Two more children's book reviews with help from a five-year-old reviewer

Once again, Ian, my five-year-old grandson, lends a hand on these reviews of fun and colorful children's book. Both of the books have silly titles and outrageous illustrations, both things that make books more attractive to Ian who really enjoys humorous books.

Yuck, You Suck! Poems about Animals that SIP, SLURP, SUCK by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple, illustrated by Eugenia Nobati

Millbrook Press, 2022

"Dare to open these pages and you'll find ticks, mosquitos, stingrays, elephants, jellyfish, and the particularly sucky lamprey. Sixteen slurpy poems from Yolen and Stemple introduce a suction-filled selection of animals, and spectacularly sticky illustrations from Nobati spotlight these stupendous suckers" (Publisher).

This nonfiction book may have a silly title but it contains some serious, factual information about animals who suck, slurp, and sip blood. The back pages offer additional facts about animals that suck for a reason, a bibliography of books to sink your proboscis into, definitions of anatomical terms for body parts that suck, additional information about the suckers highlighted in the poems, and a glossary of science-y words that don't suck.

 

Ian was really into this book. He asked if he could take the book home to reread with his parents. His favorite animals are bats, any kind, so he was pretty impressed that one of the animals included here was the vampire bat, but he wants everyone to know that vampire bats don't actually suck, they slurp. By his reaction, I'd say that Ian would give the book 4-4.5 stars. I gave it 3.5 stars. What do I know?

 

 

 

Counting in Dog Years and Other Sassy Math Poems by Betsy Franco, illustrated by Priscilla Tey 

Candlewick Press, 2022

"Betsy Franco explores a range of math topics—from fractions and time measurements to geometry and graphs—in a way that relates math to the daily lives of children. Even the most mathematically disinclined will warm to these innovative poems, illustrated with game-changing wit and whimsy by Priscilla Tey. From multiplying mice to missing socks, from stinky scales to bug races, this collection of imaginative verse subtracts the mystery, fear, and loathing from mathematics, making it engrossing and fun for all" (Publisher).

 

Ian's mom is a math teacher. She requested the book from me to share with her students. Ian liked the illustrations in this book better than the actual poems. But I have to admit, though it looks like a young children's book, it is certainly above his grade in knowledge, with multiplication, division, mathematical shapes playing a big role in the poems. Ian and grandpa were having fun with the poem about the palindrome-y math numbers: 11 x 11= 121; 111 x 111= 12321; etc. But when I asked him if he liked the book and wanted to take it home, he wasn't so sure. The book is too old for him. My rating 5 stars, Ian's 3.5 stars. I thought he'd like it better than the Yuck, You Suck book. See what I mean? I don't always know what is best for kids.

 

Grandpa was in his lounge chair so Ian is awkwardly sitting on his chest, not the usual reading position.

-Anne