The Day the Crayons Quit

TITLE:  The Day the Crayons Quit
AUTHOR:  Drew Daywalt
ILLUSTRATOR: Oliver Jeffers
PUBLISHER:  Philomel Books
COPYRIGHT:  2013

At school Duncan is going to color, but he finds a stack of letters from his crayons.  The crayons each tell him why they are quitting and what he needs to change.  Some feel over used (like red for all the holidays). Some feel under used (like pink since it is more of a girls' color).

I love crayons so the title and front of this book caught my eye.  This was a fun read to imagine crayons coming to life and writing letters.  It would be great to use in a classroom and have children write their own letters.

This is on the 2014 Bluebonnet Award list.  It is AR level 3.8.

The One and Only Ivan

TITLE: The One and Only Ivan
AUTHOR:  Katherine Applegate
ILLUSTRATOR:  Patricia Castelao
PUBLISHER:  HarperCollins
COPYRIGHT:  2012

About the book:

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

My thoughts:
My son and I read this book together and both enjoyed it.  It is a sweet story of a gorilla who has lived in a mall for many years.  It is written from the gorilla's perspective which made it interesting to imagine his thoughts.  It is divided into short segments, all differing in length, and seem more like journal entries I thought. This is a story of friendship between animals, helping each other, and keeping your word.   

This is on the Texas Bluebonnet List.  

Play, Louis, Play!

TITLE: Play, Louis, Play!:  The True Story of a Boy and His Horn
AUTHOR: Muriel Harris Weinstein
ILLUSTRATOR:  Frank Morrison
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury USA
COPYRIGHT:

Learn about the childhood of famous musician Louis Armstrong in this book.  It is creatively written from the perspective of his horn!  It tells how young Louis worked to make money for his family and the role music played in his life.

This chapter book would be enjoyable for elementary aged children. It is easy to follow the story and enjoyable as well because it is written from the horn's perspective.

My son and I read this book together because it was on the Texas Bluebonnet list.  We both enjoyed the story and thought it was well-written.

Just Being Audrey

TITLE:  Just Being Audrey
AUTHOR:  Margaret Cardillo
ILLUSTRATOR: Julia Denos
PUBLISHER: Balzer + Bray
COPYRIGHT:  2011

This is an enjoyable picture book about the life of Audrey Hepburn.  The book talks about her life as a star but also her childhood in Nazi-occupied Europe.  As a star she worked with the UNICEF organization also. 

This is a nicely done book that was informative to me, and I also thought the illustrations went along with this book so nicely.   My son and I read this together because it is on the Texas Bluebonnet Award List this year.