Chris EliopoulosRecensioni

So cute! What a great way to learn about emotions. I enjoyed seeing the various shapes and colors used to represent each emotion.

6 year old grandson loved it

Batman's secret origin is told yet again, this time in a picture book aimed at introducing the character to children. It's part of the "Stories Change the World" series -- biographies of fictional charcters -- that Brad Meltzer is spinning off from his "Ordinary People Change the World" series which pays tribute to real people.

It gets the job done well enough, but I found it off-putting how the superheroes and villains are portrayed as children throughout while regular people in Gotham City like James Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth are drawn as adults. It's a weird and disconcerting choice.

Zoe was burned on friendship before and has focused her power into science genius instead -she accidentally attracts an island full of city-eating Kaiju when she wishes for a friend. Super fun, really cute illustrations. Zoe is kind of a jerk, but she gets better.

Another great book in the series! I think it's a fantastic way to introduce children to historical figures in a fun and entertaining way!

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/BR3Q13M-EpQ

Enjoy!

I think I have read one of these shorts before from somewhere else, but the art style for these was SO CUTE and and loved the short stories.

Two friends are in the same class together. And then the giggles come. A cute and funny story about two friends who get a case of the giggles. Companion book to The Yawns Are Coming!

A funny story about sleepovers and trying to stay up. Yawns are contagious and you can't stop them from coming. This is an adorable book.

A little Black boy in a blue dinosaur/monster costume and his best friend, a little white boy in a similar green costume, are having a sleepover, and they are going to stay up all night - they have so much to do! But - oh no - the yawns are coming...and the dozes...and the snores...and the sleepies...

Eventually, the boys succumb, but they wake up bright and early with a new list of things to do.
*
Re-read (Pajama Storytime) October 2023½

The book starts out with Abrahma being a young child, reading while the other children played. Education was not readily available for the children in Indiana, but Abraham could read and write at an early age. When Abraham was 22 he moved to Illinois and got into a wresteling fight witha group of men. He saw slaves on a boat and knew it was not right. When he became President the Civil War started and he wanted the people to be free. The war ended and the people were free.

The illustrations are really really adorable, and the story is really well-done. I was more moved by this picture book about Helen Keller than anything else I've read about her!

I liked how this book was written in such a way to be explained to young children. Abraham Lincoln learned how to write before he even really went to school. He attended school for less than a year. This book did a great job of explaining Abraham Lincoln’s childhood. From the beginning his personality traits beamed, as readers we could see his determination and hard work. He gained respect from everyone. This book did a great job of presenting his character as a whole, the way the words from his famous speech at Gettysburg was presented in a perfect way. I’d use this book during a unit about Presidents or in teaching people to help people in need. I’d also use this as an example to get across Lincoln’s philosophy of “use your voice.”

I thought this was such a clever way to incorporate history in a children's book. Meltzer presents Lincoln as a true person with his own interests and opinions during the time that he lived, and applying it to common situations he would have encountered. This book was both engaging and informative and would be appropriate to teach history in a way that truly sticks with a younger audience as it creates Lincoln to be a real person rather than a historical figure.

Talk about GIRL POWER!
Here, we have a budding scientific mind trapped in the body of a little girl and while she's ace at robotics, she's striking out at making friends. That's okay though, right? I mean, who needs friends? On your own you can see whatever movies YOU like a hundred times, eat YOUR favorite foods, listen to YOUR favorite music, and persue YOUR beloved hobbies...all without having to compromise for anyone. Sounds like the perfect world...right? Yeah, about that...

Zoe is our leading lady and she's MAD SMART at all the techie stuff, I could never be. Now, I'm not shabby at running programs, and computer work, but building one? HahahahahaHA! Yeah, right. Guess what? It's child's play for her...quite literally child's play as she IS in fact a child, but the things she accomplishs are SO AMAZING! I loved her little pal B-4...from nuts to bolts, he was her companion, voice of reason, and snarky sidekick without an actual pulse...although give her the suggestion and she could probably give him one. Anywho, she and he get pulled into a MONSTER SIZED adventure after a mysterious piece of jewelry winds up on her finger, and that first monsterous surprise is only the beginning! She'll learn that getting what you wish for doesn't always work out the way you wanted, and that sometimes things happen for a reason much BIGGER than you could ever dream.

Aside from the obvious MONSTEROUSLY fun story, it has SO MUCH HEART! No, really! It wasn't just romp-em-stomp-em monsters, robotics, and saving the city....it was also color filled reminder that while we may be able to do it ourselves, we can grow, flourish, and accomplish SO MUCH MORE together. It broke my heart when our little leading lady stepped outside her box, only to be squashed in such a heartless (even if unintentional) way. I saw through Zoe's bravado, and though she was gifted, brilliant, and so many leapyears ahead of her classmates, she still needed the humbling yet heartwarming connection that true friendship brings. No man/woman is an island...an old saying, but oh so true. We all need someone, and there's no shame in that...it's what makes us human. We thrive in communities, share our strengths, overcome our weaknesses, and build a better today, while striving for tomorrow.


**copy received for review

Abraham Lincoln grew up on a farm and loved animals from a young age. One day on the farm, Abraham saw children mistreating turtles and said something to them. That was when he wrote his first essay. Although he did not go to school for long, he read all the time, and taught himself reading and writing. This book is a great informative read for children showing how Abraham Lincoln was determined throughout his life, and got to be the President.

Abraham Lincoln loved to read and cared about animals. He admired George Washington. He also believed that he would be on the penny at a young age. Abraham was passionate about ending slavery during his presidency. He gave a famous speech about how all men are created equal, and he passed a law that ended slavery in America.

Through this book, I learned that Abraham Lincoln went to school for only 1 year total. Lincoln believed his best teachers were books. He would write in the dirt and on trees in order to continue writing and learning. He believed he was going to be on the penny someday ever since his childhood. He lost 4 elections before he become President. This book is a great example that through a dream, we can achieve anything. No matter what education we come from, we will work hard for what we want.

Aww, an excellent story with kaiju (huge Japanese monsters I believe ) and an adorable, realistic main character. Also, I was happy to see a positive, drama-free portrayal of a black family and supportive marriage.

I'm an adult, but I teared up when Zoe broke down after seeing how much her parents loved each other, wishing she had a friend that cared about her like that. When I tell you, I had to fight off those ugly tears with a bat.

Overall, I recommend this story to anyone. It's relatable to anyone's that's been hurt by someone or felt lonely. The artwork's cute too. Now, the "make friends or else" theme is very much present without acknowledging it's okay to be alone sometimes too. But I get it because Zoe was alone because she was too afraid to open herself back up to people and not entirely because she just wanted too

I really liked this book. One reason I enjoyed this book was due to the point of view. The book was written from Abe Lincoln's perspective. For example, in the story I was able to learn about his young life and how it affected him when he became president when he was older. It was a nice change to hear about his perspective on issues that occurred during his time like slavery. A second reason I like the book was that it pushes readers to think about tough issues. For example, in the story, Abe Lincoln talks about why he thought slavery was unfair. This allows the reader to reason with him and think about why it was unfair and inhumane to allow slavery. Slavery is a tough issue to talk about, so reading a book is a great way to open your mind to these matters.

With the book being a biography, the level of details were very appropriate for the targeted audience. The targeted audience can be anywhere from third grade to sixth grade. The author does a great job explaining Abe Lincoln's strengths and weaknesses to an extent that the audience would understand. The book refers back to the same message throughout the entire book. Even if everything is taken from you, no one can ever steal your voice. In the story, Abe Lincoln was bullied but always used his voice to bring about change. The story made it clear that having a voice is one of the most important things given to a person.

I really disliked the first book in this series, Cosmic Commandos, because of how unpleasant the characters were. However, fortunately you don't need to read the first book to follow this second title because I really enjoyed this one!

Zoe, a robots genius, loves to watch classic monster movies and hang out with the robot she created. Her parents would like her to make some "real" friends, but the one time she tried, way back in elementary school, it was all a fake. The girl was just pretending to be her friend. Devastated, Zoe refuses to reach out again and isolates herself in her new, high-tech school for gifted kids. Her parents are busy with her triplet brothers and Zoe is all alone, just the way she wants it. But one day, frustrated by her parents and teachers trying to urge her to make friends and secretly lonely, she picks up a ring, wishes the monsters in her movies were real and that night, in the midst of a storm... a real kaiju (monster) shows up at her window! She's finally got a friend, exactly the one she wanted.

But things get complicated fast - her new friend Chomp has got family and friends of his own and they're very, very hungry. Can Zoe save the city and her friend on her own? And if she can't, will she be willing to not only ask for help but also trust other people and kids?

Zoe, a short black girl with a riot of black curls, stomps through the story in her signature blue overalls and goggles. She would like to have friends, but is too scared to reach out and determined to do everything on her own, without the help of well-meaning adults and the kids she doesn't trust to be sincere in wanting to spend time with her. Her parents are worried about her, but exhausted and preoccupied dealing with rambunctious toddler triplets, shown exuberantly flinging food, dashing through the house naked, and generally created chaos. It's refreshing to see a black girl who is not only interested in but excels in science and technology. Zoe doesn't need a helpful (white) friend to teach her social skills; she's got a kaiju monster and a disaster on her hands that forces her to befriend some of the other kids in school who have already learned to work together; she eventually teams up with her teachers, Mr. Nakajima and Ms. Mahnken, and four kids from school, two white boys and a dark-skinned boy and girl. But in the end, she might need even more help - from her parents?

Verdict: This is full of monsters, robots, exciting action, lots of color, a nice environmental twist, and some heart-felt moments of learning to ask for help and open up to friends, even when it might be scary or painful. Sure to be a hit with HiLo fans and kids who love monsters and robots.

ISBN: 9780735231245; Published 2018 by Dial/Penguin; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Dear authors: Graphic novels for kids do not have to be blatantly message-y. It's okay for them to be just for fun sometimes. This should have been one of those times.