Day: March 7, 2006

Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs

| Tasha


Ah, another wonderful Minerva Louise book!  Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs by Jane Morgan Stoeke, continues in the same tradition as the early books.  The simple text combined with clear pictures that project well to a group, make these books perfect for sharing with a group.  This book is an Easter story where Minerva Louise, a perpetually confused but friendly chicken, finds colored eggs scattered around the farm.  She rounds up the other hens and tells them about the eggs outside “some of them are so cold they’re turning blue.”  But when the hens go out to look, all of the eggs are gone.  Then they see the farmers (people) gathering the eggs and know that it is fine, they are used to farmers gathering eggs.  The story ends with Minerva Louise happily sitting atop a basket of Easter eggs. 

Share this one for Easter or spring storytimes.  The humor, text, and pacing are all perfect for sharing with toddlers and preschoolers.  Even kindergarteners will enjoy the humor. 

Corydon & the Island of Monsters

| Tasha



Corydon & the Island of Monsters by Tobias Druitt (a mother and son writing team) is one of my favorite books of the year so far.  Corydon is a boy who was born with one goat’s leg, complete with hair and hoof.  Because of this, he is considered a monster and driven from his village, tied to a stake where he is left to be a sacrifice.  He is saved from dying by two Gorgons who realize that he has a larger destiny in the world.  Corydon lives in the hills outside of the village with a flock of sheep and goats that he has stolen from the village, playing songs on his pipe.  But then he is kidnapped by a gang of pirates who have a zoo of monsters.  There he meets the Minotaur, Medusa, and the Sphinx among other monsters.  After a time, he is able to escape and free the other monsters with the help of the same Gorgons that saved him.  The monsters go off into the island to live separately, except for Corydon and Medusa who move into the Gorgons’ cave.  But while life is blissful for awhile, there is trouble brewing when the sole surviving pirate reports to the king what happened.  The king’s son, Perseus, is a vain and stupid man who decides that taking revenge on the monsters is a great way to become the hero he has always thought he was.  Of course, Perseus is not really the king’s son, but rather the son of Zeus, so he asks his real father for help.  Given gifts and finally able to round up a huge but ragtag army, Perseus heads off to kill the monsters on the island.

I will leave it there because this is an incredible book whose twists and turns are amazing and gripping.  I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun of the journey for anyone.  Let me just say that the fact that the monsters are the heroes in the book and that the heroes are the villains is lovely.  I also enjoyed the fact that Zeus is rather distant and forgetful, while other gods vary in their level of understanding and involvement.  You never really know what a god is going to do, which lends a level of complexity to the story.

Give this one to any kid who enjoys mythology, but be prepared to discuss it with them later because this book will turn everything they have ever read on its head.  Even while doing that, it makes Greek myths more alive than any novel I have ever read.