HELLO, THIEF

In Hello Door by Alistair Heim and Alisa Coburn,  Fox burgles the Three Bears' home.  He climbs through the window, saying hello to each inanimate object as he rifles through their house, eats their food, messes up their bed and steals their things.  I'm not advocating thievery here, but if I did, it's because of this very cute and silly B&B.  Finally, Fox gets tossed out the window, to an even bigger house, to commit yet another crime.  Fox didn't learn his lesson I guess. 

For preschoolers through second graders who enjoy a fractured fairy tale and a some great illustrations. Be sure to look at each framed picture at the end pages of the book.

Bye-bye, Reader.

THE SKY IS FALLING!

Is the sky really falling?  Ask Chicken Little why she’s in a frenzy as she does the mambo.  Well it all started one day when an acorn fell on Chicken Little’s head… and it went downhill from there.  Chicken Little truly believed that the sky was falling, so of course she didn't listen to Squirrel's explanation and created chaos on the farm. 


Chaos meaning all the chickens began to dance; they did the moonwalk, the twist and the waltz.  Soon enough all the other farm animals joined in the dance even though they knew better; the animals even did the hokey-pokey.  It wasn’t long before the clever Fox showed up to stir some trouble. He believed that he could actually fool the animals to come to his den.  Read to find out if the Fox accepts the chickens challenge.

The Sky is Falling by Mark Teague is a hilarious read-a-loud picture book. This is a great twist for a classic tale, teaching the importance of listening skills, especially when creating unnecessary confusion. The illustrations are colorful and cartoon-like.  

Ages 3-5

ANIMALS THAT TALK, PART 2

We met the kind and gentle Penhaligon Brush two years ago, when he just learned he was part wolf-part fox, and spent most of the story saving his loved ones from the dungeon of Ferball Manor. Now in its sequel, THE CURSE OF THE ROMANY WOLVES, S. Jones Rogan has Penhaligon on yet another adventure - that of finding a cure for "febra lupi (wolf fever)" that is infecting all the young ones in the village. But not only does the cure surface, but some other fascinating pieces of Penhaligon's past emerge. For 3rd grade and up.

BASHO AND THE RIVER STONES

The fox is a very tricky character indeed, and one can only expect certain tomfoolery and hijinks from the fox in this picture book for older readers. A poor poet lives near some delicious cherry trees that he shares with the foxes in the woods. It isn't long before one fox gets greedy and is surprised by the poet's reaction to his greed. BASHO AND THE RIVER STONES by Tim Myers was nominated for the 2007-2008 California Young Reader Award, and is bound to be a great rendition of a classic story. For 3rd grade and up.

ANIMALS THAT TALK

THE DARING ADVENTURES OF PENHALIGON BRUSH by Sally Jones Rogan.

Penhaligon Brush, a distinguished fox,was orphaned at birth and never knew what happened to his parents. He was raised by a local apothecary who trained Penhaligon to be a strong natural healer. But Penhaligon is bored with his sleepy little town. Until one day his adopted brother sends him a strange note inviting him to his home a few towns away. When Penhaligon arrives, nothing is as it should be, and his brother is MISSING! An exciting adventure begins, with Penhaligon learning a few life lessons along the way. Definitely for kids just starting to read chapter books. 2nd grade and up.

FUNNY FOX SHOWS OFF!

Sometimes animals seem a lot like humans. In the book FOX BE NIMBLE by James Marshall, the human-like character is Fox, and he has three chapters of funny happenings. Fox really thinks he's hot stuff. But apparently not everyone knows just how great he is, so he makes a point of showing everyone! First he must babysit for the Ling children who are hard to keep still and end up getting Fox on the evening news. Next, Fox injures himself falling on a skate and makes a big deal out of it, even though he wasn't very hurt, just because he is such a show off. He finally puts his antics to good use as the baton-twirling leader of a parade. This is good for 1st - 3rd graders who are almost ready to read chapter books, but aren't ready for anything too long.