Sally Derby

This book left me with mixed feelings; some things I liked and some I didn't like. I like the dialect of the story. "Puttin' on my shiny shoes, goin' over to Grandma's." Reminds me of a southern African American family. I also like how the author uses the word "attend" as a replacement for the word "listen." "'Grandma attends when I'm talking." Finally, I like the message of the book which is, "family sticks together," but I did not like how the author tried to convey the message. The author show more really doesn't throw in clues about the books message until the end of the book when she compares family to a family of ducks. Nonie's dad mentions how a lot can be learned from the ducks; that is: "ducklings stick with thir families." I believe the author should have lead her readers to the overall message of the book instead of just throwing it in at the end. But it was a good message. show less

I LOVED this biography of Paul Dunbar. The author has a super strong voice that sings out the story of Paul Dunbar and mixed in between the story are Paul's poems, which are amazing. There are two kinds of poems, one is a traditional, flowery kind of poetry and the second is written in an African American dialect. Equally powerful and rhythmic. I thought this one was terrific.

After reading this sweet book, you are left with a smile on your face and a little bit of sadness in your heart. Its uniqueness comes from the imaginative storyline and the lovely prose that carries throughout the book. The reader can't help but be touched by the special relationship between grandmother and granddaughter, and also by the fact that they don't let their poverty (assumed in the story) weigh them down. The illustrations are very creative and are a wonderful accompaniment. A show more teacher/librarian could use it to introduce creative writing. An art teacher would find it very useful in the study of different types of art expression. show less

Every Sunday night, a little girl named Evie and her Grandma go on a weekly “shopping spree.” They settle down on Grandma’s bed, open the newspaper advertisement section, and take turns ‘buying” whatever they want with colorful pretend money. Before long, they spend all their funds, so they pretend that in the coming week, a famous movie star will come to their building and hand out bags full of more money. And then they can go “shopping” again!

Shadra Strickland’s colorful show more mixed-media collages both add to the fun and to the sense of a warm and playful grandmother-granddaughter relationship.

In addition, no doubt many families reading this book will come up with their own plans to have some entertaining evenings fueled by their imaginations. Such an activity will also help kids learn about money, making change, and wisely shopping for value, just as it does for little Evie. show less