THREE BOOKS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

 WOOBY AND PEEP by Cynthia Liu

Wooby and his pet goldfish live in a peaceful, ordinary, (ok, maybe a little dull) neighborhood. Wooby has a 547-year-old tree (do not lean!) in his backyard. He has a favorite flowing fountain and a prized petunia patch. And that is just the way he and his neighbors like it.

Then Peep moves into the neighborhood. Peep is not quiet and ordinary. She throws wild parties. She is rambunctious and a more than a little accident prone. And she wants to be Wooby's friend.

I loved the message about friendship and differences in this book. I also loved, loved, loved the busy, captioned (think Scaredy Squirrel or Henkes X10) illustrations.  This one will be a sure winner with primary kids, but I also think intermediate kids are going to love the humor.



RIBBIT - Rodrigo Folguiera

Another great new picture book about an unlikely addition to the neighborhood. A group of frogs wake up one morning to find a large pink pig sitting on a lily pad, ribbiting, in the middle of their pond. The frogs are a little undone by the pig, and go off to consult a wise old beetle about their problem. They return to find that the pig has decided to take on a whole new group of friends…

A BIG GUY TOOK MY BALL- Mo Willems

Finally, my favorite friends, Gerald and Piggie, are back with a new book. Piggie finds a ball. A big guy takes it away from her. Gerald is determined to solve this injustice, until he sees how big the "big guy" actually is. 

THE BIRTHDAY BALL- LOIS LOWRY

Hmmm. How to describe my latest read? OK, well, imagine a fairy tale with a strong and independent princess, a touch of Roald Dahl (including the bodily functions humor that causes 8-10 year olds to roll on the floor in glee), throw in a little bit of mistaken identity, and a little word play, and you pretty much have Lois Lowry's THE BIRTHDAY BALL.

THE CAST:

• Princess Patricia Priscilla- a bored adolescent princess, five days from her 16th birthday, where she will choose a husband
• King Lepodoptera- the Princess' butterfly-studying, naturalist father
• Queen Romelda Rebozo- the Princess' somewhat deaf mother
  
• Suitor #1: Duke Desmond of Dyspesia- so ugly a team of Royal Splashers do synchronized swimming exercises in lakes so the Prince will not see his own reflection
  
• Suitor #2- Prince Percival of Pustula- a black-clad, black-hearted prince who spends his days admiring himself in the mirror. The prince's valet, Hal, spends his days brushing dandruff off the prince's shoulders
• Suitor(s) #3 and #4- The Conjoint Counts, Colin and Cuthbert, who have never agreed on anything, except the fact that they want to marry Princess Patricia Priscilla

THE STORY:
The Princess, accompanied by her cat, Delicious (the one liners associated with the cat could provide weeks of word study- It's nutritious, Delicious! Stop looking avaricious, Delicious! No need to be surreptitious, Delicious!) decides to liven up her life by attending school with the peasants in the village, where she meets Rafe, the schoolmaster. The Princess invites the entire village to her birthday ball at the castle, where she declares her love for her true prince and they begin a not-so-typical happily ever after…

This book works for me on lots of levels- great story, terrific humor, well-crafted. I love Princess Patricia Priscilla's independence and also her compassion. I love the vocabulary and the word play-- this is the kind of book that makes kids fall in love with language. The pen and ink illustrations by Jules Feiffer (his best known work is probably THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH) are perfect for the story.

I wonder if I can squeeze this read aloud in somewhere in the the last ten days of school!

TAKING CARE OF MOSES- Barbara O'Connor

Randall Mackey is walking home from his friend Jaybird's house one night when he sees Queenie Avery, an elderly neighbor, shuffling down the street in her nightgown and high heels, clutching her red purse to her chest. Queenie has always been a friend of Randall's, but lately she has begun to act a little strange, and folks in Randall's small southern town are starting to wonder whether she might need more care than her husband can provide. Randall follows Queenie, and in the process, he sees a mother leave her baby, in a cardboard box, on the steps of the Rock of Ages Baptist Church.

Over the next few weeks, the entire town begins to squabble about who will take care of Baby Moses. The pastor's wife, Mrs. Jennings, doesn't have her own children and believes Moses was left specifically for her. Miss Frieda is a licensed foster care mother and thinks she should take care of Moses. Soon everyone is taking sides. Randall could solve the problem, but he is afraid to tell anyone his secret, because he doesn't want people to know about Queenie's wanderings.

I loved O'Connor's portrayal of the Rock of Ages Baptist Church. Imperfect people leading imperfect lives, but doing the best that they can, despite their faults, to love and care for each other. In my mind, that's about as good as the church ever gets.

Real characters. Real problems. Real truths. Real goodness. Another terrific read by Barbara O'Connor.

FAME AND GLORY IN FREEDOM, GEORGIA- Barbara O'Connor

I've become a Barbara O'Connor groupie. I can't help it. Everything she writes is terrific! So far I've read HOW TO STEAL A DOG and GREETINGS FROM NOWHERE. Last night I read FAME AND GLORY IN FREEDOM, GEORGIA. I own BEETHOVEN IN PARADISE and TAKING CARE OF MOSES (that might not be the exact title), and those are on my pile of books to read soon. 

I love, love, love how Barbara O'Connor's main characters. They are usually kids with lives that are not all that easy (kind of like the kids I teach). They are not the kids with nice clothes, and dance lessons, and families that eat dinner together every night. And yet in spite of all of their difficulties, they manage to survive and actually do pretty ok. Georgina and Kirby and Willow give my kids the courage to try just one more day, and a little bit of hope that maybe better times are just around the corner.

FAME AND GLORY IN FREEDOM, GEORGIA definitely fits into this category. Bird is a sixth grade girl. She's the kind of kid who is pretty much on the outs of the social scene, no one wants to be her friend. Her best friend is Miss Delphine Reese, a neighbor who spends her days taking care of her elderly father. Bird has two goals in life-- she wants to be noticed, to have a few minutes of fame and glory, and she wants to go to Disney World.

When Harlem Tate moves to town, Bird can see that he needs a friend as badly as she does. Harlem is bigger than all of the other kids, and is rumored to have spent three years in the sixth grade. He's messy and doesn't smell too good. And he lives above a tattoo parlor with Mr. Moody, the town miscreant whose only job is collecting tin cans in a black plastic bag slung over his back.

One day Bird's teacher, Mrs. Moore, announces that the school will have a spelling bee, with great prizes like bikes and encyclopedias. The winner will go to the state spelling bee, and the winner of that event will get a trip to Disney World. Bird knows that the spelling bee is her opportunity to accomplish her two goals. The trouble is, the spelling bee is a partner thing and of course no one wants to be Bird's partner. Bird goes to work on Harlem and the two develop an unlikely friendship.

This is one of those books that's a great story, but also teaches kids lots of life lessons. The book reminds kids (and adults) to be gentle, because you never know what people might be going through. It reminds them to follow their dreams.  And it gives kids a friend named Bird, a girl who has the courage and strength of character to keep hoping and to do right things, in spite of what people around her may do or think. (There's one scene toward the end, I don't want to give it away, but Bird reminds me of Atticus Finch sitting in front of the courthouse).

I loved Bird and Harlem and Miss Delphine. I love this book! Barbara O'Connor is amazing.