Thursday, July 28, 2016

A Guinea Pig Pride & Prejudice

Title: A Guinea Pig Pride & Prejudice
Authors: Jane Austen (original) and Alex Goodwin (adaptation)
Format: Picture Book (text-heavy)
Length: 51 pages

The Story

This is a condensation of Pride and Prejudice, seemingly using text right from the original book, accompanied by pictures of guinea pigs playing the various roles. The photos are complete with beautifully designed sets and adorable tiny guinea pig outfits.

My Thoughts

I'm not entirely sure what age range this book is good for. It is quite wordy for a picture book, and the words are not easy for a modern-day child to understand, being taken from the original novel. There are lots of sentences like "To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love; and very lively hopes of Mr. Bingley's heart were entertained." Very flowery.

On the other hand, the pictures are adorable! So while I can't really say whether this will encourage a child's interest in "the classics", they might like it just for the guinea pigs. :)

Thursday, July 21, 2016

The Insomniacs by Karina Wolf

Title: The Insomniacs
Author: Karina Wolf
Illustrators: The Brothers Hilts
Format: Picture Book
Length: 29 pages

The Story

The Insomniacs used to live during the day like most people, but then Mrs. Insomniac gets a new job 12 time zones over. Suddenly the whole family is up all night and always nodding off during the day. They try to find some way of getting back to their old schedule, but finally end up learning from the nocturnal creatures around them.

My Thoughts

The illustrations are what really made this book for me. The art is in a dark, kind of weird/creepy style that reminds me of Tim Burton. The story is unique, while having a common message of accepting yourself for who you are. I feel like this would make a good bedtime story.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

That Is NOT a Good Idea! by Mo Willems

Title: That Is NOT a Good Idea!
Author: Mo Willems
Format: Picture Book
Length: 42 pages

The Story

A fox invites a goose to dinner. She goes along, with every page leading closer and closer to danger. All along, a chorus of baby geese warn that that is NOT a good idea!!

My Thoughts

This is book is the perfect storytime book! I read it during my brief time in an elementary school library, and the grade 1-2 classes loved it. The tension builds throughout the story, towards the conclusion everyone can see coming,  but as in every good story not everything is as it seems.

If you've read any of Mo Willems' books you already know that he's amazing. This book is no exception!