InkyThink

Written by Daniel Pinkwater

Illustrated by Jack E. Davis

Morty and Ray watch a movie at night about a man who has a painting made of him. As the man does more and more mean things, the painting becomes uglier. Morty and Ray think this is neat, and paint a picture of themselves. They do bad things too, to see if their painting becomes ugly. Do you think their painting will become ugly, like the one in the movie?

I liked the use of cunning in this book. It's easy to read, and even though you know Morty and Ray are going to do bad things, you wonder if their painting will change the same way the man's did. It's a simple, fun story. It has a sort of quick, muddled ending, but overall it's a "what if..." story that concludes the only way it really can. Pinkwater is a clever writer.

Written and Illustrated by Duncan Weller

Imagine you are sitting on the sidewalk with your friends and you are bored. The world is grey, and you have nothing to do. Then imagine that a boy comes down out of the sky and puts light and colour into your life!

The Boy From the Sun was one of the first books I read after deciding to create InkyThink. Unfortunately, I didn't buy it at the time, and forgot the title. Lucky for me, my sister worked at a book store, and her co-worker knew which book I was talking about just from my description. It was the last copy, so I bought it right then and there. I adore books like these; where something bad is happening, or someone is having a bad day, and something comes along to turn the world up-side-down, and make it magical again. As you might already know, the inspiration for InkyThink was from wanting never to grow up. I think the reason I like The Boy From the Sun so much is because it is a metaphor for that. I see the sad kids sitting on the sidewalk as adults who have lost their imagination and wonder, and the boy symbolizes what they lost and hope to gain again if they would just let it be a part of their lives. Read The Boy From the Sun when you're having a bad day. It is definitely the book I turn to when I feel blue.

4.7 suns out of 5.0

Written by Audrey Penn

Illustrated by Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak

Chester the Racoon is sad because he doesn't want to go to school. He would much rather stay at home with his mother and play all day and read books. His mother reassures him that he will like school; he will gain more friends and more interesting books to read. That's when she tells him about The Kissing Hand.

A very sweet book, The Kissing Hand is a New York Times #1 Bestseller, and it's clear why. This book gives us a glimpse into the life of a special relationship between a mother racoon and her son. It's a great book to read to any child who might be scared of starting school, or going someplace new and strange. Of course, any book that can make me weepy in twenty-four pages is a winner. Either that or I'm just a big softy. I do, however, love the illustrations. This is a book I expect will always be on my shelf.

 

4.7 kissing hands out of 5.0

Written by Jon Scieszka

Illustrations by Lane Smith

 

You say the Big Bad Wolf blew down the three little pig’s houses? That’s not what he says! According to his side of the story he’s completely innocent. Really! If you don’t believe me, read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and find out. 

 

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs tells the tale from A. Wolf’s perspective. It is an interesting take on the classic Three Little Pigs story, but lacks a certain flare that I look for in children’s books. Despite his want to prove himself as the injured party, the wolf still eats two of the three little pigs and winds up in jail afterwards anyway. For all accounts and purposes he still is a Big Bad Wolf, though he refuses to admit it. As for illustrations, it has everything I like to find in a book: perspective, imagination, a certain level of detail and softness when needed. I thoroughly enjoyed just going through and admiring Lane Smith’s artistry. I just wasn’t too thrilled about the story. 

 

2.9 little pigs out of 5.