Sarah's Reading Blog...A Note

The following entries are a little glimpse into the books I've read in order to compile a survey of Children's literature. I intended to read for as many age ranges as possible, and believe I achieved this. Some of my novels may be meant for children of a higher reading level, but I just couldn't resist reading The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.

Rating the stories and books wasn't easy for me. I like to give people an opportunity to read something themselves, because to me a bad book is still one you've read, giving you a chance to articulate why you didn't like something. This is a concept I would encourage for children, because I think critical thought is important. That being said, I still gave them a rating out of 5. Within this rating 1 would have been the worse, and 5 the best. I'm an easy marker though ;)

I hope you enjoy this reading blog, but I hope you go out and pick up all the books...Because I think that only you can be the best judge!

Happy Reading!

The Fire Fly Princess

I decided for my second audio recording, to listen to a podcast from Itunes (they're free! Something parents might like to know!) called The Fire-Fly Princess, originally published in 1887 by William Elliot Griffis.

This is a story of a Firefly princess raised to adulthood in a lily. As soon as she is ready to have a suitor, the insect men start buzzing around. But alas, none of these men are willing to risk their life for the Fire-Fly princess which is exactly what she is looking for! She says any man who is willing to do so, will be her suitor asking of the suitors who come, to gather fire. Of course, the only one who can do it is the Firefly Prince, who gathers her fire, but is more so dazzled by her beauty. They fall in love, and their love serves as a precedent for other insects!

This story was certainly not my favorite. I think children might enjoy listening to it, but they may not be able to hang on for the whole 11 minutes. The reader of the story does do some wonderful voices to go along with the podcast. She was a good storyteller, but possibly more effective in person. This story and the medium of which it was delivered would be great for children who are a bit younger, 5+.

I give this audio-podcast a 3 out of 5

Genre: Audio Recording (podcast)

Audio Recording - Lion King Soundtrack

I decided to listen to the Lion King Soundtrack, to get a true sense of what a child might have fun listening to...OR because I own this soundtrack and still listen to it!

I really enjoyed this soundtrack (as well as the movie), because I think it's fun and uplifting. Children so often listen to adult (or young adult) music, that they might not understand or isn't really suitable for their age. The Lion King Soundtrack is obviously meant for children, and any child over the age of 8 or 9 may find it too childish. It's a fun recording to throw on in the car, and have your younger kids dance around to, and let's be honest...It's catchy!

5 out of 5!

Disney Recording - The Lion King.

Genre: Audio Recording

Oprah Winfrey Story

This levelled reader book doubles as a biography. This book tells the story of Oprah, from her poor upbringing to her successful life as a television super star. This book doesn't really speak to Oprah's great fortune, rather how important education was to her, the different things she did in her life to ensure she was successful and finally, how much she has used her power to help children in her similar position.

The way this levelled reader book works is that there is a yellow dot and a green dot. The child can either read the book themselves, or choose the text by the dot that has different degrees of difficulty. There is vocabulary that is in bold that children may stumble on, giving an older reader and opportunity to clarify the word and it's meaning.

This was a good example of a true levelled reader, and a nice little book if children were asking who the mega-rich lady was! For some reason, Oprah makes me a little crazy, but I'd still recommend this for a child!

3.5 out of 5

Maria, Lisa, Scott, Marc. (2009). Oprah Winfrey Story. San Anselmo, CA.

Genre: Levelled Reader

Little Book of Fairy Tales

I decided to read Puss-In-Boots from a collection of Fairy Tales. I had never actually read the tale of the little cat that could, but was delighted with the outcome of this feline's story. Puss-In-Boot is left to the third son, after his miller Father passes away. He figured the cat was useless, how would he make any money off of this animal? The cat proved himself worthy though, trapping animals and presenting them to the King (of course, he could only do this after the miller's son presented him with a pair of hunting boots). Puss-In-Boots delivers the goods to the King, saying they are from the Marquis of Carabas, who is really the miller's son. Puss-In-Boots continues to do this, going so far as the bring the Kind to the miller's son (the Marquis of Carabas to him), and eating an Ogre to secure the miller's son land and a castle, and having the King offer his daughter's hand in marriage to the miller's son. There really isn't anything this cat can't do!

I like how this story is presented in the Little Book of Fairy Tales. It's short, and enjoyable (still containing some elements of fairytale gore, the miller's son was going to eat Puss-In-Boots!), and I think children of a younger age (5-6), may enjoy this fairy tale.

3 out of 5!

Fairy Tales retold by Veronica Uribe. (2004). Little Book of Fairytales. Toronto, Ontario.

Genre: Fairy Tales

Ellen Fremedon

Ellen Fremedon, by Joan Givner is another summer time story of a child with a case of the "what should I do all summer's?". Ellen Fremedon is a 12 year old girl who, much like Lucy Rose in our last novel, wants to be a writer. She goes to her local library, checks out some books on how to actually write a novel (all the while wondering how she might budget to take the time to write a novel, especially with her love of ice cream!), and begins her journey. Ellen is the daughter of a philosopher, and her mother has MS. She is also the older sister to twin boys, who she happens to find very annoying. Her best friend Jenny is a constant by her side, and encouraging in her novel writing process. Ellen worries that her novel won't be that exciting, but when her real life turns into a true crime, her novel takes a turn for the adventurous. With her twin brothers missing and found again, figuring out that her grandmother's new fiance had something to do with it, and her everyday adventures with her family, her lifetime story becomes an exciting way to spend a summer. Ellen grows, and learns a lot about being from a family why stays strong.

This novel is geared at older children, roughly grades 5-7. I enjoyed this novel, although I did find it was a bit slow to climax in some spots. This can sometimes lose the reader, but I think the big plot revelation of the twins being lost, and the grandmothers fiance having something to do with it, would hold the attention of the reader. This is another novel that would probably be geared at girls.

I would give this book a 3.5 out of 5!

Givner, Joan. (2004). Ellen Fremedon. Toronto, Ontario.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

CBC Kids (cbc.ca/kids)

One of my favorite websites to visit (every morning, while enjoying coffee in fact) is cbc.ca. This was my first time looking into the kids cbc website, and it was a lot of fun! The different menu selections are games, tv shows, reviews, get stuff, videos and preschool. Each of the menu bars contains exactly what they say, and are easy to use.

Although the nature of this website is different than the askkids.com website, I still liked the content. It felt more trusted, due to the fact that all the sources were from the cbc. I also really liked the 'preschool' tab, giving younger children a place to go.

I would give this website a 4 out of 5, because it was fun and I wouldn't mind a child using this on their own. The preschool page would be perfect for children of that age group, while the rest is suitable towards any child older.

cbc.ca/kids

Genre: Website