Megan Maynor

A funny pun is spun out into a complete story, and executed well, complete with a strong theme (the importance of variety). The brash, self-confident (self-adoring) Taco Knight disrupts the Dinner Knights' schedule, but too many taco nights in a row cause eaters to boo him. The Late Knight Snack helps Taco Knight understand what went wrong, and Taco Knight becomes a sous chef for the other Knights when it's their turn to cook.

See also: The Eight Knights of Hanukkah

Quotes

"The calendar might show more say Soup Knight, but the people say Taco Knight!"

"Variety is lots of different things instead of always the same thing." (Late Knight Snack)

No knight was everybody's favorite, but every knight was somebody's favorite. show less

So many important themes that aren't often explored in a cute picture-book: Don't judge a person by their skin color. Don't assume someone who is tall likes basketball. Ask people who need help what kind of help they need ([b:Onion John|556975|Onion John|Joseph Krumgold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347558174l/556975._SY75_.jpg|1933394]'s neighbors, I'm looking at you, also see [b:The Dancing Pancake|7226704|The Dancing Pancake|Eileen show more Spinelli|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320397279l/7226704._SX50_.jpg|8056317]).

But mostly it's laugh-out-loud funny, literally, according to both me and my adult son. It does remind a little bit of Dr. Seuss, Butter Battle and Sneetches for example, but it's totally contemporary, with a lot of wonderful detail in the pictures.

We both highly recommend it to, well, everyone. show less

Using the English nursery rhyme and cumulative tale, This is the House That Jack Built, as a basis for her text, author Megan Maynor tells the story of Lola, whose sandcastle making is continually interrupted by other children, each of whom eventually joins her in creating an amazing structure. But when their creation is wiped out by a rogue wave, is that the end of the fun...?

A sweet, engaging book about a day at the seashore, The Sandcastle That Lola Built emphasizes friendship and show more teamwork, depicting a diverse group of kids all working together and having fun. The repetitive structure of the text lends itself to reading aloud, while the colorful artwork captures the energy of the young children being depicted. My favorite scene, visually speaking, was the one in which a distraught Lola sits on the beach, while mermaid-shaped clouds float by. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books about the beach, as well as to those in the market for new revisions of the classic "House That Jack Built" type tale. show less

"As long as there had been Henry and Liza, they were together. Liza and Henry. Henry and Liza." The brown-skinned, dark-haired siblings do everything together - until Liza gets a new backpack, and Henry doesn't. Liza starts kindergarten, and Henry is angry and lonely. But brother and sister learn how to live without each other (temporarily), always returning to their Best Place, a special tree in their backyard.

A special kind of first-day-of-school book. See also: Alfie by Thyra Heder