Lindsey C - first book review

Shannon, David. Alice the Fairy. Sterling Heights: The Blue Sky Press, 2004. Print.

This is an adorable book about a little girl named Alice who pretends she is just a temporary fairy. She has a huge imagination that shows us all of her magic tricks. Although some of her tricks may not always work (because she is not a permanent fairy of course), she continues to use her imagination and do the best tricks she knows how. This book was a great read and I really enjoyed it because it shows children how to use their imagination. The book incorporated Alice’s parents, inanimate objects, and outdoor objects. For example, who wouldn’t want to turn bath time into a tub full of jell-o? Or how about changing your father into a horse? She mentions at the end that she thinks she will be a temporary fairy forever, which I think is a good message for children showing that they can always use their imagination and should not be afraid to use it! I think that a fun class activity to use with this book could be to ask the class to share what they do with their imagination and maybe even do a show and tell!




Shannon, David. Good Boy, Fergus!. New York: The Blue Sky Press, 2006. Print.

Good Boy, Fergus! is a fantastic book about the love and hassles a pet puppy can present in a home. Fergus did not listen for the majority of the time, but puppies usually are just so cute and cuddly that they win your heart anyway. I feel that this is a great story for children to read and see the pros and cons for having a pet. If they do not already have a pet then they get to visualize the responsibilities that they may have when getting a pet such as walking, feeding, cleaning, and training the animal. If a child does have a pet, then this book can be a great way for a child to compare stories and relate to. In a classroom, a good class activity could be to read this book and have the children share stories about their own pet, or if they do not have one, then have them share a pet they would like to have and what they would name it.




Shannon, David. No, David!. Sterling Heights: The Blue Sky Press, 1998. Print.

David was a bit of a rebellious child who never listened when his mother said “no”. He was sad after receiving his punishment for being bad, but after his mother hugged him and reassured her love for him he felt much better. David, like many children, do not know when enough is enough. They tend to try and push the limits as far as their parents allow them until they get punished. This book is a great way to show that although you may be sent to your room or put in the corner, your parents still love you and are just looking out for your best interest. Also, if you do what you are told the first time, such as not playing ball in the house, then it will be less likely that you would get punished. Therefore, this book is great for teaching children to listen and obey their parents and to stay out of trouble. To communicate with the students in a classroom, you can show them pictures of certain scenarios of children behaving good and badly and have them discuss the differences as well as the positive aspects of doing good things.




Shannon, David. The Rain Came Down. Sterling Heights: The Blue Sky Press, 2000. Print.

This book shows a fantastic example of a pyramid effect on a bad, rainy day. Once one thing went bad it affected not only that person, but the rest of the neighborhood as well. Things kept falling a part until all of a sudden… a beautiful rainbow shines in the sky and people finally realize that things are not so bad after all. I believe that this book could be a great example of how if you are having a bad day or are not in a good mood, then it can greatly affect other people as well. Children should know that although something may not be going as planned, that they can still be optimistic and find the “rainbow” in any situation. For a classroom activity, a teacher could have the students draw pictures showing a bad day that they have had. Next, the teacher could allow the students to share their pictures and tell their own story of their own bad day and how it could have turned good.



Shannon, David. Too Many Toys. New York: The Blue Sky Press, 2008. Print.

Poor Spencer had to do one thing that many children have trouble with… giving away his toys! Not all of them of course, but he struggled and argued with his mom about each toy until he finally gave some up or else his mom threatened to take away his television privileges. Once he did give up some of his toys, he found one NEW toy that he just had to have which was the box that contained all his old toys (so naturally he left them on the floor). I feel that many children can relate to Spencer mostly because each child goes through a stage where they must give away certain things. Many children are not okay with throwing out old toys or getting rid of their blanky; however, when getting rid of the old things in life you generally can get something new or different from it (such as Spencer’s new box)! For this story, a teacher could have students do a show and tell with their favorite toy or even possibly tell them to create their own toy like Spencer did with his box.