This is a delightful book and a great transition from picture to text only books. As the title suggests, there are no pictures--though there are some This is a delightful book and a great transition from picture to text only books. As the title suggests, there are no pictures--though there are some variations in font size and color. The book begs to be read out loud. Kids delight in seeing adults in thrall to a text which directs them to read all manner of nonsensical words and statements. The reader (as directed by the text) keeps asking the listeners if she can stop reading this embarrassing book; to which she always gets a resounding no from her audience.
After reading this out loud to kindergarten to grade 3, I had to up my rating from 4 to 5 stars. The kids literally rolled in the aisles, but it was hard to settle them down later! One child noticed there was a warning on the back cover, and I laughingly cajoled her for not letting me know BEFORE I read the book. I'm afraid the inquiries about my best friend, a hippo named Boo Boo Butt, are going to go on for a long while....more
The grade-five students to whom I read this book absolutely loved it. It is quite atmospheric and generally well executed, but the ending is rather paThe grade-five students to whom I read this book absolutely loved it. It is quite atmospheric and generally well executed, but the ending is rather pat and disappointing....more
Not surprising that Jim Brandenburg created a book of this quality. The photographs are stunning, but the text, too, is warm and personal. BrandenburgNot surprising that Jim Brandenburg created a book of this quality. The photographs are stunning, but the text, too, is warm and personal. Brandenburg traces the story of Scruffy, a low-ranking wolf in a pack on Ellesmere Island in the High Arctic. At first Brandenburg can't figure out why a wolf Scruffy's age, about a year old when the author/photographer arrives, is with this pack-- until he sees him with the pups and understands that babysitting the young is a critical role in itself. Well worth buying if you have young kids or are a primary educator....more
Elizabeth Creith has written a charming tale about an Icelandic sheep who, after a long journey, is being quarantined in a pen on a farm. When Marie, Elizabeth Creith has written a charming tale about an Icelandic sheep who, after a long journey, is being quarantined in a pen on a farm. When Marie, a little girl, goes along with her mother to feed him, she notices that this sheep is quite different from the others. Her mum explains that this is because he is different: This sheep has just come from Iceland. He’s a member of a breed which is over a thousand years old—a breed that was actually kept by the Vikings! In light of this, Marie names the new woolly addition to the farm “Erik the Red”.
Recognizing Erik’s loneliness, Marie visits him in his pen as often as possible. She reads him picture books about the Vikings, big hairy men who carry swords and shields and travel across the water on dragon-headed ships. The books fill Erik’s head with images, dreams, and ideas. When Marie can’t visit, he imagines himself in Viking gear. He already has the horns, but his mind outfits him with a sword and a shield and places him at the front of his own dragon-headed ship. He imagines himself leading a group of fierce Viking sheep on hay and grain raids.
When Erik is finally let out to pasture with the other sheep, they quickly lose patience with his obsessive recitation of stories about Vikings. He can’t take a hint, so they resort to butting him. Sheep don’t like hearing new ideas, one elderly ewe explains. Given the cold shoulder, Erik is left to entertain himself. Seeing an empty bucket one day, he decides to put it on his head to get a sense of what a Viking helmet might actually feel like. Problem is: he can’t get it off.
Creith, aided by wonderful watercolorist illustrator Linda Henry, tells how Erik’s ensuing panic leads to acceptance by his new flock, and, ultimately, to a special role as storyteller to the youngsters.
This is a delightful, well-told tale about imagination, acceptance, and finding one’s calling along the way....more
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