Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I Don't) - Barbara Bottner

Illustrated by Michael Emberley
Alfred A. Knopf, 2010
$17.99
24 pages
Rating: 4
Endpapers - Vertical 3/4" plum and green stripes

Miss Brooks is a librarian that will do anything in her power to interest kids in books. She particularly loves to dress up as the characters when she introduces one. The protagonist, an unnamed first grade girls, just doesn't understand it. She certainly can't find any books that she loves like Miss Brooks does!

And then, horror or horrors, during "book week," the girls had to dress up and share her favorite story. She's fit-to-be-tied. There's no favorite story to dress up as. She reads and reads -- and then reads some more. And then she finds it! A book she loves! She can dress as a "stubborn, smelly, snorty ogre" --- Shrek! Yay!

The illustrations are terrific. the two protagonists are funky and fun. Miss Brooks has a Ms. Frizzle craziness to her and our protagonist's messy hair protrucing from her striped knit hat and her specs are adorable.

The pages are almost too glossy and seem to have a musty, moldy smell to them. Sort of unpleasant, like it's the survivor of a flood....and it's brand new, still in the store!

Otherwise, cool book.

The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School - Laurie Halse Anderson

Illustrated by Ard Hoyt
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2009
$16.99
Rating: 5
For: ages 4-8
PERFECT for first grade
Endpapers: Bright purple

"Zoe Fleefenbacher had one blue eye and one green eye and bright red hair that went on...forever."

Zoe's hair had a life of its own, and everyone lived happily with that, right through kindergarten. But first grade was another matter. Ms. Trisk didn't fool around, and couldn't stand Zoe's hair doing what it wanted. "School ha rules!" she insisted. The hair must be tamed. They tried. They really did. But when all the scrunchies, barrettes, pins, and holders exploted from her hair during science, everyone discovered how helpful and handy Zoe's hair could be.

A happy ending (of course): "Zoe Fleefenbacher had one blue eye and one green eye and handy, helpful, amazing hair...that found a place in first grade.

Great font.
Illustrations are pen and ink with watercolors. Beautifully curling, twirling; bountifully floating, cuddling; orange-red hair!