Reading List by Jayne for Children
An Illustrated Treasury of Dragon Tales Stories from Around the World by Theresa Breslin
Let imagination take flight and discover thrilling tales of dragons around the world in this gorgeous, illustrated gift anthology for children.
Battle a serpent dragon with Thor, meet a dragon god from Mexico, dive underwater with a Japanese dragon princess and many more adventures.
Carnegie Medal-award-winning author Theresa Breslin expertly retells exciting stories inspired by dragon myths and legends from around the globe. Whether fearsome or friendly, each fantastical creature is brought to life with exquisite illustrations by Kate Greenaway Medal-longlisted artist Kate Leiper.
Discover new and familiar dragon tales from China, Scotland, Egypt, Poland, Mexico, Scandinavia, Greece, Japan and India.
Review
This is a nice compilation of stories involving dragons/serpents from various countries of the world. In some stories the dragon/serpent is good and in others it’s the villain. The stories are fairly easy to understand – maybe with a bit of help looking up unfamiliar words. The heroes are fairly equally divided between genders. The art is nice but I wanted more of it and especially more dragons in the art given that the stories are about dragons. B-
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The Ordinary Life of Jacominus Gainsborough by Rébecca Dautremer
From award-winning author and illustrator Rébecca Dautremer, celebrate love, joy, and family with Jacominus Gainsborough.Journey through the life of a humble little rabbit, Jacominus Gainborough. In twelve beautifully illustrated scenes that capture the changing seasons, this touching story celebrates life’s simple joys and big moments.Stunning artwork shows Jacominus at different ages throughout his life, highlight the profound joy of being loved, and the ultimate happiness of reflecting on life surrounded by cherished family and friends. Rébecca Dautremer brings a universal message of the beauty of being alive in this story perfect for fans of Shaun Tan or the Fan brothers.
Review
Though this is recommended for children ages 9-12, I would hesitate to hand this book to that age child. It’s a bit slow moving, very introspective, and meant to be pondered. There are lessons about life which I don’t think that age group is ready for just yet.
On the other hand, the illustrations are superb. They make me think – just a little – of Beatrix Potter books. They are also meant to be studied as each one packs a lot onto the page. I could sit and look at them for a long time and never get bored.
Parents/adults should read this first and see if they think this book would hold the attention of their child and if the child is ready to understand the philosophical lessons here. The illustrations though are ready for anyone. Illustrations A, text C
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Fiona and the Peculiar Praise by Rennie Dyball
The Cat Who Wanted More Than Cute
Meet Fiona, short for Queen Fiona of Apartment 4C. She’s clever, brave, resourceful, and very, very helpful. Why then do her family and neighbors only praise her for her beauty? Fiona knows she is so much more than “pretty” and “cute”—she is smart and strong too.
Through playful adventures, Fiona and the Peculiar Praise reinforces for young readers that what matters more than our looks is who we are and what we do. Being appreciated for our actions, intelligence, and accomplishments is the type of praise that really matters to cats like Fiona—and kids like ours.
Review
Have you ever been misunderstood? Do people only look at your surface and not your accomplishments and talents? Sigh … join Fiona or rather Queen Fiona of Apartment 4C. Every day she demonstrates her intelligence, cleverness, and helpfulness but all she gets noticed for is her beauty. While few cats would mind being called beautiful – after all they are cats and therefore by definition all beautiful – Fiona wants to be seen for all she can do rather than just looks.
Amusing Fiona takes us through her day as she does all kinds of helpful things only to have her humans miss the point and praise her for something she had/has no control over – looks. The illustrations are adorable and so very “cat.” But there’s no set up for how long her humans have thought of Fiona just by her looks and thus the turnaround in Fiona’s family at the end of the book seemed to come from nowhere. Maybe this is because the book is aimed at a younger audience and hopefully it will meet them on their level but I kinda wanted a bit more depth. B-
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Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron
Even the things that go bump in the night must go to sleep in this bedtime tale.
“All creatures grim and evil,
under the tired sun,
are settling down—and so must you,
my horrible little one…”It’s time to go to bed, and whether you are a werewolf, vampire, dark lord, or yeti, you still must brush your teeth, put on your pajamas, and settle down with a cozy story. Full of warmth and humor (and slime), this rhyming bedtime bookwill disgust and delight sleepy little monsters everywhere.
Review
Beginning with a doting Mama Blob tucking her “horrible little one” into bed, we see Dark Lords settling down, skeletons tidying their rooms, bandages being tucked tight and spiders in the tub. Teeth cleaned, jammies on, it’s time to get under our soft and slimy duvet. Don’t worry about dark clouds as they’ll soon be asleep, too. “I love you Disgusting Blob.”
The rhymes are delightful, the illustrations are wonderful, and I’m sure parents everywhere have at one time or another thought their children are slimy blobs, even though they love them. This is a charming and warm-hearted hug of a book. A
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What a fun collection of books, Jayne; thanks for sharing!
@Kareni: I read to serve. ☺