Bear has found something wonderful, and he's eager to show his friend, Mouse. As he looks for Mouse, the animals he encounters have disappointing reactions to his discovery. Owl has seen one like it before, Elephant thinks it's too small, and Fox tells Bear he's holding it the wrong way! Bear starts to feel dejected. Is his treasure as amazing as he thought it was? Readers and listeners will recognize the experience of loving something that no one else seems to appreciate and the value of having a friend who understands.

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 7/16/2010

ISBN-10: 0670061654

ISBN-13: 9780670061655

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Trisha loved, loved, loved books! All she dreamed about was going to school and learning how to read. However, learning how to read was proving to be very difficult. The letters on the pages all seemed to run together making very little sense to her. The other students in her class were showing improvement while she seemed to be getting further and further behind. By the time Trisha got to 5th grade, she had become very good at fooling her teachers into believing that she could read. No one knew her secret except Eric, her classmate, who never missed an opportunity to make her feel dumb. Patricia's life changed dramatically when Mr. Falker came into her life. He was the new 5th grade teacher and could tell that Trisha had a secret that was making her miserable. He discovered that Trisha could not read. After working with Mr. Falker and the reading teacher, Trisha was soon able to sort through all the letters and read. 'Thank you, Mr. Falker' by Patricia Polacco is an inspirational story of the power of a teacher to change the life of a child.

Similar authors: Candace Fleming; Tim Myers

Similar books: Mule School by Julia Rawlinson; Smartypants: (Pete in school) by Maira Kalman; Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard; Ruby's Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges

Reviewed by: mb

Date read: 7/20/2011

ISBN-10: 0399231668

ISBN-13: 9780399231667

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Illustrated in vivid, eye-catching colors that portray visions of joy and peace, this work of poetry in picture book form was written to express gratitude for Alice Walker's experience of nature as a part of her. In a rainbow of color, each line portrays the symbiotic relationship between the main character and parts of her world. While some of the ideas are abstract and may not be easily understood ('There is a sky at the end of my eye, seeing me'), they all imply comfort and connection, and those feelings are easily understood from the pictures. This work lends itself well to a quiet time of family togetherness.

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 7/17/2009

ISBN-10: 0060570806

ISBN-13: 9780060570804

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This simple book is perfect for young listeners who love big pictures. Each new spread of pages offers another view of life on the farm. We meet the farmer, who kisses his wife, who pats the dog...until we finally see the farmer milking the cow. Abundant illustrations of dogs, cats, hens, and other animals seen on farms will delight young animal lovers.

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 8/26/2010

ISBN-10: 0688094694

ISBN-13: 9780688094690

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'Three little ghosties sat on their posties, eating burnt toasties, telling big boasties,' about whom they had scared. But when they set off to scare some girlsies and boyses, who will be the ones running for their momsies?

Reviewed by: mec

Date read: 10/21/2009

ISBN-13: 9781582347110

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