XXtra Small

Night Lights

The semi-wordless, snuggly tale of a mother, daughter, and dog.

Night Lights uses pictures, brightly colored and patterend but awash in shadow, to tell the story of a girl and her mother coming home to a welcoming dog and a cozy house. The only words are those that name the source of light on every page: firefly light, headlight, lamplight—and a peaceful bedtime rhythm is created to go with the story. Some adults will want to narrate along with the pictures, while others will let the child “read” them for herself. But any and all will enjoy snuggling together over this book. Although the setting is a little urban, this would make a great book to take along on a summer camping or rental house trip—it has the feel of a vacation from the everyday.

  • Fear Factor: (The unnamed fear of the dark that lies behind the story never feels scary.)
  • Heart: (Even without words, there’s something very sweet and comforting about this girl and her mom and dog, snuggled and cozy in the night.)
  • Attitude: (More Good Night, Moon than “Night, dude.”)
  • Psst: The young heroine has a nicely multi-ethnic feel, although there’s nothing overt about it.
  • If you like this: Other semi-wordless books, like Jez Alborough’s Hug, also invite a layering on of story by the reader of the words and the reader of the pictures alike.

KJ Dell'Antonia Former Manhattan lawyer and prosecutor, parent of four. Lover of books and bacon.

The Cheesemans Stand Alone

A Whole Nother Story chronicles the exploits of the on-the-lam Cheeseman family.

  • Posted: January 4, 2010 at 10:11 AM
  • By Kara Hadge

In A Whole Nother Story, Dr. Cuthbert Soup chronicles the exploits of the Cheeseman family, who are on the run. Ethan Cheeseman and his wife, Olivia, were almost done inventing a time machine when they realized that government agents, shady businessmen, and international spies were determined to draft the invention for their own devious uses. After Olivia’s mysterious death, Mr. Cheeseman and his three children were forced to move and assume new identities, while hoping to crack the code Olivia left behind to finish the time machine and use it to reverse the circumstances that led to her death. Accompanied by their psychic dog, Pinky, who senses approaching danger, Jough, Maggie, and Gerard (and his beloved sock puppet, Steve) hit the road with their father and meet a number of interesting characters on the way, like a band of misfit circus performers.

Throughout the text, the narrator, Dr. Cuthbert Soup, dispenses of advice connected to teachable moments from the tale. Although his advice sometimes takes the tone of a backseat driver, the interchapter breaks will not distract readers from the fast-moving, engaging plot. The book is geared towards third through sixth graders, but will appeal most to 8- to 10-year-olds; older readers might feel too jaded for its wholesome lessons.

  • Fear Factor: (With evil agents hot on their tail, the Cheeseman family is under no small amount of pressure, and the suspense and potential danger are enough to keep younger readers on the edge of their seats.)
  • Heart: (The Cheeseman children are earnest and loveable, with a strong sense of duty and plenty of gumption.)
  • Attitude: (As Dr. Soup writes, Jough, Maggie, and Gerard are “smart, polite, attractive, and relatively odor-free”—and even the pirates they encounter have manners.)
  • Psst: The Cheeseman children make up new names for themselves each time they move, and Maggie’s is actually short for Magenta-Jean Jurgenson.
  • If you like this: Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events also offers suspense, precocious child protagonists, and an eccentric narrator.

Kara Hadge Graduate student in the Communication, Culture, and Technology program at Georgetown University and former Slate intern.

Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas

In this DVD, the Man in the Yellow Hat becomes convinced that a better monkey-parent would give George all the understanding he needs.

You can’t make a Christmas special for an animated character without invoking either A Christmas Carol or It’s a Wonderful Life. Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas manages to invoke a little of both. The Man in the Yellow Hat can’t understand George’s Christmas list, and he becomes convinced that a better monkey-parent would give George all the understanding he needs. His visits to alternative pasts and presents show George in the hands of other adults in the series, and, of course, George is best off exactly where he is. This Christmas special adds music to the usual PBS show, making it more like the movie and adding an even more holiday-ish touch. The usual science aspect of the program has been diluted for the sake of the story, but the hourlong DVD still held the attention of kids from 3 to 8 in my house—George’s broad age appeal as always been one of his strengths.

  • Fear Factor: (Nothing scary here.)
  • Heart: (George and The Man in the Yellow Hat are obviously perfect for each other.)
  • Attitude: (Not on PBS Kids!)
  • Psst: I know, he’s a monkey—but sometimes I wish Curious George would get just a little punished for, say, knocking over 30 Christmas trees.
  • If you like this: How about Merry Christmas, Curious George? Call me retro, but I still like the books.

KJ Dell'Antonia Former Manhattan lawyer and prosecutor, parent of four. Lover of books and bacon.

Comments

karenmillens

Commenting on: Who You Gonna Call?

said the trim lady with a Karen Millen Australia, "so, I answered, 'One million, Lee.' That floored them both. They just gazed at me in awe." I had to have my dime's worth, so when dresses at karen millen had finished I said, "Speaking of burials, I think the prize one is told by Dr. Axel Munthe in his St. Michele. He tells about karen millen clothing the body of a Swedish boy who died of T.B. on the Continent, intending to return him to his mother in karen millen black dresses who was a childhood friend of his. "As the law required that the corpse be accompanied by some person, Dr. Munthe hired a professional watcher whom he described as a gnome-like individual, and himself sat in a first class carriage.

karenmillens

Commenting on: Minifred Goes to School

karen millen dresses 2011 broke in, "We have a Chinese cook. One day he was boasting before another Chinaman visiting him, 'I have 3500 ancestors.' The other Chinaman proudly asserted, 'I have 5000.' Then both of them turned to me and my cook inquired, 'Mrs. Noop, how many karen millen jacket you have?' "I thought I might as well make the figure a good

karenmillens

Commenting on: Super Mario Galaxy

Someone got to discussing karen millen 2011 collection and the odd way the Indians had of putting their dead up on poles. It brought up the karen millen one shoulder dresses in New Orleans