Submitted by Amanda from Lexington Park!
The Lion’s Share: A Tale of Halving Cake and Eating It Too by Matthew McElligott. Lion is having a birthday party and invites all his friends from the jungle; everyone from an elephant to an ant is invited. They all eat dinner and then comes time for the cake. The elephant starts off and takes half of the cake and then the hippo takes half of what is left as do all the other guests, creating a interesting division lesson until it gets down to the ant who gets a piece that is too small to half only to discover the lion has not gotten any cake yet! To make up for “eating all the cake” as the other animals accuse, the ant offers to make the lion a new cake the next day. No animal wants to be outdone by the ant so in turn each animal doubles the offer before until the elephant is promising to make two hundred and fifty-six cakes, creating a multiplication lesson for the reader. This book provides a great way for kids to experience multiplication and division along with great pictures and a few plays on words.
Animals
The Mystery of Eatum Hall
Submitted by Amanda from Lexington Park!
The Mystery of Eatum Hall by John Kelly and Cathy Tincknell is an intriguing and funny mystery for kids. The rich vocabulary and stunning pictures cook up a filling tale for readers to devour. This mystery starts when Glenda (goose) and Horace (pig) Pork-Fowler receive an invitation to Eatum Hall by its new owner, Dr. Hunter, for a weekend of free gourmet food. When they arrive for their weekend at Eatum Hall they find a letter from their host inviting them to stay even though he is away on business. While Glenda and Horace enjoy their weekend of food and fun the reader can infer that Dr. Hunter is fattening them up to be made into pie. Finally, Glenda and Horace decide to leave early after having broken the bandstand, and thus foil Dr. Hunter’s plan to make them into pie. This story has a healthy vocabulary filled with words like “fiend,” “automated,” and “culinary.” It is truly told through the pictures. Each page is filled with illustrations to help the reader infer Dr. Hunter’s malicious plan. The illustrations provide a mysterious and chilling mood for the reader from the very beginning. The pictures are complementary to the story and make it a joy to read.
Chicken and Cat Clean Up
Sumitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
It is obvious from the beginning of the adorable wordless story Chicken and Cat Clean Up by Sara Varon, that Chicken and Cat our two title characters are very different. Chicken is up early making breakfast, when Cat is just rolling out of bed. Cat is daydreaming about getting the perfect pet. Chicken is reminding Cat it’s time to go to work. Chicken and Cat have a house-cleaning business, however Cat seems to lack focus. Cat would rather dance or eat than clean. And Cat’s kind of clumsy. But Cat is good at something, something that might help save the day!
The Doghouse
Submitted by Carol from Charlotte Hall!
The Doghouse is written by Jan Thomas. This book is a very simple story about a cow, mouse, duck, and pig. The illustrations are also very simple but so effective and crucial to telling the story. The animals are happy playing ball, until their ball suddenly rolls into “THE DOGHOUSE.” The doghouse is a very scary place. No one wants to go in to retrieve the ball. What will they do? Well, they decide Cow should go in first because, after all, he is BIG and BRAVE and STRONG. Cow goes in and never comes out. Who will go next? And will any of them come out? Read The Doghouse to find out!
The Gruffalo
Submitted by Jill from Leonardtown!
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. When Mouse goes walking in the Deep Dark Woods, he runs into Fox, Owl, and Snake… and they all want to eat him! Clever Mouse scares them off by warning them about the terrible Grufflalo, a monster who has “terrible tusks, and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws.” When they hear that a Gruffalo’s favorite foods are “roasted fox,” “owl ice cream,” and “scrambled snake,” the predators scamper away. Mouse laughs at their foolishness: “Silly old snake! Doesn’t he know? There’s no such thing as a Gruffalo!”…Or is there? How will Mouse save himself when a Gruffalo really does appear, complete with purple spikes, a warty nose , and an appetite for mouse on bread?
Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Noisy Problem
Submitted by Sue G. from Lexington Park!
Monkey With a Tool Belt and the Noisy Problem. Where would we be without tools to help us fix things and solve problems? Chico Bon Bon, a monkey who lives in a tree house, has a noisy problem he wants to fix. The trouble is, Chico can hear the problem, but he can’t find it! So what does Chico do? He uses his tools, because with his tool belt, Chico can do anything! Enjoy author Chris Monroe’s humor and intricate illustrations in this second adventure with Chico Bon Bon, the clever monkey.