A+ Author: Cameron Dokey

I am so grateful for friends with good taste!  In the past few months I've been stuck in bed a lot, and a kind friend brought me by some books she thought I'd enjoy.  Three of them were books by Cameron Dokey in her "Once Upon a Time" series.  I was skeptical at first, I admit it.  It can be easy to come across a lot of sappy, cheesy, same-old/same-old stories when it comes to the classic fairy tales.  There are countless retellings of each one, but most are shallow at best and a waste of time at worst.  I was so pleasantly surprised!

Cameron Dokey does a fantastic job re-imagining these classic tales and breathing new life into them.  I happily rediscovered old favorites (Cinderella, Rapunzel, etc.) from creatively new angles, and then fell in love with stories I don't usually pick up (The Ballad of Mulan, Jack & The Beanstalk, Arabian Nights).  Each story was taken apart and then put back together in a totally new form, yet there were no gaping holes and I still finished with the feeling I longed for.  (And usually an insatiable desire to start a new one pronto!)

After practically inhaling the first three books (I think I read them all in just a few days), I asked for more, then discovered even more at my local library.  I came home with eight new titles in my arms and couldn't wait to go to bed early to start in on them.

I will say, I was slightly disappointed with one story, and that was the retelling of Beauty and the Beast.  Cameron Dokey's Belle was quite similar to Robin McKinley's Beauty, only I read McKinley's telling first and the story was told in greater depths.  Other than that, Cameron still had her unique voice and sequence of events for her story, and there was a much-appreciated theme on the nature of true Beauty (with a capital B).

 I didn't expect to love this one, but it became a favorite!

I loved getting to know Jack and his sister in this one.  There was sooo much more to this story than you usually find!

Cameron has an amazing ability to give each story a unique voice.  I was spellbound by this one.

Think Rapunzel is an abused girl alone with her long hair?  Think again.  This was like reading "The True Story of Rapunzel".

I loved that pumpkins still played a part in this tale, and even were the vehicle for bringing her to the castle.  The rest, however, was completely redone.  Brilliant job letting the story play out without making the stepmother and stepsisters complete villains.

If you've been looking for a new author to love, or a long string of stories to sink your teeth into, I'd suggest checking out a tall stack of these.  I'm a lifelong Cameron Dokey fan for sure!

*I will just point out that there are a couple other authors that contribute to this series, so just look for that when checking out the books.  I have tried some of them, but I feel like they don't do quite as good a job with the stories as Cameron.  

We Love Bear!

We read a lot of Bear books at our house.  Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman form a charming team over and over again.  My girls and I both love the story in verse, the sweet friendships, and the deep emotions we feel for bear.  If you're looking for an excellent set of stories in verse to read to kids, this is an exceptional place to start.  With a full eight Bear & Friends books on the shelves, you'll have plenty to scoop up at your library.

Little Friends

I cannot tell you how much I LOVE these books!  I first heard of them when one of my first grade students brought Little Pea to share with the class and then memorized it to compete in the school story-telling contest.  It tickled my brain and struck me as clever over and over again.  I was left thinking, "How brilliant!"

These books by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jen Corace draw on the common complaints of children and twist them around.  Kids find it hilarious that the very things they want are what these little friends complain about most.  For instance...

Little Hoot has a good life.  He enjoys attending school, playing hide-and-go-seek with friends, and even his time practicing owlish behavior, like pondering seriously.  But there is one thing Little Hoot does not like.  Every night, when his friends all get to go to bed early, he has to stay up late.  That's just the rule when you're an owl.  Little Hoot grudgingly complies with his parents' requirements, but vows that when he has kids, he'll let them go to bed as early as they want.

Little Oink is similarly happy with life...for the most part.  He digs playing with his friends, savors his days at school, and relishes bedtime with his parents (where they play "This Little Piggy" before putting him to sleep).    But the one thing Little Oink doesn't love is mess up time.  While all his other friends are tidying up their rooms, he's forced to unmake his bed, pull all his clothes out of the drawers, and generally turn his room into a pigsty.  His only reprieve is playing house once all his dirty deeds are done, so he can sweep, scour, and scrub to his heart's content.

Little Pea also has it pretty good.  He has loving parents and he can roll down hills really fast!  But every night at dinner, he knows his worst fear awaits him.  While all of his friends get to eat their vegetables, all he is given is candy, and he must finish it all before he can have a smidgen of broccoli or spinach!  Little pea may have to choke his candy down, but he's determined to get what he really wants.

Maddie isn't old enough to understand why these books are truly so clever and funny, but she enjoys them nonetheless.  Brian and I enjoy them even more!  These books combine a quirky idea, perfectly-placed puns, delightful illustrations, and clever characters.  I'm definitely looking forward to adding this series to our bookshelf, and until then they remain a frequent request at the library.