The Green Eyed Reader

The Hero Beowulf Retold and Adapted by Eric A. Kimmel & Pictures by Leonard Everett Fisher Summary: This short retelling of the epic English poem Beowulf  is an action packed adventure about the hero's conquest over Grendel. It follows Beowulf and his men as they travel to Heorot Hall to meet King Hrothgar, the king whose people live in fear due to Grendel. Beowulf and his men defeat Grendel and the kingdom is once again safe. Beowulf his hailed as the mighty hero he is, and they are all gifted armor and treasure for their bravery. Review: This book's rugged feel from its pictures matches its adventurous stories. The illustrations are full paged and line up with the story. Because this book is based off of the old epic Beowulf , it presents some difficult concepts and vocabulary. It is also pretty gruesome, as it its original. There is mention and illustrations of blood and fighting. Because of the difficult vocabulary and mature themes, I feel that this book is...

Puss in Boots Retold by Diane Stortz Summary: One day, a common miller's son inherits a cat. At first, he is frustrated due to the fact that the cat has no use or value for him, or so he thought. All of a sudden, the cat begins to talk! It is soon apparent that the cat is a clever one and he uses his cunning to help his master, the miller's son, to become powerful and rich over time. Review:  This book is an enjoyable read, no matter your age. It is a short book, but decently wordy. I would recommend it for 2nd and 3rd graders would want to read by themselves. This retelling of Puss in Boots has beautiful illustrations that help the reader get a better idea of what is going on in this story. To order your own copy:  https://www.amazon.com/Puss-Boots-Fairy-Tale-Classics/dp/1569872252 -The Green Eyed Reader

The Hare and the Tortoise  Illustrated by Brian Wildsmith Summary:  This book is a classic telling of one of Aesop's fables "The Tortoise and the Hare." It follows the race between a quick hare and a slow tortoise. The whole focus of the story is to teach a moral: slow and steady wins the race. This is an excellent lesson for children to learn and is applicable to every part of their lives. Review: This book is brilliantly illustrated with a messy, but beautiful, style. Brian Wildsmith fills the pages of this story with, what seems to be, every possible color. This is a very short and easy read, making it perfect for early elementary schoolers.  To order your own copy:   https://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/hare-and-the-tortoise-brian-wildsmith/1100548167/2675377810767?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Core+Catch-All,+Low_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP79700    -The Green Eyed Reader

The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Maria Tatar Summary: This collection of classic fairy tales features over 26 stories. Each story is elaborated on by Maria Tatar in the margins. Each tale also features various pictures from other retellings from the classic stories throughout time with the illustrator and date directly underneath it. As a bonus, there are many biographies of authors and collector in the back, as well as a few appendices. These are filled with extra fairy tales and illustrations from Walter Crane and George Cruikshank. Review:  This ensemble of traditional literature is beautifully written and easy to read. With the extra details in the margins, this book is ideal for any child who desires to understand these classic stories better. The stories are pretty lengthly, so I would suggest it for upper elementary ages through middle school. To order your own copy:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/annotated-classi...

Wonder By R.J. Palacio Summary: All of his life, August Pullman, Auggie, has been homeschooled. This choice of education had been purely situational due to fact that August was born with two syndromes which resulted in many major surgeries for August in his early years of life. These two different and exceedingly rare syndromes were anything but simple and had caused havoc on the appearance of August's face. But when 5th grade comes around, Auggie's parents feel that he is ready for a challenge and enroll him at Beecher Prep. However, his schoolwork would not be his primary challenge; it would be to fit in. Over the course of a whole 5th grade school year, Beecher Prep begins to change. Auggie learns what it means to find friends, real friends, who love him for who he is and not what he looks like. Ones whom he can trust and who will stand up for him. While Auggie learns to separate the wolves from the sheep, his classmates begin to learn too. They begin to understand ...

Chicken Little Written & Illustrated by Laura Rader Summary:  One day, Chicken Little discovers that something terrible is happening in her kingdom: the sky is falling! In order to save her very dear home, she decides that she must run and tell the King about the present danger. Along her path to the palace, she runs into many of her friends. Each one decides to join Chicken Little on her journey to see the King. When all of the animal friends finally arrive at the palace, they are all in for a big surprise when his Majesty, the King, discovers the real reason for the falling sky. Review: With colorful drawings, repetitive sayings, and animal names that rhyme, this book is sure to entertain young readers. Anywhere from PreK to 2nd grade would be my recommendation. It is a fun story that ends happily and is content appropriate for this age group. P.S. Dr. Giles, thank you for the book! ☺ To order your own copy:  https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/...

Have you ever known someone who sporadically breaks out in dance or song from Broadway musicals? Or someone who could talk to you for hours and hours about her favorite makeup products? What about someone who is the middle child of seven? Well, if you didn't before, you do now! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Marcella Fick and I am currently a Junior at Houston Baptist University. I am an Elementary Education Major who hopes to one day teach anywhere from  Pre-Kindergarten to 3rd grade. I want to teach in a private school setting because I do not think that teaching would be worth it to me if I could not talk about my faith in Jesus. He is my Savior and sustainer and I want to glorify Him with everything that I do. Imparting knowledge about math and social studies is great, but I think teaching about Christ is the most important thing someone could do. I am from Sugar Land, Texas and as mentioned above, a large family. I grew up in a home with five brothers, one sis...