Michelle MeadowsBesprekingen

Independent Reading Level: 4-8 Years Old
Awards & Honors: none found

This is another story of a strong female role model--a prima ballerina named Janet Collins. It is a story of never giving up and of working towards a dream.

It's a book told in rhyme which I feel make it quite easy for younger readers to enjoy. Because it is about ballet, I see it being a book that children gravitate to based on the cover. But what I love is how it is a story where you can have those harder conversations. I mean, it is sad but true that part of our history is racial segregation. I have never experienced it (and I hope and pray I never will), but many people have. These are people like Janet Collins--so skilled at what they do yet are not given a chance because of their skin.

Yet it only takes one person to change the cycle. We see it in this book. And we can see it today too. What if we are that one person?

Genre
Picture books for children
Stories in rhyme
Subject
Baking
Birthdays
Kitchens
Pigs
Surprise

Genre
Bedtime stories
Picture books for children
Stories in rhyme
Illustration
Colorful
Detailed
Subject
Animals
Hibernation
Railroad travel
Sleep
Trains
Character
Anthropomorphic

The story of Simone Biles, one the best gymnasts of our time, is told in a poetic picture book. It talks about her struggles, defeats, and attitude shift to keep trying until she succeeds. It also touches on her family life and ultimately winning an olympic gold medal. I enjoyed the illustrations and the rhyming kept the book flowing and would keep the attention of younger students. I thought it really kept the story quite shallow and you never got a true feeling for who Simone Biles really is. The best part of the book is when she "failed" and wanted to quit but ultimately came back stronger than before. I think this is a great lesson for young students. As it described her "comeback" it quickly jumped to her being the best in the world and winning gold in the olympics so it left me feeling like I possibly skipped a page or two but, alas, I did not. It was not my favorite, but a great introduction for young children.

A rhyming picture book biography of Janet Collins, the first African American prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera House. Janet's joy, determination, persistence, and talent glow on the page.

Includes author's note, sources, websites.

Two stuffed puppies take to the skies to rescue some of their toy playmates in this sweet picture-book from author Michelle Meadows and illustrator Dan Andreasen. Navigating their way around the features of their home - the adult people are mountains, steam from a tea-kettle is fog - they eventually succeed in retrieving their compatriots, and all the toys are back where they should be, when their children walk in...

Pairing a simple but entertaining tale told in rhyme - "Start the engine, / buckle up. / Down the runway... / Pilot Pups! / Rolling faster, / lift up high. / Soaring, roaring - / to the sky" - with cute illustrations, Pilot Pups would make a good bedtime selection for younger children. Although not a particularly earth-shattering picture-book, it is a fun, lighthearted look at that perpetual childhood question - what do our toys get up to, when we are not paying attention to them?

A little mouse experiences the wonders and terrors of life in the wider world (AKA, the human house in which his family's mouse-hole resides) in this rhyming picture-book romp. When he gets lost, a kindly older mouse shows him the way, only for our murine hero to be trapped by a cat. Will he ever get home...?

The text here stumbles in a few places, but overall it has an entertaining, bouncy rhythm, while the artwork is quite expressive. I liked the two-page spread in which the illustrations zoom in on the horrified mouse, who is just realizing he doesn't know where he is. All that said, I thought the conclusion of the story was a little off - it wasn't clear to me if the chase scene (and perhaps the entire adventure?) was a dream, or if the mouse escaped, and his parents found him cowering - and I deducted a star accordingly.

A lyrical picture book biography of Janet Collins, the first African American principal dancer at the Metropolitan Opera House. An inspiring story filled with stunning illustrations that draw the reading into the story. Follow Janet's story from a young girl who wasn't allowed to attend dance school simply because of race. However, she was able to overcome this heartache and become a prima ballerina.

Easy to read, lyrical language, the story of first black prima ballerina

inspired by the true story of Janet Collins, a poc ballet dancer in the 1950s

I love this book, it is very cute for kids. Throughout the book the false alarms made me think no one was home and that they were not supposed to be baking alone. The false alarms repetitiveness of looking out the blinds was a great addition. I loved that this book changes the standard stay at home mom and working dad and reverses these roles. They wanted to surprise there mother with a birthday party. The pictures were playful and humorous and I enjoyed reading this book.
WRITING PROMPT: How would you surprise someone on their birthday?

The illustrations in this book were very cute and went well with the text. In the morning, the mother pig leaves the house and all of the children begin cooking in the kitchen. The little pigs are making quite a mess, and every time a car goes by, the pigs rush to the window to make sure their mother has not come home yet. The pigs continue to make a mess, and their father comes to help them. The pigs hurry to clean up the kitchen before their mom gets home. It is not until the end of the book when the piggies’ mother finally comes home that we learn it is her birthday! The little pigs spent all day making birthday treats for their mom.
I thought this book was very cute. I thought it was sweet of the pigs to have a birthday surprise for their mom when she came home. I also enjoyed how different parts of the text were rhyming – it make the book flow very nicely.½

while mama is on the phone downstairs, instead of sleeping, the piggies are upstairs goofing off
1 book

“Hibernation Station” is a poetry book about forest animals and getting ready for winter hibernation. Each page has a couple bars of poetry and lots of animal illustrations, with the animals each wearing pajamas. As the woodland critters get ready for winter sleep, some animals clash with one another, such as the bear, who roars, “I cannot sleep! My roommate rolls around and snores! Eventually, all the animals snuggle up and rest for the duration of the winter. I thought the concept of this book was cute, as their bedtime rituals mimic those of people. It was also educational, as the illustrations showed where each animal hibernates, like th frog inside a log and the bear in a cave. I would recommend this book for kindergarten-1st grade. Students operating at these grade levels should be able to handle reading this book as well as enjoy it and learn from it.

Cute reminds of the 5 little monkey's jumping on the bed book. Good for young grades like first grade.

"Piggies in the Kitchen" by Michelle Meadows is an adorable story about baby pigs who throw a surprise party for mother pig's birthday. The book is written in poetry and has a song like rhythm. I really enjoyed reading and singing along with the pigs as they made a mess and baked the cake for the party. I was pleasantly surprised at the end of the story when mother pig walked in and was surprised by the party, and not surprised or disappointed in her babies for making a mess. One theme of the story is that when one works with others to accomplish something, it will get done. The baby pigs were trying to plan and cook for the surprise party all by theirselves. Doing it by theirselves was hard and they kept worrying about not having enough time before mother pig got home. Then Father pig helped out with the baking, and everything was cooked just in time for mother's arrival to her party.

Hibernation Station is a book that follows forest animals and their preparation for hibernation. The book includes dialogue between animals and uses rhymes throughout the book. This book is a modern fantasy.

piggies are loudly playing while mama is on the phone. shadows cause fright, so they all climb into mama's bed.

A super cute story all about families of animals who are riding the "hibernation train". This book is full of rhyming words and beautifully illustrated images. I feel this story would be great to read during the fall season or right before winter and then to have a discussion about hibernation. I believe that children of any age would enjoy this book.

A very cute story that shows how special it is to surprise your parents with something. At first glance you might think that these bad little piggies are just making a mess but you soon see that they are cooking something for their mothers. Not only do they complete the task, but they clean up their mess. This could show kids the joy in giving gifts and doing things on their own.

Fun choice for read aloud, adorable illustrations.

Fun, sweet story about a lost mouse finding his way home.

Playful bedtime story.

Piggies in the Kitchen was a delightful surprise for a children's book. At first you think the piggies are just making a mess but then you find out its all for Mama's birthday. The story had a surprising twist. In the beginning you thought they were doing something they weren't suppose to. You wouldn't have expect the Piggies to also clean up their mess. The reaction from Mama in the end makes the Piggies extra happy. The story shows that doing something for others can be rewarding.