The nice woman working in the children's section of the bookstore recommended Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! and I decided to give it a try, since I haven't met a Seuss I don't like.
The Story: The school in Dinkerville is different. The teachers teach things like poodle identification and painting pictures while hanging upside down. The students are happy and enthusiastic, until one day, the principal comes and tells them that they have to take a test. If they fail this test, their school will be closed and they'll be forced to go to the dreary, boring Flobbertown School. The students are scared, the principal is nervous, but the teacher is sure of the children - because they have been taught, among other things, how to think. She is sure that they will pass any test, because they have been well-armed. She was right, and the children get the highest score on the test, saving their fabulous school. The principal declares it Diffendoofer Day, and everyone rejoices.
The Good: This book emphasizes how important it is to learn to think for yourself, instead of just memorizing facts. If you are well armed to use your brain, you can do anything. The book was finished after Dr. Seuss' death (from some of his notes) and the illustrations are not typical Seuss, but they are fun and colorful. It's a really fun book.
The Bad: I can't think of anything, other than the fact that it might make you grumpy about the state of so many schools today, where memorization of rote facts seems to be the norm. The purist Dr. Seuss fan may have issues with the non-Seussical illustrations.
The Verdict: I want to share this book with everyone I know. It's not that long, and it's got a great message. Learn to use your fabulous brain, and anything is possible! Thank you, Book Store Lady!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Dr. Seuss: New Books!
I'll review them as we go through them.
Dr. Seuss Fun: Making Oobleck!
Put water in a bowl, add food coloring
Mix well
Keep Mixing
Play with it
Goopy!
Keep playing!
Then, wash off!
Friday, February 26, 2010
It's that time Again: Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! (on March 2)
We are still busily chugging along on Inkspell, and it's going to take us a while (though we are nearly halfway through!). So, I interrupt your regularly scheduled blog to remind you that Dr. Seuss' birthday is coming up on March 2!
Last year, I told you about some of our favorite Dr. Seuss books in honor of his birthday. This year, I thought I'd share some other ideas to celebrate the day.
I know it's not until next Tuesday, but this will give you some heads up to plan.
Last year, I told you about some of our favorite Dr. Seuss books in honor of his birthday. This year, I thought I'd share some other ideas to celebrate the day.
I know it's not until next Tuesday, but this will give you some heads up to plan.
- I found this great site, where you can download your own Seuss Reading Passport. Yes, I've printed a copy for each of my kids (not all the books are on there, but most of the real classics. Maybe I'll add some pages for the rest of them....)
- I'll be making a themed lunch for my daughter on Tuesday. Check it out on my lunch blog when the day comes.
- I think we'll make some Oobleck. Here's a great looking tutorial.
- You better believe we'll be having Green Eggs & Ham for breakfast.
- There are some cool game ideas at Seussville.com, too.
- We have one of the Dr. Seuss board games (Cat in the Hat - I Can Do That!) and I think it'll be obligatory to play a couple rounds.
- Of course, read one of your favorite Seuss books. Or two. Or three. Or, pick up a new one to expand your horizons - and stamp your Seuss Passport!
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Witches
I had never read The Witches, but had once seen the movie (though it was long ago), so all I remembered going into this is that it had to do with witches and mice... since we've been on a Roald Dahl mission, we had to read it.
The Story: The books starts out unceremoniously with the death of the narrator's parents in a car crash. This tragedy puts him in the care of his Norwegian grandmother, who tries to lighten his somber mood by telling him stories of witches. When they have to move back to his home in England, and end up taking a holiday at a fancy hotel, they come face to face with a whole slew of witches, who have a devious plan to turn all the children in England into mice! Unfortunately for the boy, they start with him. However, he finds that he rather likes being a mouse, and maybe by being a mouse, he has a unique advantage in trying to stop the witches...
The Good: The boy's grandmother is wonderfully written. She's compassionate and kind and accepting. The boy's own acceptance (and even happiness) of becoming a mouse makes the whole metamorphosis a little less disturbing. As always, Dahl captures joy and humor in unexpected places.
The Bad: Those witches are scary! Anyone could be a witch, as they are masters of disguise. If your child is the nervous kind, this could upset them. The boy's grandmother smokes a cigar, and while it is always described as "stinking" and "foul," it might take explaining. The way that his parents are killed off and then never spoken of again except in passing is a little disturbing, too. It is typical of Dahl, though.
The Verdict: Very good, and funny, though not my favorite Dahl. It is recommended for ages 7-12 on Amazon, and I'd say that's about right. It was a good read, and Evalina liked it, but as I said... not my favorite. Still, definitely worth the read.
The Story: The books starts out unceremoniously with the death of the narrator's parents in a car crash. This tragedy puts him in the care of his Norwegian grandmother, who tries to lighten his somber mood by telling him stories of witches. When they have to move back to his home in England, and end up taking a holiday at a fancy hotel, they come face to face with a whole slew of witches, who have a devious plan to turn all the children in England into mice! Unfortunately for the boy, they start with him. However, he finds that he rather likes being a mouse, and maybe by being a mouse, he has a unique advantage in trying to stop the witches...
The Good: The boy's grandmother is wonderfully written. She's compassionate and kind and accepting. The boy's own acceptance (and even happiness) of becoming a mouse makes the whole metamorphosis a little less disturbing. As always, Dahl captures joy and humor in unexpected places.
The Bad: Those witches are scary! Anyone could be a witch, as they are masters of disguise. If your child is the nervous kind, this could upset them. The boy's grandmother smokes a cigar, and while it is always described as "stinking" and "foul," it might take explaining. The way that his parents are killed off and then never spoken of again except in passing is a little disturbing, too. It is typical of Dahl, though.
The Verdict: Very good, and funny, though not my favorite Dahl. It is recommended for ages 7-12 on Amazon, and I'd say that's about right. It was a good read, and Evalina liked it, but as I said... not my favorite. Still, definitely worth the read.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The Twits
During our (probably brief) break from the Inkheart series, we are reading the Roald Dahl books that Evalina got for Christmas. First up was The Twits, which I have never read. We finished it in one night.
The Story: Mr. Twit and Mrs. Twit were dreadful human beings. They were horrible to each other, and pretty horrible to people around them, too. They were not kind to animals or children. They had four monkeys (because they used to be monkey trainers) which they treated terribly and were made to stand on their heads all the time. Mr. Twit really liked to eat Bird Pie, so he smeared a tree outside their house with super sticky glue, to catch the birds... until the monkeys got together with a visiting bird to turn the Twits world upside-down..
The Good: It's hilarious (what else would you expect from Roald Dahl) and a super quick read. The Twits are painted as truly ghastly, and you don't feel bad for them when they get their due. The illustrations by Quentin Blake match the story wonderfully. Evalina loved it and couldn't (wouldn't) put it down until it was done.
The Bad: The Twits are really awful people. They do really mean things to each other. However, I wouldn't say that's bad, just that you should be aware, you are not going to be reading about nice characters here...
The Verdict: Get it! I was laughing out loud. It's only about 75 pages long, and filled with wonderful illustrations, so it's really quick. It's fun to see what the animals do to get back at the Twits, and it is definitely worth a read. Amazon lists it as appropriate for ages 7-11, and I think a little younger would be fine, too. (Evalina is not quite 7, and I think she would have appreciated this story even a year ago or more..) I just don't think you can go wrong with Roald Dahl.
The Story: Mr. Twit and Mrs. Twit were dreadful human beings. They were horrible to each other, and pretty horrible to people around them, too. They were not kind to animals or children. They had four monkeys (because they used to be monkey trainers) which they treated terribly and were made to stand on their heads all the time. Mr. Twit really liked to eat Bird Pie, so he smeared a tree outside their house with super sticky glue, to catch the birds... until the monkeys got together with a visiting bird to turn the Twits world upside-down..
The Good: It's hilarious (what else would you expect from Roald Dahl) and a super quick read. The Twits are painted as truly ghastly, and you don't feel bad for them when they get their due. The illustrations by Quentin Blake match the story wonderfully. Evalina loved it and couldn't (wouldn't) put it down until it was done.
The Bad: The Twits are really awful people. They do really mean things to each other. However, I wouldn't say that's bad, just that you should be aware, you are not going to be reading about nice characters here...
The Verdict: Get it! I was laughing out loud. It's only about 75 pages long, and filled with wonderful illustrations, so it's really quick. It's fun to see what the animals do to get back at the Twits, and it is definitely worth a read. Amazon lists it as appropriate for ages 7-11, and I think a little younger would be fine, too. (Evalina is not quite 7, and I think she would have appreciated this story even a year ago or more..) I just don't think you can go wrong with Roald Dahl.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Inkheart
I got Inkheart for Evalina last year, and it has sat upon the shelf, looking large and intimidating ever since. It's a whopper of a book, at 535 pages. But that's not all - it has two sequels: Inkspell (656 pages) and Inkdeath (also 656 pages). So, reading it was a commitment of near epic proportions.
Evalina insisted, though, and I'm glad she did. It's taken us a long time (over a month and a half!) to get through Inkheart alone, but it's a really great book, and she has loved it, as have I.
The Story: Meggie (age 12) lives a content life, alone with her father, Mo, and their books. He is a bookbinder, and has instilled in her a love of books that is undeniable. Still, he has never, in her memory, read aloud to her. A mysterious stranger, Dustfinger, appears in the middle of the night, and tells Mo that Capricorn is after The Book. Without explaining anything to Meggie yet, Mo packs up their things and heads out of town, to her great aunt Ellinor's house, which is also filled top to bottom with her precious books. They are there to protect and hide The Book, a book that Meggie has never seen before, but Mo treats like a treasure. Still not understanding what is going on, Meggie is alarmed when agents of this unknown villain, Capricorn, arrive at Ellinor's house and kidnap her father. In an attempt to get him back, they set off for Capricorn's village, with The Book in tow. It is there that Meggie finds out the truth - her father has an amazing ability. When he reads aloud, sometimes characters from the book emerge from the pages, and come into our world. That's where Dustfinger, Capricorn, and his men came from. The only problem is, when someone comes out, someone else goes in. Meggie had always thought that her mother left them when she was a baby, but it turns out that Mo read her into The Book - Inkheart. Try as he might, he was never able to read her back out, and vowed to never read aloud again. That is, until Capricorn forced him to...
The Good: The story is really engaging, and I love Cornelia Funke's writing style. She seems to write spunky girls well. My own spunky girl appreciated that. The love of books that is evident in the story is nice to see, and the relationship Meggie has with her father is wonderful. Though the book was long, it never seemed to drag. All of the characters, good and evil, are well flushed out and believable.
The Bad: Wow, is it ever long. And then, facing the two longer sequels, I am more daunted than Evalina I think. The evil characters are really dark, and there is some violence that is unsettling, and some definite scary parts. Also, there is the thing with fire. Dustfinger is a fire-eater and jester, who mainly deals with fire. I had to spend quite a lot of time talking to Evalina about how she is never ever ever ever to play with fire like he does. She nodded and smiled at me about it, but I am not about to leave her near any open flames any time soon. That part made me nervous.
The Verdict: It's recommended for grades 5-9, and I think if you are not reading with your child, that holds true. For reading together, although it takes a long time to get through, Evalina was able to follow and enjoy the story. It's a really great story, and though they are long, I'm looking forward to reading the sequels. I've heard that the movie took a lot of liberties, though, and while it is decent, it's not at all like the book. That's a shame, but I can understand. It is hard to make a faithful movie based on a book that is over 500 pages long. Overall, though, super good and really really worth reading... although it might be something that you want to let your child read by themselves. Reading it aloud certainly was a commitment... and now I'm in for the sequels! I've convinced her that we should read a couple shorter books before hopping into them, though, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next, but I'm glad for a break.
Evalina insisted, though, and I'm glad she did. It's taken us a long time (over a month and a half!) to get through Inkheart alone, but it's a really great book, and she has loved it, as have I.
The Story: Meggie (age 12) lives a content life, alone with her father, Mo, and their books. He is a bookbinder, and has instilled in her a love of books that is undeniable. Still, he has never, in her memory, read aloud to her. A mysterious stranger, Dustfinger, appears in the middle of the night, and tells Mo that Capricorn is after The Book. Without explaining anything to Meggie yet, Mo packs up their things and heads out of town, to her great aunt Ellinor's house, which is also filled top to bottom with her precious books. They are there to protect and hide The Book, a book that Meggie has never seen before, but Mo treats like a treasure. Still not understanding what is going on, Meggie is alarmed when agents of this unknown villain, Capricorn, arrive at Ellinor's house and kidnap her father. In an attempt to get him back, they set off for Capricorn's village, with The Book in tow. It is there that Meggie finds out the truth - her father has an amazing ability. When he reads aloud, sometimes characters from the book emerge from the pages, and come into our world. That's where Dustfinger, Capricorn, and his men came from. The only problem is, when someone comes out, someone else goes in. Meggie had always thought that her mother left them when she was a baby, but it turns out that Mo read her into The Book - Inkheart. Try as he might, he was never able to read her back out, and vowed to never read aloud again. That is, until Capricorn forced him to...
The Good: The story is really engaging, and I love Cornelia Funke's writing style. She seems to write spunky girls well. My own spunky girl appreciated that. The love of books that is evident in the story is nice to see, and the relationship Meggie has with her father is wonderful. Though the book was long, it never seemed to drag. All of the characters, good and evil, are well flushed out and believable.
The Bad: Wow, is it ever long. And then, facing the two longer sequels, I am more daunted than Evalina I think. The evil characters are really dark, and there is some violence that is unsettling, and some definite scary parts. Also, there is the thing with fire. Dustfinger is a fire-eater and jester, who mainly deals with fire. I had to spend quite a lot of time talking to Evalina about how she is never ever ever ever to play with fire like he does. She nodded and smiled at me about it, but I am not about to leave her near any open flames any time soon. That part made me nervous.
The Verdict: It's recommended for grades 5-9, and I think if you are not reading with your child, that holds true. For reading together, although it takes a long time to get through, Evalina was able to follow and enjoy the story. It's a really great story, and though they are long, I'm looking forward to reading the sequels. I've heard that the movie took a lot of liberties, though, and while it is decent, it's not at all like the book. That's a shame, but I can understand. It is hard to make a faithful movie based on a book that is over 500 pages long. Overall, though, super good and really really worth reading... although it might be something that you want to let your child read by themselves. Reading it aloud certainly was a commitment... and now I'm in for the sequels! I've convinced her that we should read a couple shorter books before hopping into them, though, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next, but I'm glad for a break.
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