Week 44:

Llama Llama Red Pajama VS The Gruffalo

Llama Llama Red Pajama:

Summary:

In this infectious rhyming read-aloud, Baby Llama turns bedtime into an all-out llama drama! Tucked into bed by his mama, Baby Llama immediately starts worrying when she goes downstairs, and his soft whimpers turn to hollers when she doesn't come right back. But just in time, Mama returns to set things right. Children will relate to Baby Llama's need for comfort, as much as parents will appreciate Mama Llama's reassuring message.

Review:

Llama Llama Red Pajama is good on so many levels. I do have some issues with part of the story, but overall it’s a great book. If you haven’t read this book I would remedy that immediately!

The Gruffalo:

Summary:

A mouse is taking a stroll through the deep, dark wood when along comes a hungry fox, then an owl, and then a snake. The mouse is good enough to eat but smart enough to know this, so he invents . . . the gruffalo! As Mouse explains, the gruffalo is a creature with terrible claws, and terrible tusks in its terrible jaws, and knobbly knees and turned-out toes, and a poisonous wart at the end of its nose. But Mouse has no worry to show. After all, there’s no such thing as a gruffalo. . . .

Review:

What a great book to end this first round of the tournament on. It was so clever, and the illustrations fit it just right. We found our winner this week right here.

The Winner:

Congratulations to The Gruffalo! 

We will see you in November!

Week 43:

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie… VS
The Whale Who Ate Everything

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie:

Summary:

If a hungry little mouse shows up on your doorstep, you might want to give him a cookie. And if you give him a cookie, he'll ask for a glass of milk. He'll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache, and then he'll ask for a pair of scissors to give himself a trim...

Review:

Pretty much everyone has read this book. It’s a great one for sure. The story is fun and catchy and the illustrations are cute and whimsical. This wasn’t a fantastic book to me, but I can definitely see why it got so popular.

The Whale Who Ate Everything:

Summary:

A small whale likes to eat everything, but when he gets so big and swallows a boat anchor, he is in for a big surprise!

Review:

Wow, that was short! It was fun even though it was short. Sadly, there really wasn’t anything that made this book special. Story and illustrations were all pretty basic.

The Winner:

Congratulations to 

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie…! 

We will see you in November!

We’ll see everyone else tomorrow!

Week 42:

Gus and Me VS What Do You Do With An Idea?

Gus and Me:

Summary:

Long before there was a band, there was a boy: a young Keith Richards, who was introduced to the joy of music through his beloved granddad, Theodore Augustus Dupree, affectionately known as "Gus," who was in a jazz big band and is the namesake of Keith's daughter, Theodora Dupree Richards. Gus & Me offers a rare and intimate look into the childhood of the legendary Keith Richards through this poignant and inspiring story that is lovingly illustrated with Theodora Richards's exquisite pen-and-ink collages. 

Review:

This book was better than I had thought it would be. It’s actually a fun and well told story. Kids who have any appreciation for musical instruments will probably love this book. The illustrations go well with the story as well, even though they are not a typical children’s book style.

What Do You Do With An Idea?:

Summary:

This is the story of one brilliant idea and the child who helps to bring it into the world. As the child's confidence grows, so does the idea itself. And then, one day, something amazing happens.
This is a story for anyone, at any age, who s ever had an idea that seemed a little too big, too odd, too difficult. It s a story to inspire you to welcome that idea, to give it some space to grow, and to see what happens next. Because your idea isn t going anywhere. In fact, it's just getting started.

Review:

I loved reading this. We should all read this to our kids, because it’s about dreaming big, holding on to that dream, and being patient with it. The illustrations were SUPERB. Every line seemed to have beauty in it .

The Winner:

Congratulations to 

What Do You Do With An Idea?! 

We will see you in November!

We’ll see everyone else tomorrow!

Week 41:

Tap the Magic Tree VS Catch That Cookie

Tap the Magic Tree :

Summary:

It begins with a bare brown tree. But tap that tree, turn the page, and one bright green leaf has sprouted! Tap again—one, two, three, four—and four more leaves have grown on the next page. Pat, clap, wiggle, jiggle, and see blossoms bloom, apples grow, and the leaves swirl away with the autumn breeze.

Review:

Another wonderfully simple, yet smart, interesting, and interactive book. I love books like this! I think kids will enjoy this one specifically because of the interaction. Great illustrations. They kept them simple.

Catch That Cookie:

Summary:

Marshall knows one thing for sure, despite what all the stories say: Gingerbread men cannot run. Cookies are for eating, and he can't wait to eat his after spending all morning baking them with his class. But when it's time to take the gingerbread men out of the oven . . . they're gone! Now, to find those rogue cookies, Marshall and his class have to solve a series of rhyming clues. And Marshall just might have to rethink his stance on magic. 

Review:

As I’ve stated before, I’m not a fan of long winded stories. This one wasn’t terribly long, but it did drag a little. With it’s length and all, it still had good qualities that I enjoyed. I did like the illustrations though.

The Winner:

Congratulations to Tap the Magic Tree! 

We will see you in November!

We’ll see everyone else next week!

Week 40:

One Big Pair of Underwear VS Hooray For Hat!

One Big Pair of Underwear:

Summary:

What’s one thing that two bears, three yaks, four goats, and six cats have in common?

They hate to share.

But look out—here comes a pack of twenty pigs ready to prove that sharing makes everything twice as fun!

Review:

I felt like I didn’t really enjoy this book until the last two pages. At that point however I found I liked it. The illustrations are ok, but fun for a child I guess. I think I just didn’t like the rhyming and counting. Too much like Dr. Seuss, but not as fun.

Hooray For Hat!:

Summary:

Elephant wakes up grumpy—until ding, dong! What’s in the surprise box at the front door? A hat! HOORAY FOR HAT! Elephant marches off to show Zebra, but Zebra is having a grumpy day, too—until Elephant shares his new hat and cheers up his friend. Off they march to show Turtle! The parade continues as every animal brightens the day of a grumpy friend. An irresistible celebration of friendship, sharing, and fabulous hats.

Review:

This is a great children’s book. Clever, fun, imaginative, and wonderful illustrations. I’d read this one if I were you.

The Winner:

Congratulations to Hooray For Hat! 

We will see you in November!

We’ll see everyone else next week!

Week 39:

The Book With No Pictures VS Telephone

The Book With No Pictures:

Summary:

You might think a book with no pictures seems boring and serious. Except . . . here’s how books work. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud. Even if the words say . . .

BLORK. Or BLUURF.

Even if the words are a preposterous song about eating ants for breakfast, or just a list of astonishingly goofy sounds like BLAGGITY BLAGGITY and GLIBBITY GLOBBITY.

Review:

OK, I have read some smart and creative children's books up until now, but this book takes the cake. And then it steals the cake from the competition going on next door. And it demolishes the cakes. Thoroughly. That's how creative this book is. I can't imagine a single kid in existence not laughing at this book. Wow.

Telephone:

Summary:

It's time to fly home for dinner! In this witty picture book from award-winning and bestselling author Mac Barnett, a mother bird gives the bird next to her a message for little Peter. But passing messages on a telephone line isn't as simple as it sounds. Each subsequent bird understands Mama's message according to its own very particular hobbies. Will Peter ever get home for dinner? This uproarious interpretation of a favorite children's game will get everyone giggling and is sure to lead to countless rereads.

Review:

Hmmmm. That book was interesting. A little funny, but that's about it. Next book please.

The Winner:

Congratulations to The Book With No Words! 

We will see you in November!

We’ll see everyone else next week!