Review: A Couple of Boys Having the Best Week Ever

Would you think spending a week with somebody's grandparents could be the best week of your life, even if it's your best friend's grandparents? At first glance, maybe not. The two boys having 'the best week ever' don't exactly spend the week with the grandparents. Their daytimes are spent at day camp. The rest of the time they are at the mercy of the grandparents or, in this case the grandparents are at the mercy of the boys.

The boys of A Couple of Boys Having the Best Week Ever are James and Eamon. Their 'best week ever' is with Eamon's grandparents. The boys are good friends, basically good kids, very silly at times and a bit mischievous at others. Eamon's grandparents like to have a little fun, too. They are the way grandparents are supposed to be: generous, understanding, and able to allow the boys to explore their childhood.

Grandma serves waffles and Grandpa Bill isn't careful with his language, especially when he's driving. They basically leave the boys alone to let them play video games, play pranks, and do the things boys having fun like to do.

This Caldecott Honor-winning book of Marla Frazee has both story and illustrations by Marla that work well together to tell a tale that is a moving and hilarious celebration of imagination, young boys, and friendships.

 

Review: Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs

How does Mo Willems do it? Book after brilliant book. Knuffle Bunny, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and on and on. It's unlikely you'll be disappointed with a Mo Willems book.

At first glance I thought Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs was going to be a simple retelling of the Three Bears stories with Dinosaurs inserted. In a sense it is, but the story goes far beyond that.

The three Dinosaurs are not naive like the three bears, they don't unwittingly leave their house like the Three Bears do. Every step is planned. The goal is to entice a child into the house so they can eat her.

They make three gigantic bowls of chocolate pudding, tidy up the house and leave the door unlocked. What little girl could resist, especially a little girl who doesn't listen to anyone.

Just as Goldilocks is drawn into the house, we, the readers, are drawn into the story: "Once upon a time there were three hungry dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur, and some other Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway." Maybe you are not curious about this "other Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway, but I am.

Perhaps the best part of the book is the illustrations. Mama Dinosaur has purple hair. Papa Dinosaur has a mustache. The visiting Dinosaur just looks funny. Then there is all the humor hidden in the background art, which is likely have you paging through the book a second and maybe third time just to look for anything you might have missed. While you're at it, have your child take a look at the end-papers, they could send a young imagination soaring.

Of course I could tell you what happens to Goldilocks, but I don't want to spoil the surprise

Review: How to Negotiate Everything

I'm having trouble seeing 'How to Negotiate Everything, by Lisa Lutz, as a children's book. Don't get me wrong, I love the book. However, it seems a bit 'older' than your typical children's book. By that I mean the pictures and story - you can negotiate your way into our out of anything - seems aimed at an older crowd, perhaps high school and older.

I don't have any children around to read this, so I'd like to know what children think of it. On the one hand it seems to me, children would like the idea of a child wanting an elephant. They might also like the idea of getting dessert even when they don't eat their broccoli. On the other hand I don't think the concept of negotiating for something really fits within the 32 pages of this book or within the repertoire of most children. Add to that the additional idea of setting a goal and working for it and this goes from being a book for children to being a book for adults.

The 'picture' part of "How to Negotiate Everything" is great. I especially like the turtle being walked on a leash. I think children will love the illustrations. This book is cute, sometimes it's funny. However, even the illustrations lead me to the conclusion that this is really a book for adults. The child is dressed as a businessman; there is a bag of golf clubs in his room and a coat rack with umbrellas in it.

In the end I think this would make a great graduation gift, along the lines of Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss. The graduate should have an awareness of and the ability to negotiate in order to do well. Most employees don't really know how to negotiate. When asking for a raise or promotion or even when applying for a job, they may know how and when to ask, but they should know how to strengthen their case through negotiation. Beyond that this book concludes offers a lesson in goal setting. The graduate should be prepared to set goals, plan, work hard, keep your eye on your goal, and be patient.

If you're buying this for your child, don't expect it to be one that will be pulled off the shelf again and again, at least not until your child is 18.