Review: Earl the Curl by Sarah Elliott

EARL THE CURL

by Sarah Elliott

Picture Book
 Greek Mythology
ages 0+

Have you every had a bad hair day? When no matter what you do, your hair just won't cooperate? Well, Medusa has bad hair days too! And that one pesky curl, Earl, never seems to behave! What will he be up to next?

MY TIDBITS

What a clever way to introduce young listeners to Greek myths! This is a picture book about Medusa and her wonderfully, snaky hair. Earl is one of these snakes, and he's a got a mind all of his own.

This book made me laugh. Not only are Earl's antics funny, but the illustrations bring them to life. The amount of words on each page is held to a minimum--exactly that what is necessary to let little readers know what is going on, and the vocabulary fits every age group. This is one fitting for even the youngest of listeners and will have them laughing out loud as one reads it again. . .and again. . .and again.

I can only hope that there will be more books like this for some of the other mythical personalities.

And here she is. . .

SARAH ELLIOTT!!!

Sarah Elliott grew up in Northern Nevada where she graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a BA in Theater, and a minor in English. 

As a child, she would staple paper together to make her own make-shift children's books.That passion for children's book lead to her Volunteering for the Washoe County Library System for over 10 years. She started out shelving books, and ended with her facilitating her own story time called "Princess Story Time." Now, she just continues to add to her growing collection of vintage and new children's books! She is a member of SBCWI.

https://www.facebook.com/elliott.c.sarah/?ref=hl

Mini-Myths for the Youngest Readers by Joan Holub

In the first two books in this series, we met Pandora and Hercules. Now, the talented author, Joan Holub, and her illustrater, Leslie Patricelli, introduce the youngest of readers to two more great mythological personalities: Medusa and Midas!

Brush Your Hair, Medusa! 

(Mini Myths) |

by Joan Holub

 Illustrated by Leslie

 Patricelli 

Abrams Appleseed

 Ages: 1 to 3

Medusa refuses to care for her hair, her long locks getting messier with each passing page. Her hair rebellion elicits frozen expressions of shock from her family, but nothing will convince Medusa to brush. Only her hairdresser approaches Medusa with bravery and scissors, successfully solving the problem . . . with a short haircut! All are pleased with this drastic yet adorable solution. Leslie Patricelli’s depictions of this physical comedy bring a lively visual narrative to Joan Holub’s expertly focused text. Includes a summary of the original Medusa’s Wild Hair myth at the end.

AMAZON / BARNES&NOBLE

MY TIDBITS

My daughter loves this little mini-myth series. She's even dedicated a special box to to them and was so excited to get her hands on this one.

Medusa is a cute little girl with amazing hair...and a tiny bit of an attitude. She doesn't want her hair brushed, and with that amazing head-o-curl, who can blame her? I had to laugh as I remembered the days of brushing my older daughter's hair, a horrid undertaking with all those curls she had. Unlike my daughter, Medusa doesn't give in - something that will make kids laugh and perhaps, frustrate parents. The story doesn't have many words, but each one is perfect and just right. The pictures are simply fun and will have kids going through them again and again.

As a parent, I appreciate how robust the book is. My daughter has dragged these to school and everywhere, and they still are in great condition. Also, on the very back page, there's a description of Medusa written in a way children will understand. I love how this opens up kids to discussions and introduces them to the world of Greek mythology without feeling over-powering.

In my opinion, this is a must read for little kids - all of them.

Make a Wish, Midas!

 (Mini Myths)

 by Joan Holub |

 Illustrated by Leslie

 Patricelli 

 Abrams Appleseed

  Ages: 1 to 3

 Midas wants everything to be his favorite color – yellow! He chooses yellow clothes, eats yellow foods, and uses only the yellow paint at his art easel. But when he impulsively paints his beloved green Dinoboo, Midas discovers that too much of a good thing is a big mess! Joan Holub’s carefully crafted text is brought to life by Leslie Patricelli’s famously humorous illustrations. Includes a summary of the original Midas’ Golden Touch myth at the end.

AMAZON / BARNES&NOBLE

MY TIDBITS

After reading the other books in this series (again and again and again, thanks to my daughter), I was a little curious to see how the author would handle Midas. Neither I nor my daughter, who's a huge fan of these books, were disappointed. Midas loves yellow and like kids sometimes do, goes to extremes. I found this story so true to life and one that will really hit home, especially when Midas' wish involves his favorite stuffed animal.

The author does a fantastic job of introducing even the youngest little readers to mythology. She takes the core of their stories and tells them in a way kids will completely understand...and see some of the characteristics in themselves. At the end, there's a short description of Midas and has experience written in a way kids will easily comprehend. It also opens up to discussions and questions, making kids already become familiar with this part of history and past cultures. .

The books are robust (my daughter's treatment of them proves that), colorful and well written. I can only recommend them.

Joan Holub’s fascination with mythology inspired Mini Myths, a new board book series that translates famous myths into situations familiar to preschoolers. The first four titles are Be Patient, Pandora!, Play Nice, Hercules!, Brush Your Hair, Medusa! and Make A Wish, Midas! published byAbrams Appleseed. Joan co-authors two other mythology series for Simon and Schuster, Goddess Girls (ages 8-12) and Heroes in Training (ages 7-10). Her picture book, Mighty Dads, was a New York Times bestseller in 2014.