The Late Bloomer's Book Blog: siblings

Showing posts with label siblings. Show all posts

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Brobarians by Lindsay Ward

Brobarians
by Lindsay Ward
Published March 28, 2017
Two Lions
40 Pages
Hardcover
Fiction Picture Book
Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary

This is the tale of the mighty Brobarians. Two warriors, once at peace…now at odds.

Iggy the Brobarian has taken over the land. Can Otto the Big Brobarian win it back? Or maybe, with a little help, the two brothers can find peace again…

This is an epic—and adorable—story of sibling rivalry and resolution.

My Thoughts

This engaging book shows the power and fun of two small siblings with big imaginations. The dramatic prose tells of an epic tale while the childlike illustrations offer adorable juxtapostion. It would be very fun to read the text to students first before showing them the illustrations to see what they picture.

Young readers are exposed to rich vocabulary such as: counsel, plundered, conquered, colossal, seized, mischief, and many more throughout the story.

The creative illustrations are not to be outdone by the inventive text. I loved looking at the pictures that were rendered in cut paper, pencil, crayon on chipboard (according to the front pages). I know my 4th graders will really enjoy looking closely at each page. You can see the pencil marks in the drawings and each pages has a wonderful blend of overlapping textures. The end pages feature a backyard map that I would swear was drawn by a 5 year-old if I didn't know better.

I would recommend Brobarians for ages 3-8, but it would also make a great mentor text for older elementary students.

See what others have to say about Brobarians:

Publishers Weekly

Kirkus

About Lindsay Ward

Lindsay Ward would never have written this book if she hadn't stayed up late one night watching Conan the Barbarian. She finds the idea of baby barbarians to be very funny . . . and hopes you do too. Lindsay's recent books include Rosco vs. the Baby and The Importance of Being 3. Most days you can find her writing and sketching at home in Ohio with her family. Learn more about her at www.lindsaymward.com or on Twitter: @lindsaymward.

I would like to thank Two Lions and Blue Slip Media for providing a giveaway of this book.

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Thursday, June 4, 2015

A Review of Rodeo Red

Rodeo Red
by Maripat Perkins
Illustrated by Molly Idle
Published March, 2015
by Peachtree Publishers
Fiction Picture Book
32 Pages
Review copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Summary
Rodeo Red and her hound dog Rusty are happier than two buttons on a new shirt 'til Side Swiping Slim shows up. Red's sure anyone who hollers that much'll be hauled to the edge of town and told to skedaddle, but her parents are smitten. When Slim sets his eye on Rusty, Red'd better figure out a way to save her best friend in all the world. Can she bargain with a varmint?

My Thoughts

I did not know what this book was about before reading it. I thought it was just about a little girl who liked to pretend she was a cowgirl. Well, it is about a little cowgirl, but so much more. I have read many books about the arrival of a new baby, but this one is different. Red tells the story of the arrival of her new baby brother, whom she calls Side Swiping Slim, in an adorably hilarious way. This quote says a lot, "Slim laid low for a while, but gradually he started moving into my territory." When Slim starts getting into Red's belongings and starts sleeping with her beloved stuffed dog Rusty, Red is forced to take desperate measures to get Rusty back.

I love everything about this book. Many children will relate to Red's story of the arrival of a new sibling and will laugh at how Red handles this new change. But it is a great read aloud for all children regardless of their sibling situation. It is filled with interesting vocabulary like cantakerous, skedaddle, gibberish and lickety-split. With sentences such as, "But that scallywag talked nothing but gibberish. He just moseyed back into my ranch like he owned the place", this book begs to be read aloud in your best cowgirl accent. The illustrations are done by the amazing Molly Idle and have her signature adorable characters with a softness that makes Rodeo Red all the more lovable. I highly recommend Rodeo Red for young readers Pre-K-2.