Picture Book Challenge::Chocolate, Mona Lisa, Iditarod, and Art!

Grandma's Chocolate / El Chocolate De Abuelita


Grandma's Chocolate by Mara Price- I am very much of the mindset that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all, so I usually just skip reviewing books that we did not genuinely enjoy. What drew me to this book was the family relationship (girl and grandma), and that it is bilingual. The story, however, fell flat for us. Three reviewers on amazon.com give it a thumbs up, so I would not discount this book on our say so. If you are looking for bilingual books, this might fit the bill. 

Who Stole Mona Lisa?


Who Stole Mona Lisa by Ruthie Knapp- This is not one that the boys were doing back-flips over, but we all enjoyed it, learned a little something, and agreed that it would make a great go-along for an art study. Written from the perspective of "Mona Lisa", this is a different twist on the story of this famous painting, it's creator, and the history of the painting. 

The Great Serum Race: Blazing the Iditarod Trail

Another one about The Great Serum Race. After the dethronement of Balto from being THE hero of the great serum race, my boys were interested in learning more about this historical run. Majestic illustrations and storytelling to match made this a great read aloud. My boys enjoyed that it is told without focusing on just one of the dog heroes (there were 160). The back pages of the book include a list of the mushers, their relay segment, and the distant that went. Also, a "what happened next" page for the dogs, and some information about Leonard Sappala- both Balto and Togo (two of the dog heroes) were his although they ran on separate teams. 

Art & Max

Art & Max by David Wiesner- I confess that I found this book a bit odd- but James thought it was hilarious. Good enough for me to give it a thumbs up then! :) 

"Wiesner's inventive story will generate conversations about media, style, and, of course, "What Is Art?" It will resonate with children who live in a world in which actions are deemed mistakes or marvels, depending on who's judging."  ~Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library



64 read
I don't think I am going to make it to 200. 
Although- I am sure we have read that many. I don't post every dog book we read, and I generally don't review books we did not care for. 

Comments

  1. PattySeptember 13, 2011 at 8:30 PM

    The characters on Art & Max look something like the characters from the movie Ringo.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JoannaSeptember 17, 2011 at 10:53 AM

    I just knew your boys were going to like the Great Serum Race, Laurie :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. The1stdaughterOctober 3, 2011 at 9:10 PM

    You know, we weren't huge fans of Art & Max either. In fact my four year old son cried at the part when the one fell apart because it scared him so bad. Who knows? Maybe he'll like it better when he's older, but for now...nope. Glad to hear I wasn't the only one not completely sold on it!

    And Congratulations! You were September's winner for the Picture Book Challenge! Send me a quick email with your address so I can get your books out to you. :o)

    ReplyDelete

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