Josephine Wants to Dance
First published in Sydney, Australia in 2006, Josephine Wants to Dance is an excellent story that shows that determination pays off. Read on to find out what I mean.
Josephine Kangaroo lived in Australia and had a passion for dance. All she ever wanted to do was to be a dancer. The author creatively entered Australian animals into the text. She compares dance movements to those of creatures like brolgas, lyrebirds, emus, and eagles. Her brother, Joey, always insisted that kangaroos couldn't dance. Josephine never listened to his insult and kept on dancing. One day she saw a flyer announcing that the ballet was in town. She snuck into town and watched the dancers rehearse from the window. She practiced what she witnessed and felt like a dancer.
On the first night of the ballet, two of the dancers were injured and couldn't perform. The director was worried who would ever be able to jump as high as those dancers. Well, Josephine knew she could! She jumped through the window and shocked everyone. The director was impressed by her high jumps and instructed her to wardrobe to get a tutu and ballet shoes. Josephine performed with the other dancers on stage. At first, the audience was silent; they couldn't believe their eyes! They began to clap and soon began to cheer! Josephine was given roses at the end of her debut and was so thrilled to finally be a dancer. Actually, the audience thought that the dancing looked like so much fun that they all began dancing too. Even men wearing shorts were seen spinning sheep.
While the illustrations were mediocre, the story of Josephine's desire and triumph of becoming a dancer made up for them. This story had such a happy ending and contained a very important message that young readers should take to heart. Never stop dreaming no matter what other people may say. If you work hard at something you love, you will be successful. This was definitely a happy, feel-good story; I'm glad I decided to read this one for sure!
Cowgirl Rosie and her Five Baby Bison
Stephen Gulbis's Cowgirl Rosie and her Five Baby Bison was first published in Great Britain in 2000. The brightly colored illustrations filled each page. It was definitely an enjoyable read for me. There was a subtle hint of mystery and wonder that would definitely keep a child's interest.
Cowgirl Rosie had and adored her five black bison. One afternoon she decided to take them for a walk to see Sheriff Joe. They all followed behind her as she led the way. One by one the bison were disappearing. She became very upset and by the time she reached Sheriff Joe all of the bison were missing. The Sheriff and Rosie jumped on a horse and went searching the desert looking for her prized possessions. They came across another character, Snakey Jake, who had a sack of flour strewn over his shoulder. When the Sheriff asked to see what was in his sack, he revealed five white bison. Rosie began to cry as she thought she finally found her bison. The tears, however, began to wash the flour off of her famous five. Soon, they were back to their original color. Snakey Jake tried to escape, but Rosie caught him in her lasso. There was a celebration in honor of the bison's safe return. Sheriff Joe even bought Rosie a present- a bison buggy for her to walk her little loves.
There were some little life lessons in this story. 1) Protect what is yours- keep what you cherish safe. 2) Stealing is wrong as it hurts others and dishonesty is even worse. I believe that between the plot of this story and the vibrant illustrations that this book would be enjoyed by many. Every children's section should contain this book.
Night Noises
Night Noises was first published in Australia and written by the famous children's author, Mem Fox. As I became more and more involved in this story, I considered it to be a young children's mystery book. My curiosity got the best of me, and I couldn't get to the end fast enough.
Lily Laceby was an elderly woman who lived only with her dog, Butch Aggie. One winter's night Lily settled in her chair to take a nap in front of the fireplace with Butch Aggie resting at her feet. She was in such a sound sleep that she did not hear the footsteps outside or voices whispering, see the eyes in the peephole, or hear the doorknobs jiggle, the subtle knocking on the door, or the loud knocks and voices coming from right outside her door. However, Butch Aggie did; with every sound he twitched and wondered. You could see the worry in his eyes. Finally, Lily Laceby heard the commotion and went to the door. When she asked who it was, she was surprised to hear her family. When she opened the door, there stood many people from her family along with their friends. You see, they were all there to celebrate her 90th birthday with her!
I enjoyed reading a mystery for young children; I think many young readers will too. With every sound that her guests made, the book detailed the noises with the literary device, onomatopoeia- Knock, Click, Crunch!
