Caramel’s reviews – Page 58

Caramel reviews The Monster in My Basement by Dave Preston

Today Caramel talks about The Monster in My Basement, written by Dave Preston and illustrated by Heather Lynn Harris. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

The book bunnies received this book from the publisher (CrissCross Applesauce, a City of Light Publishing imprint) as a review copy.

Caramel reviews The Monster in My Basement, written by Dave Preston and illustrated by Heather Lynn Harris. — Caramel reviews *The Monster in My Basement*, written by Dave Preston and illustrated by Heather Lynn Harris.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, what do you want to tell us about this book?

Caramel: It’s about the monster in the basement of Dave’s house.

S: Who is Dave?

C: Dave is a little boy. He is the main person in the story.

S: The author’s name is Dave, too. Maybe he is writing about a time when he was a little boy?

C: Oh yes. And maybe he believed that there was a monster in his basement!

S: That is possible! Remember that other book you reviewed about this other boy who had a monster in his closet?

C: Yes: How to Catch a Monster. That book was also fun.

S: So is this book fun to read?

C: Yep. In the very beginning, Dave puts on a blanket as a cape and puts a pot on his head as a helmet, and the top of the pot is his shield. He uses a wooden spoon as a sword.

S: So all ready to take on the monster in the basement?

C: I don’t know if he knows then there is a monster in the basement. But then he hears it groan and is really afraid.

S: But he still goes into the basement?

C: Yes. He is a bit too curious, I think.

S: So are you telling me you would not have gone to check?

C: Well, probably not. I am a scaredy bunny.

S: I am not so sure of that! But okay, this kid, his name is Dave, and he finds a monster in his basement. Then what?

C: We should not give away the entire story!

S: You’re right. We won’t. But I think you can say a little bit more.

C: The monster, his name is Howard, he says he is hungry and Dave thinks he is the dinner!

S: That does sound scary! And they meet Howard’s mom, and Dave is still pretty scared, right?

C: Yep. But I think I won’t say more about what happens next. Curious bunnies need to read the book to learn!

Caramel is reading The Monster in My Basement, written by Dave Preston and illustrated by Heather Lynn Harris. On these two pages, Dave meets Howard's mom. — Caramel is reading The Monster in My Basement, written by Dave Preston and illustrated by Heather Lynn Harris. On these two pages, Dave meets Howard’s mom.

S: Alright, that’s fair. Let us talk a bit more about the book in general terms then. What can you tell us about the pictures?

C: They’re very colorful. Mostly red, black, yellow. Howard is very colorful too. His hair is red and his eyes are yellow!

S: So he does look scary, right?

C: Yes, and so Dave is always scared. Till the end. But I won’t tell the end. A bunny must not tell his secrets.

S: Yes, we agreed that you won’t tell the end. But now I’m curious about what other secrets you’re keeping from me…

C: Oh nothing… Let’s talk more about the book!

S: Okay, I’ll let that slide. For now. Let us talk about the book. There are notes at the end for a song about the book, right?

C: Yes. And there is a web page where you can listen to the song too.

S: Yes, we did visit that site and listened to the song from the beginning to the end together. The author Dave Preston wrote the song, too. What did you think about it?

C: The song is fun, too. It goes through the entire book actually.

S: Yes, then you can hear for yourself the rhyme in the text, right?

C: Yes, there is the part “shake a little bit, shake a little bit, shake, shake, shake”, which they repeat all the time.

S: Yes, that is called a refrain. That part occurs several times in the book, and in the song, too, of course, to remind us that Dave is scared!

C: Yes, he’s scared of being Howard’s lunch. Or dinner. Not sure, who knows… And you know, one of my favorite parts is that when Howard’s mom says “It’s time to eat!” the clock is there, and instead of numbers, it has the letters of the word HUNGRY. Twice, circling around the clock!

S: Yes, that is a nice touch, and a very good observation for a little bunny like yourself!

C: Yep, I am a careful reader.

S: Okay, I think it is time for us to wrap up this review. What are your three words to describe this book?

C: Repetitive, colorful, and funny.

S: Repetitive in a good sense, though, I suppose, no?

C: Yep. It’s like a nursery rhyme, or a song with a repetition. It’s called a refrain, you tell me. Right?

S: Right. So what do you say when we’re wrapping up our review?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel has really enjoyed reading The Monster in My Basement, written by Dave Preston and illustrated by Heather Lynn Harris, and would recommend it to all other little bunnies. — Caramel has really enjoyed reading *The Monster in My Basement*, written by Dave Preston and illustrated by Heather Lynn Harris, and would recommend it to all other little bunnies.

Caramel reviews Sea Monsters (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #17) by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce

Caramel has reviewed several Magic Tree House books already: Night of the Ninjas (Magic Tree House #5), Afternoon on the Amazon (Magic Tree House #6), Knights and Castles (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #2), Sunset of the Sabertooth (Magic Tree House #7), Midnight on the Moon (Magic Tree House #8), and Dolphins at Daybreak (Magic Tree House #9). This week he wanted to talk about another fact tracker book: Sea Monsters. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you found another book about real things, I see.

Caramel: Yes. This is a book about ocean “monsters”.

S: So who are these monsters? Can you tell me a few of them?

C: There is the angler fish, the giant squid, the goblin shark, the cookie cutter shark, the hairy angler fish, the vampire squid, the dragon fish, oar fish, …

S: Okay, I get the point.

C: … giant tube worms. There is also this dunkleosteus–

S: Hmm, I have never heard of most of these. But this last one does not sound familiar at all. What is a dunkleosteus?

C: It is a giant armored fish, I think it is about forty feet long. Its teeth are actually bone.

S: And it is extinct, right?

C: Yes. And there are other extinct species too. There is the liopleurodon, and the megalodon–

S: So I understand. The book talks about large sea creatures, then. Right?

C: Yes. And my favorite is the liopleurodon.

S: Why?

C: Because it is not armored but it has a giant head. I think it looks really interesting!

S: I’m not sure I’d like to face one under water any time soon!

C: You don’t have to worry about that. They are already extinct!

S: That’s good.

C: Not for them.

S: That is right Caramel. This does seem like an interesting book, with many different types of facts in it. So tell me how it is organized.

C: Chapter titles! Here you go: The first chapter is called Sea Monsters. Then the second is Exploring the Oceans. The third is Squids, Octopuses and Other Creatures. Then there is a chapter called Creatures of the Deep.

S: That’s where we learn about the angler fish!

C: Yes. then there is Prehistoric Seas. And there we learn about the liopleurodon, the megalodon and similar creatures. And then the last chapter is called Sea Monster Tales.

S: Which chapter was most interesting for you?

C: I think I liked the Prehistoric Seas chapter most.

S: I know you like prehistoric animals. You have reviewed a Magic Tree House book about the saber tooth before. And another book on dinosaurs. No wonder you chose the liopleurodon as your favorite sea monster.

Caramel is reading about the liopleurodon in Sea Monsters (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #17) by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce. — Caramel is reading about the liopleurodon in *Sea Monsters* (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #17) by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce.

S: So what else do you want to tell us about this book?

C: It has a lot of pictures and tons of facts! Jack and Annie from the Magic Tree House books tell us all sorts of things. There is also some facts about Steve Irwin and about Jacques Cousteau.

S: We watched a lot of episodes of Steve Irwin’s show together, right? It is sad he died of a sting ray sting. And Cousteau was a famous explorer who was one of the first to go deep into the oceans and to explore. That is great that you read a bit about both. So tell me the most interesting fact you learned from this book.

C: It’s about the largest jellyfish. So let me find it… Okay, here I will read it to you: “The longest animal in the world is not a whale. It is a special jellyfish called a siphonophore. Its tentacles can reach 131 feet long!”

S: Wow, that is long! Wikipedia tells us that “a siphonophore may appear to be an individual organism, each specimen is in fact a colonial organism composed of medusoid and polypoid zooids that are morphologically and functionally specialized.” That is really interesting! I had never heard of them before.

C: Me neither!

S: Okay Caramel, it is probably a good time to wrap up this review. Would you like to tell our readers your three words on this book?

C: Factful, curious because these are really curious animals, and black-and-white because all the illustrations are black and white.

S: Maybe instead of factful we can say “informative”?

C: Yes, that works too!

S: Great! I think then it is finally time for you to say your closing words!

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel recommends Sea Monsters (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #17) by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce, to all curious little bunnies who want to know more about ocean life. — Caramel recommends *Sea Monsters* (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #17) by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce, to all curious little bunnies who want to know more about ocean life.

Caramel reviews A Jedi You Will Be by Preeti Chhibber and Mike Deas

Caramel is a little bunny but he is a big Star Wars fan. (Check out his review of 5-Minute Star Wars Stories!) Today he reviews for the book bunnies blog A Jedi You Will Be, written by Preeti Chhibber and illustrated by Mike Deas. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews A Jedi You Will Be, written by Preeti Chhibber and illustrated by Mike Deas. — Caramel reviews *A Jedi You Will Be*, written by Preeti Chhibber and illustrated by Mike Deas.

Sprinkles: Caramel, so you found another book about Star Wars, eh?

Caramel: Yes, but I think you had something to do with it too.

S: Yes, I thought you might like it. Did you?

C: Yes!

S: What is it about then? Tell me.

C: It’s about Yoda talking to you. Yoda is a little green alien who is a Jedi master.

S: And so for the few people who do not know what a Jedi is, can you tell me what they are?

C: A Jedi is a person who can use the Force. The Force is everywhere but some can use it for good or for evil. The Jedi use it for good.

S: Yes, in the Star Wars universe, there is this mysterious force, kind of like magic and kind of like just the essence of life, but these Jedi have the power to channel it to do great things. And Yoda has always been my favorite Jedi!

C: Mine too. I do not know much about the Baby Yoda though.

S: Well, we have not watched the series that have him in them, so we have not met him yet. We know Yoda as a wise old master.

C: He is 800 or 900 years old!

S: Yes, apparently that is how old he is when Luke Skywalker comes to learn from him.

C: Yes, that is what happens in this book too. We go to Yoda’s island with Luke and Yoda talks to us about the Force. He gives a lecture about the Force almost.

S: Yes, he does, it is mainly him telling the reader about the Force and how to achieve hard things in life. Do you want to read to me a bit from the book?

C: Okay, here is some part of the book:

Ready are you?
What know you of ready?
For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi.
Easy it is not. 
A Jedi must have the deepest commitment.
Willing to work hard are you?

Caramel is reading A Jedi You Will Be, written by Preeti Chhibber and illustrated by Mike Deas: "Willing to work hard are you?" — Caramel is reading *A Jedi You Will Be*, written by Preeti Chhibber and illustrated by Mike Deas: “Willing to work hard are you?”

S: So is the book really only about the Force and Star Wars?

C: Hmm, sort of.

S: I think I only partially agree with you. I think some of the advice Yoda gives is pretty applicable to real life.

C: Hmm, yes it is. For example the part I read to you is basically saying working hard is important. Then there is a part where he tells you being big or small is not important. He says, “size matters not!” I like Yoda!

S: He does talk in a strange manner, doesn’t he? His sentences are structured in grammatically incorrect ways. But there are some languages where this type of order (where the subject goes after the verb) might appear.

C: Yes, he speaks funny. He says, “Now close your eyes. Closed are they? See you peeking I do!”

S: That is funny! And you do that too sometimes when I ask you to close your eyes and take a deep breath.

C: No I don’t do that!

S: Yes, you do, when we try to meditate!

C: Hmm, yes, I guess you’re right.

S: Okay, let us wrap up with you telling us three words about this book.

C: Colorful, funny, and grammatically incorrect! But also lots of good advice!

S: Hmm, that is more than three words, but it will do! So what do you say next?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading A Jedi You Will Be, written by Preeti Chhibber and illustrated by Mike Deas, and he recommends it to all other Star Wars fans, young and old. — Caramel loved reading *A Jedi You Will Be*, written by Preeti Chhibber and illustrated by Mike Deas, and he recommends it to all other Star Wars fans, young and old.

Caramel reviews Only One You by Linda Kranz

Caramel read Only One You by Linda Kranz at school a year ago. When the school principal came to their class meeting this week to read it to the whole class, Caramel decided he would like to review it for the blog. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell me about this book.

Caramel: It’s about these fishies. The parent fishies are talking about being independent.

S: Yes, I think it is these parent fishies that are giving some life advice to the young fish before he sets off for the wide world.

C: Yes, the young fish is named Adri.

S: So what kinds of advice does Adri get?

C: “Always be on the lookout for a new friend”, “Look for beauty wherever you are and keep the memory of it with you.”

S: Those sound like good advice.

C: There is more! “Blend in when you need to. Stand out when you have a chance.”

S: Hmm, that is also good advice.

C: There is still more!

S: Well, we can’t just write the whole list of advice here and finish the whole book!

C: Yes we can!

S: That would not be so nice Caramel. Bunnies and their parents should be able to discover what is in the book on their own.

C: But we did give away only a few.

S: Well, here is one that I liked a lot: “Set aside some quiet time to relax and reflect every day.”

Caramel is reading Only One You by Linda Kranz: "Set aside some quiet time to relax and reflect every day." — Caramel is reading *Only One You* by Linda Kranz: “Set aside some quiet time to relax and reflect every day.”

S: Do you know what that means?

C: Reflect? I know what reflect means. And this means find time to think about your day a bit.

S: I think you got the gist of it!

C: And I like this one: “If something gets in your way, move around it.” The fishies are moving in a straight line and someone puts in a fishing line breaking their path. The fishies just move around it and continue their way.

Caramel is reading Only One You by Linda Kranz: "If something gets in your way, move around it." — Caramel is reading *Only One You* by Linda Kranz: “If something gets in your way, move around it.”

S: Yes, I love how the fishies are so cute and colorful!

C: They look like they’re made of stone. Like rock art. Actually I think that the background in the pictures, when you see the ocean, is not hand-drawn. I think the backgrounds are real photos, and then someone drew colorful rock-art fishies in the front.

S: Hmm, that is very interesting! Linda Kranz, the person who created the book is a rock art expert. And by rock art, I do not mean the ancient version where people made art on rock walls or created art by putting various rocks together, but the newer one where people paint individual rocks. And it does really look like each of the fishies is an individually colored pebble.

C: There is one that looks like The Starry Night by Van Gogh! Another fish looks like it has multiple suns on it!

S: They are very colorful and distinct all of them. And the advice is really good too. I think we can read and reread this book several times and zero in on a different piece of advice every time.

C: Yes.

S: So let us just read it again. But before that, give me three words that describe this book!

C: “Colorful”. Hmm, and there is wisdom in it…

S: So maybe “wise”?

C: Yes. And … “mixed”. There are a lot of ideas and a lot of different types of art in it. And fishies!

S: Yes, those are all true Caramel. Let us wrap this up then.

C: Stay tuned for more book bunnies reviews!

Caramel loved reading Only One You by Linda Kranz, and recommends it to all little bunnies! — Caramel loved reading *Only One You* by Linda Kranz, and recommends it to all little bunnies!