Tag Archives: bedtime stories
Bedtime Stories: The Diviners
Post by Mark T. Locker.
The Diviners by Libba Bray.
Hold on to your cloche hats and strings of beads, people! A nasty murderer from beyond the grave named Naughty John is terrorizing 1920’s New York!
Seventeen-year-old Evie O’Neill is more than her small Ohio town can handle, so when her “punishment” is to stay with her uncle in Manhattan, she couldn’t be more pleased. Unfortunately, her trip coincides with a string of grisly and symbolic murders being carried out. Unfortunately for Evie, she has a newly-discovered gift which enables her to “read” peoples’ personal objects and from which she can divine secret information. So when she accidentally comes in contact with a poor murdered girl’s shoe, she learns more than she’s like about Naughty John, accidentally summoned from Hell to carry out his gruesome business.
Uptown in Harlem is another kid, a boy named Memphis has discovered the mixed blessing of his own powers, which can heal but can also do harm.
The newest novel by Printz-winning author Libba Bray is full of the vibrant imagery and language of the world of Ziegfeld girls, bootleg gin, and peacock feather-adorned headdresses. It’s funny, it’s scary, and it’s fascinating. Clearly Libba Bray has done her homework with this one. Her 1920s New York is so elaborately created, it’s hard not to get completely swept up in it. Unfortunately, that goes for the creepy, maniacal butcher as well. Eep.
Bedtime Stories: You Read To Me, I’ll Read To You
Post by Mark T. Locker.
You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You/Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman.
We grabbed this off the shelf at the library because it was about zombies, ghouls, and monsters. Turns out it’s a pretty good book, too! So as the title suggests, it is designed to be read by two people. Or two zombies, werewolves, whatever. So be prepared to have a helper if your kid can’t read, or be prepared to put your mad acting skills to the test. I read it with my wife. It was fun and a bit challenging.
Now, they call the stories “scary” but I think “not scary” would be a more apt term. They are, however, actually pretty funny. Two zombies trying to figure out how to look beautiful. An ogre and a giant discussing how delicious cake-filled babies taste. There are a bunch of books in this series, but if it doesn’t have zombies in pretty makeup, I’m personally not interested. I’m sure they are lovely, I’m just partial to monsters.
Bedtime Stories: Orangutans are ticklish
Post by Mark T. Locker.
Orangutans are Ticklish : fun facts from an animal photographer by Steve Grubman with Jill Davis.
Fast fact: Orangutans are ticklish. This is important survival stuff and I recommend you remember this. Also, if you see a hippopotamus yawn, he’s not sleepy so don’t go cuddle up with him. He’s liable to bite you in half!
These are a few of the tidbits of information provided in this big, colorful book compiled by veteran animal photographer Steve Grubman. Each page features an awesome giant photo of an animal accompanied by factoids that will amaze and inform parent and child alike. You will finally know decisively whether that’s an alligator or a crocodile you are running from. And that ant problem in your backyard will be solved in a day by a hungry aardvark, who will eat 50,000 of those lemony critters in a day! The pictures are, of course, great and the information is brief but very interesting.
My only complaint: No one seems to have a conclusive answer as to whether zebras are white with black stripes or vice versa. I’ve heard compelling arguments on both sides of this very serious issue and this book only adds more fuel to the fire.
Bedtime Stories: Jumanji
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg.
You’ve probably never heard of this book before. Chris Van Allsburg is an obscure 18th Dutch children’s author from the town of Blokzijl. The word “Jumanji” is an archaic term from an obscure dialect meaning “to harness one’s sorrows and transform them into hopes”.
—Hang on, I’m getting a message:
What’s that? Oh, it turns out that Chris Van Allsburg is from Michigan and his books have sold millions and Jumanji was made into a best-selling movie starring Robbie Williams—sorry—Robin Williams.
Well, I can’t introduce you to something new every week, now can I???
Well, my kid got the 30th anniversary edition of Jumanji for his birthday. I can’t believe it’s over thirty years old now! Anyways, this particular edition came with an audio version of the book read by Robbie Robin Williams. Honestly, he does a pretty good job reading the story. He is an actor, after all. There’s some weird saxophone thing going on during the intro and at the end, but otherwise it’s perfectly fine. I was thinking about all this tonight as my son cried and cried to please listen to Jumanji. Again. After all, like I said, it’s pretty good.
But not that good.
Bedtime Stories: Where’s Waldo?
Post by Mark T. Locker.
Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford.
I know what you may be thinking: this isn’t a story! There’s no words! There’s no plot! It’s just a bunch of busy pictures! Yes, well be that as it may, this is my book review and I can do what I want! Anyways, this is a new discovery for my four-year-old and he loves to look this book over every single night.
I never got into these books as a kid but they are pretty fun to look at. For one thing, I didn’t realize that there are a few regulars on every page. There are a couple that we look for in each new setting. There is the the lady Waldo, and she’s okay. But Felix’s and my favorite is what we have dubbed Evil Waldo:
There is also a wizard and a whole bunch of silly other goings-on on each page. Although we are likely to already know Waldo’s whereabouts on half the pages, there are so many different things to look for, stories to make up, and Where’s Waldo books that I think we will be entertained for a good long time with this series.
