Tag Archives: kids

Review: Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire

Posted on by

Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire
by Susan Tan
5 stars

Cilla is an only child, but not for long – her parents are pregnant with a sibling she not-so-affectionately calls “the blob.” She’s decided to start writing her life story, from the beginning (including her first 5 years when she was bald, and her love of eating snails). Readers who loved Junie B. Jones will enjoy Cilla’s voice – her spunk, her sass, and her antics. Cilla is also comfortably herself – the character does not feel derivative.

Cilla is biracial, Chinese and white. She feels the separation between the two sides of her family, as she experiences different cultures with each set of grandparents and becomes frustrated by the distance between them. Cilla also deals with microaggressions that often come with being multiracial. She doesn’t fully understand them yet, when she is stopped by strangers who ask her “Where are you from?” Her answer – here – does not suffice, and she is generally confused as to why strangers feel they need to know her racial makeup.

Overall, Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire is a delightful novel for readers who enjoy funny, slightly mischevious characters.

Read-alikes

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones

Strange Case of Origami Yoda (Origami Yoda #1) by Tom Angleberger

The Midnight War of Mateo Martinez by Robin Yardi

Review: Dr. Seuss’s ABC

Posted on by

Dr. Seuss’s ABC
by Dr. Seuss
5 stars

March 2 is Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Libraries, schools, and community centers honor Dr. Seuss on this day by celebrating “Read Across America Day.”  While any type of reading is encouraged on Read Across America Day, many people use this day to also celebrate Dr. Seuss and his books. Seuss’s books are classics and many of us have personal memories associated with his books. Miss Ginger memorized “The Cat in the Hat” after reading it over and over to her sons. Miss Katherine loved reading “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” with her brother. Miss Anne loves Yertle the Turtle because she remembers reading it over and over again with her brother. (They also had a pond with turtles.)

My own personal favorite book is “Dr. Seuss’s ABC.” The rhymes and illustrations are so silly – they always made my siblings laugh. I could always get my little sister to laugh when we got to the letter u. “Big U, little u, what begins with U? Uncle Ubb’s umbrella and his underwear, too.” Of course, since this section was about underwear, it was always a big hit. I used to say, “Uncle Ubb’s umbrella and his underwear, too!” to my sister whenever she was crying to cheer her up and get a smile.

Besides being fun and silly, Dr. Seuss books are great for all ages. They have a great rhythm that babies and toddlers enjoy listening to. Most Seuss books are filled with “nonsense” words that make kids laugh, but they also are good way to see if your beginning readers can decode what they are reading by using phonics. They will learn to sound out words that they don’t recognize, such as “Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz.” While reading the books together, you can also see if your child can find the rhyming words such as cat-hat, and Sam-ham. This is a good way to develop your child’s phonological awareness, or the knowledge of the sounds that words make.

Reading Dr. Seuss books is a great way to bond with your child and develop lasting memories. Stop by GPL and see if you can find your own favorite this month.

Read-alikes

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss