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Black is the New AP Style


Hannah is eight years old; her brother Jack is six. They may be reading different stories these days, but if there’s a chapter book that still has illustrations, they are both on board to find out more. This time it’s Colton’s Time Machine.

The series by Rebecca Massey has many published stories that also seem to correlate with her other series, Colton’s Pocket Dragon.

The story’s main character invented his own time machine, and in book two he travels to visit Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers. Hannah and Jack have not read any previous books in the two series, so the abrupt beginning already left them with many questions. Colton and a girl named Zinnia begin the story with a conversation that leads Colton to picking up his history book and deciding on where he wanted to travel to next. It is not clear to them that Zinnia is a character from earlier books so they wonder who she is and how she fits into the story.

By the time they get to chapter three, they are given a description of writing a note on a typewriter – something they have never seen before – and a place called Dragon Land. Another indication of something they missed in previous books, but still something they wanted to know more about. More characters are introduced – Bowie, Anayis, Kolta, Iggy, Skylar and Tansy – that are not given a full introduction but can be assumed that they are dragons. At one point there are characters named Sparkle, Akia, Tickle and Coleen that aren’t introduced at all but are quoted which does not help them understand the storyline.

Jack, who notices all the best parts of illustrations, asked why the pictures were where they were. In chapter one, an illustration of Colton gluing paper to the wall is on the first page despite that part of the story not being told until two pages later. At the end of chapter three, an illustration of Colton reading a book with Abraham Lincoln is placed before the chapter dedicated to that part of the story. He is not a fan of having to flip back the pages to see the illustrations and loses interest quickly.

Hannah noticed something entirely different – the way it was written. She noticed the pauses that came when stumbling upon many spelling or grammatical errors. She also noticed the heavy use of the word “then.”

“It says that he did this then he did this then he did this and the sentences are too long,” she said.

She also lost interest quickly and decided to put the book down before the end of chapter four.

Colton’s Time Machine might be an easier read if there is a better understanding of the rest of the series and clearly shouldn’t be read out of order. It was not Hannah and Jack’s favorite story, but maybe they can come back to it once they have the full series.
November 21, 2019 No comments

Hannah is nearly eight years old; her brother Jack is six. She’s a more avid book reader than she’s ever been, constantly rereading her same copy of Junie B. Jones and hearing her parents read the Harry Potter series as often as they can. Jack prefers dinosaurs these days, but that doesn’t mean he won’t hover nearby when it’s story time.

Poppin’s Pumpkin Patch Parade is the perfect fall tale about “Pumpky” Pumpkin and her friends – twin hay bales named Harry “Huh” and Harvey “Hay”, “Houdini” Zucchini, Richie Raccoon, Stephanie Stork, Dylan Deer and the Garner Glow Worms. They live at Poppin’s Pumpkin Patch, owned by the Prince and Princess of Romantown, where they have the best fall celebration. However, the new owner of the town next door, Tree Town, is up to no good. Will the pumpkin patch and its tenants be able to put on their parade?

The story is heavy with alliteration, from the names of the characters to Pumpky’s love for speaking “mostly in P’s”. They’re all tongue twisters yet Hannah was able to read through the names smoothly and nearly each one made them both giggle.

As the story progressed, Hannah and Jack had a bit of an issue remembering parts of the storyline. Pumpky calls the different crops growing in the patch “pops” because of its love for speaking in Ps. However, once the “pops” were reintroduced later in the story, they had to go back to recall what they were. They also didn’t fully understand why the hay bales, “Huh” and Hay”, were constantly sneezing. Despite them being Pumpky’s best twin buddies, Hannah and Jack were disinterested in their part of the story.

A question that they asked at the end of the book made it clear that they were fans of the story – where’s the book about Tree Town? At the end of the book, the Prince and Princess of Romantown bought the land and turned it into Poppin’s Pine Town. Does that mean a similar story will take place and have a winter theme? Hannah and Jack need to know.

The nostalgia of this book might be lost on Hannah and Jack – the book is co-written by Kimberly J. Brown of Halloweentown fame – but that didn’t stop them from indulging in a fun fall read before bedtime. It has them excited for their upcoming Halloween parties and parades (they have so many coming up that they have multiple costumes!) and is sure to be a story they’ll read again next.
October 22, 2019 No comments

Hannah is seven years old; her brother Jack is five. And for the first time since Books with Beauchanes’ inception, Hannah was the one to read the latest book in their collection.

Small Voice Says offers an educational and heartfelt message about discovering and listening to your inner voice through the character of Angela. Angela, who is the same age as Hannah, is a beach-loving extrovert that has recently discovered her conscious which shows her right from wrong. She admits to her mother that she broke her favorite cup and although she initially hid it, she’s been feeling bad ever since.

“I could tell something was bothering you,” her mother said. “But your small voice wouldn’t let it go.”

“My small voice?” Angela asked.

“Yes!” her mother said. “That little voice in your head that helps you think through your feelings.”

Angela finds her small voice again while playing with her friend, Lucy, and when she notices the new boy in school sitting by himself. By understanding what her conscious is, she was able to think through these situations both internally with her small voice and externally by expressing her small voice to her mother.

While many children experience the tug of their conscious, few will cultivate the inner reflection skills that are necessary to guide them through various stages of their lives. It is one of the most important skills that a parent can teach their child, and is why authors Mike Morrison Ph.D. and Mackenzie Morrison wanted to bring this story to life.

Not only did Hannah do a fantastic job reading the story out loud to Jack, but she was able to relate the story back to something she’d seen recently – an episode of Full House. In the episode, the inner thoughts of each character are heard in voiceover sequences, and Hannah recognized right away that they shared the same concept. She told Jack that she also sometimes uses her small voice to think about a situation she’s in and what is the right thing to do.

Jack is all about the illustrations, and this book is no different. The depiction of the small voice, shown as a yellow cloud-shaped character with arms and legs, was created by Nina Summer and shown generously throughout the pages. It had him thinking out loud about his own inner voice, when he’s heard it and how it’s helped him.

Now that Hannah and Jack have a better understanding of their conscious and how to connect with their inner voice, their appreciation for Small Voice Says just might be their latest bedtime routine.
February 26, 2019 No comments

Hannah is six years old; her brother Jack is five. As they prepared for their first day of first grade and afternoon kindergarten, they took a 15-minute break to hear about a couple of crime fighting turtles.

The Case of the Pinched Stradivarius is a unique whodunit starring two turtles named Miles and Fargo. From their tank overlooking the Statue of Liberty, the reptiles witness a man steal a little girl’s violin as she walked home from school. The turtles call on their owner’s two dogs, Bogie and Bandit, to help them solve the crime since they are able to leave the house when they go for walks.

The story comes from Elaine Loeser, a fiction writer and reformed lawyer who wrote for the long-running NBC drama “Law and Order”. Her idea for The Case of the Pinched Stradivarius comes from her love for the Alfred Hitchcock film “Rear Window” and her real-life turtles of the same name.

By mentioning that Miles and Fargo were real, Hannah and Jack were immediately on board with the story. They were not ready, however, for the story to promptly begin with the crime. Hearing that the girl was crying and bleeding was a bit alarming to them, but Hannah knew that a happy ending was sure to come and made sure Jack knew too.

As the story went on, Hannah pointed out parts that stood out to her most, such as the turtles making mean comments about the dogs and the news articles calling the girl a “pigtailed prodigy” when in the illustrations she does not have pigtails. Jack was more engrossed in the tank that the turtles lived in, asking questions about the rock they sat on and why getting them a new filter was part of the story.

Although they didn’t recognize it, their personalities are a bit similar to that of Miles and Fargo’s. The story begins with Fargo telling Miles that it was his turn to sit on the rock in their tank, and their trouble with sharing is revisited a few times throughout the book. This has happened on more than one occasion in the Beauchane household, as in any normal one.

Hannah and Jack share a common interest in their love for an illustrated book, especially one involving animals. Despite their disinterest in the crime of the stolen violin, the book had them engaged in conversation about the plotline and kept their interest. Crime fighting turtles might not be up their alley, but The Case of the Pinched Stradivarius now stands proudly on their bookshelf.
August 16, 2018 No comments

Hannah is six years old; her brother Jack is four. Their skin is already a healthy tan from enjoying their summer days at the pool or at camp. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t take time out of their adventurous days to enjoy a good book.

Catalina and the King’s Wall is a short but sweet tale of Catalina, who is in charge of baking sweets for the king. Since she is always there baking for him, she does not get to visit the kingdom that her family lives in. Just when they are about to visit Catalina, the king announces that he does not like the people of that kingdom and intends to build a wall to keep them out.

Catalina decides to take matters into her own hands and gives the king different ideas of how he should have his men build the wall. From icing to sprinkles to cookie dough, her baking expertise is put to use as she convinces them to build a wall with less than ideal materials.

While the story, written by Patty Costello, is a clear reference to the political turmoil the United States is facing, Hannah and Jack see it more as a difference between right and wrong.

“Why doesn’t he like them?” Hannah asked. “Does he even know them?”

Hannah caught on quickly that the king’s decision to build a wall was impractical. When it got to the part about building the wall with icing, her and Jack knew immediately that the wall would not be permanent and that Catalina was doing it on purpose.

“I was inspired to write this book after I took my son to my local women’s march in January 2017 following the combative U.S. presidential election,” Costello said on her Kickstarter page. “I stood with him on that cold and snowy day and wondered: What kind of world was he born into? How will he learn to always be kind? I was deeply concerned, yet hopeful because of the turnout at the march. I wrote my book to help parents discuss these questions with their kids in a fun story format that children can relate to.”

In between the hard topics are sweet baking puns that had Hannah and Jack giggling. ‘For goodness bakes’ and ‘frosts my cookies’ are just some of the wordplay sprinkled throughout the book. It added an extra element not just to the story but to the detailed illustrations by Diane Cojocaru.

Hannah and Jack ultimately find a way to enjoy most books that come their way, but Catalina and the King’s Wall left them wanting to read more. And enjoy a cookie or two.
June 21, 2018 No comments

Hannah is six years old; her brother Jack is four. Their love for a picture book is as strong as ever, as it gives them the chance to talk amongst themselves and guess the endless possibilities of the next page. It’s no surprise that Steve Richardson’s Paisley Rabbit and the Treehouse Contest is one of those books.

The story takes place at the end of summer, where Paisley and some of her friends – Jimmy Squirrel, Arnold Otter, Thomas Fox, Simon Shrew, Molly Ringtail, Timmy Skunk, and Nelson Hoot Owl – decide to have a treehouse contest. Each of them was to build a treehouse and vote on which one turns out the best. There were just three rules:

1.   Everyone has until Thanksgiving to finish their treehouse
2. They can have a grownup assist them
3. The day to vote on everyone’s treehouse would be the first Saturday after Thanksgiving vacation

Paisley, who has never used tools and doesn’t have an experienced grownup to help her, is determined to make something happen in a more unconventional way. While her friends jump right into building, she heads straight to the library and spends hours conducting research. While they’re getting their dads to do the major lifting, she’s creating a Master Treehouse Plan that involves an architect, investors, the local newspaper and the town mayor.

The day after Halloween, the city newspaper is at Jimmy’s house interviewing him and his dad about his treehouse. Timmy and Nelson give up right then and there; there’s no way they’re going to build a treehouse better than Jimmy’s.

What her friends don’t know is that the Master Treehouse Plan is beyond their wildest imaginations. Her passion for knowledge and her family make her an extraordinary young heroine who utilizes her own talents and seeks out other extraordinary characters to create the ultimate end goal.

Jack is always the one who points out specific details of the illustrations, and this was his picture book heaven. The intricacies of Chris Dunn’s illustrations were admired by both children, especially the details of Paisley’s treehouse. They spent a fair amount of time admiring each section, picking out which room they wanted to be theirs and what toys they would bring from home to add to the treehouse’s collection.

Hannah is the one who grasps on to the underlying themes of books, and felt strongly for this one. Like Paisley, she’s an older sister who always looks out for her younger brother. She has one of the most creative minds and always uses her creativity to think outside of the box. She felt a strong connection to Paisley and really caught on to her passion.

When asked how they liked the book, Hannah gave two thumbs up while Jack immediately left the room to get a piece of paper and a pencil. The planning stages have already begun for their treehouse, ball pit included. They are determined to create their own treehouse – just like Paisley Rabbit.
March 29, 2018 No comments

Hannah is six years old; her brother Jack is four. And they’d like you to know that it’s been a while since they last reviewed a book.

The Beauchane children love a good book, even one beyond their reading level. Hannah has begun reading on her own and constantly challenges herself to complete any type of book. However, she made it very clear that she is not a fan of chapter books.

The Misadventures of Michael McMichaels is a series based around a third grader with an active imagination. In the latest addition to the series, Volume 4, The Double-Dog Dare, a new student named Zeke comes from a wealthy family and threatens to steal Michael’s best friend, Kenny, because of said wealth. This sparks a heated argument between Michael and Zeke, ultimately ending with a dare contest.

First, Zeke dared Michael to jump onto a table at Kenny’s birthday party and cluck like a chicken. Easy enough! But as retaliation, Michael brings out the double-dog dare and told Zeke he has to repeat everything their classmate Harriet says for an entire day. Michael’s plan is foiled, as he didn’t specify that Zeke had to repeat everything loud enough for the whole classroom to hear him.

As their double-dog dares get worse, they start to bend the rule of not requesting a dare that would hurt someone’s feelings. Feelings are ultimately hurt, and both of them learn valuable lessons when it comes to respect, open-mindedness and the value of true friendships.

Respect is a major lesson that Hannah and Jack caught onto early on. They thought it was silly that Michael and Zeke couldn’t share Kenny as their friend and didn’t like that their dares became mean. When they became disrespectful to their classmates Harriet and Absimil, they lost a bit of interest in the storyline as it wasn’t something they’ve experienced before.

There were quite a few concepts and phrases that were sprinkled throughout the book that had Hannah and Jack stop to ask questions. Words like “refugee” or “betrothed” or the concept of freedom in America were all topics beyond comprehension. While all great lessons, they are lessons that should be discussed at a much higher reading level - as this book is intended for grades first through fifth, it will be interesting to revisit when they’re at that level.

It’s safe to say, while they laughed and asked tons of questions, The Misadventures of Michael McMichaels: Vol. 4, The Double-Dog Dare will be one of their books that sits on the shelf until they’re a bit older.
February 13, 2018 No comments

Hannah is five years old; her brother Jack is three. And “this book looks boring” is how this chapter begins.

Taylor Barton is an award-winning producer, singer/songwriter, playwright, documentarian and author. Inspired by a scuba diving trip in the Gulf, she created the story of Pedro ‘n’ Pip. Pip, a spunky 10-year old girl, meets Pedro while scuba diving after learning about an oil spill. Their courage and drive for the environment creates several important themes to teach the children of today. This book is the first of its kind to blend the strict text of a book and tangible music into one platform. It’s not just a simple audiobook; it’s a 13-song score as well.

Since Hannah and Jack are used to getting books every time I come over, they’ve gotten comfortable enough to look into my bag to see what’s in store for them for the evening. Upon pulling Pedro ‘n’ Pip out of my bag and noticing the lengthy text, all interest was lost and I knew this probably wasn’t going to end well. I decided on reading just the first chapter aloud, in hopes to garner attention that way. What I was not expecting was absolute silence. Jack especially was curious the moment the story began and didn’t move his eyes from the page.

Since the story is longer than our typical bedtime routine, we opted to read just the first chapter. We are introduced to Pip, her parents and her dog Seaweed and learn of the oil spill in the Gulf. Pip is invested in saving the sea creatures and requests scuba diving lessons so she can do her part in counteracting the damage. Pip’s personality grabs the attention of both Hannah and Jack and by the end of the first chapter, they anxiously discuss what the next chapter could be.

Although we did not get a chance to listen to the audio version of the story with the incorporation of the score, it made the anticipation of the next chapter all the more fun. Both kids also perked up at the mention of any Spanish words and paused the story to know the translation. It goes to show that good storytelling is the most important aspect of gaining the reader’s attention.

To be continued… 
January 26, 2017 No comments

Hannah is five years old; her brother Jack is three. And boy do they love the holiday season.

Hannah’s favorite part about Christmas is decorating the tree with Mommy, whose red and silver aesthetic looks like it belongs in a Marshall Field’s window display right along State Street. Jack is more impressed with Santa, who he recently learned goes by more than one name.

The Book of Kringle – Legends of the North Pole dives into the origins of Santa Clause and how he turned the North Pole into what children know it as today. Manusol the Elf is the narrator, using descriptive language to share the tale of how the Kringle brothers were polar opposites before Kris became Santa. The reader gets to hear about the first time Santa flew his sleigh, why bells are jingled and much more. The illustrations add a dazzling effect to each page as the reader can see the magic in multiple forms.

The minute Hannah and Jack heard that Santa had more than one name, they were hooked. They wanted to know more about him and were certainly unhappy to hear that his brother was not only the king but a mean one. Little gasps were heard from each of them when the king did something greedy like take away the star at the top of the elves’ Christmas tree or ban the elves from celebrating Christmas entirely. We would take constant pauses in the story to admire the illustrations – they would pick out which elf they though was each character or comment on the king’s scowl. We also had to take a few pauses to define certain words, as this story seems to have been meant for a slightly older audience.

Although they caught on to the theme of performing acts of kindness to all, some of the other themes – such as uniqueness and having faith in the spirit of the unknown – was lost on them for the time being. Despite the story being slightly over their heads, Hannah and Jack were animated throughout the entire book and have most likely asked Mom and Dad to read it to them again. Just in time for Christmas!  
December 22, 2016 No comments

Hannah is five years old; her brother Jack is three. Every time I come over to babysit, Hannah makes sure that we follow the same itinerary. Our itinerary is as follows:

1. We all participate in some kind of craft. Their mother usually finds it in the dollar section and I usually find it to be more difficult than the kids do.

2. We watch a movie (usually Disney), make some popcorn and cuddle on the couch.

3.  We pick out two books to read before getting tucked into bed. One is Hannah’s pick and the other is Jack’s.  

I’ll spare you the details of how Jack refuses to stay in bed for a good 30-45 minutes and how the rest of my evening involves laying on the couch while the dog licks me to death. Instead I’ll tell you the details on what happens when you ask two children to help you review a book.

Train Off the Rails with Kody and Dot centers around two bears whose delivery train drives through the same routine each day. One day the train derails and Kody and Dot use that as a learning experience to see the impact their job makes. The artwork is colorful and the poetic rhythm of the text keeps the kids' attention.

Every time I babysit, this is the one story that both kids can agree on. We've read it countless times and the idea of having this as one of the bedtime stories gets Hannah and Jack all the more inclined to quickly get their pajamas on and hop in bed. They've nearly memorized the book and shout out which part is coming next before I've even begun to turn the page. It's safe to say that Kody and Dot are pretty popular in the Beauchane household. 
November 29, 2016 No comments

Hannah is nearly five years old; her brother Jack is three. Every time I come over to babysit, Hannah makes sure that we follow the same itinerary. Our itinerary is as follows:

1. We all participate in some kind of craft. Their mother usually finds it in the dollar section and I usually find it to be more difficult than the kids do.

2. We watch a movie (usually Disney), make some popcorn and cuddle on the couch.

3.  We pick out two books to read before getting tucked into bed. One is Hannah’s pick and the other is Jack’s.  

I’ll spare you the details of how Jack refuses to stay in bed for a good 30-45 minutes and how the rest of my evening involves laying on the couch while the dog licks me to death. Instead I’ll tell you the details on what happens when you ask two children to help you review a book.

“The Kooky Adventures of My Friend Kookabuk” is a series written by brothers-turned-authors Jesse and Kevin Howard who both have a passion for teaching. They grew up in a family of special education teachers and had eye-opening experiences that led them to create this series. “Kookabuk Shares His Shovel” is the first installment of the series, which uses create storytelling to express topics and themes for both special needs and neurotypical children. Their background combined with their dedication has created a great story for children and parents alike. 

Hannah is pretty good at sharing. She recognizes when it is someone else’s turn and she recognizes when she isn’t rightfully getting her own turn. Her favorite part of the book was when Kookabuk finally shared his green shovel with Emily, the heroine of the series. Hannah was very verbal when the climax of the story was revealed and she enjoyed seeing the artwork of Kookabuk and Emily finally playing together.

Jack is pretty good at not sharing. He will gladly show Hannah his toys but the moment she actually touches one of them – game over. When asked if he liked the book, I received a violent shaking of the head and an audible “No”. To be fair, if a book doesn’t involve some kind of car or truck then his attention span doesn’t normally last past the second page.  Perhaps the second installment will better grasp his attention. 
October 15, 2016 No comments
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