Mircea Catusanu, The Strange Case of the Missing Sheep

Title: The Strange Case of the Missing Sheep

Author: Mircea Catusanu

Rating: Four Siren Stones

Genre: Children's Fiction

Page Count: 32

ISBN For Print (If available): 978-0670011315

Publisher:Viking Juvenile

Buy-Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0670011312/?tag=gpfm-20

Reviewer: Kristin Manter

Blurb/Summary:

1, 2, 3 . . . hey, where'd all the sheep go??

In a place called Happy Valley, there live ten sheep. Every night, the ten sheep are counted into their beds by one Super Sheep Dog named Doug. But one day, the sheep are missing! Who could have stolen them? Might it be Wolf, who lives in the Dark Forest? And for what nefarious purpose? Does he want to knit them into a blanket? Bake them into a pie? Or maybe he wants to . . . count them?

With kooky, creative illustrations and an unexpected ending that will get kids giggling, this is a lively story about the fun of counting .. . and a bedtime surprise.

Review:

The illustrations in this book alone make it a solid Four Siren Stone Book! Quirky images, random objects, fun speech bubbles; each page is a wonderful opportunity for children to explore and giggle.

The language of the book was easy to read and follow, even if the rhythm wasn't the typical rhyming of most books written for this age range. This book challenges young minds to reason the possibilities of why the wolf would be luring the sheep away. This delightful tale ends in a way that will be a fun surprise that will ease their impressionable minds as well as give them a problem solving technique for bedtime troubles.

This is a great bedtime story, and a wonderful anytime picture book.

E. S. Redmond, Felicity Floo Visits The Zoo

Title: Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo

Author Name: E. S. Redmond

Rating: Five Siren Stones

Genre: Children's

Word Or Page Count: 32 Pages

ISBN For Print: 978-0763634445

Publisher: Candlewick

Buy-Link (If available): http://www.amazon.com/Felicity-Floo-Visits-E-S-Redmond/dp/0763634441

Reviewer: Kristin Manter

Tagline:

Follow a sniffly girl on a hands-on trip to the zoo, and you’ll find one miserable menagerie — and a comical ode to the virtue of tissues

Blurb/Summary:

ALL OF THE ANIMALS DOWN AT THE ZOO
ARE SNUFFLING AND SNORTING AND SNEEZING ACHOO.

Why are the hyenas crying boo-hoo? And what gave the rhino a sickly green hue? It starts when Felicity Floo wipes her red, runny nose and transfers the goo. . . . Kids will be happily grossed out to follow the icky trail as she pets one hapless, bleary-eyed creature after another. With whimsical, stylized illustrations showing Felicity’s handprints on every spread, this cautionary tale will have readers roaring out loud — and racing off to wash their hands!

Review:

There is nothing like green snotty hand prints on animals to instantly make a book a favourite among preschoolers! As Felicity spreads her “floo” to each animal she visits, it is fun ask your young child to find where Felicty petted the animal, count the handprints, and name the different animals on the page.

Learning that because Felicity failed to wash her hands and use tissues and, thus, spread the “floo” to the animals she loved so much, will help children understand the importance of proper hygiene and courtesy.

This book is written with easy to understand, yet very clever prose so that both children and adults will enjoy story time with this tale. The illustrations are great fun with kind of a Tim Burton meets Dr. Suess feel that further solidify Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo as a book to read time and time again.

This book is absolutely perfect for teachers and school nurses who wish to reinforce the importance of hand washing during flu season. An absolute must buy!