This week I have been reading more books on my Challenge list! To learn more about my challenge, and to view my list of books, head over to the 100 Children’s Book tab at the top of the page!
I hope your Thanksgiving holiday was filled with good food, good company, and some reading! Here’s what I read this week off of my Challenge list.
The Novel
This week I read The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster. This novel is the story of Milo’s adventures in a crazy world filled with King Azaz of Dictionopolis, the Mathamagician of Digitopolis, the Princesses Rime and Reason, a time-keeping dog Tock, and a giant Humbug. He goes through extraordinary measures to bring peace to this world. Along the way, he learns to look at his world a little differently. He returns eager to discover the world around him.
I’m not going to lie – I thought this book was just as confusing and odd as the old cartoon version. There were a number of times in the beginning that I thought the author spent too much time describing things. The ending was super compacted – like he just rushed through the last 25 or 30 pages.
All in all, I’d say this is a three star book. I’d recommend it for reading during read aloud time or as an exercise in descriptive language. You could even have students read/listen to it and then illustrate based on the text.
The Picture Book
One of the cool things I got to do over break was go to the bookstore and buy some of my favorite books from this semester as Christmas gifts. Great fun! I bought this one for my youngest niece, but read it before I wrapped it (shhh….don’t tell)
Pat the Zoo allows young ones to explore the textures of different animals at the zoo. There is the fluffy lion mane, the scaly turtle shell, and (my favorite) the sticky frog tongue! This is going to be so much fun for my niece, especially as she begins to explore the world with her hands!
Well, that’s what I read over Thanksgiving week. How about you? Did you read anything good?
I have only 2 Challenge Weeks left….what is a must read that hasn’t been read?
Let’s talk below….
OZ and Other Lands 
I have tried to read The Phantom Tollbooth several times and always end up abandoning it. It does sound like it eventually picks up, but man, the beginning is slow!
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Phantom Tollbooth was honestly a bit rambling. I think the author just got tired or just hit the deadline and stopped writing. The book just kind of ends.
I remember watching the 1970 cartoon of it and it was certainly crazy. The book is the same way too.
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Pat the Zoo looks like a book that many kids would really enjoy and have fun with. It seems like a great opportunity to learn about different animals too!
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I had so much fun with the frog’s sticky tongue!
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I love the Pat books! When my daughter was a baby, we had “Pat the Bunny.” She loved it!! We read it over and over again. One day, when I was browsing Facebook, I came across this blog that took that book and injected a bunch of really naughty adult humor into it. Not going to lie…totally funny. But, very inappropriate. LOL. It is still a favorite here!
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I never read Pat the Bunny before. I was reading & looking at it in the bookstore and was certain that my niece will love it!
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The Phantom Tollbooth sounds like an interesting book. Sounds like an interesting concept at least. Was it very long? Would you recommend it or was it a little too confusing?
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It’s pretty good but the ending is really compressed. It’s about 300 pages but would be a good read aloud book.
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I think I do remember that movie! My dad is like a classic movie fiend so I end up watching the most random stuff thanks to him! But if I remember correctly, I don’t really remember the movie being that great of a children’s movie. It was sort of complex wasn’t it? I don’t really recall. Maybe I need to watch it again- I think it’s safe to skip the book after reading your review (:
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It was very trippy. I think it is a long read but strange.
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