Fancy Nancy and the Delectable Cupcakes

Title: Fancy Nancy and the Delectable Cupcakes
Author: Jane O'Connor
Illustrator: Robin Preiss Glasser and Ted Enik
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0061882682

In this beginner's book series, Nancy makes cupcakes for the bake sale with her mom. Her and her mother go to the store, get all the ingredients and come home and make cupcakes. While making cupcakes, her younger sister does not listen and continues to put her fingers in the batter. Nancy is told after the cupcakes are made to put them in a safe spot. It turns out that Nancy did not listen to her mother and left her cupcakes where the dog could get them. Nancy's dad comes home from work and saves the day with cupcake ingredients, as he thought he was making them with Nancy for the bake sale. I thought this book was cute. It has a few bigger words in it that could be a struggle for some readers, but the words were explained in ways that the reader could better understand what they meant. The story line was simple. The illustrations were good and not too overwhelming. The only thing that I have to say negative about this book is it is listed as a beginner book, however it did not have any chapters in it. Overall I give this book 3 out of 4 stars.

The Pout Pout Fish

Title: The Pout Pout Fish
Author: Deborah Diesen
Illustrator: Dan Hanna
Publisher: Farrar Straus
ISBN: 978-0-374-36097-9

In this animal fantasy book, a fish with a pouty face is swimming around. Other sea animals have conversations with the fish about why he has a pout on his face. He says to them that he is "a pout pout fish with a pout pout face and he spreads dreary-wearies all over the place". He continues to swim around and pout until he is kissed by another fish and his pout is turned around. Rather than spreading dreary-wearies, the fish then spreads cheery-cheeries all over the place. This book is a great board book for young children. The text is almost sound like. I considered it a fantasy book because animals can not talk, and fish can not give kisses. It is a great bedtime story, I read it to my son the other night. The illustrations are also very good and colorful. I give this book 4 stars.

Police Officer Blaze!

Title: Police Officer Blaze!
Author: Mary Tillworth
Illustrator: Dave Aikins
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 978-1-9848-4940-3

Based off the TV show Blaze and the Monster Machines on Nickelodeon, this story tells the adventures of Officer Blaze and Officer Anna as they solve crimes around town using deduction. Found at my local Giant, this book also contains stickers and cards for a memory game to attract children's attention. The pages are flimsy and the quality of the book is not very good. The pages are loaded with words and some of the words would be hard to understand for a younger child. The illustrations have a lot of color and a lot going on in them. I did not think this was the best book as there was too much going on in it. I give this book 1 out of 4 stars.

I Dig

Title: I Dig
Author: Joe Cepeda
Publisher: Holiday House
ISBN: 0823439755

This decodable book is a simple story about a child's day at the beach. It does not have many words, and the words that it does have are great for a child who is just starting to read on their own. The pictures are very helpful in telling the story as well. I think this is a great book to get children started with reading. The words in it are repetitive and help to promote memorization skills to improve a new readers confidence in reading. I give this book 4 stars.

Field Trip to the Moon

Title: Field Trip to the Moon
Author: Jeanne Willis
Illustrator: John Hare
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books
ISBN: 0823442535

This wordless picture book tells the story of a class that took a field trip to the moon and a little boy who does not follow the teacher and the rest of his class and goes out on his own to explore the moon. When the class leaves, the boy is left on the moon and makes friends with some of the moon creatures.
I found the illustrations in this book to be good, however, I had a difficult time truly understanding the book through the pictures. They did not seem to make the most sense and the story line was a little difficult to follow. This book is geared more towards a child who is a bit older and has a great imagination. Overall, I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. 

The Monkey Goes Bananas

Title: The Monkey Goes Bananas
Author: C. P. Bloom
Illustrator: Peter Raymundo
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
ISBN: 1419708856

In this great wordless picture book, a monkey goes to extremes to get a banana that is across the water. With minimal words, the illustrator does a great job of getting the story line across through comical pictures. The pictures are great and very well illustrated. I found this book to be very funny and could see how a child could as well through the awesome illustrations. Overall I give this book 4 stars. I thought it was great. 

Corduroy

 Title: Corduroy
Author and Illustrator: Don Freeman
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication Date:2014
ISBN: 978-0-451-47079-9


 In this adorable board book, the author tells a story of acceptance and friendship. Corduroy does not look like the some of the other toys in the toy department, but Lisa still loves him and wants him just the way he is. I thought this was a great book to read to young children. The illustrations are great and are not too overwhelming for a young child. The words are not too big or too complicated. Overall I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. It is a great book and has always been one of my favorites since I was a child.