Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret Bob Shea 4 Stars Ballet Cat is best friends with Sparkles the Pony. When Ballet Cat wonders what they can do to play, Sparkles suggests many different ideas–all of which are almost perfect. Finally Ballet Cat convinces Sparkles to play ballet. Only Sparkles has a secret secret. *Gasp* He…
Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page Cynthia Rylant illustrated by Arthur Howard 4 Stars Mr. Putter and Tabby (his cat) like to read. Mr. Putter reads and Tabby curls up (sometimes on his head) and listens. One day Mr. Putter sees a sign at the library that invites people to “Read aloud with your…
My New Friend Is So Fun! Mo Willems 3.5 Stars Elephant and Snake are talking to each other. Their best friends Piggie and Brian Bat just met for the first time and they are playing. At first Elephant and Snake aren’t worried. But then they start to wonder if their best friends will become best…
Silly Lilly in What Will I Be Today? Agnès Rosenstiehl 2.5 Stars Silly Lilly is simple comic book for beginning readers. Lilly believes that “Every day is a new day to play!” Readers can watch what Silly Lilly pretends to be (or what she plays) each day of the week. Each section starts with telling…
There are three early readers that I have quite enjoyed recently. They are ones that young kiddos who are just learning to read will particularly enjoy. Clara and Clem In Outer Space Ethan Long Clara and Clem make a rocket out of blocks. But then the rocket turns into a real rocket and takes them…
I’m a Frog! Mo Willems 4 Stars In this fun edition of Elephant and Piggie, Piggie tells Gerald that she is now a frog. This worries Gerald. One minute Piggie was a pig and the next she was a frog. And he doesn’t want to be a frog. Soon enough Gerald learns about the world…
Scribbles and Ink: The Contest Ethan Long 3.5 Stars This is a fun story about Scribbles (a cat that is drawn with “scribbles”) and Ink (a mouse that is a solid black color, like ink). They are friends. In this particular story Ink finds a flyer that tells about a drawing contest. The contestants must…
Fly Guy and the Frankenfly Tedd Arnold Cartwheel Books, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-545-49328-4 FORMAT: Easy Reader AGES: Early Elementary School 3 Stars Buzz and Fly Guy are playing one night. They are walking around acting like Frankenstein monsters. Buzz draws a picture of him as Frankenstein and Fly Guy as a bat friend. Then Buzz goes…
Annie and Simon: The Sneeze and Other Stories Catharine O’Neill Candlewick Press, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-7636-4921-0 FORMAT: Easy Reader AGES: Elementary School 3 Stars Once again Annie and Simon have a few stories to share. In the first Annie decides to draw pictures of the “living things” that they see while at a lake. Of course…
Guppy Up! Jonathan Fenske Penguin Young Readers, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-448-46331-5 FORMAT: Easy Reader AGES: Preschool, early Elementary School 3.5 Stars This is a rhyming story with a guppy. “Guppy up. Guppy down. Guppy smile. Guppy frown.” The rhymes showcase not only sounds but also some opposite concepts (as in the up vs down and the…