KEL GILLIGAN'S DAREDEVIL STUNT SHOW

Author (last name first):

Buckley, Michael
Publisher,Date of Publication: 
Abrams Books for Young Readers/ September 1, 2012

Grade Level/ or Age Level:  

Kindergarten- 3rd Grade
Classification: 
Fiction 

Preschoolers everywhere can relate to the steely bravery, sheer willpower and steady determination it often takes to overcome the staggering obstacles a day can bring. Kel Gilligan is "the boy without fear." He can do remarkable things all by himself: eat broccoli, face "the Potty of Doom," get dressed, keep busy while Mom "finishes her conversation… / UNINTERRUPTED!!," take "a bath with one helper," and "go to bed without checking the room for monsters." Word bubbles bear exaggerated declarations from Kel and equally hilarious reactions from Kel's relatives. Grandma always claps, while the others exclaim in awed disbelief when the stunt is accomplished. Santat depicts these extraordinary feats with illustrations that have a retro comic-book look. Kel is portrayed frequently with an expressive forehead. He talks rough and looks even tougher…except when his nerves are tested. Whether he is in underpants, in his caped stuntman outfit or bare-bottomed, young readers cannot help but laugh out loud at the side-splitting details of Kel's silly adventures because they attempt them daily and know them all too well. There is an AR test available for this book as well. 

Reviewed By: Lila Davis (Night Circulation Manager in Midwestern State University's Moffett Library) 

 

ANNIE AND HELEN

 







Author (last name first):

Hopkinson, Deborah
Publisher,Date of Publication: 
Schwartz & Wade/September 11, 2012

Grade Level/ or Age Level:  

Kindergarten- 3rd Grade
Classification: 
Non-Fiction 

This book is a clear, simple story that revives a compelling story of perseverance and triumph for the duo: Anne Sullivan and her remarkable student, Helen Keller. The tale is virtually the stuff of legend: how the young teacher, herself partially blinded, finds a way out of the darkness for a willful blind and deaf girl whose early childhood was spent mostly without access to language. Hopkinson's likable account for young listeners and primary-grade readers is drawn from Keller's The Story of My Life. Appealing and dramatic anecdotes convey the breathtaking success that Anne and Helen achieved in a few short months, from Helen's first word in the spring to her first letter later that summer. Hopkinson neatly explains the difference between sign language and the finger spelling to facilitate Anne’s method used to talk to Helen, describing Anne's willpower to engross Helen in language "the way people talk into a baby's ears." Colón's soft, pastel watercolors create a feeling of tranquility. There are brilliant photographs of Helen Keller as a child and young adult, four of them with Anne, grace the insides of the book. There is a AR test available for the book as well. This would be an excellent book to use for biography series lesson. 

Reviewed By: Lila Davis (Night Circulation Manager in Midwestern State University's Moffett Library)