Grace Maccarone

It's too foggy for a jet plane to take Emily Elizabeth's family on a trip, but it's okay because they can ride Clifford instead.

Whaaaaaaaa? This story left me with so many questions.

Why does the jet pilot come along on the trip when his plane is grounded? Is he acting as a navigator for Clifford? How is he getting back to his plane?

They bring the pilot, but no luggage for anyone?

Are they taking off from Birdwell Island? Does part of the journey not shown have Clifford swimming to the show more mainland with everyone on his back?

If the journey initially required a jet plane, how long does it take for a dog to run the same distance? Were they on Clifford's back for hours or days?

That was a pretty small jet. Is it a small airline or are the Howards so rich they can afford a charter or private jet?

Were Charley and his father intending to go to the same place as the Howards all along? Or did they, like the pilot, just come along for the ride? Or is Clifford going to take them to another destination after dropping off the Howards?

Just because it's for kids doesn't mean it can't make some sort of sense. show less

Miss Lina's Ballerinas by Grace Maccarone is about a ballet teacher and her eight students. They dance in two rows of four. That is until a ninth student joins the studio!

Maccarone's rhymes and word choice brings to mind the rhythm of Bemelman's Madeline. Combined with the soft almost impressionistic sketches by Christine Danvier and the homage is complete.

For children starting ballet or fans of Angelina Ballerina, the story uses a number of dancing terms. The children as they go through show more their day perform a number of different steps.

Next the book is good for children who might have a new child in their class. The eight girls are less than thrilled to have an extra person upsetting their routine. They stumble. They crash into each other. They burst into tears. That is until Miss Lina teaches them a new way to cooperate and a new way to dance.

Finally there's a small lesson in division. If eight can be divided into two groups of four, how can nine girls be evenly divided? Adults and older children will know the answer but for children just learning their number or just learning fractions or division, it's a good puzzle to figure out along with Miss Lina's students.

The book had many re-read requests at my house. show less

A rarity: Jetta Handover gets to co-star with Clifford, and Emily Elizabeth is a no-show in the story. And Jetta even gets to show off her friendly side, doing dog tricks with Mac, Cleo, and Clifford instead of being the antagonist. That's gotta be worth an extra star.

I enjoyed this book. I think it was very detailed and shared a glimpse into Ruby's story. I really enjoyed the way the illustration's looked like water color. It really contributed the emotion of the story.