Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

A grandmother, named Babushka, helps her granddaughter be less frightful of the approaching thunderstorm by making a special cake. The storm come and the girl forgets how frightened she was because she is enjoying the Thunder cake they have prepared. I love the illustrations in this books because the illustrator used bright folk-art to bring the story alive. This story is very easy for people to relate to. I think there are many people who have been scared during a thunderstorm. This book is very interesting to me because it is told in first person point of view by the little girl who scared. I think this is a good aspect because it lets the reader see the girls point of view and it makes it easier to relate to he fear. I also enjoyed the relationship between the girl and her grandmother, they were two very neat characters.

P.S. Longer Letter Later By Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin

This is a great book about two girls, Tara Starr and Elizabeth who are very different people, but they are great friends. Tara loves glitter and sequins and she loves to be the center of everything. Elizabeth is the opposite. She is very quiet and shy. Tara moves away. but that does not break up their friendship. The girl write letters back and forth to keep each other updated on what is going on in their life. I think that this is a fantastic book. I love who the whole book consists of all of the letter that the girls wrote back and forth. I thought it was really neat how you can tell which girl is writing the letter before you even get to their signature because of their personality. There girls' personal ties are so different and that really comes though in all of their letters. I like how the idea of power of friendship really come through in this book. Even though the girls are miles apart that does not stop them from being the best of friends and telling each other all of the same things that they would if they saw each other every day. Even though the books is made of a series of letters the book is still very interesting. There were many times while I was reading the book where I could relate to what one of the girls was saying and could have easily written a letter back to them. This is a somewhat complex story that I really enjoyed!

Frog and Toad Are Fiends By: Arnold Lobel

Through there ups and downs frog and toad Frog and Toad have been there for one another. With the ability to cheer each other up they become best friends.When I was in fourth grade I had best friends who I was always with. Frog and Toad books were very popular at this time, so our teacher always called us Frog and Toad because we were best friends just like they are. When I a found out that we were Reading seres books I wanted to read a Frog and Toad book to see if there was a specific reason why our teachers called us that. I did not find any connections except for the fact that we were always there for one another just like Frog and Toad. To be honest I think this book has its highs and lows. There are parts of the book that are very funny to me and make me want to continue reading. There are other parts that seem to drag on and on. I know that this is an older book, so I am having a hard time not comparing it to children's books of today. The illustrations are not that great. The same bland colors are used over and over. The illustrations do go along with the plot, but they are not very exciting. This may also be due to the timer period in which the book was written and illustrated.

The Berenstain Bears' New Neighbors By: Stan and Jan Berenstain

The Berenstain Bears books series have always been my all time favorite books. On the back of every Benenstain Bears book cover there is a picture of all of the books in the series. When I wan younger I wanted to own every single book that they showed on the back cover. I really like how there are two boy bears and two girl bears because each sets of genders have thier own perspective about life. When I read this book I realized for the first time that the bears live in a tree. I think that is so humours. I think that it is such a cute idea to have them live in a tree. I like how how bother and sister bead do everything that a human child would do like play soccer and hump rope. Although, there are many characteristics that the bears possess that are very human like there are still a few things in the story that signify them as bears, like them eating honey and giving honey to the neighbors. I think the mix between the bear and human characteristics adds a nice twist to the story. I think that I have officially now read all ofthe Berenstain Bear books and would read them all again in a hear beat.

Rainbow Fish To The Rescue By: Marcus Pfister

I am going to completely honest. When I was little I was always drawn to the Rainbow Fish books because of the Sparkly stuff on the cover and on the inside of the book. Now that I am an adult, I still find myself drawn to the sparkles, In the Rainbow Fish book Rainbow Fish plays the hero and saves a little fish who is lacing a shiny scale while risking his and life and the chance that he might lose his new friends. The idea of putting shiny sparkles on every page is a very cool idea. It really adds to the book and plays in very well with the story. I know that they are fish, and in real life a fish does not have facial expressions, but I think that changing the facial expressions on the fish faces would really enhance the book. I love the detail that is added to the illustrations. The conversations between the fish are easy to follow and help the story blend very well. Now that I am aware that The Rainbow Fish has turned into a series of books I cannot wait to read more of them!

If You Give A Moose A Muffin By: Felicia Bond

These series of books about giving an animal one object will lead to something else has always intrigues me. The books series began with If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, which I read and loved. As soon as I found out that there were more books about other animals I was thrilled. The curiosity of the book continues to roll on through out the entire story. One things lead to another, and it seems like the story will never end. This particular book is very creative and humorous. I really enjoy how the moose is always busy and keeping the the little boy busy. I feel like the moose has a unique personality that is very well explained through the text and the illustrations of the story. This book is very catchy. It is a book that I could read over and and over again and it would not get old.

The Magic School Bus: Inside the Earth By: Bruce Dregen

I have always really enjoyed the Magic Schools bus book series. This book is full of valuable information for children and adults. This book was designed to teach about the different layers of the earth and the different kinds of rocks that are found. I think the book does a very good job of meeting that purpose. I like how all of the information is given in a very creative, getting the reader interested in the topic. The illustrations fit perfectly with the text. I like how when I read the book I can easily imagine the events in my head like I am watching them on a movie screen. The characters seemed to really come to life for me from the very beginning of the book. I have read a few Magic School Bus books, and just like all of them rest of them I really enjoyed this book!