Editing TLC

Book Reviews by Joyce M. Gilmour

BILLY AND THE BIRDFROGS by B.B. Wurge is not the type of book that I would normally pick up, but when given the opportunity to read and review it, I decided to give it a go. Having taught third grade for over thirty years, I'm always looking for a great fresh read to share with my students. Well, the story pulled me right in and I couldn't put the book down. I won't share the plot, since so many of the reviews (on Amazon.com) have already done just that.  I shared tidbits with my students as I was reading, and they begged me to read it to them. This suspenseful, humorous, and all-around fun book which even includes some difficulties of life, bring around great feelings and affection toward Billy and his family. I, too, feel it is appropriate for eight year olds and above. Thank you, B.B.Wurge for writing a book that will bring reading pleasure to youngsters. (My students loved this book and enjoyed writing letters to the author.)

 

SQUIGGLE is another fun read from B. B. Wurge!  What child hasn't wondered what it would be like to live the life of an animal?  SQUIGGLE takes us on just such an adventure and will encourage children to use their imaginations to create their own adventure stories. This book also teaches valuable life lessons within its fun pages. This book would make a great independent read for elementary-age children, as well as a wonderful teacher/parent read-aloud.

 

 

B. B. Wurge’s website claims him to be the world’s most talented orangutan.  Well, wouldn’t you believe that if you knew he has now written his third children’s book?  Amazing for an orangutan that lives in an elevator in Manhattan, wouldn’t you agree?  My students at Brooklyn Elementary School have loved Billy and the Birdfrogs as well as Squiggle. I am anxious to share The Last Notebook of Leonardo with my future classes.  It is obvious to this reviewer that the themes of “family” and “adventure” rank high on B. B. Wurge’s list of story ideas.

In The Last Notebook of Leonardo those themes come through loud and clear again.  The story is based on the main characters, Jem and his father, Carl, who is a scientific genius, who turns himself into a nine-foot orangutan (another thing, B. B. Wurge, for some reason always manages to get a member of the primate family into his books, too!).  The problem is that he can’t turn himself back into a human being, which causes a problem with his work and his landlord.  For that reason, Jem’s father packs their belongings into a huge wagon and they set out on foot for an adventure.

You might say that Carl has an obsession with “finding the last resting place of Leonardo da Vinci, which according to his last notebook, may not have been in Italy.” Along the journey, Jem and Carl meet up with an old Indian woman, named Nomasis (meaning little grandmother), who joins them on the adventure and actually takes them to a very special place that she has always wanted to visit, but hasn’t been able to, until Carl (the orangutan) is capable of getting her there.  She also has a whole barn full of items that come in handy for creating a spaceship.  You’ll never guess where they manage to get the fuel to jettison them to the moon.  And can you guess who they find on the moon?  It is an adventure that only B. B. Wurge himself could create.  Carl continues to show Jem how imagination plays such an important role in our lives.  Children now days need to use their imaginations more than they do.  The Last Notebook of Leonardo will help them to do just that.  This is another fun read from B. B. Wurge himself!

THE LOVE SONG OF MONKEY by Michael Graziano is a wonderful, thought-provoking read. It left me with lasting thoughts and made me think about relationships in my own life. I find myself continuing to reflect on the ideas presented days after finishing it. This book pulled me in and I just couldn't put it down. I kept wanting to know just how Michael Graziano would wrap it up and put it all together. I wondered how the title fit with the book, and voila! MG does just that in a surprising twist in the book. This book is magical with elements of science fiction but through it all, you will find yourself laughing at times, wanting to cry at times, and looking into yourself for how you relate to others and where things will go in your own life. I felt like I was right there, experiencing the events right along with the main character in the book... even to feeling claustrophobic during the kwark-king experience (wondering what that is? You'll need to read the book!) Michael Graziano is an amazing author and pulls off a great read. I hope he continues to write for years to come.

 

The Divine Farce by Michael S. A. Graziano is a quick read but one that will leave lingering thoughts for a long, long time.  Once again this author takes you into an “unknown” world created for us to be able to reflect into our own lives.  He makes us delve into the crevices of our own minds and think about how we would act and react in a seemingly bizarre situation.  I marvel at authors that can take their readers into such “out-of-the-box” situations, but through it all, we question ourselves and the relationships that we have formed in our own lives.  Mr. Graziano puts his character into a type of hell and who then is able to escape it, only to question whether his escape is into heaven or not.  The descriptions in this book put you right there in the middle of this experience and questioning yourself all along the way.  After reading The Divine Farce I found myself spending a lot of time reflecting on my own life.  Thank you, Michael Graziano, for another fantastic piece of literature that makes an emotional and intellectual connection for your readers.

 

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND? by Elizabeth Blake is a book that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read. I am a veteran teacher of 34 years. I have had the privilege of teaching third graders in a Midwestern small town, with a school board and administration that has the child's best interests at the top of all decision-making. Reading Elizabeth Blake's story opens my eyes to what is happening around our country and it saddens me. I could feel Mrs. Blake's pain. She does an excellent job of taking the reader into the classroom. I love the way that she introduces us to some of her students, and the follow-up at the end of the book really wraps up the circle of life. Teachers rarely do know the impact that they have had on students. Having taught 34 years of classes, it is a rare moment to have a former student return as an adult and hand you an anthology of poetry that her poems are included in or have a letter show up in your mailbox sharing a life story of a student that you had no knowledge of having had "made a difference" in their life. My heart goes out to Mrs. Blake, because she was that kind of a teacher, whose heart was in her teaching. She knows that the relationship with the student must be a priority and that great lesson plans will only work when students know they are respected for who they are and that the teacher believes in him/her until they get to the point where they can believe in themselves. I also love the fact that Mrs. Blake "raised the bar" for her students and made them work to achieve more than they ever imagined that they could. Self-esteem is a result of EFFORT and that is the biggest way, I believe, that Mrs. Blake had an impact on her students. If you want a feel for how a great teacher connects with her students, and a journey one teacher took following the path she believed God was taking her on, then this is a book for you to read. I admire Elizabeth Blake for being able to share her story with the world.

 

THE CANDY BREATHING DRAGONS by Gloria Clark is an excellent book for children to learn about the acceptance of others. I am looking forward to using this book in my third grade classroom, where teaching is always needed about acceptance. The illustrations and rhyming patterns make this a great read-aloud book. I hope that Gloria Clark will continue writing stories with the dragon sisters. I'm looking forward to getting a whole classroom of children's reactions to this book. It definitely will be one I read to begin creating the new community of learners this fall.

 

 

RETURNING SON by Dennis W. Shepherd will teach you about two generations of warriors and the two wars of those generations, how each war began, how our warriors were employed, and how they were treated coming home---but this is much more than a history book, a book of facts. This is the story of a young Marine who was part of the march to Baghdad, a comparison of his service to that of his father, the VietNam veteran. This book takes you into the hearts of a Marine and his family, and how his service to his country affects all of those that he loves. We have heard about the events of this war, but have you "been there?" Sean Cassedy's story takes you into the scenes and lets you see through the eyes of one of the many thousands who are serving. This book will appeal to the military parents/families who have lived or are living through a family member's deployment. This book will also be insightful for those of you who may not have someone directly involved. It will help to give you "the heart" to be the support these military families need. This is definitely a five star book and should be read by all.

 

Having been an elementary teacher for over thirty years, I can tell you that THE PAPAW DIARY by Dennis W. Shepherd was greatly received by my classroom of third graders. Every day they begged for me to read it to them, and even tried to convince the substitute to read it to them when I didn't have it in her plans!! I find it totally amazing how a "papaw" took the stories and lessons he has shared with his grandsons over the years, and wrapped them all into this book, which captures the imagination of children. This "papaw" really GETS children and shows that through his sense of humor. The book is full of mystery, history, lessons about life, sportsmanship, and family ties. I especially appreciate the lesson called "It's Free" and the story about the Baby Farm of Rangsit (an orphanage in Thailand). There are riddles to solve in order to discover the location of the diary, which is needed to save Papaw's life. There are ghosts and ghouls and a wizard which create some scary parts. This is a great book for children to read. I think is is perfectly matched to the 8-12 year old age range, but I'm telling you, this 50+ truly enjoyed it, too! Thanks for enriching my classroom, Mr. Shepherd!! This book would be an exceptional read for children from Kentucky due to some of the state's history being included in the book.

 

 

I am a third grade teacher, and read ELLIOT STONE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE ALIEN MOM by L. P. Chase to my students. They LOVED it! There were several times when they clapped....which they have not done for any other book this year. They begged for me to read more each day. The children can SO relate to Elliot, Jake, and Cassie. I think they could see themselves going through these experiences. It was so real to them. The children enjoyed writing in their literature journals after being read to, and predicting future events. They also wanted to create a "spy kit," and guess what was in the desk. It definitely made our read-aloud and book reflection time very enjoyable and exciting. It is such an awesome book for children that I convinced our librarian to get a class set so that next school year I can use it as part of our literature curriculum.

 

 ELLIOT STONE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE BACKYARD TREASURE by L. P. Chase is the second in the Elliot series.  Elliot and his friends are at it again....another great mission to be accomplished. This time there is an intergenerational "misunderstanding" which leads to a great Heritage Day project. Elliot learns a lot about his family's history through this adventure. As an elementary teacher, I could see a great tie-in for students learning about their own family history. It is also fun to see how "misunderstandings" and "misinterpretations" can take our minds into fun adventures. Elliot, Cassie, and Jake get into some scary situations in the Backyard Treasure.

 

 

THE WISHING TREE by Mary Redman. In today's world we have many children who are facing the deployments of a parent. The Wishing Tree is a beautifully written and illustrated book and would make a perfect gift for these kids. It presents a very positive approach for a strategy to help a child through the many days until the parent returns. This book is also a great read for children who have friends who are facing the struggles of missing a parent. In my third grade classroom, we created a "Challenge Tree" to apply the lesson learned in The Wishing Tree to our lives. We each would write a goal or a self-challenge on a ribbon and tie it onto our pencil. When we achieve that goal, we then can transfer the ribbon onto our tree. It is a visable reminder of our accomplishments. I highly recommend this book as a read-aloud and as a gift book for any child, but especially to children of military members.

 

YOU'RE GOD'S GIFT TO TEACHERS.  John Marder works his way through the A, B, Cs to encourage teachers by using Bible passages to correspond to concepts that all teachers regularly face in their day-to-day teaching.  He begins with “adversity” and goes through to “worry.”  With each word he shares relevant Scripture.  He calls himself the “assembler” and “narrator” of the book, with God Himself being the author.  After each Scripture, John shares some insight regarding that concept, and asks the teachers questions to reflect upon.  The great thing about the book is that there are pages for notes, thoughts, and/or prayers for each entry.  As a teacher myself, I know this book will be sitting prominently on my desk, to be grabbed at the end of each day for a few moments of prayer and reflection.  This is a book that every teacher should have on his/her desk. 

 

 I WANT YOU TO KNOW ME...BOOK COLLECTION. Vickie Mullins has created a collection of books that will create lasting connections and memories for families.  These are a type of “fill-in-the-blank” books.  Recently I gave my mother the Grandmother book and she was honored to be asked to fill it out.  This Christmas, when we are all together, I want Grandma to share some of the things that she thinks none of her grandchildren probably know about her.  I’ve shared the American Hero version with all of the military families that I know.  Want to give your children a gift?  Fill out the Mother and/or Father (or the combined version) and surprise them with a gift that will last forever and maybe even bring you closer because of newly discovered connections.  These books can become a family treasure.  Thank you, Vickie, for thinking of this idea and sharing it with us.

 

Cooking Around the Country With Kids: USA Regional Recipes and Fun Activities by Amy Houts is a book for all families with children.  One of the suggestions that I give to families when facilitating parenting classes is that children should be included and have responsibilities that revolve around mealtimes. Cooking Around the Country With Kids is a perfect resource for families.  The great thing about this book is that it also teaches children about the United States, where our food sources are, and cooking skills, too. 

 The format of the book takes us to ten different regions in the USA and has great suggestions for family activities, geographic descriptions and food growing facts, along with recipes from the region.  This makes the book a great resource for both home and school.  It could help bring variety into family meals along with teaching cooperation, nutrition, planning, kitchen safety, reading and math skills along with geography and culture.  It would be a great plan to find one evening each week when everyone is home and make it the “Cooking Around the Country” night at your house.  Include the children in all aspects of this special evening, from writing the grocery list, shopping, meal preparation, and all the way to meal clean up.

 I know that I will be recommending this book to families participating in my parenting classes.  Thank you, Amy Houts, for creating a family-friendly resource that is both fun and educational. 

 

The Diet Joke by Lisa Pedace is a book for anyone who has tried a “diet” approach to eating, and I’m guessing that includes most of us.  I asked for a review copy because of the title…thinking that dieting IS a joke.  It never has worked for me, or I should say it has worked only in the short term, so I was really curious about the impact that The Diet Joke could have on a person.

Lisa Pedace has put together a book that both teaches and entertains.  She doesn’t pull any punches about the subject, but she also interjects her sense of humor which makes the book very thought-provoking and enjoyable to read.  She gives lots of facts, but makes the reader really take a look at how he/she is approaching life and how that affects eating habits, body size and shape.  The history of changes our society has taken isn’t something we don’t know but the author does a superb job of putting it all in perspective for readers.

Beyond that, this book is a resource that gives facts about everything one would need to know about food and our bodies.  It is a tool that you can grab off the shelf any time and easily find the information needed. The book is exceptionally reader-friendly. Readers will find themselves referring back to this book often.

With all of the above, The Diet Joke would be well worth purchasing, however, there is more that I think seals the deal.  Lisa Pedace has created “Reprogramming Activities” for all of the chapters in the book.  In teacher language, we could call it a “workbook.”  I find that when I must face myself and actually WRITE out my thoughts and actions, changes happen more consistently.  The activities will help readers research what is happening around them and what sorts of stimuli cause them to be perpetual consumers and then the reprogramming walks readers step-by-step through the rest of the thinking that it will take to make lifelong changes.  Here is a quote from the book:  “As an adult, the only thing we get to make all the rules about is our body and how we take care of it.  Desire is an incredibly strong motivator as evidenced by your entire life.”

The Diet Joke by Lisa Pedace is a book that will help you to take care of your body and could even help you to extend your life if the desire to reprogram impacts your decision-making.  The cost of the book is a very small investment when it comes to your health.

Barbara Techel has just become one of my favorite authors of children’s books.  That is saying a lot considering I’ve been teaching third graders for thirty-five years.  Through her book Frankie: The Walk ’n Roll Therapy Dog Visits Libby’s House, children will be able to learn many of life’s lessons.  I am always on the lookout for books that can take children beyond the academics and into learning that will affect their relationships. 

At our elementary school, we strive to achieve community-building activities that will increase children’s awareness of the world around them and just what it takes to make our community the best environment possible for learning.  Children need to feel safe and cared about, and the lessons learned from Frankie are invaluable in that direction.

The prequel to this book, Frankie: The Walk ’n Roll Dog, helps children to discover that adversity doesn’t have to mean giving up.  Frankie teaches readers that life is about taking challenges.  There is no better way for children to learn this than by reading about this very special dog and her owner, Barbara.

In the second book, we learn that Frankie becomes a therapy dog.  She visits Libby’s House and the residents there look forward to the time that they get to spend with her.  What a lesson to learn!  If a dog can provide this need, children can discover that they, too, can bring joy into people’s lives.  They can find out that by giving to others their life is enriched.

Both of these books are both beautifully written and illustrated.  I am thrilled to share these books with my students, my school, and my readers.  It is with all sincerity that Barbara Techel gives of herself and shares Frankie with the world.  I, for one, am grateful to have connected with this author and her books.  Thank you, Barbara Techel for all that you are doing for children, adults, and animals.  You are making a difference in this world of ours.