Henry in Love by Peter McCarty

Henry has a crush on the prettiest girl at school. By chance, they end up sitting next to each other in class. Henry gives Chloe his blueberry muffin. The rest is history.

What I thought: A charming book. The story is simple and sweet. The illustrations are great--soft and monochromatic. I love how the color pops off the page. The different animals in class remind me of Rosemary Wells' Yoko though the two books have very different illustration styles.

Story Time Theme: Valentine's Day

(Balzer & Bray, 2010)

Looking for Luna by Tim Myers

We're looking for a cat, Dad & me. Not that one or that one. We're looking for our cat--she's gray and has tiger stripes. Have you seen her?

What I thought: Great book. The story has real rhythm without being overdone. I love the word choice (e.g., fog-gray). The illustrations are nice. The cats are particularly well drawn.

Story Time Theme: Cats

(Illus. Mike Reed. Marshal Cavendish, 2009)

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus

After eighty years, the gang (Pooh, Piglet, Owl, Rabbit, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, and Eeyore) have some new adventures. They have a spelling bee, learn to play cricket, make a new friend, and generally have a wonderful time in the Hundred Acre Wood.

What I thought: This book was enchanting and delightful. I'm only sorry to say that it took eighty years to have a new Pooh book. Benedictus did such a good job with the stories. I wouldn't mind seeing another Pooh book by him. The illustrations were quite good. My copies of the original Pooh books have black and white illustrations, so the color was very nice. My one complaint is that Roo looked more like a squirrel than a baby kangaroo. I checked the illustrations in the original books and apparently he looked like that then, too. I don't know how I missed it. I loved Lottie. She's such a sassy girl. My favorite illustration is of Eeyore with all the rabbits on his back. I got tickled when the gang ate cucumber sandwiches. Yum! I have two favorite chapters: Chapter 4 (In Which It Stops Raining For Ever and Something Slinky Comes Out of the River) and Chapter 8 (In Which We Are Introduced to the Game of Cricket).

(Illus. Mark Burgess. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2009)

Blogiversary & ARC Giveaway

Today marks the two year blogiversary of my blog. What is Bridget Reading? started out as a simple way to share all the booktalks I was writing during grad school. Over the past two years, it's grown into so much more. I'm reviewing all sorts of books for children and teens. I have several reading projects either completed (Ramona Quimby) or in the works (Beatrix Potter, Harry Potter). I can't wait to see where the next year will take my blog. In honor of my blogiversary, I have 4 sets of ARCs to give away. They've been cluttering up my bookshelves and I've decided to share the wealth. The books are: Set #1 Borrowed Names by Jeannine Atkins Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood Set #2 A Field Guide for Heartbreakers by Kristen Tacy Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine The Little Known by Janice Daughtery Set #3 Noonie's Masterpiece by Lisa Railsback Smells Like Dog by Suzanne Selfors The Lost Children by Carolyn Cohagan Set #4 A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman The Summer Before by Ann M. Martin Open to US entrants only! Giveaway ends October 1 at 11:59pm. Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment on this post with your email. Additional Entries: -Follow What Is Bridget Reading? (Leave a separate comment for following) +2 entries -Tweet about the giveaway. (Leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet. If possible mention me: @bridgetrwilson. Can only tweet once.) +1 entry Winners will be drawn randomly after the giveaway ends. Winners will be notified by email.

The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter

First published July 1906
60 pages, 28 color illustrations

Mr. Jeremy Fisher sets out to catch a minnow, but instead gets caught himself by a trout.

The History Behind the Tale:
The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher as a picture letter to Eric Moore in 1893. The same year Beatrix Potter sold nine frog drawings to Nister (a publishing company) and they turned them into a story. In 1906, Jeremy Fisher was publisher by F. Warne & Co.

My Thoughts: A delightful story! I love that Jeremy is a gentleman frog. He dresses so nicely. This is definitely a boy book. All my fishing fans will enjoy this one. I liked meeting Jeremy's friends, Sir Isaac Newton and Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise. I hope we'll see them again.

Miniature Letters (Linder 79-81):
Sir Isaac Newton to Drew Fayle (a real little boy)
Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise to Drew Fayle
Jeremy Fisher to Drew Fayle
Mrs. Tiggy Winkle to Drew Fayle
Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise to Jeremy Fisher (dinner invitation)
Jeremy Fisher to Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise
Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise to Sir Isaac Newton (dinner invitation)
Sir Isaac Newton to Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise

All about Jeremy Fisher needing a wife and another dinner party for the three friends.

Favorite Illustrations: Jeremy Fisher looking out the door (12), Jeremy Fisher eating lunch (27), Jeremy Fisher & Sir Isaac Newton (55), The Three Friends (57)

Activities:
-Fishing
-Fish, fish, frog (like Duck, Duck, Goose)
-Fish/frog tag

Favorite Words: larder, macintosh, goloshes, bobbit

I hope you've enjoyed my discussion of The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher. I'll be back next Thursday discussing The Tale of a Fierce Bad Rabbit.

Smells Like Dog by Suzanne Selfors

The Puddings are goat farmers. They live in the country with their goats and collies. They have no use for the City. So says Mr. Pudding, but his twelve year old son homer has to disagree. Homer knows he's meant for something more than the small town drudgery of a goat farm. He wants to be a treasure hunter like his Uncle Drake. Homer likes nothing more than poring over maps looking for hidden clues.

When his beloved treasure hunting uncle dies suddenly and tragically, Homer is devastated. However, he doesn't have long to grieve. His uncle left him something. That something is a dog, a Basset Hound that can't smell but has the uncanny ability to find lost things. Dog's collar is another clue--gold with the letters L.O.S.T. on it.

Homer knows there's something Uncle Drake wanted him to uncover. He sets out to find a treasure and instead captures his uncle's murderer. Smells Like Dog is a humorous tale of adventure and intrigue.

What I thought: Smells Like Dog is a unique story with an unlikely hero. Homer Pudding isn't much good at anything except reading maps and daydreaming. The adventure his uncle's death starts brings homer into his own. He learns to think on his feet and be resourceful. Dog is a great character. I've always liked Basset Hounds. Smells like Dog is a family story with Homer's sister Gwen and his new friend Lorelei. There's more than enough to appeal to boys as well as girls in this book.

(Little, Brown & co, May 2010. ARC won in giveaway at Reading to Know)

Wishing for Tomorrow by Hilary McKay

After Sara Crewe is rescued from her dismal life of servitude, what happens to her and the other girls at Miss Minchin's Seminary? These are questions countless generations of readers have asked since Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess was first published. (Note: A Little Princess was published in 1904. It is an expanded version of a serialized novel, Sara Crewe: or, What happened at Miss Minchin's boarding school, that Burnett published in 1888.) Hilary McKay, a British author like Burnett, also wondered what happened when the book ended. So did her daughter. Out of that wondering, Wishing for Tomorrow was born. Now, we know what happened to Ermentrude, Lottie, Lavinia, and the rest of the girls at Miss Minchin's after Sara left. What I thought: I was very excited to hear that this book was being published. Of Burnett's three famous works (I've only read A Little Princess and The Secret Garden), I prefer A Little Princess. I still have the copy I bought myself for a dollar. The pages are wrinkled where I dropped it in the bathtub when I was in high school. This book wasn't quite what I expected from a sequel. I assumed the sequel would follow Sara. How wrong I was. The action is at the school. The girls' adventures after Sara leaves are fun and endearing. I like that Ermengarde is forced into a central role. Her letters to Sara are great. I like them even more knowing that she doesn't mail them. They're for her. I liked this book and I'm happy to say that I think Hilary McKay wrote a fabulous book that both pays homage to a literary classic and stands on its own. (Sequel to A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Illus. Nick Maland. New York: Margaret K. McElderry, 2009)