December, 2008

Adult / babies / pre-teen / preschool / teens / toddlers / young adult — 34 Comments
31
Dec 08

Read A Book A Month Challenge

*THIS IS A STICKY POST. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR LATEST POSTS*

In 2008, I joined 2 reading challenges and am happy that I could finish the Young Readers’ Challenge!

I missed 3 books off the Young Adult Challenge but still, it’s great to know that my kid read 12 books and I read 10 books myself…

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For 2009, I would like to call on ALL readers (*especially Malaysian students, Mums and Dads!!!) to join me in this reading challenge.

HOW TO JOIN?
1. Just make a list of 12 books you will read with your child in 2009. Join in anytime and don’t worry if you haven’t got your list yet!
2. Start off with 1-2 books you have at home…(textbooks NOT allowed!)
3. If you have a blog, add a comment here with a link to your blog.
4. If you don’t have a blog, add a comment here with your list of books. You’re welcome to check in regularly to keep each other on track!

Continue reading →

Early readers / pre-teen — No Comments
29
Dec 08

REVIEW: The Tiny Kite of Eddie Wing by Maxine Trottier and Al Van Mil

A USED copy of this book is for sale at SecondhandChildrensBooks.blogspot.com

the-tiny-kite-of-eddie-wing-china

Eddie Wing is a second generation Chinese boy (possibly living in Chinatown of San Francisco?). He’s crazy over kites but his parents, who own a flower stall, can’t afford to indulge him in his favourite hobby.

This doesn’t stop Eddie from flying an imaginary “kite” on the top of the city’s highest hills or watching out for the annual Festival of Kites organized by Old Chan, the neighbourhood’s richest Chinese man.

Each year, Old Chan would think of a theme for the kite festival e.g. the fastest or kite with the longest tail. This year, Old Chan would give a prize to the smallest kite.

At this point, I’m sure the reader would guess that Eddie Wing wins the kite festival but surprisingly, he doesn’t :-)

The story also has a sub-plot about Old Chan, who migrated to the United States with his parents when he was a little boy. A poet at heart, he did not have the opportunity to pursue his interest as he had to work hard with his parents to earn a living.

I love the book for the beautiful oil paintings by Al Van Mil, which feature rich portraits of the Chinese and non-Chinese characters. The scene from Chinatown is questionable because it’s a deserted street, which is highly unusual for a Chinese street!

However, I find that the book lacked the depth of a culturally-rich story book about a Chinese boy. The plot is predictable and cheesy enough to win over a young reader.

Personally, I find the bit of Chinese calligraphy that Old Chan is pictured penning looks more like a scrawled medicine prescription or short note rather than a piece of art befitting someone of Old Chan’s position and passion. Can a fan of Chinese calligraphy comment on this?

For a book published in 1996, I have to commend the author and illustrator for coming out with this book on Asian culture. I’m looking forward to reading more children’s books on Asian or other cultures :-)

Rating: ★★★☆☆

The Tiny Kite of Eddie Wing
by Maxine Trottier and Al Van Mil
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Kane Miller (1996)
ISBN-13: 0-916291-66-9

Want to read the book yourself? Buy The Tiny Kite Of Eddie Wing

Chapter book / pre-teen — No Comments
26
Dec 08

REVIEW: The Bear Nobody Wanted by Allan and Janet Allberg

I bought this book for my little sister years ago for Christmas and only got to read it myself recently. “The Bear Nobody Wanted” is about an arrogant teddy bear who thought he was much, much better than all the other toys at the factory.

He’s so proud of himself that he wouldn’t talk to the other toys — he even looked down his nose at the working people in the factory!

Interestingly, he’s actually not as perfect as he thinks he is because he fails the quality inspection test and ends up in the reject bin.

Lucky for him, he’s saved by the cleaning lady who smuggles him home for her own children. He doesn’t stay there long and after being mangled by a naughty little boy, he moves on to various other owners, each own worst than the last.

The poor teddy is even used by a man once to polish his shoes!

By the time “The Bear Nobody Wanted” reaches the end of his journey, he has lost an eye and is a terrible-looking bear who needs urgent help. He gets help at a toy hospital and is mended lovingly until he’s almost as good as new.

If you like happy endings, you’ll be pleased to know that the teddy bear finds happiness in the end AND becomes a better bear also :-)

I found this a “cute” book to read especially as I love teddy bears. “The Bear Nobody Wanted” is such an unusual teddy bear and I think the authors did a great job with character development: you can really feel just how stuck-up the bear is!

I think children aged 8-10 years old would be able to relate to the bear since children at around this age start to feel really important about themselves and tend to start feeling “grown-up” by finding things or people around them as “uncool” etc.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Read “The Bear Nobody Wanted” yourself and see if you know of a little boy or girl just like it…

The Bear Nobody Wanted
Allan and Janet Allberg
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
No. of pages: 144
ISBN-10: 0670839825
ISBN-13: 978-0670839827

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