This Grimm's folktale gets a modern twist with a heroine seamstress in place of the traditional tailor. After accidentally killing 7 flies with a flick of a towel this confident seamstress goes out to show the world her bravery. With quick-thinking, she outwits three giants, a unicorn, a wild boar, and finally the king - and 99 of his knights. The 100th knight? You'll have to read to the end to find out!

Similar books: Lucy Dove, by Janice Del Negro; The Brave Little Tailor, by Eric Blair; Seven at One Blow, by Eric Kimmel; and Kate & the Beanstalk; Sleeping Bobby, both by Osborne and Giselle Potter.

Reviewed by: djd

Date read: 7/20/2009

ISBN-10: 0689844867

ISBN-13: 9780689844867

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Bridget is drawn to drawing. Her most important art supply is her big black beret, the kind of hat that lots of Great Artists wear. One day, as Bridget is just about finished painting a picture, a big gust of wind comes along and takes her beret right off her head. Bridget gets writer's block without her lucky beret. A few days later, her little sister Jessie asks her to make a lemonade stand sign. Can Bridget create a sign without her lucky beret? The last two pages of this book describe how to start your own art based on techniques used by many famous artists.

Awards nominated: Monarch Award Nominee 2012

Reviewed by: JB

Date read: 4/12/2011

ISBN-10: 9780805087758

ISBN-13: 9780805087758

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Bright Path: Young Jim Thorpe by Don Brown is a picture book biography of, 'the greatest athlete in the world,' Jim Thorpe. Born in Oklahoma in 1888, Jim's real name was Wa-tho-huck meaning Bright Path. Each day, he worked hard tending the crops, feeding the livestock, and taming wild horses. He loved his life until he was sent away to a school that taught Indian children how to live in the white man's world. Jim hated being kept in a schoolroom instead of being able to run free in the open fields. Many times, Jim would run away only to be caught and brought right back to school. One day, Jim Thorpe's life changed dramatically. After watching many of the school athletes fail at making a high jump, he asked to try. Jim cleared the bar with room to spare. With the help of his school coach, Jim joined the school team and learned to play different types of sports. This eventually earned him a spot in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm. At the Olympics, Jim Thorpe won the decathlon event and set a world's record that wasn't broken for 16 years. Read this amazing story of how Thorpe's life started down a rocky path but eventually led him to greatness.

Similar authors: Ron Knapp; Jack Kavanagh: Glen Macnow; George Sullivan

Similar books: Thorpe!: The Sports Career of James Thorpe by James Hahn; Jim Thorpe: Orginal All-American by Joseph Bruchac; Jim Thorpe's Bright Path by Joseph Bruchac; Sports Great by Nolan Ryan; Great Lives: Sports by George Sullivan

Reviewed by: mb

Date read: 7/12/2010

ISBN-10: 1596430419

ISBN-13: 9781596430419

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When little Mabel blows a bubble, and her baby brother floats away in it, the whole town chases after him attempting to save him. Told delightfully in bouncy rhyme and very fun to read aloud, this tale not only rhymes, but carries the reader through a text that plays with rhythm and sound. This is a great title for supporting early literacy skills, since the fun supports print motivation, the play with sounds in words supports phonological awareness, and the text exposes the reader to a wide range of vocabulary. Older elementary children may also enjoy this title for the challenge of reading it aloud.

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 5/28/2010

ISBN-10: 0547074212

ISBN-13: 9780547074214

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Growl, chatter, click, and squawk along with the animals in this book! Colorful animal illustrations and rhyming text make this an inviting read. Even better, preschoolers can participate by chiming in with animal sounds like the howl of a wolf, the chatter of a chimp, or the snuffle of pandas at bedtime. The books closes as all the animals quiet down and fall asleep, then instructs the reader that it's time to do the same.

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 6/25/2010

ISBN-10: 156145396X

ISBN-13: 9781561453962

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