✰✰✰✰½ Two little bunnies visit their Grandma and Grandpa to celebrate Passover. There is much to learn as the little ones help fill the Seder plate. They sample the parsley, Grandma's special charoset, and even try the horseradish. After dinner, it's time to find the afikomen. Then they open the door for the prophet Elijah. Will he drink any wine? The little ones wait and watch as they learn about the best parts of the holiday.
The Bottom Line: The sweet tale of a family celebrating Passover will appeal to little ones and their parents. It's also a great introduction to the holiday for people of other faiths who want to learn about the Jewish holiday. Watercolor illustrations in vibrant, seasonal tones add to the appeal of this picture book. Highly recommended for storytime or bedtime reading for little ones in PreK - Grade 1. As a bonus, the book includes a recipe for Grandma's Charoset. Yum!
Details: Hoppy Passover! written by Linda Glaser & illustrated by Daniel Howarth. Hardcover picture book published by Albert Whitman & Company in 2011. 24 p. ISBN: 978-0-8075-3380-2
✰✰✰ In preparation for St. Patrick's Day, two children decorate the house and set traps for the tricky leprechaun. With streamers, shamrocks, and plenty of shiny things, how can the leprechaun resist? The next morning at breakfast, there's a loud clatter. The traps have worked! It seems like the little leprechaun has met his match and must reveal the location of his gold. However, as the kids soon learn, the leprechaun always gets the last laugh.
The Bottom Line: This is a cute St. Patrick's Day take on the classic Christmas poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Recommended for storytime for kids ages 3 - 6.
Details: The Night Before St. Patrick's Day written by Natasha Wing & illustrated by Amy Wummer. Hardcover picture book published by Grosset & Dunlap in 2009. 32 p. ISBN: 978-0-448-44852-7
✰✰✰✰ When the storm of the century hit, the Andrea Gail was on its way home with a boatload of fish. Unfortunately, the Andrea Gail was in the wrong place at the wrong time as every single factor precipitating this situation had to come together perfectly. The Perfect Storm takes the reader to the very center of the storm with waves over 100 feet high. We meet the crew through their family and friends and learn about dangers of the fishing industry. While we'll never know exactly what happened aboard the Andrea Gail, Junger made every effort to craft an authentic and engaging read.
The Bottom Line: Survival stories are a popular topic and this book definitely keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. It's a fast-paced read with lots of information. Highly recommended for fans of adventure, survival, suspense, and tragedy.
Book Club Notes: This book was the topic of a brand new book club featuring nonfiction books and the films based on those books. Club members can either read the book, watch the film, or both. It was fascinating to note the differences between the two formats, and surprisingly every member chose to read the book. About half of us watched the film as well, and we noted the addition of a character (Irene) in the film. The average rating for this book/film was 4.25 out of 5. Most of us really enjoyed the book even though it's been out for around twenty years.
Our discussion focused on the fishing industry, which most of us knew little about. We also discussed the weather and the rescue efforts. Additionally, we discussed how the author crafted this book by using accounts from people who had been in similar situations to those he was writing about. We also took the time to compare/contrast the book to the movie. Those of us who had both read the book and watched the film thought the movie adaptation was very well done. This book is highly recommended for book clubs.
Discussion questions can be found at Reading Group Guides. Finally, we also discussed some movie trivia, which can be found here.
Details: The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger. Paperback published by W. W. Norton & Co. in 2009. 233 p. ISBN: 978-0-393-33701-3
