New Big Sister begins with a little girl worried about her mom being sick in the morning. She tells her dad about it, then her dad suddenly looks a bit ill. The book follows the little girl as she is initially confused to what is going on with her parents. However, after finding out, the reader gets to see the changes happening as the family prepares for a new member.
I love this story, because it is so true-to-life. It is a great book for parents to use to help future big brothers and sisters prepare for the new baby. The story line is interesting. It makes older readers anticipate what is happening next, because the reader knows mom is pregnant but is wondering when the little girl will find out. Later on, when she does find out, the reader is anxious to see how the girl will react to all the upcoming changes. For young children who might not understand mom is pregnant, they get to go along the journey with the girl in the book. Overall, I really liked this book for its story and illustrations as it will be educational but also interesting and appealing to children.
Title: New Big Sister
Author: Debi Gliori
Publisher: Bradbury Press
Publication Date: 1991
ISBN: 9780027359954
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner follows Annabelle as she prepares to enter kindergarten. Her big sister, Lucy, decided to teach her some things before Annabelle starts school, including colors and math. However, when Annabelle uses what Lucy taught her, she ends up getting laughed at by the others. When she sees Lucy during recess, she is mad at her for teaching her those things, but Lucy just reminds her that she is Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner. At snacktime, the teacher asks them to count the coins, and Annabelle is the only one who can count past 100, so she gets the privilege of bringing the money to the cafeteria for milk. When the cafeteria asks for her name, she proudly turns around and exclaims, "Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner!"
Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner realistically portrays first day jitters. Listening to her sister's advice, her day begins horribly, but ultimately ends well. The illustrations are simple and appealing. There is lots of colors, and the pictures support the text well. I think this is a great book for adults to read to children on the first day of school when children may be scared, because Annabelle ended up having a great first day. The only negative I found was that the author referred to one of Annabelle's classmates as the "chubby boy" throughout the book, which some may find offensive and not appropriate for children.
Title: Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner
Author: Amy Schwartz
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication Date: 1988
ISBN: 9780531070277
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Please Puppy Please follows the story of 2 young children as they spend the day with their puppy. However, the puppy is uncontrollable and energetic, so the children have to chase him around and try to get him to behave.
This story is a fun and playful. The text is simple with repetition, which makes it appropriate for beginner readers. The illustrations are bright and colorful. The illustrator also uses different perspectives throughout the book, which contributes to the frenzied and hectic feeling of chasing the puppy around. There are also many details, which support the text well. The expressions on the their faces and the body language of the characters alone can tell the story. The illustrator also decided to depict the children as African American. This is the first book that I found that included children of color.
Title: Please Puppy Please
Author: Spike Lee
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: 2005
ISBN: 9780689868047
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
All of these books seems very realistic for children to read. I have read the real big sister before but not the others. I will have to look into the other ones since they seem very interesting!
ReplyDeleteI love how realistic these books seem to be for children, while still having a child-focused feel that will still make them enjoyable for kids!
ReplyDeleteAll three of these books are very relatable for younger children. We just read one similar to the first one in my field classroom, and many of the students could totally relate!
ReplyDeleteI just got a new puppy before the semester began, and I can totally relate to Please Puppy Please. Maybe I should get that one for my kids to read. It is hard to adjust to how energetic and playful they are sometimes!
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