Scrutiny by the Masses

32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny

"Phillip Done is the voice of the veteran teacher who knows who he is working for; his love for children shines on every page."-- Esme Raji Codell, author

I could probably leave just that quote up and count this review as complete.  I think that quote sums up the entire book accurately. 

Mr. Done is a witty, warm writer and this book details a year of his teaching experience.  This funny, lighthearted tale chronicles the ups and downs of a school year from a teachers perspective.  The descriptions of the students is spot on and I found myself saying, "Yes!" when  particular child was profiled, as he reminded me strongly of a student in my son's class.

This book had so many things that rang true to me, and I'm not a teacher.  I loaned it to a couple of teachers at my kids school, and every time it was returned to me with the same answer:  "I LOVED It and couldn't put it down!"  Broken into seasons, Mr. Done chronicles various excitements of the school year - The Christmas concert, April Fools and Grammar lessons.  This was a quick, easy read - but I read it slower on purpose, to make it last longer.

This book would make an excellent end of the year gift for any teacher that you know - but make sure you pick up a copy for yourself - it's a highly funny read and one I'm not prepared to give up. 

The Daring Book for Girls

When The Parent Bloggers asked me to review this book, I jumped on it. I am all in favor of activities for kids to do that don't involve computers, television, and handheld electronic devices.  I remember spending vast quantities of time when I was younger, doing "things" and "inventing" and "creating".  Many of the activities that I found so enjoyable are represented in this book. 

I loved the very basics of The Daring Book for Girls.  From the turquoise color - thank goodness it's not pink! - to the amazing back cover - "For every girl with an independent spirit and a nose for trouble, here is the no-boys-allowed guide to adventure."  A quote like that is right up my girls alley, what with the two wild boys in my house.  The page entitled "Essential gear" was exactly spot on, listing such necessities as a hair band, safety pins, a pad of paper and a pen,  and a good book - things I've told all of my kids to never be without - and adding patience and a flashlight and a roll of duct tape. 

Every time that I opened this book, I found so many cool things to read that I spent hours and hours reading it, swiping it from my daughters whenever they weren't looking.  The section on First Aid had all of the basics covered - the three P's, the three B's, and the ABC's, as well as what a first aid kit should contain.  An added bonus to this section is the addition of the biographies of famous women in the First Aid field. 

There are "typical" girl subjects covered, such as how to make fudge and lemonade, putting your hair up with a pencil, and jump rope rhymes, and then there are "atypical" topics, such as reading tide charts, The Periodic Table of the Elements, Five Karate Moves (although, this shouldn't surprise me, as there are women in the karate studio I attend), How to change a tire and how to make a quill pen.  There was always a topic to read, and when I'd try to put the book down, I'd find something else interesting to read. 

My ten year old picked the following as her favorites:

Lemon Powered Clock, Five Karate Moves, Friendship Bracelets, Cootie Catchers, Peach Pit Rings

My almost thirteen year old picked as her favorites:

Lemon Powered Clock and Math Tricks, Words to Impress, Yoga Sun Salutation, A Short Story of Women Olympic Firsts, as well as Make Your Own Paper. Seriously.  MAKE your OWN PAPER!  With flowers and everything. How cool!

This is a book that I'd highly recommend for any girl on your shopping list this holiday season.  See what other bloggers are saying about this book here.   

Many, many thanks to the lovely ladies at The Parent Bloggers for allowing us to preview this very special book!

I Love You More

I was sent this book by Sourcebooks and asked to give my review. I did so gladly. My little girls LOVED it.  It was a fast, sweet read and we've already read it at least three dozen times.  From the press release:

I Love You More is a simple flip book ( ends in the middle and starts from either side) story that illustrates what love looks like from both a child's and a parent's perspective. With a simple, touching story, rhyme and   rhythm, and vibrant child-like illustrations, this book is a treasure for anyone who has ever said "I love you" and  heard the best response in the world, "I love you more."

I agree with this.  The pictures are gorgeous, the words are easy to read and yet powerful - the entire concept is simple and amazingly clear.  Who loves a child more than a parent?  No one.  Who loves a parent more than their child?  No one.  It is a love that knows no bounds, and this book beautifully captures the depth and breadth of said love.  My girls loved to read this book or and over and it lead to many discussion on just how much we love each other.  I plan to share this book with the elementary school teachers at my kids school.

My eight year old loved reading the child section to me and having me read the parent section to him.

You can find this awesome book at http://www.hippieandthebaldchick.com/  as well as Amazon.  Order one today - you won't be disappointed.  

 

The Fairy Chronicles

My daughter loves fairy books.  LOVES them.  She will read them over and over and over, dog earing the pages and sharing certain lines with us.  She was thrilled when I was sent two advance copies of The Fairy Chronicles, by J.H. Sweet. She read through both books at lightning speed, in about two hours, and brought them to me with strict orders #1 - not lose them or donate them and #2 order the others in the set. 

I read them, at a much slower pace, and I can see why she liked them.  The fairies in the books are real girls who don't know that they have fairy powers.  They are personable girls, girls who argue with siblings and don't want to spend time with old Aunt Evelyn. 

I wasn't as in love with the books as my daughter - for one, I'm not a big fan of magic in books for my kids, or special "powers", and I did find some inconsistencies.  Many of the characters are named after flowers or herbs, but one is named Lenox - after her mother's favorite China. My daughter thought that strange as well.  Each girl has a gift that relates to her power - for example, one girl has the ability to repel bugs, which doesn't seem like all that much, especially in comparison to other powers like agility and speed.  (This skill does come into play in later books.)  I also wasn't a fan of the fact that one girls special talent was her beauty and ability to attract others.  I really try hard to avoid discussing beauty and making a beautiful person out to be a better person.  There is enough of that in the world. 

One other thing that bothered me in the first book was when the main character snuck home and took her dog, without telling her mother.  Would a parent really not notice that her dog was missing, and it felt odd to me to have the character lie to her mother by omission. 

The book was redeemed, however, by the definition found in a journal - Life.  In our search for meaning, there are two important things to consider:  how we treat other people, and what we teach to children.  THAT I agreed with.  That is a lesson that I found repeated throughout the books.

The second book was a bit better, with less mention of magic, until the very end, when it was discovered that the reason no one could have good dreams was due to possession by an evil spirit.  That made me a bit uncomfortable. 

The books received really positive reviews from other parents and teachers, and wild raves from children.  The books were interesting, and kept my daughter's attention.  I did like various aspects of each book - the girls were smart, with life skills and knowledge that was helpful.  At the back of each book, there are facts that relate to each story, some of which I didn't know, like the story of the Cottingley Fairies.  There also was a yummy recipe for puff pastry.

The fairies are described as problem solvers who spend a lot of time fixing things and protecting nature.  The books contain gremlins, brownies and fairies, and enough excitement to keep your average grade school girl entertained for hours.

I'll be interested in seeing what happens with the future books.  They are a set to keep on my radar.