The Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy by David Soman and Jacky Davis

Summary

Bum Bum Ba Bum! The Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy is such a fun story! I really enjoyed reading it. It's about a boy named Sam who is pretending he is a superhero named Bumblebee Boy. He fights pirates, aliens, bank robbers and lions. The story switches between Sam's imagination and real life. His little brother Owen keeps interrupting Sam because he wants to play too. But Bumblebee Boy flies alone! Sam doesn't want to be bothered by his little brother. When Bumblebee Boy is chasing down the bank robbers he isn't sure if he can catch them. All of a sudden there is a car blocking the robbers path and Bumblebee Boy is glad he has help until he realizes it's Owen. Sam tells Owen to go play by himself and he goes off to fight some aliens. Bumblebee Boy realizes there are too many aliens to fight off by himself, he needs help. Sam goes in search of Owen to get his help. Owen doesn't want to fight aliens, he is playing bank robber monsters. Sam tells Owen that there are bank robber monsters in alien fighting too and Owen agrees to fight the aliens. Together Bumblebee Boy and his little brother sidekick fly off together to fight the aliens. Bumblebee Boy flies alone... but not always!

Evaluations

This book is great! Bumblebee Boy's adventures are entertaining! This would be great for any child, especially one with a little sibling who always wants to tag along. Being the oldest child, I identify with Sam. No one wants their little brother or sister tagging along or copying them all the time. This book teaches that it can be fun to let your siblings in on the fun every once in a while. 

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! By Mo Willems

Summary

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems is a simple story that is highly entertaining. The story starts on the title page, the bus drive introduces himself and says that he needs to leave for a bit and asks if you could keep an eye on the bus, but remember: Don't let the pigeon drive the bus! In comes pigeon, he wants so badly to drive the bus. He tries to convince you that he won't do any harm. He begs and pleads with you to let him drive the bus. He's disappointed when you don't let him drive the bus. The bus driver comes back and thanks you for not letting the pigeon drive the bus. Meanwhile, the pigeon has found something new to drive and on the inside of the back cover you see him drive away in a semi.

Evaluation

I loved reading this book. The illustrations and concepts are so simple but it was still very entertaining! This book would be great for kids, especially those with a short attention span. While I was reading this I could almost hear the children yelling no every time the pigeon asked to drive the bus. It would be a good book for participation because it's easy to anticipate what pigeon will ask next.

The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo

Summary

The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo is a story of a Greek girl who is kidnapped and sold into slavery in Egypt. Her name is Rhodopis. She did chores just like all of the other household servant girls but she was treated poorly because she didn't look Egyptian. She had green eyes and blond hair. Her master was old and slept often while they worked, so he never heard the other girls mistreat Rhodopis.  She made friends with the animals and she would dance when them when her chores were done. One day her master saw her dancing, he had never seen something so beautiful. He decided to buy something special for her, so he bought her a pair slippers that were gilded with rose-red gold. The other girls were jealous of Rhodopis because all they had on their feet were sandals made of papyrus. 

One day Rhodopis overheard the other girls talking about how they were going to sail for Memphis to see the Pharaoh because he was holding court for his subjects. Rhodopis wanted to go but she had chores to do. She had gotten her new shoes dirty and took them off to clean them when a falcon circled the sky above her. She said hello to him because falcons are the symbol of the god Horus. The falcon swooped down and stole one of Rhodopis' slippers. The falcon flew all the way to Memphis and waited until Amasis, the Pharaoh was starting to get bored and he dropped the slipper into his lap. Amasis had never seen such a beautiful slipper and he vowed to marry the woman this shoe belonged to. He traveled all over Egypt looking for the owner to the slipper he found. When he approached the other servant girls they knew immediately who it belonged to. They wanted to try it on anyway but their feet were too big. Amasis saw Rhodopis hiding in the reeds near the river and he called her forward. He had her try on the slipper and it fit her perfectly. He said there was none so fit to be a queen. The other girls were mad because she wasn't even Egyptian but the Pharaoh said "She is most Egyptian of all. For her eyes are as green as the Nile, her hair as feathery as papyrus, and her skin the pink of a lotus flower". And so, Amasis married Rhodopis and she became his queen.

Evaluation

The story of Rhodopis is one of the oldest Cinderella stories ever recorded. It was recorded by the Roman historian Strabo in the first century B.C. There was actually a Rhodopis who was born in Greece and kidnapped by pirates and made to be a slave in Egypt. She actually married the Pharaoh Amasis, but if there really was a golden slipper no one really knows. I enjoyed this story, it was so different from any other Cinderella I've read. The Pharaoh didn't even need to see Rhodopis to know he was going to marry her. This is such a different twist from most fairy tales. I think its great to teach children not to treat people badly and that it is possible to overcome adversity.  

Two Bear Cubs: A Miwok Legend from California's Yosemite Valley Retold by Robert D. San Souci

Summary

Two Bear Cubs by Robert D. San Souci is an old story from the Miwok Native American tribe of California. It's about two little bear cubs who are playing in the river near their mother. She leaves them to go find some berries and the cubs decide to take a nap because they are worn out from playing so hard. They find a nice boulder in the sun to sleep on and dry off in the hot sun. As they slept the rock grew bigger and bigger, this went on for many days and nights. While the rock was growing, the mother bear noticed her cubs were missing so she started searching for them and couldn't find them anywhere. She got the help of Mother Deer, Badger, Gray Fox, Mountain Lion, and White-footed Mouse but the cubs were no where to be found. Finally, Red Hawk flew down from high in the sky and told Mother Bear that her cubs were at the very top of the mountain fast asleep. Mother Bear got the help of all the animals to try and make it to the top of the mountain to wake up her cubs. No one could make it very far because the mountain was so steep. Even Mountain Lion had a hard time digging her claws in to climb. An inch worm shows up and says that he can get to the top of the mountain to bring the little cubs down and everyone laughed at him. They said if we we can't make it up there than how can a little inch worm do it? But since they had no other option they let him climb. Using the thread that he can spin, he marked a trail for his way back down. It took him many days and nights but he finally made it up to the top and the little cubs were still sleeping. He woke them and when they realized where they were they started to cry. He told them not to worry, he has marked a safe way down. Slowly he helped the cubs climb down the mountain and they were reunited with their mother.

Evaluation

I think this story is a great one to read to kids because it teaches them that it doesn't matter how big or small you are, you can do anything if you set your mind to it. It teaches them not to underestimate someone else based on what you see on the outside. It is a great story and has great illustrations.

Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl by Virginia Hamilton

Summary

Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl by Virginia Hamilton is about a rabbit who is always up to no good. In this story, Bruh Rabbit decides he doesn't want to do any work planting in the field, instead he sneaks out at night and steals crops from Bruh Wolf. Bruh Wolf tries all sorts of things to try and deter Bruh Rabbit from stealing his food, but to no avail. One day Bruh Wolf comes up with an idea to make a girl rabbit out of tar, this way when Bruh Rabbit sees it, he will try and get the attention of the girl rabbit and he will get stuck when he touches her. This is exactly what happened. Bruh Rabbit was stuck in the tar by his hands, his feet, and even his chin! Bruh Wolf comes along bragging that he finally caught Bruh Rabbit. He tells Bruh Rabbit that he ought to throw him into the briars. Bruh Rabbit begs him not to, so naturally, that's exactly what Bruh Wolf does. When Bruh Rabbit lands in the briar patch he yells back to Bruh Wolf that he has lived in the briars all his life, thank you. Briar Rabbit escaped to cause mischief again.

Evaluation

I really enjoyed reading this story. I know I say that about every book but it's true! I love the watercolor illustrations and the Gullah speech included in the story, even though sometimes it was a little hard to understand. There's an 'About This Book' section in the back that explains where this story came from and also the definitions for the Gullah words which made it much easier. I liked the story of Bruh Rabbit and I remember the Disney version from when I was a kid. The only thing I wondered was why Bruh Rabbit gets away in the end with no repercussion. After reading the 'About This Book' section I learned that during slave times, the slaves telling these stories,  identified with Bruh Rabbit because small and helpless compared to the other animals, just like they were. I could see after that why Bruh Rabbit got the best of Bruh Wolf, because that is what you need to do to survive.

Cendrillon by Robert D. San Souci

Summary

Cendrillon is a Caribbean cinderella story. It unique in that it is told from the Godmother's point of view. It starts off as the Godmother tells a little background information of how her mother had left her a wand that could turn something into anything by tapping it three times. It could only be used on those you loved and the effects were only temporary. The Godmother then starts telling the story of the birth of her Goddaughter Cendrillon. Cendrillon's mother died when she was just a baby. Her father remarried and they had another daughter together named Vitaline. As Vitaline got older, she and her mother treated Cendrillon poorly. She was stuck doing all of the cleaning and all of the laundry. One day Cendrillon tells her Godmother that she is upset because there is a ball that evening and she can't go because of all the work she has to do at home. The Godmother tells her that there's nothing to worry about, she will go to the ball that night. After Cendrillon's family leaves for the ball, the Godmother takes out her wand and she taps three times on Cendrillon and makes her a beautiful dress with beautiful slippers. She also makes her a coach to ride in, with horses and a coachman. Just like in Cinderella, Cendrillon goes to the ball, dances with Paul, Monsieur Thiboult's son and when the clock strikes midnight she dashes away leaving only a shoe. Paul searches all over for the owner to the show and when he finds Cendrillon the get married and live happily ever after.

Evaluation

I thought that there was not enough difference between Cendrillon and Cinderella. I have read other Cinderella stories and they all differ slightly in the story, but this one was pretty much the same with the names of the characters change. I still enjoyed reading this story. My favorite thing about this story is that it is told from the Godmother's perspective which gives the story a whole new feeling. 

Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault

Summary

Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault is a story about a boy whose father dies and he leaves his three sons his possessions, a mill, a donkey and a cat. The oldest son gets his mill, the second gets the donkey and the youngest gets the cat. The youngest is upset because his brothers will be able to make decent livings off of their inheritance but after he eats the car and uses its fur, there will be nothing left. The cat tells the boy that he will make it so that his life will turn out better than his brothers in the end. He then asks the boy for him to buy a pair of boots and a sack. Once puss in boots has his things, he sets out to make the boy noticed by the king. He tricks the king into thinking that the boy is the Marquis of Carabas. He brings him game from the Marquis to get his name out there. One day when the king is driving by, puss tells the boy to go swimming in the river and puss tells the king that the Marquis of Carabas is drowning. After being saved, puss spins more of his lies and the king ends up marrying his daughter off to the boy. So now, he and puss get to live in a castle and puss in boots' work is done.

Evaluation

I really enjoyed reading this story. I was somewhat familiar with the tale before reading it but now I have a greater understanding of it. I loved the illustrations done by Fred Marcellino, they are beautiful. I was expecting Puss to get caught in the end but was pleasantly surprised when he didn't and he was successful in his endeavor. 

Little Owl's Night by Divya Srinivasan

Little Owl's Night by Divya Srinivansan is about an owl who makes his rounds to all of his nocturnal animal friends. He partakes in lots of nightly activities with various different animals. In the end he asks his mom what the end of night is like. She describes the coming of dawn beautifully and when she's finished she realizes that little owl has fallen asleep, so now he still doesn't know what the end of night is like!

This book is great for a bedtime story. It interests curious children who wonder what animals do at night while they are sleeping, just as owl wondered what it was like when he is sleeping. I really enjoyed reading this book. I love the illustrations with the black backgrounds throughout the book, it really makes the images pop. The story is simple and told in such a way that you can't help but like little owl. The ending when you find out he's fallen asleep is my favorite part.

Zoo Girl by Rebecca Elliot

Zoo Girl by Rebecca Elliott is the story that is told with no more than a few words per page. Elliott's illustrations really tell the story. There is so much texture in the illustrations and this is what got my attention in the first place. 

Zoo Girl is about a little girl who lives in an orphanage. She feels alone because she doesn't have any friends or family. The orphanage takes a trip to the zoo and she accidently gets left behind. She makes the best of a bad situation and starts to make friends with all of the animals and she has a great time. She ends up getting found by the zoo keepers and she pleads with them not to take her back to the orphanage. In the end the zoo keepers adopt her and she gets to keep her animal friends and have a family.

This book is great for toddlers and up. It is simple since it only has a few words per page and it would be a great way to introduce adoption. What I really liked about this book is the illustrations. Elliott put so much texture and detail into each page, it's really nice. Even with such few words, she really makes you feel for the poor little zoo girl who has no family. She does this all with illustrations and it really works.

One of My Favorite Picture Books

In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories
retold by Alvin Schwartz 

I first read In a Dark, Dark Room when I was in the 2nd grade. I still enjoy reading this book to this day. It has several short "scary" stories within that are entertaining and appropriate for children. My favorite story in this book is called The Green Ribbon. It's about a young girl who goes through life with a ribbon around her neck. When she gets older, a boy becomes curious and he unravels the ribbon and her head falls off. I recommend this book as good story to read around Halloween time.