Reviews by Friends of RDixey

Katrena says "That Pesky Rat is a Funny Story of a Rat with an Identity Crisis" about That Pesky Rat

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:04:24 GMT

That Pesky Rat [2002, Candlewick Press, ISBN: 0-7636-1873-X] by Lauren Child is a 32-page children's book that features a rat. Actually everyone around him just calls him that Pesky Rat, and he doesn't like that one bit. And he's also a bit frustrated about living in trash can #3 that keeps getting emptied after he works to make it homey.

He begins to long for the life of other animals, but then re-thinks each idea:

The Chinchilla has a fashionable life but Pesky Rat hates baths.
The Siamese Cat does whatever he likes but Pesky Rat hates to be bored.
The Lop-Eared Rabbit has an exciting life in the circus, but it might be a bit nerve-wracking for Pesky Rat.
The Scottie Dog is loved by his owner but has to wear embarrassing clothes.

Finally, Pesky Rat has an idea. He'll write and post an advertisement in Mrs. Trill's pet shop. Mr. Fortesque is looking for a brown cat--will Pesky Rat do?

My Viewpoint:

That Pesky Rat is a funny story with a surprise ending. The story flows well and the pictures...

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Katrena says "There Was an Old Monster Web Site Makes Book Even More Fun" about There Was an Old Monster Scholastic Web Site

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:26:00 GMT

The Scholastic web site has a page especially for readers of There Was an Old Monster! by Rebecca Emberly. Here is what the free web site offers:

range of ages of kids that might like this book
lexile framework
grade level equivalent, which is helpful especially to teachers
suggested ages for the book
genre and subject of the book
synopsis of the book

This web site also offers the ability to see some sample pages from the book and to download the file for pc and mac users.

The best part of this web site features the words of the story There Was an Old Monster! that are put to rhythm by Adrian Emberly, the author's daughter. She does a good job with this rhyme and it flows rather quickly.

My Viewpoint:

Just cut and paste the web site address at the heading of this review to find Scholastic's There Was an Old Monster! web site. People who have a copy of the book can have fun listening to the rhythm while turning the pages. It's fun and challenging and a fun twist on a new version similar...

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Katrena says "There Was an Old Monster! is Like Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" about There Was an Old Monster!

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:40:56 GMT

There Was an Old Monster! [2009, Orchard Books, ISBN: 0-545-10145-X] by Rebecca Emberley and illustrated by Ed Emberley and Adrian Emberley is a 32-page children's picture book that is an interesting twist to the story of the old lady who swallowed a fly.

The Story:

An old monster eats and tick and then begins to eat other things to try to get each of the previous other animals. Here are the animals that the hungry monster ate:

tick
ants
lizard
bat
jackal
bear
lion

This story flows nicely from one page to the next and utilizes repetition as each animal is repeated from the previous pages as the story develops. A few extra words are added that can make for a fun rhythm.

This book is fun because there's a web site that takes the words of the story and adds a rhythm. This would be fun for kids at home or in a group setting.

My Viewpoint:

There Was an Old Monster! takes an old story and puts a new twist to it. The colorful pages don't look scary like one might think a monster would look and...

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Katrena says "How Do You Wokka - Wokka? Encourages Kids With Different Styles" about How Do You Wokka - Wokka?

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:22:11 GMT

How Do You Wokka - Wokka? [2009, Candlewick Press, ISBN: 978-0-7636-3228-1] by Elizabeth Bluemle and illustrated by Randy Cecil is a 26-page children's book about children with lots of different styles. The children in the book show how they can dance and play in lots of different styles when asked how they "wokka - wokka", like:

a flamingo
a mariachi with maracas
a clock
a fish
knocking on a door

The illustrations are full of action as the kids show their own version of a wokka-wokka, and the story flows well from page to page. This is just a funny and silly book that may encourage kids to be creative and try something new.

My Viewpoint:

How Do You Wokka - Wokka? is colorful and fun as children figure out that each has his own style. It incorporates children of different colors and encourages the kids to look around them for inspiration. This book was cute and fun in a wacky or wokka-wokka sort of way.

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Katrena says "She Did It! Shows Four Sisters Who Blame Each Other for Messes" about She Did It!

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:03:08 GMT

She Did It! [2002, Melanie Kroupa Books, ISBN: 0-374-36776-0] by Jennifer A. Ericsson and illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott is a 32-page children's picture book that looks at taking responsibility, sort of.

The Story:

Four sisters tend to make messes all over the house. When Mom enters the area, she asks who made the mess and each sister decides to tell on another one as they reply "She did it!" As the story progresses, the mom gets even more frustrated until she finally sends them all to their room. When she goes to the room after time is up, she's surprised by what she finds amd asks who did it...

Here are some examples of the messes in the book:

Pillow fight
Bathroom mess
Kitchen mess
Mud on clean clothes on the line
Rude behavior at a picnic
Fighting inside while the mom is working in the yard

The illustrations fit nicely with the story and reflect the humor of the story in a colorful and fun way. Overall, I have mixed feelings about this story. It does seem pretty realistic and...

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Katrena says "You Won't Like This Present as Much as I Do! is Funny and Cute" about You Won't Like This Present as Much as I Do!

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:41:03 GMT

You Won't Like This Present as Much as I Do! [2009, Penguin Young Readers Group, Grosset & Dunlap, ISBN: 978-0-448-45087-2] by Lauren Child is a 32-page picture book about giving gifts.

The Story:

Lola has been given money to buy a birthday gift for Lotta, her best friend. She decides to look in the toy store for the best book ever. She finds a doctor's kit and realizes that it is perfect...for her. Lotta could not possibly like it the way she would, but she only has money for one gift.

Charlie, the sensible older brother finally convinces Lola that Lotta would probably like that gift much more than a cheap bouncy ball that Lola suggested so that she could give herself the doctor's kit. They get it wrapped and ready for the party, but then Lola's imaginary friend starts asking about the gift and Lola decides that he really needs to get a chance to see it and maybe play with it just a little.

It's back to wrapping again after a few stern words from Charlie. Will Lola actually get the gift...

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Katrena says "Corduroy's Day Offers Fun Story of Ordinary Daily Activities" about Don Freeman and Lisa McCue - Corduroy's Day: A Counting Book

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:42:49 GMT

Corduroy's Day: A Counting Book [2005, Penguin Young Readers Group] by Don Freeman and illustrated by Lisa McCue is a 14 page children's board book that tells the story of a bear named Corduroy as he does many daily activities, such as:

Getting up and out of bed (something my kids tend to find challenging in the mornings)
Eating breakfast (my youngest loves to tell me Corduroy's favorite foods and points to the pictures)
Beginning to play
Feeding some ducklings (my 2-year-old loves the duck that has only its tail sticking out of the water and laughs and laughs every time she sees that page)
Has a picnic, making sure to bring enough cupcakes for everyone
Takes a bath

This board book is very simple and short and well-suited to small children. The pictures are very colorful and compliment the story nicely. The counting is incorporated throughout the story and starts at one moving progressively up as the story progresses.

My Viewpoint:

My youngest daughter (age 2) really likes Corduroy's Day:...

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Katrena says "Ollie's Friends Want to Play But He's Not Coming Out of His Egg!" about Ollie

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:31:47 GMT

Ollie [2003, Houghton Mifflin Company, ISBN: 0-618-33928-0] by Olivier Dunrea is a very small hardcover children's book with 32 pages. The book is actually about the size of my hand, but the story is cute and fun with engaging pictures. Each page contains a very short sentence with quotes on some pages.

The Story:

Gossie and Gertie are excitedly waiting for Ollie to come out and play. But he's not budging from the safety of his egg. However, Ollie finds all sorts of interesting ways to play while in the egg, such as:

Rolling and standing on his head
Sitting under sheep
Other humorous activities

Will Ollie ever come out? What will he do when his friends finally give up and tell him not to come out?

My Viewpoint:

Ollie is a cute little book with a fun story. My kids enjoyed looking at the silly pictures of Ollie playing while in the egg. I've used a bit of reverse psychology at times with my kids, so they could easily relate to Ollie's response at the end.

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Katrena says "Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? Really Engaged My 2-year-old" about Eric Carle - Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too?

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:17:32 GMT

Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? [2000, HarpersCollins, ISBN: 0-06-028768-3] by Eric Carle is a 26-page children's book about how different animals have mothers. It is very simple and asks if various animals have a mother with the answer on the next page. The illustrations are distinctively in Eric Carle style and compliment the story nicely.

Here are the animals in the story:

Kangaroo
Lion
Giraffe
Penguin
Swan
Fox
Dolphin
Sheep
Bear
Elephant
Monkey

This book also gives some interesting information at the back, invluding the name of the baby, mom, dad, and group for each animal from the story.

My Viewpoint:

My 2-year-old really got into Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? She answered "YES!" to each question and was thrilled that she was right each time. I'd recommend this for very young kids as it can be quite engaging. The information at the back of the book was very educational and my older girls enjoyed learning a little more about the animals. I'm a fan of Eric Carle books, and...

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Katrena says "Piglet and Granny is a Cute Book about Waiting and a Cool Granny" about Piglet and Granny

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:56:51 GMT

Piglet and Granny [2009, Abrams Books for Young Readers, ISBN: 978-0-8109-4063-5] by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Stephen Michael King is a 32-page children's picture book about a cool Granny and a little pig who must wait for Granny's visit. While waiting, the little pig finds lots of things to do, such as:

Balance on a wall
Chase butterflies
Doing somersaults
Playing hide and seek

Will Granny ever come? What's taking her so long? The little pig finally gets a glimpse of beloved Granny, who has a twinkle in her eye and says that it took so long because she was making a surprise! Whatever could the surprise be? Will Granny have time to play?

I like the illustrations in this book. My kids loved looking at the colorful and cute pictures and thought Granny was pretty cool.

My Viewpoint:

Piglet and Granny takes a fun look at how hard waiting can be and how much fun a Granny can be too. Many children's books make the grandparents seem awfully old and sedentary. That's ok too, but I hope...

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Katrena says "Sylvia Jean, Drama Queen is Fun Tale about Pig Who Dresses Up" about Lisa Campbell Ernst - Sylvia Jean, Drama Queen

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:42:01 GMT

Sylvia Jean, Drama Queen [2005, Dutton, ISBN: 0-525-46962-1] by Lisa Campbell Ernst is a 32-page children's picture book that looks at a young pig who always dresses up. Any occasion is a dress-up occasion for Sylvia Jean. Everywhere she goes, Sylvia Jean is known for her wild costumes. Anyone who meets Sylvia Jean soon discovers that she wears a different costume each day and begins to act the part that matches what she is wearing.

Then Sylvia Jean hears about a costume party that is coming up and sponsered by Ace's Costume Shop. The only problem is that Sylvia Jean has worn every costume that she can imagine. Everyone is looking to her to come up with the best costume ever, so Sylvia Jean heads to the library in search of the best costume, while wearing a Sherlock Holmes outfit, of course. Sylvia Jean finally hides out in her room and tries to brainstorm with a little more drama.

Will she be able to come up with something original? Will she be able to find a costume that is so good that...

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Katrena says "Ten in the Den is Fun Twist to Ten in the Bed" about John Butler - Ten In The Den

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:26:41 GMT

Ten in the Den [2005, Peachtree, ISBN: 1-56145-344-7] by John Butler is a 23-page children's picture book that is a fun twist to "There Were Ten in the Bed." The story begins with ten animals all nestled in their den, but mouse has then all to roll over and as they do so, the one closest to the opening of the den tumbles out.

The book incorporates lots of vocabulary, especially considering that it has only about one sentence per page. The illustrations compliment the story nicely and my kids loved to see the various animals and their expressions as they ended up in a heap outside.

Here are the animals that were in the den:

Rabbit
Mole
Beaver
Badger
Porcupine
Raccoon
Fox
Squirrel
Bear
Mouse

The story builds to the end when Mouse does something a bit unexpected. Readers may want to try singing this one!

Here are some other books written and illustrated by John Butler:

While You Were Sleeping
Hush, Little Ones
If You See a Kitten

My Viewpoint:

Ten in the Den is a beautifully illustrated and...

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Katrena says "Why Do Dogs Bark? is Informative & Interesting for Young Kids" about Joan Holub - Why Do Dogs Bark?

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:15:55 GMT

Why Do Dogs Bark? [2001, Dial Books for Young Readers, ISBN: 0-8037-2504-3] by Joan Holub and illustrated by Anna DiVito is a 48-page children's book about dogs. It incorporates humor, kid-friendly information, and simple examples that appeal to smaller kids who are interested in learning more about dogs. The pictures are fun and full color but I think it would have been helpful to have captions listing the breed. The book also gives some help with pronunciations.

Here are some examples from the book:

It talks about sizes from chihuahuas to mastiffs and saint bernards.
The most common number of puppies is five but one dog had 22 puppies.
It talks about different ways that dogs bark and how to respond to a dog.
It talks about why dogs howl.
It gives examples of different tail positions and what they mean.
Dogs can see the color blue but see most other colors as gray.
It gives a few examples of heroic dogs.
It gives some simple and basic information for kids to incorporate with training...

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Katrena says "Today is Thanksgiving! is Fun Board Book with Cute Story" about Today is Thanksgiving!

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:53:19 GMT

Today is Thanksgiving! [2007, Candy Cane Press, ISBN: 978-0-8249-6727-7] by P.K. Hallinam is a 28-page children's board book about Thanksgiving. This book gives a view of Thanksgiving and what family members are doing to get ready for that special celebration.

Each page has about two sentences, which can be a little bit long for a board book. I associate board books with the youngest of kids, and my 2-year-old tends to enjoy VERY short books. This one doesn't take a long time to read, but I thought it might have been better suited to paper pages rather than a board book.

My girls got a kick out of the illustrations, which were on each page and full color. They laughed to see how the kids were dressed for Thanksgiving, such as the little boy wearing a comb stuck in a makeshift headdress. This book also introduces some challenging vocabulary for kids, such as maize, hilarious, and flair.

My Viewpoint:

Today is Thanksgiving! is a board book with a fun story about some kids getting ready for...

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Katrena says "Why Do Cats Meow? is Quite Informative and Has Fun Pictures" about Joan Holub - Why Do Cats Meow?

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:42:59 GMT

Why Do Cats Meow? [2001, Dial Books for Young Readers, ISBN: 0-8037-2503-5] by Joan Holub and illustrated by Anna DiVito is a 48-page children's picture book about cats. The pictures are fun and engaging. I actually found this book quite informative and interesting, and my girls (ages 8, 5, 2) liked looking at and learning about cats as we read this story.

Here are just a few interesting things we learned about cats after reading this book:

Cats are the most popular pet in the U.S.
The biggest recorded cat weighed 47 pounds - Wow!
It gives descriptions of cat behavior and how to know what a cat is trying to tell a person through its actions, including warnings for what kids should watch out for and when to give a cat some space.
Whiskers help cats find their way around in the dark.
It talks about the various interesting uses of a tail.
It gives interesting examples of cats that were heroic.
It offers fun information for kids, like how to determine the weight of a cat at home and fun games...

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Katrena says "Collection of Little House Christmas Stories Gives View of Past" about A Little House Christmas: Holiday Stories from the Little House Books

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:31:10 GMT

A Little House Christmas: Holiday Stories from the Little House Books [1968, Harper Collins, ISBN: 0-06-024269-8} by Laura Ingalls Wilder and illustrated by Garth Williams is a collection of three Christmas stories and one carol from the Little House series:

Christmas in the Big Woods
Christmas on the Prairie
Christmas on Plum Creek
Merry, Merry Christmas! (a carol)

This older book packs a delightful collection of a stories giving a glimpse into the past when children were excited to get a couple of pieces of candy and a new dress as Christmas gifts. The focus of these stories is of family and love and a beautiful description of how survival was dispersed with fun. It incorporates lots of dialogue throughout.

There are several golden moments in these stories that stand out, such as when a neighbor playing Santa ended up swimming across a swollen creek with presents on his head in order to get the gifts there in time for the holiday and when the father ended up nearly freezing to death...

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Katrena says "SlyDog Bark Balls Work Better for Smaller Dogs" about SlyDog Bark Balls

Katrena — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:33:06 GMT

SlyDog Bark Balls come in packs of four and my pack has yellow and white balls with a doggy type decoration on it, which is useful if you have lots of kids balls too. These are designed for smaller dogs because the tennis-sized balls are hard for smaller dogs to pick up and carry.

The package mentions that these balls are not safe for dogs over 20 pounds because they could be a choking hazard for larger breeds, so go with the full sized balls if you have a larger dog. I have a small poodle mix, and they seem to be about the right size for her.

These balls are made from polyester and rubber. They feel like a regular tennis ball on the outside and I can squeeze them just a little bit. Some dogs that really like to chew might destroy these pretty quickly.

My dog really isn't very interested in these balls. Retrievers and retriever mixed dogs may be quite interested in fetching, and maybe my poodle mix will take a liking to them eventually, but for now she craves attention from her people...

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Katrena says "Hatfied Slip Dog Collar is Actually a Choke Collar" about Hatfield Adjustable Slip Small Dog Collar

Katrena — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:20:58 GMT

The Hatfield Adjustable Slip Small Dog Collar is a nylon collar that adjusts as the dog moves. It gets tighter around the dog's neck if the dog moves away from you while walking. I've heard these also called choke collars because that what it seems to do--choke the dog while trying to train them to keep close.

I'm not a big fan of negative reinforcement when training a dog. Dogs and their owners tend to have a lot more fun training if you reward a dog with treats. I want my newly adopted shelter dog to learn to walk beside of me during a walk, so I put some small treats in my pocket and we walk. We stop if she starts to pull. She gets rewarded if she takes a few steps right beside of me while not pulling. It's a long and slow process, but many people have used that technique with lots of success.

I bought this collar not realizing what type it was. It is difficult to tell what it is by the way it is packaged. If it had said "coke collar," then I would have known what it was. I thought it...

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Katrena says "Vicki Cameratz Handbag Has Loads of Separate Compartments" about Vicki Cameratz Khaki Handbag

Katrena — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:08:04 GMT

This Vicki Cameratz Khaki Handbag is actually a dark brown color to me--when I think of khaki, I think of a light brown color. This pocketbook is loaded with various compartments, including:

A side with a flap that folds over with a pocket underneath.
A zippered compartment just above and behind the flapped area.
A zippered compartment on the opposide side.
A large area in the center with three openings--one with a zipper and two on either side without zippers.

I need a pocketbook that will hold about a million things. I tend to always want to come prepared with everything from bandaids to my digital camera, as well as those necessary things like my wallet and calendar. This shoulder bag holds it all, and I can find things much easier when I can organize my stuff in separate compartments. It's nice to have a few compartments that don't zip to be able to get to some things quickly, but I'm careful not to store something in those areas that I absolutely cannot lose.

Many shoulder bags tend...

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Katrena says "Dry Idea Unscented Anit-Perspirant & Deodorant is So-So for Me" about Dry Idea Unscented Anti-Perspirant and Deodorant

Katrena — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:11:55 GMT

I've been using Dry Idea unscented roll-on anti-perspirant and deodorant for about 20 years, but I'm thinking of trying to other brands because the cost seems really high to me and it seems like it doesn't work as well as it used to work for me.

My Experience & Thoughts About Dry Idea:

Dry Idea easy to find in stores--sometimes it's hard to find unscented versions of products, but I've seen the unscented Dry Idea in quite a few retail stores. I'd like to see this in a larger size for a more economical price.

It dries feeling clean and fresh. I've tried some roll-ons that felt sticky--yuck! However, if it isn't completely dry before dressing, it can leave white marks on clothing. I really like that it is unscented. It doesn't cause me to have breathing problems and doesn't break out my skin like some other scented ones do. I have lots of allergies and work part-time as a cancer nurse, so it's important to me to have skin care products that are hypoallergenic and that don't have strong...

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