My Friend Rabbit

Written and Illustrated by: Eric Rohmann
(2003 Caldecott Medal for Artwork)


Summary:

My Friend Rabbit is a simple tale about a mouse, and you guessed it, a rabbit. These two are great friends; however trouble follows rabbit around like a dog during hunting season. It’s bad for mouse since he’s always in the crosshairs of rabbit’s misfortune. Difficulty strikes the duo when the toy plane in which they were playing with lands out of reach in a tree.

Rabbit had an idea and starts to put his plan into motion. He acquires the involuntary help of some strange fellows, stacking them end on end to reach the wayward toy. This is not enough to reach as mouse jumps unto the plane when the odd shape stack comes toppling down much to the dismay of everyone involved. Once on the ground the group glares at rabbit with devious intent.  Mouse now with the plane free from its entrapment soars downward to rescue rabbit from his predicament. Shortly after his rescue, rabbit’s luck strikes again as he causes mouse to fly into the grip of another tree.

Personal Evaluation: 

Pros: “Poor Rabbit” is the first thing that comes to mind when reading this short but wonderful tail. The theme is friendship thru any and all hardships and the story makes this evident. The artwork makes this story come to life considering the lack of text on the pages. The heavily outlined work make the characters stand out and place the images in a very nice sharpness. It’s even to the point that the story is not even needed to convey the meaning in the artwork.

Cons: While I don’t like to leave this section blank, I truly cannot see anything negative about the story of the artwork. I will give a little constructive criticism however and say that perhaps a little artwork could have been used on the inside of the cover. The copy I reviewed was solid green and a pattern of grass or leaves could have added a little more to this already wonderful book.

Final: At the conclusion of this book I found myself laughing at the exploits of the troublesome duo. With the great artwork and the short text, this book is ideal for a quick read at bedtime and the message conveyed of friendship is what makes this a book a must for small children and even parents alike.

 
Additional Information:
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (2002)
ISBN: 0761324208
Book Type: 32 Page; Hardback Cover

My Shovel

Written by: Lee Howard                     

Summary:

The story is about two friends, a raccoon named Jake and Kimberly the rabbit and a guessing game between the two about a certain digging implement.  The game transpires over several pages with each of them taking turns guessing the others new sandbox toy. 

Personal Evaluation:

Pros: The book uses the guessing game to involve children the game as well. Several guesses are made in the book that allows the audience the chance to make a guess along with the two friends. This has repetition to the story that will have the guesses coming in the form of a shovel as the name and the shape of the book suggests. The use of several popular construction devices also helps to keep children’s attention.

Cons:The only thing I would have liked to have seen is a few more pages (2-4) added to allow for a little more repetition on the readers part. Another side note it the difficulty in finding the publishers presence on the internet. Multiple searches brought to light lists of books published by the publisher but nothing indicating a solid backing.

Final: Overall “My Shovel” is a very good book for early readers. The book is constructed very well as the copy I had was well used and the use of repetition and the ability to guess the stories outcome was well used.
 
Additional Information:

Publisher: Paradise Press (2000)
ISBN: 1576574873
Book Type: 10 Page; Color Boardbook

Sun Flight

Written and Illustrated by: Gerald McDermott            

Summary:

Sun Flight is a retelling of the story of Daedelus and his son, Icarus.  The story is about the craftsman Daedelus and the labyrinth that he created for King Monos of Crete.  Upon completion, the king imprisoned both Daedelus and his son Icarus to keep the labyrinth a secret.

Daedelus created wings so that the duo can escape the labyrinth.  He warns his son not to fly too high so the sun doesn’t burn him or to low so the sea does not swallow him up.  Icarus forgets himself and flies to high leaving Daedelus to weep for the loss of his son.  

 

Personal Evaluation:

Pros: The illustrations make this book very attractive to young eyes.  The use of contrast, simple shapes and vivid colors quickly grabs your attention from page one.  Another interesting faucet of the book is that the illustrations take up both pages for an even grander view and even resemble artwork found on ancient Greek urns.

Cons: Nothing really stands out as this is a simple book telling a simple story.  More detail or story could have been used; however the added text would have taken away from the books illustrations.

                                                                 

Final: Sun Flight is not a happy ending type of book and as being such, should be read from a more historical point of view.  One lesson that can be taken from the story is listening to parents.  A lesson best learnt early or tragedy like that of Icarus could result.

 

Additional Information:

Publisher: Four Winds (1980)

ISBN: 0590076329

Book Type: 40 Page; Color Hardcover

The Haunted House Party

Written by: Barry Louis Polisar                       

Illustrated by: David Clark

Summary:

This lyrical story begins with a boy home alone making preparations for a Halloween party.  While his parents are out an Orge makes a surprise visit and warns the young boy that he has left a few folks off his list of invitees. This has made those left out of the fun want to cause trouble for the boy…and they do!   

As the invited guests start to arrive, so do the unwelcome trouble makers.  All manner of spooks make an entrance.  Ghosts to Goblins, Skeletons to little devils start tearing apart he boys house and after a great deal of mischief the boy puts his foot down on the situation.  He then instructs the guests to clean up, just in time as his folks walk in shortly after the last guest departs.

Personal Evaluation:

Pros: The story shows responsibility in two ways.  First the boy is home alone and secondly he took charge of the situation that was quickly getting out of hand.  Bravery also became a factor as it took courage to take charge and to do what was right.

The illustrations in this book are absolutely wonderful and would be at home in the Saturday funny papers.  The characters are brightly colored and stand out with funny poses and scenes.  Each illustration had many small details that could turn into a fun game by itself, just by having children looking for certain things on each page.   

Cons: One thing that I wondered about was the fact that the child was alone and planning a party.  It’s unclear to me whether he was allowed to do so or not.  I would had liked to have seen something at the beginning of the story where the parents left and ether given him permission or made it better known that he was throwing the party without prior approval. 

                                                                 

Final: The rhymes bring to mind many tales from Dr. Seuss and with someone putting effort in its reading would have the undivided attention of its listeners.  For a child reading it on their own, the rhyming does feel a little long and confusing at times, but this is no means a negative point.  This is a great book to read aloud to children before bed or at story time in school.

 

Additional Information:

Publisher: Rainbow Morning Music (1995 Revised)

ISBN: 0938663216

Book Type: 32 Page; Color Hardcover

A Man Called Raven

Written by: Richard Van Camp    

Illustrated by: George Littlechild

Summary:

The story is set in the Pacific Northwest and is about two boys who injure a raven.  After the raven escapes a mysterious and imposing man confronts the two boys.  After taking the stranger home to their parents, the boys were told a story of another man that had mistreated the ravens. 

This man had been mean to the ravens because he thought that no one liked him.  For his misdeeds, he was transformed into a raven and only then did he discover that he was truly liked by the other villagers. This had changed the man, now bird, for the better and from that time on he watched over his people. With the lesson learned, the man leaves the brothers and strangely had he had come.

Personal Evaluation:

Pros: I was particularly interested in the story line as it brings Pacific Northwest folklore forward to help children today see the value of all life both big and small.  The story is fairly easy to follow as the brothers are told the story. 

The illustrations are perfect in bringing the story to life.  The simple shapes and vivid colors add motion and warmth.  At times, I can see a child putting the book down and attempt to recreate the beautiful artwork through the book.

Cons: The only issue I had with the story was the use of tobacco by the man.  The description of the man smoking adds a level of authenticity to the story.  However I feel that it’s a bit out of place in a children’s book or at the least have it represented on a smaller scale.

Final: Overall this is a great book to teach young children important life lessons.  Even the addition of tobacco use can be used to teach even though I listed it as a con.  Both story and artwork brings this wonderful tale to life and with that children’s imaginations.   

 

Additional Information:

Publisher: Children's Book Press (1997)

ISBN: 0892391448

Book Type: 32 Page; Color Hardcover

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