They are different than the other children as Rose fancies herself a clown and Pierrot can play the piano like no other
350098
I'm not at all sure how I feel about this book. The main characters, Rose and Pierrot, meet as orphans in the same orphanage and immediately form a life lasting bond. They are different than the other children as Rose fancies herself a clown and Pierrot can play the piano like no other. Unfortunately, they are destined to grow up during the great depression in Montreal and face unbelievable hardships. I enjoyed most of this story. It did get a bit weird for me, a bit drawn out, I felt the story seemed to drag and lose its center. Some of the hardships the 2 face are tough to stomach. If I wasn't reading this for First 2 Read I might have stopped after 100 pages.
3747416
I'm not a fan of Monster high, but I am pretty impressed with the quality of their dolls. They have a lot of detail, especially in the painting. The costumes are very well made and take a lot of tugging and coming off and on repeatedly by small children. The shoes/boots come off and on without a ridiculous amount of effort (unlike some Barbie dolls I've "helped" with) and the pieces hold up well.
My kids play with these and the Ever After high dolls much more than their Barbie dolls because they are more interesting to pose and move around. The makers of Barbie should take lessons here.
1277745
Emily isn't as easy to love as the amiable Anne, it's true.  Emily is a much more trouble young girl with deep passions and strange ways that few in her world can understand.  Her world is not all sunshine and happiness, and she had neither the desire nor the abilities to make it so.  Emily goes to live with her aunts at New Moon after the death of her father.  There is not much love between Aunt Elizabeth and her new charge, and frankly thinks Emily a weird little alien creature.  Emily takes solace in writing unintentionally hilarious epistles to her father, pouring out her childish heart.  Many adventures and interesting characters are met along the way, making the world of Emily an interesting one, if at times a little dark.

The first in the series, "Emily of New Moon" is a much darker story than Anne.  Emily still has a lot of her childish ways throughout the book, but we get the chance to see her grow by the time the book ends.  The second and third books are better than the first, but "Emily of New Moon" is a welcome addition to realistic children's literature, but it will enchant older readers as well.
3553848
Being a fan of the Happy Lesson Anime, when I found out that there was a manga, I decided to check it out. Reading it, I noticed quite a few subtle differences (which is typical with manga and anime of the same story). The protagonist is a different person with a different personality, the dynamics between the teacher moms and the protagonist is very different (and calmer than in the anime), and most of the side characters that appeared in the anime are absent here. It's kind of like an alternate telling of the story since, there are different storylines in the manga, but it is still enjoyable nonetheless. The only thing that makes it difficult to recommend is that there is a volume 2, but it wasn't released in the states. That's if you would intend on reading the entire series.
1988410
Peter And Wendy is the childrens book by J. M. Barrie which, along with the play, inspired the classic Walt Disney animation, Peter Pan. I was motivated to read the book because Gretchen Rubin, the book author, and self-professed book lover recommended it. Disclosure, I have not yet seen the Disney film so I cannot provide much comparison with it. Also, I really enjoy historic children's literature.

What I initially found fascinating about the book was its backstory. The author, J.M. Barrie was a successful playwright in England who eventually formed a tight-knit friendship with several young boys and their widowed mother, Sylvia Llewelyn Davies in the 1890s. The imaginative stories he invents for the boys to play-act later became the basis for the boy who never grew up.

The friendship between J. M. Barrie and the Llewelyn Davies family was famously deep and unusual. The author, himself, was in a sexless marriage, and Sylvia, the mother, was young, attractive and widowed. However, their relationship never progressed beyond a close familial friendship. This was probably because Barrie was a gay man, although his sexuality was never identified conclusively. Nevertheless, their relationship was so close that Sylvia eventually granted Barrie guardianship of her children upon her early death from cancer.

The family was deeply imaginative, and they enthusiastically took part in the playacting Barrie initiated. And the playing took on a vibrant intensity that I think was unusual. For example, The Boy Castaways of Black Lake Island, a novel that is enshrined at the rare books library at Yale, illustrates their adventures with mounted photographs and shows their deep investment to fantasy life. The deepness of their friendships, and their deep commitment to their fantasy life was eventually portrayed in the movie, Neverland, starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.

As for the book itself, I found it very well-written, laugh out loud funny, and not a little bit weird. The book is full of hallucinatory images that could have been the result of a drug-induced mind. I found it curious that the play preceded the book since many of its surreal scenes could not have been reproduced on a theater stage. For example, the Lost Boys enter and exit their underground home by shimmying up and down tree holes like worms. The father of Wendy imprisons himself inside their dogs kennel. So serious is his commitment to inhabiting the kennel that he even goes to work and to fancy parties while inside the kennel.

Lastly, I found the books attitude towards Never Land, and to fantasy, to be a little ambiguous. The whole assertion is that childrens imaginations are real, Never Land is real, and it is only because we stop believing as adults that we can no longer see Peter Pan, or go back to Never Land. However, while the children are in Never Land, they acknowledge that some of their play is NOT real. Sometimes they go to sleep hungry from the lack of real food, or when Peter Pan insists on eating pretend food. When the boys kill pirates, or when the Indians die, the deaths are taken lightly, as it would whenever children play. Peter Pan is the only character who is fully committed to their shared reality.
1477795
Everyone is worried about Katie because she is having trouble paying attention at school. She loves chasing butterflies and would rather take time to play than to learn. Grandma Rose knows that play can lead to learning and tells Katie to look at something special in her garden.

Katie and her parents look at the roses and Grandma Rose explains why children are at times like roses. Then she gives Katie a rose bush to take home with her and of course she plays all the way home.

The next few pages have pictures of trees, roses, babies walking and children reading. Each section explains how growth happens in a unique way for each flower, tree, child, etc.

A special section at the end of the book gives a list of people who bloomed at their own time including, Albert Einstein, Grandma Moses, Michael Jordan and even Karen Gedig Burnett.

A note to parents, grandparents, teachers and all who love and care for children gives advice on how to support and respect children who are late bloomers.

As a late bloomer myself, I can say I understood Katie's need to enjoy the world and live in the moment. I've always thought we all grow up way too fast and children do learn through play and through creative stories.

Karen and Laurie create loving gifts for the world. The stories are positive and the art is just a delight. I love all the creatures roaming about in their books. This one has snakes, baby birds, ants, hiking mice, singing frogs, bees, blue birds, dogs and cats and tiny yellow chicks. This book could also be used for counting how many of each type of animal you find on each page.

Karen Gedig Burnett worked as an elementary school counselor for over twenty years and her wisdom is very apparent. Laurie Barrows' artwork is playful and humorous and she brings a vibrant touch to every book she illustrates.

Also look for these valuable books/lessons:

If the World were Blind
The Magical, Marvelous Megan G. Beamer
Simon's Hook

~The Rebecca Review
1816217
It is different from the new musical, it doesn't have words, but it is still hunting and beautiful. I would recommend it if you like POTO or LND
407532
Seven year old Elsa and her maternal grandmother share a special, deep bond. They both march to the beat of their own drum, and this often gets them in trouble with others, especially with other children in the case of Elsa, who often gets chased and taunted by other children in her school.

Elsa starts out in the novel having no friends at all except for her maternal grandmother, who likes to regale her with fairytales in which Elsa takes on the role of a female knight who goes on missions for princesses and queens.  When the latter succumbs to cancer, Elsa's feelings of loss leads her to act out in anger and bewilderment.

Fortunately, before her death, Elsa's grandmother has set a number of things in motion to help Elsa cope with her death, one of which is a "mission" for Elsa to personally deliver letters to various neighbors who live in the same apartment building. The clever objectives behind the mission are eventually revealed at the conclusion of the novel, and they also reveal how much faith Elsa's grandmother has always had in her.

So, in a way, one could say this novel is a nicely written fairytale about a very young and quirky female "knight" who is asked to fulfill a mission, and in the process of doing so, becomes wiser and more confident at tackling the various vagaries of life, including being different from others.
512907
Questions about love, loyalty, war and the meaning of life are raised through beautiful cHaracterizations of two very different children-one French , one German , both humans.
233497
I hated Jane Eyre and was pretty upset when I found out I had to read another book by Charlotte for a class.  However, this book is incredibly different from Jane Eyre (thankfully).  It's still about a girl who comes from a lower class background and has to find her way in the world, but it is a lot darker and romance isn't the central theme of the novel (although it does play a significant part).  I find Lucy much easier to relate to, and the story of her journey to be intriguing.  This book deals examines how some people seem destined to suffer while others have carefree lives.  It can be somewhat depressing depending upon how you interpret it.
2413115
Little Einsteins: Flight Of The Instrument Fairies is a 2008 Disney DVD compilation of four episodes of the popular Disney Junior/Baby Einstein Company original series. In this DVD, The Einsteins(Leo, Annie, Quincy, and June)and their Rocket experience four new fairy tale-themed adventures. Such as June is greeted by the Silly Puppets and makes her the Puppet Princess, and the Einsteins help Rocket visit his sick Grandma Rocket and outsmart Rocket's arch nemesis, Big Jet, along the way. The DVD also has Special Features and sneak peeks of other Disney DVD favourites. This L.E. DVD is perfect for little children who like to learn about the Arts and the cultures of the world!
4464066
The characters are very different from other Fairy Clay books.  The are very well illustrated and your own variations would be very easy to make from the excellent instructions.
4330474
My daughter is entranced with ballerinas, and since her name is Lillian, someone gave her "Lili On Stage" for Christmas one year.  It's perfect for any little girl (or boy, as boys are shown herein as well) who dreams of becoming a dancer.
Rachel Isadora, the author and illustrator, is a former ballerina herself and she graciously lets us into this magical world.  Lili and her friends are shown getting ready to go onstage to perform in "The Nutcracker"--we see them stretching, getting into costumes and make-up, waiting with baited breath for their cues, and so on.  What I like best about the book is that Isadora shows us the pixie dust and the magic along with all the incredible hard work that goes into not only being a ballerina, but putting on a ballet for the public.  The teacher, costume mistress, stage manager, and prima ballerina are all shown doing their disparate jobs.  We see that creating this dream of a ballet takes the commitment and cooperation of a great many people.
2883036
In the bright and lively world of Toyetica, all dolls are based on real tiny people. The right concept, gimmick, accessories, and look can bring them fame and fortune. The book follows some of those tiny people as they go to school to develop their "toyetic" qualities- how to make themselves most marketable to toy companies. Some accept their apparent destinies as princesses or knights. Some rebel, like a mermaid who wants to be more than a bath toy. This is a true all-ages book. Marty LeGrow's bright, bold art is instantly appealing, and her characters are a delight. This series is reminiscent of a less cynical Monster High. I've shelved it next to the Jem and the Holograms reboot.
782861
Parents are all about infusing their children with a good jolt of "culture" while they're young.  "Culture" can mean a lot of different things too.  It can refer to theater, art, or even a full appreciation of orchestral performances.  Now the standard method of getting kids interested in orchestras can be summed up in four words: Peter and the Wolf.  For some people though, Peter just doesn't cut it.  They want something a little more basic.  A picture book, perhaps, that identifies different instruments in the orchestra in an amusing and (dare I say?) educational manner.  Enter "Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin".  A proud 1996 Caldecott Honor title, the book is a catchy flouncy bouncy exploration of different orchestral sounds and the people that make them possible.

In a lush orchestral hall, two cats and a mouse sit on an empty stage.  Then, a single trombone enters, "With mournful moan and silken tone".  He's followed by a trumpet who in turn is followed by a French horn, a cello, a violin, a flute, a clarinet, an oboe, a bassoon, and (finally) a harp.  With everyone in place, and the conductor stationed before them, everyone plays together in perfect harmony.  "It's the music that we all adore.  It's what we go to concerts for".  Each separate instrument has its own personality and poem.  The oboe sobs and the bassoon makes everyone laugh.  Lines like, "With steely keys that softly click / Its breezy notes so darkly slick / A sleek, black, woody clarinet / Is number seven - now septet".  As you can see, by reading this book kids learn not only what certain instruments look like, but also what groups of people between the numbers of one to nine (solo to nonet) are called.  Illustrator Marjorie Priceman (who has illustrated everything from books by Katie Couric and Jack Prelutsky to my personal favorite, "It's Me, Marva") gives us a nicely multiracial cast to enjoy.  She also spots the book with two cats, a mouse, and a dog.  Kids will enjoy watching the different situations and scenarios the animals get into as the human players go about their music.

I've a real pet peeve with ostensibly "rhyming" picture books that don't scan or read particularly well out loud.  Fortunate then that "Zin! Zin! Zin!", not only scans beautifully but is so well-written that the words perfectly encapsulate with a minimal amount of syllables what we like best about certain instruments.  The book really has everything.  Bright and colorful gouache illustrations.  A fun cast of characters.  Catchy words in an informative text.  I know that there are a lot of meet-the-orchestra books out there, but how many have won as much praise as "Zin! Zin! Zin!" ?  A book that could make even the most adamant preschool-aged philistine into an honest-to-goodness cultural guru.
1675644
Pirouette is about identical twins Simone and Hannah, separated at birth when they are adopted by two very different families. Neither girl has any clue that the other exists until they meet as roommates at a summer dance intensive when they're fifteen. At this point, the girls are in very different stages of their dance training: Simone yearns to quit, but her mother insists that she pursue a career in dance; Hannah loves performing, but her parents only see dance as a hobby. So the girls take matters into their own hands: via email, Hannah withdraws from the program while Simone remains enrolled. However, it is Hannah that attends (as Simone), happy for the opportunity to take advanced classes, while Simone revels in her newfound freedom and enjoys three whole dance-free weeks. Then, to take it one step (or should I say one eight count?) further, the girls return to opposite homes. For months, they attend one anothers schools, hang out with one anothers friends, and learn one anothers choreography. Eventually, of course, theyve gotta face the music (and their parents) and tell the truth about their desires.

This is a good book: its got a familiar story (Parent Trap, anyone?) with a performing-artsy twist that I rather enjoyed. Its simple and easy to read without being dull; along with the reading level, the content is appropriate for middle school as well, so this is a potential favorite for years worth of dancers and fiction lovers.

I liked both of the girls (didnt have a favorite sister) and enjoyed watching them figure things out, navigating through unfamiliar halls at school and unfamiliar family dynamics at home. The most entertaining thing about this book is not knowing when the girls will get caught. You know it has to happen eventually, but when? There were many times that I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, thinking, How are they gonna get out of this one? But eventually they are found out, of course (I won't tell how), and the ending is just what youd expect from a book as fun and feel-good as this one.

This isn't really a spoiler, I don't think, but the girls perform together once in the course of the book, to a cover of The Man in the Mirror, and they each wear one pointe shoe. The routine is described in just enough detail to make it sound fascinating. I am so bummed that this performance is not actually out there on YouTube, waiting for me to find it and watch it over and over like I do with my favorite So You Think You Can Dance routines.

All in all: Worth reading if you like YA, or dance, or both. I enjoyed reading it once, but it was a little young for me to read over and over. I think middle- and high-school readers would find this more of a recurring favorite than I did.

Note: I received a free review copy of this book via NetGalley.
2376915
Russian fairy tales are quite different from others and this is no exception. It is much more Russian than Danish. In no way is it like a Disney film. It starts slow but gets very interesting as the prince journeys to find his princess. Each of the four princesses are gorgeous and totally ddifferent in persosnality. Naturally the prince finds his true love in his own "backyard." You can do much worse that check out some of the Russian fairy tales that are now on DVD in the states.