What Does Mrs. Claus Do? by Kate Wharton, illustrated by Christian Slade

What Does Mrs. Claus Do? by Kate Wharton, illustrated by Christian Slade

Review by Shelly Burns (Write for a Reader)


Summary

Many stories are written about Santa Claus so we all know what he does on Christmas, but no one really knows about Mrs. Claus. Does she just sit around and wait until Santa returns? Is she hosting a party while he’s gone? Could she be a…whale rider, sushi chef, snowmobile chopper, heli-ski-jump-mountain-top hopper? After reading this book you’ll be asking yourself, what can’t Mrs. Claus do?

My Review

I really enjoyed this story. I love Christmas and try to read every Christmas picture book that I can. This one is going on my list of “must read to the students” list. I know that they will be laughing, as I was, when they read this. Not only does Kate Wharton put a comical spin on Mrs. Claus, she does it through rhyme which children will pick up on and enjoy the rhythmic quality of this story. I found myself wanting to read it again as soon as I was finished with it, and I imagine that is how a child would feel about it as well. The illustrations that Christian Slade did are just great! They add to the comedy of the entire thing.

According to the story, Mrs. Claus has her own things to do while Santa is gone. My favorite part is when Santa returns.

“When Santa comes home and hangs up his pack, Mrs. Claus has just secretly beaten him back. Are you thinking, ‘She can’t do that all in one night! There’s not enough time!’? And perhaps you are right. But then, if the stories of Santa are true, why couldn’t Mrs. Claus do it all too?”

The picture shows Mrs. Claus sitting in her rocker with a cup of cocoa, like she’s been there all night, just waiting on him to return.

As a teacher, I could see using this with the students to springboard some of their own writing and artwork about what Mrs. Claus does. I think that they could come up with some very creative ideas, maybe even some that Kate Wharton didn’t think of. I know it would be a hit in my classroom. I also think that young children will fall in love with this story.

It’s time for us to see Christmas from a different perspective, that of Mrs. Claus. Thank you, Kate Wharton, for allowing us to do that!


What Other Bloggers Are Saying:

A Patchwork of Books: "You just never know what that sneaky Mrs. Claus may be up to..." (read more...)

Simply Sensational Divas Review: "I love the rhythm and the rhyming; the words flow nicely and easily together. I love the educational opportunities the words provide." (read more...)

Rhyme of the Day: "It seems like something kids would like, whether they "believe in Santa" or not. " (read more...)




More Info:

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Tricycle Press (October 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582461643
• ISBN-13: 978-1582461649
• Source: Review copy from publisher
  

Bread Comes to Life by George Levenson, photography by Shmuel Thaler

Bread Comes to Life: A Garden of Wheat and a Loaf to Eat by George Levenson, photography by Shmuel Thaler

Reviewed by Lisa Stanger

Do you think it’s time,
For Non-fiction books to rhyme?


Told in rhyme, this nonfiction book aimed at children aged 4-7 tells the story of bread, from sowing wheat to slicing a finished loaf. Author George Levenson brings his film making experience to this project and the result is cinematic page spreads with a concise description of the process of producing bread. A DVD and teaching kit is also available and clearly the major market for this title is an educational one. The uncluttered and striking visuals make this book an invaluable addition to a unit about baking, bread or agriculture. There is a website with teaching activities here.

The rhyme in this book may make it easier for a teacher to read aloud (always a bonus for a nonfiction title), but I think the sometimes awkward nature of it detracts from the strong visual elements and the usefulness of the information :

“Stack up piles of sun-dried stalks,
Rub them in a threshing box.
It’s the simple, old-time miller’s craft
Of separating wheat from chaff.”

This book would be useful with a wide range of children as a general overview of bread production, though older children may not warm to the text where the text will not be perceived as “talking down” to them. A good resource for classes that could have been a great book with a different take on the text.

(The book was originally released in 2004 and is now being reissued in paperback.)

More Info:

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Tricycle Press; Reprint edition (October 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582462739
• ISBN-13: 978-1582462738
• Source: Review copy from publisher
  

Busy Pandas by John Schindel and Lisa and Mike Husar

Busy Pandas by John Schindel, photography by Lisa and Mike Husar

For today's Nonfiction Monday selection, I'm bringing you a book for the smallest nonfiction lovers in your family.

Back in March, I reviewed four board books in Tricycle Press's Busy Book Series. They continue to be a favorite in our house, especially Busy Kitties. Well, Tricycle Press kindly sent the latest book in the series, Busy Pandas. After a recent trip to the National Zoo where my daughter saw the pandas and received her very own tiny stuffed panda, she has been entranced by this book.

Following the same format as the other books in the series, each page in the book features a full-color photographs of pandas demonstrating the action word on the page that will help your child build vocabulary. Both baby and adult pandas are in the book doing many things young children will be familiar with. For example, we see a "panda eating," a stalk of bamboo another "panda hiding" behind bamboo, a big "panda sliding" in the snow on its back, and tiny baby "panda napping" with its mother.

The sturdy board book with thick pages makes it an ideal choice for not-so-gentle toddlers. I highly recommend this book and the others in the series. Not only do they teach fun action words, but the beautiful photographs will keep even the smallest of kids engaged.


More Info:

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
  
• Board book: 19 pages
• Publisher: Tricycle Press; Brdbk edition (October 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582462593
• ISBN-13: 978-1582462592

Other books in the series include:

• Busy Bunnies, by John Schindel, photography by Steven Holt
• Busy Horsies, by John Schindel, photography by Casi Clark
• Busy Piggies, by John Schindel, photography by Steven Holt
  
• Busy Barnyard, by John Schindel, photography by Steven Holt
• Busy Kitties, by John Schindel, photography by Sean Franzen
• Busy Penguins, by John Schindel, photography by Jonathan Chester
• Busy Doggies, by John Schindel, photography by Beverly Sparks
• Busy Monkeys, by John Schindel, photography by Luiz Claudio Marigo

Busy Animals Board Book Series

With three cats and a dog in our house, we are definitely animal lovers, and my daughter, who will turn one in just a couple of weeks, absolutely loves our animals. She also loves Tricycle Press's Busy Animal Board Books.

We own four of the eight books in the series:

• Busy Kitties, by John Schindel, photography by Sean Franzen
• Busy Penguins, by John Schindel, photography by Jonathan Chester
• Busy Doggies, by John Schindel, photography by Beverly Sparks
• Busy Monkeys, by John Schindel, photography by Luiz Claudio Marigo
  

Each page in the book features a full-color photographs of an animal(s) demonstrating the action word on the page that will help your child build vocabulary. For example, in the Busy Kitties book, we see "Kitty hissing/ Kitty kissing/ Kitty running/ Kitty sunning" and more.

My daughter is fascinated by the photographs in these sturdy books and just sits there and smiles as she flips the pages. I also appreciate that they will introduce her to other animals, like monkeys and penguins, that she doesn't have the chance to see in their natural habitats.


Other books in the series that we're adding to our wish list include:

• Busy Bunnies, by John Schindel, photography by Steven Holt
• Busy Horsies, by John Schindel, photography by Casi Clark
• Busy Piggies, by John Schindel, photography by Steven Holt
  
• Busy Barnyard, by John Schindel, photography by Steven Holt
  

These would all make a great addition to your young child's library.