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!

Picture Book Reviews - with Activities!

Continuing our summer suggestions for book and activity pairings:

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Mouse has baked a special treat for Little Bird's birthday! But delivering it to his friend isn't easy—not when everyone he meets along the way offers to trade something for a piece of cake. . . .

Pham is well-known as both an author and illustrator, with Big Sister, Little Sister being one of our favorite books. Cake, of course, is also one of our favorite things. Thinking outside of the box, though: that's one of our best things of all, and there is plenty of that in this funny and clever story!

Follow-up activity: go on a treasure walk with the kids and see what you can find to bring home, then challenge everyone to come up with at least three ways each found object can be used.
Available in stores May 27.

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Hip, hop, skiddly-widdly-wop!

Clark the Shark loves learning, but sometimes the lessons are bewildering—especially sharing. Clark shares his funky shark dance with the class, but Mrs. Inkydink tells him he's interrupting. Clark shares his reef hockey skills, but his teammates would rather Clark share the puck.

With a little help from his friends, Clark the Shark discovers how breaking and taking is different from sharing and caring, and that we should all dare to share!

Clark the Shark is still enjoying school, but still a bit confused about manners. At our house we occasionally need to remind people that "sharing" doesn't mean the other person has to give you whatever they have that you want. Anyone else? If so, this may be another useful tale to...share. A bit cheesy, still, but like we said about the first title, right up the intended audience's alley.

Follow-up activity: bake a cake or other goodies to share! These days you can't bring home-made foods to most schools, but how about a neighbor? A friend who is having a rough week? A local service organization of some sort? I'm sure you can think of someone!
Available in stores now.