Late Nate in a Race

McCully, Emily Arnold   Late Nate in a Race     

 Holiday House     2012  unp

$14.95      978-0-8234-2421-4   G    elem  Animal stories     

I Like to Read series  

Nate is rarely early for anything. He dawdles and usually has to be prodded to get anywhere on time. A beginning reader, this book allows emerging readers to show off their new skills.  The illustrations allow readers to easily follow Nate through the story because of his blue-and-white striped shirt. However, the clothing design on anthropomorphic characters is the only detailed element in the illustrations.  The road sign "Bear Right" on a curvy road placed next to a bear on the right side of the road provides a humorous moment, as does naming the race organizer, a rabbit, Mr. Bun.  Nate is a slowpoke at almost everything. His parents want him to take part in a race, but have trouble getting Nate downstairs to eat breakfast and later to get him into the car to travel to the race.  Once at the race start line, Nate fails to take off when the start signal is given.  Once Nate finally takes off, he ends up winning the race with speed no one knew he had.  No motivation is given for Nate’s sudden change of speed. The story is told in a halting rhyming format that does not always hold true to its form from one page to the next.  The best part of the book is the simple vocabulary that will build confidence in emerging readers.   

     

G     Lois McNicol      Stories in rhyme, Easy readers

 

Bunting, Eve Hey Diddle Diddle

Bunting, Eve      Hey Diddle Diddle.

 Boyd's Mills      2011  unp   16.95 978-1-59078-768-7 

 elem              VG-BNe       

A variation on the old nursery rhyme presents an entire animal band, incased in a music box for a child’s enjoyment.

      This delightful variation  on the old nursery rhyme begins in the usual

fashion, but the presents new animals playing different musical instruments. 

The child-like nonsense rhymes, such as “Hey diddle dumpet, the camel plays

trumpet,” just add to the fun.  Each page presents a new animal and a new

instrument, until the dog conductor beings them all together as an orchestra. 

The perspective completely changes when a child comes in to wind the music box

and look inside at the animal band.  The ending is clever, the soft

illustrations are just right to be shared as a family. 

Although no notes are included at the end, the story could be used as a

springboard for a language activity, with children creating their own rhymes for new instruments and animals.  This story can lend itself to many activities, artistic and linguistic.  A truly attractive and humorous addition to any elementary collection.

            Naismith, Pat

 

Tomlinson, Heather Toads and Diamonds

Tomlinson, Heather Toads and Diamonds
Henry Holt/macmillan children's pub group 2010 276p 16.99
978-0-8050-8968-4 elem Fairytale E-BN
A fairy tale of two Middle Eastern sisters gifted with very different gifts that will send them on a quest to discover their destiny, the way their country is ruled and to find their true love.
Diribani and Tana are half sister who love each very much. Tana’s mother has been like a mother to Diribani. They lived in relative comfort until her father died. Together, Diribani and Tana are able to help put food on the table but they both know it is only a question of time before a cousin throw them out of their home.
One day Diribani went to get water at the well when she encountered an old woman asking for water to drink. She gave it willingly and with kindness. For this she was gifted with the gift of jewels and flowers when she spoke. She encouraged her sister Tana to go and see if she too could get a gift but when Tana went something went very wrong because she too got a gift but hers was snakes and frog that came out of her mouth when she spoke. Their destiny took different routes from that moment and each was sent on quest that had to be fulfilled. On the road to discovery each girl would need to learn knew skills, listen carefully and adopt to knew believes and face great dangers. Their reward was not known and they felt they might end up alone. Destiny however has a way of taking it’s own route. Diaz(1), Magna Stories in rhyme - Eccentrics and eccentricities