Judy Young (1) (1956–)

Summary:
Ruth sits on her front porch and looks into the sky while her mother points out stars in the sky. Her mother always tells her to count her lucky stars and tells her things that she is thankful for. Ruth does not believe she is lucky since she and her family are going through hard times during the Great Depression. Her father is away working in the Civilian Conservation Corps, she is not able to return to school, and her family cannot afford to buy many things. Once her mother gets a show more job and Ruth is put in charge of taking care of her younger sister Janie, she realizes that she is lucky after all. She is able to be a teacher for her younger sister Janie and the other kids on the street and enjoys every minute of it. She then looks into the sky and sees all the lucky stars in her life.

Personal Opinion:
I really liked this book. I thought it had a great lesson and was also enjoyable. It teaches children that they should always be thankful for what they have because there are always other people that have it worse than they do. This would be an excellent book to use in most elementary grades, especially if they are learning about the Great Depression since it represents what families dealt with during the time. The illustrations help bring the story to life and make it easier to understand what her family was going through. The book is interesting and has great illustrations which work together to keep the reader engaged. show less

This book was about Digger and Daisy adventuring to the city. Daisy is really concerned that Digger might get lost, but that doesn't stop her from making sure that she gets to go to all of the stores that she wants to go to. All she does for Digger is check on him. When Digger wants to go to the store of his choice Daisy is too busy doing her own thing. So Digger disappears. I thought this was a really cute book that makes people realize that they have to care about what others want and want show more to do. It would be fantasy because there are talking animals. Media- watercolors show less

I'm looking at two books from the I Am a Reader! series published by Sleeping Bear press today. They're recommended for kindergarten to first grade and are about equal to an I Can Read level 1.

In Digger and Daisy Go on a Picnic, the quirky brother and sister duo start out enjoying the park be exhibiting their talents. Daisy is a good observer and Digger has a great sense of smell. This works out well when Digger's nose gets him into trouble and Daisy's sharp eyes get him out of it again! But show more when Digger's nose gets stuffed up with dirt, he's miserable that he can't smell anymore. What will clean out Digger's nose - and will he still smell good? (yes, there's a pun in there).

In Digger and Daisy Go to the Zoo, another wacky adventure is in store for the siblings. Digger tries to emulate the different animals by standing on one leg, climbing a tree, and eating leaves, but Daisy tells him they can't do those things and shows him what they CAN do. Finally, they discover something they can both enjoy, even if it's a little startling - cold water on a hot day and swimming in the pond.

The illustrations are cute and cartoonish, with lots of humorously exaggerated facial expressions and funny animal antics. They're laid out as spot illustrations set around the text, which is in a large, easy to read font.

I thought these were funny, but the plots were rather confusing. Why, exactly, can't these anthropomorphous dogs stand on one leg or climb a tree in the story about the zoo? It's pretty unusual to go jump in a pond at the zoo too - the silliness was a little too over the top for me. The first story felt like it was leading up to something with the contrasting Daisy sees things, Digger smells things but it just kind of petered out.

Verdict: These are very affordable and although they didn't click for me - I like at least a little logic in my nonsense books - kids are likely to think they are a hoot and enjoy them. Recommended.

Digger and Daisy Go on a Picnic
ISBN: 9781585368433

Digger and Daisy go to the zoo
ISBN: 9781585368419

Published 2013-2014 by Sleeping Bear Press; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Added to the easy reader backlist show less

This is a fantasy book because it talks about how two dogs go into a city to go shopping. Daisy wants to spend time shopping but doesn't want Digger (her younger brother) to leave her side or do anything because she says he will get lost. Daisy also refuses to go into a store that interest him the most. I could use this book to discuss the importance of what it means to share or compromise. Another way I could use this book is to talk about what my students do when they go shopping and if show more they think its safe to leave their parents side. The media in this book is mixed media and watercolor. show less