaid, joining in a mad tea party, soaring on a magic carpet—old classics come to life in the eyes of two little readers who can’t believe what they’ve seen. Journey back to old favorites and experience the magic all over again in this adorable picture book about the joys of reading!
This book gets a thumbs up at our house from young and old.
Max Elliot Anderson
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