Books Read - September 2020

These are the books that I read during the month of September 2020.  Click on the links to learn more about the book on Amazon.

• Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
• Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
• Then She was Gone by Lisa Jewell
• The Comeback by Ella Berman

Bookworm - "Chowder"

Chowder is a bulldog unlike any other dog.  Everybody, including his owners and most dogs, thought of him as quirky and weird.  You see Chowder, tried very hard to fit in but he couldn’t.  Instead of fetching bones, he would happily arrange them like an archaeological find.  He didn’t like to fetch newspapers or go for long walks.  He didn’t like dog toys, instead he preferred to jam out to music via headphones and use the computer.  When his owners were working, Chowder would sit on the balcony and with his favorite toy of all, a telescope!  One day while looking through the telescope, he saw a billboard that announced a petting zoo at the supermarket.  He waited anxiously for over a week just to go the supermarket, he was hoping to make some friends.  The day finally arrived, the Wubbingtons and Chowder made a trip to the supermarket.  As soon as they were out of the car, Chowder zoomed to the petting zoo.  The petting zoo animals were in the middle of a kickball game as Chowder approached the corral.  Their red kickball rolled past the corral to Chowder’s feet, this was his big opportunity to make friends but something terrible happened.  He kicked the ball a little too hard and it got stuck in a tall tree.  After a few obstacles and moments of desperation, Chowder managed to get the ball free.  Now that he had fetched the kickball, Chowder and his new found friends began to play ball.  From that day on, Chowder and his friends always had fun together. 

About the book: 
“Chowder” is a 32 page hard cover book.  It was published in 2006 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.  The book is suitable for children grades 1-4.  IBSN-10 is #0316011800.  The book is available here.  For more games and activities on “Chowder” click here.  

About the author/illustrator:

Peter Brown is an author and illustrator that was born and raised in Hopewell, New Jersey.   He studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.  After traveling Europe for a year, he now resides in New York City.  Peter Brown has written and illustrated “Children Make Terrible Pets,” “The Curious Garden,” “The Purple Kangaroo,” “The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder,” and “Flight of the Dodo.”  For more info on Peter Brown click here.   

Reflection:

Have you ever felt a little out of place?  Or perhaps you felt like you didn’t fit in with a certain crowd?  I think we all go through times of experiencing low self-esteem or self insecurities.   It sometimes seems that our differences work against us, but these differences are what makes us unique and sets us apart from the billions of people in this world.   It’s time to change our attitude and to train our minds to think positive. 

Bookworm - "Bright Stanley and the Cave Monster"

Bright Stanley is a glittery orange fish that lives at the bottom of the ocean.  He is adventurous and loves to explore.  Actually, exploring is “…his favorite thing in the whole, wide world.”  One day Bright Stanley and his fish friends decide to venture into a cave.  They were swimming happily along until they noticed huge, dark shadows on the cave walls.  Their bravery quickly vanished!  Bright Stanley took charge by becoming the leader, and continued the adventure into the cave.  Good thing, he wasn’t a coward because a surprise awaited them. 

About the book:

“Bright Stanley and the Cave Monster” is a 32 page soft cover book.  It was published in 2010 by Little Tiger Press.  The book is suitable for children 3-6 years of age.  IBSN-10 is # 1848950187.  The book is available here.  For more games and activities on “Bright Stanley” click here.

About the author/illustrator:

Matt Buckingham is an author and illustrator living in England’s countryside.  He wrote and illustrated “Nobody Laughs at a Lion,” “The Best Nest,” and “The Not So Abdominal Snowman.”  Mr. Buckingham also provided the illustrations for a series of nonfiction books titled “The Gruesome Truth About” the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Aztecs, and many others.

Reflection:

As I was reading this story, I was wondering about what I’m projecting to the world.  Am I fearful or optimistic and hopeful about what tomorrow will bring?  A quote from Henry Ford comes to mind, “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”  What happens in our lives and how we react to them eventually defines us.  Choose to maintain a positive attitude so you focus on the good things and brush off the negative. 

 

Bookworm - "Grandpa's Teeth"

Grandpa wakes up one morning and realizes his very expensive, false teeth are stolen.  The family searches frantically for them but unfortunately no teeth are found.  So the police are alerted and Officer Rate shows up to the crime scene to investigate.  Soon artist’s rendering of the missing teeth are posted all over town.  Grandpa even made an appearance on a TV show called “Unsolved Crimes”.  Everyone in the town was a suspect, so to prove your innocence, the citizens had to grin broadly.  It was a “disthasthter”.   The smiling citizens were scaring tourists, business was declining, and everyone was terrified of the teeth thief.   Then, one night at a town hall meeting, the local minister had a brilliant idea.  If everybody donated $1 then Grandpa could get a brand new set of teeth.  So, the citizens happily gave money, some even gave $2.  Finally, Grandpa was presented was his new false teeth at a ceremony and the town returned to normal.

About the book:

“Grandpa’s Teeth” is a 32 page soft cover book.  It was published in 1998 by HarperCollins.  The reading level is ages 4-8.  IBSN-10 is # 0060276711.  The book is available here. 

About the author/illustrator:

Rod Clement is an award-winning author and illustrator living in Sydney, Australia.  He wrote and illustrated “Grandpa’s Teeth,” “Olga the Brolga,” and “Just another Day”.  Mr. Clement provided the illustrations for “Edward the Emu” and “Edwina the Emu” written by Sheena Knowles.  In addition to his books, Mr. Clement is a caricaturist for several Australian newspapers. 

Reflection:
We all have stories of personal belongings gone missing.  Our favorite items grow ‘patitas’ and they disappear.  Then, you succumb to spending hours looking for it.  In your mind, you try to retrace your actions and conversations to no avail.  All of a sudden, there it is!  Like magic, it reappears.

Bookworm - "Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon"

“Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon” by Ute Krause is about a hungry and near-sighted dragon that desires to eat a ‘fat juicy princess.”.   After waking up from being asleep for what seems like hibernation, he descends into a village but sadly there was no princess.  So what’s the next best thing?  The village elder decides to have a lottery with the children of the village and Oscar is the lucky winner!  However, the dragon is not at all impressed with the boy.  Oscar is skinny and puny but CLEVER so he tricks the dragon into letting him cook.  The dragon thinks that over the course of time, Oscar will fatten up and be turned into a hefty main course.  Oscar becomes a culinary genius.  He cooks delicious meals and the dragon cannot resist the enticing smells, he begins to eat and eat and quickly forgets about eating the boy.  After a visit with the eye doctor and brand new eye glasses, the dragon becomes furious at the site of the newly chubby Oscar.   He grabs the boy between his claws and is about to swallow him when Oscar yells something that changed the dragon’s mind forever.  The boy convinces the dragon to cook for him if he is not eaten.  From that day on, the dragon and Oscar become friends and together they open a village restaurant named Café Dragon House.

About the book:

“Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon”  is a 40 page hardcover book.  It was published in 2010 by NorthSouth.  The reading level is ages 4-8.  IBSN-10 is # 0735823065.  The book is available here. 

About the author/illustrator:

Ute Krause was born in Berlin, Germany but has lived in many countries around the world, including the United States.  She studied film and television drama.  Krause makes, writes film scripts, and directs short films and documentaries such as “Take Me Back to Cairo” and “The Moffels –  The Arrival”.   She has illustrated over 150 children’s books and currently 13 of her own.  

Reflection:

In times of trouble or an unfortunate turn of events, don’t give up.  Face the opposition.  What if Oscar had given up?  The dragon would have eaten him and end of story, but NO!  He thought of something quick and clever.  Oscar remembered his mother’s cooking and enticed the dragon with his hidden talent.  First, the boy had to work hard.  Even though he dearly missed his family and his life was in jeopardy, he didn’t give up.  Second, it takes time.  Oscar’s superb cooking skills slowly won the dragon’s heart (by way of his tummy).  Sometimes through pain there is gain and growth.  

Bookworm - "Crow"

“Crow” by Leo Timmers is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that shows the importance of self acceptance.   Crow is a large black crow seeking friendship.  While perched on a telephone wire, he spots some colorful small birds but quickly realizes that they are scared of him because of his physical appearance.  He comes up with a brilliant idea and with brushes and paint buckets in hand, Crow paints himself to resemble each bird.  Unfortunately, his plan backfires and the small birds are terrified of him.  This rejection brings Crow to tears, which consequently washes the paint away.  Later, when the small birds see Crow again, they are ecstatic because they think that Crow scared the multi-colored large birds away.  Based on this assumption, Crow and the small birds become instant friends. 

About the book:

Crow is a 30 page hardcover book.  It was published in 2010 by Clavis Publishing.  The reading level is ages 4-8.  IBSN-10 is #1605370711.  The book is available here. 

About the author/illustrator:

Leo Timmers was born in 1970 and lives in Belgium.  He is a trained Graphic Designer and began by illustrating books and now writes them too.  He has won numerous awards including the Children’s and Youth Jury Award in 2005 for “Just in Time” and “Supermouse”.  Timmers’ books have been published in over 16 countries.  For more information on Leo Timmers, click here.