Ben Shecter

So, is this a memoir? I mean, the boy is wearing a sailor suit and Grandma is in a long dress and shawl. I mean, great idea, thinking of the house as not empty but full of memories, and then sharing the stories before moving to assisted living or wherever. But to attract readers it desperately needs fresh artwork, both in style and content.

Great-Uncle Alfred Forgets by Ben Shecter is a touching tale of a little girl who spends time with her great-uncle. The uncle most likely has a mental illness like Alzheimer's disease, which affects memory, because he constantly asks the little girl questions, which she patiently answers. I think this book would be good for children of all ages and even adults because so many people can relate to the story. There are many people who have a loved one with a mental illness like this that can show more understand what it's like to be around someone like Uncle Alfred. I would definitely read this story to a class because there would be almost a guarantee some of the kids would be able to relate. This would also be a great way to teach kids to be patient with someone when they don't understand and not just when they're like Uncle Alfred, but also when a classmate is struggling to learn a new concept. I like that the little girl never gets frustrated with Uncle Alfred, so I would definitely talk about that with my class. This book may be hard for some kids to understand because they may not have ever dealt with this kind of situation, so reminding them that they can use patience with anyone would get them involved. The illustrations are painted, realistic, and slightly splotchy. show less

Rounding up for the sake of young me. This would have tickled me silly through many rereads, back when I was a girl. A little simple, even for an early leveled reader, but in a good way.

LFL find.

This book is about a young girl in the middle ages who wants to be a jester like her father and make the king laugh. After being told she cant by her mother and father because she is a girl, Hester gets her chance to make the king laugh when her father couldn't. She discovers that she feels too silly being a jester so she tells the king that she wants to be something more important... like a knight or a king. She quickly realizes that she isn't really happy being either of those things and show more decides she would much rather be her mother's little girl again.
This is a sweet little book that would be an easy first book for children who are beginning to read by themselves. I could see it being a book that students read together as a class. show less