Miss Brooks' Story Nook (Where Tales Are Told and Ogres Are Welcome)

July 14, 2014
Bottner and Emberley shift focus from reading to storytelling in this wickedly funny companion to Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I Don’t). A power outage makes it too dark to read during Story Nook time, so Miss Brooks guides her students through the art of storytelling. Initially reluctant to invent a story, heroine Missy eventually unspools a tale about an ogre whose escaped snake makes quick work of Missy’s “exasperating” neighbor, Billy Toomey: “It wraps around him and squeezes so hard, his eyes pop out.” While introducing the ideas of plot, characters, problem-solving, and “satisfying endings,” these collaborators demonstrate in no uncertain terms just how much real-life power stories can have. Ages 5–9.

June 1, 2014
Energetic, book-loving Miss Brooks is back, as is Missy, the grumpy, stumpy, hat-wearing reluctant reader-turned-bookworm who is her biggest fan (Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I don't), 2010).This time around, though, there's a new wrinkle: a boy named Billy who likes to torment Missy and steal her precious hats. Missy mostly manages to avoid him, but sometimes she can't help but pass by his house, and that's where the trouble always occurs. When a storm knocks out the lights at school one morning, Miss Brooks decides to take advantage of the atmosphere and have the kids tell stories instead of listening to her read aloud. Although her classmates suggest focusing on aliens, kittens or ghosts, Missy finds herself unexpectedly brainstorming a solution to her problem while concocting a semi-scary story about a neighborhood ogre named Graciela and her very large boa constrictor. Over-the-top silliness in Emberley's appealing illustrations contrasts with Bottner's deadpan delivery to amplify the humor, while clever details in the pictures reward close examination. Characters come alive with distinct voices and appearances, and the twin plots flow smoothly, if purposively, to the requisite "happy ending."While sequels can sometimes be disappointing, readers and listeners who enjoyed Miss Brooks' first appearance will likely be very happy to find out what happens next-and they just might be inspired to create some tall tales of their own. (Picture book. 4-8)

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May 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-When a power outage strikes during story time, the school librarian invites her students to create a tale. Due to conflicts of preference-ogres, snakes, kittens, or ghosts-the students create their own endings to the tale of Graciela the witch. The narrator, a charmingly disheveled young girl, decides to rev up the horror in her tale in order to intimidate the class bully. Emberley's cartoons detail imaginary reptiles and fearful children with equal panache. The story introduces some elements of fiction writing, such as plot, action, and endings. Elementary-aged readers will identify with the classroom dynamics.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
Preschool-G Missy loves Miss Brooks' before-school storytime, although whenever she passes Billy Toomey's house to get there, he snatches her hat and won't give it back. One stormy morning, she arrives at Story Nook just before the lights go out. Unfazed, Miss Brooks encourages the children to make up their own story while they sit in the dark. Missy takes the lead in creating an imaginative, bloodcurdling tale. Fired with courage, she tells it the next morning to a suddenly terrified Billy Toomey and gets all her hats back. Bottner writes a heartening narrative in which the creative process is practical in that it resolves a problem, satisfying in that it leads to justice, and enjoyable in its own right. Capably constructed and full of lively dialogue, the story is well served by Emberley's many expressive drawings of the characters, including a sympathetic, symbolic portrayal of Missy burdened by her nemesis. This engaging picture book is a satisfying sequel to Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I Don't) (2010).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)