Arthur's Computer Disaster

Arthur picture books were always my favorite growing up, so when I reached the Marc Brown section of the library, I did not hesitate to grab one of the books I haven’t read yet/don’t remember reading. I came across Arthur’s Computer Disaster, where Arthur disobeys his mother and goes on her computer to play a game when he’s not supposed to, and ends up “breaking” the computer.

I love the style that Marc Brown writes in. The flow is very easy to follow, and there is just the right amount of dialogue. The text is great for a first or second grader, and the illustrations, as always, are excellent and fun to look at. The lesson taught in the story is one all adults appreciate, and that is, listen to your parents! I also like the idea that the book is part of a series. If students like the first book the read of Arthur, they are for sure going to run to the library to pick up some more y books.

The Right Dog for the Job

I’m not going to lie; I judged this book by its cover. The Right Dog for the Job by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent has a cover with an adorable golden retriever on the cover; it was pretty hard to pass up. In this non-fictional story, the author introduces us to a puppy, and takes us through his “childhood” and training process to help those with disabilities. The text is rich, and the real-life pictures are very entertaining and cute to look at. Not to mention, this would be a great book to read to your class for them to learn about people with disabilities, and how dogs could be a great help to some.

What’s That Noise? by Michelle Edwards and Phyllis Root is about two brothers who sleep in the same room, and one plays a joke on the other and makes many noises to scare the other brother. The story is basically their conversation, Alex begging Ben to come sleep with him in his bed. I thought the dialogue could be a little confusing at times-I was a little unsure who said what on some of the pages. However, I did like the author’s use of onomatopoeia (the sounds made by the monster/brother), and know it would be a fun book to read allowed with a child, and have them make the noises with you.

A Family is Forever

Nancy Carlson was one of the first authors I knew of, and I always really enjoyed her stories. So, when I saw her My Family is Forever picture book on the shelf, I decided it was worth a read. I LOVED this book. At first, I thought it was going to be about a traditional perfect family-mom, dad, and child. But not quite. The child in the story actually talks about how she is adopted. The author does a great job explaining the adoption process and why the child looks different from her parents in a way that it is easy for a child to understand. From the pictures, you can tell that the little girl is Asian, and her parents are not.
I think this would be a great book to read to a child who is adopted, or just to read to a class to show that not every family is the same. This book is definitely an easy read, with only a few words on each page, perfect for a first grade reading level!

Sherman Crunchley by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans is an adorable book about a dog, who is supposed to take over his dad’s job as a police chief in their town; however, he does not want to be a police chief. Feeling immensely pressured, Sherman does not know how to say no to the offer. He attempts many ways to learn how to simply say “no” to the job, but can’t build up enough might, scared he might disappoint his family members. Finally, he denies the job at the end of the story.
I love the way the author shows how nervous Sherman is to tell his family that he doesn’t want the job by showing all the extremes he goes to for help (videos, etc), because I’m sure this is something many children (adults too!) can relate to. We all have those situations where we are faced with an offer we do not particularly want, but have trouble building up the guts to say how we really feel. This story lets students know they are not alone. In addition, the message also offers that you don’t need to do what your parents want you to do, but to do what you want to do. The pictures in the story are great-really bright with lots of colors, and I like how the picture at the end of the book gives away the ending, without using any words.

BoBo Crazy

Walking through the fictional novel section of the library with no idea what to chose, Bobo Crazy by Marilyn Sadler caught my eye. Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century sounded familiar to me, and after sifting through the pages, I noticed it was a spin off of the Disney Channel movie series Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. I’m not really sure what came first, but anyway, I found this short 88 page, large font chapter book to be a quick read, and one that most eight or nine-year-old girls would enjoy. I like how the story is futuristic (taking place in 2049), so the reader can use his or her imagination to capture pictures in his or her head. Sadler provides a glossary of futuristic words that are used in the text that I’m sure children would love to look up.

The main character, Zenon, tells a story in first person about how she wants this pretend dog that everyone else is getting, but her parents won’t pay for it because it’s too expensive. Instead, her dad offers to buy her a cheaper (not as cool) pretend dog, and she responds with a bratty “buy me the stupid dog then” (14). I didn’t appreciate her dad still buying her a dog after she talked to him like that. Anyway, I like the message the author provides. At the elementary and middle school age, fitting in and having the same material objects as other is very important to many students, like in the book. However, as we learn in the end of the book, none of that matters.

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