I'm back with Once by Morris Gleitzman

Sorry that I disappeared for a few months.  I know, I kind of disappeared for awhile.  I have a legitimate excuse though.  I've been busy moving.  So please be patient with me if it continues to be sporadic for awhile.

In between packing boxes and applying for new jobs and tackling a never-ending to-do list, I have managed to keep reading some good books as well.  Hopefully I'll eventually get caught up on here.

For now, here's a little tribute to a children's book set in WWII.  Once only took me a couple of hours to read, but it was good for readers in a wide range of ages and I personally enjoyed it.

For my book review of Once by Morris Gleitzman, click here.
To visit author Morris Gleitzman's official website, click here.

"The Silver Donkey" by Sonya Harnett

"The Silver Donkey" seems like a simple children's book at first.  It has a great, animal-related title with cover art that suggests a fairly young audience.  Within the book itself the main characters are primarily children, and the narrative is set up with a series of stories being told within the story (all related to a donkey).  It's a fairly simple storyline.  I think that I could read the book out loud to my five-year-old, and she would enjoy it.

If you dismiss this book as just a simple children's book, though, you'd be missing out.  I read and enjoyed it as an interesting approach to an important period in history (World War I).  The writing is simple, but charming.  I would highly recommend it, especially for children learning about the World Wars, but also for anyone who needs a piece of hope within difficult circumstances.

To find out more about Sonya Hartnett and her books, click here.

If you enjoy "The Silver Donkey", I recommend "Once" by Morris Gleitzman, "The Firefly Gate" by Linda Newbery, and "Remembrance" by Theresa Breslin.

"My Art Book"

My children love art.  My five-year-old is especially artistic and interested in art, and we try to take her seriously and encourage her.  She does, after all, come from a family with a lot of professional artists in it.  Lately when we go to the library, she heads straight for the bookshelf with the children's art books.

Some of these books, we've discovered, have been pretty awful.  Sometimes, though, she finds a book that is a little treasure.  The best book she's found so far is "My Art Book" published by DK.  If you have kids, this is a great book both to start informing them about art and to try out some great art projects of your own.

There are some really good ideas and clear instructions for making your own artwork.  My kids preferred reading and looking at the book for ideas, and then pulling out our art supplies so that they could work on their own "inspired-by" project.  This book led to a lot of entertainment.  I'm not sure how many hours my daughter spent thumbing through it or working on ideas inspired by it, but it was a lot.  After having the book out from the library for a full month they still weren't sick of it and still looked at it regularly.  This is a definite winner for an art book for kids.  We used it at home, but I think it would be a great resource for art teachers as well.

For more about why my family loved DK's "My Art Book", click here.

Linda Newbery's Official Site!

A little while ago I posted a review of the children's book "Nevermore" by Linda Newbery.  I've read several of Newbery's books, and look forward to when my children are a bit older and can enjoy them as well.

It has come to my attention that my review of "Nevermore" was not only read by other readers and fans, but by Newbery's publishing company (Simon & Schuster)!  In fact, their official website page for Linda Newbery has a link to my article on it (in the "In the News" section)!  I'm really excited by this, so thank you to all of my readers and to Simon & Schuster.

Spot the Dog Books by Eric Hill

I love the Spot the Dog books by Eric Hill.  The first Spot book ("Where's Spot?") was published not long before I was born, and I can remember reading it as a kid.  Now I read "Where's Spot?" and other Spot books to my own kids.  These are picture book must-haves for any young family.

To find out more about Eric Hill and his picture book character Spot, click here.