MrsK Books: Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate DiCamillo

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate DiCamillo

Leroy Ninker Saddles Up: Tales from Deckawoo Drive, Volume One

ISBN: 9780763663391

Net Galley Synopsis:

Yippie-i-oh! Saddle up for the first in a spin-off series.

Leroy Ninker has a hat, a lasso, and boots. What he doesn’t have is a horse — until he meets Maybelline, that is, and then it’s love at first sight. Maybelline loves spaghetti and sweet nothings, and she loves Leroy, too. But when Leroy forgets the third and final rule of caring for Maybelline, disaster ensues. Can Leroy wrestle fate to the ground, rescue the horse of his heart, and lasso loneliness for good? Join Leroy, Maybelline, and a cast of familiar characters — Stella, Frank, Mrs. Watson, and everyone’s favorite porcine wonder, Mercy — for some hilarious and heartfelt horsing around on Deckawoo Drive.

"Yippie-i-oh," Leroy Ninker whispered to the screen. "That is the life for me.
A cowboy is who I was meant to be."

MrsK's Review:

Yippie-i-oh, there is so much fun to be had with this "want to be" cowboy. This delightful tale has so many moments of joyous giggles just awaiting story time discovery. The plot twists and turns at just the right moments. The comical, and so characteristically defining illustrations sets the mood, the scene, and of course the pace of frolicking fun. Add in the tantalizing word play and you have a winner for all ages. The bonus is the "spin-off" connection to dear, sweet, toast-loving Mercy.

"Listen," said Beatrice. "What you have to do here is take fate in your hands and wrestle it to the ground."

That is all the encouragement that Leroy needed. "Dang nib it," Leroy was going to get himself the "horse of his dreams." Never mind that Maybelline, the horse, "enjoys the heck out of a compliment...meaning you got to talk sweet to her." It didn't matter that Maybelline "eats a lot of grub!" Or that she "gets lonesome quick." The moment Leroy is up on her back, why the world was different.

With sweet, oh so sweet talking, Leroy shows Maybelline the way home. How would you sweet talk a horse into a small apartment? There just "aren't enough "yippie-i-ohs to describe" Leroy and Maybelline's first story together. You just have to read to discover what a lightening storm can cause between these newly found friends. Now, I don't want you worrying none... because... well, our friends Mercy and the Watsons will know just how to make a bad "fright" loose its moment of chaos.

Once again team DiCamillo and Van Dusen have given us the perfect "read- aloud." Whether you are curled up for story time at home, or felt you were going to "burst" from laughing so hard in the library, or your teacher read this right before the bell rang to go home. You will want to read this book again, and again, and "dang nib it" again.

An enjoyable zany read!
Added to our library and classroom shelves.

Meet the author:

The theme of hope and belief amid impossible circumstances is a common thread in much of Kate DiCamillo's writing. DiCamillo, the newly named National Ambassador for Young People's Literature for 2014-2015, says about stories, "When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another." Born in Philadelphia, the author lives in Minneapolis, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week.

Mercy Watson to the Rescue (Mercy Watson Series #1)

Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride (Mercy Watson Series #2)

Mercy Watson Fights Crime (Mercy Watson Series #3)

To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig — she's a porcine wonder.

And to the portly and good-natured Mercy, the Watsons are an excellent source of buttered toast,

not to mention that buttery-toasty feeling she gets when she snuggles into bed with them.

Meet Mercy Watson at her website....

Meet the illustrator:

Chris Van Dusen: I was born in Portland, Maine on St. Patrick’s Day, 1960. As a child, my brothers and I would spend hours drawing pictures. We didn’t have video games or computers to entertain us, so we drew instead. One of my brothers would sketch intricate war scenes. Another would draw animals so realistic you’d swear they were breathing. My specialty was aliens, robots and monsters. Dr. Seuss and Robert McCloskey were my heroes. I loved the rhythm of Dr. Seuss’ words and I was fascinated by the meticulous detail of Robert McCloskey’s illustrations. I had no idea back then that I’d end up writing and illustrating children’s books when I grew up.

"I received this ebook for free from Net Galley for this review.

No comments:

MrsK's Reading Bio

Reading is important! No questions asked, not even a blink of the eye from any student I grew up with. On the first day of the First grade, we were given our first books. Day two we all read aloud, round robin of course. Day three we were place in our first basal, now known as a lit circle group. Books were so important, publishers designed new curriculum so that every student was reading by the end of the first week. These early readers had images that looked like what we could see in the classroom, beyond the classroom, even on the big screen. Reading is important, throughout history every generation has believed that “Reading” opens up the world for endless possibilities.

I adore the 1950’s Dick and Jane books. Actually, most reading specialists and experienced (45+) educators believe that every student learned to read with Dick and Jane. Since these books are being re-issued, I have heard many parents, grandparents, and students claim that Dick and Jane stories of repetition does teach students to read.

Early influences from my mother influenced my desire to read. I would watch her read and we would go on “secret” excursions to the library. The library became my playground. I owned every book I could carry home, of course they needed to be taken back to their home after visiting with me for a week or two. My first book that I could pull off of the library shelf and read was, Father Bear Comes Home. I only saw my dad on Sundays for a few hours. I would pull this beginning reader off of the library shelf every week. Every week I would try to read the first chapter. Every week I got further in the story. My mom would let me check it out, only if I could read it myself (She didn’t like the illustrations therefore she didn’t want to take time to read it to me). One day, I pulled the book from the shelf and when mom came to get me from the children’s corner, I realized that I had read the whole story. I ran to the check out desk and the Librarian KERCHUNKED the checkout card. My mother, brother and neighbors read. My teachers read. We all read aloud all day long in school. The Priest read aloud every day at mass, even in Latin. Everybody in the Doctor’s office read. People on the bus read. Dad’s waiting in their cars as the Mom’s and children grocery shopped, read. In fact, once you could read and write, Sunset Magazine considered you a reader and sent you mail every day.

Reading is important; I’ve spent my life reading. I’ve traveled around the world and into space through books. My favorite genre is whichever book I have open at the time. Children’s Literature is my passion. Book clubbing is one of the best past times, especially if food is involved. In fact my friends of old are in a book club and we are about to embark on a beach trip to “read” and discuss our newest selection.

My “home-run” book story has helped every student find his or her own “home-run” reads. Every year, I have shared my, Father Bear Comes Home, and every year my students have brought in their “home-run” books. That’s the “diving board” into our Lit. Studies.

In “Growing Up Digital,” Tapscott’s insights into the new generations enthusiasm for the Net reminded me of my generation’s enthusiasm for reading, movies, TV, parties and our driving permits. The Net-Generation, as Tapscott describes, “are learning, playing, communicating, working, creating communities, and enforcing a social transformation.”
N-Geners are interactive “techies” who are always looking for a way to “work it” verses the TV Generation of “Baby Boomers” who started out looking for “how it works.” Reading development is tougher today, society moves too fast to invest their “non-working” free time into a book or even “home work.” Since I stepped into my own classroom, I have seen students being told to read, being forced to read, and threatened into reading. Homework is not any longer the vehicle for students to gain their future lifestyles or careers with. Yet, the Internet does create an enthusiasm for learning. Since I have been enrolled in these courses, I have used the computers in every subject. My students are using the newest technology in the classroom because I am giving them investigative sites to use as they learn from each other and books. I agree with Tapscott, in order to bridge the gap with this up and coming generation we must “live and learn with them.”

FTC Required Disclaimer: I receive these books from the publishers. I did not receive monetary compensation for these reviews. These reviews have been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)