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Not So Tall for Six
by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Frank W. Dormer
Charlesbridge (February 2008)
ISBN-10: 1570917051, ISBN-13: 978-1570917059
My rating: 
At times like this a sneaky thought tip-tippity-two-steps across Kylie Bell's brain. She is so tall, the ground rumbles like a mighty oil gusher when she runs. She is so tee-totally-tall, big kids can play hopscotch in her shadow.
She is so positively giraffelike, she gets a permanent crick in her neck from looking down at teh tops of her friends' heads. Sigh.
--Not So Tall For Six by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Frank W. Dormer, p. 8.
Six-year-old Kylie Bell is the not-so-tallest in her first grade class. Sometimes it gets her down when she can't see past people's heads or reach the fountain--but she never lets it get her down for long. Instead, she pulls up tidbits of wisdom from her family, who are all not-so-tall like her, and reminds herself that, like her family (and their motto0, she is brave, smart, and big of heart. When a bully starts taunting her about her size, Kylie draws on those qualities to stop the bully, and make friends with him. Not So Tall for Six is a book with heart. It shows that height doesn't matter, and that acts of kindness can sometimes reach a bully, and make a bully into a friend.
Aston (Mama's Wild Child/Papa's Wild Child; An Egg Is Quiet) opens the book with great humor, in the way that Kylie describes herself--the not-so-tallest one in first grade. This creative way of describing being short is used throughout the book, which should help kids who are less than average height with their self image, and give them a way to reframe it. Aston vividly captures the feeling of being short, through the things that upset Kylie (not being able to see past people's heads, not being able to reach the fountain when others can), and through her intense daydreaming and desire to be taller than anyone, in fantasy levels, after she's teased for being short. Not So Tall for Six shows that kids can be teased and put down for their height, or lack of height, just like any difference, and may provide validation for some readers, and increased sensitivity for others.
Kylie is a strong girl character; she stands up to the bully, draws on her inner resources to act with integrity, and knows her own strengths. She's also likable, kind-hearted, and an easy-to-relate-to character, since most people have wanted to fit in and be accepted (or not made fun of) at one point or another. Because the reader cares, it's uplifting when Kylie triumphs in the end--most especially that she stops the bully behavior, but also that she feels tall for a while.
Read the entire review here.
Monkey With a Tool Belt
by Chris Monroe
Carolrhoda Books/Lerner (March 2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8225-7631-0
My rating:
Chico is a monkey with a tool belt.
He is quite handy with tools. He builds and fixes all sorts of things.
All his tools fit on his belt.
Every day, Chico builds or fixes something for his friends and family.
He is very creative.
--Monkey With a Tool Belt by Chris Monroe, p. 3-7.
Chico Bon Bon is a monkey who loves to design and build things for other animals--a dock for ducks, a go-kart for skunks, and much more. He wears his tool belt wherever he goes, and he loves his tools. Then one day Chico gets kidnapped by an organ grinder who wants to use him in his act. Chico is transported in a box to the man's trailer. Once inside, Chico peers out through a hole, assesses the situation, waits for his chance, and then uses his tools to escape back to his home, where he dreams about what he'll build the next day.
Monroe has created an entertaining book about a self-reliant, fast-thinking monkey who rescues himself from his own kidnapper--which is as far away from Curious George as you can get. Monkey with a tool belt promotes good values, while being fun.
Munroe's text at times feels choppy, especially in the first few pages; it moves from short, bald statements to longer, more involved sentences with some words that may be new to young readers. This discrepancy felt somewhat off-kilter to me. Some sentences also seemed to be written just for the illustrations, such as to show the tools on his belt, and didn't feel, story-wise, finely crafted--though they still worked within the story and should hold reader interest.
Read the whole review here!
Jane and the Dragon
by Martin Baynton
Candlewick (February 2007)
ISBN-10: 0763635707, ISBN-13: 978-0763635701
My rating:
Jane hated sewing. Every morning she sat with her mother practising her stitches, and every morning she gazed down at the knights practising their swordplay in the courtyard below.
Jane longed to be a knight. Nothing else would do, and she told her mother so.
Her mother laughed. "Such foolishness," she said. "You will be a lady-in-waiting. Perhaps, like me, you will become a lady-in-waiting to the Queen herself."
Jane was very upset. But she was determined to be a knight and she went to tell her father.
Her father laughed. "What nonsense," he said. "Only boys can become knights."
--Jane and the Dragon by Martin Baynton, p. 1-3.
Jane wants to be a knight, not a lady-in-waiting like her mother is training her to be. But everyone she tells laughs at her and tells her she can't do it--except the Jester, who has a secret wish to be a knight but is too short and not brave enough. The Jester gives her his custom-built armor, and Jane practices in secret. Then one day, when all the knights are away at a jousting carnival, the prince is kidnapped by a dragon. Jane rushes off after the dragon to save the prince. She fights the dragon, then befriends him, and brings the prince home safely. When she removes her helmet, and everyone sees who she really is, people are shocked at first, but then supportive of Jane. Jane gets the king to agree that she will become a knight, with every Saturday off to visit the dragon. This is a strong, sweet story about following your heart, bravery and strong girls, fighting sexism and stereotypes, and doing what feels right to you. This is an important book for both girls and boys to read. . . .
Read the whole review here!
My Cat Copies Me
by Yoon-duck Kwon
Kane/Miller Book Publishers (March 2007)
ISBN-10: 193360526X, ISBN-13: 9781933605265
My rating:
When I get scared, I hide under my blanket, and my cat hides with me. She snuggles in, and purrs. My friend, my cat, copies me.
But from now on . . .
. . . I will copy my cat!
Like my cat, I'll look outside. I'll watch the darkness, and I won't be afraid.
--My Cat Copies Me by Yoon-duck Kwon, p. 15-19.
A shy, lonely, somewhat timid little girl spends most of her time with her cat, playing in a withdrawn kind of way, thinking how her cat copies her--until one day the girl decides to copy her cat. All through this change of perspective, the girl becomes more outgoing, less afraid, and makes new friends.
Kwon's (Excited Alone!) brief text moves from scene to scene as the girl and her cat play together, at first the cat copying the girl, and then the girl copying the cat. There is a wry humor to this, as the things that the girl insists the cat is copying her on, are things that are natural for cats to do, and that she has clearly picked up on from her cat--tunneling under newspaper, hiding in closets, watching bugs. Readers will want to turn the page to see what new activity the girl and cat are engaged in together. . . .
Read the whole review here!
Ella, Of Course!
by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Doug Cushman
Harcourt Children's Books. (April 2007)
ISBN-10: 0152049436, ISBN-13: 9780152049430
My rating:
Ella was a problem solver. When one of Aunt Mozelle's favorite earrings fell down the drain, who do you suppose got it out with a high-heeled shoe and a wad of bubblegum?
Ella, of course.
When Ella's little brother's pet frog, Sylvio, escaped and interrupted the neighbor's Hawaiian pool party, who do you suppose got him back with the help of a spaghetti strainer and a curtain rod?
Ella, of course.
--Ella, Of Course! by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Doug Cushman, p. 1-3.
Ella, a young problem-solver pig, LOVES her brand new umbrella and the satisfying "whoosh-click" sound it makes when she opens it. She loves it so much she takes it with her everywhere, but soon she's causing problems instead of solving them. And then she has a problem of her own that she must solve. Readers will enjoy Ella's highly creative solutions to the problems, as well as the laugh-out-loud problems that she creates by startling others with her new umbrella. Ella is a likeable character; she's innovative, intelligent, sure of herself, and doesn't hesitate to take action or try to solve a problem. . . .
Read the whole review here!
Guji Guji
by Chih-Yuan Chen
Kane/Miller Book Publishers, 2004.
ISBN: 1929132670
My rating:
A rather odd-looking duckling hatched from the fourth egg. "Guji Guji," he said, and that became his name.
Mother Duck taught her four ducklings how to swim, how to dive and how to waddle.
Guji Guji always learned more quickly than the others. He was bigger and stronger, too.
--Guji Guji, by Chih-Yuan Chen, p. 6-8.
A large egg rolls into Mother Duck's nest, but she doesn't notice (she's busy reading). When the eggs hatch, she doesn't seem to notice how different he is—crocadile-like. She loves all her 'ducklings' the same. Guji Guji grows bigger and stronger than his siblings. One day, three mean crocodiles tell Guji Guji that he is just like them—a crocodile—instruct him in how to be a duck-eating crocodile, and pressure him into betraying his duck family. Guji Guji realizes he's not a duck—but he's not a mean crocodile, either. He finds a way to save his family, and to be who he is, no matter what he looks like or who others think he is.
This sweet, encouraging story is a great read that both entertains and encourages readers . . . .
Read the whole review here!
Princess SmartyPants
by Babette Cole
Putnam/Penguin, 2005 (reprint). ISBN: 0399243984
My rating:
Princess Smartypants did not want to get married. She enjoyed being a Ms.
Because she was very pretty and rich, all the princes wanted her to be their Mrs.
Princess Smartypants wanted to live in her castle with her pets and do exactly as she pleased.
"It's high time you smartened yourself up," said her Mother the Queen. "Stop messing about with those animals and find yourself a husband!"
--Princess Smartypants, by Babette Cole, p. 1-5.
Princess Smartypants doesn't want to get married; she wants to live with her pets (large monsters) and do whatever she wants. But suitors keep coming because she's pretty and rich, and her parents are pressuring her to marry—so Princess Smartypants sets some tasks for the princes that require great courage, intelligence, and skill (rescuing her from a glass tower while a monster looks on, gathering firewood from a forest of live trees that run). All the princes fail, except smug Prince Swashbuckle, who seemed determined to marry her. Princess Smartypants didn't want that, so she turned him into a toad, and was left alone from then on.
Cole's laugh-out-loud story is a rollicking good time with an important message—that girls can be just as, if not more, brave, intelligent, and independent than boys. . . .
Read the whole review here!
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