Saw this book on a list somewhere and I’m glad I did because it’s REALLY fun.
Title: Edwin Speaks Up
Published by: Schwartz and Wade Books, 2011
Written by: April Stevens
Illustrated by: Sophie Blackall.
In one word: Babbley-fun!
In one sentence: With five children, Mrs. Finnemore is a little distracted, and is always losing her things…if only she’d listen to baby Edwin’s babbling, she may get some help!
Favorite pages:
Likes:
- The idea of this story is really fun. I think if a child reading it had a younger brother or sister, they’d start listening closely to what they had to say!
- The illustrations are amazing….I LOVE Sophie Blackall.
- FIve children and they’re doing something rambunctious in every picture.
- I love the resolution of the story too.
- Some pages have some variations on how the illustrations are laid out.
- The soft watercolors keep the story feeling very sweet.
- Little Edwin, in his babbling, says “poop” a bit!
- Parents or readers will have to get a little silly reading Edwin’s babbling.
Learns:
- Babies can be the main character and can save the day!
- Fun dialogue in a book can be funny for the listener and the reader!
- Ferrets can be adorable in the hands of the right illustrator!
Wow.
Can you believe it’s day 19 already?
I feel like I’ve read so many picture books!
The book I’m doing tomorrow will the one that someone will WIN on Saturday!
Make sure you get those comments in!
And more little idea books will be given away too.
Sorry to Marcie and Donna that they haven’t made it to you yet; work got a bit busy but this weekend
I’m going to start carving and stamping and sending!
Happy Friday everyone!
Bookshelf:
And, still enthusiastically yours,
KE and Singe Singe
What a fun concept for a book. I hadn’t heard of EDWIN SPEAKS UP, but I want to check it out. And I, too, LOVE Sophie Blackall. I met her last year at the SCBWI conference in NYC. So talented. In fact, one of her fab prints is displayed by the MTA on some subway trains right now. Go, Sophie! She lives in Brooklyn like me!
Today I read I’LL SAVE YOU BOBO by Eileen and Marc Rosenthal. This is a follow-up to the debut I MUST HAVE BOBO. I was originally drawn to this because it is about a little boy and his favorite buddy, a sock monkey. I, too, have a sock monkey that I adore. Just like Singe Singe! 🙂
I met Eileen and Marc in the Spring at an event at Books of Wonder (the exclusively children’s book store) in NYC. Such a talented couple.
They were promoting this second Bobo book, which I bought and got signed by the two of them.
In this book, Willy wants to write a storybook starring Bobo—and act out revenge fantasies on Earl, the cat—but Earl keeps wrecking the story (hence the desire to act out revenge fantasies!). Quit it, Earl…and stop stealing Bobo!
Fun characters! Adorable drawings! Fun adventure!
I’ll have to check this one out, Marcie!
And hooray for humans and sock monkey co-existing!
Perhaps there can be a meeting of the sock monkey minds when you come to the SCBWI LA conference? Singe Singe is kind of a well known guy there 🙂
Also, awesome you got the meet the pair that wrote the book…
and a cat wrecking a story….
awesome!
I too LOVE Sophie Blackall. Have you read “Missed Connections?”
It’s an adult book…she illustrates those Missed Connections ads on Craigslist!
Happy Friday to you, Kathy! Your book choice looks like lots of fun…’out of the mouth of babes’ they say. 🙂
Today I read ‘Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs” by Mo Willems. This is another of those ‘fractured fairy tales’ which have become so popular with publishers these days. The jury (that means me) is still out on this one. Is this really a story for kids? The hungry dinosaurs set a trap for Goldilocks because they want to eat a girl who is filled up with chocolate pudding. Yikes! The humor strikes me as the ‘tongue in cheek’ variety, more suitable for adults. The illustrations are definitely Mo Willems…the mc looks a lot like the little girl in the Knufflebunny books. I know that Mr. Willems has won many Caldecott and other awards…and maybe kids love this book…but I’m glad I got my copy from the library. 🙂
It’s awesome that we read the same book, Vivian.
Like I said, I agree with this, but still really like the book too.
I think, when reading it to children, sometimes you have to explain some things….I found myself asking a lot of questions while reading it to a friend’s child the other day…
“Who do you think left that ladder?”
“What do you think the dinosaurs want?”
It is hard to say one thing and show another and have it work out well just because children are pretty literal and may not get it right away…thanks for your take on it!
Today I read BEAR HAS A STORY TO TELL by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead. This book has such a lovely quiet sound and beautiful pictures. I bet it would make for a great bedtime book.
Priscilla, I’ve seen this book at the store and I REALLY want it. I’ve heard it’s really good…maybe I’ll have to go read it at the bookstore!
Your book today sounds like such fun, Kathy Ellen!
I read “Albert” by Donna Jo Napoli. You’ve been talking about authors you’ve met at conferences, and when I saw a book in the library by someone I heard in a breakout session at SCBWI LA (her constant question “how can you make it worse?” rings in my ears every time I’m writing and trying to raise the stakes for the mc), and especially since I’d never read any of her books, I brought Albert home.
It was published in 2001, which likely makes some of the difference with this book — there are 113 words on the first page alone! And the protagonist is an adult, but a child-like adult. It is a delightfully odd story, and the illustrations are lovely, soft and gentle. I hope kids would be willing to sit through the longer text and the slightly odd story, because it’s worth it.
Wow…longer word count and a slightly longer story sounds great! I’ll have to look into this one…which year were you at SCBWI LA?
I like the “how can you make it worse?” advice too!
I was at SCBWI LA in 2011. It was my first ever writers’ conference!
Today I read “Red Truck” by Kersten Hamilton, a fun-rhyming boy book about a red tow truck who helps a stuck school bus. Vibrant yet simple illustrations great for young eyes!
Your book has a great premise. I can just imagine the fiasco of having 5 kids!
This sounds adorable, Tina!
I know many little boys LOVE trucks…I’ll have to give this one a look!
Today we read HOGULA by Jean Gralley. Another book from our stash of Halloween books. I remembered that I didn’t like this book last year, and I was hoping another read would help. Unfortunately, I could relate to this book. Shucks 🙁
Interesting, Eric.
Don’t you hate when you’re disappointed by books?
I’ll give it a look when I get a chance.
Hi Kathy!
I’ve read Edwin Speaks Up before and thought it was a cute story. Funny how he sees things that the grownups overlook!
Today I read Porkenstein by Kathryn Lasky and illustrated by David Jarvis. This book is also one of those fractured fairy tales with a Halloween twist. Dr. Smart Pig was lonely after the wolf ate his two other brothers so he decided to make a piggy friend for Halloween. This piggy scientist tries and tries to get the formula right but first he adds too much salt and ends up with a pig fish. Next he tries a little less salt and ends up with a pig bat. One more time (with just a bit of sugar thrown in) and Dr. Smart Pig finally creates the perfect porker companion…except for one small problem. Porkenstein has a huge sweet tooth and starts eating everything in sight! What’s a piggy to do? And how will he keep the big bad wolf from getting him this Halloween?
I giggled when I read this story. So cute with such lively and colorful illustrations. David Jarvis sure knows how to show a lot of action on each page without confusing younger readers. I read this one to my students (ages 5 to 11) and they all enjoyed it!
Donna L Martin
http://www.donnalmartin.com
http://www.donasdays.blogspot.com
Keep the fractured Fairy Tales coming, Donna!
This sounds like fun, and any book that can get you giggling is a sure fire winner!