To finish the literacy update, I chose to keep the easy ones for the end
I talked to my cousin recently, and she was telling me that her daughter, who is about to turn seven, has experienced a serious spurt in book love. She has surpassed her reading level, and my cousin was discussing the need for more advanced, still appropriate books. As I thought about it, I realized, there are so many excellent books in the childrens section! Fortunately for me, this young reader's birthday is coming up, which is a perfect excuse to buy her the delights of my childhood. I bought them, and then... they sat there, just staring at me, asking me, "Are you really going to send us away without a read?" And of course, I couldn't say no! I hope the my first cousin once removed doesn't mind that I took a run through her books, but it seemed a shame to send her books that I could only vaguely remember the plot of.
The first was actually a new book to me: Good Job, Kanani by Lisa Yee. It is an American Girl book about a modern day girl living in Hawaii (Actually, this series is part of the American Girl Today section). It is the second book in the series, which I got because, my little cousin has already devoured the 1st one, and I remember how longingly I waited for the next book in each American Girl series I read. Apparently, in the first book, Kanani's cousin from New York came to visit, and while she was there they rescued a Hawaiian seal, which is an endangered species. In Good Job, Kanani Kanani has decided to raise money to protect the seals, and raise awareness, by running her Dad's snow cone cart with her best friend, Celina. Celina has her heart set on learning to surf with Kanani this summer. Kanani is not very good, and quite honestly, surfing scares her. Then a new girl, Jo, who is good at surfing enters the picture, and begins surfing with Celina. The strains cause the girls to pull apart, but neither friend is willing to discuss it, and so the chasm grows. I enjoyed the story, and it held the same feel that the American Girl books did that I grew up on. At first, I was disappointed that it was not a historic story, as I didn't feel there would be much education available in a modern day story aside from "be nice to your friends" but the book held a lot of information about the Hawaiian culture, which impressed me. Of course, everything ends happily and leaves the reader with the insatiable "I can do anything" sort of optimism, both of which hold true to the American Girl genre I know. While it isn't a book I suggest adults rush out and buy or else miss out on something amazing, it also isn't a book I would say "Don't do it" about. It was good, it held my interest, and it was quick. If the adult had a young friend looking for reading material, it would provide an opportunity for the young friend to feel like they had a common topic of interest to discuss with the adult. My Granny used to read books at my reading level, especially my American Girl books, and having those books available to discuss as equals and sharing "inside" jokes from the stories were real bond builders for us. (Think this review is rivaling the length of the book!)
The second book is one of my childhood favorites: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald. I could make the longest review on this book, simply because of the love I have held for it, and its following series since early childhood. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside down house, and has a hump on her back which children think holds all of her magic, she lets children dig for buried treasure in her backyard, and little girls brush and braid her long hair for as long as they want, and wears the hairstyle all day, afterward. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle loves children as real, legitimate people, rather than just second class people who might grow up into legitimate people, and she sees the good in even the worst of children, because according to her, bad behaviors are either just a disease or a bad habit, both of which can be cured. Her methods for curing these behaviors are clever, and always shocking to parents, but they always work. Each book, including the first one, is a series of 4-5 stories about different kids and their behaviors, and each story has interlinking details from another story. For example, Violet, in the story about Henry and his behavioral problem, is very well behaved, but we all know that two stories ago, she had a horrible temper tantrum disease, and in another story, we will see that Henry is quite well behaved while Dick suffers the never-sharing habit. It allows for the underlying thought that while everyone can succumb to bad behavior, it doesn't mean they are bad to the core. Truly, in each story, there really is no actual bad guy, just another kid who needs a lesson. I read portions of it out loud to my Mom, and two teenage siblings, and it had all of us, at one point or another, in giggles. It is just plain good stuff. If you haven't read it, or haven't read it in a while, pick it up!
And third: Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary. I had so much fun reading this book. When I read it as a child, I remember siding with Beezuz, because Ramona was such a problem while her sister was trying so hard. To be honest, I still mostly sided with Beezus. The difference is, this time, the trouble Ramona caused was so funny! When I was younger, the trouble Ramona caused was not cute or funny, but serious business, because as an older sister, I knew for a fact that the older sister would be getting in trouble for the younger sister's trouble. This read, I couldn't believe how cute and funny it was. I was torn, rooting for both Beezuz and Ramona. The only thing that I am sad about is that I didn't buy the whole Beverly Cleary series for my young cousin, because now, I would really like to read the rest of them! Again, if you haven't read this book yet, rush to the store and start it while you wait in line to pay for it! If you read it a long time ago, read it again, it's good for the soul!
And that my blogfriends, is my conclusion of story corner, and the end of April's Literacy report. Now, I really need to get going on May's reading, or there will be very little to report then!
The first was actually a new book to me: Good Job, Kanani by Lisa Yee. It is an American Girl book about a modern day girl living in Hawaii (Actually, this series is part of the American Girl Today section). It is the second book in the series, which I got because, my little cousin has already devoured the 1st one, and I remember how longingly I waited for the next book in each American Girl series I read. Apparently, in the first book, Kanani's cousin from New York came to visit, and while she was there they rescued a Hawaiian seal, which is an endangered species. In Good Job, Kanani Kanani has decided to raise money to protect the seals, and raise awareness, by running her Dad's snow cone cart with her best friend, Celina. Celina has her heart set on learning to surf with Kanani this summer. Kanani is not very good, and quite honestly, surfing scares her. Then a new girl, Jo, who is good at surfing enters the picture, and begins surfing with Celina. The strains cause the girls to pull apart, but neither friend is willing to discuss it, and so the chasm grows. I enjoyed the story, and it held the same feel that the American Girl books did that I grew up on. At first, I was disappointed that it was not a historic story, as I didn't feel there would be much education available in a modern day story aside from "be nice to your friends" but the book held a lot of information about the Hawaiian culture, which impressed me. Of course, everything ends happily and leaves the reader with the insatiable "I can do anything" sort of optimism, both of which hold true to the American Girl genre I know. While it isn't a book I suggest adults rush out and buy or else miss out on something amazing, it also isn't a book I would say "Don't do it" about. It was good, it held my interest, and it was quick. If the adult had a young friend looking for reading material, it would provide an opportunity for the young friend to feel like they had a common topic of interest to discuss with the adult. My Granny used to read books at my reading level, especially my American Girl books, and having those books available to discuss as equals and sharing "inside" jokes from the stories were real bond builders for us. (Think this review is rivaling the length of the book!)
The second book is one of my childhood favorites: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald. I could make the longest review on this book, simply because of the love I have held for it, and its following series since early childhood. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside down house, and has a hump on her back which children think holds all of her magic, she lets children dig for buried treasure in her backyard, and little girls brush and braid her long hair for as long as they want, and wears the hairstyle all day, afterward. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle loves children as real, legitimate people, rather than just second class people who might grow up into legitimate people, and she sees the good in even the worst of children, because according to her, bad behaviors are either just a disease or a bad habit, both of which can be cured. Her methods for curing these behaviors are clever, and always shocking to parents, but they always work. Each book, including the first one, is a series of 4-5 stories about different kids and their behaviors, and each story has interlinking details from another story. For example, Violet, in the story about Henry and his behavioral problem, is very well behaved, but we all know that two stories ago, she had a horrible temper tantrum disease, and in another story, we will see that Henry is quite well behaved while Dick suffers the never-sharing habit. It allows for the underlying thought that while everyone can succumb to bad behavior, it doesn't mean they are bad to the core. Truly, in each story, there really is no actual bad guy, just another kid who needs a lesson. I read portions of it out loud to my Mom, and two teenage siblings, and it had all of us, at one point or another, in giggles. It is just plain good stuff. If you haven't read it, or haven't read it in a while, pick it up!
And third: Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary. I had so much fun reading this book. When I read it as a child, I remember siding with Beezuz, because Ramona was such a problem while her sister was trying so hard. To be honest, I still mostly sided with Beezus. The difference is, this time, the trouble Ramona caused was so funny! When I was younger, the trouble Ramona caused was not cute or funny, but serious business, because as an older sister, I knew for a fact that the older sister would be getting in trouble for the younger sister's trouble. This read, I couldn't believe how cute and funny it was. I was torn, rooting for both Beezuz and Ramona. The only thing that I am sad about is that I didn't buy the whole Beverly Cleary series for my young cousin, because now, I would really like to read the rest of them! Again, if you haven't read this book yet, rush to the store and start it while you wait in line to pay for it! If you read it a long time ago, read it again, it's good for the soul!
And that my blogfriends, is my conclusion of story corner, and the end of April's Literacy report. Now, I really need to get going on May's reading, or there will be very little to report then!
Perhaps you can give your young cousin once removed more of the Ramona series for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteLinda T. from OC
@Linda T.
ReplyDeleteCan I give them to her as Christmas presents in July? :-)