Tag: cover art

Lauren Child's poodle thoughts

I love Lauren Child’s work. I fell in love with Charlie and Lola when my daughter started watching the series on tv. I think her collage artwork is stunning. So really, I am a huge fan so I was ultra-disappointed when peaceful girl and I settled in to read her latest, Who wants to be a poodle-I don’t!! The front cover definetely drew us in but right in the first few pages we were thrown. Peaceful girl is working very hard to be a reader and it has been her practice of late to read the first few pages of our bedtime books. She had just recently read me a Charlie and Lola book and she felt confident she could read this one. Her little face fell on the very first page of print though as it is written in fancy cursive script and she said so “can’t read that”! Well, we got past that as I pointed out printed sentences she could handle and we did read it together, but it was a struggle. The story line is wonderfully imaginative-really, a poodle who wants to be more daring, what a fabulous idea!! This time though her artwork goes over the top and makes it difficult to find and read the words. Peaceful girl still liked the book and for all Lauren Child’s fans you will also. For an elementary library though I would rate it 3 out of 5 just because students will have difficulty reading it on their own and it won’t make an easy read-aloud for teachers. More accomplished readers will find it fun and challenging.
Synopsis: Trixie Twinkle Toes lives in the lap of luxury, with every creature comfort a manicured paw away. Adored by the glamorous Mademoiselle Bruleé, the little poodle has a maid to plump her pillows and a cook to prepare her nibbles. But Trixie isn’t happy. She doesn’t like the puffing and poofing and preening. She doesn’t like being dressed in little pink ponchos. She wants to be dazzlingly dangerous and daring. She wants to step in puddles! With a witty text that scampers across the pages and hilarious mixed-media illustrations, Lauren Child offers a one-ofa-kind treat — sure to entice both spirited little readers and deeply devoted dog-lovers alike.
Peaceful Reading…

Ghost stories

I’ve never been a fan of scary stories because I get scared easily, really! The cover of The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein (2008) intrigued me as well as the title-everyone’s been at a crossroads before in their life. The inside flap says this:

Meet Zack Jennings. Average kid. He has a hard-working father.
A new stepmother. A new house. Even a new dog, Zipper.

Things are looking up for Zach.
Except there is this ghost. This really nasty ghost.

A ghost who kills
people.

And Zach is on his list.

Wow! Just reading that creeps me out. I had to give it a try though-I had ordered it for my school library based on the reviews but I had to see if it was good scary or just too much!! I was not disappointed and I pleasantly have not had any nightmares involving Zach or his ghosts.

Zach and his dad live in NYC and they are getting ready to move out of the city away from their memories of Zach’s chain-smoking mom, who seemed fairly evil in Zach’s flashback memories of her. Now Zach’s dad is remarrying a lively, young children’s author and moving to Connecticut. Zach is already freaked out cuz’ he thinks his mom is haunting him so when weird stuff starts happening in CT it just seems like normal now. The back plot of the story is this 50-year-old tragedy involving a bus load of folks, a creep in a Thunderbird and a bitter old woman, who thinks she owns the town. This tale is intricatilly-woven and a joy to read-even the haunting parts just because you want Zach to make it through all this. He has a happy life waiting for him. As I poked around Chris Grabenstein’s home page I noticed a sequel is out, The Hanging Hill. I’m going to put it on my Christmas list!! Click here for more Chris Grabenstein information.
P.S. Another great thing about this book is there is a friendly librarian character (Mrs. Emerson) who helps solve the mystery! Grabenstein adds many happy references to how helpful librarians, libraries are to everyone like this one:
“What do you know about the greyhound bus accident of June 21, 1958?” (asks Judy)
“I know how to find out more. After all, dear, I am a librarian.” (says Mrs. Emerson) p. 164
Ever so helpful, those librarians!!
Be Peaceful-Michelle
Peaceful Reading…