Saturday, April 12, 2014

When a Line Bends...,/ Scaredy Squirrel at Night/ Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile

When a Line Bends... A Shape Begins by Rhonda Gowler Greene, Illustrated by James Kaczman

This is a lovely picture book. It gives plenty of ideas for creative drawers and teaches shapes at the same time.  Each page highlights a different shape and all of the many things that can be drawn, or can be found out in the wide world, made of that shape.









Scaredy Squirrel at night  by Melanie Watt

I just love the Scaredy Squirrel books.  I'm a contingency planner, so all of Scaredy Squirrels plans and supplies always appeal to me.  

I have a cousin who is afraid of everything.  She, in turn, made a point of transferring all of her fears to her daughter, who is now doing that with her kids.  My mom had fears and shortcomings and she made a point of making sure they weren't ours.  She was afraid of heights, but she'd take us on great big high rides and try very hard to pretend that it didn't bother her.  We would wind up trying to comfort her, and she'd feel like she'd fail.  But, she absolutely did it right, because neither my brother or I are afraid of heights.  My mom never learned how to swim, and we're an extended family of water lovers. She made sure we took swimming lessons.  

I think I want to buy this entire series and send them to my little cousin Eliana, so she can read them with her mother and grandmother and maybe end the cycle of fear.



Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile  by Bernard Waber

Should you ever come face to face with a crocodile, I certainly hope he is of the Lyle ilk.  Lyle the crocodile lives with the Primm family where he is very happy and loved.  In fact, Lyle gets along very well with pretty much everyone he meets.  He's an extremely socialized crocodile. But, pretty much everyone is not the same as everyone.  As it turns out, Lyle's next door neighbors Mr. Grummps and his cat, Loretta are not fans.  

When Lyle runs into an old show business friend in Mr. Grummps' department store, and they entertain the crowd so well that they forget all about the sale on pajamas, that is the last straw for Mr. Grummps.  He brings the authorities with paperwork dictating that Lyle be moved permanently to the zoo.
I am pretty sure that I wouldn't mind Lyle moving into my neighborhood. As long as I wouldn't have to keep him supplied in the caviar that he likes.

1 comment:

Judy Krueger said...

My mom, who passed away five years ago yesterday, also never learned to swim and made sure my sisters and I did. But I had many fears as a child, engendered in part by my beloved grandmother. I don't think she meant any harm; she was protective of her first grandchild. But I was always aware, when my kids were toddlers, that I should not pass my fears on to them. You got me thinking today!