Megan McDonald

It's picture day at school, and a button is late! But he makes it in time, and here come the feathers, the "whirly things", pom-poms, and all their friends. But someone is still missing, someone very important who holds them all together....

When I first received this book, I looked at the cover and decided I probably wouldn't like it because a. it was ORANGE (despite - or because - I grew up in Austin, TX, I hate orange) and b. it just looked silly and I wasn't in a silly mood.

I was wrong! I show more loved it! First, you have to know that at our library we collage frequently and with great enthusiasm. I mean, what's not to love? All you need is paper, glue, and whatever you can find in the cupboard and outside. Add imagination and it's art!

And here is a book, all about collage! All the different bits and pieces come together in the end, on an eye-smacking double-fold-out, to create a classroom of enthusiastic students. The words dance in exuberant rhythm towards the final mischievous joke and I can see children chanting along after a few readings.

According to the back flap, the paper Ms. Tillotson cut for the illustrations she created herself by drawing patterns on paper with paste. Apparently this is an old crafting technique, one I shall have to look into as it sounds fun! The illustrations abound with things for kids to find and point out and the final spread shows them all fitted together into various wacky creatures.

Oh, and they sent an adorable collage bookmark with the book! I am in love. I plan to pull this out many times in the future for my storytimes to get us ready to put things together and create pictures!

Verdict: Recommended for storytimes and for reading before collaging!

ISBN: 978-1416924340; Published June 2009 by Athenaeum; Review copy provided by the illustrator; Added to the library show less

Judy Moody is in a mood again in this third installment of Megan McDonald's engaging chapter-book series chronicling her adventures at home and at school. Unable to come up with a good idea for the Crazy Strips band-aid design contest - as a collector of band-aids, Judy feels she ought to be able to create a winner - and chagrined that her younger brother Stink (as usual) seems to have it easy, she turns instead to a campaign to save the environment. Inspired by her teacher Mr. Todd's talks show more about the importance of protecting the rainforest, she embarks upon a crusade to "fix" her family and classmates' destructive habits, with predictably disastrous results. While confronting the consequences of one of her misguided campaigns - stealing and hiding all of her classmates' pencils - she hits upon an idea that might actually do some good...

As with previous entries in this series, I found Judy Moody Saves the World! to be both humorous and heartwarming, with a heroine who manages to be believably immature at times - I was chuckling at some of her antics, particularly the scene where she piles all of the household products that originate in the rainforest on the kitchen table, and then confronts her bewildered (and still sleep-addled) family - while also essentially goodhearted. I was interested to see that Julia Butterfly Hill was mentioned in the story, and becomes something of an inspiration for Judy, as I had the pleasure of attending a talk and book-signing conducted by Ms. Hill some years ago, when I was in San Francisco. All in all, another engaging entry in the Judy Moody series, one I would recommend to beginning chapter-book readers, especially those looking for stories featuring feisty girls! show less

Feisty third-grader Judy Moody returns in this second chapter-book devoted to her adventures, discovering to her chagrin that she is the least famous member of the Moody household - unlike her younger brother, Stink, she has nothing to put on the refrigerator "Moody Hall of Fame" - and of Mr. Todd's class at school. How can Judy become famous? By discovering a cherry-pit from George Washington's famous cherry tree? By breaking a record in the Guinness Book of World Records? By entering her show more cat Mouse in a pet contest? Or by doing something completely unexpected...?

I enjoyed this follow-up to the first Judy Moody book, once again finding the eponymous young heroine an engaging blend of spunky rebel and essentially good-hearted young girl. It was interesting that when Judy eventually does get her fifteen minutes of fame, it is for something she does anonymously, to benefit others. I appreciated that, and I also appreciated Judy's decision to confess to Mr. Todd that she was the one responsible for the worm incident in class, not her rival Jessica. With an amusing story, an appealing cast of characters, and entertaining illustrations, this series is a great pick for beginning chapter-book readers in the market for girl characters with... character. show less

Judy Moody starts the third grade in something of a mood in this first entry in Megan McDonald's acclaimed beginning chapter-book series chronicling her adventures, keenly aware that she alone will have no snappy T-shirt proclaiming her summer activities, sad that she is leaving behind the class turtle of the previous year, and worried that she will be made to sit with the pesky Frank "Eats Paste" Pearl, rather than with her best friend, Rocky. When the latter proves to be the case, her show more fears seem justified, but slowly, through the patience of her new teacher, Mr. Todd, through her friendship with Rocky, and through her discovery that Frank isn't so bad after all, things start to look up, and by the time Judy presents her "All About Me" collage a few weeks later, third grade is off to a fabulous start!

With a moody but essentially goodhearted heroine, a number of humorous incidents that had me chuckling, and a sibling relationship that seemed both realistic and loving, Judy Moody was an immensely appealing read. I particularly appreciated the latter, as it is something I think was missing from the Ivy and Bean chapter-book series, which I have recently been reading. It's clear that there is plenty of sibling tension here - Judy finds her younger brother (or "bother," as she calls him) a bit of a pest, going so far as to label him "Stink," because he doesn't like to bathe, and playing some amusing practical jokes on him - but it never goes too far, and he is included in some of her activities with her friends, like the TP (not toilet paper) Club. The balance struck, between sibling conflict and friendship, seemed just right.

All in all, I really enjoyed this first foray into Judy's world, and will definitely be picking up subsequent entries in the series. Recommended to young chapter-book readers, particularly those looking for stories with engaging, spunky girl heroines! show less