Cloudy With a Chance of Books

Lucy Pennykettle knows there is a monster in her room. Her mother does not believe her, but crafts Lucy a miniature guard dragon named Gruffen to protect her. Her mother uses a magical snowball to bring the clay dragon to life. Gruffen discovers the monster is really a bat. Lucy and Gruffen must protect this bat from a neighbor who wishes to get rid of her and find her a safe place to have her bat pup.

This was a simple, charming story with illustrations that perfectly matched the tone. Gruffen’s missteps in his attempt to guard Lucy added humor. More tales of the magical miniature dragons created by Lucy’s mom are forthcoming. It is fun to read about the secret lives of these dragons who do not move when nosy neighbors are near, but are capable of magic when there are no prying eyes. This is a good new series for the 2nd or 3rd grader looking for a cozy magical tale. 104p., 2009.

Cybils nominee for Easy Readers/Short Chapter Books category.

This book about a dog named Aggie and her boy, Ben, is a cheerful treat for new readers. Ben wonders if Aggie is a good dog and if she will ever learn to SIT and STAY when there are squirrels and cats to chase.

The illustrator does a great job of capturing movement and emotion in his pictures. I particularly enjoyed the scene where Aggie gets into a ladies’ hat shop and finds a mirror that shows her three dogs who need to be barked at. On a tear through the store Aggie ends up in a jaunty hat. A dog wearing a ladies hat is very funny.

Ries manages the fine art of storytelling in short sentences and with short words. This book is very friendly to beginning readers. The stories are simple, but filled with action.  The pictures support the story showing the action described in the text which is helpful for readers who may struggle with the words.  The book is divided into 3 chapters (Aggie at School, Aggie in Training, and A Bad Dog) and is just under 50 pages which feels like a good length – long enough to feel substantial without being overwhelming to new readers.  I would recommend this book and its prequel Aggie and Ben to readers who like DiCamillo’s Mercy Watson books. 48p., 2009

I am going to be a judge for the Cybils category of Easy Readers and Early Chapter Book. I trying to read and review as many of the nominated books as possible to get a feel for the genre.  This is the first nominee I’ve read.