BOOK REVIEWSPICTURE BOOKSA was once an apple pie / adapted by SuseMacDonald from the poem by EdwardLear. LCCN 2004025683. New York :Orchard Books, 2005.HBB, 0439660564, list price: $12.99.E. Alphabet; Nonsense verses; English poetry;Children’s poetry, American; Alphabet rhymes. 1 v.(unpaged) : col. ill. ; 26 cm.Ages 2-6. Rating : 5.Do you know a young child who loves animals?Consider AWas Once an Apple Pie as a gift.Almost every page includes an animal — a bear,a fish, a green eel, several birds, and even askunk! A friendly-looking yak carries a packageon its back.Y was once a little yak,Yacky, wacky, tacky, yacky,Backy-packy, little yak!A large, blue whale graces two pages.W was once a whale,Whaly, scaly, shaly, whaly,Tumbly taily, mighty whale!The author, Edward Lear, first published hiswhimsical alphabet rhymes in 1871. SuseMacDonald recently adapted and illustratedLear’s work. Most letters of the alphabet includelarge drawings. Tiny details add interest,without distracting from the main focus. Steamfrom the apple pie indicates freshness. A mouseeats cheese, and flowers intertwine on a vine.Although the rhymes may appear silly, eachcatchy phrase teaches facts. For instance, theowl is a “browny fowly.” The kite is “flighty,kity, out of sighty, little kity.” This fun methodof learning allows little ones to easily absorbfacts. Those rhymes are an excellent teachingtool. More information is onwww.scholastic.com.Roberta Lou JonesBethlehem night / written by JulieStiegemeyer ; illustrated by Gina Capaldi.St. Louis, Mo. : Concordia, 2005.HBB, 0758609078, list price: $12.99.R A T I N G S Y S T E M* Outstanding quality5 Excellent quality4 Very good quality3 Good qualityRecommended with caution - note reservations within the reviewNot recommended - note problems stated within the reviewCommonly Used Abbreviations in CLJ ReviewsLCCN <strong>Library</strong> of CongressCataloging NumberC Canadian <strong>Library</strong> CatalogingNumberISBN International Standard BookNumberHBB Hardbound bookPAP Paperbound bookLIB <strong>Library</strong> editionLGP Large print bookPBB Paper board bookCAS AudiocassetteCDR CD-ROMDVD VideodiscVID VideocassetteLLB Loose-leaf bindingC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 8 J U N E 2 0 0 5
PICTURE BOOKSE. Christmas; Jesus Christ--Nativity. 1 v. (unpaged) :col. ill. ; 26 cm.Grades PS-1. Rating : 3.The story surrounding the birth of Jesus is toldin poetic form using short, simple words foreasy reading by young children. Written byJulie Stiegemeyer, Bethlehem Night takes thereader on the journey to Bethlehem with Maryand Joseph and their search for a place for theimminent birth of their baby, the Baby Jesus.The reader follows the angels as they visit theshepherds and then spread the word about thebirth of the Christ child for whom they’vewaited so long. Bright, rich colorful illustrationsby Gina Capaldi capture and hold a youngchild’s attention, while the rhythmic cadence ofthe story will have youngsters eagerly turningthe pages. The illustrations show Mary andJoseph being much older than the ages presentedin the Bible, a small detail which young childrenprobably won’t even notice or care about.Sherri MyersBuzby : the misbehaving bee / story byTroy Schmidt ; illustrations byGlueWorks Animation. (Max Lucado’sHermie & friends.) LCCN 2004020827.Nashville : Tommy Nelson, 2005.DVD, 1400304830, list price: $14.99.E. Behavior--Fiction; Rules (Philosophy)--Fiction;Conduct of life--Fiction; Bees--Fiction; Insects--Fiction; Frogs--Fiction. 1 videodisc (60 min.) ; sd.,col. ; 4 3/4 in.Ages 2-8. Rating : 4.Buzby The Misbehaving Bee is a fun story aboutrules and the consequences of breaking them.Writer Troy Schmidt has set the story in agarden; the characters include inchworms,ladybugs, a fly, a snail, and an ant colony. Theinsects talk to God and God talks back to them.Using colorful animation and an Elvisimpersonating bee, this Hermie and FriendsDVD will grab children’s attention, helpingthem to learn about rules and the importance ofkeeping them. Buzby is one cool bee who doesnot like keeping rules. What he likes is spellingand having fun. During one of his escapades inthe garden, his hive falls and breaks. An antcolony finds it and decides to show kindness andfix the hive. After Buzby breaks an importantrule and puts the whole garden in danger, hefinds his repaired home and has a change ofheart. He rescues the garden residents andpromises to follow the rules. Buzby learns thatGod’s rules are made to keep everyone safe.MaxLucado makes an appearance and talks withHermie the Inchworm to reinforce the lesson inthe story.Pam HalterElla takes the cake / by Carmelo D’Amico; illustrated by Steven D’Amico. LCCN2004023432. New York : Arthur A.Levine, 2005.HBB, 043962794X, list price: $16.99.E. Bakers and bakeries--Fiction; Elephants--Fiction.1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 26 cm.Ages 3-6. Rating : 4.Carmela D’Amico promotes good charactertraits in Ella Takes the Cake. Ella Elephant iscute, well intentioned, friendly, and patient.Most of all, petite Ella wants to help in MotherElephant’s bakery by the sea. Poor Ella! Thesharp knife and the hot oven are too dangerousfor her little hands.Mother eventually allows Ella to deliver a threetieredcake to Captain Kernel. With her bicycle,small wagon, and lucky hat, Ella escapes manynear-disasters. Finally, Ella delivers the cake.She is so happy, “…because more than anythingelse, Ella loved to help.” Mother Elephantrewards Ella by letting her help bake a Zanzibarcake. (Ella Takes the Cake does not discuss thelocation of Zanzibar, but that exotic place is anisland in the Indian Ocean.)Steven D’Amico’s gorgeous artwork presentsdeep sea blues, terracotta, brown, and shades ofgreen. His rendering of Little Village shows acomfortable, friendly seaside town. Buildingsin Little Village include many minarets. Onecovers a tollbooth, others adorn generalbuildings. (Minarets are often, but not always,associated with Islamic mosques. No religion ismentioned, however.)Sturdy binding and quality paper make thisselection a good choice for any hard-usesituation. For more information, checkwww.arthuralevinebooks.com. Also, considerthe companion book, Ella the Elegant Elephant.Roberta Lou JonesThe nineteenth of Maquerk : based onProverbs 13:4 / written by AaronReynolds ; illustrated by Peter Whitehead.LCCN 2004012260. Grand Rapids :Zonderkidz, 2005.HBB, 0310709547, list price: $12.99.E. Bible. O.T. Proverbs--Fiction; Stories in rhyme;Caterpillars--Fiction; Work ethic--Juvenile fiction. 1v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 24 cm.Grades K-2. Rating : 3.Breaking out of the bungle bird : based onProverbs 13:10 / written by AaronReynolds ; illustrated by Peter Whitehead.LCCN 2004012357. Grand Rapids :Zonderkidz, 2005.HBB, 0310709563, list price: $12.99.E. Bible. O.T. Proverbs--Fiction; Stories in rhyme;Escapes--Fiction; Insects--Fiction; Conduct of life--Fiction. 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 24 cm.Grades K-2. Rating : 3.The Willow Creek Children’s Series books byAaron Reynolds are based on a Proverbs verseper book. These books are done in a stylesimilar to Dr. Seuss, with the story written inrhyme. Peter Whitehead’s illustrations arecartoonish and zany. Each book has a questionand challenge page after the story.The Nineteenth of Maquerk is based on Proverbs13:4 and is a story about two bugs who muststart building cocoons in the month of Maquerk.They must be finished by Day 17. One bugbuilds his cocoon and the other bug does not. Atthe end of the 19th Day of Maquerk, the bugwho built his cocoon turns into a butterfly. Thenext day the lazy bug discovers what happenedto his friend and he gets angry and makesexcuses for not doing what he was supposed todo. It is a good lesson for children who thinkthey can get something for nothing. The lastpage of the book asks readers a question andgives them a biblical challenge.Breaking Out of the Bungle Bird is based onProverbs 13:10 and is story about two bugs, Sueand Fleeya, who are best friends. Theirfriendship is tested after they are swallowed bya Bungle Bird. They argue about how to get out.Sue refuses to listen to Fleeya’s suggestions.After a time, Fleeya escapes, leaving Sue in thestomach of the bird. The moral is to listen toyour friend’s advice. Some younger childrenmay feel upset that Sue doesn’t get out of thebird’s stomach and is probably digested. Thisbook also has a biblical challenge at the end.Pam HalterThe numbers dance : a counting comedy /by Josephine Nobisso ; illustrated byDasha Ziborova. LCCN 2005000199.Westhampton Beach, N.Y. : GingerbreadHouse, 2005.HBB, 0940112116, list price: $16.95.E. Counting; Stories in rhyme; Dance--Fiction. 1 v.(unpaged) : col. ill. ; 31 cm.Grades K-2. Rating : 5.“And-a-1, and-a-2, and-a-3, and–a-4” beginsthe dancing and prancing, and swirling andcurling numbers in Josephine Nobisso’s TheNumbers Dance. Numerals one through six takethe reader through elegant waltzes, flutteringjitterbugs, and swinging sambas and congas.Then enter seven through ten in western gear,“leaping and hoofing and tramping…kicking upheels in a wild Line Dance!” Their stampedegets out of control until they get lassoed andbronco-busted by their light-footed friends. Inthe end, all ten “shimmy and boogie and twistand reel” together as they learn to appreciateeach other’s individual styles. Nobisso, authorof over two dozen children’s books, provides inthis story a good example of how differentpeople can learn to get along happily while notstifling one another’s uniqueness.Using digital and mixed media, Russian-bornillustrator Dasha Ziborova has created a visualdelight with colors and patterns thatcomplement the rhyme and movement of thelyrics. Attractive borders list the numbersvertically with corresponding dots that helpC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 9 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5
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