Mini Monday #53

Blackout by John Rocco

Release Date: May 24th 2011
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 40
Source: Library
Author: Website | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, "Mommm!" His sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can't work on her computer, and Dad can't finish cooking dinner. What's a family to do? When they go up to the roof to escape the heat, they find the lights--in stars that can be seen for a change--and so many neighbors it's like a block party in the sky! On the street below, people are having just as much fun--talking, rollerblading, and eating ice cream before it melts. The boy and his family enjoy being not so busy for once. They even have time to play a board game together. When the electricity is restored, everything can go back to normal . . . but not everyone likes normal. The boy switches off the lights, and out comes the board game again.

Using a combination of panels and full bleed illustrations that move from color to black-and-white and back to color, John Rocco shows that if we are willing to put our cares aside for a while, there is party potential in a summer blackout.

This was a cute story about a little boy that just wanted someone to play with but his whole family was just too busy for him. Then when the power in the entire city goes out, he gets the opportunity. They find out what fun stuff can go on in the dark. There are rooftop parties and parties on the street. That is, until the power comes back on.

This has a good moral to it. Make sure you are spending quality time with your children and don’t let electronics distract you. Both my son’s enjoyed this story. My older son actually said they had read that in school also.

The illustrations in this book are nice but I like the layout more. It is set up almost comic books style with different panels on each page. Some pages only have a couple words written on them so this was a nice quick story and I do recommend it.

On a little side note. This is a Caldecott Honor book and the writer was also the illustrator of Rick Riodan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Kane Crhonicles, and The Heroes of Olympus series.

Rating:
Thumbs up!

 

Dirtball Pete by Eileen Brennan

Release Date: August 24th, 2010
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32
Source: Library
Author: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

A hilarious read-aloud picture book for boys and girls who just can’t seem to stay clean! (And the parents who love their little dirtballs regardless.)

It’s a fact. Dirtball Pete stinks to high heaven.

His sister, Amanda, says so, and her friend Janine totally agrees. Even with a good scrubbing from his mom, Dirtball Pete usually manages to revert to his dirtball self in no time. But today is no ordinary day—it’s THE FIFTY STATES AND WHY THEY’RE GREAT! day at school, and Dirtball Pete has a speech to recite in the school play.

Will he remember his lines? Will he manage to avoid his dog’s muddy paws? Will the stink of his pet ferret, Eggroll, cling to his Pennsylvania costume? And can Dirtball Pete make his mom proud even if he is a dirtball?

Eileen Brennan’s funny picture book has a refreshingly original voice and style and a lovable new character in Dirtball Pete, who, with his unassuming, carefree ways, will charm kids and adults alike.

This book was about a very dirty boy who had a speech to recite at school. His main goal was to stay clean so everyone could see how special he was. This of course is not how the day ended up. I would say the moral to this would be not to judge people because just because they look one way on the outside doesn’t affect what kind of person they are.

The illustrations were cute and my sons enjoyed the book. My older one had actually read it right before I did so he obviously liked it if he was willing to sit through it again.

On a side note for this book. I just found out that this author passed away on July 28, 2013 at the age of 80.

Rating:
Thumbs up!