Book 80 - Little Miss Hug #100daysofbooks (verdict: a little weird)

Day 80. To try and even up the gender balance a little, today we read Little Miss Hug. While I was very familiar with the Mr Men books growing up, the Little Misses came along a bit later and I don't really know them. Now, as an adult, I'm bothered by a few things. Firstly, that males get to be Men but females are Little Misses. I'm not sure why female characters are diminutive. But that's an aside. Little Miss Hug is a little bit odd, in the same way that Hugless Douglas was - when you think about it, it's a book about undesired physical contact being forced on someone else, under protest, who then discovers that they wanted it all along. [Basically, LMH hugs Mr Grumpy, who rejects her actions, then confused, she does it again, after which he's disarmed and blushes]. Reading too much into it? Perhaps, yes. But it just feels ... weird.

Incidentally, Master A's Dad and I had a little bit of an ironic laugh looking at some of the Little Miss titles, like Little Miss Bossy that in light of recent discussion about words with negative connotations used to put down girls (but not boys), could perhaps be re-titled Little Miss Assertive.

Master A's verdict: Enjoyed it, as I'm sure he's not bothered by my overthinking.

Details: 

• Title: Little Miss Hug
• Author/Illustrator: Roger Hargreaves
• Source: In home library
• Publisher: Penguin

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?T

Book 79 - The Very Hungry Caterpillar #100daysofbooks (verdict: classic)

Day 79 and the story that perhaps everyone knows, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I've got nothing against this book. It has a predictable progression and ending, but it's such a classic, woven into my childhood history that I can't possibly see it objectively. But, as Master A's dad asked, why is it so popular? Someone told me that schools use it to teach days of the week and counting, which I can see. It has an appealing simplicity. And it seems to have it's own line of merchandising these days, which makes me think that if you're around long enough, people will do things like that. But I don't think I would reach for it as a go-to story myself. I don't think I actually particularly like the artwork, though there's something nostalgic about it.

Master A's verdict: Seemed interested in the tiny pages.

Details: 

• Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
• Author/Illustrator: Eric Carle
• Source: In home library
• Publisher: Puffin

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?T

Book 78 - Trucks #100daysofbooks (verdict: simple and curious)

Day 78. Owing to a combination of rain, last night's class and ensuing upset, I'm late with yesterday's post. It was the aptly named Trucks where (for reasons unknown) cats drive all manner of trucks that are thusly described. I find it fascinating how many kids books there are about trucks. I asked Master A's dad what it is about trucks - he thinks because they're big and noisy and less accessible than cars. Despite those qualifications, this book contains no haul trucks or other mining equipment (despite some dodgy entries - it claims camper vans and delivery vans are also trucks) which I think is an oversight, and betrays its overseas origin. Other than that, there's not much to say - it's a simple story, made more curious by the pictures.

Master A's verdict: As per visual evidence, chewed Sophie for the entire trucky experience.

Details: 

• Title: Trucks
• Author/Illustrator: Anne Rockwell
• Source: Borrowed from the local library
• Publisher: Bloomsbury

What's on tomorrow? The very hungry caterpillar.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 77 - Willibee the Bumblebee #100daysofbooks (verdict: nice)

Day 77. I don't know how many people remember Maya the bee (the animated series is what I saw as a kid) but I recall being quite moved by it, and I immediately thought of it when I spotted Willibee the Bumblebee at the library. Willibee is about a bee who ends up bare-bummed when his jumper unravels, and is helped out by some other friendly insects (though the spider did still give me the creeps, I have to be honest). The story is nice. Some of the rhymes are a little bit laboured, but you get that. In contrast to Maya, I note another story with a male main character. I'm going to have some thoughts about this when we finish the series.

Master A's verdict: Listened to the story, but didn't really want to look at the pictures.

Details: 

• Title: Willibee the Bumblebee
• Author/Illustrator: Craig Smith, Maureen Thomson / Katz Cowley
• Source: Borrowed from the local library
• Publisher: Scholastic

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 76 - Duck! Rabbit! #100daysofbooks (verdict: atypical and irreverant)

Day 76 is a quite different book to many we've read - Duck! Rabbit! is a picture book take on the class optical ambiguity, and takes place as a series of arguments as to whether the picture is a duck or a rabbit in different scenarios. It has an energy about it, and I can see this being a fun book to read with a child, taking sides on which you believe it to be. The ending is quite cool, too. As something different, I enjoyed this.

Master A's verdict: Enjoyed practicing sitting up as this one was read.

Details: 

• Title: Duck! Rabbit!
• Author/Illustrator: Amy Rosenthal / Tom Lichtenheld
• Source: Borrowed from the local library
• Publisher: Chronicle

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 75 - The Little Star Who Wished #100daysofbooks (verdict: colourful and lovely)

Day 75 was The Little Star Who Wished. Master A's dad and I used to dive a fair bit, and this book captured the colour-scapes that I remember enjoying under the ocean. The illustrations are full colour, full page, and the text meanders with the pictures. The story, too, is full of longing, searching for people like you, and synergy as the little star finds help under the sea to regain his heavenly place. It reminded me (a little) of Stardust (without all the additional subplots and Neil Gaiman coolness), and overall I just really genuinely enjoyed reading it. I hadn't heard of it before, but it probably deserves more attention than it gets.

Master A's verdict: Seemed to love the full page spread illustrations.

Details: 

• Title: The Little Star Who Wished
• Author/Illustrator: Michael Broad
• Source: Borrowed from the local library
• Publisher: Puffin

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 74 - I'll Save You Bobo! #100daysofbooks (verdict: cool and funny)

Day 74 and we read I'll Save You Bobo! This is a story about making stories, and the attempts of a persistent cat to get in the way. It's funny and you could see it happening, with the celebrated childhood staples of drawing, outlandish imaginative tales, tents made of chairs and sheets, and toys as real as people. I admit I picked up the story because Mr Burns's bear in The Simpsons was called Bobo (in this story it's a monkey) but I enjoyed it more than many of the books we've read in this series. I'd be looking to acquire a copy for the home library.

Master A's verdict: Liked this one, despite extensive wriggling.

Details: 

• Title: I'll Save You Bobo!
• Author/Illustrator: Eileen Rosenthal / Marc Rosenthal
• Source: Borrowed from the local library
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 73 - Book-o-Beards #100daysofbooks (verdict: good fun)

Day 73 and we had a bit of fun reading Book-o-Beards, a "wearable book". You put your nose in the notch at the spine and voila! you become a lumberjack, or Santa Claus, or a cowboy, or another bearded character. Each one is accompanied by a short somewhat silly rhyme, which all together is a good lark. There's not much more to say, really!

Master A's verdict: Paid attention, but still too young to get the joke.

Details: 

• Title: Book-o-Beards
• Author/Illustrator: Donald Lemke / Bob Lentz
• Source: Borrowed from the local library
• Publisher: Capstone Press

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 72 - You and Me Together #100daysofbooks (verdict: nice pictures)

Day 72's post is late due to a combination of impossible sleep time and screens being highly distractive last night. Anyway, no matter, here it is for You and Me Together. The theme of this book (unbreakable connection between parent and child) is one frequently found in children's books, including a few we've read in the 100 days. This time it's illustrated with gorgeous watercolour pictures. Whether you think it's full of sentiment or sentimentality will depend on your tastes. I'll also say (in view of my rant two books ago) that the character isn't clearly male or female - their name 'Oli' could be short for Oliver or Olivia, though with subtle cues from the pictures I think the intent is male. In any case, because I feel I've seen this story before, it doesn't light my world on fire, but it is beautifully produced.

Master A's verdict: No engagement this time. But see previous entry for the same reasons why.

Details: 

• Title: You and Me Together
• Author/Illustrator: Anna Pignataro
• Source: Borrowed from the local library
• Publisher: Scholastic

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 71 - Once I Heard a Little Wombat #100daysofbooks (verdict: sweet)

Day 71. Once I Heard a Little Wombat is a sweet story of Australian animals, rhyme and repetition that ends with a new friendship. It's not breaking new ground, but it's cute and easy to read, and the illustrations are simple but pleasing.

Master A's verdict: It's a challenging time for books. Everything must go in my mouth, mum. EVERYTHING.

Details: 

• Title: Once I Heard a Little Wombat
• Author/Illustrator: Renee Treml
• Source: Borrowed from the local library
• Publisher: Random House

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 70 - The First Slodge #100daysofbooks (verdict: nope)

Day 70. Today we read The First Slodge which starts out sort of like a creation myth, then becomes about sharing and getting along, and that's fine. The pictures are cutesy, but I didn't like it for one simple reason - it started out with "she" and I thought, great! A female character (we have had a disproportionately large number of male main characters in these books). And what happens? When she encounters a male character, she does something greedy, ends up in a fix and he SAVES HER because she is "his". And then they hook up. Sigh.

Look ... I know these are kids books, but we are constantly wondering why we have such problems getting true gender equality, and I believe it's because these gender ideas are so pervasive that they show up everywhere, right from the earliest experiences. Men save women from their own actions. Men exert a type of ownership over women. When I read large numbers of children's books and find a disproportionate number of them seem to be about male characters, and then they reinforce these kinds of gender specific ideas, it makes little explosions go off in my mind. I don't think you can claim to have messages about sharing or getting along, and then say other implicit messages like these don't matter. They do.

The fact that I'm reading these to my son makes no difference - he should not be given the impression that the world is disproportionately about males any more than little girls should. It's been a long day in a long week, so you get a rant today. Sorry about that. But I'm a woman who spent much of her life working in male-dominated environments and let me tell you - the first thing you need is to really believe that you belong there and that you're no different from anyone else. This type of book doesn't help that.

Master A's verdict: Showed no interest at all in the pictures or the words - probably because most of the colours are muted and there's no rhythm or sounds that interest him at this age.

Details: 

• Title: The First Slodge
• Author/Illustrator: Jeanne Willis / Jenni Desmond
• Source: Borrowed from the local library
• Publisher: Tiger Tales

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 69 - The Wrong Book #100daysofbooks (verdict: oh ...)

Day 69 and we read The Wrong Book which is a story that never starts because the protagonist's attempts to tell it are thwarted by a cast of characters who are all the wrong ones. This story-before-the-story has a good sense of escalation and is a great one to read aloud. However, the ending left me both sad, and anxious. Even though the protagonist is sort of mean looking, the frustration at not being able to tell the story really transferred across, as did the final page's closing down of the story-not-told. As such, I don't know if I really want to read it again. I think that makes it an effective story, and an interesting one. I think.

Master A's verdict: Found my increasing fervour of reading interesting, but I think he still prefers rhyme and onomatopoeia.

Details: 

• Title: The Wrong Book
• Author/Illustrator: Nick Bland
• Source: Borrowed from the local library
• Publisher: Scholastic

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 68 - How To Catch A Dragon #100daysofbooks (verdict: D&D for under 3)

Day 68. Master A's Dad was an avid D&D player back in the day, so I trust him when he says that How To Catch A Dragon is pretty much a D&D adventure story in picture book form. What's nice is that the story beings in a library, and the lines between reality and fantasy blur into a quest. There's obstacles to overcome (a bear, a troll) and in the end, dragons, and the quote that "Nobody could EVER be bored in a library". Not bad. It's a prose book, intended for older children I imagine, but still enjoyed at this end.

Master A's verdict: Paid attention despite the length.

Details: 

• Title: How To Catch A Dragon
• Author/Illustrator: Caryl Hart / Ed Eaves
• Source: Borrowed from the local library
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 67 - My Dad's the Coolest #100daysofbooks (verdict: cute)

Day 67. For father's day, Master A got his day (with some direction from me) My Dad's the Coolest which they then read together. This is a simple prose book that (given the size of the text and the language) I'm guessing is aimed at early readers. Each double page spread has a line of text and accompanying illustration, each showing a different animal dad-child pair (Bruce Whatley illustrates yet again ... this man is everywhere!). It's a cute book with a nice sentiment.

Master A's verdict: Paid attention and reached for the book. My husband interprets that this means he agreed with the content ;).

Details: 

• Title: My Dad's the Coolest
• Author/Illustrator: Rosie Smith / Bruce Whatley
• Source: Father's day gift from Master A
• Publisher: Scholastic

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 66 - Tiddalick #100daysofbooks (verdict: nostalgic)

Day 66. My husband and I both remember reading Tiddalick in primary school. It's an Australian classic, and I don't know if I can offer much more than that, except that it's definitely better for older readers, being prose and longer than many of the books we've read so far. The illustrations are big and full-page, and it was nostalgic. One thing occurred to me in reading it ... I wondered whether the author has aboriginal heritage, and if not, whether this book would be published these days with all the discussion about appropriation of culture. I couldn't find an answer to that question, and will venture no opinion at all. Just curious about that.

Master A's verdict: Despite his father's best efforts, was more interested in chewing Sophie the giraffe today.

Details: 

• Title: Tiddalick
• Author/Illustrator: Robert Roennfeldt
• Source: Borrowed from local library
• Publisher: Puffin

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 65 - Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? #100daysofbooks (verdict: for the truck-crazy kid)

Day 65. Not just diggers but all kinds of heavy machinery's nighttime habits are explored in Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? This has the same kind of idea as Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site but the execution isn't quite as good, I feel. Some of the rhymes were awfully strained, and the rhythm was difficult to read for some reason - I made a mash of many of the lines, even though they all seem to be the same four-line structure. Still, many of the pages in this library copy were ripped and taped back together again, which I always think is a sign of a well-loved book, and I think I could get it down better in another reading. The interior shot gives you an idea of one of the worst rhymes, but also the page that made me snigger a bit. This one is no doubt a hit with any small people who love trucks and anything else that runs on diesel.

Master A's verdict: Sat sweet and attentive, despite my quite horrible reading.

Details: 

• Title: Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?
• Author/Illustrator: Brianna Caplan Sayers / Christian Slade
• Source: Borrowed from local library
• Publisher: Random House

What's on tomorrow? Tiddalik!

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 64 - Stuck #100daysofbooks (verdict: meh)

Day 64. Oliver Jeffers is a name that kept being recommended, so today we read Stuck. The plot revolves around a kite stuck in a tree, and the escalating attempts to remove it (old woman who swallowed a fly style). I'm divided on this one. I was with it until about half-way when I felt that the situation went over a line and into ridiculous territory where I ceased to enjoy it. My husband disagrees - he said it was okay - silly, but okay. Hmm. I also wasn't a terrific fan of the illustrations, or the hand-written style text, and so all together for me I don't think I'd volunteer to read this one. Definitely Master A's call.

Master A's verdict: Difficult to interest him in this one, but, to be fair, probably for an older child.

Details: 

• Title: Stuck
• Author/Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
• Source: In home library
• Publisher: HarperCollins

What's on tomorrow? Another library pick.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 63 - I'm a Dirty Dinosaur #100daysofbooks (verdict: good clean fun!)

Day 63. I'm a Dirty Dinosaur was found lurking in the book bins at the library. The first thing I noticed was that the illustrations have been made using real mud (confirmed by the notes on the last page!), which gives it an authentic feel. It alternates between rhyme and big-lettered onomatopoeic lines that emphasise and celebrate getting grotty. I have many good memories of playing in mud as a child, so I enjoyed this one, and of course all is cleaned up at the end. I found the illustrations engaging - simple but expressive, capturing the nonchalant attitude of the dirty little dinosaur. Good fun.

Master A's verdict: Paid rapt attention; possibly contemplating many dirty adventures ahead.

Details: 

• Title: I'm a Dirty Dinosaur
• Author/Illustrator: Janeen Brian / Ann James
• Source: Borrowed from local library
• Publisher: Penguin

What's on tomorrow? Stuck.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 62 - Again! #100daysofbooks (verdict: a fiery ending!)

Day 62. Again! was a recommendation from friends, and it's pretty simple - baby dragon wants the same story over and again, and mother dragon changes it, hoping the baby dragon will be lulled to sleep. It doesn't have the desired effect, and the ending is somewhat unique (and destructive). The crucial parts of the story within a story do have nice rhythm and rhyme, so I think this would appeal to a broad range of ages.

Master A's verdict: Liked the simple, colourful illustrations and enjoyed the sound and pace of the words.

Details: 

• Title: Again!
• Author/Illustrator: Emily Gravett
• Source: Ordered online and in home library
• Publisher: Macmillan

What's on tomorrow? Back to library picks.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?

Book 61 - Monster Truck Mountain Rescue #100daysofbooks (verdict: whacky fun)

Day 61. I saw Monster Truck Mountain Rescue in the library and that combination of words, combined with a mouse driver evident on the cover, were enough to say 'yes, please'. Basically, a mouse drives a monster truck, crushing caravans and causing other general mayhem in a show. But by chance, a rescue situation occurs on their way home (an avalanche takes out a bridge, and a climber is stuck on the mountain!) and they end up saving the day, leaping across rivers and rocks and otherwise pwning said mountain. This story is just whacky fun, really. Master A's dad pointed out that the male mouse driver rescues a girl mouse, which is a bit damsel-in-distress, but gave it half points because at least she was climbing a mountain.

Master A's verdict: There's no rhyming, so I expected Master A to not be engaged, but he actually did look at the pictures and paid attention. Probably the copious onomatopoeia.

Details: 

• Title: Monster Truck Mountain Rescue
• Author/Illustrator: Peter Bently / Martha Lightfoot
• Source: Borrowed from local library
• Publisher: QEB

What's on tomorrow? A new book.

 WHAT'S THIS #100DAYSOFBOOKS?