Avocado baby/ by John Burningham

What was that? Boring, boring and strange in not a ha-ha style. This book is about a weak baby that starts consuming avocadoes and then beating up robbers and hooligans. HA? I think this book meant to replace Popey and his spinach diet, but hey- im glad it did not. I am still a fan of Popey but not of this far-fetched vegan.

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HAIRY MACLARY FROM DONALDSON'S DAIRY by Lynley Dodd

HAIRY MACLARY FROM DONALDSON'S DAIRY by Lynley Dodd tells the story of dogs going for a walk in their neighborhood.  out of the gate at house number 60, Donaldson's Dairy, a small black terrier -Hairy Maclary.  At 54 he is joined by a Mastiff -Hercules Morse as big as a horse.  At 52 they meet a Dalmation -Bottomley Potts and at 48 an Old English Sheepdog

-Muffin McLay like a bundle of hay.  At 36 is a Whippet -Bitzer Maloney, all skinny and bony, and finally at 22 the pack is completed with a Dachsund -Schnitzel Von Krumm, with a very low tum.  The text follows patterned rhymes and the list of dogs is repeated each time a new one joins up.  All is well until they encounter Scarface Claw!   He is a large, black cat with big yellow eyes and chunks missing from his ears and has a reputation as the "toughest Tom in town".  

The colorful and lifelike full-page illustrations, clever verses, repetition and simple plot make it a really fun read!

Bonnie R

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OLD BEAR/ by Jane Hissey

OLD BEAR by Jane Hissey is an exciting search and rescue story involving the animals on the window sill in the play room. Bramwell Brown a younger bear, Duck who wished he could fly, the impulsive Rabbit, and Little Bear the youngest of all the toys remembered that, one of their own, Old Bear, had been put into protective storage long ago. Now that the children were older it would be safe for him to return but he had been forgotten, up in the attic.  After several failed attempts, they came up with a plan that worked to rescue him and bring him back down to the play room. Beautifully illustrated, this is a warm story of friendship and reunion.

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Bonnie R

ALFIE GETS IN FIRST by Shirley Hughes

ALFIE GETS IN FIRST by Shirley Hughes is the story of a competitive little boy who rushes inside to be first (thus the winner) arriving home after shopping with his mom and sister.  As mom makes her way outside to retrieve little Annie Rose from the stroller, Alfie slams the door. Bang! So now Alfie is stuck inside and his mom and Annie Rose are stuck outside without a key. Alfie is too small to reach the open the door or even reach the mail slot to pass the key to his mom.  Soon, kind neighbors become involved in trying to rescue Alfie.  It was a delightful, real-life page turner for Myra and me. We absolutely loved the illustrations that so clearly expressed Alfie's emotions ranging from glee, through fear to confidence.   In the end, Alfie proves to be bigger than his would-be rescuers thought and a real winner and everyone celebrate his success!

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Bonnie R

POSSUM MAGIC written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Julie Vivas introduces us to Grandma Poss who did all kinds of " bush magic" and her granddaughter, Hush who had been made invisible by this magic to protect her from the dangers of the Australian bush.  In her heart of hearts Hush is ready to be visible.  She just wants to see what she looks like.  The story details the duo's adventures as they tour Australia searching for the secret to Hush's visibility. As they go we are introduced to Australia's varied landscapes, animals, cities and cultural foods (minties, pavlova and lamington, oh my!).  Hush magically eats her way to back to visibility. 

..... "It's worked! It's worked!" she cried.  And she was right.  Hush could be seen from head to tail. 

 

Don't miss the map of Australia and the Glossary of Australian Terms on the last page!

 

Bonnie R

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ANGELINA BALLERINA by Kathrine Holabird is the engaging story of a pretty little white mouse who wants so much to be a ballerina, she dances all the time.  She can't be bothered with everyday things like cleaning her room or eating or getting to school on time.  When her parents have come to their wit's end on how to deal with her behavior they make a decision to bring their little ballerina-wanna-be  down to earth.  They take her hopes and dreams seriously and support and guide her toward fulfilling them.  Shortly thereafter, Angelina begins ballet lessons.  The attention her parents paid to her love of ballet paid off in the form of her willingness to do all the things she didn't want to do before, because she could dance in ballet class and in recitals.  She followed her dreams but at the same time learned there is a time and place for fun, and a time to do your work.  Her perseverance paid off and she became a famous ballerina.

Myra and I loved this story and Helen Craig's detailed, charming drawings. Mice aren't our favorite animals but Angelina, Mr. and Mrs. Mouseling and all the other mouse characters, though clearly little animals, with anatomically correct limbs and long whiskers, are successfully humanized and utterly winsome and dear.

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Bonnie R 

What do people do all day?/ Richard Scarry

What do people/animals do all day? Work, sell and buy, clean and bake, treat  others at hospitals, teach the little ones at schools. The daily life of any city or a town is shown details every kid would dream of... This book should be purchased by every parent who is faced with millions of children's questions: why? who? what?. But this timeless classic book and lose your child for hours


Note that the pig in a butcher shop on the cover page chops and sells pork(or beef from a bovine brother?)!


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Ksenia R