A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker

Bear doesn't like visitors. He has a sign: No Visitors Allowed. But one day even his sign doesn't deter a small, gray mouse. He pops up in the most unusual places--the cupboard, the bread drawer, the fridge, the teakettle. Will the mouse ever leave or will Bear finally decide he does like some visitors?

What I thought: How did I miss this book? I love it. Such a humorous story. I can't decide who to side with, Bear or Mouse. They're both so appealing. The repetition in the story makes It a fun read aloud for both reader and listener. The illustrations are charming. I like the detail (e.g., the contents of the fridge) and the soft colors. Denton (and Becker!) has created two very memorable characters in Bear and Mouse. They have distinct personalities--it's great! I can't wait to read the other Bear and Mouse Books.

Story Time Themes: Mice, Bears, Friendship




(Illus. Kady MacDonald Denton. Candlewick, 2008)

The Roly Poly Pudding by Beatrix Potter

or The Tale of Samuel Whiskers
First published 1908
18 color illustrations, 36 black & white illustrations

Hiding from his mother to avoid being shut up in a cupboard isn't the best idea. Tom Kitten finds himself at the mercy of Samuel Whiskers (a rat!) and his wife Anna Maria. They are putting Tom into a roly-poly pudding when John Joiner (a dog!) rescues Tom.

The History Behind the Tale (Linder 191-194):
Beatrix Potter wrote The Roly Poly Pudding in 1906. It was composed at a time when rats overrun Hilltop Farm. Though Beatrix did have a pet rat to whom the book is dedicated, Sammy Rat was not the model for the character of Samuel Whiskers. Miss Potter is mentioned in the story and visible in one of the illustrations (when Samuel Whiskers and Anna Maria run away with the wheelbarrow). This story, like The Pie and the Patty Pan, was originally published in a larger format.

Miniature Letters (Linder 82-83):
Farmer Potatoes to Whiskers (Eviction Notice)
Samuel Whiskers to Farmer Potatoes (Won't Go!)
Samuel Whiskers to Obediah Rat (A New Home)

Samuel and family are evicted from the barn they took refuge in when thrown out of Hilltop Farm. They go to live with a cousin.

My thoughts: While I like the story, I don't think it's one of my favorites. The illustrations (a mix of color and black & white) are similar to those in The Pie and the Patty Pan. I do like seeing and hearing about Miss Potter in the story.

Favorite Illustrations: Tabitha putting the kittens in the cupboard (B &W), Ribby and Tabitha poking at the attic floor (B & W), Samuel Whisker's taking the butter (color), John Joiner (B & W), Samuel Whiskers and Anna Maria rolling Tom in the dumpling (color), Samuel & Anna Maria running away with Miss Potter's wheelbarrow (color)

Activities:
-Tom Kitten Scavenger Hunt
-Rat Race

Favorite Words: anxious, mischief, enormous

I hope you've enjoyed my discussion of The Roly Poly Pudding. I'll be back next week talking about The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies. In it, we discover what happened to Benjamin Bunny when he grew up.

Wild Things by Clay Carmichael

Zoe Royster has learned to take care of herself. Her mentally ill mother often left her alone or at the mercy of one of her boyfriends. But after her mother dies, Zoe finds herself in a situation that she doesn't know how to deal with. Taken in by her Uncle Henry, Zoe learns about family and friends. Her chosen friends are not the usual ones an eleven-year-old girl has-- a feral cat and a wild boy.

What I thought: I couldn't put this book down. Zoe has such an authentic, compelling voice. I liked her right away. She's an interesting character. I don't know that I've ever read a story like hers before. The cat's perspective added so much to the mystery. I really helped build the climax. I've heard before that cats are all seeing and all knowing creatures. after meeting this one, I would have to agree. This is a great first book from Clay Carmichael. I look forward to reading what she writes next.

(Front Street, 2009)

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

All Ida Mae wants to do is fly. She's secretly saving money to obtain her pilot's license. When the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941, the whole country is thrown into turmoil. The formation of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) presents Ida Mae with an opportunity to help her country and support her brother who is overseas fighting. However, she has two problems: She's doesn't have a pilot's license and she's African American.. The United States Armed Forces are still segregated. WASP doesn't accept black women. Luckily, Ida's skin is light enough to pass for white. In doing so, she endangers herself and her family. She is on the way to achieving her dream, but at what cost?

What I thought: Wow! What an interesting books. Most of the WWII books I've read have dealt with the home front not the actual fighting. Ida Mae's journey was truly perilous and thus an engaging read. I wonder if any one guessed that Ida was passing. She certainly proved herself as a pilot regardless of her race. Ida Mae's story makes me want to know more about the service women of WWII. I know Sherri Smith is probably done with Ida as a character, but I would love to see how she reconciles her two identities--a WASP and a black girl who wants to fly like her daddy. Though the story is fictional, it is thoroughly researched and undoubtedly historically accurate so history teachers even on the college level would find a wealth of material to discuss.

(Putnam, 2009)

The Stolen One by Suzanne Crowley

Who is Kat that her adopted mother Grace keeps her secluded in a small village and her red hair hidden. Kat knows only her sewing and her sister Anne. After Grace's death. Kat journey's to court to discover her true identity. She looks like Queen Elizabeth I. How are they connected? Kat's search for the truth may do more harm than good. Court is a dangerous place for a naive country girl who looks like the queen.

What I thought: A riveting story. I do love a good mystery especially when it's based on true events. I loved the two story lines that intertwined slowly to reveal who Kat really was. This book was rich with historical characters and details. I've always enjoyed reading about this period. The author's note best describes Crowley's reason for writing the book: "The real Mary Seymour disappeared from history on the eve of her second birthday. It is interesting to ask, if she died as a child, as most historians believe, why wasn't the death of a queen's child noted somewhere? Perhaps it was, but is lost to us in history, or perhaps, perhaps..." (406).

A quick history lesson (and a few spoilers):

Henry VIII of England had six wives.
1. Katherine of Aragon (mother of Bloody Mary)
2. Anne Boleyn (mother of Elizabeth I)
3. Jane Seymour (mother of Edward VI)
4. Anne of Cleves
5. Katherine Howard
6. Katherine Parr (later married Thomas Seymour. They had a daughter, Mary Seymour. Thomas Seymour dallied with both Elizabeth I and a maid. Kat is the daughter of Elizabeth I's stepmother and Anne is the daughter of Thomas Seymour and the maid.)

(Greenwillow, 2009)

The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Beatrix Potter

First published 1906
60 pages, 20 color illustrations

Intent on laying and hatching her own eggs, Jemima finds a co-conspirator in a polite gentleman with a bushy tail. Will her eggs be safe with such a vulpine gentleman?

The History Behind the Tale (Linder 188-190):
Two characters in The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck are real--Jemima and Kep. Beatrix Potter wrote the story at hilltop Farm and used scenery both there and of surrounding locales for the illustrations. The wife of Beatrix's farm manager and their two children also appear in the illustrations.

What I thought: The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck is another familiar story. When you mention Beatrix Potter, you'll often get responses that mention Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten, or Jemima Puddle-duck. I like the story and the illustrations. I felt a little sad for Jemima--so trusting and it all back-fired. I wish the story could have another ending.

Favorite Illustrations: Jemima in flight (20), the cottage (28), Jemima with her ducklings (58)

Activities:
-Perfect spot scavenger hunt
-Jemima's Egg hunt
-Dog, Fox Tag

Favorite Words: desperate, determined. alighted, superfluous, conscientious, hospitable, suspicious

I hope you've enjoyed my discussion of The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck. Next week, Tom Kitten returns in The Roly-Poly Pudding, or The Tale of Samuel Whiskers. Until then, happy reading!

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

The summer of 1899 is hot, really hot. Calpurnia Virginia Tate (you can call her Callie Vee) finds ways unbeknownst to her mother to fight the summer heat. Callie's interest in nature and all things thereof leads to her tuition by a grumpy grandfather. Callie begins to question not only the natural world but the norms of society. Why must girls learn to cook and sew? Is marriage the only future for a girl?

What I thought: I've been meaning to read this book for ages. Everyone has been raving about it since before its publication. After reading it, I can see why it received a Newbery Honor. Callie is one of those immortal characters much in the way of Jo March or Anne Shirley. Like Jo and Anne, Callie has a unique voice. Callie is a character I want to know more about. Does he defy her mother and become something other than a debutante?

(Henry Holt, 2009)