Ninja Kid: From Nerd to Ninja (Anh Do)

 

This book is hilarious. I chose it as our first read aloud this year. It's a quick read and rea lly grabbed everyone's attention. The illustrations are hilarious.

The author is from Australia and apparently he is an actor and comedian. I'm not surprised!

The end has a big cliff hanger that makes you HAVE to read book 2!

Goodreads says:

Nelson wakes up on his birthday to discover that he has gained ninja powers overnight! This funny, heavily-illustrated series from Anh Do is action packed, with an appealingly grounded heart.
Nelson's a nerd. Unfit, uncool . . . totally awkward! But when he wakes up on his tenth birthday, he discovers he's a NINJA!

THE LAST NINJA ON EARTH!

How's he going to SAVE THE WORLD when he can't even get his undies on the right way?

Even Superheroes Have Bad Days (Shelley Baker)

 

Sometimes we feel justified in losing our cool or lashing out at people. Imagine what superheroes could do if they felt that way?! Great lesson in self-discipline and super cute too. 

Goodreads says:

When Superheroes don’t get their way,
when they’re sad, when they’re mad, when they’ve had a bad day . . .
. . . they COULD super-tantrum, they COULD but they DON'T,
because REAL Superheroes just WOULDN'T—they WON'T!


All kids have trouble getting a grip on their emotions, sometimes—even young superheroes! But what do they do when they’re having a bad day? Colorful action-packed illustrations and a dynamite rhyming text reveal the many ways superheroes (and ordinary children, too) can resist the super-temptation to cause a scene when they’re sad, mad, frustrated, lonely, or afraid. From burning off steam on a bike or a hike, to helping others, this energetic picture book has plenty of fun ideas to help kids cope when they’re feeling overwhelmed.

The Bravest Dog Ever: The Story of Balto (Natalie Standiford)

 

This really is a step into reading book: simple sentences (all subject openers) but kids love the story. 

Goodreads says:

Balto has a quiet life as a sled dog - until tragedy strikes. Dozens of children in Nome become sick with diphtheria. Without antitoxin serum, they will perish - and the closest supply is 650 miles away! The only way to get the serum to Nome is by sled, but can the dogs deliver it in time? Heading bravely into a brutal blizzard, Balto leads the race for life.

Boys of Steel (Marc Nobleman)

 

Really cool story behind the story of how Superman was created. I loved that it was created during depression years. It makes me wonder what great things will come out of our pandemic time. There are so many lessons in this story: - Never give up - Dare to dream - Do what inspires you - You don't have to be an extrovert to win

 


Goodreads says:

JERRY SIEGEL AND Joe Shuster, two misfit teens in Depression-era Cleveland, were more like Clark Kent—meek, mild, and myopic—than his secret identity, Superman. Both boys escaped into the worlds of science fiction and pulp magazine adventure tales. Jerry wrote stories, and Joe illustrated them. In 1934, they created a superhero who was everything they were not. It was four more years before they convinced a publisher to take a chance on their Man of Steel in a new format—the comic book. The author includes a provocative afterword about Jerry and Joe’s long struggle with DC Comics when they realized they had made a mistake in selling all rights to Superman for a mere $130!

Marc Tyler Nobleman’s text captures the excitement of Jerry and Joe’s triumph, and the energetic illustrations by Ross MacDonald, the author-artist of Another Perfect Day, are a perfect complement to the time, the place, and the two young visionaries.

Stop Reading This Book! (Caroline Fernandez)

My class was a little unsure of how to take this book. They enjoyed it but it wasn't as big a hit as The Book With My Pictures, but maybe that's because they read TBWNP when they were younger. Maybe this is better for a younger audience? I thought it was pretty fun though.

Goodreads says:

Here's an idea...turn the left page. That way, you can go back to the beginning, close the book, and pretend you didn't start reading this book. It would be like going back in time... give it a try... This heart-warming picture book urges children to read using comedy and contradiction. Who is the villain--the reader or the book? In this story, the book itself perceives the reader as a mischief-maker and tries to protect its pages. It is a story of a book judging a reader by their "cover." In turning pages, the reader becomes the hero of their own story overcoming the challenges the book puts up to roadblock reading. Stop Reading This Book introduces young readers to book elements like protagonists, antagonists, conflict, and resolution and showcases themes of child empowerment, judgment and misjudgment, marginalization and inclusivity, and persistence.

The Day I Lost My Superpowers ( Michaël Escoffier)

Our second book this week by Michaël Escoffier. We have talked about super powers a lot during character time and so this was a nice find. We chuckled at the good imagination he had and all nodded in agreement that sometimes Moms really do have the powers to make everything feel better.

Goodreads says:

Childhood is a magical time when even the stuff of the day-to-day is exciting and the ordinary often seems extraordinary. A part of this magic is that with just a little imagination, we all might be found to possess true superpowers!This isn't the first or last book where a child delightedly discovers her own superpowers. But it may be just about the driest, funniest, and sweetest, where the discovery is handled with humor and charm.

One of the book's true pleasures is that it's a girl who discovers her own extraordinary abilities, and when her powers fail, as they must, she discovers them in her mom. All of which leads to a lovely intimacy between the two. 

Flora and Ulysses (Kate DiCamillo)

I have read this book before and blogged about it here.

This time when I read it I kept wondering what the meaning of all the craziness was. There seems like there must be some meaning behind the crazy lamp, the crazy kid who is blind, the crazy parents, the other crazy adults, and of course, the crazy idea that a squirrel can be a superhero!

So many questions:

• Why a superhero squirrel? Does the squirrel represent something? And how does that relate to the mundane superhero Flora loves? What is the connection with The Amazing Incandesto? And what is with Dr. Meescham's ability to fix everything? ...on her horse hair couch?? Is she/it also a superhero?
• There's a theme of love happening here somewhere...Flora wanting love from her mom...her mom seeming to love the lamp more...but in the end we find out she really does love Flora more than the lamp...William goes blind after his mom remarries a man who doesn't respect William Spiver and calls him Billy (interesting that it's important to him to be called by his first AND last name...the name his father would have given him) For his step-father to disrespect that was the ultimate betrayal and of course, justifies putting his vehicle in a pond...and it isn't until William Spiver finally talks about this episode that he can see again. He can "see" again. Then there's the love Dr Meescham feels for her dead husband. And Flora's love for Ulysses, and Ulysses' love for Flora....it's easy and instant. I think all these people really need to read The Five Love Languages!
• Words! Words are very important in this book. Malfeasance. Treacle. Incandesto. Poetry. William Spiver helping Phyllis Buckman find just the right words. Words floating above people's heads.
• Fitting in. Being a misfit. Introversion....so many funny people in this book. Flora's mother is concerned she's a misfit. Flora's father is odd. Flora's mother is odd. Their relationship is broken. Then there is the squid in the picture...lonely...ugly....naturally the way he is.
• Good versus evil. Physllis Buckman = arch nemesis. William Spiver's step-father seems evil to William. Ulysses brings about good. Then there's the squid in the picture....\
• Are Flora and her father, and maybe even William Spiver austic??
• Is it called Illuminated Adventures because all these crazy escapades actually bring light to their lives? Flora finds out her mother does love her. William is able to deal with his mother's remarriage. Anyone else see the light??

Superfab Saves the Day (Jean Leroy, Bérengère Delaporte)

This is a superhero that has no sense of time and looking good takes priority over most everything else. It all works out in the end, proving that if you focus on your strengths, you can accomplish good things. However, the problem of always being late may not be something you want to overlook. I'm not sure kids would really catch that though. They certainly did enjoy a giggle as we read this story though.

Goodreads summary:

Meet Superfab, the best-dressed superhero around. He’s got a walk-in closet, an extensive collection of outfits, and fabulous style to boot. The only problem is, he can’t leave his house to go fight crime until he has the perfect outfit on — and sometimes that takes awhile. Sometimes it takes so long that by the time he arrives at the scene of a crime, another superhero has already gotten the job done. Superfab finds himself less and less in demand, until one day he gets called to the scene and discovers that his exquisite sense of style is just the weapon he needs to beat (and befriend) this particular monster. This original take on the superhero story will have readers rooting for the underdog and celebrating Superfab’s unique pizazz. Whimsical illustrations show off the stylish side of this quirky and loveable character who knows the best way to save the day is to be true to yourself.