Posted on January 16th, 2014 by pajamapress
“In Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That, author Victoria Allenby’s poetic text and illustrator Tara Anderson’s whimsical art lulls kids – and kitten – to sleep, making it a lovely bedtime read.
But it’s more than a bedtime story: it’s a tale of friendship and acceptance. It’s a story in which kids safely explore relational differences and boundaries through the eyes of cats…
Parents and teachers will love Allenby’s word play. Her use of repetition and alliteration is calming and her steady cadence is mesmerizing. Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That is a story of love and limits… and it might just induce a good night’s sleep.”
—Jen Bailey
Click here to read the full review.
Posted in Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That | Tagged bedtime, bedtime-book, can-sleep-like-that, cats, nat-the-cat, nationa-reading-campaign, nrc, picture-book, story, tara-anderson, victoria-allenby
Posted on January 14th, 2014 by pajamapress
In the January/February 2014 issue of Chirp Magazine for kids aged 3 to 6, it’s “Time for Bed.” And what is bedtime without a story? Chirp says, “Looking for a good bedtime book? Check out Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That by Victoria Allenby. This cat can sleep through anything!”
Click here to learn more about Chirp.
Posted in Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That | Tagged bedtime-book, can-sleep-like-that, cats, chirp, magazine, nat-the-cat, picture-book, Review, rhyme, story, tara-anderson, victoria-allenby
Posted on December 18th, 2013 by pajamapress
“It’s a great read for the family or for the classroom. There is certainly fun involved, and excitement, and even a bit of tension. What more can we ask? Long winter nights or January afternoons at school just beg for a fitting story to share. This could be it!”
—Sally Bender
Click here to read the full review.
Posted in The Stowaways | Tagged adventure, book, dean-griffiths, fantasy, meghan-marentette, mice, mouse, Novel, Pajama Press, read-aloud, reading, Review, sally-bender, sals-fiction-addiction, story, the-stowaways
Posted on July 22nd, 2013 by pajamapress
“Not all children’s books need to be moralistic; some just express, simply and effectively, how it feels to be a child. Hoogie in the Middle is just such a book.
Hoogie might be in the middle of her monster family, but she is front and centre in this delightful picture book. Young readers caught in the middle like Hoogie will certainly identify; even their siblings will find themselves portrayed in positive ways in the pages. Hoogie is always caught in the middle, so much so that sometimes she ‘feels like the hole in the middle of a donut’: sadly invisible to all of her family. Eventually, her sadness becomes too much and ‘Hoogie… EXPLODES!’ Sometimes it takes a drastic reaction to get adults to notice…
Hoogie in the Middle does not condone loss of temper so much as present frustration as a real part of the childhood experience, as much as the imaginative play that Hoogie and her siblings engage in. The simple comparisons made between Hoogie, her older sister Pumpkin, and their baby brother Tweezle, are balanced and sufficiently repetitious to create a memorable, lilting narrative that will help young readers to learn the words as they go, or to enjoy the sounds as their parents read to them.
Combine Stephanie McLellan’s gentle and effective wordplay with Dean Griffiths’ fabulous, colourful illustrations, and you have a book that feels like Hoogie at the end: ‘like the jelly in the middle of a sandwich: Sweet.’”
—Karen Huenemann
Rated E: Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
Posted in Hoogie In the Middle | Tagged childrens-book, dean-griffiths, hoogie-in-the-middle, karen-huenneman, monsters, Pajama Press, picture-book, reading, resource-links, Review, stephaie-mclellan, story
Posted on May 23rd, 2013 by pajamapress
“Something for the Young’Uns: Books with International Appeal”
“A Good Trade, by Alma Fullerton. This is the story of Kato, a young boy growing up in a Ugandan village. His daily routine includes chores and a long walk at dawn to the water hole.
One day, the routine is disrupted: an aid worker brings a life-changing gift of shoes for all
the village children, and Kato feels compelled to give her something precious is return. A good story to use when discussing life in rural Africa.”
—Margriet Ruurs
For more information about The International Educator, visit the TIE Online website.
Posted in A Good Trade | Tagged a-good-trade, aid-worker, alma-fullerton, book, international, international-educator, karen-patkau, margriet-ruurs, picture-book, poverty, Review, rural, shoes, story, tie, uganda
Posted on November 20th, 2012 by pajamapress
The author uses clear prose and descriptive language to make the reader aware of the life that Kato lives. We hear the silence of the early morning, see the soldiers as they stand guard, feel the sloshing of the water on Kato’s bare, dusty toes, catch our breath with him as he hauls the water home and must stop to rest, and smile as he and the aid worker make their ‘good trade’.
Karen Patkau creates a setting that allows a glimpse at Kato’s life and his village, the bright and happy colors that the children wear (including their new shoes) and the muted landscape he travels over daily. Each page captures our attention and begs for discussion.
Click here to read the full review.
Posted in A Good Trade | Tagged a-good-trade, aid, alma-fullerton, author, book, Canada, digital, free-verse, illustration, illustrator, karen-patkau, literary, literature, Pajama Press, picture-book, Review, sals-fiction-addiction, shoes, story, uganda
“In Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That, author Victoria Allenby’s poetic text and illustrator Tara Anderson’s whimsical art lulls kids – and kitten – to sleep, making it a lovely bedtime read.
