Oh No, Gotta Go #2 by Susan Middletown Elya, illustrated by Lynn Avril
Rating: 4 stars
Yup, there's a sequel to Oh No Gotta Go, the cute story of a little girl who drinks too much juice and suddenly has to go to the bathroom NOW. When I saw there was a second book, I was curious if it was just another situation in which she'd have to pee or if, as the book hints, this one wasn't about pee but about poop.
It's about poop!
Lorelei chuckled the whole time through this book, and while there's a lot of Spanish that Lorelei, who thinks she's already fluent, liked, it was the slang and easy innuendos that I liked teaching her through this book. We don't say "#1" and "#2" in our house, but it's definitely a good thing to know. Bathroom cultural literacy, if you will. Ha! As her stomach gurgles and churns, there's a picture of a volcano(cleverly, the street that they're walking next to is turned into a lava-gurgling, about-to-erupt volcano), so it was fun to tell Lorelei that the author and illustrator are saying that her stomach is like a volcano and she needs to sit on the potty before she explodes in a less desirable place.
This might be a little too much potty talk for your family, but we really liked it.
(By the way, in case you were worried, she makes it.)
Showing posts with label Susan Middleton Elya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Susan Middleton Elya. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Geez Louise! by Susan Middleton Elya
Geez Louise! by Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Eric Brace
Rating: 4 stars
Had any stink bugs around your house in the past few months? We had, like a bunch of people in the mid-Atlantic, hundreds of these little bugs clinging to our house for a few weeks in early Fall. They were only a little stinky, but very gross.
Why am I writing about stink bugs in this blog entry about this book? Because Louise, of Geez Louise! is a stink bug! I laughed as I read that for the first time, and kept chuckling throughout this book. Another funny thing: explaining to Lorelei why the illustrator, Eric Brace, put wafting green squiggly lines behind Louise in every page. To show the reader that Louise was stinky! That alone made this book worth a checkout!
But the story is great, and a better reason to go find this non-stinky stinkbug book. Basically, it's about a bully who gets put in her place (in a good sorta way).
No one likes Louise the stinkbug because, well, she stinks, except her one faithful friend (Termite Tara). Louise is a talented ice-skater; it's the one thing she really enjoys. When there's an ice-skating contest, Louise is excited to finally show people that she's more than just a stinky bug. But the mean bully Kiki the Cockroach (Boo! Hiss!) is competing, too. Kiki intimidates everyone into not competing against her, but Louise is brave--and a little nervous, too, of course. Louise skates first, and does really well. Kiki skates second, and does okay until she skates past Louise, whose stinkiness affects Kiki's concentration! Louise wins and Kiki never bullies her--or any other bug--again.
A stinkbug who takes on a bully and, with some talent (the hard-earned kind of ice-skating and the natural kind of flatulence-esque smell), gracefully wins in the end. Hooray!
Rating: 4 stars
Had any stink bugs around your house in the past few months? We had, like a bunch of people in the mid-Atlantic, hundreds of these little bugs clinging to our house for a few weeks in early Fall. They were only a little stinky, but very gross.
Why am I writing about stink bugs in this blog entry about this book? Because Louise, of Geez Louise! is a stink bug! I laughed as I read that for the first time, and kept chuckling throughout this book. Another funny thing: explaining to Lorelei why the illustrator, Eric Brace, put wafting green squiggly lines behind Louise in every page. To show the reader that Louise was stinky! That alone made this book worth a checkout!
But the story is great, and a better reason to go find this non-stinky stinkbug book. Basically, it's about a bully who gets put in her place (in a good sorta way).
No one likes Louise the stinkbug because, well, she stinks, except her one faithful friend (Termite Tara). Louise is a talented ice-skater; it's the one thing she really enjoys. When there's an ice-skating contest, Louise is excited to finally show people that she's more than just a stinky bug. But the mean bully Kiki the Cockroach (Boo! Hiss!) is competing, too. Kiki intimidates everyone into not competing against her, but Louise is brave--and a little nervous, too, of course. Louise skates first, and does really well. Kiki skates second, and does okay until she skates past Louise, whose stinkiness affects Kiki's concentration! Louise wins and Kiki never bullies her--or any other bug--again.
A stinkbug who takes on a bully and, with some talent (the hard-earned kind of ice-skating and the natural kind of flatulence-esque smell), gracefully wins in the end. Hooray!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Oh No, Gotta Go! by Susan Middleton Elya
Oh No, Gotta Go! by Susan Middle ton Elya, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Rating: 4 stars
Is my daughter the only preschooler who thinks s/he can speak Spanish (or another language)? We watch Handy Manny once-ish a day, and we've read a handful of bilingual books over the year. I avoid Dora like the plague (sorry if you're a fan--Lorelei loves her but her little voice drives me crazy. I try to focus on the positive like maps, adventure, and helping, but...it's just not my favorite) so...where does this interest come from?! I wonder if it's a natural part of language learning; there are other languages out there being spoken other than your own. As a culturally-minded mom (and a former Peace Corps Volunteer) I don't mind this at all.
So this book fell in our laps. Not literally, of course. It is mostly English with a smattering of Spanish words thrown in. The text rhymes, making it even easier for Lorelei to remember big chunks of the book. That's a good thing, because the first few times we read it together she only remembered, "Where is un bano? Donde esta?" I was about ready to slip the book in the night return box in the library after tucking her in... But, after a few weeks, she remembered a whole lot more.
The story is funny and cute; a little family of three get in the car to go somewhere and the little girl suddenly has to go to the bathroom. I find it really amusing that it's the father who is responsible for forgetting to remind her (we moms never would!) but of course they promise to find one quickly. They drive around the city until the find a restaurant, at which they quickly park, run in and...run smack into a long line! They beg forgiveness to skip to the front, and the little girl "comes out with a smile." They eat at the restaurant, but the little girl focuses more of her time and attention on the limonada, so we all have a big laugh when, after getting back into the car, she asks: "Where is un bano? Donde esta?"
Rating: 4 stars
Is my daughter the only preschooler who thinks s/he can speak Spanish (or another language)? We watch Handy Manny once-ish a day, and we've read a handful of bilingual books over the year. I avoid Dora like the plague (sorry if you're a fan--Lorelei loves her but her little voice drives me crazy. I try to focus on the positive like maps, adventure, and helping, but...it's just not my favorite) so...where does this interest come from?! I wonder if it's a natural part of language learning; there are other languages out there being spoken other than your own. As a culturally-minded mom (and a former Peace Corps Volunteer) I don't mind this at all.
So this book fell in our laps. Not literally, of course. It is mostly English with a smattering of Spanish words thrown in. The text rhymes, making it even easier for Lorelei to remember big chunks of the book. That's a good thing, because the first few times we read it together she only remembered, "Where is un bano? Donde esta?" I was about ready to slip the book in the night return box in the library after tucking her in... But, after a few weeks, she remembered a whole lot more.
The story is funny and cute; a little family of three get in the car to go somewhere and the little girl suddenly has to go to the bathroom. I find it really amusing that it's the father who is responsible for forgetting to remind her (we moms never would!) but of course they promise to find one quickly. They drive around the city until the find a restaurant, at which they quickly park, run in and...run smack into a long line! They beg forgiveness to skip to the front, and the little girl "comes out with a smile." They eat at the restaurant, but the little girl focuses more of her time and attention on the limonada, so we all have a big laugh when, after getting back into the car, she asks: "Where is un bano? Donde esta?"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)