Tag Archives: Children’s book reviews

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.

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Bedtime Stories: Gone-Away Lake

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Ahh, summertime. Or rather, ahh, summertime when you are a kid and have nothing to do but to run around and explore and discover. I love those old-fashioned stories of children embarking on summertime adventures, roaming around, unraveling mysteries, where parents are but a peripheral part of the tale. Upon hearing of my love for The Penderwicks, a librarian friend of mine suggested Gone-Away Lake published in 1958 by Newbery-winning author Elizabeth Enright.

Ten-year-old Portia Blake and her six-year-old brother Foster get to ride the train alone to visit their favorite cousin, Julian, and his family in Western New York. Portia and Julian quickly set off into the woods behind Julian’s new home and make amazing discoveries, including a row of abandoned once-beautiful homes on the shores of a bog which used to be a beautiful lake. To their delight and surprise, a pair of elderly siblings, who lived on the lake in its prime, have returned to the erstwhile lake and the children begin a summer of new friendships and new discoveries.

So much of this book is things that most parents today would NEVER allow their children to do: wandering off in the woods on their own; going into strangers’ homes; drinking homemade sherry at strangers’ homes! If this book were written today, the reader would be waiting to find out what horrific secrets the old lady and her brother were hiding. SPOILER ALERT: they’re not hiding anything. They’re just really nice people.

A lovely, fun, innocent book of childhood, summertime, and the passage of time.

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Bedtime Stories: Squid and Octopus

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Squid and Octopus: Friends for Always by Tao Nyeu.

There are lots of children’s books about dynamic friend duos, from Arnold Lobel’s classic Frog and Toad books to the more recent Elephant & Piggy series by Mo Willems. This new picture book by Tao Nyeu contains four vignettes about the friendship of Squid and Octopus. Like most children’s friendships, there is fun, conflict, and joyful resolution.

Squid and Octopus live under the sea (naturally) but enjoy many of the terrestrial comforts, such as cameras, pencils, books, and even a goldfish bowl! In one story they disagree over whether they should wear mittens or socks when it’s cold; another story reveals worry over what good or bad is waiting in a fortune cookie. The illustrations are, remarkably, silkscreens so I can only imagine how much work went into each of the lively and funny illustrations.

We just got this the other day as a birthday present and it is a big hit in our house. I would be surprised and disappointed if we didn’t see more books featuring this hilarious pair in the future.

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Bedtime Stories: Birthday Boy’s Favorites

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Today is the big day my boy turns four so in honor of the self-proclaimed “boss of the day” I will review a couple of his (but not necessarily my) favorite bedtime stories.

Hee-Haw-Dini and the Great Zambini by Kim Kennedy.

So the story is fine and somewhat predictable: the donkey Hee-Haw and his mouse friend Chester love magic but the other farm animals don’t believe a simple donkey and mouse could possibly be magicians. Guess who gets shown up in the end? Yup, that cynical pig, the condescending rabbit and the grumpy goose. I simply do not like the name Hee-Haw and it hurts me to read that name aloud over and over. And I am required to read it over and over. And over.

Trouble With Trolls by Jan Brett.

I actually like this one. Jan Brett is a great illustrator. There is always a little side story going on in the margins of her illustrations. This one tells the story of a girl who encounters a bunch of pesky trolls who are trying to steal her dog. Capitalizing on their stupidity and greed, she convinces them to take all her belongings but saving her dog. The little picture story in the margin shows the underground world of the trolls and the daily routine of one sleepy hedgehog. It’s one cute little ‘hog.

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Bedtime Stories: Hansel and Gretel

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Hansel and Gretel by Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Jen Corace.

I reckon that everyone in the Western world is at least somewhat acquainted with the classic Grimms’ fairy tales. Among their hundreds of stories, Hansel and Gretel is among the best-known, and among the best-known, surely the cruelest. So why should this be a bedtime story? Well, maybe your children will learn some valuable lessons (though it seems to me that the moral of Hansel and Gretel is, at best, vague) or maybe because—you know—happy endings! Personally, I love the story of Hansel and Gretel. I have always been fascinated by the image of being led by milky-white stones illuminated by the blue glow of the moon. I even had a pet gecko named Gretel!

This particular rendition is especially lovely. Written in a simple straightforward manner by acclaimed author Cynthia Rylant and richly illustrated by the NW’s own Jen Corace, this version is scores better than other tellings I have read. Naturally, you should use your best judgment to determine whether reading to your child about witchcraft, cannibalism and kids being abandoned in the woods is the right way to leave your child for dreamtime. And frankly, much as I love Jen Corace’s stylized illustrations, the children’s gray eyes seem a little dead and creepy. But hey, that’s me!

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