Monday, December 29, 2008

Read All About It


Read: 12/29/2008

Read All About It by Laura Bush and Jenna Bush, Illustrated by Denise Brunkus
Yes, this book is by the current First Lady and her daughter. And like most picture books by celebrities, it was not published on the strength of the story, but rather on the name recognition of the authors.
The story is about a boy who doesn't like books but one day pays attention when the teacher is reading. Then all of a sudden the characters actually come to life and visit the classroom. I just found this book to be very preachy and the teacher names were really obvious - Ms. Libro is the teacher who loves books, for example. There was also an illustration of the main character hanging upside down on the monkey bars with a small disclaimer saying don't try this. WHAT?!? Don't try to hang upside down from the monkey bars? You might as well not have monkey bars at all then!

The illustrations on the other hand, pull the book out of the reject pile. Denise Brunkus creates a great world of characters who are appealing, look like kids and represent a diverse group.

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