The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

I just want to take this time to thank each and everyone of you that has made a comment in support of all that has happened these last few days. It has been an insane time. I especially want to thank you for all of the wonderful and informative links I have been given for information about the similar situations. I will be spending the week-end doing research. Unless something more comes to pass or I am asked to comment on what has happened, I will be moving on with Novel Reads in my usual fashion. THANK YOU ALL! READERS and Bloggers are the best!

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
(BCC)

"Hey you," said the grouchy ladybug. "want to fight?"
"If you insist," said the yellow jacket, showing its stinger.
"Oh, you're not big enough," said the grouchy ladybug and flew off.

The grouchy lady bug is looking for someone-anyone to fight, no matter how big. From sunrise to sunset the ladybug badgers and bullies, until finally it meets its match.

We're big Eric Carle fans in our house. Ever since Bear and Miss Beautiful were introduced to The Very Hungry Caterpillar they look for books by their favorite (maybe second, since we also lurve Dr. Suess) author.

The latest book by Carle to line our shelves is this one, and we absolutely adore it. From the author's website, " A grouchy ladybug who is looking for a fight challenges everyone it meets regardless of their size or strength. How this bumptious bug gets its comeuppance and learns the pleasures to be gained by cheerfulness and good manners is an amusing lesson in social behavior. Die-cut pages add drama and dimension."

First of all, Carle's illustrations are amazing. True works of art. Painted tissue paper? My God, the man is a genius. Second of all, the pages are designed to grow from big to small as the animals that the grouchy ladybug challenges become bigger. There is also a clock at the top of each page, so that the children can see the time of day it is on the clock, which also helps us illustrate to our children, that one bully wasted her entire day by being mean, when she could have gotten what she wanted and enjoyed a wonderful day, had she just started out by using common decency and manners.

As this book was first published in 1977, I think it just proves how timeless the lesson it involves is. In his dedication, Carle gives a small lesson on ladybugs and their nature, which is both entertaining to read and educational.

If you are looking for a great book to read with your children, pick up any book by Carle, you won't be able to go wrong. And for some great ideas on ways to use Carle's books to further your child's experience, head over to his website and find ideas listed that have been sent to him over the years from teachers and parents.

For those of you lucky enough to live in or near Amherst, MA, be sure to visit The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. Miss Beautiful and I spent quite a bit of time on their website last night making a wish list of things we'd like to see when we get a chance to go.

Take Care

"So this is how a war starts," thought Gregor. Not with two armies facing off, waiting for the signal to charge. Not with a wave of rats invading the avenues of Regalia. Not with a formation of bats swooping down on an unsuspecting colony of rats. It begins much more quietly. In a room, on a field, in a remote tunnel when someone who has power decides the time has come."

We just finished the fifth and final book in this amazing series tonight, and as soon as the tears stopped (both mine and Bear's), I found myself wanting to talk about it. Then I realized that I hadn't had the chance to talk about the fourth book yet and I needed to do that before I started in on the amazing conclusion! So let me do just that!

Gregor and the Marks of Secret by Suzanne Collins
(BCC)

Now, with the third prophecy fulfilled, Gregor is drawn ever deeper into a brewing crisis. For generations, rats have run the mice - ir "nibblers" - out of whatever lands they've claimed, keeping them constantly on the move. But now the mice are disappearing, and the young queen Luxa, who credits them with saving her life, is determined to find out why.

When Gregor joins her on a fact-finding mission, he's relieved that this time, at least, there's no prophecy on the line. But when the true fate of the mice is revealed, it is something far more sinister than Grefpr or Luza had imagined - and it points the way to the final prophcy he has yet to fulfill. Gregor's role as a warrior and his abilities as a rager are put to the test in this suspeseful, action-packed penultimate installment of Suzanne Collins's thrilling Underland Chronicles.

The quote at the start of this post is a quote from this book, so you no doubt know by now, that the war I've talked about in the other three novel talks on this series, is official declared in this one. Gregor has been spending quite a bit of time in the Underland, his mother is still recovering from the plague that nearly took her life, and with no prophecy looming over him, he actually finds himself enjoying the time spent there. Though he does feel a bit bad about leaving his dad (who is still too shook up from his ordeal there) and his sister Lizzie (who wants badly to see their mother but is too scared to venture into the unknown world, but does insist on sending treats to Ripred) to look after their sickly grandmother while he and his baby sister Boots are spending a fun filled time with their friends in the strange place.

But while enjoying a fun day at Hazard's birthday party, a nibbler returns Luxa's crown, the same crown she had left with them in gratitude after they saved her and her bond Aurora's lives. The nibblers were told that should they ever be in need of assistance that they should give the crown to a scout and Luxa would do what she could to help.

Luxa knows that something terribly wrong must be taking place if the nibblers have sent her crown to request aid. She also knows that there is no way the Regalian Council will do a thing to help them without more to go on. Since she is not yet of age to force them to do anything, Luxa decides she must go on her own to help. But Gregor has no intention of letter her go alone, and as it turns out, neither do her cousin Howard, a princess bat named Nike, Boots and Hazard with his soon to be bond Thalia. So off our motley crew heads again, on what should be just a small search for answers.

What the group finds is terrifying. The rats have been busy plotting their way into power using the Bane as their leader, and the first order of business is wiping out the nibblers. An earthquake destroys the fastest way to help, and as it turns out, there may just be a prophecy to fulfill after all. But those are only a few of Gregor's problems. His mom takes a turn for the worse, he knows he'll be grounded until he's 80, and Ripred is missing after taking off after the Bane. How will he ever survive the trek back to Regalia, let alone a war. But if he can survive the giant scorpions, the volcanic ash, and a deranged rat he just may have a chance...

Once again, Collins totally blew me away with this wonderful book! Bear and I were on the edge of our seats, as page after page we had a new twist to unravel, a new mystery to solve. Overcoming great odds once again, Gregor not only suffers more losses, sees more death, but he also finds a resolve that I as an adult only wish I could exhibit.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, don't let the Children's Book label fool you, The Underland Chronicles are not to be missed. You'll find yourself turning the pages so fast you'll see smoke and you'll close the book on the edge of your seat begging for more!

Don't forget the contest I've got on right now, for a signed book and a really cool tee shirt. Just click here to get all the details!

Take Care

Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins

Before I dive in today (night, whatever), let me just remind you of the contest I'm running right now with AuthorIsland.com , just click the link over there in my sidebar for all the details, but you have to hurry, time is running out to enter for this wonderful prize! And just a warning, I'm tired, I haven't been sleeping well (been unable to fall asleep) lately (we had a death in the family, a family reunion this week-end, ball-games, and swim practices and meets - Bear placed First in Freestyle and Second in Backstroke last night! ) oh, yeah, and the day job. I have a backlog of reviews to post, unfortunately, I'm going a bit slow and I've taken a Benydryl just to get me drowsy enough to sleep, so if I start to make no sense, please leave me a comment and tell me to re-write this when I'm not so stupid from lack of sleep, seriously, I don't mind being called out! Anyway...

Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins
(BCC)

WITH TWO PROPHECIES FULFILLED,
Gregor is now focused on the Prophecy or Blood, which calls for Gregor and Boots to return to the Underland to help ward off a plague. But this time, his mother refuses to let him go...until Ripred the rat convinces her that Gregor and Boots need to stay for only a brief meeting. Finally, Gregor's mom relents, provided she is allowed to travel with them.

When they arrive in the subterranean city, the plague is spreading - and it has claimed one of his closest companions. Only then does Gregor start to understand how the illness plays with the fate of all warmblooded creatures, but he still doesn't know how he can help combat it.

You know my family is hooked on this series, right? Well, just like any series, there will always be that one book that clearly stands out in your mind as the "favorite." This book was mine. I will be fair and say we're only halfway through the final book, but this one, so far, remains my favorite.

When Gregor and Boots are summonsed, once again, to the Underland to fulfill yet another of their Prophecies, his mother flat out refuses. That is until Ripred decides to put the pressure on and "convinces" her that they must. Only she won't let them go alone, this time, she will be with those of her family that disappears into the Underland.

But they aren't there for just a short meeting, the Underlanders need Gregor and Boots to lead an expedition to find the cure to a devastating plague that is spreading rapidly through the warmblooded population of the Underland. A plague, that if not stopped, could put an end to the war building between the rats and the humans, as there will be none of them left to fight.

Although Gregor's mother refuses to let them stay and find the cure, after Gregor sees his once amazingly strong friend and bond, the bat Ares, so weak and in so much pain because of the hideous plague, Gregor decides he will do anything to find the cure. It isn't until his mother becomes infected herself, that Gregor takes his leave to find the cure.

Only this time, Gregor won't be going with his usual "questers", Luxa and Aurora are still missing, Mareth suffered greatly on the last quest and is no longer able to be a soldier, and Howard has been infected by the plague. So, in their stead, Boots, Gregor and Temp, set off with a new group of Underlanders. A group made up of humans, rats, and bats, a combination no one would have ever dreamed.

The quest is filled with new dangers, new allies, new enemies, new losses, and a revealed truth that is truly scarier than anything Gregor has faced yet. Will Gregor succeed before time runs out for his mother? Will the cure reunite the rats and the humans, or will the cause throw them into a full-out war?

Warmbloods, is by far one of the most spectacular reads, in any genre, I've had the pleasure of reading in a long time. With heartbreaking revelations, touching good-byes, renewed friendships, edge of your seat twists and turns, you won't be able to read the next page fast enough, but you'll be aching for more Underland when you've reached the end.

Don't let the Children's label on this book fool you, this is one book that readers of all ages will love. A non-stop thrill ride that you'll want to take again and again.

Take Care

Gregor and the Prophecy Of Bane by Suzanne Collins

SUMMER READING CHALLENGE! Please do not forget about the Reading Challenge! For more information, you can click the link in my sidebar or click here. I know that some of you are already participating, as I have had quite a few e-mails with questions, so I plan to do an FAQ post by the end of the week to clear a few things up and hopefully get more of you joining in. I've also had some contact with a few people that may really help make the prize a LOT more sweet, so I'm trying to hold off on that post until I've made the final arrangements on that! But keep tuned more, so much more to come!

Gregor And The Prophecy Of Bane by Suzanne Collins
Book Two in the Underland Chronicles
(BCC)

Months have passed since Gregor first fell into the strange Underland beneath New York City, and he swears he will never go back. But he is destined to be a key player in another prophecy, this one about an ominous white rat called the Bane. The Underlanders know there is only one way to lure Gregor back to their world: by kidnapping his little sister, Boots.

Now Gregor's quest reunites him with his bat, Ares, and the rebellious princess, Luxa. They descend into the dangerous Waterway in search of the Bane, and Gregor knows what is at stake. If he does not fulfill the prophecy, his life, and the Underland, will never be the same.

When Gregor and Boots fell down the vent in the laundry room, his family was changed forever. Gregor discovers an entire world beneath our own, a world inhabited not by magical creatures, but real humans and their human sized enemies and allies, such as rats, bats, cockroaches, spiders, mice, and so much more. He also discovered that the strange light haired, violet eyed people and the huge animals believe him to be the warrior that has been spoken of in their prophecies. So while after that first trip to the Underland Gregor may have taken away one good thing - his father. Gregor also took away a few bad things. His father may be with them now, but he is not the same man and Gregor has nightmares of the people he met and their world.

Gregor doesn't care what any prophecy says, he is NOT their warrior, and he will NOT go back to the Underland. He plans to keep as far away as he possibly can. But then Boots disappears, and Gregor knows just where she went and who has her. So, against his mother and father's better judgment, Gregor heads back to the Underland to get his sister and to get home.

But the Underlanders have a different plan for Gregor. They don't intend for him to go anywhere, let alone home, until he fulfills the second prophecy. Only this prophecy could mean the death of his beloved sister and also calls for him to kill. Seeing no choice in the matter if Gregor has any hope for himself and his sister to make it home, he and his "team" head out on this next quest to hunt the Bane and hopefully stay alive.

Gregor learned in the first book that the Underland was nothing like his own, the Overland, and the difference only become more clear as he is attacked by giant sea creatures, a swarm of mites, and so many more dangers than even he could imagine.

One thing is for sure, if Gregor and Boots survive, he will never be the same again, neither will the Underland.

In this second installment of the Underland Chronicles, Suzanne Collins grabs you from the get-go and it's nearly impossible to quit reading once you've started. In fact, I've mentioned before that this series is one we are reading aloud as a family, and I read this book out loud to them in only two sittings! Talk about a sore throat! But, oh was it worth it!

Suspense, friendship, courage, and compassion fill each and every page, that had my family glued to this world. And even though there is no magic involved in the creation of the Underland, it's end result is pure magic as I watch readers young and old come together in my household for more.

Grab the first book in this series and be prepared to want the rest immediately. Grab the first book in this series no matter your age, and even if you don't have a child to read with. You won't be sorry you fell head first through the pages just as Gregor and Boots did with the vent. But trust me on this, it's a thrill ride like never before!

Take Care

Reading Challenge! Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

My contest for a signed copy of From Dead To Worse by Charlaine Harris is supposed to end tomorrow. I need 3 more entries to reach 10. If, I do not have 10 by that time, I will extend the contest a few more days. I really want to give away this book! And, well, I'm so darn proud of myself for keeping up my end of the blogging deal!

Before I start today's blog post, I want to explain how the book I'm getting ready to talk about and my son, Bear, has given me the idea for a Summer Reading Challenge. You see, my son aka Bear, is dyslexic. After a long, drawn out battle with the school district last year that netted us zero results, we took it into our own hands and had him tested. When the results came back that yes, he was dyslexic, we hired a private tutor and worked endlessly with our boy. You see, he's always loved a good story. LOVED to have books read to him. He could read sight words well, but put a sentence in front of him and he was lost. Add to that a teacher with no sympathy and we had a nearly broken boy by the end of school.

Thankfully though, there are such great authors out there. Authors like R.L. LaFevers and her Lowther Blade Trilogy. Authors like Jodi Lynn Anderson and her May Bird books. And authors like the one of this book, Suzanne Collins, that fanned the tiny spark that was once Bears love of books and turned it into an inferno. There is something about a good book that reaches deep into a child's imagination and reaches them like nothing else can. And it is in the spirit of these great authors and their work, and in celebration of the last day of school today that I'm instituting a Summer Reading Challenge. Read through to the end of the blog post for details. There will be a prize. And so I can get to the Challenge details, let me get to the blog...

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
(BCC)

When eleven-year-old Gregor follows his little sister through a grate in the laundry room of their New Your apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland beneath the city. There, humans live uneasily beside giant spiders, bats, cockroaches, and rates - but the fragile peace is about to fall apart.

Gregor wants no part of a conflict between these creepy creatures. He just wants to find his way home. But when he discovers that a strange prophecy foretells a role for him in the Underland's uncertain future, he realizes it might be the only way to solve the biggest mystery of his life. Little does he know his quest will change him - and the Underland - forever.

Gregor lives with his mom, grandmother, and two sisters in a small apartment in New York City. A little over two years prior, Gregor's father, a science teacher mysteriously disappers. Gregor, at the tender age of 11 has found himself with a lot of responsibility, and handles it with such amazing strength.

One day, after his mother goes into work, Gregor takes his 2 year old sister Boots with him to the laundry room to do the family wash, and he and Boots end up falling down, down, down through a vent.

What they find there is terrifying. Giant cockroaches. Fortunately for Gregor and Boots, the roaches take a liking to Boots and take them to the city of Regalia where Gregor meets pale-haired, violet eyed humans who ride giant, talking bats. But not just any people, he meets Royalty. Luxa is also 11, but is the queen of Regalia since her parents were killed by the rats - we're talking giant talking rats here. And these humans seem to think that Gregor is some kind of warrior sent to fulfill the Prophecy of Gray.

You see, these humans are down below the City because of a man named Barthlolomew of Sandwich, and Sandwich had visions he would write down, that are now the prophecies to which the Underland await.

But Gregor doesn't want to be a warrior, he just wants to go home. But no matter how bad he wants that, he wants what may lie at the end of the prophecy, so he sets off with a group of Underlanders to fulfill the Prophecy.

Gregor the Overlander is one fantastic thrill ride for readers of any age. I have re-typed about twenty synopsis' of the book by this point in the post, and no matter how hard I try I simply cannot do the book justice. The suspense is fabulous for young readers and had this adult glued to the pages as well.

About three weeks ago, the school had it's spring Book Fair. As you can imagine, this event is huge in our home. The kids get to go every day and buy a book or two on their own, and I take them twice to buy books with them. We heart books here. But this book, this book was one Bear picked out all on his own on the recommendation of the school librarian. The night he brought it home, he sat down with The Hubs and they started reading. They read up to Chapter 6. They were so hooked. The only reason they stopped there was because it was bedtime. The next night, they read to Chapter 13. It was that night that The Hubs asked me to catch up to them the next day while he was at work and then we could take turns reading (his throat was starting to get sore by the time they quit each night). There was only one condition - I could, under no circumstances, read past them. I had to stop until he got home from work and then we could start up as a family.

Well, I started the book, read the 13 chapters and cursed the condition. I didn't want to stop! I wanted to keep going. Gregor was such an amazing kid. The Underland was such an intriguing place, and I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next! But I was a good girl and waited until The Hubs got home, and then we sat down as a family and read the rest of the book in one sitting. And after those 14 chapters, we couldn't wait to delve back into the Underland. Unfortunately, we have no bookstore in town, and the closest one was out of stock. So we ordered it. It arrived three days later and we finished it in less than three days. We are now on book 3 and already have the last two books on the shelves waiting for us to read. What a wonderful treat for summer!

And so, it is because of our love of these books. The love of these books our son has and the love of reading they have continued to inspire in him that The Hubs and I are going to donate, at the end of summer $35 to the school library or children's organization of my Summer Reading Challenge winner's choice. Not only that, but we will also give the winner a $15 gift certificate to the on-line book retailer of their choice.

So, to participate in the challenge, come back tomorrow for the details (and a bit of talk about Book 2 of this series) we are continuing to iron out. Who knows, maybe we'll get enough interest and the prize package will grow!

Take Care