The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A quick read.  Dark, creepy atmosphere and topics that address some of kids' deepest fears.  BUT, at the end, I am still thinking that this was overall Stephen King's It -lite.  :/  That being said, it wasn't bad, though I never really got into it.  I think in it's place, I'd recommend Neil Gaiman's Coraline as similar & much better (doesn't seem like so much of a knock-off).  Also, it's for older readers (9? 10?).


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Misty of Chincoteague

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'd avoided this book since grade school since it was an animal book that plenty of people just knew I'd love. I probably would have too! I liked it pretty well even as a grown up. :) It's also nice to have some animal books like this intermingled with the Old Yeller's and The Red Pony's out there. A little bit about growing up - both for the young people and animals in the book, but it's not as harsh a transition/decision/lesson as in some of the other animal books out there.

Definitely recommended for kids who love horses or other books with animals, but also recommended for general readers also.

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The Cat: Or, How I Lost Eternity

The Cat: Or, How I Lost Eternity by Jutta Richter
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Enh. For one of the 1001 Children's Books to Read Before You Grow Up, I can think of a lot of others that I'd choose before this one. However, if that editor needed a certain number of books from countries other than the US or UK, then I can understand why they might be included. I just don't see that book (the 1001.... book) being translated into German anytime soon (and if it were, then the editor should have chosen better fare than this - e.g. Cornelia Funke or others).

I *might* have enjoyed it more as a kid, but I kind of doubt it. Too surreal without the charm of most fairy tales.

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Bunny Drop

Bunny Drop 1 by Yumi Unita

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I am enjoying this since it takes on a lot of grown-up issues: do parents "sacrifice" themselves to raise kids? should they? what makes a family? how should adults explain things to children like death? Probably because I have a lot of similar thoughts floating around in my mind, I find it a little comforting to have a comic story with a lot of the same issues. I don't like a lot of the novels with these topics because they're too melodramatic or the characters are too self-centered to be enjoyable.

Recommended to parents who enjoy comics/manga.



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A Child's Garden of Verses

A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I remember having read at least some of these poems as a little girl. "The Swing" and "My Shadow" were poems I remembered in particular, though whether I read this before or read those in a different collection, I can't be sure. My oldest boy (3 & a half yrs old) really enjoys the poems. His favorite thus far is "My Shadow." The illustrations in this edition are wonderful also. Very highly recommended for bedtime reading with kids of all ages. Great alternative to a lot of the comical poetry for kids and Mother Goose (though I like those also).



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