The Scarecrow review

All the animals know not to mess with old Scarecrow. But when a small, scared crow falls from midair, Scarecrow does the strangest thing. . . .(goodreads summary)




All year long a Scarecrow stands and guards his field of hay. The animals know not to go near the fields leaving the Scarecrow feeling a bit lonely.  Then one spring day a baby crow falls from a nearby tree and he bends down to save the little bird.  The two bond and form an unusual friendship as the Scarecrow watches over the baby as he grows.  Scarecrow also knows that one day the crow will soon spread its wings to fly leaving him to watch over his fields alone again.   

This is a heartwarming tale about a lonely Scarecrow who shares his heart with a baby crow.  An unlikely combination but that is what makes this a wonderful friendship story between the two.   The simple rhyming text flows calmly and is short enough for an easy read aloud.  Even more so were the beautiful illustrations that are done in pencil and ballpoint showing intricate detail when you look closely at the pages. As the seasons pass, the muted Autumn colors change giving me a feeling of chilly Autumn days to very cold Winter months until the warmth of Spring arrives.   It is a gentle and quiet read with messages about loneliness, compassion and good friendship.  I agree some of the text and pages seemed a little sad during reading but it does have a happy outcome for the Scarecrow.  I think this is a "just right book" for the older ages 5-7.~

Title:  The Scarecrow
Author: Beth Ferry, illustrated by Eric & Terry Fan
Pub. date:  September 2019, Harper Collins
Genre: picture book
Hardcover, 32 pgs.

Pumpkin Time! review

 

The day the cows strolled down Main Street in fancy hats...Evy didn't notice. What was Evy doing? Evy is so focused on watching her garden grow that she misses all the silliness going on around her--pigs DANCING, donkeys FLYING, and sheep HAVING A PICNIC.But after Evy's spent all year taking care of her garden, everyone's invited to pumpkin time! (goodreads summary)

While Evy is diligently tending to her garden, she does not even notice all the animals silly antics... Here is a fun read-aloud book just in time for the fall harvest season. Starting in spring and working through fall, we watch Evy hard at work growing something special for a feast. It also makes for a great interactive story as each page asks, "What is Evy doing?."  Kids will pick up on clues from the colorful illustrations showing her researching pumpkins and being committed to her gardening.  In the end, Evy has a yummy treat to share with all! The last page has recipes for toasting pumpkin seeds, some interesting pumpkin facts and answers to what Evy was doing. I think this is a "just right book" for ages 3-6.~

Title: Pumpkin Time!
Author: Erzsi Deak,  illustrated by Doug Cushman
Pub. Date:  July 2014, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Genre: picture books  
Hardcover, 32 pgs. 

Little Boo review

The leaves fall, the wind blows, and one little pumpkin seed tries and tries to be scary. But he doesn’t scare anyone . . . not the snowflakes in winter, not the bees in spring, not even the watering can! The wind tells him to be patient—he’ll be scary soon enough. But waiting is hard. Will the little seed ever be really, truly be scary?(goodreads summary)


A tiny little seed is determined to scare everyone around him. But when he says "boo" nobody seems to be scared. The wind tells him it is not quite his time yet and that he needs to have patience. After a long winters sleep, he awakens in the spring ready to get back to scaring but learns that having patience may just be a good thing after all.  

This is a cute and charming story that would be a fun read-aloud for your fall season celebrating.   The text flows nicely and the illustrations are bold and colorful. It also touches briefly through its pictures the life cycle of a seed, to a plant and then into a pumpkin that little ones will easily understand. It would also make a wonderful classroom discussion and project book trying to grow a plant from a pumpkin seed themselves. With a heart-warming ending, the little seed will show kids that waiting to grow up can be hard but with a little patience you may just grow into something spectacular. I think this is a "just right book" for ages 3-7.~

Title: Little Boo
Author: Stephen Wunderli
Pub. Date: August 2014, Henry Holt and Co.
Genre: picture book
Hardcover, 32 pgs.