The War of the Wizards

This is a cute book about two feuding wizards. They are in competition with one another and finally end up in the middle of the earth together. There they decide to call a truce and work together which improves both of their wizard businesses.
The best part about this book is the illustrations. They are water color/painted I would say. But they have cut-outs and holograms that make the pictures 10 times more fun. The holograms showcase the magic in a 3-D way that is sure to grab the attention of any child.
The War of the Wizards is intended for 5 year-olds and up. I think it is perfect to demonstrate how competition can sometimes be destructive and teamwork can be constructive. It is also a good book to get the imaginations going and for the children to become more familiar with fantasy. Definitely a fun read.

Crazy Hair Day

OMG! I LOVED this book! It is such a cute story about a boy hamster, Stanley, who is all excited for crazy hair day at school. He works so hard to get his hair crazy to perfection. But as soon as he walks in, he realizes that he has his days mixed up and today is actually class picture day.

This book is great at introducing embarrassment to children and showing that everyone has their days. It is also good at showing how to resolve conflicts in a mature manner. Stanley ends up spending the entire school day in the bathroom hiding and it turns out that the other student who teases him is actually the student that tries making him feel better and keeps checking up on him. It also shows the solidarity and support a classroom should have because when it came time for class pictures everyone had something funny on their heads. It is so heart-warming to see that in the beginning they teased him but in the end they joined him.

The pictures are so cute and follow the story exactly. The book is intended for kindergarten to third grade. It is perfect for those early school-aged children. Great read :)

Once Upon a Lily Pad

Once Upon a Lily Pad is an adorable book for any young child. This book is intended for children ages 2-6. The story is about two frogs who get married in a pond in Monet's garden. The two frogs notice a painter in a straw hat. They think he is painting them so they pose year after year.
The pictures in this book are great! They are colorful pastel illustrations that capture the story perfectly. I also think that this book introduces a lot of new vocabulary that I feel isn't used as often in spoken language. I feel that the new words are cleverly replacing more commonly used words therefore broadening the child's input of vocabulary.
I think this is a great book to tell the story about one of Monet's collections of art as well as introducing the children to art.

Every Friday

I was first attracted to this book because Friday is my favorite day of the week, of course! The cover was a little plain and boring but I was ready to read about Friday! This book was intended for readers around the age of 3-6.

I didn't care so much for this book. It seemed a bit boring. The book is about a father and son and their tradition on Friday mornings. They are walking across town and it describes everything they see or do. The two finally end up at their favorite diner for breakfast and the story is over. The plot of the book isn't very interesting and I feel like it would even be hard for a child to pay attention to this short story.

I really liked the pictures though. The attention to detail was amazing and the pictures took up the entire page. It was even a tad tricky trying to find the words.

I did enjoy the underlying message though of the father/son relationship and the bond they shared. It showed that spending quality time is really important.

First Night of Class

I am super excited for this class. This blogging thing is completely new to me but I am definitely stoked about experiencing something new.
The best is next to come.