Today's read... The Pancake Problem by Maureen Fergus

 

THE PANCAKE PROBLEM

Weenie featuring Frank & Bean, #2

by Maureen Fergus

Illustrated by Alexandra Bye

Tundra Books

Chapter Book Humor / Graphic Novel

48 pages

ages 6 to 9

Fans of Narwhal and Jelly will love this laugh-out-loud graphic a pancake adventure with Weenie, Frank and Beans featuring wiener dog smooches, a huge pile of stinky brussels sprouts and a whole lot of syrup.

Weenie loves his human, Bob. He loves his guinea pig friend Beans and his cat friend Frank. He loves naps, adventures and sharing. In fact, Weenie loves pretty much everything (except brussels sprouts).

And Weenie SUPER LOVES pancakes. Maybe too much. When the SuperSonic Pancake Maker malfunctions, Weenie knows exactly what to do! Sort of . . .

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MY TIDBITS

Pancakes and brussels sprouts hit inventing adventure with a furry three-some to adore.

Weenie wakes up one morning and is very hungry, and he's more than happy to share this with his best friends, Frank and Beans. There's only one way to solve the problem—wake up their owner and have him make pancakes. But this doesn't work out quite as hoped, leaving Weenie to figure out how to make pancakes on his own. Weenie might be more intelligent than he appears, but he still ends up in an unexpected predicament, which might end up in a huge disaster.

These three friends are such a fun group. With a dog, cat, and guinea pig, they create quite the mix, especially since each one carries a distinct personality...except for maybe Bean, who makes up for that with cuteness. Weenie's hyper character steers into ridiculousness with ease, while Frank juxtaposes perfectly with a more serious tone. If the banter between the two weren't enough, Weenie's full of great...or not so great...ideas and carries imaginative surprises to add extra zest. It's easy to get drawn into their adventure and feel the excitement, hesitation, and curiosity right along with them.

The illustrations are bright and bold with easy-to-read speech bubbles. Sometimes, the text is very light, while other moments offer more. It gives a nice back and forth to work on reading skills, offering pauses before frustration can mount. There's also a bit of vocabulary building to help those word skills. The images allow the personalities to shine and humor to sit. There are also comical diagrams sprinkled in to add extra smiles and giggles. 

It's a fun tale with ridiculous moments and a bit of adventure to keep the reader wondering if everything will work out. It fits the age group nicely, while advancing reading skills in a way, which won't scare away more reluctant readers. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to this bunch next because it's sure to be a surprise.

And here they are...

MAUREEN FERGUS is an award-winning author of books for kids of all ages. Her books have been translated into a dozen languages, optioned for film and adapted for stage. Her illustrated books include InvisiBill; The Day Santa Stopped Believing in Harold; You’re In Good Paws; Petal the Angry Cow; and Weenie Featuring Frank and Beans: Mad About Meatloaf. When not writing, Maureen runs, reads, bikes, bakes, works and hangs out with her husband, three kids and Buddy the Wonder Dog.

ALEXANDRA BYE works as a freelance illustrator specializing in fun, colorful illustrations for a variety of media such as advertising, animation, licensing, editorial and children’s publications. Her work reflects the energy she is inspired by from friends, family and her flourishing New England community. In her free time she enjoys mountain biking, Nordic ski racing, trail running, paddle boarding, camping, Jiu Jitsu, yoga, reading, cooking and hiking in the White Mountains with her fiancé, Alex, and their dog, Oliver.

Review: A Dinosaur Named Ruth by Julia Lyon

It's Women's History Month, and I'm not going to let that slip by without suggesting a read to celebrate. This one caught my attention because I loved to visit the various dinosaur bone displays as a child. We actually lived near a couple dig sights and went bone hunting, dreaming we might discover a few dinosaurs on our own. 

Read to dig into the past? 

A DINOSAUR NAMED RUTH

by Julia Lyon 

Illustrated by Alexandra Bye

Margaret K. McElderry Books

Picture Book

40 pages

ages 4 to 8

For fans of Shark Lady and from the New York Times bestselling illustrator of Dr. Fauci comes the incredible true story of a girl who discovered dinosaur bones in her own backyard and, after years of persistence, helped uncover one of the most exciting paleontological discoveries of our time.

There’s an extraordinary secret hidden just beneath Ruth Mason’s feet. The year is 1905, and Ruth is a prairie girl living in South Dakota. She has no way of knowing that millions of years ago, her family farm was once home to scores of dinosaurs. Until one day, when Ruth starts finding clues to the past: strange rocks and rubble scattered all across her land. They’re dinosaur fossils—but she doesn’t know that yet, either. It will take many years of collecting these clues, and many, many questions, but Ruth’s curiosity will one day help uncover thousands of fossils all across her land.

New York Times bestselling illustrator Alexandra Bye’s vibrant illustrations bring to life this inspiring and exciting debut picture book from award-winning journalist Julia Lyon

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MY TIDBITS

All those young collectors out there will be inspired by Ruth's hobby and determination...and who doesn't love dinosaurs?

Ruth Mason grew up in South Dakota and enjoyed heading outside to discover all sorts of things. In 1905, there was quite a bit of untouched land around her, and that's where she discovered the first of many bones. She collected them, knowing that they were special even when no one wanted to believe her. But after a very long time, that changed.

This is history masterfully woven into a story, which young readers can easily identify with. Ruth's desire to collect things is a hobby so many kids have done or do themselves...be it rocks or shells or leaves or whatever. No one else finds her collection overly important, but she continues since she enjoys doing it. It's a situation many can relate to. Ruth didn't let others damage her fun and continued to believe that her collection was special, even when she did it just for herself. Even when disappointing comments hit, she never dwells on them or lets it get her down.

The illustrations and text are very well done. Each scene comes across familiar although it is set in historical times. The small details give hints at Ruth's life on the prairie without ever having to be mentioned in the text. The words are fitting to the age group and only carry a few sentences on each page. It makes a great read aloud for small as well as larger groups.

The theme of dinosaur bones and how they've been discovered also carries a large importance in this read. It shows how ordinary people can make large discoveries, and how some of the displays in museums came to be. So, this also works as an introduction to science lessons or historical discussions on that front.

And for those, who are more sure of their words, it's simply a wonderful read.

And here they are...

Julia Lyon is a graduate of the Columbia University School of Journalism and spent more than ten years working in daily newspapers in Oregon and Utah before becoming a freelance writer in 2013. She has won a United Nations Correspondents Association gold medal after visiting refugee camps in Thailand and has won many other journalism awards and distinctions for her reporting. A Dinosaur Named Ruth is her debut picture book.

Alexandra Bye is a freelance illustrator specializing in fun, colorful illustrations for a variety of media such as editorial and children’s publications. Her work is constantly inspired by her flourishing New England community and reflects the energy and dynamic personality of hometown pride. In her free time, she enjoys mountain biking, Nordic ski racing, Jiu Jitsu, studying nutritional therapy, and hiking in the White Mountains with her dog, Oliver.