A Dog Needs a Bone (Book)

Wood, A. (2007). A dog needs a bone!. New York, NY: Blue Sky Press. ISBN: 0-545-00005-X

Interest Level: Ages 5 and under
Genre: Picture Book
Subjects/Themes: Dogs, Stories in Rhyme, Promises

Plot: A little yellow dog promises one thing after another if only his mistress will give him a bone to chew on.  He would be on his best behavior, do all the chores, and treat his mistress like a queen, if only he gets a bone.  Sad to find his mistress has left him alone, the dog naps in her bed.  He wakes to find she's returned from the store.  His mistress teases him with carrots, broccoli, and peas before finally giving the poor dog a bone.

Personal Thoughts: This is a very cute and nicely illustrated book.  The illustrations were made with crayon on brown paper bags and capture the expressions of the dog very well.  Reminiscent of a young child begging for a toy or treat, the dog's ability to keep his promises later might be questionable.  The mistress' teasing of the dog with vegetables is funny though it doesn't quiet encourage healthy eating in young children.  The rhyming in the story makes this book an easy read at storytimes.  A co-worker of mine did a felt board variation of the story that included pulling the vegetables and one big bone out of different paper bags.

Author's Website: Audrey Wood's Club House
Other Books by the Author: The napping house (1984); The Bunyans (1996); The flying dragon room (1996); Silly Sally (1991); Heckedy Peg (1987);

Skelly the Skeleton Girl (Book)

Pickering, J. (2007). Skelly the skeleton girl. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Interest Level: Ages 5 & under
Genre: Picture Book
Subjects/Themes: Halloween, Monsters, Skeletons, Dogs, Pets, Lost Items

Plot: Skelly, a cute little skeleton girl, finds a bone lying on the floor in her haunted house.  She goes around asking her monstrous pets, neighbors, and friends if the bone is theirs.  Then she hears a noise outside and goes to investigate.  Where she finds a skeleton dog digging in her backyard looking for his bone.  

Personal Thoughts: A cute and not to scary book perfect for Halloween.  There's a little skeleton fish in a fish bowl with a coffin.  Skelly tickles the monster under the stairs to check his funny bone.  The giant spider explains that spider's don't have bones.  The little skeleton dog and some of the other characters remind me of the characters in Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas.  The graphics present scary monsters in sweet ways.  Pickering has acted as the illustrator for a number of chapter and picture books.  The text is simple with Skelly describing everything she does to find the bone's owner.

Author Website: Jimmy Pickering Website

Other Books by the Author: Skelly and Femur (2009); Another Season Book Series;

Molly the Goldfish Fairy (Book)

Meadows, D. (2006). Molly the goldfish fairy. New York, NY: Scholastic. ISBN: 978-0545-04189-8.

Interest Level: Ages 6 to 10
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Subjects/Themes: Animals, Magic, Pets, Teamwork, Fairies, Goblins

Plot: The Pet Fairies pets have all been stolen.  Kirsty and Rachel, two human girls, are helping the fairies search for their magical pets.  They find Molly the goldfish fairy's pet goldfish, Flash, in a neighbor's pond during a BBQ.  Unfortunately, so have the goblins that work for Jack Frost.  The girls come up with a plan to win the goldfish back in a tug-of-war contest.  The goblins, unable to work together as a team, lose even though there are more of them. 

Personal Thoughts: The many rainbow magic series is very popular among young girl readers at the library where I work.  The books are really short, only around 65 pages each.  They each have good messages about friendship, perserverance, and teamwork.  The addition of magic makes for interesting reading without making the story seem impossible.  For most tweens, this book is an example of reading down due to the easy vocab and length.  But this series is still a good suggestion for older tween pleasure reading, for reluctant readers, and for ESL learners.   

Series Info: Book Six of Seven the Rainbow Magic Pet Fairies Series
Prequel: Harriet the Hamster Fairy (2006)
Sequel: Penny the Pony Fairy (2006)

Series Website: Rainbow Magic Fairies Offical Website

Note about the Author: Daisy Meadows is a pseudonym used by the four authors of the Rainbow Magic Fairies series.  The four authors areNarinder Dhami, Sue Bentley, Linda Chapman, and Sue Mongredien.

Cats & Dogs (DVD)

Lazar, A., DeFaria, C., Zide, W., Perry, C. (Producers), Guterman, L. (Director), Requa, J., & Ficarra, G. (Writers). (2001). Cats & Dogs [DVD]. United States: Warner Home Video.

Interest Level: Ages 6 to 13
Rating: PG
Running Time: 87 minutes
Subjects/Themes: Secret Agents, Scientists, Action/Adventure, Comedy, Family, Pets

Plot: The secret war between cats and dogs is explained.  Professor Brody is trying to create a cure to his dog allergy.  Cats, in an attempt to take over the world, are trying to steal the formula.  Mr. Tinkles, the leader of the cats, plans on changing the serum in order to make all humans allergic to dogs.  Lou, a beagle puppy, accidentally takes the place of a trained dog agent as the Brody families new pet.  Now its up to Lou with the help of some trained agents to protect the family and the serum from Mr. Tinkles and his evil cats.

Personal Thoughts: The movie was given a rating of 5.2 out of 10 on the Internet Movie Database. I personally liked this as a movie to watch at home with the family, but I don't think I would of been as happy to pay to watch it in the theater.  It was funny enough for adults and of course talking animal movies are usually a hit with most children.  The addition of secret agent devices and action scenes with a hint of comedy keeps the movie interesting.  The movie has some good themes about friendship, family, and choosing to do the right thing.  I expect some renewed interest in this title as the sequel was just released in July 2010.     

Sequel: Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010)

The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster (Book)

Preller, J. (1998). The case of Hermie the missing hamster. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Interest Level: Ages 7 to 10
Genre: Mystery, Fiction
Subjects/Themes: Pets, Detectives, Second Graders

Plot: Jigsaw Jones and his best friend Mila are hired to find Wingnut's missing pet hamster, Hermie.  First they search for information about Hamsters in books and by asking an expert aka a pet store worker.  Then they search the crime scene aka Wingnut's bedroom.  They make sure to write down all the clues and facts that they come across.  Finally using Mila as a human hamster detector and a little brain power, they manage to find the missing hamster as well as an extra surprise.

Personal Thoughts: This book is a quick an easy read.  The book supports children searching for answers to questions on their own, rather then being given all the answers.  For example the children's teacher has the children think of the answers to their own questions and search the phone book on their own.  The book is also filled with some basic facts about hamsters and snakes.  Jigsaw and Mila trade notes using a number code which is a great way to encourage children to copy them or think up their own codes.  A good book for younger or relucant readers.

Series Info: Book One of the Jigsaw Jones Mystery Series
Sequel: The Case of the Christmas Snowman

Author Website: http://www.jamespreller.com/

Other Books by the Author: Bystander (2009); Six Innings: A Game in the Life (2008); Justin Fisher Declares War (2010);

Kitten's First Full Moon (Book)

Henkes, K. (2004). Kitten's first full moon. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Interest Level: 5 and under
Genre: Picture Book;
Subjects/Themes: Cats; Moon; Caldecott Winner;

Plot: A little kitten confuses the moon for a big bowl of milk.  We follow her as tumbles, climbs and runs while trying to catch the moon.  After being dunked in a pond, the kitten finally finds a bowl of milk waiting for her at home.

Personal Thoughts: The book is a Caldecott winner and that alone says a lot about the quality of this book.  The soft black, white and grey illustrations go wonderfully with the story.  They invoke the quiet peaceful night and the excitement of the kitten.  Children will feel for the poor sad innocent kitten and be so happy once she gets her milk.  The text is easy to read with words familiar to young children such as sad, tired, kitten, and moon.  A great bedtime story or pet themed storytime. 

Awards: Caldecott Winner (2005)
Something to Note: Kitten’s First Moon is also available in Spanish.  Other Books by the Author: Chrysanthemum (1991); Sheila Rae, the brave (1987)
Author’s Website: http://www.kevinhenkes.com/default.asp