Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Margo's Musings: Can a Book Be a Pet?

In celebration of International Picture Book Month we are reviewing a picture book this week instead of a middle grade novel.  

Most kids want a dog or a cat for a pet. Not the smartest boy in Smartytown! He wants a pet that’s “easy”.  He begs his parents, and they agree that he can get a pet book. Oh the excitement of having a pet that doesn’t need to eat or drink, nor will it shed. As an added bonus, the boy can read it and fall into the tales inside the pages. It seems like the perfect pet, until it goes missing. Where can it be? What makes a pet book better than a regular pet? Will the boy and his book be reunited? Enjoy the unique illustrations in this vibrant picture book, which tells the story just as easily as the words do.

Margo picked this out the last time we were at our local bookstore. She loves red and was drawn to the bright colored cover. I think the cover is definitely eye-catching, and I like the way the illustrator draws our eye to the boy walking his pet book. Once we got the book home, Margo was bursting at the seams to start reading it. My Pet Book by Bob Staake is a double treasure because the interesting illustrations hold so many clues. It's a book that an emerging reader could easily tell just from looking at the pictures. Margo cracked up when it mentioned some things that dogs do that a pet book doesn’t (I won’t ruin those parts for you). It's a fun read for kids and book lovers of all ages. By the end of the book I was ready to curl up with one of my favorites and enjoy some one on one book time. The cutest thing was that after we finished reading this one, Margo decided to make one of her books a pet. She strapped our dog’s leash to her book and walked it around the house. Too cute!

Has anyone else read My Pet Book? Or have you read another book written or illustrated by Bob Staake? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Happy reading!
~ F

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Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Answer to Monday's Riddle: Show and Tell!


Excellent guessing, Riddlers! This week, the pictures will tell the story. Lizzy's review will set the scene, and Friday, we'll be whisking you off to the 2014 UCONN Children's Book Fair, so be sure to check back! See you all around the book block. ; ) ~ F

Sometimes pictures do the trick if you need the words to stick. Scenes will show the tales run, sprinkling in visual fun. The letters like to weave along, perhaps in rhyme or as a song. When young eyes see both in tune, they'll eat them up with a silver spoon. Like the bunny, Peter Rabbit, who took a carrot, though told not to grab it or in that place where the things are wild, seen as such by a naughty child. Here, the landscapes cook imagination, and they're seasoned right to bring transformation; carrying along a sense of us and helping to steer the cosmic bus.  

What am I referring to? Answer: Picture Books! 




Make time to riddle and rhyme!
62 original riddles and illustrations 

Available in all e-book formats
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