ROBERT AND THE GREAT PEPPERONI

Seuling, B. (2001). Robert and the great pepperoni. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Plot Summary
Robert is a little boy who  has started a pet-sitting business of his own, but dreams of owning a dog of his own. One day, on his way to a neighbours house to feed her cat, he sees a golden lab sitting in a yard all chained up. The following day, the dog escapes from its chain and finds Robert. Robert's parents allow him to keep the dog until he is trained and able to be adopted. The book follows Robert as he trains "Pepperoni", the dog, and has to give him up for adoption.

Review
This chapter book, like Robert and the Attack of the Giant Tarantula, consists primarily of text with very few drawings. The story writing in the story flows well and it deals appropriately with human emotions and finding solutions to problems. I think that many kids would enjoy these books, as they are easy to relate to and have great boy appeal. Robert is a cute character, with a very creative and charming imagination.

Age Range - 5-8

Rating


**

ROBERT AND THE ATTACK OF THE GIANT TARANTULA

Seuling, B. (2001). Robert and the attack of the giant tarantula. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Plot Summary
This is the story of Robert, a little boy who desperately wants a pet dog. However, his father does not believe that he can take adequate care of a pet, and therefore should not own one.
Andy becomes resourceful and advertises himself as a pet care-giver. Within days, Andy looks after an old lady's  two doves, his friends tarantula, and his friend's bunny rabbit - who then has 8 baby bunnies. Robert becomes especially attached to the babies, however, his mother will not allow him to keep all eight babies, and forces Robert to give them to the animal shelter, which leaves Robert feeling terrible. Can Robert find a home for these bunnies before he  has to give them up?

Review
The book is divided into ten chapters and includes one small black and white illustration on every second page. The title is not at all indicative of the story, the tarantula only plays a small role in the story. This is deceiving and may cause disappointment if the reader was anticipating reading a thriller. The  book is written with very simple sentences, and is appropriate for its intended audience, however, some of the language is out-dated and may not be understood by kids - for example, Robert talks about his VCR (an antiquated term today).
I was not overly impressed with this book, perhaps the second book in the series will be better.

Age Range - 9-12

Rating


**

ANDY SHANE AND THE VERY BOSSY DOLORES STARBUCKLE

Richard Jacobson, J. (2005). Andy Shane and the very bossy Dolores Starbuckle. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Plot Summary
Andy Shane would rather stay at home with his granny than go to school and have to spend time with his classmate, the annoying and bossy Dolores Starbuckle. This all changes when his granny makes a surprise visit to his class, plays and interacts with all of the children. This drives Dolores batty because she can't stand that granny is getting far more attention than her. When Dolores tries to boss Andy around, Andy stands up to Dolores by using his grandmothers famous tactic - the granny Webb stare. Once Dolores realizes that she can no longer bully Andy, they become friends and share the attention that they both want from other classmates, and the grow-ups.

Review
This story deals with a real life situation and acknowledges the challenges that some children face when   dealing with bossy children. This levelled reader (level 4 - reading with help) is divided into four chapters. The images on each page are rendered using pencil, and vibrantly depict the befuddled look on Dolores' face when Andy finds the gumption to stand up to her. The story certainly simplifies the inter-personal relationship that classmates can have with each other,  however, it is appropriate for the inteded audience.

Age Range - 5-8

Rating


***

HOW TO DRIVE YOUR SISTER CRAZY

Shore, D. Z. (2008). How to drive your sister crazy. New York: HarpersCollins Publishers Inc.

Plot Summary
Bradley Harris Pinkerton has an older sister name Abby. Bradley loves to drive his sister crazy and he feels that it is his duty as her little brother to do so. This book is a step-by-step guide on how to make his sister nuts. In addition, he even gives the readers a warning not to let their sister read this book.

Review
This levelled reader book is written for a level 2 reader (reading with help). The story includes big and bright images on each page to help the reader along with understanding the content. The sentences are short and the text bold and big. The images depict Bradley sneaking around corners to scare his sister every chance that he gets. I think that this book has great boy appeal as the character is one that many little brothers can relate to.
If I was a little brother, I would surely enjoy this funny and engaging story.

Age Range - 5-8

Rating


***

GOOD-BYE MARIANNE

Watts, K.E. (2008). Good-bye Marianne. Toronto: Tundra Books.

Plot Summary
This is a story about Marianne, a little Jewish girl growing up in Germany during the Holocaust. She  has to wear a yellow star on her sleeve because she is Jewish. Throughout the story, Marianne experiences many injustices. She is not allowed to attend her school, her father is taken to a concentration camp, her mother works in a orphanage for Jewish children where she tries her hardest to support the family without her husbands income, but then they are evicted from their apartment. Through all of this devastation, there is more to come; Marianne is faced with the decision to leave her family and flee as a refugee with the British Government.

Review
I can imagine that this book, reading it as a young girl, I would have been able to identify with the terror that Marianne had to face. The narrative is haunting, and continously reflects the emontions that Marianne faces. Like the graphic novels, Mauz, this story tells a realistic tale of the horrors faced during the Hollaucaust. The images are simple, they are black and white graphite drawings, that match the mood of the story. I think that this graphic book would be a good introduction to the autrocities of World War II. The book is frank, and does not try to candy-coat the horrible things that happened to innocent people.

Age Range - 8-13

Rating


****

SONG AND DANCE MAN

Ackerman, K. (1988). Song and Dance Man. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Plot Summary
Song and Dance Man is the story of a grandfather who has his three grandchildren to his house for a visit. For entertainment, he brings them to the attic, where he digs out his tickle trunk from his days as a performer on the Vaudeville stage, dresses in his dancing costume, and performs for the kids.


Evaluation
This book truly is adorable, it invites the adult reader to reminise, and tells a truly believable story that kids can relate to. The images have all been drawn with pencil first, and then coloured/shaded with traditional pencil crayons. The reflect the mood through the use of bright primary colours, lots of scribbly lines reference the act of “play”. I think that this was a large contributing factor to the book winning a Caldecotte Award.
The majority of the illustrations in the book span across a two page spread, the use of white space is phenomenal, the text generally appears on the ceiling or on the floor of the rooms where the story takes place. The illustrations tell a narrativew without having to read the text, they jump out at the viewer and invite excitement and play.

Age Range -  3-8

Rating


*****