The Cow Loves Cookies

I knew I had to read this book as soon as I heard the title. Cookies? Cow? I'm there! Especially with Karma Wilson as the author - I love her books about Bear and his friends.

Oh happy day! I loved The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson and plan to use it with the little ones in a few weeks when our theme is cookies. It would also be a great Joliet Reads choice for preschoolers and kindergarteners.

Hmmmm. I can't imagine where I got this idea, but maybe I should bake cookies when I get home. Cookies and milk. Yum!

The Magnificent 12: The Call

I was really looking forward to reading The Call by Michael Grant. I had read positive things in a blog (must be more critical about which blogs I read) and was psyched.

I enjoyed the first fifty pages, and told others good things based on the book's beginning.

I can't remember when my attitude about the book changed, but I lost enthusiasm sometime before page 100 and had to force myself to finish the book. (In retrospect, I probably should have abandoned it.)

I'm not sure why my feelings about it changed. It might have been the alternating chapters between present and ancient past or the humor that didn't make me laugh (or smile). Hard to say....

Clever Jack Takes the Cake

I just read Clever Jack Takes the Cake by Candace Fleming.

I think this picture book would be an excellent choice for students in grades 1-3.

In an interesting twist on other traditional Clever Jack tales, this Jack really IS clever. He makes smart trades to acquire the ingredients needed to bake a cake for the princess. He then demonstrates resilience and creative thinking when he is forced to give away parts of the birthday cake to blackbirds, a troll and others.