The Green Eyed Reader

Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends Written by A. A. Milne & Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard Summary:  This book includes several stories. They are titled Pooh Goes Visiting,   Eeyore Loses a Tail, Tigger Comes to the Forest, and  Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees. The stories are roughly 15 pages long each and the illustrations that go with the text are various sizes. The illustrations themselves are colored and almost rough in regards to the style: they look more like sketches and are not as precise which make them interesting and different to look at compared to other children's books. With Pooh Bear and his friends of the forest, there are sure to be laughs and "Uh ohs" in the audience. Review: I really enjoy reading these short Winnie-the-Pooh stories because they are fun and lighthearted stories. They can also be used to teach good lessons of what not to do in one of the character's situation or how to be a good friend. These stories would be great for readi...

The Beatrix Potter Treasury Written & Illustrated by Beatrix Potter Summary: This book is a collection of four of Beatrix Potter's most cherish stories. It includes The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tailor of Gloucester, The Tale of Tom Kitten, and The Tale of Pigling Bland . There is a mix of small, medium, and large watercolor illustrations throughout this book. They are as beautiful as ever with a shine from the page texture. As a note: The first two stories are shorter in length than the last two. The last two stories have sections of text that are much longer than the first two stories.   Review: These stories are treasured and easy to love with the beautiful pictures and exciting stories lines. This book is great for reading aloud and is sure to leave great memories in its path. I would encourage grades 1st-3rd to read out of this book on their own. To order your own copy:  https://www.amazon.com/Beatrix-Potter-Treasury/dp/0723237158/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_produc...

Norman the Doorman Written and Illustrated by Don Freeman Summary:  This book is about a small mouse named Norman. He is the "doorman" of an art museum. He shows his fellow mice friends all of the artifacts in the basement of the art museum, which is also where he lives. He never ventures to the upstairs of the art museum for fear of being caught by the security guards. These guards set traps in the basement for mice like Norman, but Norman is carful to disarm them so that he and his fellow mice do not become victims. He even takes the wire from the mouse traps and makes artwork out of it sometimes.  One day, Norman sees a sign outside of the museum announcing the sculpture competition occurring inside. Norman gets so excited and runs into the basement and grabs his latest wire sculpture. He runs it upstairs, careful not to be spotted by the security guards, and puts it next to the other sculptures. After the judging is completed, Norman discovers that his sculpture ...

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie By Laura Joffe Numeroff & Illustrated by Felicia Bond Summary: This is the tale of a boy who had a mouse as a friend and the boy gave him a cookie. Of course the mouse wanted milk to go along with the cookie, so he asked for some of that too. When the boy gives the mouse the milk, he wants a straw as well, and then a napkin to clean himself up with. Over and over again the boy will meet the mouse's need, but then it turns into another and then another! The story comes full circle after a hair cut, a nap, and other shenanigans when the mouse is tired from all of his activities and asks for a glass of milk. Because when he asks for a glass of milk, most likely, he will want a cookie to go with it! Review:  This story is a cycle and is one that is endearing to all ages. With the illustrations and easy vocabulary, it is great for read aloud or individual student readings.  would recommend this to K-1st grade students because there are a ...

The Story of Ferdinand  By Munro Leaf with Drawings by Robert Lawson Summary: In Spain, there lived a bull named Ferdinand. As a calf and as a full grown bull, he liked to sit underneath a cork tree and smell the flowers. One day, some men came to his pasture to search for the fiercest, fastest, and strongest bull to fight the Matador. While all of the other bulls began to run around and fight each other to show off their skills, Ferdinand calmly strode to his favorite cork tree and began to sit down. But he was not expecting to sit on a bee! When he did, he ran around jumping and snorting because it hurts so badly! The men saw Ferdinand and decided that he would be the one they would take to Madrid.  When the day of the fight came, everyone in the stands were excited to see "Ferdinand the Fierce." But when they let him into the middle of the arena, he simply sat there and smelled all of the pretty flowers in all of the ladies' hair. The Matador and others trie...

Young Years: Best Loved Stories and Poems for Little Children Edited by Augusta Baker Summary: This is a large collection of favorite children's stories and poems. It contains nursery rhymes, nursery stories, fables, fairy tales, and poetry. It contains 48 poems. Some of which are "Mary's Lamb," "Color," and "The Months." This collection has illustrations on every page, making them full of color and interesting to children.  Review:  This book would make a great read aloud book because of how many different selections there are and because of the beautiful pictures. Children of all ages will enjoy this book just because of all that it has to offer. It is truly a must-have in your collection. To order your own copy:  https://www.amazon.com/Young-Years-Stories-Little-Children/dp/0819303569  -The Green Eyed Reader

Drummer Hoff By Barbara & Ed Emberly Summary:   Drummer Hoff was first printed in 1967. It is a short poem that rhymes and is repetitive. It is about army men who are building a cannon and then fired it. It builds by adding one man at a time and each of them have a different rank. Each name rhymes with what they bring to put on the cannon. For example, "Corporal Ferrell brought the barrel" and "Major Scott brought the shot."  Review: This poem is a quick and easy read. It makes for a fun read aloud for children because it is very short and super repetitive. I loved this book growing up because of the way it adds new officers to the story. With each officer it adds, it repeats all of the other officers and what they brought to build the cannon. The drawings are also very unique, as one can see from the cover of this book. To get your own copy:  https://www.amazon.com/Drummer-Hoff-Barbara-Emberley/dp/067166249X -The Green Eyed Reader

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star By Jannat Messenger Summary:  This is a lullaby book of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star  with lights and music. It contains five verses to the famous poem and illustrations for each verse. The battery powered light shines through a small hole in each page. This makes it a fun and interactive book for young children. The print is also a larger size so children can follow along easily. Review: This book containing the famous children's lullaby has thick pages and a durable cardboard cover making it ideal for young children to handle. It also has very colorful pictures which will have children memorized. This is a great book for read alouds to young children, probably grades PreK-1st.  To get your own copy:  https://www.amazon.com/Twinkle-Little-Lullaby-Lights-Music/dp/0689711360   -The Green Eyed Reader

Where the Sidewalk Ends By Shel Silverstein Summary:  In the collection, there are more than 60 of Shel Silverstein's poems and illustrations. Some of my favorite poems in this treasury are "Sick," "Jumping Rope," and "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out." These poems were some of my very favorites growing up. With Shel's clever word choice and small illustrations for most of the poems, children will love reading all of the different selections. Review:  This was probably my favorite collection of poems growing up. I love how the poems are different lengths and are made more attractive with interesting sketches for many of the poems. I would probably recommend this book for 4th through 7th graders. There is definitely something for everyone in this book and would make for a great in-class read aloud. To get your own copy:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/where-the-sidewalk-ends-shel-silverstein/1100831320#/  ...

The Baby's Bedtime Book By Kay Chorao Summary:  This book contains 28 bedtime poems and lullabies for children. Some are very well known lullabies such as "Hush, Little Baby" and "Rock-a-bye Baby" are in this book. Some lesser known poems such as "Good Night" and "Safe in Bed" are also included in this collection. This book is filled with beautiful, colored illustrations. There is one for each poem or lullaby.  Review: This collection has great illustrations that are sure to catch the attention of children. This book would be great for read aloud in class. This book would also be great for children to read by themselves, but they may need help understanding the concepts within the poems. I would suggest it for 2nd graders.       To get your own copy:   https://www.amazon.com/Babys-Bedtime-Book-Kay-Chorao/dp/0525441492 -The Green Eyed Reader

The War that Saved My Life  By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley  Summary:  This story follows the lives of a young brother and sister duo, Ada and Jamie Smith, during World War II. These siblings have grown up in the same house with their mother, who they call Mam, but with two very different lives. Jamie, a 7 year-old, is the youngest, and for the most part, has a normal life that includes going to school and playing with his friends around the block. Ada, on the other hand, who is 11 years-old, lives the life of a crippled and abused shut-in. This is in thanks to her Mam, who is embarrassed by the fact that she had a daughter with a club foot. Because of her foot, Ada cannot walk correctly and is not allowed to go outside of their London flat. However, that all changes when the Germans invade and their city is predicted to be bombed. For Ada and Jamie's safety, not only from the bombs, but also from Mam, they runaway with Jamie's local school to the countr...