Reviews: Rhyming Books, ages 3-7

Wendy E. Betts

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Jul 13, 1995, 3:00:00 AM7/13/95

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Eek! There's a Mouse in the House written and illustrated by Wong
Herbert Yee
Sheep, Sheep, Sheep, Help Me Fall Asleep written and with photographs
by Arlene Alda
Ten Flashing Fireflies by Philemon Sturges. Illustrated by Anna
Vojtech

NOTES FROM THE WINDOWSILL ISSN 1078-8697
An electronic journal of book reviews. Copyright 1995 Wendy E. Betts.
Reproduction for personal and non-profit use is permitted only if this
copyright notice is retained. Any other reproduction is prohibited
without permission. Mail w...@armory.com with comments or questions.

Vol. 3, No. 7b Picture Books: Rhyming Texts, ages 3-7 7/13/95

__ Eek! There's a Mouse in the House_ written and illustrated by
Wong Herbert Yee. Houghton Mifflin, 1992; 1995 (0-395-72029-X) $4.95
pb

When a little girl spots a mouse in her house, she send in the Cat to
chase it. But then the Cat knocks over a lamp, so she has to send in
the Dog to catch it. . . and soon the house is so full of animals, she
has to send in the Elephant to chase them all out. . . except for the
mouse. With a light rhyming text and pictures that get increasingly
chaotic and absurd as each new animal joins in, this is a very funny
and enjoyable read. The cheerfully nonchalant expressions of the
animals are especially delightful, as they scamper and dance through
the house, playing with everything they see and painting a surreal
picture of what animals might get up to if they only could.

__ Sheep, Sheep, Sheep, Help Me Fall Asleep_ written and with
photographs by Arlene Alda. Doubleday, 1992; Dell Picture Yearling,
1995 (0-440-40957-8) $4.99 pb

Counting sheep is supposed to help you fall asleep--but as the little
boy in this book discovers, thinking about other animals can be a lot
more fun. Lurking in his imagination is a very itchy cow and a cat
too busy to meow, along with a host of other beasts. But when the boy
starts to feel tired, the sheep finally make their appearance--and he
sleeps like a lamb. Illustrated with photographs of the lively
animals, this rhyming text winds down nicely to make a good bedtime
book--although if the reader isn't careful, young listeners may be
wide awake again by the end.

__ Ten Flashing Fireflies_ by Philemon Sturges. Illustrated by Anna
Vojtech. North-South, 1995 (1-55858-420-X) $14.95

The cool, quiet darkness of a calm summer night, where mysterious
woodland creatures are barely revealed by the glow of a firefly's
light, makes a soft, dreamy background for this nighttime counting
rhyme. A little girl and boy happily count up to ten as they catch
fireflys in a jar--but when they have all ten, they realize itÕs far
more fun to watch the fireflys fly free, and let them go again. Using
slight, subtle changes in each verse, this simple rhyming story nicely
combines the pleasures of repetition and variety. The increasingly
dim pictures are visually challenging but appealing.

--
Wendy E. Betts, Editor "The WEB: Celebrating Children's Literature"
finger w...@deeptht.armory.com; http://www.armory.com/~web/web.html
"Susan hated Literature. She'd much prefer to read a good book."
-Terry Pratchett, _Soul Music_

Nicola Moxey

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Jul 14, 1995, 3:00:00 AM7/14/95

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The Hairy McClary series (about a dog) and Slinky Malinki ( a cat) are
favourites in our house at the moment. Sorry, but I can't remember the
author.

Isn't memory strange - I'm reading the guy's name aloud at least 6 times
a day at the moment!

Nicky
Mum to Fi (3.5yo) & Kate (1yo)

D. Beagley

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Jul 17, 1995, 3:00:00 AM7/17/95

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Nicola Moxey (mox...@boat.bt.com) wrote:
: The Hairy McClary series (about a dog) and Slinky Malinki ( a cat) are

: favourites in our house at the moment. Sorry, but I can't remember the
: author.

: Isn't memory strange - I'm reading the guy's name aloud at least 6 times
: a day at the moment!

Lynley Dodd is the "guy's" name. I am sure she would love to know that
Hairy and Slinky are so popular. My 4yo loves them too. She is a New
Zealander I think, and certainly has a wonderful ear for rhyme, and a
sly sense of humour in both text and her illustrations.

--
********************************************************************
David Beagley * Learning Resource Centre
big...@bendigo.latrobe.edu.au * Latrobe University, Bendigo
* Victoria, Australia 3550
********************************************************************
"What!" Biggles exclaimed. "How am I going to get up there? I can't
fly higher than my Camel will go!"