books 69-74

69- Swim by: Eve Rice illustrated by: Marisabina Russo
Writing: B+ Illustrations: B+

A nice book, but not thrilling or anything. It is about a dad who takes his daughter swimming every weekend. That is really it. So if you have a kids who is scared of swimming, it might be good.

70- Tale of a Tadpole by: Barbara Ann Porte illustrated by: Annie Cannon
Writing: A- Illustrations: A

This book goes over how a tadpole turns into a toad. It is nice because it does it differently from other books I've read. The girl has a tadpole as a pet and is excited to see it change into a frog. She then finds out that it is really a toad.

71- Tomorrow's Alphabet by: George Shannon illustrated by: Donald Crews
Writing: A Illustrations: A

A very creative alphabet book. It takes something like wheat and says that is for the letter F (tomorrow's flour). It was a little tricky for my daughter who is just trying to learn her letters, but I think it would be great for kids who have a firm grasp on the alphabet already.

72- Inside Outside Upside Down by: Stan and Jan Berenstain
Writing: A- Illustrations: A-

I guess it is okay not to have complete sentences in beginner books. This book mostly has statements anyway. Brother bear goes inside a box, which goes outside the door, and into town. In the end he gets back home and is able to tell his mother that he has been inside, outside and upside down. My daughter laughed and laughed.

73- A Box Can Be Many Things by: Dana Meachen Rau Illustrated by: Paige Billin-Frye
Writing: A Illustrations: A

For being an easy reader, this is really written well. The kids get a box and turn it into most of the things we think of using a box for. In the process the box gets shredded, but the kids still find something to make out of it.

74-Oh My Baby Bear! by: Audrey Wood
Writing: A Illustrations: A-

Not my favorite Audrey Wood book, but it is still much better than a lot of picture books. The baby bear has to start to do things by himself. His parents teach him how, and the next day he can do it all (I wish it were that easy!). He is no longer baby bear, but little bear. Luckily little bear can still be tucked into bed. Maybe I should read this to my daughter more so she can become more independent.