Sue Graves

ISBN 1405418648 - Novelty books almost always impress me as books that kids will find engaging, and the idea of gold stars certainly sounds like a good one. Who doesn't like gold stars? For the record, on the back cover, it says "The jungle animals are taking naps under the big, shady trees, but Monkey is too hungry to sleep! He soon realizes that waking up the others isn't such a good idea!" In actuality, no one seems to be sleeping and Monkey doesn't wake anyone up. Just in case you're the show more type to rely on back covers.

In very simple words, the reader is asked who they can see in the jungle. A lion, an elephant and a crocodile are introduced. Last is a monkey, sitting in a tree, eating bananas and accidentally tossing the peels onto the animals below - so off he runs as the others give chase.

Before the text of the book, there are "Notes for Parents", providing a little guidance for how to use this book and the Gold Stars series to teach your child to read. The advice is easy and sounds like good common sense. In the back of the book are gold stars, awarded to the budding reader when they accomplish certain things: reading the book or finding words in the book. The text by Sue Graves is great for young readers. Easy words used repeatedly and written in a large font, all things designed to make reading easier. The illustrations by Alison Atkins are very cute and, even when the larger animals chase the monkey, the animals appear to be smiling and not especially frightening. All in all, it sounds like a superb book, but it isn't, really. The trouble, surprisingly, comes in the gold stars. The stars are stickers and, once placed, can't be reused. This makes the book, in general, a single-user book - it can't be handed down to another young reader who could make the same use of it because, honestly, the new child is going to want their own stars.

Not a bad book, but it's got such a short life-expectancy that I suggest spending your money somewhere else if you're just looking for a BOOK. On the other hand, and worth noting, if you're looking for homeschooling materials, this might fit that need well; no one really expects to re-use school "workbooks".

- AnnaLovesBooks show less

II’m Not Happy (Our Emotions and Behavior Series)
By Sue Graves, Illustrations by Desideria Guicciardini
Review by Debra L Scott

I’m Not Happy is one of a new four-book series from Free Spirit Publishing called “Our Emotions and Behaviors”. The other books in the series are: Not Fair, Won’t Share, But Why Can’t I? , and Who Feels Scared? Ben finds that his friends are sad, upset, angry and worried. He also feels unhappy himself. Ben does simple things that fix the problems that show more beset his friends, but can’t fix his own problem. But as it turns out, the very thing that makes him unhappy makes his Grandma very happy, so that makes him happy in response.

I’m Not Happy is a great little book exploring how simple it can be to find a remedy for the little upsets in life. More importantly, it shows how one child can be helpful to another to make them happy. It also shows that sometimes it’s not a thing that will make you happy again, but the happiness of another. Children at this age level are just starting to learn how to pick up on the feelings of others and how they can actually do something that makes a difference. It may take a bit of work, like the posters he makes to help his friend find her lost dog, or it may take a lot of courage, like standing up to a bully on his friend’s behalf. And sometimes it just means lending a helping hand.

There are a couple places that aren’t clear. When Mike took Tim’s ball, it doesn’t say why Mike decides to give it back except that he ‘felt bad’. I wonder if the author intended Mike to figure this out on his own, or if she meant that Ben, the hero, said something to Mike to encourage him to give it back. The other place is at the very end, where someone returns the lost dog to Ben instead of to Molly. Those are minor errors, but they may be picked up on by a bright child. The teacher/parent would do well to be aware of them and have an answer ready.

After the story, there is a two page story board without words describing a similar situation. Children are encouraged to talk about what is happening in the pictures and answer questions about it. Following this is a teacher/parent guide to the book with tips on how to discuss the issues presented and gives suggested topics for discussion.

The vocabulary of the story is suitable for young readers to sound out by themselves, but not the included instructions which are intended solely for the adult. The illustrations are expressive and simple so that it is easy to see how each character feels about what is happening. show less

But Why Can’t I? (Our Emotions and Behavior Series)
By Sue Graves, Illustrations by Desideria Guicciardini
Review by Debra L Scott

But Why Can’t I? is one of a new four-book series from Free Spirit Publishing called “Our Emotions and Behaviors”. The other books in the series are: Not Fair, Won’t Share, I’m Not Happy, and Who Feels Scared?

This book is about rules and why we should obey them. A babysitter spends the day with two children and has to explain why the kids need to follow show more rules even when the parents are away. The young boy thinks rules are ‘silly’ and not only causes problems for himself, but for his sister as well. The story ends with the babysitter telling about the rules she has to follow at her job and the consequences she faces if she breaks them.

But Why Can’t I? seeks to show that there are reasons for the rules that exist, such as safety and health and that there are even rules for games (although the reason is simply that it makes things ‘fair’ which is a bit abstract). It also shows that adults have to follow rules as well. The situations the boy faces are ones that every child is familiar with. The world is a wonderful but confusing place when you are little. A child needs to know why we put so many boundaries in place around them.

However, I would have liked to see the babysitter use an example that was more relevant to the child. I do not know that a child at this beginning reader level cares about angry customers and bosses that impose seemingly arbitrary (the grown up word for ‘silly’) rules like telling you what you can wear. Does a young child really understand what it means to lose your job? Surely an adult faces many other rule-driven situations that are on the same wave-length as a six year old. The ending sounded like a frustrated parent trying to say, ‘My life is just as silly as yours, but -I- follow the rules so why can’t you?’

This misses an important point. Every child needs to push the boundaries at some point, and there isn’t any acknowledgement that sometimes this is a good thing to do. It is simply implied that if a rule exists, it must be obeyed because there is a good reason for it, somewhere. This may be enough for most young children, but I anticipate there will always be the young Einsteins, Tubmans, Goodalls, and Mozarts who need to explore the other side of the boundary.

After the story, there is a two page story board without words describing a similar situation. Children are encouraged to talk about what is happening in the pictures and answer questions about it. Following this is a teacher/parent guide to the book with tips on how to discuss the issues presented and gives suggested topics for discussion.

The vocabulary of the story is suitable for young readers to sound out by themselves, but not the included instructions which are intended solely for the adult. The illustrations are expressive and simple so that it is easy to see how each character feels about what is happening.
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Not Fair, Won’t Share (Our Emotions and Behavior Series)
By Sue Graves, Illustrations by Desideria Guicciardini
Review by Debra L Scott

Not Fair, Won’t Share is one of a new four-book series from Free Spirit Publishing called “Our Emotions and Behaviors”. The other books in the series are: But Why Can’t I? , I’m Not Happy, and Who Feels Scared?
This book is about a classroom situation where one child won’t let other children play with a new make-believe set, so another child pushes show more her and a third child grabs one of the pieces away from her. All three children are disciplined, then return to the play set and share without fighting. The story also shows that the teacher got mad and had to calm herself down.

This is a likely occurrence in any classroom, so the child reader may well be able to relate to the story. I was glad to see that the feelings of the adult were included, as this is a factor often missed. Adults are often portrayed as always happy, wise, kind and understanding.

My concern is that this is a book geared for adults who want to communicate a set of behaviors to children, and that children themselves will not choose to pick it up and read, much like adults who avoid the self-help shelf in the library or bookstore. It is not a fun thing to be reminded that your behavior might cause problems for yourself or others. Nevertheless, it is a valuable asset for leading discussions about how we all must learn to get along and share the world we live in. It is also valuable in opening up a discussion that adults have feelings just like children.

Not Fair, Won’t Share seeks to show the consequences of bad behavior, and how correct behavior makes everyone happy. After the story, there is a two page story board without words describing a similar situation. Children are encouraged to talk about what is happening in the pictures and answer questions about it. Following this is a teacher/parent guide to the book with tips on how to discuss the issues presented and gives suggested topics for discussion.

The vocabulary of the story is suitable for young readers to sound out by themselves, but not the included instructions which are intended solely for the adult. The illustrations are expressive and simple so that it is easy to see how each character feels about what is happening. show less