Sudipta Bardhan-QuallenRessenyes

Independent reading level: 1st-2nd grade
Awards: N/A

A fun take on using the word "chick" (a word I really hate women being called) and instead, using chicks as the medium to convey a point. Yes, it's overt in its messaging of women ("chicks") being different and able to do anything. But it's cute. And a positive message to be reminded of. Women do come from all walks of life and that is to be celebrated!

Genre
Humorous stories
Picture books for children
Tone
Silly
Sweet
Writing Style
Minimal text
Illustration
Cartoony
Subject
Animals
Ducks
Moose
Neatness and messiness
Parties
Roommates
Surprise
Character
Exaggerated

Great rhyme

Fun book to read about friends and sharing

Very silly and fun to read aloud.

Belva Ann Lockwood was one of the first woman lawyers in the US, and took on various civil rights and suffrage causes. But she was the second woman to run for president of the United States and the first to have any votes for her counted (Victoria Woodhull ran, but was arrested on obscenity charges right before the election.)
The author of this brief biography is particularly clear about the issues involved with running for president, including the fact that election ballots were not printed by a central authority at this time, and about the votes for Lockwood that were either discarded or counted for another candidate. However, the author is coy about Woodhull's situation-- I can't find anyone claiming that Woodhull suspended her campaign before election day because she ran out of money: insofar as her campaign was inactive, it was because she was arrested for alleged obscenity. That factual error takes away from my estimation of the book. Still an excellent resource for talking about the presidency, women's suffrage, and women's history.

This was another Preschool Storytime book, topic was Emotions. The children enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed reading it.

I received this book in a give away.

Already on the outside this book looks like fun entertainment for very young children, and this promise is delightfully fulfilled. In a gentle, humorous rhyme, Sudipta Bardhan- Quallen tells her take on the Grimm fairy tale "The golden goose" by letting two hungry orangutangs fall onto a pile of sticky mangoes. Glued together by sweet smelling mango juice they attract other animals, who in turn get stuck to, what becomes a ball of animals, including a tiger, who would like to eat them all. In this case there is no princess as reward, but the ball rolls in to the ocean and the animals are freed. As the tiger is carried away by the waves, the other animals swim back to the beach, and find...mangoes! They eat until their bellies are full, and fall asleep in one big ball again.

I liked that the book was in simple rhyme, even though it was sometimes a little contrived. A rhyming story is risky business for a writer for this reason. The story needs to be told with the correct rhyme, rhythm and grammar, and remain a logical sequence. Sentences like "Two orangutangs reclining as the moon above is shining" sounds hokey. First of all why did the author leave the word "are" out of the sentence? The rhythm would still be intact. Secondly, it feels like the shining moon is only mentioned for the sake of the rhyme. There are other similar, not quite flowing, sentences in the story.

The illustrations are relatively simple, clearly outlined, and explain the situation succinctly to small children. They also add to the story. The adventure is witnessed initially be a frog, who is soon joined by a bird and a baby yak. Their reward for not getting "tangled" in the intrigue is, that without getting dumped into the ocean, they still get to eat mangoes on the beach, and to fall asleep with their friends. Children will enjoy finding the frog on many of the pages.

The one thing I questioned about the pictures was that the story starts in the dark, but after everybody rolls into the ocean it is suddenly sunny and warm. I would have preferred a gradual lightening of the sky as time goes on, just like to room gets darker and darker in "Goodnight moon" by Margaret Brown.

Overall, this is a great book to read with 2 to 4 year olds. I am looking forward to reading it to my students.

This is a lot of fun to read. The rhyming and the cadence are spot on, the sound of “chick” just elevates the flow. This would be a laugh riot at story time. The book is saying that “chicks” or girls can do anything, and yes we can.

Such a cute story. This story is about chicks not being able to attend a club. The chicks end up showing everyone that they can accomplish anything.

This was a cute book. My daughter loves cats, and like mermaids. So to her the combinations is the best. Her 7 year old mind likes to wander and she tends to play around a bit while I read, but when I ask her questions, she does answer right. So I know she is paying attention. This book is about how being cautious doesn't make us a scaredy cat, and that bravery comes in different forms. Also has a great little side lessons about friendship and not judging someone without knowing them. I think that makes a great book that parents can be happy with and for children to love. Rating based on my daughter love and attention of the book as well as the lessons it teaches.

working together

This was so much fun. Thank you Abrahams and Middle Grade Magic for giving me a chance to read this book. I want a copy for my private shelve. The rhymes and the cadence rock. The author knew what they were doing with puns and the story and it’s a joy to read. This will be awesome for story time!. Its right up there with Punk Farm. Totally Awesome READ!

Not bad. I wish the author hadn’t tried to rhyme as often as they did. They were at nicest harsh. Part of the story is typical 12 days of christmas cadence, then the other parts are not, and that is where the author rhymes. It just doesn’t work. But at the same time, i liked the story and thought it was fun (but that maybe because I myself am a big sister with a Sammy (or Danny) of my own.

This is a non-fiction book that features the life of Belva Lockwood. She decided to run for president at a time when women did not have the same rights as men. Unlike many women of the time, she went to college, then to law school, and even argued cases before the Supreme Court. She was an inspiring woman. This book can be used as a resource during elections time. Great for discussion and critical thinking. This book is appropriate for children.

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This book can be used for a rhyming lesson!

Poor quack was the hermit of the zoo. He was the only upset animal throughout the zoo. Until he found some eggs to adopt. He didn't realize what he got his hands into until the egg hatched and a platypus came out. The duck didn't care that it wasn't a baby duck. He came to love the platypus and they started their own little family int he zoo. Quack finally found hsi happiness after he found a family.

Quackenstein is a duck that feels lonely, he decides to adopt and hatch an egg. When the egg hatches a creature comes out that scares Quack, so he tries to run away from it. While he is running away the animal follows Quack and they soon realize that they both need each other. Throughout the book there is a growing vocabulary and rhyming words that flow.

Quackenstein feels real lonely at the zoo, and decides to raise an egg. When the egg hatches, it wrecks havoc across the zoo. After a long chase, Quakenstein learns the creature just wanted to say hi to his new dad! I thought this story had a nice ending, and I liked the rhyme scheme.

This book is about a duck named “Quackenstein” who adopts an egg. With the use of complex and descriptive words, and rhymes galore, the adventurous book takes the image of a monster themed story. But this is no terrifying story: instead, it is a heartwarming tale about a duck that feels lonely and decides to extend his love and care out to someone who needs it.

I enjoyed this book! I was able to learn a lot about Jackie Robinson that I did not know. Jackie Robinson was born during segregation, and his family was the only black family on his street. His neighbors tried to get his family out of their neighborhood, and his mom was not going to let that happen. Jackie was brave like his mother. He went to school, and even started college. When he realized that no one would hire a black man, he went to the military. He was treated with disrespect there, too. He was not allowed to play on the sports teams, and he even had to sit in the back of the buses. While he was there, segregation in the army was outlawed. He was supposed to get treated like the white men, but he wasn't. He got two charges placed on him because he did not move to the back of the bus. He knew his rights, so he just sat quietly. He ended up winning the court case and made history that day.

"Princess Bea was not the kind of princess you'd expect..." Bea doesn't want to marry a prince; she wants to be a pirate! She runs off and joins a pirate ship, but she's terrible at swabbing the deck and cooking, and she gets seasick in the crow's nest. They're about to make her walk the plank when she smells gold, and guides the pirates to buried treasure.

See also: Princess Bess Gets Dressed; Rufus Goes to Sea½