Five New Board Books

My Lucky Little Dragon. Joyce Wan. 2014. Scholastic. 14 pages. [Source: Review copy]

You are my lucky little dragon
my clever little snake
my happy little horsey
my snuggly little sheep
my silly little monkey
my chatty little rooster...

You Are My Cupcake by Joyce Wan remains my favorite, favorite, favorite board book. It lends itself so well to singing, and as a song it is practically perfect in every way. I can't say that My Lucky Little Dragon works as a song; it may be possible with effort and imagination, but, as a read aloud, I think it works well enough. Everything about this one is super sweet. And it would probably make a great companion book for those families who loved Wan's previous board books.

My favorite pages? My silly little monkey; my trusty little puppy; my playful little pig.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

Giraffes Can't Dance Number Rumba Counting Book. Giles Andreae. Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. 2014. Scholastic. 12 pages. [Source: Review copy]

One wobbly Gerald tries to find his feet.
Two leaping leopards, skipping to the beat. 
Three high-kicking hyenas, springing through the air.

A fun counting-to-ten concept board book starring oh-so-playful animals with easy-to-turn pages. I liked the eight bold baboons getting in the groove. And I loved the nine cheerful chimps who waltz and jive and prance. The illustrations are just fun!

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

A Big Hug for Little Cub. Lorie Ann Grover. Rosalinda Kightley. 2014. Scholastic. 18 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Morning dawn, I stretch and yawn.
Momma's near, purrs in my ear.
Come, let's play this bright, hot day.
We run free. So much to see. 
Grasses sway. I lead the way.

I liked this sweet and gentle board book starring a lion and cub. It follows parent and child from morning to night. I liked the writing. My favorite bit:

Hear a sound, so we duck down. Momma, now, will show me how. Stalk and pounce. Tumble and trounce. 

It is a pleasant, very pleasant book for sharing with a little one.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

Tickety Toc Count Our Friends! 2014. Scholastic. 12 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I'm sharing another counting book with you today. This counting book only goes through five. It stars the characters from Tickety Toc: Tommy and Tallulah, Hopparoo, McCoggins, Madame Au Lait, Pufferty, and Chikidee. The writing, as you might expect, is not the best. The rhyming is serviceable at best. This board book exists solely because of the TV show.

The pages are easy to turn. And for little ones who do love the TV show, this is a perfectly fine book to put in their hands. But it's not a wonderful read!

Text: 2 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 5 out of 10

How Does Baby Feel? Karen Katz. 2013. Simon & Schuster. 14 pages. [Source: Library]

Baby wants milk and crackers. 
How does baby feel?
Hungry.
Baby gets a tummy tickle?
How does baby feel?
Happy.
Baby is yawning.
How does baby feel?
...

 If you and your little one loved What Does the Baby Say? there's a very good chance you'll both love How Does Baby Feel? Like What Does The Baby Say? (and so many other Karen Katz titles) this one is a lift-the-flap book. Readers are given clues about the text, the answers are revealed under the flaps. It is a simple book to be shared one-on-one at story time. It's a lovely board book.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10


© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The First Dragon (2013)

The First Dragon. The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #7 James Owen. 2013. Simon & Schuster. 304 pages. [Source: Library]

If only I'd had time to reread each and every book in the series before starting this last book, I think it would have made me love it and appreciate it even more. That being said, though it took a few chapters to refresh my memory, I ended up loving this conclusion to the series. I would love to do a reread at some point! I think it would help clarify some things for me, to connect all the little things together.

The book begins with the caretakers in quite a mess. The destruction of the keep has changed everything, threatened everything, and much is lost seemingly forever. The number one priority is recovering three people who have been lost somewhere in time: Charles, Rose, Edmund. But though that is the number one priority for all, it's not easy to agree how to go about a rescue, or even to conclusively say that rescue is possible. At the start of the novel, they have no way at all to travel through time. A few caretakers have ideas, but, essentially if a rescue is to come it will be through experimentation.

A rescue operation might have to be a "secret" operation.

I really enjoyed spending time with these characters again. This one had so many twists and turns, though twists and turns have always, always been a part of this series. It was a very enjoyable read.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Duchess of Drury Lane (2013)

Duchess of Drury Lane. Freda Lightfoot. 2013. Severn House. 256 pages. [Source: Library]

I enjoyed reading The Duchess of Drury Lane. I liked that it was written in first person. This doesn't always work for me, but, in this case it did. Readers meet a young woman who becomes a famous actress on the stage. She was known by several different names in her life, and, I believe at least two or three different stage names. (The book jacket calls her 'Dorothy Jordan' but usually in the text she's Dora.) The first third of the book focuses on her life before discovery. To help her family earn enough money, she became an actress on the stage like her mother before her. She found she could do comedy quite well, and, her singing voice could charm audiences. Unfortunately, unwanted attention from her employer led to pregnancy. When her mother learned the truth, they fled the scene and started new lives elsewhere. Her debts to her old boss were eventually paid, however, by a new employer. The rest of the novel focuses on her successes mostly on stage and her perhaps regrettable choices off stage. She fell for a man who promised marriage but didn't deliver, even after she gave birth to his two children. Eventually, that relationship soured and she was persuaded to become the mistress of the Duke of Clarence. In all fairness, her relationship with William (William IV in later years) could not end with marriage. George III made it almost impossible for his brothers and sisters and sons and daughters to marry. The two lived as if they were married (without official sanction, of course) for almost two decades, I believe. She continued on stage for most of her life. Her income was too necessary for her family, for William and their children, for her children from previous relationships, for her own siblings. This book should prove interesting to anyone with an interest in the theatre during the Georgian era.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Aquifer (2013)

Aquifer. Jonathan Friesen. 2013. Blink. 303 pages. [Source: Library]

I really wanted to love Aquifer. I thought the book started off promising. It had an intriguing start. I was curious about the narrator, Luca. I was interested in learning more about Luca's father, and how these two fit into their society, their community. The unveiling of this world was certainly mysterious enough to keep me reading in the beginning. The part that hooked me, I admit, was Luca going with his friend to the cave and finding the long-thought-lost, definitely-forbidden books. Such a good start led me to hope. Unfortunately, the second half of the novel did not work for me. Luca's quest or Luca's journey (I'm not sure it qualifies as a quest exactly), was troublesome for me in that the further he went, the more confused I became. The plot went from being easy to comprehend to super confusing. If I'd read the book over a series of days or even weeks, I would blame that completely on me, on my attention as a reader. But when you read a book in one sitting?! I don't know that it was completely my fault for not following every twist and turn of the plot. I kept reading because I wanted to see how it ended. And I was able to hold onto threads of the plot enough to make some sense of it. But was it satisfying? Only in part.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

A Corner of White (2013)

A Corner of White. Jaclyn Moriarty. 2013. Scholastic. 375 pages. [Source: Library]

I have mixed feelings on A Corner of White. There were certain things that I just loved about it, mainly the fantasy world, if I'm honest, and there were other things that were just okay for me, some of the characters. It was a book that definitely required patience, always patience. For there would be chapters that were enjoyable enough, and then sections that would drag.

Corner of White is set in two worlds. The "real world" sections focus on Madeleine and her homeschool friends. (It's a bit more complicated than that, and there is romance potential with one of her friends). The fantasy world sections take place in the Kingdom of Cello. These sections, in my opinion, were almost always more entertaining even though they were more confusing at times. Elliot is the hero of these bits. There is a "crack" between these two worlds. Elliot and Madeleine find themselves exchanging letters. Elliot knows the "real world" exists, that the two worlds used to be in communication with one another, that these cracks are not only possible but definitely illegal. Madeleine is condescending in 99% of her letters to Elliot because she assumes his letters are full of lies. She is not a believer in anything fantastical.

It isn't so much that these two are able to "help" one another directly with anything going on in their lives. Madeleine doesn't believe anything he says, and she laughs at his problems, his world. Her letters are her ramblings, not meant to do more than ramble really. Of course, it turns out that her rambles inspire him--literally--in his greatest moment of need. But that wasn't intentional on Madeleine's part. She wasn't being brave and wise on purpose. If his letters help her at all, perhaps they serve as needed reminders that she is not the only person in the world with problems, and that the world does not revolve around her, and that she should, you know, actually think things through and not be so horrible to others.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Risked (2013)

Risked (The Missing #6). Margaret Peterson Haddix. 2013. Simon & Schuster. 320 pages. [Source: Library]

I am still enjoying this series. I don't love all books in this series equally. And I must admit I read these more for plot than character (so unusual for me). But the premise still works for me. Jonah is one of those kids, and readers still don't learn HIS past identity. But Jonah and his non-adopted sister (not a historical kidnap victim) travel to the past once more. This time with Chip and two new kids; kids whom they recognize almost instantly as being Romanovs: Alexei and Anastasia. Yes, this book takes readers to the Russian Revolution, to the very house where the family were murdered... Plot twists, as always, abound. It's a complicated mess that always means increased danger to Jonah and Katherine. But there is something about this series that I can't help loving despite the fact that the books are a bit messy.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Boys in the Boat (2013)

The Boys in the Boat. Daniel James Brown. 2013. Viking. 416 pages. [Source: Library]

Wow! What a book! I knew that I would probably end up loving this one despite my complete lack of interest in sports simply because of the dynamic storytelling. The Boys in the Boat focuses on personalities. It is powerful examination of human resiliency. Readers learn of the nine men on the Olympic team; readers learn of the coaches whose hard work and discipline and instinct, perhaps, led them there; readers learn of the man who made the rowing shells--not just for this one team, but, for so MANY in the rowing program. It's a story spanning a decade or two. Not every team member gets the full treatment, but, what we do learn is so emotionally compelling. It won't come as a big surprise, perhaps, to learn how much I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED learning Joe Rantz's story. But really, the whole book is so good, so worth reading...

Boys in the Boat is nonfiction at its best!!!

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The 100 (2013)

The 100. Kass Morgan. 2013. Little, Brown. 277 pages. [Source: Library]

I read The 100 when I was in a happy and generous mood. I was enjoying the book, for the most part. I was actually liking the multiple points of view. I liked how readers were able to follow the story down on earth AND yet remain to see what happened up on the colony ship as well. I liked how the stories were unfolding. A few plot details I was able to predict. That is not a bad thing, by the way. It can be good OR bad. It can feel satisfying now and then to guess right. It is only when a reader guesses all the plot ahead of time that it becomes too much. Another thing I was mostly enjoying is how flawed all the characters were. Seriously flawed. Big mistakes. Big issues. It was interesting to see the characters relate to one another. To see them come together...or not.

My only hesitation with recommending this one is the ending. The problem I had with this book is that I was enjoying it (perhaps not ABSOLUTELY LOVING it, but still, a good solid enjoy) until I started picking up on Wells mysterious act of "devotion." The ending. Perhaps it fit with the book perfectly. Perhaps there were hundreds of clues indicating the truth. It isn't that I was surprised that Wells did something stupid, it is just that I didn't guess it would be so completely over-the-top ridiculously stupid.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Living (2013)

The Living. Matt de la Pena. 2013. Random House. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]

The Living is a fast read. It's an interesting blend of genres: survival fiction (natural disaster), romance, mystery, horror, AND medical thriller (conspiracies, evil corporations, oh my!).

Shy, the book's hero, is working a summer job on a cruise ship. He's gotten close to a couple of guys and one girl in particular, Carmen. He's fallen hard for her. She's engaged to another guy, a law student. Shy is a mostly good guy who is not out to steal someone else's girlfriend. He's not out to get her to cheat on this guy. He just likes talking to her about anything and everything, no topics are off limits, really. She just really understands him in a way like no one else. On his latest trip, he has the feeling that someone is watching him, in a creepy not-normal way. He's right: someone wants to know EVERYTHING about a certain suicide that Shy witnessed on the last voyage.

Survival on the open sea. Something BIG and catastrophic happens. (A chain of somethings.) Shy is on board a small boat (life boat? raft? one of the two.) with only a very injured business man and a very young, very attractive young woman. Their days on the sea, their fight for survival, creates a bond, despite the fact that these two have zero in common with each other--and outside of this specific situation they'd never speak to one another. Will they survive? Will they reach land? Is help on the way? When does life return to normal again?

The Living is bleak, in a way. The novel is very up front about death. The first death (by suicide) opening in the prologue. The body count just increases from there. It's also extremely action-packed with just a few meaning-of-life conversations thrown in.

It is the first book in a series. I would say it doesn't have a proper end, and that it might best be saved for late summer (or early fall) 2014 so that you only have a few weeks to wait for the next book.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Apprentices (2013)

The Apprentices. Maile Meloy. Illustrated by Ian Schoenherr. 2013. Penguin. 432 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

I still have mixed feelings on both books in this series. (The first book is The Apothecary). On the one hand, there are lovely little historical details in both books that make me want to love these books. (The books are set in the 1950s. The first book was mainly set in England. The second book is set in America and Asia. Multiple locations in Asia.) On the other hand, there is a fantasy element to be dealt with. A fantasy based on science, chemistry, and transformation. Main characters take potions to transform into birds in both books. Main characters take potions to be invisible, etc. In this one, there is a potion or recipe for long-distance telepathy. I found this strange to say the least. One can experience the world through-the-eyes-of-another. I had a hard time comprehending how this works, why this works; it was convenient to the story obviously. But my main issue was how romance factored into it. It just didn't work for me. For example, why does the hero send someone across the ocean to "protect" the heroine from a rival love-interest (a classmate, a waiter). It is like he's refusing to see the actual real threat right in front of his eyes; the truth is that she is in danger, in a dangerous position because she's blinded from real threats as well. But no one is really able to do anything right then and there to take her from the situation because the whole plot depends on her being the bait.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Real Boy (2013)

The Real Boy. Anne Ursu. 2013. HarperCollins. 341 pages. [Source: Library]

I absolutely LOVED Anne Ursu's The Real Boy. This fantasy novel was wonderfully charming. I definitely loved the characters. My favorite being Oscar and Callie, of course. I thought the world-building was wonderful. It was just different enough to be strange and delightful without being overwhelming. I liked discovering the differences between The Barrow and the city of Asteri too. I thought the premise was mysterious and compelling. Secrets. Lies. Monsters. Magic. There are so many reasons to recommend it, but, the most powerful reason of all is Oscar's narrative itself. I think Oscar alone should prove powerful enough to hook readers.

 © 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Bluffton (2013)

Bluffton: My Summer with Buster Keaton. 2013. Candlewick Press. 240 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Bluffton is a graphic novel with a historical setting (1908-1910?). The book focuses on the summer vacations of a young Buster Keaton. These special summer days are told not from his point of view, however, but from a local boy named Henry Harrison who absolutely idolizes the show people.

Henry Harrison is thrilled when a troupe of vaudeville performers settles down to summer near Muskegon, Michigan. There are boys his own age among the troupe. One of these boys is Buster Keaton. Henry had not heard of Buster before, but he becomes mesmerized by his new friend. Buster? Well, he enjoys clowning around and making the local folk laugh now and then, but, mainly he wants to play ball. He wants to play, have fun, relax. He's shown as wanting to pack a whole summer into each and every day. I got the impression that Henry didn't really see things clearly; he saw what he wanted to see: the glamor, the wow.

The story of several summers (and winters) are told through art and dialogue. An epilogue informs readers of Buster Keaton's transition from stage to film.


© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The 5th Wave (2013)

The 5th Wave. Rick Yancey. 2013. Penguin. 457 pages. [Source: Review copy]

The 5th Wave is probably one of the best books I've read this year. It is definitely one of the best science fiction novels I've read this year. Alien Invasion. That alone may be enough to draw some readers in, though I know it won't be enough to draw all readers into this oh-so-compelling story of survival.

The 5th Wave is an intense sci-fi thriller. There are multiple narrators, perhaps with Cassie being the 'main' narrator. Each voice adds something to the book. Together the story they tell is quite unforgettable.

If Cassie has learned one thing since it happened, she's learned not to trust another soul, to see every single person--no matter their age or gender--as a threat to her survival. That is because the alien invasion has taken an oh-so-human twist. One can't discern the enemy, for the enemy might just be the boy next door or a former classmate.

But the truth is Cassie needs desperately to trust someone. It is incredibly difficult to take care of yourself, to survive, when you've been injured. So when Cassie wakes up in someone's house--after a big injury (a gunshot wound, I believe) she is almost forced to relax while she's being nursed back to health. The name of her rescuer is Evan Walker. Cassie will have to decide if he is just as he seems or if he has a couple of secrets...

Readers also meet other characters, for example, Cassie's younger brother, and Cassie's former crush. But The 5th Wave is such a difficult book to write about because it is so very good and because the less you know before you pick it up, the better.

The sequel The Infinite Sea is scheduled to be released in September 2014.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Across A Star-Swept Sea (2013)

Across A Star-Swept Sea. Diana Peterfreund. 2013. HarperCollins. 464 pages. [Source: Library]

I think I enjoyed this one more than the For The Darkness Shows The Stars. The two are companion books. Across A Star-Swept Sea is a futuristic retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel. (In this reimagining, it is THE WILD POPPY; Galatea = France and Albion = England, of course.) Lady Persis Blake was a delightful heroine. I really enjoyed all of her personas. Readers see her as silly, vain, and gossip-driven. Readers see her brave, resilient, strong, and compassionate. Readers also see her doubts and fears, her vulnerability was touching. The romance, I felt, was well done. I thought the book captured the essence of Percy and Marguerite's troubled attraction. I thought the book also went to great lengths to be thought provoking in terms of gender roles and expectations. For example, in Albion women absolutely cannot inherit. So the Regent, Princess Isla, is just standing in for her brother--a mere toddler. Lady Persis also knows that all of her family's wealth will go to her husband; he will rule and manage it all. The world-building is complex, more complex than you might imagine. I would definitely recommend this one!

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Babies, Burglars, and Other Bumps in the Night (2013)

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Babies, Burglars, and Other Bumps in the Night. Lenore Look. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2013. Random House. 183 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

With each book in the series, I find myself liking the series less. In this fifth book in the series, Alvin Ho is dealing with something tragic: the pregnancy of his mother. I had never thought of Alvin Ho as being particularly stupid and/or hard of hearing, yet, when the book opens with his mother nearly nine months pregnant and him acting as if the news is brand new, I lost respect for Alvin. It is not as if this would be his first younger sibling. If that was the only slight issue I had with the book, I wouldn't have found it that bothersome. But what bothered me the most is the "sympathetic pregnancy" of Alvin, the fact that everyone: his mother, his older brother, ALL of his classmates, his teacher, his mom's doctor, everyone teases Alvin about his fat little belly that looks "eight months pregnant." Granted, not every one who mentions Alvin's pregnancy mentions an exact month. But this teasing about his belly, his weight, made me uncomfortable at best. Alvin and his classmates go to the library and read books on pregnancy; they look at pictures and decide amongst themselves how "far along" each boy is based on the size of his belly. It was just very strange. I could understand how children might get confused and misunderstand the language of adults, or the origin of babies in general. But, when Alvin openly walks around saying things like he's about to have a baby, that he obviously believes his "sympathetic pregnancy" is a real pregnancy and there are no adults in his life (or an older brother even) who tells him the truth, well, it just bothered me. Alvin's gullibility even makes him appear foolish ON television. I don't enjoy cringe-worthy books. The humor felt all wrong in this book. I don't really understand why there was a second story about burglary if there wasn't going to be much resolution to it. Alvin is afraid of enough without adding to it.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Book of Lost Things (2013)

The Book of Lost Things. (Mister Max #1). 2013. Random House. 400 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I definitely liked The Book of Lost Things. Perhaps I didn't LOVE it as much as The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, but, it was still a very good read. Mister Max is set in England at the turn of the twentieth century.

Max's parents are famous actors in the theatre. The novel opens with his parents receiving an invitation to go on a special tour. It seems a luxurious offer. Max's grandmother, a librarian, feels the offer is too good to be true. Though she's not allowed to look at the actual invitation or the tickets it contained. Max was to be included in the trip, but, he was to meet his parents at the ship before it departed. When he arrives, quite on time, his parents are gone, the ship has gone too. Or so it appears. In truth, the invitation was a trap. The name of the ship was part of the deception, as was the destination. Max has no idea what happened to his parents. They were able to write a quick note to be given to the "boy on the bicycle" (Max), however, which has a message of sorts for him. So Max is partly on his own, partly under the supervision of his grandmother.

This is NOT a book about Max searching for clues as to what happened to his parents. Max is NOT involved in anyway with that search or research. Once his parents have vanished, well, Max's concerns are mainly economic. This is a book about a somewhat creative boy finding a way to make money while he waits for others to solve the BIG mystery of what happens to his parents. He has two or three little mysteries to solve. And at these little mysteries he excels. These little mysteries might be predictable to adult readers. But despite the fact that adult readers may see how the end will come together, the story itself is enjoyable enough. The book has a handful of interesting characters, Max included.

For readers looking for a quest, a desperate boy willing to risk it all and go on a fantastic journey to find and save his parents, you may be disappointed. But depending on your expectations, you might find yourself surprised by how entertaining it is. 

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures (2013)

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures. Kate DiCamillo. 2013. Candlewick Press. 240 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

What a quirky and lovely book by Kate DiCamillo. I loved the two points of view. I loved the little girl, Flora, and I loved the super-hero squirrel, Ulysses. The writing was just lovely; the story was quite fun and just as odd as I've come to expect from DiCamillo!

It has a great cast of minor characters, particularly both neighbors. Flora's parents are separated and most-probably getting a divorce. Her father's neighbor was great. Her mother's neighbor was great too. I had mixed feelings about Flora's parents. On the one hand, it was oh-so-easy to feel empathy for the father. I am not sure I could find sympathy for the mother. This is in part the fault of the squirrel! The mother is the nemesis of the squirrel. She's out to get him: out to kill him. But there is more to the mother than being a rodent-hater. She's also a writer, a writer of REALLY bad formulaic romances. Flora is at odds with her mother for almost the whole novel, so we see the mother mainly through the eyes of two characters that dislike her: the squirrel and the daughter. There is one confrontation scene that was heartbreaking for me. I felt for the daughter so, so, so much. I could identify with her in that moment. That last poem was oh-so-magical for me.

I would definitely recommend this one!

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Viking: Norse Warrior's Manual (2013)

Viking: The Norse Warrior's (Unofficial) Manual. John Haywood. 2013. Thames & Hudson. 208 pages. [Source: Library]


The world needs more history books like this one. Viking is written in second person present tense. The reader is addressed directly, and the material--though unofficial--blends what you want to know with what you need to know...if you want to become a Viking. The book is set in December 991 AD.

The book is arranged topically.

• Why Become a Viking
• Joining Up
• The Novice Viking's Guide to the Great War Leaders
• Weapons and Tactics
• Going to Sea
• Have Longship, Will Travel
• Life On Campaign
• Battle
• The Spoils of War
• The Sword's Sleep

 I found many sections entertaining and enjoyable. But probably my favorite section to grin about was "Have Longship, Will Travel." In this section, the author rates lands to potentially plunder. The name of each country is given, of course, as well as essential information such as location, inhabitants, key resources, several descriptive paragraphs, and the all-important section describing how hard it is to raid. (England is rated five stars; Ireland three stars). It reads in part:

Rich, green and fertile, England is the destination for the ambitious Viking at the present time. Since 978 England has been ruled by a foolish and unpopular king, Aethelred. (101)

Overall, this one is just a fun, light history book. 

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Two Christmas Books

My Pen Pal, Santa. Melissa Stanton. Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell. 2013. Random House. 32 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

January
Soon after Christmas, Ava wrote a thank-you note to Santa Claus.
Dear Santa,
Thank you for my Christmas presents. I really like them. But why didn't you eat the cookies I left you? Were you full from the cookies at our neighbors' houses? I'm six years old and I go to kindergarten, or did you already know that?
Love, 
your friend Ava

I really loved this picture book. Ava is a little girl that I just adored. She decides to write a thank-you note to Santa. When he replies, the correspondence continues through all twelve months. I loved this premise. Writing letters to Santa in November or December, very common indeed. But to write to him in April and July? It's one thing to write letters to Santa "asking" (or should I say begging?) for gifts. It's quite another to write chatty letters with Santa, to truly become friends.

Dear Ava,
Thank you for the great drawing. People usually don't think of me on Valentine's Day. Well, Mrs. Claus does, of course, and I think of her. I love giving gifts, but it's also nice to receive them. I say Merry Christmas all year long, so....
Merry Christmas!
Santa

It's a cute picture book. I thought Ava was sweet, and I liked reading Santa's replies. I also loved, loved, loved the illustrations.

The Smallest Gift of Christmas. Peter H. Reynolds. 2013. Candlewick. 40 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Roland was eager for Christmas Day. He raced downstairs to see what was waiting for him. But when he saw his present, he was not impressed. It was the smallest gift he had ever seen. Had he waited the whole year for this tiny gift? Roland closed his eyes and hoped and wished as hard as he could for a bigger gift.

Peter H. Reynolds is the author of The Dot, Ish, and Sky Color. I have really loved some of his picture books in the past. They are certainly a little different and a bit unique. But that's a good thing.

The Smallest Gift of Christmas is a tale of greed and selfishness. It's a tale of what happens when wishes come true. The first clue that Roland is more than a little greedy comes early. The illustrations on the first page show that Roland's stocking is ten times the size of the other stockings. He must be expecting great things. So his fit when his gift is oh-so-small isn't that big of a surprise. As Roland learns that his wishes are being granted, his true heart is revealed. He is very greedy indeed!

It's a true tale in that I think Roland is a good example of the I-can-never-ever-get-enough-stuff mindset which is a big problem in society. More, more, more, bigger, better, always wanting, never satisfied.

Roland learns his lesson, as you might expect. As he's searching the universe for the biggest and best present ever, he realizes that earth--his home, his family--are very small, very tiny, and so far away as seen through his telescope. In that moment, he realizes that great things can be "small things." His desire for home is just as real as his prior greed.

I definitely liked this one.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Do you know Pete?

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes. Eric Litwin. Illustrated by James Dean. 2010. HarperCollins. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

Pete the Cat was walking down the street in his brand-new white shoes. Pete loved his white shoes so much, he sang this song:
"I love my white shoes,
I love my white shoes,
I love my white shoes."

I love, love, love, REALLY REALLY love Pete the Cat. He is my kind of cat. You should definitely download the free song(s) as well, so you can really sing right along with the book(s). True, you could make up your own tune, but, the song is so perfectly catchy.

So. Pete the Cat has white shoes which he loves. But, when he steps in some unpleasant things: strawberries, blueberries, a mud puddle, a bucket of water, does Pete cry?! Goodness no! He just keeps on walking and singing his song! Is this a concept book about colors (white, red, blue, brown)? Is this a book teaching necessary coping skills to preschoolers and kids? A bit of both. But. It is also just a really fun, very entertaining story about a groovy cat! I absolutely LOVE the repetition, and the fact that this is a book everyone can participate and join in on!

To get the full experience, watch this video with the narration/song!

Pete the Cat: Rocking In My School Shoes. Eric Litwin. Illustrated by James Dean. 2011. HarperCollins. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

Here comes Pete strolling down the street, rocking red shoes on his four furry feet. Pete is going to school, and he sings this song: I'm rocking in my school shoes, I'm rocking in my school shoes, I'm rocking in my school shoes."

I really liked this one. I loved seeing Pete go to school. I loved seeing him read in his school shoes (the library), eating in his school shoes (the cafeteria), playing in his school shoes (the playground), etc. (There is also singing, painting, adding, and writing). I loved the descriptions of the school environment, the participatory way in which it's written so it gets everyone involved, and most of all the repetition. DOES PETE WORRY? Goodness no!!!

Here is a fan video of the book, I loved seeing the Pete the Cat doll.

Pete the Cat And His Four Groovy Buttons. Eric Litwin. Illustrated by James Dean. 2012. HarperCollins. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

Pete the Cat put on his favorite shirt with four big, colorful, round, groovy buttons. He loved his buttons so much, he sang this song: 
"My buttons, my buttons,
my four groovy buttons.
My buttons, my buttons,
my four groovy buttons."

This one was the first Pete the Cat book I read, and I must say it is probably my favorite. I love, love, love it so much!!! If I Love My White Shoes was "teaching" colors, then Four Groovy Buttons is "teaching" subtraction. For, Pete the Cat loses each of his four buttons one by one. But does Pete cry?! Goodness no! I absolutely love the end of this one!!! And the moral this time: "I guess it simply goes to show that stuff will come and stuff will go. But do we cry? Goodness, NO! We keep on singing."

I'll share two videos this time. One with the HarperCollins narration, and the second of a teacher reading it aloud.

Pete The Cat Saves Christmas. Eric Litwin. Illustrated by James Dean. 2012. HarperCollins. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

Twas the day before Christmas and Santa was ill. In the cold winter wind he had caught a bad chill. Will Christmas be canceled? Will it come to that? "NEVER!" cried Santa. "Let's call Pete the Cat!" Santa asked Pete to deliver the toys to all the good girls and to all the good boys. "I'll do it!" says Pete. "And though I am small, at Christmas we give, so I'll give it my all."

I definitely liked this one! In this adventure, Pete the Cat helps Santa and thereby "saves" Christmas. It's a cute story. Not my favorite from the entire series, but, it's got a redeeming message all the same.

A video read aloud.

Pete the Cat And His Magic Sunglasses. Kimberley and James Dean. 2013. HarperCollins. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

Pete the Cat did not feel happy. Pete had never, ever, ever, ever been grumpy before. Pete had the blue cat blues. Then, as if things were not bad enough, along came Grumpy Toad. Grumpy Toad was never happy! He always wore a frown. But Grumpy Toad was not grumpy today. He said, "These cool, blue, magic sunglasses make the blues go away. They help you see things in a whole new way." Pete put on the cool, blue, magic sunglasses. He looked all around. "Right on! The birds are singing. The sky is bright. The sun is shining. I'm feeling alright!"

If only it were this easy to get rid of bad moods! Pete the Cat has the blues, but, a friend soon shows him a new way of looking at things. Not content to keep this to himself, Pete the Cat is soon helping everyone he meets cheer up. Lots of folks need magic sunglasses....

I enjoy this series very much. This book doesn't have an official song, but, this video gives you a tune to sing with it.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews