Diane Dawson Hearn

Although he was friendly and loving and longed for a home and family, Boswell was rejected by all of the people in his small village, simply because he was black, and because he seemed to cause those who encountered him bad luck. Living a lonely life under a local bridge, he eked out a meager existence, until the arrival on the scene of a nasty old witch from the Coven of Darkness. Enraged by the villagers' fear and avoidance, the witch set out to curse them, using Boswell's magic as a black show more cat. That kitty, at first willing to accompany the witch, because she declared that she wanted him—a novel experience for such a solitary cat—soon discovered her purpose, and decided to thwart it. Would his sacrifice lead to his own destruction, or to his heart's desire...?

Long out of print, Bad Luck Boswell is the first book I have encountered from author/illustrator Diane Dawson Hearn, and is one I might never have discovered, were it not for my perpetual search for new or new-to-me picture books featuring witches. I am glad to have done so, as I found the story poignant and thought-provoking, and the artwork lovely and expressive. There is something so dreadfully unfair about the fact that Boswell is at first rejected by the humans around him—made to suffer because of their superstitions. As someone who has had two black cats in the course of my life, both of whom were loving little friends, this particular prejudice always pains me. That being said, the reality is that life is so very often unfair, and it is how we respond to that reality—do we try to be the best people (or cat) we can be, no matter what others might do?, or do we react with spite and violence, attempting to enact malicious destruction in revenge—that decides who we are. I thought the contrast between Boswell and the witch here was interesting, whether Hearn intended it to draw attention to it or not, and I loved that Boswell was rewarded in the end for his virtue and good heart. I don't know that the villagers deserved Boswell's sacrifice, but I found his reflections before deciding to sacrifice himself an interesting exercise in ethical reasoning. His ruminations—the villagers hadn't loved or cared for him, but they also hadn't actively harmed him, and regardless, were not deserving of such a terrible fate as the one the witch had in store for them—were illuminating, and highlighted the fact that compassion is given because it is needed, rather than because it is always deserved. I think that in the end this was more a story about Boswell being faithful and true, and getting his reward, than it was about the villagers learning a lesson.

In any case, I read this with pleasure, and I enjoyed the artwork as well, which often had either a poignant feeling, in the scenes depicting Boswell, or a rather scary one, in the scenes depicting the witch. I'd recommend it to picture book readers who enjoy original fairy-tales, although very sensitive youngsters might be disturbed by the sadness of Boswell's life, at the beginning of the story. show less

"Dad's Dinosaur Day" is an imaginative story about a boy whose dad turns into a dinosaur. Upon waking up one morning, Mikey sees that his dad is no longer human- he's a dinosaur! Mikey's mom doesn't seem too bothered by this, and just tells Mikey that his dad is having "a dinosaur day." It turns out that dinosaurs can't do many things that dads do- Mikey's dad can't go to work, drive Mikey to school, take baths, or even read. But Mikey finds that there are a lot of upsides to having a show more dinosaur as a dad as well. His dad can now race to Mikey's school with Mikey on his back, he can help out with jump-rope on the school's playground, and he can eat much more food now that he's a dinosaur. At the end of the day, Mikey's dad goes to sleep after Mikey reads him some bedtime stories. The next morning, Mikey's dad is back to normal, but Mikey's mom is having her own dinosaur day! This book was really cute and creative. Besides just showing a boy and his dad having fun throughout the day, the book also teaches kids a little bit about dinosaurs. I think that most kids would really enjoy this fun book. show less

This book would be perfect to read to Kindergarten or first day. You could also have a "dinosaur day" where the students get to change things up a little bit and have some fun! Its also easy enough for young children to read by themselves.

This is fun book about a boy who's dad became a dinosaur for a day. The day is filled with fun for the boy because he has his own dinosaur for the day. This would be a fun picture book for the class because each page is not filled with words and the pictures are interesting.