Leo Landry

Chuck has been busy with his latest wood sculpture for the Best of the Forest art competition. He's won for three years in a row! But then Scooter shows up. He's a good artist too. And he bakes great cookies. And he's a wonderful friend. Is there any need for Chuck in the forest now? When Chuck doesn't win the contest, he doesn't react well and it takes some wise words from a friend to help him find his equilibrium again.

Landry tackles the complex emotions of friendship and art in this show more beginning chapter book. The simple, minimalist illustrations show the contrasting styles of the two creatures' art, from abstract paintings to rough-hewn sculptures. Children will relate to the misery of feeling pushed out by a new, exciting addition to a group of friends and struggling to find their place and talents when they're not the best anymore.

This is more complex than a high-level easy reader with more lengthy vocabulary as well as the book's plot. The simple pictures will keep readers' interest but the plot is a little more emotionally complex than most children's beginning chapter books will tackle.

Verdict: Not for every reader, but for a thoughtful, high-level reader this is a good choice for discussion.

ISBN: 9781580896986; Published 2016 by Charlesbridge; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

Space Boy is...a little spacey

Nicholas is off to bed...but it's just too noisy! So he climbs into his spaceship and takes a little pre-bedtime trip to the moon. After he's explored a little and had his picnic, he remembers the things he likes about home....and returns to a quiet house.

The illustrations are minimal and complement the simple text and matter-of-fact story style. This is a nice, peaceful story to read before bed - or to anyone who's ever dreamed of having a rocket.

There's just show more two little problems....The first sentence is "The moon shined brightly as Nicholas readied for bed." Huh? Are we talking the same language here? Seems to me it should be "shone". And who readies for bed?

Second little problem...the moon is a sort of sandy orange. Maybe to reinforce Nicholas' comparison to the beach but still....it's always been my understanding that the moon is gray.

It's still an ok story, but those two little things really threw me....

Verdict: An additional purchase, too meh to recommend or say definitely cross out.

ISBN: 978-0618605682; Published September 2007 by Houghton Mifflin; Borrowed from the library show less

Ivy Louise is a child who is being asked to eat her peas by her parents who seem unaware that Ivy Louise has used her imagination to make the peas perform a circus on her tray. The final act being that Ivy Louise helps the peas escape through the open window therefore making it look like she ate her peas to her parents. This book is quite good because it shows the quirkiness of children and that they are more prone to play with food they don't like than to eat it.

This world is too noisy for Nicholas so he decides to take a trip. He packs a snack, puts on his suit, and takes off to the utterly quiet craters and vast deserts of the distant moon. In this utterly charming picture book, the allure of space travel and the longing for peace and quiet entice a young boy to take his space rocket to the moon for a picnic.