With a positive message of being resilient and never giving up when things get difficult and colorful illustrations with expressive characters, this bWith a positive message of being resilient and never giving up when things get difficult and colorful illustrations with expressive characters, this book is great to read aloud with children.
A willingness to put in the extra effort, not shying away from hard work, the determination to improve, and a positive mental attitude are all worthy character traits that our children can and should learn. Books like this show them good examples and excellent role models like Jackie Robinson....more
Bold pastel images on paper featuring dramatic perspectives of the statue's creation and the seaside it graces make this an intriguing tale about LadyBold pastel images on paper featuring dramatic perspectives of the statue's creation and the seaside it graces make this an intriguing tale about Lady Liberty.
The narrative is a bit long and somewhat dry, so I would recommend the book to older children, especially those who want to learn more about the history of the statue.
I appreciate that the end of the book contains a time line with additional history and facts about our iconic beacon of freedom. The poem by Emma Lazarus is included, as well as a list of books for 'further reading.'...more
We discovered LAT (Mohammad Nor Khalid)'s Kampung Boy last year and were intrigued by the author's style, his sense of humor, and his ability to conveWe discovered LAT (Mohammad Nor Khalid)'s Kampung Boy last year and were intrigued by the author's style, his sense of humor, and his ability to convey subtle aspects of his culture and religion for those of us who are quite unfamiliar with life in Malaysia during the 1960s.
I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading this sequel, but it really shows how a few years of age, maturity, and exposure to a town (vs. rural) lifestyle can change a person's perspectives and shape his experiences.
His ability to attend school in a town setting (Ipoh) exposed Mat to a wide variety of music, people, media, clothing, and food, not to mention the 'bad' influences that tend to attract young men of all generations.
Overall, it's a fun, fast read and I enjoyed learning more about the life of this young man. I hope to see more of this author's work in our local library....more
Colorful photographs with a variety of images depicting the wrath of large and destructive weather systems are the highlight of this children's book aColorful photographs with a variety of images depicting the wrath of large and destructive weather systems are the highlight of this children's book about storms. Some of the images are a bit dark and grainy, but others are very dramatic and impressive.
The narrative is short and printed in a large font, making this book very appropriate for beginning readers, even if some of the vocabulary is somewhat challenging.
Overall, it's an interesting read and will likely spark the interest of younger children to learn more about weather....more
I liked this book more than the first volume in the series, with a bit more of the backstory explained and relationships between the characters are moI liked this book more than the first volume in the series, with a bit more of the backstory explained and relationships between the characters are more developed.
Our local library selected this book for their September discussion and I really wanted to attend. I was able to obtain a hardcover edition of the booOur local library selected this book for their September discussion and I really wanted to attend. I was able to obtain a hardcover edition of the book as well as the audiobook version, so I was hoping that I would get a chance to finish the book in time. sigh...
Still, I was fascinated by the topic. I have been enchanted by Andrew Wyeth's painting Christina's World ever since I saw a print of it. The image is lovely, but has such a melancholy feel to it.
I love that the book incorporates much of the biographical events in the lives of those who were involved in this painting's creation and it feels as much like a memoir as a piece of historical fiction.
I also appreciate how the house is placed in the forefront of the story, another character in the painting rather than a simple setting. The history of the family is entwined with the house and it is appropriate for it to have such a prominent part of the story.
The ending of the book is just as melancholy as the painting and I ended up wanting to know more about what happened after the book concludes.
Overall, I thought it was an excellent story and Polly Stone does a wonderful job narrating the audiobook. I am disappointed that I wasn't able to finish in time to meet with the book club.
interesting quotes (page numbers from hardcover edition with ISBN13 9780062356260):
"'It is a terrible thing to find the love of your life, Christina,' she says. 'You know too well what you're missing when it's gone.'" (p. 18)
"'The most important qualities a human can possess are an iron will and a persevering spirit,' Mamey says." (p. 22)
"The truth is, when I'm immersed in a book I'm less aware of the pain in my unpredictable arms and legs." (p. 69)
"I know Ramona means well. But this is like telling a person who has leapt off a cliff to be careful. I am already in midair." (p. 149)
"People have to snatch at happiness when they can, in this world. It is always easier to lose than to find..." (p. 215)
"The older I get, the more I believe that the greatest kindness is acceptance." (p. 276)...more
I accidently started listening to this book first and realized quThis is the second book in the Nightmares! series by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller.
I accidently started listening to this book first and realized quickly that I'd made an error. The second story begins immediately after the first ends and the series really needs to be read in order to make any sense.
The story is not so much scary as it is a declaration that only hope can overcome despair. In addition, I suppose it's also a critique of looking to miracle medicines to fix our medical issues.
I appreciate the author's ability to narrate the story as well as write it. Not all authors have such talent, especially in the way that he brings the myriad characters to life. His enthusiasm and dramatic performance of the story is impressive and I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook.
I discovered thThis is the fourth book in the Charles Lenox Mysteries series by Charles Finch. It's a classic English mystery series set in the 1860s.
I discovered this series through the Overdrive website for our local library and was in the mood for a cozy English mystery. I was not disappointed; James Langton does a great job narrating the audiobook and bringing the characters to life.
The plot was engaging and I was thrilled to discover this new series. I really like the logical thought processes that Charles displays and I have really become attached to the main characters in Mr. Lenox's world.
I will be sure to move on to the next audiobook in the series,A Burial at Sea soon, and I will also look for the story An East End Murder, which apparently falls in between this book and the next in the series....more
This is a melancholy tale about a young boy who desperately wants to bring joy to his sick mother. The narrative is short and the illustrations, creatThis is a melancholy tale about a young boy who desperately wants to bring joy to his sick mother. The narrative is short and the illustrations, created "in pencil, scanned into a computer, and then further designed with Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom Pad" help to convey the emotions of the characters and tell the boy's story.
I liked the fact that the story was not overly predictable and avoided the kind of saccharine ending that many children's picture books resort to. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. ...more
I don't usually agonize over the ratings I give books. My initial gut instinct serves me well and I rarely change my mind.
This stoLeft me hanging. ..
I don't usually agonize over the ratings I give books. My initial gut instinct serves me well and I rarely change my mind.
This story gave me pause, however. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook, and I was engrossed in the plot right up to the end.
But the ending felt rushed and thrown together, as if the author finally came to the conclusion that the story needed to be continued in another book, so he hastily ended this one to move on to the next.
This unsettled feeling makes me consider dropping a star, but I suppose I'll just stick with my initial rating for now. ...more
The story feels very disjointed, only explaining the background history of the characters in small bits. I liked the main premise, but too many of theThe story feels very disjointed, only explaining the background history of the characters in small bits. I liked the main premise, but too many of the characters are purely one-dimensional stereotypes.
I struggled with this book, often setting it down in favor of others. But in the end, I enjoyed the overall concept and hope that the next book will fill in some of the holes in the plot....more
Filled with large black-and-white photos of prominent figures in the Women's Suffrage Movement and their activities along with drawings of posters andFilled with large black-and-white photos of prominent figures in the Women's Suffrage Movement and their activities along with drawings of posters and paintings of those who were active before the age of wide-spread photography, this book offers a comprehensive look at the long-term struggle women in America faced in order to obtain the right to vote.
A brief history of the movement is accompanied by short biographies of women who strove to make the Nineteenth Amendment a reality.
The narrative is not overly exciting, but is informative and would be useful for older elementary school students who are doing research on the topic. Although I am very familiar with much of the material, I learned more about the featured women.
interesting quote:
"Mr. President, How Long Must Women Wait For Liberty?" (p. 45) [protest sign in front of the White House] ...more
This is the second book in the Camel Club series by David Baldacci. I've only read one other of his books, the first book in the series (after which tThis is the second book in the Camel Club series by David Baldacci. I've only read one other of his books, the first book in the series (after which the series is eponymously named). It was highly recommended by numerous friends over the years and I finally got around to listening to the audiobook.
I really liked that first book, but for some reason I haven't been drawn lately to the suspense/thriller/espionage-kind of stories and many months passed without an urge to move on to the second story. But when our local library had a summer reading challenge bingo card that included a spot for reading a book by an author from Virginia, I thought I would go ahead and pick this one.
I was not disappointed. In fact, I think I enjoyed this one even more than the first story, perhaps because I am growing attached to the motley crew of main characters. I just love having a nerdy librarian and a smart and wily female con artist in the mix.
There are a large number of supporting characters in the book and many of them are a bit too stereotypical and one-dimensional. Nevertheless, the fast-moving plot kept me engaged.
The two very divergent storylines in the book are inching closer together and act as a lure for the reader to move on to the next book in the series. I felt a guilty pleasure with this one - sometimes the plot gets very convoluted and even a bit silly, and the violence is often far too graphic for my taste. Yet, I found myself held in thrall to this bit of brain candy and I was left wanting to hear more.
L.J. Ganser, Aimee Jolson, and Richard Mover did a great job narrating the different characters and perspectives of the story. I'm really looking forward to listening to the next audiobook in the series, Stone Cold.
On a crazy side note, I have some odd coincidences in the books I choose to read and when I choose to read them. And I find that the more I read, the more coincidences appear. In this case, I was thrilled to note that one of the very rare books featured in this story was one that I had recently learned about in my eclectic reading adventures.
I first read about the Bay Psalm Book when I read the story "The Press's Widow" in the book Colonial Comics: New England, 1620 - 1750. Even though I lived for the first 21 years of my life in Massachusetts and still have ties to the area, it was a part of New England history I had never learned about before.
So to see the book referenced in two books that I read less than a month apart was somewhat surprising and yet another coincidence for me to marvel over.
As for the timing of reading this book, I found it quite entertaining that I had just attended the annual Library of Congress National Book Festival last weekend and it, too, was featured in this story (although the festival's location on the National Mall changed venues to the Washington DC Convention Center beginning in 2104)....more
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