Giant Dance Party

For a girl who has never taken dance lessons, Ivy is sure she wants to be a ballerina. Any book about dancing is a sure hit, and Betsy Bird's Giant Dance Party is no exception. 

Even though young Lexy loves to dance, she is quitting because of her fear of recitals. She decides to teach dance instead. Instead of having kids lining up to learn from her, Lexy's only takers are blue giants. Reluctant at first, Lexy warms up to the idea of teaching them. To show off their new skills, Lexy decides to hold a giant recital. When the giants get stage fright, only Lexy can save them. How will she do it? Find out in this adorable tale of overcoming fears. 

The Day the Crayons Quit

Young Duncan loves coloring but wakes up to a note from his crayons saying they have quit! Each crayon writes a lovely letter to Duncan thanking him for the good times, but that they are either overworked, neglected, jealous of another color, need some new items to be associated with, etc. What will young Duncan do? When he finally resolves his conflicts with the crayons, a colorful surprise awaits the reader! A must read this summer.

The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers.

Ivy has been home with me all week, and we have a smorgasbord of new books to review. One of her new favorites is a simple book with a simple message - Peace Baby by Linda Ashman.

 I think Ivy likes it so much because kids resolve conflicts among kids. Every day kids face issues of sharing, meanness, rough play, cheating, etc. The left side of the page presents lovely illustrations of kids facing problems, while the right hand side has the resolution and the message, "Peace, baby!" I read this to Ivy no less than five times while Atticus was napping this morning.

Bully

Laura Vaccaro Seegar's Bully seems too simple for an almost four year old upon first glance, but the clever plays on words and the message about bullying are compelling. When a large bull is mean to a small bull wanting to play, the small bull takes the hurt and lashes out at other innocent animals. The meaner he is, the bigger he feels. Each page contains the bull lashing out at an animal, calling the animal by its name but with the crueler meaning. He yells, "Pig!" to a pig, "Butt out!" to a goat, "Chicken!" to a chicken, and "Buzz off!" to a bee. Ivy is interested in the double meanings. Finally, the bully is deflated by a goat who calls him a bully. Since this book Ivy has been interested in what a bully is and how to stop them. A deeply advanced lesson for a young girl, but worth some thought. 

One Cool Friend

 tried Tony Buzzeo's One Cool Friend last summer, and Ivy did not bite. However this summer she just adored it. Elliot is a proper young man who fell in love with penguins at the aquarium. His father, possibly assuming he wanted a stuffed penguin, quickly acquiesced when Eliot asked for a penguin. Elliot goes to great lengths in his attempts to keep the penguin happy with fish, ice, water, etc. When his father finally discovers the truth about Magellan, the penguin, the reader is in for a clever surprise about Elliot's father. Now that Ivy knows the clever twist in the story, she is always looking for visual clues leading to the final revelation. A fine choice on a hot summer's day.

The Other Princess

For all you moms and dads out there a little sick of the Disney princess message, meet Elizabeth and Geraldine. Geraldine is a lovely young lady who thinks pink, tiaras, and tutus are essential. She is also not afraid to wear sneakers, get a few scrapes, make some noise, or just generally "let her sparkle out". Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton convey an endearing message in The Very Fairy Princess about being yourself and not quite conforming in a world of conformity.

Once a very long time ago, a future children's book illustrator was teaching in a preschool when he met a young lady who really considered herself a princess. Her name was Elizabeth, the name of the heroine in The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. Elizabeth seems like a typical pampered princess in love with your typical prince, Ronald. One day a dragon burns down her castle and takes Ronald prisoner. Since everything has been burnt, Elizabeth is forced to hunt the fierce dragon in a paper bag. When Elizabeth encounters the fierce dragon, she outsmarts the dragon by playing on his weakness - hubris. When she finally rescues Ronald, he is appalled by her disheveled appearance and lack of proper attire. He tells her to return when she is a proper princess. Our plucky princess tells Ronald he is a bum and appears to live happily ever after on her own. A different world from Disney and quite captivating!