Review #124: The Monstore

Dad:  We have ourselves a copy of The Monstore, by Tara Lazar and James Burks!

Lily (age 10):  The words and pictures are so good together, you’d think they were done by the same person.

Isaac (age 14):  The book is about this kid named Zack.  He goes to the Monstore, which is a store with useful monsters. 

Lily:  The monsters are adorable.  Well, some of them are kind of creepy.  But mostly adorable.

Isaac:  Zack buys a monster in order to keep his little sister in line and keep her out of his room--

Gracie (age 12):  And what is his little sister’s name, hmmm?

Isaac:  Gracie.

Gracie:  Heh, heh, heh…

Isaac:  Where was I?  Gracie messed me up.

Dad:  We need a monster to keep *our* Gracie in line.

Isaac:  Yeah, EXACTLY. 

Gracie:  Zack’s sister might be annoying, but she has an awesome name. 

Isaac:  The monster he buys doesn’t work, so he gets another one.  That one doesn’t work either, so he keeps getting more and more and more monsters. 

Gracie:  The monsters don’t keep Gracie out of his room, instead they help her annoy her brother.  Which is hilarious.  It’s the exact opposite of what he wanted. 

Isaac:  At the Monstore there are no exchanges or refunds, so Zack had to keep them all.  He built up a huge collection of monsters.

Dad:  Zack’s not very bright.  You’d think he’d figure out pretty soon that buying monsters wasn’t working.

Gracie:  He’s not very smart.  Not as smart as his wonderful, beautiful, incredibly-named sister.

Dad & Gracie:  Hah ha ha haah hah!

Dad:  We do actually have it on good authority that this character is kind of named after you, my dear.

Gracie:  She is me.  Tara Lazar said that when she made up these characters, the girl’s name was just always Gracie.  And she thinks unconsciously she named her that because she reads our blog!  And it IS a lovely name.

Lily:  Why wasn’t *I* stuck in her head?

Elijah (age 7):  It would be fun and awesome to draw pictures for a book like this because of the monsters in it.

Dad:  You are our monster-boy.  You love drawing monsters.

Elijah:  Yes, I do.

Dad:  How did these monsters hold up compared to other monsters you’ve seen?  How is James Burks as a monster draw-er?

Elijah:  Better than me.

Dad:  So he gets a thumbs-up?
Elijah:  The monsters are awesome.  Really awesome.  The awesomeness of them is awesome.

Dad:  Would you guys want to have a monster?

Gracie:  It depends on what kind of monster.  I would like to have the kind that eats dinners you don’t like.  And I’d use him every day.

Isaac:  Then you’d starve and die.

Lily:  I’d buy a glow-in-the-dark monster.  That would be the most useful.  For my life it would.  Because I always like to stay up late.

Elijah:  I want that globby monster in the jar.  I’m pretty sure you could transform him into anything.  I’m pretty sure.  You could just shape-him-up and then make him do stuff for you.

Dad:  What do you think the most helpful monster would be, Isaac?

Isaac:  I’ve actually thought about this before.  Yes, I have.  And I’ve decided – at least at this moment I’m still feeling it – that the best monster would assist you with your pet peeves.  So, when someone leaves the faucet on and it’s barely dripping, the monster would turn it off.  Or if someone leaves the front door open and the flies are flying in, the monster would close it.

Dad:  That’s what children are for.  “Hey kid – go turn that off…”  You’ve got plenty of brothers and sisters for that…

Isaac:  Are you kidding.  I’ve asked so many times.

Gracie:  Yeah – he’s always like, “Turn-it-off–Turn-it-off–Turn-it-off…”

Isaac:  It doesn’t work.  That’s why I want a monster.

Lily:  The purple furry balloon monster is the cutest one.  It’s a girl.  I know because it has eyelashes.

Gracie:  Dad has eyelashes.

Elijah:  I have eyelashes.

Gracie:  Elijah’s eyelashes are way, way long.  The longest eyelashes of anyone I’ve ever met.

Dad:  I love the monster in the book that is just a teeny eyeball with legs.

Gracie:  Hey, what does that little eyeball monster even do?  What is he useful for?

Elijah:  He is just useful for awesomeness.

monster line-up, by Isaac

monsters hi, by Elijah

monster party, by Lily

 

helpful monsters, by Gracie

Author: Tara Lazar

Illustrator: James Burks

Published, 2013:  Aladdin

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Review #90: Fairly Fairy Tales

Dad:  Today we are reading "Fairly Fairy Tales" by Esme Raji Codell and illustrated by Elisa Chavarri.  Although "reading" doesn't seem like the right word.  It feels more like "playing."
Gracie (age 10):  This book doesn't remind me of anything else.  It's pretty unique.
Isaac (age 12):  The book is about this little person...
Elijah (age 5):  Little person?
Isaac:  Ha ha - we don't know...  That's one of our questions.  Is it a little boy or a little girl?
Gracie:  It's a girl.
Dad:  I thought it was a boy.  I think the kid is drawn in a way so everyone can identify.
Gracie:  It's a girl.
Lily (age 8):  The book is about this kid that is going to bed.
Isaac:  But the little person doesn't want to go to bed.  So the mom reads all these bedtime stories.  But in each story the mom adds something.  So for the Cinderella book it goes, "Fairy godmother?  Yes.  Glass slipper?  Yes.  Pumpkin coach?  Yes.  Disco ball?"
All the Kids:  "Nooooo!!!!"
Isaac:  But then she says, "Well maybe."  And the book shows a big picture of what would happen if there was a disco ball in the story.
Gracie:  Cinderella has a gorgeous dress.  I love her boogie dress.  But the fairy godmother's outfit freaks me out.  And the prince looks like Elvis.
Isaac:  No - he looks like one of those Ken dolls.
Gracie:  He does!  Cinderella also has cool shoes.  There are fishes in her shoes!
Elijah:  You would have to break her shoes to feed the fish.
Dad:  You guys sure had big smiles on your faces while we read this book.
Gracie:  Well, we love it!
Dad:  You guys almost wouldn't let me get the words out.
Gracie:  We all wanted to shout the part that goes "Noooooo!"
Dad:  You enjoyed saying "No" to Dad without getting in trouble.
Gracie:  THAT is fun.
Elijah:  Even I can read this book!
Dad:  Yeah - you know where all the yeses and no's and maybes go.  And all you have to do is look at the pictures to plug in the rest.
Isaac:  I like the art in this book.
Dad:  This book would have been like a "game" for the illustrator, don't you think?  It's almost as if the author made a challenge: "the Red Riding Hood story... plus Shampoo! Ha, ha! What are you going to do with that?"  And then the illustrator had to come up with an answer.
Gracie:  That would be fun.
Isaac:  We could do that.  We should all do that.
Lily:  You could make a whole bunch of different ideas.
Isaac:  And then pick the best one.
Gracie:  Fun!
Dad:  Would this also have been a fun book to write?
Gracie:  Yes.  But I would think it would be better to illustrate.
Dad:  Like the writer is making the game, and the illustrator is playing the game.
Isaac:  Even if the author told her what to draw, it would still be fun.
Dad:  So should we try it?
Isaac:  Let's think of one.  Sleeping Beauty.  That would be a good one!
Gracie:  Thorn bush?
Dad:  Yes.
Gracie:  Castle?
Dad:  Yes.
Gracie:  Evil fairy?
Dad:  Yes.
Gracie:  Shopping cart?
Elijah:  No - ho ho ho ho!
Lily:  Hee hee heee hee hee!
Dad:  See!  That's just as fun, isn't it!
Gracie:  YEAH!!!
Elijah:  Shopping cart!  Shopping cart!
Dad:  You guys want in on the action now, huh?
Lily:  I'm going to do Rapunzel!
Dad:  Have at it.
Lily:  Tower?
Dad:  Yes.
Lily:  Hair?
Dad:  Yes.
Lily:  Prince?
Dad:  Yes.
Lily:  Baby's pacifier?
Gracie:  Pacifier!?!  HA ha ha!
Elijah:  I've got one!  Sleeping Beauty!
Gracie:  I already did Sleeping Beauty.
Elijah:  But I have a good one!
Dad:  That's okay.  He can do Sleeping Beauty over again.
Elijah:  Sleeping?
Dad:  Yes.
Elijah:  Princess?
Dad:  Yes.
Elijah:  Um...  Sleeping?
Gracie:  Ha ha ha!
Dad:  Yes again!
Elijah:  Spiderman?
Lily:  Hee ha ha ha!  What!
Isaac:  I've got one for Rumpelstiltskin.
Dad:  Okay.
Isaac:  Princess?
Dad:  Yes.
Isaac:  Little angry dwarf?
Dad:  Ha ha ha - it's already funny!  Yes.
Isaac:  Baby?
Dad:  Yep.
Isaac:  And..... llamas!
Gracie:  I have a new one.  Seven Dwarfs?
Dad:  Yes.
Gracie:  Magic Mirror?
Dad:  Yes.
Gracie:  Poison Apple?
Dad:  Yes.
Gracie:  Ballet slippers?
Dad:  Hmmm... maybe!
Gracie:  Hee hee hee!
Dad:  So what do you think?  Which is more fun?  Coming up with the funny thing... or drawing it?
Isaac:  I don't know!  They're both REALLY fun!
Dad:  Well now you guys can go draw your ideas.  Then you can compare the two sides!
Gracie:  This is fun!  It's classics with a twist.

Rapunzel's hair + pacifiers, by Lily

Rumpelstiltskin spinning straw into llamas, by Isaac

Sleeping Beauty + Spiderman, by Elijah

Snow White & Seven Dwarfs + ballet slippers, by Gracie

*** You can always click our pictures for larger viewing :)

Author: Esme Raji Codell
Illustrator: Elisa Chavarri
Published, 2011: Aladdin
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Review #71: The Cobble Street Cousins

A special treat this week!  For a year and a half we've reviewed books that we read together as a family.  But the kids are all voracious readers on their own as well.  So I thought I'd chat with them one-on-one to find out about the books they are reading for their own pleasure.  These are books I personally know nothing about, so I'm learning too!  Here's the schedule for the week:

Monday:  Isaac with the "Percy Jackson" series
Yesterday:  Gracie with the "Just Grace" series
Today:  Lily with the "Cobble Street Cousins" series

So let's hear from Lily...


Dad:  Alright, we need to find out what Lily is reading right now.
Lily (age 7):  I'm reading The Cobble Street Cousins.
Dad:  Who are the Cobble Street cousins?
Lily:  There is one girl named Lily.
Dad:  Just like you?
Lily:  Yes!
Dad:  Oh my lands.  Gracie reviewed a series about a girl named Grace, and you are reviewing a series with a girl named Lily!
Lily:  Hee hee hee!
Dad:  Who are the other cousins?
Lily:  There's Rose and Tess.
Dad:  And what do they do?
Lily:  The cousins make a whole bunch of stuff.  They make cookies.  They sell cookies.  And they make a dollhouse out of cardboard and scraps.  They have to get the little teeny furniture.  And they make little paper dolls of the people in their family.
Dad:  Wow, that sounds like the kind of stuff you guys like to do!
Lily:  Yeah.  But we don't sell cookies.
Dad:  Right.  But you guys like making stuff.  Don't the cousins also make a newspaper?
Lily:  Uhhhhh...
Dad:  Maybe that's in a book you haven't gotten to yet.  I think I remember that from when Gracie read the series.
Lily:  I'm still on book number two.
Dad:  They sound like creative, crafty kids.
Lily:  They live at their aunt's house.  In the attic.  And they put up blankets like forts for their rooms in the attic.  It's cool.
Dad:  And I know you are learning some big words.  What word did you ask me about the other day?  "Botanist"?
Lily:  You said it was a plant guy that studies plants.
Dad:  And now you know a big word.
Lily:  Botanist.
Dad:  Do you like reading books that help you learn new words, or would you rather read books where you already know all the words.
Lily:  I just like reading books.  Any books.  I just read books that seem interesting.
Dad:  And what is one reason you like these "Cobble Street Cousin" books?
Lily:  They give you all these different ideas of stuff to do.  Like, if you are old enough to sell cookies, you could do that.  And they have little adventures.  Realistic ones.
Dad:  So it's not like the cousins are flying to the moon.  They are adventures that you could even have.
Lily:  Yeah, selling cookies or making dollhouses.  And catching birds.
Dad:  Woah, they catch birds?
Lily:  This old lady had a parrot that flew away, so they had to catch him!  And Rose said, "He's on the turkey!"
Dad:  On the turkey?
Lily:  I mean, "He's on the chicken!"
Dad:  A parrot was sitting on top of a chicken?
Lily:  You know those little chickens that tell "north"...
Dad:  Ahhhh... a weather vane?
Lily:  Yeah.
Dad:  Thanks for telling me about these stories Lily!  It makes me want to read them.
Lily:  Yeah.
Dad:  We should tell people that these are written by Cynthia Rylant.
Lily:  Do you know her?
Dad:  No, I've never met her, but I know about her.  We have lots and lots of her picture books.  "The Cobble Street Cousins" books are chapter books, but they do have pictures too.  How would you describe the pictures?
Lily:  Like... old timey.  And realisticyness.
Dad:  Realistic-y?
Lily:  Ness.
Dad:  Realistic-y-ness?
Lily:  Because they are realisticynesses.
Dad:  Realistic-y-ness-es?  Oh my lands, this word is getting longer and longer!
Lily:  Hee hee hee ha ha hahh!
Dad:  The pictures are by Wendy Anderson Halperin.
Lily:  I love her drawings.  They are cool.
Dad:  Now, I did meet her once.
Lily:  Aaaaaaaah!  I'm flabbergasted.
Dad:  Did you see what she wrote in this one?  "To Lily..."
Lily: (Gasp!)
Dad:  Oh, you haven't gotten to that book in the series yet!  You didn't know?
Lily:  What?
Dad:  You girls each have one signed to you.
Lily:  I have a new favorite book!  It is signed "To Lily."

Lily, Tess, and Rosie, by Lily

Author: Cynthia Rylant
Illustrator: Wendy Anderson Halperin
Book 1: "In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen" published, 2000: Aladdin
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