The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me-Roald Dahi

Roald Dahi, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, U.S.A. Puffine books 1993, 73pp,ISBN 978-0-141-32631-3

Age: 5-9
Rating: 4.5/5

“The giraffe the Pelly and me” is a book with fun, humor, fantasy, poem and adventure. Billy’s biggest wish is to turn a weird old wooden house into wonderful sweet-shop. One day he find out that in they place that he thought that will be sweet-shop it’s now window cleaning company.  

Three goods friends open window cleaning company, and believe it or not this is leaderless window cleaning company! Because “who needs a ladders at all when you are thirty feet tall? Not Giraffe and not Pelly! Not Me” as you can already understand those three friends are Giraffe, pelican and monkey.

Billy and the Giraffe, pelican and monkey become best friends, and when they meet the richest man in all of England the action is start…

It is an inspiring story, which opens children’s imaginations, if only for the fact that the characters are all animals which have different jobs and roles.

The book is suitable for young children, as it has a straight-forward plot, is easy to read and exciting events occur in it. The beautiful illustrations are black and white sketches and made by Quentin Blake.

This book is about teamwork, fun, dreams, children fantasy with… sweets and friendship coming true.

“All you do is to look, at a page in this book because that where we always will be. No book ever ends when its full of your friends the Giraffe and the Pelly and Me.”

Nice activate that can be done after reading the book is to speak with the children about these animals and their habitat, diet and relationship with other animals. You can also draw with the kids giraffe, paste it to the wall and mark their height on it and from time to time to show them how much they grew taller.

Junie B. JONES Is a party Animal-Barbara Park

Barbara Park, Junie B. JONES Is a party Animal, U.S.A. Random house,Inc 1997, 71pp,ISBN 0-679-98663-4
Age:6-8
Rating: 4/5

Meet the World's Funniest Kindergartner—Junie B. Jones!

Junie B. Jones is a children's book series that include more than 25 books, written by Barbara Park and illustrated by Denise Brunkus. The stories are written from Junie B. perspective. Junie B., lives with her parents and her baby brother, Ollie. She also has a dog named Tickle. She is 5 years old in the first kindergarten adventures, and six years in the second. Junie B. is friendly and has a bright personality.

Lucille is having a sleepover party, and Junie B. Jones can't wait! That's because Lucille lives in her richie nanna's big giant house. But before her parents let  her go, Junie B. has to learn all the rules of sleep in other persons house: no running, no jumping, no shouting, no spying, no head-butting, no cheating at games and no talking back to the nanna. Its sound like “no,no,no,no,no,no…..” what kind of party is that? But trust on Junie B. she for sure  finds some way to make things interesting...

I must admit that I love this girl, I love her way of thinking, her endless happiness, her unique take on the world. If you look for a classic books with moral for life, it’s not the book for you.

B…u…t

It’s fun book, and its will put a smile on your children face. Children can learn some helpful tips from the book; Junie B. Jones Is a Party Animal gives kids a good idea of what kinds of activities they can do when they are going to sleepover (pillow fight, dress up show, etc.). It also gives kids an idea of the "finer things of life," which aren't actually better than a "regular" life. For example, the girls can't sit on Lucille's bed, because her silk comforter is just for show and most of the objects in the home are untouchable, for some reason, or other. She even can it the things she like because the dinnerware can be broken and at the end of the day, she preferred to go to her “regular” nana and eat there!

For a beginning chapter book for kindergarten to second graders, Junie B. Jones Is a Party Animal does well at engaging kids and getting them anxious for the next chapter.

The Marble Crusher and other stories-Michael Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo, The Marble Crusher and other stories, London. Egmont 2002, 90pp,ISBN 1-4052-0187-8

Age:6-9
Rating: 4/5

Award-winning children's author Michael Morpurgo brings together three simple stories with moral for children:

The Marble Crusher- Albert is new at school he believes almost anything that is friends told him, when his friend Sid told him that Mr Manners has an awful machine in his office that crushes marbles down to dust, he also believed in it!

Colly’s Barn- Annie wants to save Colly’s barn for Screecher the owl, and gets help with her plan from some very special friends.

Conker – it’s the time throughout the year for conker fights, and nick desperately wants to be a conker champion. With a little help from his grandmother, he becomes a very special conker champion.

Those three great stories good to practice begging reading for young children, in addition to reading they also learn how to behave in society.                                                                  For me as a parent's, it’s very important that a book will have added value and in this book, its certainty in. The child learns through the short stories: the power of words, friendship, help in trouble, and the importance of helping the animals.
The stories are accompanied by simple drawings that help young children understand the text.

We as parents or educators can do activities among the children’s about the book, like talk to the children about the importance of telling the truth, speak about helping people or animals that need their help. We can even take the kids to the animal shelter to make them understand how to behave to animals.

Michael Morpurgo has written more than 100 books that published in 25 languages; he won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, and the Children's Book Award; he also has been short-listed for the Carnegie Medal four times. More recommended book that he write for young children are: The butterfly lion, red eyes at night, cool as a cucumber, the last wolf                                                            
for older we can find the amazing book War horse, Billy the kid and many more.

 

The Outsiders-S.E HINTON

S.E HINTON, The Outsiders, London. Puffin Modern Classics 2003, 218pp,ISBN 0-141-31457-5

Age:14-18
Rating: 4.5/5

Ponyboy can only rely on his brothers, and his friends. But soon he will find out that it’s not enough.
In his world, there are two kinds of boys: Greasers and Socs. The scos’s have money, and they can get away from trouble. The Greasers however, marginalized existence and know that they Socs lurking in wait for them in every corner. Ponyboy belongs to the Greasers and has always been proud of it, but one night of violence between gangs escalates and the results are unbearable. From here begins a painful and difficult journey…

Now Ponyboy wants to tell his story to the world, he wants all to know: Deep down, with money or without it, all the boys feel the terrible pain.

It is a teen drama, dealing with social inequalities and difficulties that the environment creates (in the context of the family and the social aspect) an impossible love story and in-depth examination of the sense of belonging.

"The Outsiders" first published in the United - States in 1967. Since sold millions of copies and was classic growing up book, there is also a film that directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

"The Outsiders" is a perfect teen book; the book is about Teenagers that was written for youth, but the amazing thing is that he was wrote by S. E. Hinton, who was 16 at the time she created this book! Everything flows smoothly, and with so much detail. You get to know the characters so well it’s hard to believe the story just covers two weeks of their lives. Because the book is written from the perspective of a boy and was written by 16 years-old  girl the story is simple and clear.

 After all this years the book continues to be successful because he still speaks to new generations of readers. There will always be gangs against other gangs. There will always be cases of injustice. Even so, we must remember that there will always be hope.

THE LITTLE PRINCE-Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Antoine De Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince, Egmont UK Limited 2009, 91pp, ISBN 978-0-7497-0723-1

Age:13 & up
Rating: 5/5

This is a poetic and exciting encounter a pilot (the narrator), who his plane crashes in the Sahara desert, and the Little Prince, a peculiar character who has also crashed onto Earth from an unknown planet. During conversation the two get to know each other's world, understand what they did not understand so far about their lives and themselves, and draw conclusions about human nature, the weaknesses of human beings but also to grow their spirits.

“All men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems… But all these stars are silent. You – You alone will have stars as no one else has them”.

This exactly says what this book is to me. The book stays the same book as the stars; also the story remains the same, but …..The meaning is never staying the same.

The first time I was read this book, I was 14 years old, since then I read the book at least ten times and each time I understood him differently.

I must admit that I love this book, for me is much more than a book or a classic, it’s a guide for life it takes me back to the days of innocence, he made me connect to the child within me. The Little Prince is a journey through time to your childhood, to the moments when imagination used to work, but the system knocking you over the head with a hammer and told you - Oh boy you can’t see a snake swallowing an elephant instead of just a hat!!!    Don’t try to be creative; what you see is what you get!

What the writer is tried to do is to tell the adults reader: read the book as a child, but armed with the insights of adults, go back and look for the really significant things in life, such as friendship, love, kindness. And not what appears to be important on the surface, but rotten on the inside, like the status and the money.

“People where you live grow five thousand roses in one garden, yet they don’t find what they’re looking for… and yet what they’re looking for could be found in a single rose."