Linda Ravin LoddingCritiques

Ernestine learns how to live life to the fullest...which surprises her parents!

A lovely story, with beautiful illustrations, about art and our true selves. Lodding has woven a subtle rhythm of rhymes throughout the story without actually writing the story in verse. Kids will have fun picking up on the way Josette and Pepette, Juliette and Jeanette, Bobette and Frizette and Laffette--even portrait--all rhyme.

Note: I received a hardcover copy of this book from the publisher.

This is a very new, and very fun take on the red riding hood story. It would be awesome done with 2 people for story time, or even made into reader theater, a puppet show, or a felt board.

So sheepy!

What do you do when the Queen asks if she can come for tea? This is a delightful book about a little girl who uses her imagination very well. When she finds out the Queen wants to come for tea, she must get the best of everything. Off she flies in an airplane with her elephant friend. Off to China for tea, Italy for lemons, Paris for pastries and New York for clothes. At each spot she brings someone back with her to meet the Queen. While they wait for the queen they play and have so much fun they all fall asleep except for Ellie. She and the queen (her mother) have tea together. The illustrations are colourful and cute. They have all her toys come to life as the footman, her elephant sidekick etc. A good book for primary students and young children developing their imagination.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest reveiw.

As our narrator attempts to spin the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood, he finds himself interrupted by Arnold the sheep, determined to star in the story. Arnold has a number of suggestions for improving the narrative, from casting his friends - Einer the muskrat and Frankie the warthog - as the characters to setting everything in Palm Springs (so much less frightening than the woods!). Eventually the narrator gives in, and the story goes in a different direction from the one originally intended...

I found Little Red Riding Sheep an enjoyable fractured fairy-tale, and would imagine that, with its back-and-forth between Arnold and Eugene the narrator, it will make for an amusing read-aloud selection at story-time. The artwork by Canadian illustrator Cale Atkinson are colorful and appealing, capturing the madcap humor in author Linda Ravin Lodding's story quite well. Recommended to anyone looking for revisionist fairy-tale retellings, as well as to those who enjoy more meta-fictional picture-books.

A tiny bit of art history, a lot of seeing the world as a child does.

This book is about a little boy on a search to find a gift for his mother for her birthday. As he travels all around town, he encounters several different townspeople who needs assistance; and each time ends up giving away his gift in order to help them. His generous and caring nature overflows and eventually he goes home empty handed and devastated. But just as he reaches home, someone he had helped out earlier taps him on the shoulder and provides him with the "perfect gift". The moral of this story is to always try to be little bit kinder than necessary; and everything will always find away to work itself out.

PAINTING PEPETTE by Linda Ravin Lodding tells the charming story of Josette, her pet rabbit, and their artistic quest.

This beautifully illustrated picture book begins in the home of young Josette who lives in early 20th century Paris. After seeing all the family members represented in paintings on the walls of her home, young Josette goes on a quest to find an artist to paint a portrait of her rabbit, Pepette. From Picasso to Matisse, each artist captures a different aspect of the lovable bunny. However, Josette has her own vision of the perfect portrait.

Claire Fletcher’s watercolor illustrations bring each artist and their style to life.

Librarians will find this adorable picture book to provide an excellent introduction to famous artists of the Montmartre district in Paris during the 1920s. In addition to the historical connection, the story’s emphasis on different perspectives and thoughts on what’s “art” makes it particularly effective for discussions about the meaning of art.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.lindalodding.com/.

Published by little bee books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster on June 7, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.½

Resting in her family's great room, a young Parisian girl named Josette Bobette notices that her stuffed rabbit Pepette is the only one in the family whose portrait isn't hanging on the wall. Determined to fix this, Josette heads to Montmartre to get Pepette's portrait done. But although they encounter a number of renowned artists, and although each one tries his hand at capturing the rabbity charm of her companion, none of the portraits is just right. Heading home, Josette eventually decides that she must take matters into her own hands...

A sweet story in its own right, Painting Papette is also a charming introduction to four famous artists - Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, and Henri Matisse - working in Paris in the 1920s, as well as to the idea of differing artistic perspectives and styles. I appreciate these kinds of stories, which introduce larger ideas and knowledge into stories that are also meant to be entertaining. Appropriately, given the theme, the artwork here is immensely appealing. I was reminded by turns of some of Emily Arnold McCully's work, although Claire Fletcher's depiction of Pepette recalled the rabbits in Guess How Much I Love You. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories featuring art and artists, or for tales set in Paris.

Cute story and beautifully illustrated. We enjoyed how he helped others and in return received the perfect gift then gave it all up to make a girl happy only to get the actual perfect gift back and still be delighted with it.

A Gift for Mama is a story of a young boy names Oscar who is out to find the perfect gift for his mother. He goes out on the busy street of Vienna to look. He finds the perfect gift, a yellow rose. In the busy streets there is so much for Oscar to look at, he trades his yellow flower for a paint brush, believing this is the best gift. Oscar keeps trading this gifts until he finds on the warms his heart. Lone behold it is the yellow rose. This story is a circle story because he ends up with the same yellow flower. The illustrations of the story are very vibrant playing off the busy streets of Vienna. This book could be used in the classroom to explain how exchange works. The theme can also teach that it is always the thought that counts the most.

Warm, appealing, and predictable.

This picture book story captivates readers by just looking at the cover of the book. You are taken on a whirl wind of a journey with a young boy traveling through the streets of Vienna. The purpose of his journey is to find a perfect gift for his mother on his birthday. As he travels through the streets, he finds the perfect gift for his Mama which is soon given away to someone in need. This book represents how a simple act of kindness can go a long way to those in need as well as to those who want. You will be engrossed in the reading trying to figure out what the gift for his mother is going to be at the end of the picture book. With a little hint of kindness and a lot of dedication, life can take you on an adventure you will never forget. I would read this book to a group of first- second graders because I feel as though they will understand the meaning of the story. This age group is perfect for this book because as you get older, certain things become more important.½

This book wasn't to drawn out to get through the plot. The book is fun story to read for fun. I could suggest it for a moral lesson of what goes around comes around. You could maybe use it when you talking about different places in the world.½

Oskar sets out to find the perfect gift for his mama and buys a flower, but when he meets a painter who says the flower would be perfect to paint he trades it. This pattern follows throughout the book with each new person Oskar meets until he meets a little girl who is crying because she has no gift for her mama, and Oskar gives him his last trade: a box of sweets. Oskar has nothing left to give his mama, or does he? This sweet circular tale speaks to empathy and kindness and is a perfect example of a circular plot. A perfect choice to engage kids in predicting what comes next, you can pause at that penultimate page when Oskar looks quite dejected indeed. Could any child read the picture such that they'd guess how Oskar's problem is resolved?½

This is a story about a little girl whos schedule is out of control. She sees her friend Hugo playing and having fun everytime she leaves for another lesson with Nanny O'Dear and desires to be able to have time to play like Hugo. Ernestine takes it upon herself to figure out a way to have fun like Hugo.
Source: Pierce County Library
Age: 4-6

Ernestine Buckmeister is a busy little girl. On Mondays she learned to sculpt with clay. On Tuesday she had water ballet lessons. On Wednesdays she had knitting lessons. On Thursdays she took tuba lessons. On Fridays she had yodeling lessons. On Saturdays she studied karate. On Sundays she learned yoga.

Ernestine’s neighbor, Hugo, did not go to lessons. He played every day. Ernestine longed to play with her neighbor, but she did not have time.

One day, Ernestine decided to schedule some time for herself; she and her nanny stopped and played. It was delightful for them both.

A story that many children and parents would love to hear, might need to hear, with fun exaggerated illustrations and text.

“One afternoon Hugo shouted, ‘Look out!’ as his ball sailed over the fence and landed in Ernestine’s tuba. WHOMP!

Ernestine bounced the ball to Nanny and squealed, ‘Bounce it back!’

‘Oh dear,’ said Nanny. ‘It’s time for tuba.’

Ernestine sighed and passed the ball back to Hugo.”