PIGEON NEEDS A BATH by Mo Willems

The pigeon is filthy and smelly. The flies have started to gather, and even they think he needs a bath! But he is going to need a good bit of convincing.

Classic Mo Willems and Pigeon fare will entertain fans. There's a page where the pigeon stalls over getting in the tub by changing the water level and temperature several times, so each picture is a small portion of the page. This is difficult to enjoy as a read aloud to a class (I just read each frame to my students, but they couldn't really enjoy the pictures). It would be more fun to read side by side with a child or for the child to read on his/her own.

4 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 1.3

DON'T PIGEONHOLE ME! by Mo Willems

This is a huge, hard-cover, coffee table-like book filled with Mo Willems art and humor. Includes 20 years worth of copies and sketches and ideas that Mo has worked on. Backstory is included so readers can see where some of Mo's best known work emerged in the midst of other projects.

This would make a great treat for a Mo fan, but some of the humor is definitely geared to adults instead of the kiddos.

4 out of 5 stars

PICTURE BOOK: Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems

Three hungry dinosaurs set their house just right to entice a clueless Goldilocks to check things out. While the dinosaurs are waiting and watching from the woods, Goldilocks checks out the chocolate pudding, the super huge chairs and the extra large beds. Once she stops to think about how odd this bear's house is, she realizes what she has done and she runs for more familiar - and safer - territory.

This is a fun fractured fairy tale I am happy to add to my collection. My students are going to cackle over this one for sure!

3 out of 5 stars
AR level of 4.2

TUESDAY: Listen to My Trumpet by Mo Willems

 

Summary

Piggie has a new trumpet she can't wait to show Gerald. But the stuff she plays isn't very "musical." How will Gerald tell his best friend he didn't like her concert?

Review

Another great Elephant and Piggie book by Mo Willems! I bought a copy for our school library last Tuesday when it released and by Friday I had read it to four of my classes. They all loved it - but it's a little hard to know if they loved the story or just loved hearing me try to read the trumpet sounds out loud!

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: preschoolers and early readers. I think the whole series is a great one for early readers to get lots of basic reading practice (my Kindergarten students were reading along as I read this one).

Cautions: Adults need to be ready to read a lot of trumpet sounds!

Waiting on WEDNESDAY: February New Releases, part 1

February 2012 is here! That means it is time for me to start thinking about new releases in February. The first Tuesday of the month is a big release day. Here are some titles you can expect to release this coming Tuesday:


Cake on a Hot Tin Roof (Piece of Cake Mystery series) ~ Jacklyn Brady
The Walled Flower (Victoria Square Mystery series) ~ Lorraine Bartlett
Buried in a Book (A Novel Idea Mystery) ~ Lucy Arlington (new series)
Death on Heels (A Crime of Fashion Mystery) ~ Ellen Byerrum
Scrapbook of Secrets ~ Mollie Cox Bryan
Clobbered by Camembert (Cheese Shop Mystery) ~ Avery Aames
A Fitting End (Magical Dressmaking Mystery) ~ Melissa Bourbon
Listen to my Trumpet (Piggie and Gerald) ~ Mo Willems
Town in a Wild Moose Chase (A Candy Holliday Mystery) ~ B.B. Haywood
One Book in the Grave (Bibliophile Mystery series) ~ Kate Carlisle
Murder in a Basket ~ Amanda Flower
Mr. Burke Is Berserk (My Weirder School) ~ Dan Gutman
The Fourth Stall, Part II (middle grade book) ~ Chris Rylander
Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet (picture book) ~ Jane O'Connor




Lots of reading potential for the first Tuesday in February! Enjoy.

Waiting on WEDNESDAY

Here are a few more new releases for kids coming out this month:


Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan (10.4.11)
Happy Pig Day by Mo Willems (10.4.11)


Also, there were supposed to be two new LEGO books out this month that actually released in September - the Lego Star Wars Character Encyclopedia and the Lego Ideas Book.


Happy Reading!

MONDAY: Amanda and her Alligator

Summary 
Contains 6.5 stories about a girl named Amanda and her toy alligator, including alligator getting an unwanted new friend and finding out he was bought from the sale bin. Short stories, great for early readers or short bedtime tales.

Review

Sweet illustrations! I just wanted to hug the alligator, especially in the story about where he came from. One picture of him gnawing on Amanda's head gets a laugh out loud no matter who I read the book to. Another winner from Mo Willems!

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: Mo Willems fans, would be fun for classroom reading


Cautions: None.


[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

Waiting on WEDNESDAY: June new releases, part 1

Looking forward to both of these new releases for kids!

 

Waiting on WEDNESDAY: February Releases - Part 2

    A children's book and a mystery - and from two of my favorite series. I just love Piggie and Gerald books from Mo Willems. And Shawn and Gus of Psych are my favorite detectives!

Happy February to me! 

[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

Waiting on WEDNESDAY

 These are just a few of the books I am looking forward to this month. 
                                














[I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.]

RECOMMENDATIONS WEEK - Day 1

This week I want to focus on the books I am loving right now - the ones I am actively recommending to people who talk to me about books. 

These are our three favorite volumes in the fantastic Mo Willems line starring Piggie and Gerald. If you haven't read these, find them at your local library or book store. They are a hoot! One of our local book stores was running a special on these this summer so we were able to add a few to our collection, and we bought extras to give to our school library. Great for early readers - Kindergarten/First Grade - boys and girls, both.

[I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.]

Waiting on WEDNESDAY

Just a few titles I am looking forward to this June!

[I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.]

MONDAY: I Am Going

Piggie announces she's leaving and Gerald goes into a panic. He wants Piggie to stay or to wait and go later. Then he threatens to storm off. Can their friendship survive.

What else can I say? It is Mo Williams - you can't go wrong with Mo Willems and Piggie and Gerald.

[I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.]

MONDAY: Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed

Wilbur the naked mole rat isn't supposed to wear clothes - he is supposed to be naked! But he likes wearing clothes, even though everyone looks at him like he is weird. See what happens in the naked mole rat community when Wilber asks "Why not?"

I love stories for kids that encourage them to be who God made them to be. This is one of those stories. The illustrations are fun and cute, and kids will love getting to read a story that says "naked" so many times!


[I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.]

MONDAY: I Am Invited to a Party

I have said it before - you can't go wrong with Mo Willems! In this story, Piggie is invited to a party and Gerald volunteers to help her get ready since she hasn't been to a party before. She isn't sure Gerald knows what he is talking about as his advice gets more bizarre by the moment. But she (and the reader) is pleasantly surprised when she arrives at the party. Watch the facial expressions on Piggie in this one. They are a riot!


[I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.]

MONDAY: Leonardo the Terrible Monster

Leonardo is a terrible monster - and by that, I mean he isn't very good at being a monster. He is small and cute, so no one is very afraid of him. He decides that he will find the most skittish kid he can so he is guaranteed a victory. But Leonardo's victory isn't all it is cracked up to be. Leonardo has to decide how much he wants to be a fearsome monster.

This is my favorite Mo Willems book. My son giggles through the whole thing when we read it. While I don't generally go for scary, Halloween-ish books this time of year, Leonardo lets us do something for the season that is tame and fun with no risk of nightmares!

Check out Leonardo this October!

MONDAY: There Is a Bird on Your Head

I don't think you can go wrong with a Mo Willems book, but I have not followed the Elephant and Piggie line very closely. I first heard about this book from my sister-in-law with a strong recommendation from my nieces (ages 4 and 7). Since they loved it, I reserved it at the library immediately.

Elephant has a bird on his head - and he doesn't like it very much. He likes it even less when the first bird is joined by a second and they start to make Elephant's head their new home. Piggie's facial expressions and Elephant's exasperation are a hoot, but nothing compared to the great ending. These books are just right for my early reader - the story captures his attention and the language is manageable for his reading level.

You can find out about more of Mo Willems' books here. You can also go here and also here to read about Mo at the National Book Festival. Come back next Monday and read about my all time favorite Mo Willems book!