Review of "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" by Dr. Seuss

Seuss, Dr. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. New York, NY: Random House Children’s Books, 1988. ISBN: 978-0-394-80013-4

The opening line of the book is the same as the title, “One fish two fish red fish blue fish” but the rest of the book has little to do with fish of any kind. Instead, this book focuses a lot on rhyming and descriptive words and encourages readers to use their imagination. Many opposites are introduced such as “some are fast and some are slow” and there is a lot of repetition of sounds and phrases. The characters will be familiar to Dr. Seuss fans because they are seen in many of his stories.

This book is a part of a collection of Beginner Books and is a great choice for early readers. A Beginner Book contains a limited vocabulary and bold illustrations that keep the reader interested. Children who are learning to read will gain confidence in their ability as well as a stronger vocabulary when reading this book because of the simple language and repetition. Being able to finish a book of this length (63 pages) will also provide a boost of confidence to the early reader. 

"Dr. Seuss ignites a child's imagination with his mischievous characters and zany verses" - The Express

"The magic of Dr. Seuss, with his hilarious rhymes, belongs on the family bookshelf" - Sunday Times Magazine

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish is an excellent book to use when teaching about rhyming words or when introducing new sight words to beginning readers.

If you enjoy this book, check out the rest of the Beginner Books including:

Easterman, P.D. Fred and Ted Go Camping. New York, NY: Random House Children’s Books, 2005. ISBN: 978-0-3758296-59

Seuss, Dr. Hop on Pop. New York, NY: Random House Children’s Books, 1963. ISBN: 978-0-3948002-95

References

One Fish, Two Fish, Red, Fish, Blue Fish, Christ Academy. Personal photograph by Emily Adams. January 22, 2016.

Review of "The Pigeon Needs a Bath!" by Mo Willems

Willems, Mo. The Pigeon Needs a Bath! New York: NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2014. ISBN: 978-142319087-5

This book provides another great story starring one of our favorite Mo Willems characters, Pigeon. In this tale, Pigeon is trying, yet again, to convince us that he knows best. This time, Pigeon is convinced that he does not need to bathe. Each page takes us through Pigeon’s list of excuses for not taking a bath until he finally decides that he will take one – but he won’t like it. 

In this story, as in all of the Pigeon books, Mo Willems helps the reader develop an active role in the story through dialogue with the main character, Pigeon. The feeling of not wanting to bathe is something that all children can relate to. In a playful way, Willems helps readers realize that it is ridiculous to fight taking a bath. The book is a great example of a graphic novel for young children with its comic-strip style pages and abbreviated text. 

Use The Pigeon Needs a Bath! as a persuasive writing prompt or to teach students how to engage their reader in a story. It can also be used when teaching the implications of using exclamations in writing.

“A must add to all libraries, for any reader appreciating the perfect art of persuasion…” – School Library Journal 2014

“The Pigeon's cockeyed defiance and Willems's impeccable comedic timing are as fun and frisky as ever.” – Publisher’s Weekly 2014

If you like this book, you should check out the other Pigeon books as well as the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems. The following two books are Caldecott Honor titles by Mo Willems:

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! ISBN: 978-0-7868-1988-1

We Are In a Book! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) ISBN: 978-1-4231-3308-7


References

The Pigeon Needs a Bath, Christ Academy. Personal photograph by Emily Adams. January 22, 2016.

Review of "This is not my Hat" by Jon Klassen

Klassen, Jon. This Is Not My Hat. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0-7636-5599-0

In the deepest, darkest part of the ocean, one little fish is quite confident that he won’t be caught. Not “caught” in the sense of being reeled in by a fishing pole or net, but caught stealing a hat off of a very large fish while he was sleeping. The story follows the little fish as he carries out his getaway plan to make it to the place “where the plants are big and tall and close together” so that no one can find him and his stolen possession. 

Klassen’s illustrations tell the whole tale with subtle changes in eye movement and hand gestures. Anticipation builds as the story progresses and readers wait for the little fish to be caught. 

This is Not My Hat is Caldecott Award-winning book that can easily be used to help teach children honesty and integrity in a light-hearted, yet “darkly hilarious” manner (Horn Book 2012). This story can also be used to help children use context clues in order to predict what will happen next. This story is a true asset to any children’s library collection. 

If you liked this story, consider reading the following books:

Klassen, Jon. I Want my Hat Back. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7636-5598-3

Raschka, Chris. A Ball for Daisy. Westminister, MD: Random House Children's Books, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-375-85861-1

References

Smith, Robin. "Review of This Is Not My Hat." The Horn Book. September 26, 2012. Accessed January 22, 2017.

This Is Not My Hat, Christ Academy. Personal photograph by Emily Adams. January 22, 2016.