Sam Saves the Day. By: Charles E. Martin

This was an innocent story about a boy in lobster country. I liked the small community feel of the book but really didn't understand the point of the book. One thing I took from Sam Saves The Day, was that Sam is a nice boy who is willing to try new things and help people out. In the end good things happen to Sam. I guess if you were going to pick one thing out of this book it would be that good things come to good people, but do they really? I wish the moral of the story were true but it really is just an old saying. Sam is a great boy but the story is a Little weak. You can buy it for $0.38 on Amazon.com so check it out.

This book by Faye Gibbons really did not click with me. I just found it to be another book. It was rather boring for my tastes. I don't really know why but i didn't care for the illustrations either. I did like the action in the last half of the book. There is a dog chasing a cat, goats eating mama's hat and a fainting brother. This is a good book about families though. Even with it being slightly boring and "normal" I did see a good relationship between sibling rivalries and parental obligations. It pokes fun at things that tick of your brother or sister and also makes you realize how great your family really is. Although the book was boring to me in the end I can't say I hated it, but i can say it was kind of just another book.

The Gulps is a hearty taste of the good life. It follows a family who needs help with their diet. I loved the message in the end because the family started to eat right and exercise and they not only felt healthier but better about themselves. Sometimes this is a good read to either remind yourself or you children that eating right and exercising is always important. So many Americans today have health problems related to being overweight. The sooner we can get the message out to people the faster we can get America back into shape. I think that Rosemary Wells is on the right track to help the country with a story like The Gulps.

This is traditional Shel Silverstein. The cleverness of the writing has that twist of Dr. Seuss with a sharp edge of crazy. Every time I turned the page I had no idea what to expect. The book is made for grades K-3 but I became entwined in the writing so easily I had to remember that I am a fourth year college student. The Pictures alone tell the story and the language Shel uses makes the story even more amazing. As soon as you look at the cover you know that the book is going to be engaging and fun for all who read it. I have loved everything that Shel has done and this makes me love Shel even more.

Caroline Stutson did a great job with the words in this book. The read is great for elementary age kids and has a rhythmic beat to it. The words rhyme yet still stay true to the story. One thing that really attracted me to this story was the illustrations done by Daniel San Souci. He did a good job of including all different types of people as characters. There is even one page that shows them all and tells a little bit about each one of them. My favorite part of the book was finding the little prairie dog on each one of the pages of the book. it is almost like a wheres waldo type moment. The prairie dog is a little trouble maker and even gets chased by a dog. The kids will surly love this rope and ride story.

The First Steps

This is the first blog I have ever done. Lets see how it looks. Not too shaby huh?