Thursday, October 15, 2009

National Grouch Day

On October 15, honor a grouch! All grouches deserve a day to be recognized!
-The Teacher's Calendar, 2008-2009

An unexpected trip to the hospital with my Grandma prevented this post from going up earlier today as planned, so I'll do a quick post now and hope that my lack of words is still worthy of you at least considering checking out these wonderful book! For some reason, whenever I say no, people suddenly jump to the conclusion that I'm being a grouch or that something is wrong with me, because of this, I've chose to feature two books about "no" as answer - they're perfect to help celebrate National Grouch Day!

Lee, Sally O.
No, Never!
June 2009.
Lee Publishing.
Source: Provided as a review copy by author

Summary:

Daisy the Dalmation is a finicky dog! For everything she's asked, the answer is no! However, a little chat has Daisy realizing that in order to accomplish her dreams, she must be willing to try new things, and even partake in activities she's not always encouraged about!

I think this book is perfect for a classroom and as a read-aloud! The lesson learned is a very important one, and children will be learning it in a fun way, through the eyes of Daisy! The bright, colorful illustrations only help to draw children's attention to the book, really allowing them to focus on the book and not getting easily distracted! Definitely worthy of sharing!

Gantos, Jack.
The Nine Lives of Rotten Ralph.
April 2009.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Source: Review copy provided courtesy of publisher

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

Poor Rotten Ralph. His health just isn’t what it used to be. Thanks to his rotten ways, he’s down to the very last of his nine lives! “One more slip and he’ll be gone forever,” warns the vet. Sarah, Ralph’s doting owner, is fiercely determined to keep her cat safe. But how much coddling can Ralph take before he has to do something totally and utterly rotten? In this ninth tale about the most delightfully disobedient cat in town, being naughty has never looked so good to Rotten Ralph. But then again, after a hard day’s rotten work, neither does the warmth and safety of Sarah’s lap!

Rotten Ralph is definitely a rotten cat... and sometimes his rotten-ness leads us to believe he just may be a grouch! That being said, The Nine Lives of Rotten Ralph is a perfect read to celebrate National Grouch Day! Previous to this book, the only one in the Rotten Ralph series that I was familiar with was Rotten Ralph's Trick or Treat. However, there's tons of them, and kids are sure to love them... and best of all, they don't necessarily need to be read in any order, so pick them up from the library as they're available and enjoy sharing these with your child(ren)!

Other Books in the Rotten Ralph series:
Warburton, Tom.
1000 Times No.
April 2009.
HarperCollins Publishers.
Source: Received from Friend who passed along review copy from publisher

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

It's time to leave says Noah's mother, but Noah doesn't want to. "No!" he shouts. But he doesn't stop there. He tells her no in Latin, Dutch, Japanese, Tagalog, even in Robot! Mr. Warburton, creator of Cartoon Network's Codename: Kids Next Door, outdoes himself in this hilarious celebration of every toddler's favorite word.

This book definitely does celebrate every toddler's favorite word - no! And a lot of times, when we hear this word, we think of misbehaving children... and sometimes, that just means (or leads to) a grouch... making it an appropriate book to share for National Grouch Day. However, I could see this book as a valuable teaching tool to introduce children to languages other than their own! Definitely a great book to have on the shelves!

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com.
Posted by at 10:00 AM
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