Picture Book Review: Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw

Who doesn't remember being a child and getting excited when it was that day of the week that you got to go to the library? Ok still is like that for me as an adult. That day of the week when I was a kid was Saturday. My mom who was also an avid reader would take me ever single Saturday and I always loaded up on books. I always took out the maximum amount that the library would let me and sometimes even convinced the one librarian to let me sneak in one or two more. 

Lola is up bright and early because today is Tuesday and that means she gets to go to the library. Lola loves the library and is ready to get a whole bunch of new books to read.

Let's admit it that all of us bibliophiles can totally relate to Lola. There is nothing more magical than a library/bookstore. All those books and worlds to explore or revisit. It just puts you in such a contented place. I loved seeing a younger child who is excited about reading but isn't one of those advanced readers like Matilda. She is just a normal little girl who loves to read. There is something refreshing in that as a lot of times book lovers are portrayed as reading "the classics" by age 3. Lola reads picture books and she especially reads the ones about things she likes like bears and shoes. 

The illustrations were wonderful and do a great job of portraying just how much Lola loves books. The rapt attention she during the story time reading is obvious.

My favorite part was after the library when her mother has a cappuccino and shares a spoonful of the foam. The reason is that it reminds me of when my stepdaughter was little. She loved it when my husband would give her spoonful of his coffee. She would beg for more. I don't drink coffee so there was none to be had from me. But she didn't mind having a sip or two of my tea. This part just brought up feelings of nostalgia for me.

5 out of 5 stars!

Chapter Book Review: Magic Tree House- Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne

So two weeks ago I get a text message from

my son's new teacher. She let me know that my son had to read a book over the summer. As he has several learning disabilities he is in special education classes. So she wanted all her students to read a book on their level. This is hard as my son doesn't want to read "baby books" but has a rough time with chapter books. He has read a few of Dav Pilkey's books but I wanted him to branch out a bit. So I decided we should give the Magic Treehouse books a shot.

Brother and Sister, Annie and Jack, find a tree house filled with books. Jack makes a wish that has them suddenly whisked back to the time of the dinosaurs. Will they find their way home before dark?

This was a fairly easy to read book though the names of the dinosaurs did trip up my son. He had a fairly easy time keeping up with what was happening in the book and did ask some questions (like what was a magnolia). The chapters were not overly long so it made it easy to read one or two at a time without him becoming overly bored/tired. When I asked him if he liked the book he told me he wasn't sure. I think this had more to do with his problems communicating emotions than having to do with the book itself.

For me I found the book to be fun. I was too old when these books first came out but I have been aware of their popularity. My stepdaughter never read them and this was my first time reading one. I enjoyed the simplicity of it with it not being bogged down in descriptions and world building. It is good for children who are just starting to transition to chapter books. With only 10 chapters it is easy for them to manage.

I look forward to reading more books in the series and hope my son will join me in reading them. 

3 out of 5 stars.

Picture Book Review: Chanticleer and the Fox By Geoffrey Chaucer Illustrated by Barbara Cooney

When I was in college I decided to take a course on Chaucer. Well, let us just say that it was the hardest class I had ever taken. We read Chaucer in Middle English and it may as well have been reading it in a whole other language. If you think Shakespeare is hard to understand try reading Chaucer in Middle English. Chanticleer and the Fox is a retelling of one of Chaucer's tales. To be honest I don't remember reading this tale though I'm sure I did.  This book managed to cover a number of reading challenges I'm doing including The Old School Kid Lit, 1001 children's books, and The Picture book Challenge.

The tale is of a fox luring in a vane Rooster. Using flattery he manages to catch the Rooster. The Rooster uses similar logic to free himself from the fox.

I have never read this book before. I enjoyed the illustrations immensely. I am to understand that the illustrator actually researched artwork of that time. It is reflected in the art style. I love the simple color palettes and it really does make you feel like you are looking at an old tapestry or centuries old book.

The story itself is a good one but honestly I think it may be above the level of some younger children. The writing is not a familiar style to most children so some may struggle to understand it. Though I'm sure there are many who would enjoy it especially with the unique art style.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

So Far Behind

Well January has been a hellish month for me. With my family rotating a stomach virus at the beginning of the month, my husband having a major infection in his leg that led to hospitalization, my mother landing in the hospital, and working extra hours at work for inventory prep....whelp I haven't read a single thing. Nope not a single book or short story. So now I have to play the catch-up game as I'm behind now on a couple of reading challenges. I'm hoping the end of January and all of February will see an improvement in my life. So now I'm gonna pull up them big girl pants and get to it!