Oh Bother! Someone’s Fighting (1997)

    Oh Bother!  Someone’s Fighting (1997) by Nikky Grimes is a Golden Books publication based on the Pooh stories by A.A. Milne. Eeyore is moving a pile of thistles back-and-forth and back-and-forth. “It wasn’t a very interesting way to spend an afternoon but then your head nothing better to do." Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, and Pooh give Eeyore advice about how to spend time. Of course, their opinions reflect their own preferences. Unfortunately, Tigger and Rabbit fight over what's best for Eeyore. Piglet saves the day with a suggestion the everyone can enjoy. It might have been nice refocus on Eeyore.  An adult could explicitly point out this alternate solution: What would Eeyore like to do? "'Does anybody want to know what I--' began Eeyore, but he never finished hs sentence. Tigger and Rabbit were so busy arguing wth each other, they forget that Eeyor was even there." Children may empathize with Eeyore's problem of being told what they should like to do.

     Jamie Harmon has Poster: Eeyor Quote.  Meet the Needs has Eeyore File Folder Games. Brilliant Pathways Enterprises has a Winnie the Pooh Craft.

 

James Bear's Pie (1992)

     James Bear's Pie (1992) by Jim Latimer is cuisine for the cook and the chemist. Bear is tired of eating grass. His friend Skunk suggests he make a pie. Crow has an oven; however, Crow isn't available to supervise Bear's cooking. When Skunk leaves to find ingredients, Bear is left alone to make his hilarious mistake. Betsy Franco-Feeney illustrates Bear as earnest and perplexed by a recipe, which may mirror children's experiences. Bear doesn't recognize his mistake throughout the entire story. He's elated with the results of his baking and will never go back to meals of alfalfa. Even though Skunk reveals the blunder, she doesn't completely explain it, so children will need to learn about yeast. The drama isn't frightening. The setting is an old stone bakery with shelves of ingredients, many of which are spilling. Messiness is another quality readers may relate to.  Bear's satisfaction with his pie is palpable. I was dismayed by the poor review of this book on Goodreads. I found it delicious.

     Imperfectly Primary has How to Bake a Pie, Sequence Primary Writing. Audrey Baldwin has No Bake Pumpkin Pie Recipe. Not Your Speech Teacher has Baking a Pie Verb Exemplars. 

 

Now I Will Never Leave the Dinner Table (1996)

      Now I will never leave the dinner table (1996) by Jane Reed Martin and Patricia Marx, and illustrated by Roz Chast has a familiar theme; Patty Jane Pepper has many complaints about her perfect older sister. It's interesting to see how different authors work with classic topics like this one. Joy, the older sister, is babysitting during dinner time, demanding that Patty Jane eat her spinach. Patty Jane takes this opportunity to describe how she feels about her sister: Joy doesn’t like to have fun, has invented 17 ways to cook spinach, eats candy with a fork, folds her shirts neatly, and tattletales on Patty Jane. 

     Patty Jane imagines all kinds of possible responses to her sister. For example, if Joy were to move up the street to live with a stern older couple, Patty Jean would throw all the neatly folded shirts out the window to assist with the move, rent out Joy's diary for two dollars a day, and eat all her dessert. Patty Jean's solution is foreshadowed early in the story when she figures out a way to eat her spinach.  Then, she changes her mind. "Perhaps it would be best for everyone if I allow Joy to remain here." This ending feels too easy.

      I like Roz Chast's use of mugshots to describe Joy and I like the format variations; sometimes an illustration is a full page, sometimes it’s framed; sometimes there’s a couple of illustrations on each page; and there's a two-page spread. Her illustration of Patty Jean's gum keychain collection feels out of character. The book is another option for children with "perfect" older sisters.

     

 

A Fine, Fine School

      When I saw the names Sharon Creech and Harry Bliss on the cover, I expected a masterpiece. But A Fine, Fine School  (2001) was just OK. The insights and surprises I love about Creech's middle grade stories did not appear in this repetetive and predictable text. She does communicate a valuable message: too much school precludes the essential learning that takes place beyond the classroom. Furthermore, "No one knew how to tell Mr. Keene that." Mr. Keen is the dedicated principal of a fine, fine school. But his position of power prevents people from disagreeing with him. Sound familiar? This is unfortunate, because Mr. Keen does listen when a student, in a kind and respectful manner, challenges his decisions. Perhaps he would have listened if someone had spoken up sooner. 

     Marcy Boatman has A Fine Fine School for Journeys. The Learning Beach has Vocabulary Powerpoint: A Fine, Fine School.  Teaching Tomorrow Story has A Fnie, Fine School Digital Vocabulary Supplement.

*Bunny Cakes (1997)

      Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells (1997) is another example of her genius, in my opinion. How does she capture powerful messages in the simplest of stories? Her compassion and insight compel me to grab for her books. In this story, it's grandma's birthday. Little Max makes grandma an earthworm cake. But older sister Ruby says, "'No, Max . . . We are going to make Grandma an angel surprise cake with raspberry-fluff icing.'" Let the repetition begin. Max's repeated blunders sends him to the store to replace what he's destroyed in the making of the angel surprise cake. And yet, these repeated trips to the store include novelty and purpose. We cheer on Max in his dogged pursuit. We watch the evolution of line on paper. The story celebrates Ruby and Max equally. Wells' colorful illustrations are closeups that make us smile at every page and we finish the book feeling happy and inspired. 

     Triplets plus One has Bunny Cakes Comprehension Activities. Junior Kindergarten DAyZ has Bunny Cakes Literacy Activity. 

      

The Cable Car and the Dragon (1972)

      The Cable Car and the Dragon by Herb Caen (1972) is a pleasant story about a cable car in San Francisco named Charlie. The narrator is a man who rides Charlie almost every day. He provides a brief history of life before Andrew Hallidie invented the cable car in 1873, before we meet Charlie. He describes how he rides Charlie up steep hills and down valleys, past buildings big and little, through ethnic neighborhoods, and then, "Just when you think you're going to go right into the water, the cable car suddenly turns into a pretty little park, and that's the end of the line." While riding the cable car all alone one night, the man talks with Charlie. "I think I'm getting a little old for the job," Charlie says, and, "I'm not having any FUN." When Charlie and the man pass a Chinese New Year's parade, the cable car jumps the tracks to see the giant Chinese dragon. The dragon is thrilled to meet Charlie and sneaks off to ride the cable car. Of course, some drama ensues. The cover art by Barbara Ninde Byfield invited me to pick up the book. Her illustrations are part of the fun of this fiction.

     Patty Fernandez Artist has Let's Draw a Cable Car! Drue's ESL has San Francisco City Profile.

   

The Island of the Skog (1973)

      In The Island of the Skog (1973) by Steven Kellogg,  a small band of oppressed mice sail to a new land in search of peace and freedom. Their ship goes off course; nevertheless, they arrive at their intended destination and claim ownership of the land. The beginning of this story has a hauntingly familiar historical echo. Bouncer, the voice of militancy, overrides the other mice and advances upon the Island of Skog by assaulting it with cannonballs. This approach almost ends in tragedy. "If only we had talked to each other," says Jenny, the voice of peace. When their fearful delusions dissolve into reality, even Bouncer reappraises the situation.  The ending of this story may prompt debate in older students  who are willing to read this mouse tale as allegory.

     My Picture Book Talk lesson for this story is here.