The World is Your Oyster by Tamara James

The World is Your Oyster

by Tamara James

Illustrated by Emma SanCartier

Simply Read Books, 2009, unpaged

This is a picture book that should be read by adults. Especially adults who are having a bad day and need a little pick me up! The World is Your Oyster is a story that consists of many phrases that people use on a daily basis. Phrases included are it’s raining cats and dogs, take the bull by the horn, bury your head in the sand, and the early bird gets the worm. All these phrases and more combine to make a story that makes you want to go out and conquer the world! This creative book has nice watercolor illustrations as well that are kid friendly, beautiful and charming. While adults will understand it more a child will also enjoy the story. It will also gives the reader an opportunity to explain why sometimes we say one thing, that really has a different meaning. This is one I plan on buying!

Comments

Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

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Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

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