Week 34:

Goodnight Goon: A Petrifying Parody VS Otis and the Scarecrow

Goodnight Goon: A Petrifying Parody:

Summary:

Goodnight monsters everywhere, in this parody romp with its own special twist!

Goodnight tomb. Goodnight goon. Goodnight Martians taking over the moon.?

It's bedtime in the cold gray tomb with a black lagoon, and two slimy claws, and a couple of jaws, and a skull and a shoe and a pot full of goo. But as a little werewolf settles down, in comes the Goon determined at all costs to run amok and not let any monster have his rest.

A beloved classic gets a kind-hearted send up in this utterly monsterized parody; energetic art and a hilarious text will have kids begging to read this again and again.

Review:

I've come to realize I don't really like rhyming stories. This book has great illustrations and it really fit with its style being a Halloween book, however I found it a little hard to care for the story. It was kinda fun in ways, but overall it lacked the "it" factor.

Otis and the Scarecrow:

Summary:

On the farm where Otis the tractor lives, the farmer has introduced someone new—a scarecrow to shoo away the pesky crows. But when Otis and the animals greet the scarecrow with friendly smiles, the scarecrow’s frown never leaves his face. So everyone leaves him alone.

Then one day, when a cold autumn rain sets in, Otis and the animals snuggle close and play Otis’s favorite game: the quiet game. Otis knows the puppy and ducks can’t sit still for long, and soon the farm friends begin to giggle and squirm, feeling warmed by one another’s friendship . . . but on this day, Otis can't seem to take his eyes off the lonely figure in the cornfield.

A deeply resonant book about subtle acts of compassion and standing up for others, featuring everyone's favorite tractor, Otis.

Review:

I really wanted to like this book. I loved the other "Otis" book that I reviewed months ago, but this one was simply not that interesting. And it was long. It seemed like it was building a good character in the scarecrow, but in the end it didn't really deliver as I had hoped it would.

The Winner:

Congratulations to Otis and the Scarecrow! 

We will see you in November!

We’ll see everyone else next week!

Week 33:

Mister Bud Wears The Cone VS The Tooth Fairy Wars

Mister Bud Wears The Cone:

Summary:

In this next addition to an adventure Booklist called “a treat for dog lovers young and old,” canine pals Mister Bud and Zorro encounter…the cone.

Mister Bud and Zorro learned how to get along in Say Hello to Zorro! They made it through Zorro’s new wardrobe in Zorro Gets an Outfit. But how will they handle Mister Bud’s latest predicament? Because he has to wear...the cone.

Review:

What a hilarious book! The story was good and the characters were great and all, but the illustrations of that pug nose dog had me in tears from laughing so hard. Oh, those illustrations were PERFECT. PERFECT I tell you! Read it soon. You’ll enjoy it!

The Tooth Fairy Wars:

Summary:

It’s the Tooth Fairy against Nathan, a boy who’d rather keep his tooth than get the cash, thank you very much!

Nathan’s lost his first tooth! And he’s thinking he’ll hold on to it, so thanks-but-no-thanks, Tooth Fairy. This is one tooth that is staying with its owner.

Except the Tooth Fairy has other ideas. And we’re not talking about some run-of-the-mill garden fairy here. No, this is the Tooth Fairy. She’s on a tooth procurement mission—and she’s not about to let some little boy get the best of her.

But she may have met her match in Nathan…

Review:

Ok, so it would take a lot to beat a book that made me laugh as much as Mister Bud Wears The Cone did, but this book has the whole package. This book has a brilliant story, wonderful illustrations, and fantastic creativity all around. I wont say much more than this: Expect to see this one competing in the finals!

The Winner:

Congratulations to The Tooth Fairy Wars! 

We will see you in November!

We’ll see everyone else next week!

After a long vacation, we are back!

For this week we will announce the three winners for the past three weeks we've missed. 

Congratulations to Maddi's Fridge, The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School, and The Very Cranky Bear!

We will see all of you in November!

We'll be back next week with an all new review. See you then!

The Children's Book Tournament

is on Vacation for 3 weeks

We'll see you back on August 13th!

Week 29:

The Boy On the Page VS This Is a Moose

The Boy On the Page:

Summary:

A small boy lands on the page and, quite by accident, discovers the joy and wonder of life.

Review:

What a book. Its deep. It's philosophical deep. And yet, it is fun, creative, simple, and full of life. This story impressed me. Let it impress you.

This Is a Moose:

Summary:

MOOSE? Yes, Moose! When a movie director tries to capture the life of a moose on film, he's in for a big surprise. It turns out the moose has a dream bigger than just being a moose--he wants to be an astronaut and go to the moon.

His forest friends step in to help him, and action ensues. Lots of action. Like a lacrosse-playing grandma, a gigantic slingshot into space, and a flying, superhero chipmunk.

Review:

The ending was genius! That's all I’ll say. Read it. Its good, illustrations and all.

The Winner:

Congratulations to The Boy On the Page!

We will see you in November!

We’ll see everyone else next week!

Week 28: 

Edgar Gets Ready For Bed VS No Slurping, No Burping!

Edgar Gets Ready For Bed:

Summary:

Meet the plucky toddler Edgar the Raven! He's quo;s mischievous, disobedient, and contrary. Dinnertime, cleanup-time, and bedtime are all met with one word: NEVERMORE! But as the evening winds to a close, Edgar’s mom knows just what to do to get her son into bed—a bedtime story. Jennifer Adam’s charming story gives a sly wink to Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven and will have little literature lovers saying, “MORE! MORE!”

Review:

This book kind of gives me that feeling I used to have as a little kid when the Fall book sale would come around at my elementary school. Ahhh, the smell of brand new number two pencils and the weird little rooftop shaped eraser caps to cover the old worn out eraser heads on the old pencils. This book brings me back to those days. There’s just a mysterious feeling to the book-- I LOVE IT!  And they were so smart to play with the Edgar Allen Poe theme.  As for the illustrations they were wonderful, and they fit the style perfectly. I definitely recommend reading this book.

No Slurping, No Burping!:

Summary:

Evie and Simon always mind their manners. But sometimes, they have to mind their father's, too! In this humorous spin on manners books, two kids teach their father everything he needs to know about mealtime etiquette. Everything is going well, until a surprise visitor arrives for dinner! Will Father be able to remember all of Evie and Simon's lessons?

Review:

"Mind your manners" is the lesson of the day in this book. It does a great job teaching kids, in a playful way, how to eat in a polite and thoughtful manner. The illustrations are like a Disney cartoon. Come to find out the book was done by Disney! It was a good, fun read.

The Winner:

Congratulations to

Edgar Gets Ready For Bed! 

We will see you in November!

We’ll see everyone else next week!

Week 27:

Penguin on Vacation VS The Tree House That Jack Built

Penguin on Vacation:

Summary:

Penguin is tired of the snow and cold-so he decides to visit the beach! But when his favorite activities like skiing and skating don't work so well on sand, can a new friend help Penguin learn how to have fun in the sun? 

Review:

This book was somewhat mediocre. It wasn’t bad, but I can’t say it was great. However, the relationship of the two main characters was touching. It actually had me wanting the story to go longer. So in retrospect, I guess I did like it enough to want to read more. But there wasn’t more. It was over too soon. Ha! Isn’t that life for ya, though?

The Tree House That Jack Built:

Summary:

Here is the boy
up in the tree
where he built a house overlooking the sea.
Yes! This is the tree house that Jack built!
With ladders, swings, turrets,
and elaborate pulley systems everywhere--
animals chase one another
over, under, around, and through.
And then--the bell rings.
Where are all the animals going?

Review:

Interesting book. I don’t think I enjoyed this book, but I can see kids liking it. If you like rhymes, and you like tree houses, you should take a look at this book. You just might like it.

The Winner:

Congratulations to Penguin on Vacation! 

We will see you in November!

We’ll see everyone else next week!