Review: Hooray for the Golly Sisters

By Betsy Byars; Illustrated by Sue Truesdell

HarperCollins; 1990; 64 pages

Easy Reader; Short Chapter; Series

Grades: K-2

ISBN: 0-06-020899-6

May-May and Rose continue in their quest to become vaudeville stars in the Wild, Wild, West.

My Thoughts:
I had not realized that there were additional installments of the Golly Sisters series. My sister and I had the first one when we were younger. We enjoyed them because the sisters were blonde and brunette (like us), and May-May was similar to our last name. (Also, Golly was a word that we were not allowed to say as children, so we felt like we were being naughty whenever we read it.) When I came across this second volume, I immediately picked it up. I think that, as far as easy readers go, it is a great book. Is it great literature? No. Is it very interesting to me as a 25 year old? No. Would I recommend it to a 6 year old who is just starting to read independently? Absolutely.

The text was clearly laid out, with a limited number of words per page. It would not be overwhelming to young readers. The book contains multiple stories to give readers the feel of chapters without actually using a chapter system. Also, the vocabulary was limited, with many words being repeated multiple times throughout the work to build up recognition and confidence. I appreciated the amount of dialog that was present. Many easy readers seem to be more expository. The conversations help move the story along, but also teach kids to recognize the punctuation cues and learn to follow dialog. The pictures do a good job of illustrating the story, and help decode the text. As is important with easy readers though, the pictures on their own do not tell the story. The text has to be read in conjunction to understand what is going on. This may be an older book, but it still holds up!

The Thoughts of Others:
Sharron McElmeel, for School Library Journal, pointed out that the "varying levels of humor make the title appealing to slightly older, less able readers as well." This is important because some older readers are embarassed to be seen reading easy read books. The faux chapter system and subject matter will encourage them.

Kirkus Reviews 1990 look at the book extolled the illustrations over the text. They felt that "Truesdell's zany characterizations and lively humor almost steal the show."

Review: Don't Say That Word

By Alan Katz; Illustrated by David Catrow

Margaret K. McElderberry Books; 2007; 40 pages

Picture Book; Rhyming Text

Grades: Preschool - 3rd

ISBN: 978-0-689-86971-6

Michael tells his mom about the exciting events that happened at school, while she steers him away from using offensive or crude language.

My Thoughts:
Aside from the fact that I have never met a David Catrow book that I didn't like, this is a great book, especially for boys. The text follows Michael, in rhyme, as he tells his mother about his day at school. At the end of each stanza, the rhyme scheme leads kids toward the inevitable crude word, which is never actually printed. Instead of the word, Michael's mother interrupts with the title refrain: Don't Say That Word! This format is turned on its head at the end of the book, when Michael interrupts his mother. The illustrations, brilliantly executed as always, also help lead little readers/hearers toward the appropriate "bad" word. (For example, in the stanza about boogers, Michael is picking his nose, while in the stanza about passing gas, little bubbles are popping in the bathtub.)

This is a great book for storytime...as long as you are familiar enough with the children and parents to be sure that they won't be offended. I read it aloud to the children of some friends. The little boy shouted the bad word every time, while his sister shouted the mother's refrain. I should note that some of the words in the book are not appropriate in all families. This can either offend, or open discussion. I loaned it to another friend who saw it as a good opportunity to discuss bad language with her son, and why their family didn't use certain words. So while I highly recommend this book, especially to be added to library collections, I also highly recommend parental review before handing it over to kids.

The Thoughts of Others:
School Library Journal pointed out in their review that "allowing kids to talk about 'naughty' words can remove the power associated with them."They also recognized that the author and illustrator clearly had fun putting this book together.

Publisher's Weekly also agreed with me that "readers will be able to supply each missing word with gusto (booger, fart, burp, etc.), though those a tad less daring may choose to keep silent, rather than risk voicing a 'bad word.'" They also praised the illustrations and text.