TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in BUMBLE-ARDY, by Maurice Sendak. (Michael Di Capua/HarperCollins, $17.95. Ages 4 to 8).Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story. Are traditional story rhymes appropriate adaptations for young children?         Maurice Sendak’s newest best seller Bumble- Ardy illustrates very adult themes for 4-8 year old readers. The prologue tells the story of Bumble-Ardy’s life & shares that his immediate family “got ate” when he was 8. What do u think, is 4-8 too early to discuss slaughter houses?          At Bumble-Ardy’s (costume) birthday party, pigs dress as people acting like pigs- drinking “brine”, cigar smoking, & being loud. Do you think the evolution of Sendak’s “ruckus” from Where the Wild Things Are has become too mature for kids?        Bumble-Ardy threw this party with out the permission of his Aunt Adeline, because he thought that she would not want to share her brine. So when Adeline comes home from work, she is furious to see the pigs drinking her brine and throwing a loud party. To gain control of the situation, Adeline threatens to slice the partying pigs into ham if they do not leave- so the pigs leave. In response Bumble-Ardy promises never to turn 10- leaving the reader to wonder if he will die before his next birthday?         Sendak tries to end the book on a happy note, by having Aunt Adeline and Bumble-Ardy make up by announcing their love for each other. However, the polar opposite illustrations between the previous page [where Adeline threatens to kill his friends, and Bumble-Ardy promises never to turn 10] and this one [where they are so happy together] are unsettling. Excerpt pages:  Interesting articles on Bumble Ardy: On the Phone With Maurice Sendak By Pamela Paul (Nytimes)This Pig Wants To Party: Maurice Sendak’s Latest by NPR NewsMaurice Sendak’s new book scares … parents by Elizabeth Flock (Washington Post)  [Bellow: The original Bumble-Ardy rhyme]
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TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in BUMBLE-ARDY, by Maurice Sendak. (Michael Di Capua/HarperCollins, $17.95. Ages 4 to 8).
Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story.

Are traditional story rhymes appropriate adaptations for young children? 
        Maurice Sendak’s newest best seller Bumble- Ardy illustrates very adult themes for 4-8 year old readers. The prologue tells the story of Bumble-Ardy’s life & shares that his immediate family “got ate” when he was 8. What do u think, is 4-8 too early to discuss slaughter houses? 
         At Bumble-Ardy’s (costume) birthday party, pigs dress as people acting like pigs- drinking “brine”, cigar smoking, & being loud. Do you think the evolution of Sendak’s “ruckus” from Where the Wild Things Are has become too mature for kids?
        Bumble-Ardy threw this party with out the permission of his Aunt Adeline, because he thought that she would not want to share her brine. So when Adeline comes home from work, she is furious to see the pigs drinking her brine and throwing a loud party. To gain control of the situation, Adeline threatens to slice the partying pigs into ham if they do not leave- so the pigs leave. In response Bumble-Ardy promises never to turn 10- leaving the reader to wonder if he will die before his next birthday?  
       Sendak tries to end the book on a happy note, by having Aunt Adeline and Bumble-Ardy make up by announcing their love for each other. However, the polar opposite illustrations between the previous page [where Adeline threatens to kill his friends, and Bumble-Ardy promises never to turn 10] and this one [where they are so happy together] are unsettling.

Excerpt pages: 

Interesting articles on Bumble Ardy: 
On the Phone With Maurice Sendak By Pamela Paul (Nytimes)
This Pig Wants To Party: Maurice Sendak’s Latest by NPR News
Maurice Sendak’s new book scares … parents by Elizabeth Flock (Washington Post) 

[Bellow: The original Bumble-Ardy rhyme]

TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in LLAMA LLAMA HOME WITH MAMA, by Anna Dewdney. (Viking, $17.99, ages 3 to 5.)Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story.           In earlier books, the author, Anna Dewdney, portrays Baby Llama as a little kid who throws a tantrum when things don’t go his way. In “Llama llama Home with Mama,” Llama llama gives up drama. Even though “llama’s head is feeling hot [and] Llama’s throat is hurting lots;” Llama does not complain.After lunch, Mama Llama starts to sneeze and “uh oh Mama’s throat is sore being sick is such a bore.” Instead of wining, Llama llama knows what he needs to do to help his Mama. He takes care of his Mama by bringing her tissues, a pillow, and books to read.            Dewdney ends the story by highlighting the love between Mama and Llama llama. She writes “Llama llama sick at home but with his Mama.” In this book, little Llama is growing up, and he is now able to show his Mama that he loves her by taking care of her. 
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TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in LLAMA LLAMA HOME WITH MAMA, by Anna Dewdney. (Viking, $17.99, ages 3 to 5.)
Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story.
           In earlier books, the author, Anna Dewdney, portrays Baby Llama as a little kid who throws a tantrum when things don’t go his way. In “Llama llama Home with Mama,” Llama llama gives up drama. Even though “llama’s head is feeling hot [and] Llama’s throat is hurting lots;” Llama does not complain.
After lunch, Mama Llama starts to sneeze and “uh oh Mama’s throat is sore being sick is such a bore.” Instead of wining, Llama llama knows what he needs to do to help his Mama. He takes care of his Mama by bringing her tissues, a pillow, and books to read.
            Dewdney ends the story by highlighting the love between Mama and Llama llama. She writes “Llama llama sick at home but with his Mama.” In this book, little Llama is growing up, and he is now able to show his Mama that he loves her by taking care of her. 

TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in PETE THE CAT: ROCKING IN MY SCHOOL SHOES, by Eric Litwin. Illustrated by James Dean. (Harper/HarperCollins, $16.99. Ages 3 to 7) Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story:      Whether it’s finding a book in the library, entering a loud lunchroom, or figuring out what do on the playground: “Does Pete worry? Oh goodness no!” Pete is confident in new situations with the help of his school shoes, and his love of coming up with fun songs! Pete narrates his day through song with verses like: “ I’m rocking in my school shoes,” and “I’m reading in my school shoes.”      This is a great read for young readers who are just starting school, and getting use to the classrooms, the playground, the library, and the lunchroom.     Pete is a cool cat, who is willing to try new things! With the motto: “because it’s all good,” Pete the cat will rock on, with every new adventure. Pete is an inspiration for young readers, to try new things too. He does not cry and is not scared, when faced with a new situation. Pete finds the good in life, and knows how to have fun!  
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TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in PETE THE CAT: ROCKING IN MY SCHOOL SHOES, by Eric Litwin. Illustrated by James Dean. (Harper/HarperCollins, $16.99. Ages 3 to 7)
Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story:
      Whether it’s finding a book in the library, entering a loud lunchroom, or figuring out what do on the playground: “Does Pete worry? Oh goodness no!” Pete is confident in new situations with the help of his school shoes, and his love of coming up with fun songs! Pete narrates his day through song with verses like: “ I’m rocking in my school shoes,” and “I’m reading in my school shoes.”      This is a great read for young readers who are just starting school, and getting use to the classrooms, the playground, the library, and the lunchroom.
     Pete is a cool cat, who is willing to try new things! With the motto: “because it’s all good,” Pete the cat will rock on, with every new adventure. Pete is an inspiration for young readers, to try new things too. He does not cry and is not scared, when faced with a new situation. Pete finds the good in life, and knows how to have fun!

 

TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in PETE THE CAT: I LOVE MY WHITE SHOES, by Eric Litwin. Illustrated by James Dean. (Harper/HarperCollins, $16.99. Ages 3 to 7)Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story      In this adventure, Pete acts as a great role model for little boys and girls; showing them what to do when things do not go as planned.       Pete starts off the story with white shoes, and as the story progresses, Pete steps in strawberries, blueberries, and mud. Each time he steps in something new, his shoes change color. When this happens “Did Pete cry? Goodness no! He kept walking along and singing his song!”      This book is a great opportunity for young readers to show off their primary color knowledge! Many words are color coordinated to corresponding objects in the story.
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TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in PETE THE CAT: I LOVE MY WHITE SHOES, by Eric Litwin. Illustrated by James Dean. (Harper/HarperCollins, $16.99. Ages 3 to 7)
Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story
      In this adventure, Pete acts as a great role model for little boys and girls; showing them what to do when things do not go as planned.
       Pete starts off the story with white shoes, and as the story progresses, Pete steps in strawberries, blueberries, and mud. Each time he steps in something new, his shoes change color. When this happens “Did Pete cry? Goodness no! He kept walking along and singing his song!”
      This book is a great opportunity for young readers to show off their primary color knowledge! Many words are color coordinated to corresponding objects in the story.

TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in PINKALICIOUS, by Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann. Illustrated by Victoria Kann. (HarperCollins, $17.99. Ages 5 to 8). Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story        What happens to little girls and boys when they eat too many pink cupcakes? In this story, Pinkalicious gets a very rare and acute case of pinkititis and actually turns PINK! To cure her of her new pink coloring, the doctor tells Pinkalicious not to eat anything pink: no pink bubble gum or pink cotton candy! Pinkalicious is given a strict died of green food.      Pinkalicious loves pink, and is not about to replace her favorite pink foods with healthy green foods.  At dinner Pinkalicious pretends to eat the green foods, and after everyone goes to bed, she sneaks into the kitchen and eats a pink cupcake. The next day, Pinkalicious wakes up to find that her skin has changed color- she is now RED! Pinkalicious does not like the color red, and definitely does not want her skin to be red; so she creates a plan to change back to her normal color.      This book is a silly and fun way to teach young readers about healthy eating. It allows readers to indulge in their love of sweet things, while reminding them of the importance of green veggies.
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TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in PINKALICIOUS, by Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann. Illustrated by Victoria Kann. (HarperCollins, $17.99. Ages 5 to 8). 
Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story

       What happens to little girls and boys when they eat too many pink cupcakes? In this story, Pinkalicious gets a very rare and acute case of pinkititis and actually turns PINK! To cure her of her new pink coloring, the doctor tells Pinkalicious not to eat anything pink: no pink bubble gum or pink cotton candy! Pinkalicious is given a strict died of green food.
      Pinkalicious loves pink, and is not about to replace her favorite pink foods with healthy green foods.  At dinner Pinkalicious pretends to eat the green foods, and after everyone goes to bed, she sneaks into the kitchen and eats a pink cupcake. The next day, Pinkalicious wakes up to find that her skin has changed color- she is now RED! Pinkalicious does not like the color red, and definitely does not want her skin to be red; so she creates a plan to change back to her normal color.
      This book is a silly and fun way to teach young readers about healthy eating. It allows readers to indulge in their love of sweet things, while reminding them of the importance of green veggies.

TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in SKIPPYJON JONES, CLASS ACTION, by Judy Schachner. (Dutton, $17.99, Ages 3 and up). Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story      The characters in SkippyJon rhyme their words and add in a lot of Spanish and sometimes Spanglish words- keeping readers on their toes as they unfold the story. Each Spanish vocab word is accompanied by the English translation or a picture clue, so that readers can pickup on the meaning.      At school SkippyJon tries different classes with the rest of the dogs, impressing his teachers in both art and music. SkippyJon is able to hit high notes that no real dog has sung before.      His old friends los Chimichangos, tell him about the woolly bully, who growls and howls and wears a sweater. In a chance accident, SkippyJon faces the woolly bully and finds out that he is not scary, just misunderstood.      At the end of the day, SkippyJon’s cover is blown- he’s not a real Chihuahua. His mama, Junebug Jones, finds him at dog school and brings him back home to a family that loves him for who he is: a kitty boy. 
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TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in SKIPPYJON JONES, CLASS ACTION, by Judy Schachner. (Dutton, $17.99, Ages 3 and up). 
Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story

     The characters in SkippyJon rhyme their words and add in a lot of Spanish and sometimes Spanglish words- keeping readers on their toes as they unfold the story. Each Spanish vocab word is accompanied by the English translation or a picture clue, so that readers can pickup on the meaning.
      At school SkippyJon tries different classes with the rest of the dogs, impressing his teachers in both art and music. SkippyJon is able to hit high notes that no real dog has sung before.
      His old friends los Chimichangos, tell him about the woolly bully, who growls and howls and wears a sweater. In a chance accident, SkippyJon faces the woolly bully and finds out that he is not scary, just misunderstood.
      At the end of the day, SkippyJon’s cover is blown- he’s not a real Chihuahua. His mama, Junebug Jones, finds him at dog school and brings him back home to a family that loves him for who he is: a kitty boy. 

TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in STELLAR STARGAZER!, by Jane O’Connor. Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. (Harper/HarperCollins, $12.99.)  (Ages 4 to 7)Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story. Jam packed with great “fancy” words and insights about space- this sequel is sure to inspire young readers to learn more about the solar system! As an older sister, Nancy tells her younger sister Jojo about the sun, the moon, star constellations, astronauts, and even aliens- “that’s Fancy for Space Creatures.” Waiting for the sun to go down, so that they can star gaze, Nancy and Jojo go on a space adventure of their own. When they land in the backyard, their parents greet the girls, and together the family sits down by the campfire to roast marshmallows. Before the stars begin to shine, it starts to rain, and Nancy and her Dad retreat to the tent. Nancy awakes in the morning to find a beautiful rainbow. Even though she had really wanted to see stars, Nancy discovers beauty in their absence, and still enjoys the present moment. 
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TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in STELLAR STARGAZER!, by Jane O’Connor. Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. (Harper/HarperCollins, $12.99.)  (Ages 4 to 7)
Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story.

Jam packed with great “fancy” words and insights about space- this sequel is sure to inspire young readers to learn more about the solar system! As an older sister, Nancy tells her younger sister Jojo about the sun, the moon, star constellations, astronauts, and even aliens- “that’s Fancy for Space Creatures.”

Waiting for the sun to go down, so that they can star gaze, Nancy and Jojo go on a space adventure of their own. When they land in the backyard, their parents greet the girls, and together the family sits down by the campfire to roast marshmallows. Before the stars begin to shine, it starts to rain, and Nancy and her Dad retreat to the tent. Nancy awakes in the morning to find a beautiful rainbow. Even though she had really wanted to see stars, Nancy discovers beauty in their absence, and still enjoys the present moment. 

TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in SHOULD I SHARE MY ICE CREAM? (AN ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE BOOK), written and illustrated by Mo Willems. (Hyperion, $8.99.) (Ages 4 to 8) Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story. On a hot day, Gerald the elephant indulges his love fore ice cream, and buys himself a cone. After buying the cone, he is left with the dilemma of whether or not he should share it with his best friend Piggie. Preoccupied by what he should do, Gerald does not realize that his cone is melting. Gerald’s course of facial expressions ranging from selfish to worried are dramatic and sure to inspire laughter in young readers. Just when all seems lost, there is a sweet twist to the story- that brings home the delight that comes from sharing something lovable like ice cream!
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TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in SHOULD I SHARE MY ICE CREAM? (AN ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE BOOK), written and illustrated by Mo Willems. (Hyperion, $8.99.) (Ages 4 to 8)

Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story.

On a hot day, Gerald the elephant indulges his love fore ice cream, and buys himself a cone. After buying the cone, he is left with the dilemma of whether or not he should share it with his best friend Piggie. Preoccupied by what he should do, Gerald does not realize that his cone is melting. Gerald’s course of facial expressions ranging from selfish to worried are dramatic and sure to inspire laughter in young readers. Just when all seems lost, there is a sweet twist to the story- that brings home the delight that comes from sharing something lovable like ice cream!

TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT, CONSTRUCTION SITE, by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld. (Chronicle, $16.99. Ages 4 to 8).Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story. GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT CONSTRUCTION SITE introduces young readers to the everyday lives of a team of five hard working trucks: crane truck, cement mixer, dump truck, bulldozer, and excavator. A great bedtime read, this story gives children an opportunity to learn: The key functions of five construction trucks.  A basic understanding of team work. The construction job is broken down into individual tasks for each truck, and the trucks work together to get the job done. After a day of hard work, every truck needs his rest. Preview of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
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TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT, CONSTRUCTION SITE, by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld. (Chronicle, $16.99. Ages 4 to 8).
Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story.

GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT CONSTRUCTION SITE introduces young readers to the everyday lives of a team of five hard working trucks: crane truck, cement mixer, dump truck, bulldozer, and excavator. A great bedtime read, this story gives children an opportunity to learn:

  1. The key functions of five construction trucks.
  2.  A basic understanding of team work. The construction job is broken down into individual tasks for each truck, and the trucks work together to get the job done.
  3. After a day of hard work, every truck needs his rest.

Preview of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site

TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in PRESS HERE, by Hervé Tullet. (Handprint/Chronicle, $14.99 (Ages 4 to 8) 5 weeksClick on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story.   “Once upon a pre-e time, the term “interactive book” had an entirely different, unplugged meaning. Dating back at least to the publication of “Pat the Bunny” in 1940, interactive books were ones that encouraged children to open flaps and feel their pages. Read aloud, they elicited call-and-response shouts and audience elaboration. They demanded to be something more than just read.”Continue reading Nytimes Book Review at: http://tinyurl.com/62h7opt
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TKB’s word cloud critique: the picture above is a word cloud created from the words in PRESS HERE, by Hervé Tullet. (Handprint/Chronicle, $14.99 (Ages 4 to 8) 5 weeks
Click on the word cloud to see the top word frequencies within the story.  


“Once upon a pre-e time, the term “interactive book” had an entirely different, unplugged meaning. Dating back at least to the publication of “Pat the Bunny” in 1940, interactive books were ones that encouraged children to open flaps and feel their pages. Read aloud, they elicited call-and-response shouts and audience elaboration. They demanded to be something more than just read.”
Continue reading Nytimes Book Review at: http://tinyurl.com/62h7opt