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Feather Mountain

November 10, 2016

Why do birds have feathers? This book doesn't know.

There's no moralizing to it, but also no indication of why this happened to the birds. Just that at some point they didn't have feathers, and then they had feathers. Ta-da.

Message

None.

Country Fair

November 10, 2016

Watching the text play across the page.

There's not a lot to it, but it doesn't seem like it's trying to be more than it is. It kind of has a dreamlike quality to it, as the words swirl around the pages, and the images are almost like sketches rather than full-on realism.

Message

None.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

November 10, 2016

Great book, but aimed at much older kids.

It's definitely not aimed at little enough kids that you would read to. It's a good book, but not really for the target audience I review books for. I don't think they would understand it, but it wouldn't warp their fragile little minds or anything.

Message

Treat other people with respect.

The Ageless Story

November 10, 2016

Gosh darn these kids and their newfangled realism!

I seriously doubt that, as she says, "The barn that Jesus was born in would look like a cave to us." I'm pretty sure it wasn't a cave, but was a structure built by humans. People living in the time and culture of Jesus were not living in caves.

Message

Gregorian music is the best music ever.

The Mighty Hunter

November 10, 2016

That guy is so much tastier than me.

I don't even know where this book is going. I think it's trying to say that school is important, kind of? But it's also just one of those stories where it keeps one-upping itself in a really annoying, repetitive way, and then at the end the boy is in over his head. If he had only shot the rat.

Message

School is important. Or, it's okay to kill talking animals.

Bear Party

October 25, 2016

All koala bears look alike. (“That's racist!”)

What. This is a weird book. It feels like it should have a moral, but it absolutely does not. There's no way I can get a moral out of this, but it feels like it's moralizing about something. Maybe it's just a moral I can't see.

Message

Parties are awesome?

Chengdu Could Not, Would Not Fall Asleep

October 25, 2016

Short but sweet.

It's kind of unusual, with pages that fold out in different directions. The artwork is very charming. There's not a lot to it, but it's the kind of repetitive that is endearing rather than mind-numbing.

Message

None.

Dance with Me

October 25, 2016

Decent book that might inspire dance moves.

It's cute, but there's not really much to it. It kind of sounds like lyrics to a song, all about moving. Younger kids would like this book.

Message

None.

All in the Morning Early

October 25, 2016

Ain't no party like a Scottish mill party!

It's kind of a Scottish nursery rhyme. It's not terribly interesting. I wouldn't have sought it out except it won some kind of award.

Message

None.

Granddad's Fishing Buddy

October 25, 2016

Will the real fishing buddy please stand up?

It's just about a girl spending time with her granddad. It's kind of cool how it's a girl going fishing, where stereotypically it would be a boy.

Message

It's fun to spend time with your granddad.