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<P>Willems, Mo (illustrator)Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late New York, NY:Hyperion,2006 Picture Book

Sleep is very important, even for pigeons, but this particular pigeon refuses to go to bed. He tries to persuade the audience into letting him stay up. Dose his persuasion succeed or dose he end up crashing in the end? Read and find out. One thing a child can learn is that sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do, and that's part of life. It's what keeps us on our feet and often times promotes our health. Another thing this book can teach is that sleep is important, no matter who or what you are. No matter how much we wish to stay up, our bodies tell us a different message and in order to keep our health, we must listen to our bodies. The content was pretty close to what most children can relate too, some can even look at themselves as that pigeon and laugh. The illustrations even made it seem real, as if the pigeon was really feeling the way he did, yet they gave an ironic twist; He said he wasn't tired, but the bags under the pigeons eyes told the reader that he was lying. The format even added to the book as well with the speech bubbles and how the plot interacted with the child; instead of the pigeon talking to another character, he interacted with the reader. This format gets the child to see staying up late in a different perspective; instead of being told the he has to sleep, he is telling someone else to sleep and thus gets and idea of the feelings that parents have about getting sleep, and how important it really is to sleep. I personally thought this book was very funny. His reasons for staying up late seemed like excuses I myself would use. I also loved being able to interact with the pigeon; it was as if I were in the story and I love being a part of a story. If I were to start a discussion with children I would ask them about times when they wanted to stay up late. Why would someone want to stay up late? What has been used to persuade their parents to stay up late? How did their bodies react on nights they DID stay up late or on nights they COULDN'T sleep? These questions could relate to the story and I'm sure I will find some interesting answers.

Kittens are the cutest little things in the entire world, and some of the things they do are enough to make you curl up into a ball with a stuffed animal filled with purrs. This particular kittenis up late at night, and is attracted to a strange, floating bowl of milk in the sky. The poor kitten is so hungry, he tries his best efforst to catch it, but to no avail.

Sometimes things aren't always what they seem and until we go check it out for ourselves, we'll never know if it's real, fake, or what we expected. Even in our quest to discover what is what, we also must learn to give up on what we can never get, go back home, and find a different way to get what we want.

It was a very simple plot with a kitten trying to get something that he just can seem to reach, and yet this applies to things in real life. We can see this kitten struggling to grab at what it believes to be " a bowl of milk", but the pictures show us that this bowl of milk really is full moon. This brings out one the themes, showing the reader that we may think something is one thing, but really it's something else; people will often mistake complete strangers for people they know, or even more abstract feelings, like love and lust. It's such a simple story, yet it provokes so much thought in my adult mind.

Now it's time for me to let out what I've been wanting to say through out this entire review : " I love kitties!". The whole reason i chose this is becuase the kitten was just cute, and watching the kitten move, jump, and lick it's paw made me feel all squishy inside.

Some interesting discussions can probably go on stemming from this book, even with children. For example, I would ask the children to name things they have mistaken for somethng else? What things have they wanted that they just could never have? I would also ask them what they thought of the moon.

Bath time can be very enjoyable.Sometimes it's so enjoyable that we don't want to leave! Even King Bidgood loved taking baths, and he spent an entire day in that bathtub. Everyone, including the Queen, are frantic and do their best to pry the King away from his watery delight, but he always finds a creative way to stay in.

Sometimes people can over indulge in lifes pleasures, and that can be a problem for most people. Sometimes we have to pull away from something that feels good so that we can live life and think about others. We also must use our heads and be clever with our ideas in order to solve problems.

The content was a little weird and put a twist on children playing with a rubber ducky, exaggerating with things we normally woudn't think would go in a bathtub. The illustrations really emphasize the exaggeration, and even add more humor to the story. It's done on a relatively simple format, with the entire page filled with vibrant artwork and the text with it. The theme uses a humorous scheme in showing a child what he should do when trying to solve problems, and sometimes we must look around, as the answer may be simpler than we think.

I found this book to be so funny! The facial expressions, the costuming, and just the entire thing got me laughing. This is definitly something I would share with the class.

Seeing as how this story ties in with something that children do often, which is taking a bath, I would ask questions pertaining to bath time. I would ask them what kind of things they do in the bath. I would also ask them what they like about bath time. I would also bring up how a child feels when someone takes too long in the shower or the bath.

Corduroy wants more than anything to be bought by a child, and Lisa wants to buy Corduroy more than anything in the entire store. However, Lisa's mother doesn't approve of the old Teddy Bear that is missing a button on his overalls. Corduroy, in desperation to win the heart of Lisa and her mother, sets out to find a new button.

Sometimes we do things for those we love, only to find that being who we are is all that thatt person asks for. We find that we don't have to change who we are for a person who truly loves us. Not only that, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder; where one person sees something ugly, another person can see beauty underneath the dust and grime.

It was different from real life, as Teddy Bears normally don't walk and talk, especially in front of people. Yet he was a visually adorable teddy bear and one can see why a little girl would want him; the emotion that both him and little girl have when they interact with eachother is seen on the facial expressions. It's all done on a pretty basic format, with the illustration on the bulk of the page and the text on the bottom; one can illiminate the text and still get the basic idea of what the story is about. A very heart warming theme, and in the long run one of the most important things a child needs to learn; to see beauty as more than neatness, but also as an aspect that comes from the heart.

I really thought this was an adorable story. I was touched. Even though it was over a little teddy bear, I was amased at the young girls wisdom and innocence, while the mother rejected something over one little fault. If I were a child, i would find a sense of hope in being able to find that one special freind who loves me no matter what.

I would be interested in what kind of faults children were rejected for. What did they do to try to change that fault? How do they feel when they want something and their mother or father won't let them have it becuase they don't find it visually pleasing? I of couse wouldn't use such big words.

How do you make a friend? Do you build them with sticks? Do you build them with fruit? Do they need to be tall or small. Fox tries to ponder this on a day he finds himself bored. He gathers various things in the forest in order to create his own freind. But one problem, the freinds he builds can't talk or move? Oh, what is a little fox to do?

On thing this story teaches us is that friends aren't made of material things.They aren't money or twigs, but living people. We also learn that we make friends by going out into the world, not sitting at home doing nothing.

Obviously this is an animal story, and it really has an interesting way of showing how to make friends, even though it is told in as a story. The pictures give the reader the idea of what the fox is using to make friends, and it shows how well he works with his new playmates he meets along the way. The format is not an exact set one. On some pages, picture fills the entire page, on others, there is a small pic and the text is on white. As for the theme, it really can get a child thinking when she feels she dosen't have any freinds; instead of moping around, she should go out into the world and meet people through after school activities or projects.

It was very cute, and I love foxes. I found it amusing to watch vegetables get turned into potential playmates. That was fun.

Some creativity can come into a discussion. Questions like " What kind of things would you make a friend out of? " I would also have them descibe the times when they felt they didn't have anyone to play with. I would also ask them how they handled such a situation.

Is Santa Claus real, or is he make believe? A young boy questions this as he is whisked away on a magical journey, where a North Pole bound train filled with Children and hot cocoa carreens through cities and towns. All this to show one child that Santa exists. Or dose he? What proof is there?

Beliefs are a very importan thing we have as human beings. To believe in something is power, and it can be a magical power that sometimes we have to stand alone to hold. We also learn that people will often challenge our beliefs, and it's up to us to continue to hold on to them and remember what we know about them.

It's a simple Christmas story, describing a magical journey to the north pole. The art is really beautiful, and it gives a visual aide to the text that sits on the side of the page. The Format with the pig pictures and the walls of text on the side of the pages really sets the importance upon both elements, they would be lost without eachother. The theme is really protrayed with the simble of the bell, and can touch the hearts of many who have given in to the logical doubt that others put upon our beliefs, even if it is as simple as beleiving in Santa Claus.

I was really touched, even though I have seen the movie. I was pretty amazed to find that book was way different than the movie. I know that everytime I read this, I will always remember the time I heard sleigh bells, and then regret the times I doubted the existance of Santa. It really made me think and when I read it, I find myself believing in Santa again.

The questions would be pretty tough to ask without asking if a child believed in Santa, but that would be too simple. Instand, I would ask what keeps them beleiving in him. I would also ask what friends have said to make them doubt. Another one to ask would be how they would feel if they knew they were chosen to go meet Santa Claus.