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...
When I first saw the title for this book I new I had to read it. My grandfather always told us that his favorite color was sky blue pink. My sisters and I always argued with him that there was no such color but he insisted that there was and it was definitely his favorite color! Seeing Sky*Blue Pink is a good realistic fiction book for the intermediate reader. Maddie is a shy eight-year-old who has a lot of adjusting to do. She has a new step-father and has moved into his house in the country. She is used to city life and isn’t too sure of the remoteness of her new location. She enjoyed “perfect days” in the city with her mom when they would do their shopping and finish off with an ice cream sundae at their favorite diner. Her mother and step-father are very patient with her through this adjustment period and eventually she realizes that she can still have perfect days even though she is in a different place with different people.
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