Children's Writer's World warmly welcomes book reviewer Elizabeth Tipping.
I’m delighted to be writing a guest post for Children’s
Writer’s World! I regularly post book reviews on my blog, 2 Cooks Crafting Books: https://2cookscraftingbooks.wordpress.com/author/2cookcraftingbooks/
I’d like to share my process for reviewing and the style of review you’ll find on my blog.
I’d like to share my process for reviewing and the style of review you’ll find on my blog.
My first step is to identify the book I want to review.
Since my goal is to share “great books,” I am picky about what I include on the
blog. This means I do A LOT of reading! Fortunately, my kids would rather read with
me than do almost anything else, so we do a fair amount of reading in my house.
Plus, I love reading on my own.
If I’ve read a book with one (or both) of my
kids, one of the things I look for in deciding whether it should be featured is
how my child responded to it. My kids will sit through a technical manual if it
is being read out loud, so I want to see something more than attention from
them.
Last night, for example, my daughter and I read the
fantastic BOB, NOT BOB! by Liz Garton
Scanlon and Audrey Vernick. BOB, NOT BOB!
is “To be read as though you have the worst cold ever” since that is the
condition that poor Little Louie finds himself in. So, although we were at a
restaurant, I read the appropriate passages as though I had “the worst cold
ever.” Once my daughter got control of her laughter, she kept stopping me so
that she could call across the table to her older brother to listen to the
book. That’s a hit, for sure!
In my review, I provide a bit about the story—without ever giving away too much about
what happens. In BOB, NOT BOB!,
Little Louie’s cold is making him have a “weird, all-wrong, stuffed-up voice.”
Every time he calls for his mom, it comes out “BOB!” Louie’s family also has a
dog named Bob, who comes running when Louie calls.
When Bob (the dog) arrives, Louie shouts, in his stuffed-up
voice: “NO! I wan by BOB, not BOB! BOB! BOB! BOB!” Although I can’t replicate
it here, when Louie shouts BOB! and means his mom, the O has a heart in the
middle. When it is BOB! the dog, it is a normal O. It’s a lovely way to help young
readers figure out which BOB! Louie really means.
When I’m done describing the book (which may also include
such things as character, point of view, or illustrations), I take some time to
research the author. I always try to give a little information about the book’s
author, and occasionally the illustrator. This section also includes the
address for the author’s website or blog, and why someone might want to check
out the author’s website (if there’s something extra offered, such as
activities or teaching guides).
BOB, NOT BOB! has
two authors: Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick. Ms. Scanlon’s website is www.lizgartonscanlon.com. There, she
has teachers’ guides for all of her books (some of the guides have crosswords,
games, and crafts included!). Ms Vernick’s website is www.audreyvernick.com and it includes a
link to her blog.
Finally, I conclude every review by asking for
recommendations of other great books to read. We are all enriched by sharing
great books with one another!
