Oh, My...

I just have to make a quick post before adding more items to my Christmas wish list...The Pioneer Woman's new line has officially launched today on Walmart.com, and I can't believe she kept this one a secret for so long:

Yes, it's a Charlie shaped cookie jar.

(The link on "this one" will take you to a page to order it, and the link on "Charlie" will take you to my review of his first book - which is still on my first blog! Time to migrate some posts! After I finish shopping...)

Review: Who the What?

I'm seeing a small trend in my TBR pile...

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Two Clark the Shark books today...

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Clark is really growing on me, as a big lovable - toothsome - lug. In "Tooth Trouble", we learn there is one thing sharks might be afraid of...dentists! ("It took his mother, two dads, and a dental assistant to get Clark into the dentist's chair.") Of course, it turns out this dentist isn't scary at all - she even tells really HORRIBLE jokes, just like our dentist! (Sorry, Dr. Westover, but we have to call it like we see it.) It's great to see a beginning reader that is actually a good story, not a forced collection of vocabulary words. Another great passage:

"Billy-Ray Ray says dentists are mean and scary," said Clark.

"Billy-Ray also told you that whales can fly," said his mom.

"Oh, yeah," said Clark.

In Clark the Shark Takes Heart, Clark wants to impress Anna Angelfish, but he tends to go a bit overboard, with some unintended results. When he finally goes with sweet and simple, he of course gets the girl. Er, fish.

Then we have:

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Splat can hardly wait to put on his uniform, tie knots, and build a fire. But when a new member of the group does everything just a bit better than everyone else, Splat wishes he could have a chance to shine. Thanks to some sticky mud, he might get to show what a great outdoors-cat he really is!

I am not as big a fan of Splat, as his books tend to be hit-or-miss. Reviews of a couple I liked can be found here and here. This one is thankfully without the gimmicks of lift-the-flaps or stickers, and I was equally thankful that the author (actually Laura Driscoll) did not take the path of Scott, the impressive new scout, being arrogant, or Splat being peevishly jealous. Splat admires Scott's abilities, Scott is happy to help Splat out, and when Splat gets the chance to return the favor, nobody has to feel bad about it. Definitely one to circulate among the kids (and maybe the grown-ups!)

Hey - say, "Rob Scotton's Cat Scout Scott" three times fast.

Never mind, I can't say it once.

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Charlie has a new picture boo out, too, which we are waiting on. The first thing my kids do upon picking up any Charlie the Ranch Dog book, is look for the chipmunk on each page. A couple spreads don't seem to have one, which will cause no end of consternation in my household. Other than that, I think the kids will enjoy the story - heck, anything involving mud makes them happy!

Review: Three New Junior Readers

We have three new Junior Reader books hitting our library shelves this week:

 

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We love Charlie at our house - both the real Charlie, found here, and the fictional character. My kids especially like finding the chipmunk on each page, so it will be interesting to see their reactions when I bring this home - while the chipmunk is present, he's not on every single spread, and I'm not sure what their reaction will be! What really gave me pause, though, was the author line: "Based on the..." Based on? Based on? As in, not actually written by?

 

The MARC record only lists Drummond and DeGroat, but they named Amanda Glickman and Rick Whipple are thanked for their "editorial and artistic contributions". Are we turning the series over to ghost writers? Or are these interns? Google searching leads my imagination in both directions...curiouser and curiouser...

At any rate, I didn't notice any differences (other than the missing chipmunk). Charlie tries to keep a carrot-stealing rabbit out of Mama's garden, and ends with a compromise. Bacon is mentioned, so S. will approve.


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Not as bad as the previous junior readers - in fact, I kind of like this one, if I don't compare it to Eric Litwin's picture books of Pete the Cat. When Pete tries to take everyone else's advice on what to wear, he ends up looking rather silly. It might be fun to read this, then let everyone in the house pick out a piece of an outfit for everyone else - and wear the results for the day! Not to Walmart, though. Nobody would notice if you looked strange. (P.S. - Hey, HarperCollins - the title makes NO sense whatsoever.)


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With a second grader at home, we are in the throes of believing everything we hear from our friends. (Moms, as we all know, don't know anything.) In this well-timed (for probably more than me) edition from Fancy Nancy, a classmate tells nancy all the things that are bad luck, and she works herself into a tizzy trying to avoid them all. Or, is Ms. Glass right when she says there is no such thing? (She is a grown-up, after all, so probably not all that bright!)

It's a Fancy Nancy, so it will be popular regardless, but a good early reader all on its own. After reading it together, see how many good and bad luck items/actions your class/family can think of. Maybe research what other cultures think of as lucky.

Thanks to HarperCollins for the review copies!

 



Green Beans with Tomatoes a la The Pioneer Woman

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I got two new cookbooks for Christmas, and I have been happily trying out recipes from them. I promised to review them, but I don't always remember to take pictures as I go!

 

Last night we had leftover Vegetable Lasagna from one of The Pioneer Woman's recipes (leftover only because I had made a huge dish). I try to serve something new alongside leftovers, and these green beans were easy to make, and fit with it nicely.

 

You can find the complete recipe starting on page 270 of her latest cookbook. Basically, you cook up some bacon pieces, then add chopped onion to sauté:

 

 

This will smell REALLY good, and may attract thieves.

 

 

Add your green beans - the recipe calls for raw, but I had these from a Bountiful Basket haul back in August. The kids had helped me snip the ends off, so I got to tell them they helped make dinner!

 

Add some whole tomatoes.

 

I also threw in some roasted tomatoes (Bountiful Baskets last week!)

 

Cover and simmer. Since my green beans were canned, I just gave it ten minutes. Long enough for all the flavors to come together.

 

Yum!! A big hit, which is good, because I have another 20 quarts or so of those green beans, and as you can see from the thievery photo, lots of canned tomatoes in various forms! Check out the cookbook or PW's web site for exact measurements and instructions (not to mention much better photography).

 

 

 



New Junior Readers, Part 2

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I think Drummond's writing styles actually works better for junior readers than for picture books (of course, it works best of all for grown-ups, her blog being one of my first stops every morning!). Charlie is trying to be a good host to visitor Rowdy, but oh my goodness, he is a handful! Any child who has tried to entertain a friend who just didn't play the way he wanted him to will be sure to identify with Charlie here. And, don't forget to look for the chipmunk!

 

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Before Fancy Nancy, there was...Lulu the witch? I did a double take when I read the author's name. I was unfamiliar with the original (published in 1990), but I'm glad to have made its acquaintance now. Lulu is NOT so happy to have made the acquaintance of Sandy Witch, a little girl in her class.

 

"Maybe you will like her better tomorrow," said Mama Witch.

 

Lulu Witch did not like Sandy Witch any better the next day.

 

This edition has adorable new illustrations by Bella Sinclair, and I officially want to snatch up the baby brother on page 23 and squish him!

 

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Horse books are generally a sure thing, and there really aren't many junior readers or picture books about county fairs, so I think this will do well on our shelves. Kids (and parents) who are not familiar with some of the terminology will definitely need the glossary in the back, though.

 

All three of these are available on our library shelves or in book stores now. Thank-you to Harper Collins for the review copies!