[BOOK REVIEW] We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen

Title:  We Found a Hat

Author:  Jon Klassen

Genre:  Animals / Sharing / Comedy

Year Published: 2016

Year Read:  2016

Publisher: Candlewick Press   

Series: Hat Trilogy #3  

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Nothing Objectionable)

I have to say that this was the year that Jon Klassen’s “Hat” series has really amazed me and I was lucky enough to read all of Jon Klassen’s “Hat” books all at once!  Jon Klassen’s newest “Hat” book “We Found a Hat” is actually an interesting departure from the usual antics of the “Hat” series that made me chuckle along the way!

The story starts off with two turtles finding a hat and when they both tried the hat on, the both looked good in it.  Unfortunately, there is only one hat and only one of the turtles can have the hat.

How will the two turtles solve this problem?

Read this book to find out!

Ever since I had read “I Want My Hat Back,” I continued reading Jon Klassen’s books and even though “We Found a Hat” was not as dark as Jon Klassen’s previous works regarding the “Hat” series, I still found myself enjoying this unique spin on the importance of sharing!  I loved the fact that Jon Klassen made this story much lighter in tone than his previous works as it made the book quite unique in the “Hat” series and I loved how this book does not focus on stealing (although a couple of scenes depicted one of the turtles nearly doing it), but focuses on the dilemma that the two turtles face in having to figure out who will get the hat.  I was also chuckling to myself when I saw the scenes where one of the turtles was planning on taking the hat and you can see the turtle sneaking up on the hat while the other turtle’s attention was away, as it was hilarious to look at and it shows that despite being lighter in tone than the previous books, it still has the same deadpan humor that was relevant in the previous books.  Jon Klassen’s artwork is as usual deadpan yet comedic as most of the colorings of the artwork are in brown, white and black, which gives off a somewhat mundane feel to the story.  I also love the images of the turtles themselves as they are extremely cute to look at with their small bodies and large and narrow eyes!

Overall, “We Found a Hat” is a brilliant subversion to Jon Klassen’s previous “Hat” books that fans will take delight in and anyone who enjoyed reading “I Want My Hat Back” will surely enjoy this book!

  

  

    

[BOOK REVIEW] Hey Willy, See the Pyramids by Maira Kalman

Title:  Hey Willy, See the Pyramids

Author:  Maira Kalman

Genre:  Animals / Collection / Surrealism / Bedtime Stories

Year Published: 1988

Year Read:  2015

Publisher: Viking Kestrel

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Bizarre Imagery)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

Now, I will admit that I have never read any book from Maira Kalman before and this book, “Hey Willy, See the Pyramids” is the first book I had read from Maira Kalman.  But now that I had read this book, I think that I will check out more of Maira Kalman’s works in the near future!

The book starts off with a young boy asking his sister Lulu to tell him some stories and even though Lulu did not want to tell stories at first, she begins telling eleven stories that are full of humor, surrealism and heartwarming moments that will surely put the boy to sleep:

1.      Big Story

2.      Green Hat

3.      Tiny Story

4.      Fish Story

5.      The Story of the Party

6.      Chicken Story

7.      Eddy and Buddy

8.      Tiptoe Story

9.      The Poem of Max

10.  Green Face

11.  A Boy Had a Dream

Now, I have read many children’s books that are full of bizarre imagery and dreamlike narratives, but I have never read a children’s bedtime story quite like this before!  Maira Kalman’s narrative is extremely bizarre and dreamlike as the characters are thrown into weird situations that you would normally never see play out in the real world, like in “Tiny Story” where there were tiny people as small as mice walking across the streets.  I also loved the way that Maira Kalman had Lulu and her brother’s narrative being put in black pages with only white text being printed on them as it helps the reader distinguish between Lulu’s conversation with her brother and the dreamlike situations of the stories.  Probably my most favorite stories in this book were “Tiny Story,” “The Story of the Party,” “Eddy and Buddy” and “Tiptoe Story” since those stories had the most original and bizarre artwork I had ever seen!  Maira Kalman’s artwork is extremely reminiscent of Henrik Drescher’s artwork as there are bizarre creatures abound each page such as half bird and half human hybrid creatures and characters who have different skin tones such as some people being colored green instead of regular human colors which brings out the creativity of this story.

Parents should know that there is much bizarre imagery in this book that might scare some children and that they should read this book first before reading it to their child to see if they could handle the bizarre imagery.

Overall, “Hey Willy, See the Pyramids” is a truly wonderful and creative book about dreams and stories that children will love for years!  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the narrative might be a bit too confusing for some children.

[BOOK REVIEW] Green Wilma by Tedd Arnold

Title:  Green Wilma

Author:  Tedd Arnold

Genre: Animals / School / Adventure

Year Published: 1993
 
Year Read: 2009

Series: Green Wilma #1

Publisher:  Puffin

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Mischievous Behavior)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

“Green Wilma” is a hysterical children’s book created by Tedd Arnold, well-known author of the “Parts” series. Chaos ensures when a female frog causes mischief at her school when she tries to catch a delicious looking fly that was flying all over the school. "Green Wilma" is certainly a book that will have children rolling around laughing for many years to come.

Tedd Arnold has done an excellent job with both illustrating and writing this hilarious story. Tedd Arnold writes the story in a rhyming poetic text, which makes this story seem similar to Dr. Seuss’ popular children’s books and this truly brings out the creativity of this story about a female frog who wanted nothing more than to catch a tasty fly that keeps escaping her throughout the book. Tedd Arnold’s illustrations are truly something to be remembered as all the characters have bug-out eyes and small bodies, especially of the image of Wilma herself as she has orange curly hair and a yellow and red polka-dotted dress and a body of a frog. I also love the way that Tedd Arnold makes the background seem three-dimensional, especially of the image of the quilt that Wilma sleeps in at the beginning of the book as it has many different colors and shapes for its design. 

Parents should know that the ending of this book might likely confuse many small children.  I will not give away the ending of this book, but it does involve some kind of a dream sequence with one of the characters in this book.  Parents might want to explain to their children about the difference between dreams and reality so that they might not be confuse about what happens at the end of the book. 

“Green Wilma” is the perfect children’s story for children who love frogs and good humor and children will find themselves reading this book over and over again. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since smaller children might be confuse about the ending.  

[BOOK REVIEW] Appelemando's Dreams by Patricia Polacco

Title:  Appelemando's Dreams

Author:  Patricia Polacco


Genre: Fantasy / Art / Drama / Peer Pressure


Year Published: 1991


Year Read: 2010

Publisher: Puffin

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+  (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 
 

Patricia Polacco is such an influential author that I have read most of her books and I actually stumbled upon this little gem called “Appelemando’s Dreams” on an episode of “Reading Rainbow” and I have really enjoyed it!  “Appelemando’s Dreams” is a children’s book by Patricia Polacco which is about how a young boy named Appelemando can dream up of any kind of dreams in a drab village.  “Appelemando’s Dreams” is a truly uplifting book that every child will enjoy!

Oh my goodness!  This is one unique book by Patricia Polacco that I am definitely going to read over and over again!  Patricia Polacco has done an excellent job at both illustrating and writing this book as it details a young boy’s desire to let his dreams loose!  Patricia Polacco’s illustrations were just so beautiful and I loved the way that Appelemando’s dreams are drawn in a childlike way as there are various animals and objects floating above his head and the dreams seem to float on a blue mist, which makes the illustrations extremely creative.  I loved the way that Patricia Polacco uses the power of individuality and friendship for this story and what I really enjoyed about Appelemando’s friendship with his friends is that his friends stood up for him even when the elders of the village were criticizing Appelemando, which truly showed what great friends Appelemando’s friends were to him.  I also loved the fact that Appelemando’s friends accepted his dreams for what they are and not make fun of him because of his dreams.  What really stood out for me was the fact that Appelemando’s dreams seem to represent his individuality from the village since the village is a drab place and Appelemando’s dreams are so colorful and fun.

All in all, “Appelemando’s Dreams” is a brilliant and creative book for children who love dreaming.  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since this book is little bit longer than any other children’s book.