Category: Book Reviews

Book Review: Goldilocks And The Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems

Oh this book. I love this book. It makes me laugh, out loud, a lot. With as many books as Mo Willems puts out with his beloved Knuffle Bunny series, Pigeon books, Elephant and Piggie readers, Cat the Cat, and many moreā€¦ I always think I’m going to tire of his humor. But no, once again just last year, Mo added more delight to the bookshelves with this hilarious, reinvented fairytale. This is Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs, retold by Mo Willems, 2012.

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Book Review: The Wizard of Oz By L. Frank Baum & Lisbeth Zwerger

Last night, I was discussing The Wizard of Oz with a dear friend and decided it was high time I post about one of my favorite illustrators, beginning with her version of that classic story. I’m guessing most people are familiar with the 1939 film version, The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland. It has garnered a lot of love, references, and little girls wearing ruby slippers over the years. It is a lovely film and I dare not criticize it as many, including myself, enjoy it heartily (except that the real slippers were silver, not ruby!). The original story however was published in 1900 and is quite different from the Hollywoodified version the public at large has come to know. Written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated (masterfully!) by W. W. Denslow, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a great success and brought thirteen sequels over the course of Baum’s life. The book has been recreated many times with various illustrators, but none have captured my imagination so deeply as this version. So here we have The Wizard of Oz, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger in 1996.

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Book Review: My Red Umbrella By Robert Bright

Whew! What a day Monday was with all the amazing children and adolescent book awards. I sat glued to my computer for the hour broadcast and it is better than the Oscars for this book loving nut. I laughed, teared up, tweeted and cheered. If you haven’t seen the results, here is the official Caldecott announcement. Jon Klassen took the Caldecott for This Is Not My Hat (which I don’t own yet!) and he also received an honor for Extra Yarn. He is the second person in 75 years of awards to take the Caldecott and an honor within the same year. Hooray! (Leonard Weisgard is the other illustrator to accomplish this feat and that was back in 1947 when he won for The Little Island, and Rain Drop Splash received an honor.)

There were many other awards as well, some of which I know nothing about (sadly!). But I was excited to hear about Mo Willems Let’s Go For a Drive winning a Geisel Honor (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss). I already have several other winners on hold at the library that I haven’t seen yet, so I’ll be sure to pass along the word if I become enamored with one.

With all the awards and 2012 wrap up behind us, I’m itching to talk vintage books again as well as new ones. As the east coast is getting pummeled with rain right now, my mind got fixed on this cute little red book from 1959. So here is My Red Umbrella, by Robert Bright.

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