The Girl Who Danced with Dolphins By Frank DeSaix

I found this book very peculier. When the grandfather and the granddaughter are out on the ocean he lets her get into the water and swim around. Maybe it is the lifeguard in me talking, but by looking at the pictures the water looks deep and he is letting her go off by herself. Also when the shark comes along I didn't think that the grandfather was very worried about her safety. The book is recommended for children ages 5-8 but there were some difficult words for children that young.
I liked how Adrianne's dream was full of images. It was very detailed and as a reader we could see what she was dreaming about. The illistrations were very detailed as well and went along well with the text.

Heckedy Peg By Audrey Wood

Audrey Wood has always been one of my favorite authors, and the illistrations done by Don Wood have also been a favorite of mine. This book teaches children a great lesson of listening to what you are told by your parents. The children are told not to open the door for anyone and not to touch fire, but when the witch bribes them with gold they immediately forget what their mother had told them. The children are all named after the days of the week which I found odd. My favorite part of the story was the end when the mother pretends to cut off her feet. I can see young children thinking this was really funny because they know the truth about her feet when the mother is tricking the witch.
I liked how the story came together in the end when the mother named each of her children by what they had asked for from the market. The food that each child had been turned into matched perfectly with what they had asked for.

Jessica By Kevin Henkes

I thought the book Jessica was very creative although there were some things I did not like about the book. I liked the illustrations and the side quotations from Ruthie on each page. I liked how the advice Ruthie would give to Jessica would be common phrases you would hear a parent telling their children. Jessica was sort of like a little sister figure to Ruthie since she didn’t have any siblings. I also liked how when there was something wrong or spilled around the house, Ruthie would blame Jessica but right away mention that Jessica was sorry for doing it.

One thing I didn’t like about the book was that her parents would tell her that her imaginary friend wasn’t real. I think that it is good for kids to have imaginary friends when they are growing up especially in this book since she didn’t have any pets or siblings. They could have suggested that she make other friends when she went to school, but I didn’t like how they told her that Jessica wasn’t real.

What a Family! By Rachel Isadora

I thought this book was an excellent book to use while talking about family trees or a child’s heritage. The similarities that the children found among the family members in their family were impressive. I liked how the similarities went through so many generations and in the end even linked to the family dog. The illustrations in the book were also beautiful. The details made the pages come alive, and made the descriptions of each family member stand out on each page. It would be neat to use this book to create family trees or even drawings of similarities among family members in the each child’s family.

Can You Dance, Dalila? By Virginia Kroll

I really enjoyed this book. The illistrations were great and went along with the text really well. I liked how the girl, Dalila, didn't give up here curiosity and love for dancing as she went through all the types that she saw. She kept trying new types of dance until she finally found the one that she enjoyed and was good at in the end. She was very creative when she would try the new types of dances that she was introduced to. After the Irish dance she went home and put on a green dress to try to do the "jig." Another example was when she went home after the country dance and put on her snow boots to do the line dance. Another thing I liked about this book was the imagery used through similes and metaphors throughout the book.

Little House on the Prarie By Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little House on the Prarie books are great for teaching children about the United States before it was discovered and developed. This is the second book of the series and it is a great book to either read aloud in the classroom or for children to read on their own. There are also some great lessons to learn throughout the book as the Wilder family befriend the indians and also work together as a family to get through hard times. The pictures in the book help to paint a picture of the setting throughout the story.

Runaway Ralph By Beverly Cleary

I thought that this book was good for upper elementary aged children. Overall I really enjoyed the book. It moved quickly which would help keep a child's attention as they are reading. After Ralph runs away because his brothers are trying to steal his motorcycle I thought that it could relate to several children. After he runs away to Happy Acres Camp he decides that home wasn't that bad, but is unable to find his way back home. This is a good lesson for children that not getting along with their family or siblings isn't all that bad. Another reason I liked the book was the comedy. The book made me laugh several times, and that I'm sure children would also think it is funny!