Showing posts with label she said. Show all posts
Showing posts with label she said. Show all posts

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Calling your inner nerd - Imogene's Last Stand Candace Fleming/Nancy Carpenter

She said :
Imogene Tripp is a history buff, who lives in  a very quiet little town in New Hampshire. When she finds out that the old house that serves as the Liddleville Historic Society is to be torn down to make room for a shoelace factory, she goes into panic mode.This delightful book chronicles her efforts to rally the townspeople to protect the historical mansion. With references to several historical events and historical figures, this well- illustrated book appeals to the inner nerd in everyone, boy or girl. Even though the book deals with seemingly adult themes like historical preservation, fighting the establishment and pure capitalism, the author has kept the mood of the story light and playful. The book will take only a few minutes to read but each page can spark conversations enough to last an entire afternoon. A must-read for 1st-2nd graders with an appetite for adventure and history.

He said :
If you like picture books and history, you will like this book. The illustrations are not realistic. I liked that there are a lot of phrases that people used in old times like "Balderdash!".

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Jungle Drums - Graeme Base

He said : Beautiful words and pictures that go with the story. It is an exciting story that teaches a lesson that if someone is too small or too big, it is not good to make fun of them. You should be happy just the way you are. I would recommend this book.
*****
She said : A gorgeously illustrated book, Jungle Drums uses simple language to convey the story of a plain little Warthog, Ngiri Mdogo. Awash in beautiful alliterative phrases like "stunning stripes", "striking spots" and Swahili terms, Base brings life in the African Savannah right into your home. Issues of vanity and insecurity are addressed in a non-condescending manner that is appealing to the young audience. The message gets through very clearly thanks to the strong narrative and beautiful illustrations. A family favorite, this book is certain to grab the imagination of any young reader brave enough to venture into the jungles of Africa!
*****

Thursday, June 30, 2011

He Said, She Said..

We are starting a new series, "He said, She said". By we, I mean, She (that would be me, mommy) and my 6 year old son He.  We both love to read and as school is out, both of us have a lot more time on our hands than usual. In this series, we will be collaborating on reviews of children's books and movies. The books featured here range from picture, board books to chapter books at the early reader level (7-8 year old). The review will be from two voices - those of the young reader and the parent.  We would love to hear your comments and suggestions. I have typed the responses He has provided but have not edited them (for the most part) for grammar or sentence construction.
Let the reading begin!!!

Rating system

*****: Excellent
****  : Good
***    : Ok
**      : Nah
*        : Yuck!


Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor, Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser.
****

He said : I think it is very fictional. Story is well-written but it is silly, also funny. Like, you cannot go into a restaurant fancily without everyone looking at you! They will not give you any food!!
The illustrations go very well. When they write the story on each page, they draw pictures with it. Small kids can just look at the pictures and even if they do not read, they can tell the story.


She said :  A well-illustrated book with a lot of attention to detail (eg: glitter on the front cover as everything is "fancy"). Where an opinionated adult might see the forced princess culture shining through in little Nancy trying hard to be fancy (ultimately in vain), for a child, it is a girl engaging in silly, pretend play and is quite funny. The narrative is fast and the author uses popular culture indications of fancy (like French words and British mannerisms) to appeal to the minds of young readers. The story has a mild suspense building up to a major event which underlines the moral of the story (which I will not elaborate on!). The illustrations demand most of the attention in the book and call for a lot of pauses before turning the pages.
All in all, a fun read, for boys and girls, alike!