Caramel’s reviews – Page 67

Caramel reviews Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey

Caramel has recently been obsessed with the Bad Guys series of Aaron Blabey, and wanted his first review of the year to be a review of the first book: Bad Guys. As always Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: Caramel, I’ve seen you really enjoying reading these Bad Guys books lately. Can you tell us a bit what they are about?

Caramel: They are about bad guys, bad animals who want to be good. Actually, only the wolf wants to be good, but the rest are not that interested.

S: So let me see. There is a wolf, and he is always the bad guy in fairy tales and such, and he wants to change his image. And the other animals… who are the other bad guys?

C: There is a shark, there is a piranha, and some people think he is a sardine, even a vampire sardine!

S: Well, the piranha does have sharp teeth!

C: Yeah! And it doesn’t really look like a sardine. Anyways, there is also a snake.

S: Hm, so these four are often seen as villains in stories. and they want to change that, right?

C: Yep. Well, not all of them, only the wolf wants to in the beginning, but then all of them kind of like the idea. Here is a video which explains the story:

Here is a video summary of Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey.

S: I agree that this is an interesting premise for a book. The bad guys want to be good, but the world is not yet quite ready for them.

C: Yes. So they try to save a cat stuck on a tree. They try to tell the cat to jump down and they will catch it. But the cat is scared of them. And so when the wolf tries to catch the cat, the cat scratches him real badly.

Caramel is looking at the page of Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey, where the not-so-bad bad guys are trying to save a kitty. — Caramel is looking at the page of *Bad Guys* by Aaron Blabey, where the not-so-bad bad guys are trying to save a kitty.

S: That is kind of sad though, no? They are trying to do something good but nobody expects good things from them. Everyone is afraid of them. Isn’t that sad?

C: Yes.

S: It is difficult to change people’s opinions once they make their minds up about us. So that could be one message of the book. What could be another?

C: I don’t know.

S: Hmm. I was thinking that there is also a more optimistic message. That even if people think you are a bad guy, you could always try to be good.

C: Yes, I agree. You can always try to be good.

S: But I think these messages are not quite the main reason why you enjoyed this book. Tell me what you liked most.

C: It’s extremely funny! The pictures are funny, and the bad guys get into funny situations.

S: So would you recommend this book to other young bunnies like yourself?

C: Yep! And I want to read all the other books in this series!

S: I see a few more reviews of bad guys in our future…

C: YES! But for now, stay tuned for more book bunny adventures!

Caramel has enjoyed reading Aaron Blabey's Bad Guys so much that he now wants to read all the other books in the series. — Caramel has enjoyed reading Aaron Blabey’s *Bad Guys* so much that he now wants to read all the other books in the series.

Caramel reviews Penguin Pete by Marcus Pfister

Today Caramel wanted to share with the Book Bunnies Blog readers an old favorite: Penguin Pete by Marcus Pfister. As always, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell us about this book.

Caramel: This is a good book if you like penguins and if you want to fly.

S: Hmm, that sounds kind of strange. What do you mean?

C: Well, it is about a little penguin named Penguin Pete, who wants to fly.

S: But we know penguins cannot fly. So Pete is bound for disappointment.

C: Yes. But then he learns to swim and that is fun, too. So he is not disappointed anymore.

S: That is sweet.

C: Yes, this is a really good book. If I was Marshmallow, I’d rate it 100%.

S: Hmm, what do you like about it?

C: I like that he wants to fly but he never gets to.

S: That sounds sad though.

C: Yes.

Caramel is looking at the page where Penguin Pete is trying to fly, in Penguin Pete by Marcus Pfister. — Caramel is looking at the page where Penguin Pete is trying to fly, in *Penguin Pete* by Marcus Pfister.

S: I didn’t know you liked sad stories.

C: Well, I don’t, but it’s not sad in the end. He does get happy. And he is funny, too. He is ice skating. With his bare feet! Oh, I think it is actually called “flipper skating”.

S: Yes, Penguin Pete is cute.

C: Oh, and then Pete makes a friend, a little bird. But then the little friend has to leave.

S: Well, that sounds sad, too. Penguin Pete is even crying on that page.

C: Yes, but I still like the book. And his bird friend will come back next year.

S: Why did you pick this book for today?

C: I like penguins. All our family likes them. Right?

S: I think that is true. Between the two of you, you have already reviewed so many books about penguins! What else do you want to tell us about this book? What do you think this book is really about?

C: I think it is about friendship. And stubbornness.

S: How so?

C: Because Penguin Pete doesn’t give up trying to fly until he finds out that penguins can’t really fly.

S: So is his stubbornness useless then?

C: Yes, I guess so. Or maybe not. Because being stubborn is how he learns how to swim. And how he becomes friends with Steve the bird.

S: I know you like reading about friendships. You have already reviewed The Missing Piece Meets the Big O by Shel Silverstein, Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story by Salina Yoon, and Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld. How do you think this book compares with those other ones? Do you have a favorite among these?

C: No. I like them all.

S: I agree. They are all very sweet stories. Each in its own special way. I guess this is a good enough time to wrap things up.

C: OK.

S: So what do you want to say Caramel?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunnies adventures!

Caramel enjoys reading and rereading Penguin Pete by Marcus Pfister. — Caramel enjoys reading and rereading *Penguin Pete* by Marcus Pfister.

Caramel reviews Ying and the Magic Turtle by Sue Looney

Caramel just got his paws on a new book from Natural Math, the good folks who publish fun mathy books for kids. (Marshmallow has reviewed a book from them before; see her review of Funville Adventures by A.O. Fradkin and A.B. Bishop.) Below he shares his thoughts on Ying and the Magic Turtle, written by Sue Looney, and illustrated by Jessica and Joey Looney. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

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

Caramel: This is a book about a little Chinese girl named Ying. She is smarter than soldiers.

S: Where do the soldiers come into her story?

C: It is not all about her.

S: So what is the book about?

C: It is about this river god Hebo, who has a really bad temper. He needs to learn anger management.

S: We read several books about anger management before. And you reviewed some, too, for this blog.

C: Yes, true. I did review Train Your Angry Dragon and Train Your Dragon To Accept NO by Steve Herman. So I guess Hebo should read those books too.

S: You are a funny little bunny Caramel! So what happens with this angry god?

C: So the god gets angry and floods all the villages. And then a turtle comes out of the river, so the Emperor’s men think it means they need to give Hebo a royal gift. And Ying sees that the turtle has an interesting pattern on its shell.

S: So is that where the math comes in?

C: Yep. It’s a magic square!

Caramel is looking at the page where the magic turtle emerges from the water in Ying and the Magic Turtle by Sue Looney. — Caramel is looking at the page where the magic turtle emerges from the water in *Ying and the Magic Turtle* by Sue Looney.

S: What is a magic square?

C: Let me read to you from the book:

Magic squares are square grids where one number s placed in each box of the grid. The numbers placed in the boxes are consecutive numbers from one up to the total number of boxes in the square. For example in a 3×3 magic square there are nine boxes; therefore each number (one through nine) is placed in one of the boxes. When placed correctly, the sum of these numbers is the same for all rows, columns, and diagonals. This sum in a 3×3 magic square is always 15.

S: So what happens next?

C: The next day the turtle comes out again. The emperor’s men think it means Hebo wants four gifts because the turtle has four legs.

S: But Ying knows better, right?

C: Yes. She solves the magic square. And so she saves the villages.

S: Did you know what a magic square was before reading this story, Caramel?

C: No.

S: So this was a neat way to learn about them, no? Apparently according to Wikipedia, the three by three magic squares were known to Chinese “as early as 190 BCE”. And magic squares are fun to play with. And there are some fun problems at the end of the book if you want to play with them. Did you solve any of the problems in the book?

C: Yes. I solved all of them. Ok, all except one. There is also a section “Origin of the Story” where we learn about the history of the problem.

S: Yes, apparently this story is inspired by an ancient Chinese legend. Isn’t that neat?

C: It is! And this is a neat time to end this review. So stay tuned for more book bunnies adventures!

Caramel enjoyed reading Ying and the Magic Turtle by Sue Looney. and recommends it to all other book bunnies. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Ying and the Magic Turtle by Sue Looney*, and recommends it to all other book bunnies.

Caramel reviews Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan McDonald

Caramel loves picture books and big-format non-fiction books, but he is also reading some chapter books these days. This week he is talking about the first book in Megan McDonald’s Stink series: Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Caramel reviews Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid, written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. — Caramel reviews *Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid*, written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds.

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

Caramel: This book is about a boy named Stink.

S: Is Stink his real name?

C: No. It’s a name his big sister gave him. She is mean.

S: Yes, naming your little brother “Stink” is not a very nice thing to do, is it?

C: No. And she killed his class pet, too.

S: Wait, how did that happen?

C: It went down the drain!

S: So Stink, wait, what is his real name?

C: No idea.

S: Let us see. I’m sure we can figure it out. Hmm, look, here is the letter he wrote to the governor.

C: Yes. He signed the letter James E. Moody. So that must be his name.

S: But then why is the book called Stink?

C: His big sister calls him Stink.

S: Oh yes, and who is his big sister?

C: Judy Moody.

S: Yes, so maybe some readers will have met this little boy in the Judy Moody books, right? And in those books, everything is told from Judy’s perspective, and Judy thinks her little brother is annoying.

C: But this book is about the brother, and we read Stink’s own ideas.

S: Yes we finally get to meet this little person for real and see things from his perspective a bit. Do you like that?

C: Yes. But I have not read any of the Judy Moody books. Marshmallow has read many, but she has not yet reviewed any for this blog.

S: Maybe she will one day. But let’s get back to Stink. So this is a chapter book, so there are many different things that happen to James E Moody, right?

C: There are seven chapters, so seven different stories. But they are all about Stink.

S: Which one is your favorite?

C: I don’t know. They are all a little different. But they are also all about Stink wanting to grow taller.

S: Yes, I guess that is why the book is titled the shrinking kid. Because Stink thinks at the beginning that he is shrinking. Do you think that is really happening?

C: He shrank a quarter of an inch!

S: How could that have happened?

C: No idea.

S: What would you do if you found out you were shrinking?

C: I would be scared. I’m already small. I’m a little bunny.

S: Yes, that is true… Hmm. Tell me more about the book. Tell me about the pictures.

C: Many of the pictures are supposed to be drawn by Stink. I like them. They are funny.

S: Yes, I saw the one where the sink that the class pet disappeared in became a monster, according to Stink’s drawing.

Caramel is reading the page in Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid (written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds) where Stink is introducing us to the Jaws Monster, which is basically the sink that ate up his class pet newt (or rather, his big sister Judy Moody dropped the newt and then it went down the drain). — Caramel is reading the page in *Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid* (written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds) where Stink is introducing us to the Jaws Monster, which is basically the sink that ate up his class pet newt (or rather, his big sister Judy Moody dropped the newt and then it went down the drain).

S: So do you think this is a fun book to read?

C: Yes. I might even read it again and again. But now, it’s time to wrap things up.

S: Yes. So you have something to say, right?

C: Yes! Stay tuned for more book bunnies adventures!

Caramel has enjoyed reading Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid, written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. — Caramel has enjoyed reading *Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid*, written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds.