Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me.

And so begins this retelling of the tale of Cinderella. Ella was blessed at birth by a fairy with the gift of obedience - imagine having to obey everyone! Ella does what she can to rebel and delay following orders but in the end she must. After her mother passes away, her father remarries the evil stepmother and terrible stepsisters we are all familiar. Ella does not sit by passively accepting her fate. She searches for the fairy to end her curse, torments her stepsisters right back and falls in love with her prince. Like all good fairy tales, it is only when Ella realizes her own strength found within that everything ends happily ever after. The glass slippers, pumpkin coach and fairy godmother are all found here just as in the original Cinderella. Ella and the prince first become friends and then fall in love. A nice change of pace over the 'their eyes meet, fall in love and live happily ever after' love story.

I thought the author did a great job demonstrating Ella as a strong, feisty girl.

Levine, G. C. (1997). Ella enchanted. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.
ISBN:0060275103

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

My name is Elizabeth but no one's ever called me that.

To escape from her father, stepmother and new step sister, Daisy goes to England to stay with her aunt and cousins. War breaks out leaving Daisy and her cousins to fend for themselves. Soon, soldiers split up the cousins by gender but not before Edmond and Daisy fall in love.

Rosoff, M. (2004). How i live now. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.
ISBN: 0385746776
194 pages

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

My dad left when I still had a month to go in the darkroom, and historically when people have tried to figure me out (as in, "What went wrong?"), they usually conclude that Mom spoiled me; gave me everything I wanted because I had no pappy.

Eric and Sarah were close friends growing up uniting in their differences but as Eric began to change, the friends grow apart. However, when Sarah needs him, Eric fights for her proving their friendship is as strong as ever. Strong opinions on God, abortion, organized religion, and suicide are weaved into the story. Friendship, love, self-acceptance and abuse are themes found in this story.

I love this book! The characters, situations and dialogue are drawn from real life. I will read more of Chris Crutcher's books.

Crutcher, C. (1993). Staying fat for sarah byrnes. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.
ISBN: 0668115527
216 pages

Hazel's Amazing Mother by Rosemary Wells

Hazel, a badger, goes shopping for picnic supplies while pushing her doll in a stroller. She gets lost and ends up lost and roughed up by three mean children. Hazel wails for her mother and like magic Mom appears and forces the mean children to make amends. The illustrations are humorous and colorful.

I liked the story but I think some children might be scared when Hazel is being bullied. I felt that Mom coming to Hazel's rescue took the book into a less scary place for a child. I thought Hazel was adorable!

Wells, R. (1985). Hazel's amazing mother. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 0803702094
Illustrated by the author

Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees by A.A. Milne

Winnie-the-Pooh attempts to gather some honey from the bee's nest with the help of a balloon and Christopher Robin. Beautiful illustrations accompany this unsuccessful adventure to get the honey.

This is an adapted story from the larger Winnie-the-Pooh book and the illustrations appear to me to be more appealing and childlike than the Disney edition. This book was just the right length for a child learning to read or preschool age. I suppose that is why it was adapted into a standalone edition. A. A. Milne, writing for Winnie-the-Pooh, has an original voice that I haven't read anywhere else. Very enjoyable!

Milne, A.A. (2001). Winnie-the-pooh and some bees. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.
ISBN: 0525467815
Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard
Adapted by Stephen Krensky

The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

A collection of four stories involving Peter Rabbit: The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies and The Tale of Mr. Tod. When first we meet Peter, he is a young rabbit and in the last story he has a family of his own. In addition to Peter, numerous other animal characters are introduced. The illustrations are beautiful and reflect a love of nature.

There is more text on these pages than normally found in a picture book. However, paragraphs are separated by much white space to draw a child's focus to one spot. The animals take on familiar human characteristics that children will relate. Interesting word choices, such as soporific or lippity, are unfamiliar to children but are fun to say. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the illustrations until I opened the books.

Potter, B. (2003). The complete adventures of peter rabbit. London, England: Frederick Warne and Company.
ISBN: 072324734X
Illlustrated by the author

Rickie & Henri by Jane Goodall

Rickie, an orphaned chimpanzee, rescued from a Congolese market by a man who brings her home and Rickie struggles to adapt to this very different world. She learns to love the man and Henri, the dog. As she grows too large, she is taken to a chimpanzee sanctuary. Illustrations are beautifully done and can really feel Rickie's emotions throughout the story.

I am a great admirer of Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall so seeing Jane's name on this book I immediately picked it up. Rickie's mother is killed in front of her and Rickie is shot in the process. I was surprised at that in a picture book designed for easy readers. American children might be upset by this turn of events depending on how protective their parents are in reading materials. Overall, Rickie's story is too important to not tell. Perhaps educating children early will help instill a value for animals/conservation early on. Jane also writes a postscript describing Rickie's status today and information on the chimpanzee sanctuary.

Goodall, J. (2004). Rickie and henri. New York, NY: Penguin Young Readers Group.
ISBN: 069840002X
Illustrated by Alan Marks