Tag: differences

Caramel reviews Guapo’s Giant Heart: The True Story of The Calf Who Kept Growing by Janet Zappala and Wendy Perkins

Today Caramel is talking to Sprinkles about Guapo’s Giant Heart: The True Story of The Calf Who Kept Growing, a picture book written by Janet Zappala and Wendy Perkins, illustrated by Lara Calleja, and published in 2022. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

The book bunnies were sent a review copy of the book.

Caramel reviews Guapo’s Giant Heart: The True Story of The Calf Who Kept Growing, written by Janet Zappala and Wendy Perkins, and illustrated by Lara Calleja.
Caramel reviews Guapo’s Giant Heart: The True Story of The Calf Who Kept Growing, written by Janet Zappala and Wendy Perkins, and illustrated by Lara Calleja.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we have a story about rescue animals. 

Caramel: Yes, we do, it is about a calf who starts out on a farm, but then a woman named Lynn comes and takes him from his mommy and siblings to her own farm. She names him Guapo. 

S: Yes, it seems like the calf and his siblings would be given away or sold, and Lynn took one for her farm because she had room for only one calf. A lot of animals are separated from their parents early in their lives. 

C: Yeah, but it is kind of unfair. I like living with my book bunnies family. And it would be sad to have to grow up without you all. 

S: Yeah, I am also glad you are growing up with all of us Caramel! But maybe the calf was born into a situation where they could not take care of him. We are lucky that we have enough resources to live as a family and feed ourselves. 

C: Yes, that is a very good thing.

S: Glad we agree! Okay, so let us get back to the book. Guapo grows up in Lynn’s farm, right?

C: Yes, until Lynn’s farm runs out of space. Then he is moved, again, to a new farm.

S: Yeah, he grows big, right? But he also makes friends on Lynn’s farm. 

C: Yep. He is basically a little calf growing up with a lot of other animal friends. It actually sounds like it could be fun growing up with a whole lot of different animal friends. Putting aside the part that he does not have his family with him anymore. 

S: Yes. I think we have to put that aside. 

C: Okay. 

Caramel is reading Guapo’s Giant Heart: The True Story of The Calf Who Kept Growing, written by Janet Zappala and Wendy Perkins, and illustrated by Lara Calleja.
Caramel is reading Guapo’s Giant Heart: The True Story of The Calf Who Kept Growing, written by Janet Zappala and Wendy Perkins, and illustrated by Lara Calleja.

S: So what happens next?

C: Then he moves to the new farm, but then he is all lonely again, because the animals in that farm don’t know him. All they see is a big bull. And so they are probably scared of him. 

S: Yeah, that is sad too. He is very different from them. But eventually he makes friends again, right? 

C: Yes! He is friendly, and at some point Lynn brings a little pot bellied pig that was Guapo’s friend from earlier, so the other animals in the new farm see that Guapo is kind and friendly and they eventually come around to being friendly with him too. 

S: So at the end of the book we learn that this story is inspired by a real rescue calf named Guapo who then became a big bull. Were you surprised to learn that?

C: Yeah, I did not know that there were farms where different kinds of animals lived together like that. Like I thought there could be a couple horses and a couple cows and seven chickens and so on. But in this farm that Guapo ends up in, almost all animals are one of a kind. I guess they are all rescue animals. Somehow they could not continue to live where they had been living, so this place and other places like it collect them and give them a home. 

S: Yeah, it is interesting, right?

C: Yup. And cool. Because all animals deserve a home. 

S: I agree, Caramel. What did you think about the illustrations?

C: It is a nice picture book, and the animals look very real. So I liked them.

S: Yeah, and it is not quite fiction, apparently, and we both learned some things about rescue farms. So that is also good, no?

C: Yep! 

S: So maybe this is a good time to wrap this up?

C: Sure! 

S: What do you want to tell our readers then?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Guapo’s Giant Heart: The True Story of The Calf Who Kept Growing, written by Janet Zappala and Wendy Perkins, and illustrated by Lara Calleja, and recommends it to all young bunnies who are curious about the life of real rescue animals.
Caramel enjoyed reading Guapo’s Giant Heart: The True Story of The Calf Who Kept Growing, written by Janet Zappala and Wendy Perkins, and illustrated by Lara Calleja, and recommends it to all young bunnies who are curious about the life of real rescue animals.

Caramel reviews My Friend John by Arleen McCarthy

Today Caramel is talking to Sprinkles about a brand new book, My Friend John by Arleen McCarthy, which just came out on Friday November 8.

The book bunnies received this book from the publisher as a review copy.

Caramel reviews My Friend John by Arleen McCarthy.
Caramel reviews My Friend John by Arleen McCarthy.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, here we are again, this time to talk about this book about a boy named John. So maybe start by telling us a bit about it?

Caramel: Sure. In this book the main character is a girl. 

S: Wait, the girl is named John?

C: No. Wait, I am getting there. The girl is in class one day when the teacher announces that there is going to be a new kid, named John. At lunch the main character invites John over to sit with her, and he says thank you. Later the kid John makes a noise and shakes, then goes back to normal.

S: What kind of noise? 

C: i think that he says something like “tak”.

S: So maybe something that does not mean anything to the other people? Maybe something in a different language? 

C: No, it is not quite that. Later John doesn’t come to school because in class this same kind of thing happens, too, and the rest of the class makes fun of him.

S: Oh, I see. He is not really in control when he is making the sounds and shaking, right? 

C: Yes, in fact I was going to get to that. Later the teacher tells her that John has Tourette Syndrome, and that is why he made those noises and started to shake.

S: I see. Of course the other kids did not know about Tourette Syndrome so they just ended up making fun of him and making him feel bad. 

C: Yes, but eventually the girl who is the main character understands this and later tells the class that the reason John did not come to school is because they made fun of him.

S: I see. I guess it is normal for most children not to know about this syndrome, but they did not need to make fun of someone just because they are behaving differently or unexpectedly. 

C: Yeah, I agree.

Caramel is reading My Friend John by Arleen McCarthy.
Caramel is reading My Friend John by Arleen McCarthy.

S: Did you know about Tourette Syndrome before reading this book?

C: Yes, a little.

S: Same here. I knew of the syndrome but I do not think I have met someone with a severe case of it. I can imagine it can be surprising to children if they have never seen someone with it, but that is no reason to make fun of the person. 

C: Yes, I suppose that is true; sometimes little bunnies can be cruel. But not me, right?

S: Right, not you. I know you are always trying to be kind, and you always want to help and include other bunnies. But I think it is in all of us to want to push away different people because we might be afraid. Many bunnies want to be with bunnies like themselves. It probably feels more comfortable. But we must choose to be kind whenever we can. And to know that many bunnies are different from one another, and differences do not have to separate us. I am happy that you consciously choose to be kind whenever you can. You only tease Marshmallow and me. 

C: Yes, I do.

S: We usually can handle it! Anyways, so what did you think about this book overall? I feel like there is always room for a new book about being kind. 

C: Yeah, agreed. This is a good book. And I learned about Tourette syndrome and you know I always like to learn new things. 

S: I know! So maybe this is a good time to wrap things up. Can you give me a description of the book in three to five words?

C: Positive and full of color. That is exactly five words, right?

S: Yes, that is perfect, thank you! And now what would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel appreciated reading My Friend John by Arleen McCarthy and learning about ways we can support friends with differences.
Caramel appreciated reading My Friend John by Arleen McCarthy and learning about ways we can support friends with differences.

Caramel reviews I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li

For his first review for the new season, Caramel chose a beautiful picture book, I Lived Inside A Whale by Xin Li, first published in 2024 and promptly awarded the Barnes & Noble Children’s & YA Book Award. As always, Sprinkles is asking questions and taking notes.

Caramel reviews I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li.
Caramel reviews I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, we are back! You found a neat book to talk about today. Tell us a bit about I Lived Inside a Whale.

Caramel: It is about a girl; we don’t know her name. But she finds the world too noisy. And so she makes a boat and goes into the ocean and finds a great blue whale and starts to live inside it.

S: Wait, so she wants to be alone and so she gets herself swallowed up by a whale?

C: Yes, kind of. But it is not a violent swallowing. She learns that the heart of a whale is huge so the inside of the whale must be large enough for her to live on her own. So she goes into one.

S: That is kind of fantastical.

C: Yes. Like in a fantasy, you mean, right?

S: Yes. I mean it is not really believable.

C: Sprinkles, this is just a story. So weird things happen. But the point is she finds peace and quiet inside the whale. Until a boy comes in.

S: Wait, so the whale swallows another child, whole?

C: Yes. And the boy is not very quiet at first. But he listens to the girl and leaves her be for a bit so when she feels comfortable she can talk to him.

S: I see. This seeking out a quiet place reminds me of a book you reviewed before.

C: Which one are you thinking of?

S: I was thinking of Albert’s Quiet Quest.

C: Oh, yes. It has been a long time since then, but you are right. The boy in that story also wanted to be in a quiet place to read, and his home and his friends were all too loud.

Caramel is reading I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li.
Caramel is reading I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li.

S: So what do you think the main point of this book is?

C: I don’t know, but I think one of the points is about how some bunnies want to be quiet and want space for themselves, and we should give them that space.

S: Yes, I can see how you would get that from how the little boy understands the little girl’s need for quiet and then how the two of them end up getting along so well.

C: Yes. And she tells stories, many many stories. So maybe when she has the space and quiet to think and so on, she can also speak up and say important and interesting things.

S: I can see that. So we should provide space for everyone to have a chance to contribute, for them to tell their stories.

C: Yes.

S: That is so sweet, Caramel! I also loved the color scheme and the drawings in this book. What did you think?

C: I liked it too. There is a lot of color. It is a very colorful book.

S: I think a lot of little bunnies could read this with their big bunnies and they would enjoy it a lot.

C: Yep, I agree. Maybe we can read it together.

S: Would be nice Caramel! So let us wrap this up then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: The book bunnies are back! Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li and recommends it to all young bunnies who need a bit of quiet sometimes.
Caramel loved reading I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li and recommends it to all young bunnies who need a bit of quiet sometimes.

Caramel reviews Ricky, The Rock That Couldn’t Roll by Mr. Jay and Erin Wozniak

Today Caramel reviews a cute picture book from 2017, Ricky, The Rock That Couldn’t Roll, written by Mr. Jay (Jay Miletsky) and illustrated by Erin Wozniak. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Ricky, The Rock That Couldn't Roll, written by Mr. Jay and illustrated by Erin Wozniak.
Caramel reviews Ricky, The Rock That Couldn’t Roll, written by Mr. Jay and illustrated by Erin Wozniak.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell me a bit about this book.

Caramel: This book is about a rock named Ricky and about friendship.

S: Wait, now we are naming rocks?

C: No. This book is naming them. The book has a lot of talking rocks.

S: I see. So there are these talking rocks and one is called Ricky.

C: Yes. Unfortunately for Ricky, Ricky is different from his friends.

S: In what way?

C: Well, as the book title says, he can’t roll! He is flat on one side. All his friends are round. So they can all roll, but Ricky can’t.

S: I see. How does this make Ricky feel?

C: Sad because he feels left out.

S: I can understand that. If all your friends were ice skating, and you could not skate, it would not be too fun.

C: Exactly. But Ricky has really good friends. And they try to help him. They come up with many many ideas. Most of them fail, of course. They try to wrap him up with balloons and such, and that fails miserably.

S: But at least they are trying to help. I see now why you said the book is about friendship. Good friends help one another.

C: Yep. And in the end they succeed!

S: Okay, so let us not totally spoil the fun of reading the book, but that means that in the end Ricky will be happy, right?

C: Yup.

Caramel is reading Ricky, The Rock That Couldn't Roll, written by Mr. Jay and illustrated by Erin Wozniak.
Caramel is reading Ricky, The Rock That Couldn’t Roll, written by Mr. Jay and illustrated by Erin Wozniak.

S: So then I am assuming you liked this book?

C: Yes. It made me happy.

S: I can understand why. You like books with happy endings.

C: Yes.

S: What you told me about the book reminded me of another book you reviewed a while back: The Missing Piece Meets the Big O by Shel Silverstein. Do you remember that book?

C: Yes. And you are right, there are some similarities. There too there is a thing, called the Missing Piece, that wants to roll on its own but cannot. But there, the Missing Piece eventually figures out that by trying, it can smooth out its rough pointy corner and become rounder so it can roll. It does this more or less on its own. That book is not really about friendship. It is more about perseverance.

S: You are very wise Caramel. And that is a big word for a little bunny your age! But there is perseverance in this book, too. Ricky and his friends do not give up. They try and fail over and over again, but they do not give up, until they eventually solve the problem.

C: That is true.

S: But I can see how this book is more about friendship. So if you were to describe the book using three to five words, how would you do it?

C: Cute story about friends helping friends.

S: That works! So let us wrap this review up then. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel appreciated reading Ricky, The Rock That Couldn't Roll, written by Mr. Jay and illustrated by Erin Wozniak, and recommends it to other young bunnies who can't always do everything their friends can do.
Caramel appreciated reading Ricky, The Rock That Couldn’t Roll, written by Mr. Jay and illustrated by Erin Wozniak, and recommends it to other young bunnies who can’t always do everything their friends can do.