Hey Jack! The Scary Solo

Hey Jack! The Scary Solo written by Sally Rippon, illustrated by Stephanie Spartels. Kane Miller, 2012. ISBN 978-1-61067-122-4

Reader's Annotation: Jack and his best friend, Billie, try out for their school concert, but when Billie gets the solo part, Jack is jealous. When things go wrong on the night of the concert, Jack has a chance to be a true friend.

Summary: Jack is feeling jittery. He is about to try out for the school concert, and he really wants to sing the solo. When his best friend Billie gets the part, Jack is angry and shouts at her. Later, Jack realizes he was wrong, and apologizes. Billie asks him if he will help her practice her solo, and Jack happily agrees. They practice every chance they get during the next two weeks, and finally, the day of the concert arrives.

Jack takes his place in the chorus, but when Billie suddenly freezes with stagefright and cannot sing, Jack sees an opportunity to help his friend. This is just one book in the Hey Jack! series, which can be partnered with the Billie B. Brown series centering on Jack's friend Billie. 

Critical Evaluation: For newly independent readers, these beginning chapter books are ideal, particularly for boys interested in reading, but who struggle to find books that they can identify with. They are shorter in length than a typical chapter book, and have a larger typeface, which can encourage less than confident readers to give the book a try.

It is worth noting that Rippon draws attention to Jack's emotions in each of the Hey Jack! books, even providing illustrations about how his feeling are expressed physically. This demonstrates clearly to children that everyone shares similar emotions, and through Jack's resolution of his problems, young people are provided with an example of working through their own feelings.

Spartels' illustrations are scattered throughout the narrative, and provide welcome breaks for new readers who tire quickly. The images of Jack and Billie perfectly represent their experiences and emotions in a cartoon-like style.

Age or Interest Level: Ages 6 to 8

Lexile Level: 420L

Awards: ---

Why Included? It can sometimes be difficult to find early chapter books for boys, and this series is a good fit for this age group. With themes centering on soccer games, friends, and sleepovers, boys will be sure to find a few titles in the Hey Jack! series that appeal.

Waiting is not Easy

Waiting is not Easy! an Elephant and Piggie Book written and illustrated by Mo Willems. Hyperion Books for Children, 2014. ISBN 978-1-4231-9957-1

Reader's Annotation: Patience may be a virtue, but it is rarely easy, especially for an excited elephant who is waiting for a surprise.

Summary: Piggie has a surprise for his best friend, Gerald, who just happens to be an elephant. The surprise, however, is a surprise, and is not ready yet. Gerald tries to be patient, but his groans grow increasingly louder as the day goes on, because waiting is not easy at all. He tries persuasion, anger, conciliation, and exasperation, but Piggie remains zen like and assures Gerald that the waiting will be worth it.

As it begins to grow dark, Gerald panics and shouts that they have wasted the whole day. It is only then that Piggie's surprise is revealed. Willems triumphs yet again with this installment in his Elephant & Piggie series. The two lovable characters exemplify the ups and downs of childhood friendships and emotions. The next volume in this series is scheduled to be published in June of this year, and I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

Critical Evaluation: For children beginning to read independently, the Elephant & Piggie books are not only very funny, but are easy to follow with their large typefaces and well-defined bubbles of text. Gerald's dialogue is always in a gray bubble, and Piggie's in pink, which is helpful to children unfamiliar with the comic book style of storytelling. Willems varies the tone and volume of the dialogue through differences in the capitalization, size, and thickness of the letters.

The two characters are drawn simply, with a minimum of lines, but Willems still manages to convey a great deal of their thoughts and feelings through their expressions and body positions. Following up on the hugely successful Knuffle Bunny and Pigeon books, Willems has now written over twenty titles in this series, each focusing on a different topic such as sharing or friendship, but all of them relevant to children. 

Age or Interest Level: Ages 4 to 7

Lexile Level: BRL

Awards: 2015 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Winner

Why Included? I have been a fan of everything Mo Willems for many years, and am so glad that he has written this series for children who are moving out of picture books and into independent reading.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD)

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! ...and more stories by Mo Willems, Scholastic Storybook Treasures, 2010. 0-545-29908-X, Approximately 49 minutes on DVD. $14.95

Annotation: The pigeon, along with Trixie, Knuffle Bunny, and Leonardo the Terrible Monster leap onto the big screen and into living rooms everywhere. 

Summary: This DVD, the first volume of the Mo Willems Cartoon Collection, includes the favorite stories Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Leonardo the Terrible Monster. The video representations of the picture books are true to the originals in both animation style and narrative. 

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! features the voices of Willems and Jon Scieszka. When the bus driver takes a break and leaves the viewer in charge, the persuasive pigeon will try anything to get behind the wheel. Knuffle Bunny is narrated by Mo Willems and his daughter, Trixie, who tell the story of a trip to the laundromat where something very important gets left behind. Leonardo, once again voiced by Willems, is terrible at being a monster and is unable to frighten anyone. Perhaps if he could find just the right little boy to scare, he could live up to his terrifying potential.

As an added bonus, the DVD also includes an interactive Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!: The You Yell Version, a Spanish language version of Knuffle Bunny, a segment featuring Mo and the Pigeon as they visit a school, and another segment where Mo talks about the stories.

Critical Evaluation: The Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD series is well-regarded for creating quality video versions of classic and popular children's picture books. The accompanying information on the case insert of this particular title indicates that the presentation "supports cooperation, early reading, and problem solving". One of the features of this series is that it includes both a module where the stories can be viewed with the narrative being read aloud, as well as a module where the text being read appears on the screen with words highlighted as they are being spoken. This can be highly beneficial for emergent readers, as it helps them begin to recognize words and letter patterns.



The Pigeon video segment is participatory by allowing children to interact and respond to the pigeon's sly strategies to drive, which helps combat the passivity of typical television viewing. Knuffle Bunny and Leonardo are both written and drawn with a child's perspective in mind, and anyone who has ever loved a favorite stuffed animal, or ever felt scared of monsters, will identify closely with these stories.

I would also recommend the second volume in this series, Don't Let the Pigeon Stay up Late DVD, which includes more Pigeon, Knuffle Bunny, and Naked Mole Rat fun.

Age or Interest Level: Ages 2 to 7

Awards: Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video

Why Included? Mo Willems is one of my absolute favorite children's authors, and the charm and wit of his picture storybooks carries through into this video production.

George and Martha (Read Along Book and CD)

George and Martha (Read Along Book and CD) written and illustrated by James Marshall, read by Jeff Loeb, Houghton Mifflin Co., 2007. 978-0-618-83951-3, approximately 31 minutes on one audio CD with accompanying 47 page book. $10.99

Annotation: The friendship of George and Martha, the lovable hippopotamus duo, is explored in these five humorous tales featuring split pea soup, a lost tooth, and practical jokes.

Summary: This collection of the five very short stories contained within the original George and Martha book detail the exploits and interactions between the two best friends. Sometimes they are silly, sometimes they are cross, sometimes they drive each other up the wall, but always, their affection for each other carries the day. 

From split pea soup that neither of them likes, to a hot air balloon that can't get off the ground, to George breaking his bad habit of peeking in windows, to Martha breaking her bad habit of vanity, to George losing his favorite front tooth, the two friends are inseparable through thick and thin (mostly thick, due to their being hippo-sized). 

As an added bonus, this Read Along edition includes an extra track, George and Martha Back in Town which features five more adventures involving high dives, Mexican jumping beans, more practical jokes, and lifeguarding.

The tracks may be enjoyed with page turn signals or without, and Jeff Loeb's engaging reading style, along with the accompanying jazz music, make for an enjoyable listening experience.

Critical Evaluation: For children beginning their journey into literacy, read along books provide a bridge to reading comprehension, focusing skills, and listening abilities. This particular recording is adaptable to a range of literacy levels due to its customizable page turn signals setting.

With the high quality recording and production, as well as the humorous tone the Loeb brings to the narrative, this audio adaptation of a classic picture book has captured the original spirit of Marshall's characters. 

While Marshall's illustrative style appears simple at first glance, upon further examination it becomes clear that it is only due to his high level of talent that allows the illustrations to appear so uncomplicated. He has stripped each piece of artwork down to its core, removing all extraneous matter, and leaving only the essential surroundings and details to further the story line. 

Even so, with such a spare style, Marshall conveys a great deal of emotion, humor, and action in his portrayal of the two hippopotami. Children will empathize with the troubles, and celebrate the triumphs of George and Martha, because their foibles and flaws will seem familiar to anyone who has ever had a best friend.

Age or Interest Level: Ages 3 to 7

Lexile Level: 500L (For book portion of the set)

Awards: ---

Why Included? The George and Martha books are a complex blend of the kindness and faithfulness of a good friend, as well as the maddening familiarity and ridiculous situations that having a best friend can bring.