Melissa Wiley

Although it's never referenced in the text, Aesop fables and the classic Three Bears story are slyly incorporated into this delightful subversion of the classic Frog and Toad type easy reader.

Fox and Crow, unlike most disparate animals (Frog and Toad, Houndsley and Catina, Cork and Fuzz, Pip and Squeak, etc. etc.) are NOT friends. It all began with the cheese...

The first chapter is a fairly straightforward retelling of the original fable. Crow grabs some cheese from a picnic, Fox flatters show more her until she drops it. But it doesn't end there. In the second chapter, Crow borrows a few props from the Three Bears to set a trap for Fox and pay him back. Finally, Fox tries to get back at Crow with some more cheese stolen from Mama Bear, but she turns the tables on both him and Crow and they are forced to work together to repair the damage they've done. They're still enemies, but they've learned that revenge doesn't pay!

Wiley's classic, funny, but age-appropriate text is brightened by Sebastien Braun's cartoon illustrations. The sly fox, clever crow, chunks of cheese, and Mama Bear are all simply but skillfully presented, adding just the right amount of color and decoding help to the text.

Verdict: This is a fun new easy reader with a great text and illustrations. I hope these two will collaborate on more stories. I strongly recommend purchasing the library bound edition, as this is one that will be read again and again!

ISBN: 9780375869822; Published 2012 by Random House; Review copy provided by the publisher (added to summer reading prizes); Purchased for the library show less

I loved this. Reading any of the Little House books has such nostalgia for me, and I’m glad people have expanded it to include the women that came before Laura Ingalls. Though much of this had to be pieced together through research and it doesn’t accurately reflect who Charlotte may have been as a person, it’s interesting to see how someone might have lived in the early 1800s in Boston. I especially liked how it isn’t sugarcoated to be without conflict; the War of 1812 is a hot topic show more with Charlotte’s family and is actively talked about.

Overall, I found this book to be a nice, quick read that was in keeping with the other Little House books. Charlotte has such a curious and adventurous spirit — she’s a joy to read about, and I’m sure that children will appreciate her imagination (I certainly would have devoured this book as a child!). The incorporation of little history facts is also well done; the book details how to make certain foods and how a brick oven was used at this time. I love when good stories can also be educational. Anyone with an interest in history will find this story fascinating for that reason.

Definitely pick this up if you have a little one around in need of a good book! Laura Ingalls and historical fiction fans will especially enjoy this one.

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less

This book hit me just right this week. Wiley's style is straightforward, but she trusts her young readers to fill in the blanks so she doesn't feed them every hint and detail. The setting feels a little insubstantial (the details are vivid, but I don't feel myself rooted in the prairie while reading), but the main characters are delightful. And I learned that Wiley's a blogging homeschooler who used to live in San Diego, so that's kind of cool.

I really enjoyed this book about making silent movies. I really liked Pearls character and felt she was very relatable. I liked the dynamic between her and her brothers, they would tease her mercilessly but when it came right down to it, they loved her and would protect her. I thought all of the characters were very realistic. Her parents reluctance to let her act but finally letting her do it rang very true for what parents would actually do.
I thought the whole bit about raising ostriches show more was really interesting and taking the feathers to "town" once a year. I had never really thought about people raising the birds for the feathers that women used to wear on their hats.
The only thing I didn't love was that the story started in the middle of the scene and then the book went back in time and I kept waiting for them to get back to that scene but it wasn't until near the end of the book.
Overall though, a nice clean book for kids. I would highly recommend that you read the authors note at the end. Really interesting and made the story seem even better when you know that's it's loosely based on real people.
If you enjoyed this book I would also recommend Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen by Anne Nesbet which is also about a young girl making silent movies. show less