REVIEW: Jungle Gym Jitters

Richards, C.  (2004).  Jungle Gym Jitters.  New York:  Walker & Company.

0802789315

Jerry J. Jingle has the jungle gym jitters (say that five time fast!).  His dad, George keeps adding to the jungle gym he built in their backyard.  While Judy, Jerry's sister, and all of his friends have no problem climbing up on the giant see saws and towers, Jerry can't do it.  But when he sees that his sister may be in danger, will Jerry be able to conquer his jitters then?

The rhyming couplets and repetition of the J and G sounds lends this book to be used as a read aloud, or at moments, even a tongue twister.

As with Into the Forest by Browne, the illustrations of Jungle Gym Jitters reminded me of the artwork of Chris Van Allsburg.  Richards's style is both surreal and intricate, with a reference to Escher's House of Stairs work:

Richards only uses subtle, dark colors, so that at a distance the pictures appear to be in greyscale, but up close you can see the variations.


Activities:

In terms of potential discussions, Jungle Gym Jitters can be used to discuss assonance and alliteration, or to trigger students' own poetry.  A teacher could recommend students describe their favorite toys (whether real or imagined) in verse and then create a picture to go with it.

On a more personal level, a teacher and student could discuss a fear of heights or getting hurt on a jungle gym as well as the meaning of courage.  Also, this would be a good read aloud before recess to encourage students to participate in physical play or to discuss helping one another.


Quotes of Note:

"Jerry J. Jingle had fun every day,
for Jerry's dad, George, had a brain made for play.
When Dad got an idea that planted its seed,
fun would sprout up like a blossoming weed."

"By late afternoon Dad had proudly unveiled
the new jungle gym his hammer just nailed.
Jerry hung loose with a monkey-faced frown
while Judy, his sister, showed off upside down."

"When Jerry came home his mouth opened in awe.
His friends were sky-high on a giant seesaw.
As he studied the moves of those strange seesaw sitters
he was suddenly sick with the jungle gym litters!"

Certified Resolution Writing Endeavor Review Report: Week Forty-Three

So, how about that 24-hour readathon, hmm?

Intense.  I'd thought it would have been easier.  I was shocked by how quickly I started to feel tired.  I never realized how good I was at working for four or five hours.  But after those four or five hours, it would seem that my brain quits.  Literally, I think it wandered away for a mental cigarette.  No really, what it actually demanded was a break to recharge in the warm glow of the TV.  That was strange, since I don't consider myself to be a TV-dependent person.

Sign me up for the next one!

I think for the next readathon, I will make a point of setting aside some shorter books to begin with.  Also, I'll plan to not be mid-way through my general exams.  Desperately needing to do homework as a part of my reading was a downer.  It was like I was the grounded kid, watching everyone else play in the street through my closed double-pained window.

The mini-challenges were a lot of fun, especially for providing a sense of community.  Thanks to all the cheerleaders for their comments and encouragement and to those other readers who participated in our mini-challenge.  I never expected we'd get so many hilarious responses.

Also a big wave and a grand welcome *trumpets blare* to those few but super-awesome peeps who have started following our blog.  I hope we manage to amuse you!

My personal readathon continues today, since the hunger for a good book never abates in my house.

Also, don't forget our second literary feast will begin tomorrow night.  Monica and I will be discussing the first 50 pages of Lisa McMann's Wake.  All are invited!  We welcome your thoughts on the book.

In writing news, week three has passed without any rejections.  I don't know what to think.  But I do wonder if this tickle in my chest is the return of hope, my self-esteem or just a cold setting in.

I have discovered the perfect agent.  For me.  I won't say who.  But he or she (no hints!) has represented two of my favorite books, both of which have similar themes and styles to my own.  I plan to prepare a query to go out tomorrow.  I anticipate rejection, of course.  That is always much safer for my mental state.

REVIEW: I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato

Child, L. (2000). I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato. London: Orchard Books.

0763611883

Charlie shares the story of his little sister, Lola. He focuses on her "funny" eating habits and shares dialogue of why Lola thinks various foods are too gross to be eaten. The imaginative Charlie thinks of a way to convince his sister to eat a meal of all the foods she claims to hate.

Charlie's method...I won't go into specifics...is very creative. I can't actually see any children I know falling for it (but then, a teacher can ask, does Lola even fall for it?). But the sense of imagination, the ways of describing foods will impress and entertain most readers.

The style of the artwork and some of the fonts are fun, incorporating newspaper print, actual photos of various foods, and character illustrations that look as though they were drawn by a child.

This is one book in a much larger series featuring the characters, Charlie and Lola. And it's also worth noting that there is also a pop-up version of this story.

Activities:

A teacher or parent could use this book to discuss healthy eating habits and to encourage children to be more adventurous when it comes to eating certain dreaded foods (typed the girl who STILL won't touch lima beans. ICK!) Teachers could also use this book as an opening to have students share narratives (either orally or written) about their siblings or likes and dislikes based on the structure Charlie uses. I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato could also be used as an example to show students what dialogue is.

This story can also be used with older siblings to share how it is important to help parents' with their younger siblings.

Quotes of Note:

"I have this little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny."

"And I am not fond of apples OR rice OR cheese OR fish sticks. And I absolutely will never not ever eat a tomato." (My sister hates tomatoes.)"

"Oh, you think these are carrots.

These are not carrots.

These are orange twiglets from Jupiter."

Readathon: Victory Equals Us!

8:00 AM Update (Monica):

Well, it's official, friends.

After countless pages, waaaay too much caffeine, and many, many hours... I have become one of the undead, staggering around in a gross parody of real life.

If y'all will excuse me, I'm going to lurch upstairs and hope to God my parents don't notice that I am just now making my way to bed.

This has, though, been an absolute blast! I hope you guys enjoyed the Readathon as much as I did! And for first-timers like myself, congrats on making it all the way through.

See you next time. ;)

Readathon: Update 19

7:05 AM Update (Monica):

So tired.
Not... not going to make it.
Blog... wavering... before my eyes.
Want to put down copy of Goose Girl by Shannon Hale but... it is so good... I must keep... keep reading.

In non-comatose news, for those of you still up and coherent, way to be!!!

Readathon: Update 18

6:00 AM Update (Monica):

It was an obvious stroke of genius on my part that led me to check out the LARGE PRINT edition of The Lightning Thief, because it means that even now, with my eyes crossing and watering, and the world zooming in and out of focus, even now, I can still pretty much figure out what's on the page.

Thanks, LARGE PRINT! Thanks!

In other news, this book has inspired me to always refer to my friends by their first *and* last name. If it's good enough for Percy Jackson, it's good enough for me.

Hope you all are having a great morning!

Keep on reading!!

Readathon: Mini Challenge Winner

It's the end of the hour, and as such, our Mini Challenge has come to an end! Aw. I know. Don't tear up too much, though, because then you won't be able to read clearly.

You guys did such a great job! I laughed... I cried... It moved me, Bob.

The winner, officially picked at random, is:

Kim!
"I would rather read than scrape corn flakes out of the bottom of a plastic potty any night!"

Notable runners-up, who receive nothing but mine and Shel's own admiration, are:

Luluette!
"I would rather read than degenerate into hideous puppets any night!"
Amethyst Princess!
"I would rather read than splodge orange paint any night!"
Cass!
"I would rather read than have spells of manic loquaciousness any night!"

Thanks to everyone for participating in our challenge.
Y'all are awesome.
And we love you.

24 Hour Read-A-Thon Challenge!

Hello Read-a-thon challenge takers! How are you guys doing? Has your vision started to blur yet? Do you have your coffee by your side? Have the characters you're reading about started to converse with you in waking dreams? If not, there's still time.


On to the challenge...
(Drumroll, drumroll, etc.)


Your mission, which you MUST accept, is to turn to page 23 of the book you're currently reading (or the nearest page with text on it) and find the most entertaining phrase to complete the following sentence:


"I would rather read than _____________ any night!"


Post your sentence in the comments section for all of our amusement! Fight through the exhaustion! We know you can do it!!


Don't forget to mention which book your new sentence of awesomeness comes from! There will be a prize for one winner (the choice of three books from the Readathon organizers and contributers. You can check out the the list of prizes here)


Happy reading! ;)

Shel and Monica

(Update 2:30: Monica Look! Look at all these *comments*! I'm feeling flush with success, Shel, how about you? Or... or maybe that's the fatigue talking....)

(Update 3:30: Monica Keep them coming, guys! We're going to keep it going for another hour and a half, which is plenty of time for y'all to start a *second* book!)

Update 5:01: Shel Stop! STOP NOW! 92 responses!!! Gad zooks, readers. You're all awesome!!!!! We'll announce the winner soon. I must call Monica..and possibly summon her back from the warm and loving arms of Lady DeathSleep.

(Update 5:19: Monica I know, aren't they so awesome? I want to keep them all for our very own, like a gigantic posting reading posse, but... I am not under any illusions. We all know they're in it for the FANTASTIC PRIZES THANK YOU READATHON!)

Readathon: Update 17 and Mini Challenge

1:30 AM (Monica):

There's a drabble Mini Challenge being hosted at Libri Touches. Having just spent the past hour reading fanfic, I'm loving me this challenge.

Behold!

********

My mother thinks that I have lost my mind. I can tell, because of the way she edges in and out of the room, staring right at me but occasionally flicking her eyes in the general direction of the five feet of books stacked precariously on the edge of our living room coffee table. “Do you want dinner?” “Are you going to bed any time soon?” “Honey, I know you have read Harry Potter one hundred and thirty times already. Put it down. Walk away.” Luckily I can’t hear her over the constantly turning pages. Oh, reading. I love you.

********

I've started on The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. This is yet another one that I know everyone has read but me. And I want to join that club! That club of cool people who have read The Lightning Thief!

So I shall!

Readathon: Update Many-ish

The readathon continues!  I've taken a risk and am attempting to read in bed.  So far, so good.  I think I have a chance since our mini-challenge begins in a little over an hour and I'll have to be up and kinda-aware.

And here are 5 of my childhood favorites for Lynn's Challenge:

The Hero and the Crown
The Blue Sword
Redwall
The Ear, the Eye and the Arm
Walk Two Moons

Readathon: Update 16 and Mini Challenge

12:30 AM (Monica): Whoo! It's past midnight, I'm still awake, and I'm basking in the glory of my delicious cheese-drenched nachos.

I hope my waistline appreciates the sacrifice I'm making on its behalf.

Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile is hosting a Mini Challenge right now, and let it never be said I don't love me some challenges!

The question? To list five books I enjoyed as a child.

In no particular order, we have:

Oscar Otter by Nathaniel Benchley
Oscar needs to get home down a slippery mountain populated by large carnivores!
Imogene's Antlers by David Small
Imogene wakes up one morning to discover that she has sprouted antlers during the night!
Sarah's Unicorn by Bruce Coville
Sarah dodges her evil aunt and makes best friends with a beeeaaautiful unicorn!
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
A girl loves horses so much... she may choose to live with them!
Barney Beagle by Jean Bethell
Barney, who lives at a pet shop (and probably was bred under terrible conditions) wants a Boy!

Obviously I only liked books that included the name of the main character in the title?

Readathon: Update 15

11:30 PM (Monica): Well, Castaways is over, and I am sad.

Aren't you always a little bummed when you finish a good book? Not a *fantastical* book, but one that's just solid and entertaining? I am. Thank goodness the lord of books invented rereading!

I haven't been able to decide what my next book will be -- I might chill on the page-turning for a while and head over to fanfiction.net for some trashy Harry Potter fics. Just for a bit, though! After all, I've promised myself Taco Bell at midnight, and at 1am I'm starting The Virgin and the Dinosaur.

And at 2am... oh, friends, at 2am our Mini Challenge begins! It's Challenge-Tastic! It's Challangerific! It's... It's... okay, it's not actually going to be that complex and snazzy. You'll have to forgive us -- it has been a long day.

Readathon: Update 14ish

So, there's been a necessary break in reading on my part.  A certain someone in the household peed on the couch.

I swear, it wasn't me.

Perhaps I shouldn't have woken the cat this afternoon.  Perhaps I also shouldn't have read aloud to it from When Good Cats Go Bad.  Clearly, I sent a message.

Off to shower and then I shall resume my fun reading ways.  At which time I will pointedly be ignoring a certain cat, while reading 1,001 Ways to Skin a Cat.  I will be earmarking pages and taking notes.

Readathon: Update 14

10:30 PM (Monica): It's official. I want ice cream.

Come, friends! Someone come and bring me an ice cream sandwich!

Ooh, one of the ones with chocolate, strawberry and vanilla all in the same thing.

Yes please!

Also, I am reading. Reading reading reading. And going slightly mad. There are just... so many words!

I'm really enjoying having had a whole day, though, with my books. Normally between homework and work-work and everything else, I'm lucky if I get a few hours a week to read. Having an excuse to sit next to a four-foot-tall stack of novels and just work my way through them has been very fun! We should have Readathons more often, obviously.

Have you all been having a nice day so far? Or are you bleeding out the eyes and wishing you were in bed?

Readathon: Update 13

9:35 PM (Shel):  Wow, these past two hours have ZOOOOOoooooooomed by.  Except, typing the word like that made it seem long.  It was more like zo-.


I will admit, I have turned to chemical dependency to stay energized.  My drug of choice is delicious!  It's four parts coffee, one part soy hazelnut creamer (because that's the way I roll) and 200,000 parts hot chocolate mix.  Yum.


In terms of music, I've had various songs by The Beatles stuck in my head.  (I was reading Kaleidoscope Eyes last night, which mentions a few songs and they've been swimming around my brain ever since.  For the purpose of Jill's mini-challenge, let's focus on "Here Comes the Sun," since I'm reading until the sun comes.


"Here comes the sun, dodadodo
Here comes the sun,
And I say it's all right."


Yeaaaaaaaaaah.


"Sun, sun sun, here it comes!"




P.S.  Don't be surprised if you see fewer posts from me over the next few hours.  It doesn't mean I've wandered away to watch four TVs at once, while playing video games and vowing never to pick up a book again.
I'm just running low of interesting ways to describe sitting in one spot and and staring at a sheet of paper for the time being.