Take a photo of a barcode or cover
2.59k reviews by:
librarybonanza
Age: Kindergarten+
Sports: Baseball
A finely illustrated rendition of the famous Abbott and Costello routine. The illustrations allow younger children to be able to understand this humorous word play. Also complete with a history of the routine in the back of the book.
Sports: Baseball
A finely illustrated rendition of the famous Abbott and Costello routine. The illustrations allow younger children to be able to understand this humorous word play. Also complete with a history of the routine in the back of the book.
Age: Preschool-Kindergarten
Animals: Dogs
Sharing & friendship
Animals: Dogs
Sharing & friendship
"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands" (Goodreads review).
Morgenstern has a fabulous imagination that she stunningly captures in her writing--at the expense of characterization. Perfect for an up-and-coming movie adaptation. The final "fight" scene for Marco and Celia is a masterful ending. If you don't like fantasy--stay away. If you do, welcome to the circus.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands" (Goodreads review).
Morgenstern has a fabulous imagination that she stunningly captures in her writing--at the expense of characterization. Perfect for an up-and-coming movie adaptation. The final "fight" scene for Marco and Celia is a masterful ending
Spoiler
where they end up embracing each other in a pseudo-world, thus forfeiting the competition
Age: Preschool-Kindergarten
An instructional book about all different types of friendship with a dialogic exchange between two imaginary narrators.
An instructional book about all different types of friendship with a dialogic exchange between two imaginary narrators.
Age: Preschool+
Question: Can an author make the scientific method enjoyable and educational for preschoolers and kindergarteners?
Hypothesis: Jenny Offill can achieve this feat.
What You Need: Fun, multi-layered illustrations with diagrams and scientific paraphernalia in the background, silly experiments that are bound to go wrong, and one determined scientist
Results: Offill and Carpenter produced a perfect companion for my Curious Kitties programs for ages 2-5 that introduces young children to the scientific method and sparking curiosity.
Question: Can an author make the scientific method enjoyable and educational for preschoolers and kindergarteners?
Hypothesis: Jenny Offill can achieve this feat.
What You Need: Fun, multi-layered illustrations with diagrams and scientific paraphernalia in the background, silly experiments that are bound to go wrong, and one determined scientist
Results: Offill and Carpenter produced a perfect companion for my Curious Kitties programs for ages 2-5 that introduces young children to the scientific method and sparking curiosity.
Age: 1st-3rd grade
Sports: Basketball
A smooth talking game of one-up between two kids as they try to outdo each other in the game of H.O.R.S.E. The text didn't rhyme (which would have brought the audience down a grade level or two) but still had a smoothly flowing form. I loved that the text was sometimes used to show the direction the ball would make as it made its way to the basket. A simple book, yet wonderfully entertaining.
Sports: Basketball
A smooth talking game of one-up between two kids as they try to outdo each other in the game of H.O.R.S.E. The text didn't rhyme (which would have brought the audience down a grade level or two) but still had a smoothly flowing form. I loved that the text was sometimes used to show the direction the ball would make as it made its way to the basket. A simple book, yet wonderfully entertaining.
Caution: If you know any bumbling idiots that feel superior over all others and weasel their way out of responsibility due to their conniving nature and laziness, this book may hit too close to home. The book club I'm in was torn about this book. Out of seven of us, three hated it and could not finish it, three liked it, and one loved it.
I enjoy satire and hyperbole. They are two of my favorite literary devices and, how do I say this, Toole exaggerates the exaggeration, making the characters (particularly Ignacius) completely off the wall. I also enjoyed the overall movement of the book. It was constructed like a web with all the characters and the plot intertwined or cascading dominoes where each action led to another, an intricately woven story. This is perhaps why it received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. While Toole's failure to publish the novel eventually contributed to his suicide, his mother's perseverance eventually landed the manuscript into the hands of novelist Walker Percy. I mirror his sentiments as I read the book: "In this case I read on. And on. First with the sinking feeling that it was not bad enough to quit, then with a prickle of interest, then a growing excitement, and finally an incredulity; surely it was not possible that it was so good."
I think as long as you can laugh at Ignacius and the other flawed characters, then you will enjoy the book. If you have a hard time laughing at absurdity, then you will likely become frustrated and hate the book.
Check out this excellent review for more information surrounding the book.
I enjoy satire and hyperbole. They are two of my favorite literary devices and, how do I say this, Toole exaggerates the exaggeration, making the characters (particularly Ignacius) completely off the wall. I also enjoyed the overall movement of the book. It was constructed like a web with all the characters and the plot intertwined or cascading dominoes where each action led to another, an intricately woven story. This is perhaps why it received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. While Toole's failure to publish the novel eventually contributed to his suicide, his mother's perseverance eventually landed the manuscript into the hands of novelist Walker Percy. I mirror his sentiments as I read the book: "In this case I read on. And on. First with the sinking feeling that it was not bad enough to quit, then with a prickle of interest, then a growing excitement, and finally an incredulity; surely it was not possible that it was so good."
I think as long as you can laugh at Ignacius and the other flawed characters, then you will enjoy the book. If you have a hard time laughing at absurdity, then you will likely become frustrated and hate the book.
Check out this excellent review for more information surrounding the book.