Our family enjoyed this book, which is an imaginative story about the first cave painting. A tribe is starving and suffering with a lack of food and enduring a drought. The tribe's shaman has died and she passed the job onto her adolescent daughter named Mishoo. Fearing this responsibility, she has chosen not to "catch dreams" which is apparently the cause of both the drought and the lack of hunting success. Finally Mishoo follows the commands given by her mother and grandmother in her dreams...she goes to a sacred cave. Once in the cave she builds a fire and sees how the rock walls seem to come alive with shapes of animals. She uses her gathered clays to paint the walls.

The writing is poetic and eerie. The illustrations are gorgeous and set the mood perfectly.

When Mishoo returns to her tribe after three days of painting, it has just begun to rain. The rain will stimulate growth of the grasses, which will lure the animals back to the land. It ends by saying their hunting was successful and the tribe is thriving again.

Both the writing and the artwork drew us in and made us feel a part of the story. This is the first fiction historical book for children that I have found. It is the perfect addition to our homeschool curriculum for learning about early man and cave paintings.

Both my 3 and 5 year old boys enjoyed this story, although I needed to explain some of the passages such as what "moon of the singing grass" and "dream catcher" meant. I loved the way the author captured an artist's imagination and ability to imagine and "see" the finished piece before even starting work on it, how the rock walls seemed to speak to her and how she then created what she already saw in her mind's eye. This type of explanation is seldom seen in children's literature; I appreciated that.

A list of suggested related readings and background information about cave paintings are included at the end of the book.

We read this after borrowing it from the public library and we loved it so much, we must own a copy for our home library!

FIRST PAINTER literally took my breath away. It is a truly powerful and beautiful picture book--the words, the illustrations, and the design. I've read it three times in a row and I love it more with each rereading. FIRST PAINTER is Lasky's fictional story about what she imagines could have been the first cave painter. The story is told from the perspective of Mishoo, a young girl who is the shaman for her prehistoric tribe. There is a severe drought and their tribe is dying ("My younger sister, Erloo, is so thin her wrists are like twigs."). Mishoo must visit the cave of the she-tiger in one last attempt to bring water to her people. There, in the cave, the walls seem to come alive to Mishoo with their shadows and indents. She uses a fire stick and the colors from her spirit bundle to draw horses and bison and the she-tiger. She gathers energy from her paintings and finally emerges days later to clouds--"immense and woolly against the horizon." Rain has arrived, and so too has Mishoo's passion to paint again and again!

I've enjoyed Lasky's books for many years, but she has outdone herself this time. This book is brilliant--the words are simple, yet poetic and powerful. The first-person telling pulls me into the story (as close as I can come to being there in prehistoric times). The whole idea for the book is thought-provoking and should encourage many children's discussions and imaginings about not only who painted the first picture, but who started the first language (with words or gestures?), who made the first fire (by accident or on purpose?). Is the "need" for artistic expression solely a human need? On and on.

This is my first experience with Rocco Baviera's illustrations, but they won't be my last--what a master! He used bear grease, animal fur, raw earth pigments, and more to create his primitive and powerful images. They are achingly, hauntingly beautiful; and they perfectly capture the spirit of the first paintings and the first painter.

I expect to see this book on many award lists. Thank you, Kathryn Lasky, Rocco Baviera, Melanie Kroupa, & Chris Hammill Paul (DK Ink)--what a gift you have given the world!

I absolutely adore books like this because they take a lighthearted, yet sensitive look at concerns that are very real in the minds of small children as they enter school.

Lunch Bunnies is the story of a little boy named Clyde who harbors an irrational fear of making a fool out of himself on his first day of school, in the lunchroom. Anyone with small children can instantly relate how Clyde becomes obsessive with doing the lunchroom thing right!

The night before his first day at a new school, Clyde is seen "practicing" by carrying a tray of food. Of course there is a big brother present (Jefferson)who does his best to plant seeds of doubt in Clyde's mind and delights in tormenting the poor lad with stories of inedible food ("Mystery Goosh), and the ubiquitous lunch ladies with "bristly" faces who have all of the charm and caring of a Third World Dictator. Poor Clyde is scared to death!

My favorite part of the book was when it was time for the children to queue up, and proceed into the lunchroom. As a teacher of small children myself, I can't help but wonder if the author is not poking gentle fun at the anality of the lunchroom ritual, where children must quietly, in monk-like manner, line up and process orderly, much as inmates are required to in correctional centers.

Nevertheless, this book was a hit with my 10 year old daughter when she first started school, and it is a hit with my son, who will start first grade this fall. All children, and even some of us adults, have irrational fears that we blow way out of proportion. But the message of Lunch Bunnies, a message adults would do well to heed, is that nothing is as bad as we imagine it, and things always seem to work out just fine.

The story is about a little bunny that is worried about carrying his full lunch tray across the cafeteria on the first day of school. It is very true-to-life when it comes to dealing with siblings and friend sort of OVER-warning you. My 4 year old loves the way the lunch ladies are described. It also is a story about friendship and helping others. I recommend this book to everyone, especially those about to start REAL school.

My child just cant get enough. We read it over and over again. This is one of those stories that just does'nt get old no matter how many times we read it. The illustrations and characters are beautifully painted with details that my child continues to find hidden in the pages every time we read it. It's just a whole lot of fun! This is a real classic tale with a fun twist. Lasky and Jarvis make a beautiful union on this story and we look forward to more. The paper and printing is first rate and binding is built to last. Dont miss this one for Holloween and yearly bedtime reading!

I read Porkenstein to my little brother and his kindergarden class. All of the kids in his class loved this book so much they wanted to keep it and show there mom and dads.

It's a funny story and really cool pictures. The ending is the best.

Amanda

This is a partially fictionalized account of Sarah Breedlove, a young impoverished girl born free just after slavery who grew up and became inventor of hair-care products for Black women. She owned and operated her own business and became financially successful. She renamed herself and her business Madame C.J. Walker. With her business acumen she soon became one of the richest women of her time. Though she lived lavishly, she was a great philanthropher of her people, giving of her time and money to charities for the betterment of the African-American race.

She employed a large number of Black women to promote and sell her products, thereby giving women an opportunity to have a profession that gave them pride and economic freedom.

The author grasps the blatant racism of the times without being depressing about it. She also captures the spirit of Madame Walker, an uneducated sharecropper who had a dream and achieved it.

The text is well illustrated with watercolor and pencil drawings in soft colors. This book would be a good addition to a school library collection for browsers and report writers alike.

Summary: This is a real life story of a young freed slave girl named Sarah Breedlove who feels inferior to white women because she is not as beautiful. She soon discovers a way to use herbs and oils to create hair products that will provide "colored" women with healthy hair. To advertise, she relies on ads that show colored women with healthy hair and a confident demeanor. As her company continues to grow, she employs other colored women who are willing to go into women's kitchens to show them the proper procedures for creating healthy hair. She also supports colored women in their fight for equality. She even stands up to Booker T. Washington when he implies that only colored men can fight for equality in the business world. Madame Walker (as she calls herself--Walker being her married name) becomes one of the wealthiest people in the country, yet she still fights for social justice.

Critical Review: In this picture book, Lasky creates an exciting story of a woman who overcomes the odds without forgetting her past and how she got to where she is. Lasky is able to do this by portraying Madame Walker as a real character with issues and struggles with which many readers may be able to relate. The illustrations by Bennett are beautiful and add to the story by capturing the essence of Madame Walker and her product line. Bennett's pictures are realistic and enchanting. In the author's letter, Lasky admits that she had to "fill in" some of the gaps left by her research. She does this exceedingly well in that the entire story seems possible. Though there were some gaps, Lasky based as much of the story as possible on research, some of which was from a first hand account by Walker's great-granddaughter. This book is about a minority group which is not stereo-typed by either the author or the illustrator. Overall, this book is very enjoyable and brings out some really great points. It will be surprising if the book does not win an award such as the Coretta Scott King, Caldecott, or Newbery.

Curriculum Connections: The possible curriculum connections in this book are numerous. One obvious connection is history. Lasky points out the racial and gender discrimination of the time. Connections can be made both to the Civil Rights Movement and the Women's Suffrage Movement. Another connection is in the field of science. Walker uses herbs and oils in her hair products. Students can examine the qualities of such herbs and check out how many are used in different types of products today. A third connection is climate. Lasky points out the different types of weather that Walker experiences as she moves from region to region around the US. Students can check out weather patterns that exist in different areas of the world. A final connection can be made in geography because Walker moves around the country so much.

this is no doubt the best book i've ever read. i've read it about 7 times! if you like ghosts, and telepathy (both sets of the Starbuck twins can communicate without anyone else hearing their conversations) this book is for you. before you read this one, though, you should read the first two. they are great too, but in my opinion this one is the best.

This book takes place in New Mexico, where the telepathic Starbuck children are taken to for their father's work. There they meet a young indian maiden's ghost whose past reveils the truth of the present. They must collect the pieces of pottery of an ancient pot before they fall into the wrong hands. This book is very gripping for the young adult reader.

The title character, Max, is now all grown up. But he is still as adorable as he was at age 5. This book is absolutely charming (especially if you know Max)

Ever wonder what happened after the Emperor got his new clothes? He had to get rid of the old ones, didn't he? This story of a farmer who found the old clothes as they got tossed out of the carriage window is a really funny exploration of "what if?"

Becca leaves her best friend and the ways of the city to live in a less populated area of Maine. Also has a wide of variety of options for unit studies for homeschooling. Ursa Major, 4th of July, Maine and its berries, etc. My children really enjoy reading it over and over.

Imaginative story that tells a story of a strong ( and strong willed )old woman who needs a change in her life---and decides to 'just do it !' She takes off for the mountains with a donkey and cart with her belongings and overcomes many obstacles. This is a beautifully illustrated book. A keeper for your collection. I could almost feel the force of the wind ! (The kids loved the book, too ! )

Kathryn Lasky turns a simple visit to Boston into a magical experience. She brings to life the every-day things that we normally never notice and turns them into something special. I've lived right next to Marlborough Street for years, but have never noticed how "the chimneys have pots that look like funny hats: some like top hats, some like knights' helmets, some like peaked clowns' hats." She turns the weeping willow trees in the Public Garden into the "Place of Green Rain" and calls the three white stone buildings across the street "The Brides". You'll appreciate any historic neighborhood in a new light after reading this delightful book.