Book Review - Day & Night

Author/Illustrator: Teddy Newton
Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 4, 2010)
Ages: 4 to 8 year olds
Source: From Publisher for Review
Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5

Description from GoodReads:

Day meets Night and Night meets Day in this delightful picture book based on the Pixar short, Day & Night, which premiered with Toy Story 3 in 2010. Kids will delight in the way these two characters explore their differences and eventually realize how much they like and enjoy each other. A wonderful way to experience the magic of this Pixar short again and again and—rejoice in the attraction of opposites!

I first became aware of Day & Night through the animated short which aired prior to TOY STORY 3.  The animated short was entertaining.  Watching the interactions between the two characters was humorous.  Consequently, I was expecting to really love the book as much as I did the animated version.  Yet, I am not certain that I did love it as much as the video version.

This is definitely one of those books where the cover and packaging produces an automatic favorable impression.  The black cover, bold white lettering, slick glossy cover, heavy-weight paper - of course it is going to be great.  The text and the ability of the printed format to carry the book to another level should be ensuring success.  However, despite all of those really cool and positive things, I was feeling only so-so when I finished reading it.  

Is this a case where the animated version causes the reader to expect something different?  I know I always say that the book is better than the movie but that is because I typically read the book before the movie.  In this case, I saw the "movie" prior to the book.  Did it spoil the book for me?  Honestly, I don't know.  All I do know is that even after a few read throughs, the book was okay - fun but not necessarily stellar.  

I will say that I enjoyed how Day & Night shared special abilities each one had with one another.  I felt that their message that their uniqueness plus the ability to overlap (even for short times) was part of an important message for young readers.  Along with the sense that they each have a part of the other one with them at all times.  


Will children enjoy looking at the illustrations and flipping through the pages?  Yes.  Will I share the book with my students.  Yes.  Will they like it?  Probably so.  Despite some minor concerns with the book, it is still a book that I would suggest to teachers to check out.
  
-Aly

Book Review - A Long Piece of String

Author/Illustrator: William Wondriska
Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 25, 2010)
Ages: 4 to 8 years old
Source: Publisher for review
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Description from GoodReads:

Look! A long piece of string. Let's follow it! Stunning in both its boldness and simplicity, this rediscovered classic by distinguished graphic designer William Wondriska, originally published in 1963, leads readers on a clever journey of discovery and delight.

There truly is a simplicity with this book that moves it into a whole other category. When I first held Wondriska's A Long Piece of String in my hands, I sensed this was something unique. As I turned the pages, I was greeted by a wordless story told basically by a piece of black string that leads the reader through a journey of illustrations. Each picture represents a different letter of the alphabet with this dark inky thread tying it together.

The simplicity of this re-issued 47 year old book is also in the dichromatic pages contrasting black string with orange-red illustrations. I couldn't help but chuckle at some of the depictions. A skeleton key for the letter K, or the old gas station for the letter G. However, most of the other pictures really stand the test of time. The jet plane looks remarkably similar to it's present day counterpart, and an alligator is still an alligator.

For those individuals who particularly enjoy collecting alphabet books, I would strongly recommend adding Wondriska's A Long Piece of String to their collection. As for teachers or parents, A Long Piece of String can be used to facilitate a conversation between adult and child about similarities shared by a present day alphabet book and one with a different history.

Book Review - Chicken Big

Author/Illustrator: Keith Graves
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Ages: 4 to 8 years old
Source: Publisher for Review
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Description from GoodReads:

On a teeny little farm, in an itty-bitty coop, a very small hen laid a big, giant egg. And out of this egg came one big, humongous . . . something. "It's big!" clucked the little rooster. "It's enormous!" clucked the small chicken. "It's an elephant!" peeped the smallest chicken. "Run for your lives!" they cried. No matter how they try, these clueless chickens can't make sense of the gigantic new member of their family—until he saves the day. With wacky, laugh-out- loud humor and silliness to spare, this BIG twist on the classic Chicken Little story lends a whole new perspective to what it means to be chicken.

I love books that you have fun with right from the beginning. I also really appreciate books that children will enjoy but additionally has a level of humor that adults can appreciate. Keith Graves' Chicken Big meets both of those criteria for me.

Chicken Big is a twist on the classic Chicken Little story. In the beginning, we are introduced to a very small hen who has laid a humongous egg and from the egg a humongous chick pops out. The odd collection of chickens and the lone rooster attempts to identify this strange being while the smallest and "not the sharpest beak in the flock" yells out odd responses.

The humongous chick with his dry wit, along side the easily frenzied chickens led by the smallest chick's dire predictions produces a story that is entertaining and even educational. Each page, the chickens try to decipher what this creature is. Done through a series of observations, statements and guesses, the gang continues to guess wrong. The chick is forced numerous times to rescue this clueless gang until finally when rescuing them one last time realization hits and they recognize him for what he truly is.

Graves has created a story that will delight readers of all ages. Zany illustrations support visually interesting text. I loved the detail in the pictures and especially loved the facial expressions given to all of the chickens including the over-sized chick. This is a book that I eagerly look forward to sharing as a read aloud in many of the classes at my school. I can see both Kinders and Fifth graders both getting a laugh out of this tale.