Reading List by Jayne: Cats, Bats and 3 Ninja Pigs
Book Reviewscats / children's fiction / children's literature / martial arts / Reading lists4 Comments
Max at Night by Ed Vere
Max is done being brave, and now it’s time to sleep—all he has to do is say good night. But something’s wrong! When Max goes to say good night to the moon, it’s nowhere to be found. Unable to sleep without finishing his nighttime ritual, Max embarks on a journey to find the moon and wish it a good night.
With the same loveable character and bright, graphic illustrations as the New York Times bestseller, Max the Brave, Max at Night is sure to delight young readers and adults alike.
Max is a big eyed, persistent feline on a mission. A kitten on a quest. He’s much like a determined toddler who wants something very badly. Max wants, no needs!, to say goodnight to the Moon and will go to any lengths to do so despite how sleepy he is. In the end, he gets what he wants but also learns sometimes there’s an easier way as well. The illustrations make it easy for younger children to follow along with what Max is doing. “Goodnight Moon.” “Goodnight, Max.” B
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Cat Versus Human: Fairy Tails is a collection of fairy tales for cat lovers as interpreted through the whimsical comics of Cat Versus Human.
In this collection from popular Web comic Yasmine Surovec, fabled characters and fairy princesses are replaced with cat ladies and gents … and cats. Rapunzel’s prince comes to rescue…his cats. Sleeping Beauty’s true love’s first kiss comes not from a prince but from a curious kitty. Each comic puts a contemporary witty spin on classic stories while continuing Yasmine’s brilliant comedic take on cats and their owners. The result is a collection that illustrates that cat ladies make for more interesting (and somewhat crazy) princesses.
Rapunzel pulls up cats each day when she lets her hair down? The ugly un-chosen kitten gets picked by the salon owner who grooms her into her natural beauty. A picky princess decides she likes life better as a cat. Goldilocks decides she likes the box over any of the bear’s beds. The cat princess has to get the pea out of her pile of pillows. Jack’s “payment” for climbing the bean stalk is to grown catnip. The Little Mermaid wants legs so she can play with kitties. The Pied Piper takes his fee in … the town cats. It’s not Prince Charming who wakens Sleeping Beauty but a stray cat looking for his forever home. These are charming takes on classic fairy tales but with cats! The simpler illustrations and narrative make it good for younger children. B
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Bats in the Band (A Bat Book) by Brian Lies
The look on our faces is easy to read:
a little night music is just what we need!A late-spring night sky fills with bats flocking to a theater, already echoing and booming with delightful sounds of music. Bat music—plunky banjoes, bat-a-tat drums, improvised instruments, country ballads, and the sweet cries of a bat with the blues.
Join this one-of-a-kind music festival as the bats celebrate the rhythm of the night, and the positive power of music. Brian Lies’s newest celebration of bats and their dazzling, dizzying world will lift everyone’s spirits with joyous noise and cheer!
Wow, the illustrations are fabulous and rhyming narrative pulls you along into the world of bats, young and old, out for some night music together. They’re eager to begin and this is one book I didn’t want to end. B+
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Bats at the Ballgame (A Bat Book) by Brian Lies
Hurry up! Come one’come all! We’re off to watch the bats play ball! You’ll never forget your first game: the green so green, the presence of heroes past, and togetherness with family and friends, rooting for the home team. But you think humans are the only ones who enjoy America’s national pastime? Grab your bat’the other kind’and your mitt, and join these captivating bats as they flutter off to watch their all-stars compete. How about a mothdog? Or some Cricket Jack? In sweeping compositions that transport fans to the rightside-up and upside-down world of bats at play, Brian Lies treats us to a whole new ballgame.
So of course when I saw another bat book, I had to read it. “Oh, hang me up from the rafters, hang me up by the toes…Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks…” There are mothdogs for sale and foul balls to be caught. While the crowd cheers on the home team, it’s the visiting players scoring runs. Will the hopes of their adoring fans be crushed or can the last batter win it all? Another B+ and I usually don’t even care for baseball.
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The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz
Practice makes perfect in this kick-butt fractured fairy tale.
Why does this wolf think he can come to town and blow all the houses down? These three little pigs just aren’t going to take it from that bully anymore! The first starts aikido lessons—he’ll make mincemeat out of that wolf! His brother learns a little jujitsu–he’ll chop that guy to pieces!
But when the wolf actually appears, it turs out these two pigs aren’t quite ready after all. Good thing their sister has been training every day to master some serious karate moves that save the day. KIYA!
Told in limericks, which I’ve always loved, whoa and damn this one is darling. The illustrations are bright and colorful to attract the eye while the story is hilarious. Of course the first two pigs can’t get the job done due to their laziness practicing their chosen martial art so it’s their karate kicking sister in her gi to the rescue. She shows the Big, Bad Wolf “I’m a certified weapon, so watch where you’re steppin’, you don’t want to start up with me.” Pig Girl Power! A
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Oh, these sound great. Not a baseball fan either, but I want those bat books. And all the others.
@Darlynne: There are actually 2 other bat books that I’m looking into. Bats at the Library (how perfect for us!) and Bats at the Beach.
Oh and the Ninja Pig author has one about Little Red Riding Hood. Also cute.
Bats in the Library is great, too. Got that one for my nephews years ago (it had to be done, since l’m a librarian).