Easy Readers

Review: Mr. Putter and Tabby Ring the Bell by Cynthia Rylant

| Tasha

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Mr. Putter and Tabby Ring the Bell by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Arthur Howard

When autumn arrives with apples, falling leaves and cool wind, Mr. Putter finds that he is missing school.  He wishes that he could return if only for one day.  Then he comes up with a solution:  visit a classroom along with Mrs. Teaberry and have Tabby and Zeke do tricks!  The only problem is that Tabby and Zeke really don’t do tricks.  But Mr. Putter is sure that they can be taught in time.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t all work out as Mr. Putter thinks it will.  It’s a complete disaster: but also completely funny. 

I have been a fan of Mr. Putter and Tabby for years.  They are at that reading level that is so hard, where the children are reaching towards chapter books but not quite there yet.  Rylant has taken a very unlikely character in Mr. Putter and turned him into a man that children will happily relate to.  Tabby on the other hand is easily beloved by young readers.

Howard’s illustrations are equally appealing, filled with plenty of color, lots of action, and more than a touch of silliness.  Readers from a broad range of ages will enjoy this new edition to the popular series. 

A great pick for when children are back at school, this book reads aloud well but works best when young readers tackle it themselves.  Look for the whole series and enjoy them all!  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Book Review: The Abandoned Lighthouse by Albert Lamb

| Tasha

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The Abandoned Lighthouse by Albert Lamb, illustrated by David McPhail

A bear finds a rowboat near his favorite waterfall and promptly falls asleep in it.  The rowboat carries him through the sea and to a rocky shore with a lighthouse.  Then the rowboat drifted away.  It appeared on the beach near a young boy and his dog.  When his ball got stuck in the boat, the boy climbed in.  He and his dog were carried to the same lighthouse.  There, the boy and the bear met, spent time together, and slept.  But the little dog was awoken in the night by a storm and they all spotted a very large ship about the crash on the rocks.  They worked together to light the lamp and warn the ship to safety.  In the end, the rowboat carried the bear and the boy back to their own shores and the ship safely into its port.

This appealing book tells a simple story in a straight-forward way, perfect for young readers.  It is formatted as a reader rather than a picture book, though it would be successful in either format.  The story has enough mystery to keep the pages turning and then enough action to finish up on a high note.  It is a rather mystical book, filled with possibilities, but can still be read as a simple story as well.

McPhail’s art is lovely.  He plays with jewel tones in the sea, light and dark in the storm.  His art is easy to understand, making it very appropriate for the title.  Yet in his art, there is also the potential to see more too. 

A very nice early reader for library collections, this book is gentle and mysterious.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.  Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Bink & Gollie: By Golly What a Charmer!

| Tasha

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Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo an Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile

Bink and Gollie are two girls who are friends but could not be more different.  They live together yet apart, Bink in a cottage below the tree where Gollie’s ultra-modern tree house perches.  The two of them use their roller skates to get around town, but beyond that they agree on very little.  Everything from striped colorful socks to goldfish friends to imaginary mountain treks come between them.  In the end though, their friendship remains strong, bolstered by pancakes shared together.  The book is broken into three chapters each a vignette that is funny, charming and delightful. The book is written for beginning readers who will discover two amazing girls that they will long to share a stack of pancakes with too.

The authors have created two characters who are very different yet read as real people with their own quirks and interests.  Bink is younger, wilder and delightfully mussed.  Gollie is steady, level headed and yet has her own moments of imagination.  The authors did not feel constrained by the vocabulary of most beginning readers, instead they introduce young readers to longer words, taking time to put them in context and even define them.  This is a book that will have new readers stretching at just the right pace.

Fucile’s illustrations help bring the differences and friendship of the girls to life.  From the firecracker hair of Bink to the lean lines of Golllie.  The sleek nature of Gollie’s tree house to Bink’s small homey cottage.  Each detail is perfect to underline their differences and their connection to one another.

I look forward to seeing the next Bink & Gollie book.  I can’t wait to see where this friendship heads next.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed at:

Funny Lunch

| Tasha

Funny Lunch by David Catrow

This second Max Spaniel book offers mayhem and fun with a pizza theme.  Max is not a dog, he is a chef!  He and his cat friend have a restaurant where they serve pizzas.  When one customer refuses the special and orders chili instead, he is given a scarf, hat and mittens.  When another orders a hot dog, a panting dog with a fan is served.  Trouble arrives by bus with an order of 100 pizzas with everything!  Max cannot make pizzas that fast and ends up with a mess instead.  Luckily great pizza is only a phone call away.  Even better, Max got to enjoy the pizza too.

Catrow successfully mixes very simple beginner reader words with pictured filled with funny details and merriment.  The jokes are classic and there are some that only those looking at the pictures will find.  Catrow’s watercolor illustrations ooze giggles and laughs as well as pizza sauce and cheese.  They add another dimension of fun to the book.  The relationship between Max and his cat friend is a good one that plays out primarily in the illustrations. 

A frolic of an easy reader, this book will be enjoyed by young pizza and dog lovers.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!

| Tasha

Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same by Grace Lin

Twin sisters Ling and Ting are twins, but definitely not the same.  Sure, they look the same, up until the end of the first chapter when a sneeze on the barber’s chair changes that.  But they like different things, have different skills, and approach projects in different ways.  At the same time, the girls are obviously great friends as well as sisters despite their differences.  In short friendly chapters, readers get to know these young sisters and will be able to happily identify with both of them.  This is an early reader with depth and something to say.  It never loses its friendly, lightness and still offers an amazing amount of story. 

Lin excels at creating universal characters and these two twins are definitely that.  She also has woven Asian culture into the story in ways that make sense for the story.  Her superb choices in the book work very well.  Lin also did the art for the book, which has the same engaging style as the story itself.  The art is filled with bright, bold color and will serve new readers well as they read this book.

Highly recommended, this is an impressive easy reader.  Let’s hope that Ling & Ting return for many more adventures.  Appropriate for new readers, ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Can I Play Too?

| Tasha

Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems

If you are ever looking for a picture book or easy reader sure to pull a child in and get them adoring books, pull any of Mo Willems books off the shelf.  His Elephant and Piggie series is so simple, yet profound and funny.  This latest book in the series is one of the best in the bunch.  Here we see Elephant, the careful and more serious character, and Piggie, who is loud and enthusiastic.  The two of them are best friends, which alone has led to some great books.  Add Snake who wants to join them in playing ball.  Of course, that’s a problem because Snake can’t really catch since he doesn’t have arms.  But that doesn’t mean he can’t try and it certainly doesn’t mean that Piggie can’t figure out a solution that will have them all playing together.

Willems is the master of brevity, capturing entire scenes in a few words and his simple illustrations.  His book are perfection for early readers but also make great read alouds thanks to his skill in writing.  His characters are beautifully drawn, offering so much in so few words and images.  It is magic on a page.

In this book, Willem’s natural humor comes pouring forth into a vaudeville-like scene that will have children laughing aloud, guffawing even.  It is a special easy reader that will have my teenage son crowding us on the couch to be able to see.  But then, all he needed to hear was that it was a Mo Willems book and it was funny. 

Guaranteed success between two covers, this book is laugh-out-loud funny, wry and as always with Willems, big hearted.  Appropriate for ages 3-6 and the occasional thirteen-year-old.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

The Big Fat Cow that Goes Kapow

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The Big Fat Cow that Goes Kapow by Andy Griffiths, illustrated by Terry Denton

This beginning reader features ten very short stories that are silly, raucous and great fun.  The book starts with a story where it is raining big fat cows, then tells the stories of Noel the Mole, Klaus the Mouse, and Willy the Worm.  The fun continues with human protagonists who ride bikes with spikes and wear lots of hats all at once.  All of the stories are told with only a few words, allowing the illustrations to carry a lot of the humor.  An ideal read for children who are reluctant to start reading, thanks to the humor that will keep the pages turning.

Griffiths has a great feel for comedy, offering surprising twists and turns in only a few words.  His writing has a similar feel to Dr. Seuss’ Ten Apples Up on Top in its brevity and rhyming.  Denton’s illustrations have a great frenzied feel.  They are filled with motion and wild characters.  I for one cannot resist a book where cows explode and udders go flying across the page.  Must be a Wisconsin thing. 

This is sure to find an eager audience among beginning readers who are looking for modern humor and silliness.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Becky at Young Readers.

Brownie & Pearl Step Out

| Tasha

Brownie & Pearl Step Out by Cynthia Rylant, illustrations by Brian Biggs

In this simple, charming story, Rylant explores shyness.  Brownie, the little girl, and Pearl, her cat, are going to a birthday party that cats are invited to too.  Once they are at the door to the party, Brownie starts to feel shy about knocking.  Pearl, though, is not shy at all and enters the house by the cat door, forcing Brownie to have to knock and join the party.  By the end of the party, full of cake and ice cream and having played lots of games, Brownie is very happy to have come. 

Rylant has created the first in another charming pairing.  This book is for even younger readers than Henry and Mudge or Mr. Potter and Tabby.  The vocabulary is kept limited and there are at most two short sentences on each page, usually as short as four words.  Despite these limitations, Rylant has created a charming protagonist.  Biggs’ illustrations are done digitally and have a nice warmth to them.  The illustrations are simple and friendly for young readers. 

Highly recommended, every library needs a copy of this first in Rylant’s new series.  I can’t wait to see what adventures Brownie and Pearl head on next.  Appropriate for new readers of any age, approximately ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

A Birthday for Bear

| Tasha

A Birthday for Bear by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

The creators of A Visitor for Bear return with an easy reader featuring Mouse and Bear!  It is Bear’s birthday, but Bear is much to busy to celebrate.  Bear does not like birthdays.  He doesn’t like parties, balloons, cakes or presents.  But Mouse has different ideas about how Bear should spend his birthday, and they don’t include scrubbing the house from top to bottom.  Mouse tries again and again to get Bear into a birthday mood and in the end you know he will win!

This easy reader retains the feel of the original with great humor and charm.  Becker’s writing does not feel constrained by the new format at all.  She embraces the limitations of an easy reader and turns out a delightful tale.  The illustrations are still soft-hued and domestic, a great foil for the silliness of Mouse.  This is a great odd couple for the younger set.

Highly recommended, this is an easy reader that should be in every library collection.  It is a great easy reader, but an equally good read aloud.  Appropriate for ages 4-7. 

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by BooksTogether.