Lou FancherReseñas

Imaginative with fun illustrations.

This gorgeous and delightful children's book is part of the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program.

It's simple, charming rhyme follows some American Black bears through the four seasons in a way even small children can understand. Perfect for parents to read to their small children; it is oversize, glossy and has beautiful full page illustrations.

At the end of the book there is a section with facts about the bears for parents to share with the child. And best of all, there is a list of suggested activities for parents and children based on the book.

Independent Reading Level: Grades 2nd-6th
Awards: Caldecott Honors, Pulitzer Prize

This is a collection of brief, lukewarm adaptations of Disney feature films, a lot of them being direct-to-DVD sequels. The stories hold little interest for me, so I made a game of trying to track down the original sources for them, since this collection is published without any creator credits, which I always find annoying and rather slimy.

The copyright notices on the verso page generally point at some storybooks that were published at the time the movies were released. But when I was able to locate and look inside some of those books I found that the versions presented in this collection tended to be abridged. It uses the exact same pictures -- though some are omitted, for space I suppose -- but the scripts are fairly consistently cut down or fiddled with. I've included comparisons of first sentences below when I was able to find them.

A Bug's Life: The Quest for the One Big Thing

This tedious counting story has one ant finding a tasty treat that she wants to bring back to the anthill, and she recruits one new friend every page to help until they reach the number twelve. Most of the other stories in here seem like adaptations, but I don't remember anything like this from the film, though it has been decades since I've seen it. Boring.

So while not an adaptation of the movie, it is rather an adaptation of the book A Bug's Life: The Quest for the One Big Thing (1998, ISBN 0786831987), with story by Lou Fancher and paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. The illustrations are straight out of that book, though Fancher's script has been abridged and altered throughout.

Opening line of the original book: "In late summer, Princess Dot waited eagerly for the circus bugs to return to the ant colony for the harvest."
Opening line of this version: "Princess Dot was eagerly waiting for the circus bugs to return to the ant colony for the harvest."

Atlantis: The Lost Empire - The Final Stand

The climactic battle of the movie is recounted. It's all slam-bang action without any context as to who the characters are beyond a shallow good vs. evil interpretation. I think I saw the movie when it came out, but I don't remember for sure and this does little to remind me.

Source book: Atlantis: The Lost Empire - The Final Stand (2001, ISBN 073641083X), adapted by Tennant Redbank, illustrated by Judie Clarke, Samantha Clarke, and Caroline Egan.

The Tigger Movie: Family of Tiggers

This is a loose adaptation of the three-minute "Round My Family Tree" song sequence by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman that happens in the middle of the movie, wherein Tigger imagines all the wonderful things his Tigger ancestors must have done throughout history. It's mostly amusing, though the sexy, long-legged female Tiggers in miniskirts are a little disturbing.

Source book: The Tigger Movie: Family of Tiggers (2000, ISBN 0786832649), written by Victoria Saxon, illustrated by Josie Yee.

Opening line of original book: "Afternoon sunlight lit up the Hundred-Acre Wood when Owl invited Tigger and Roo for tea."
Opening lines here: "Afternoon sunlight lit up the Hundred-Acre Wood. Owl had invited Tigger and Roo for afternoon tea in his tree house."

Dinosaurs: Aladar's Story

Another movie I saw long ago and have mostly forgotten. I can see why, based on this nothing little story about walking to water.

The Little Mermaid II: An Icy Adventure

A simple but serviceable adaptation of the movie. Not sure why the sub-title was changed, nor was I able to find the original source from which this version may be drawn.

Toy Story 2: Buzz's Story

An adaptation of the 1999 film, the illustrations are lifted from the book Toy Story 2: Buzz's Story (1999, ISBN 0786832339), which was adapted by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld with concept art by Judith Holmes Clarke, drawings by the Disney Storybook Artists, design by Susan Saroff, and painted by John Alvin. The script is abridged and significantly altered from Zoehfeld's.

Opening line of the original book: "I could see the potential for trouble."
Opening line here: "I could see trouble coming."

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Three Friendly Tales
Bare-bone adaptations of the "Pooh Gets Stuck," "Rabbit Gets Lost," and "Bounce, Tigger, Bounce" sequences from the film. The same illustrations were also used in Winnie the Pooh CD Storybook: The Many Adventure of Winnie the Pooh / Piglet's Big Movie / Pooh's Heffalump Movie / The Tigger Movie by Karen Comer, but the text is very different.

Chip N' Dale: A Nutty Visit to the Zoo
Inspired by the Donald Duck animated short film, "Working for Peanuts" (1953): Directed by Jack Hannah; Story by Nick George and Roy Williams
Illustrations directly taken from the Little Golden Book Chip n Dale at the Zoo (1954, 1974): Title page info: Told by Annie North Bedford, Pictures by the Walt Disney Studio, Adapted by Bill Bosche from the motion picture "Working for Peanuts"
images at https://www.ebay.com/itm/274395786111

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:
• A Bug's Life: The Quest for the One Big Thing / written by Lou Fancher, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher (originally published 1999, ISBN 0786831987)
• Atlantis: The Lost Empire - The Final Stand / adapted by Tennant Redbank, illustrated by Judie Clarke, Samantha Clarke, and Caroline Egan (originally published 2001, ISBN 073641083X)
• The Tigger Movie: Family of Tiggers / written by Victoria Saxon, illustrated by Josie Yee (originally published 2000, ISBN 0786832649)
• Dinosaur: Aladar's Story / adapted by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, illustrations by Judith Clarke, Brent Ford, John Alvin (2000, ISBN 0786832592)
• The Little Mermaid II: An Icy Adventure / unknown
• Toy Story 2: Buzz's Story / adapted by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
• A Goofy Movie: Cross-Country Chaos
• Mickey Mouse: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
• Monsters, Inc.: The Big Boo Rescue
• 102 Dalmatians: Going to the Dogs
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Three Friendly Tales
• Chip 'n' Dale: A Nutty Visit to the Zoo
• Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure - One of the Pack
• Mickey Mouse: Brave Little Tailor
• Aladdin: The Return of Jafar - Iago to the Rescue
• Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World - A Princess Pleads for Peace

No Star Nights is a story of Pittsburgh, PA, known as a steel town . At No Star Nights is a story of Pittsburgh, PA, known as a steel town . At night, the skies were alight with the bright lights from the flames of the bars of steel as it came off the production line. In addition, the smells and the dust pervaded. And then, smoke clouded the skies, and the dust settled throughout the town.

This story is told from the perspective of a child whose father worked various shifts in the Pittsburgh Steel Mill. She notes, the sights of the men who worked with her father, as they came out of the mill, lunch boxes and thermos bottles in hands. Driving at night, as the family came home from an outing, the black silhouettes were encased in black clouds of smoke.

These mills created many well-paid jobs for both college educated who worked in the offices, and the working folk who directly produced the end product. In the small town of Pittsburgh, there were Fourth of July parades with clowns, balloons, cheers and the mayor of the city riding in a large car throwing candy to those on the sidewalks in the parade route; there was an aura of down home closeness.

Life was good, but living with the dust, chemicals and, as as the author notes, there were nights when it seemed like a giant lid covered the valley. On those nights, no stars were visible, only the smoke and glow from the blast furnaces.

As a personal note, I lived and worked in Bethlehem, PA . While I worked in a local university, many people I knew had family members who worked in the steel factory. The steel factories produced a lot of high paying jobs, for both the executives who worked in the offices, and the blue color workers who produced the steel. The benefits were great, and the pay was high in relation to other area jobs. Now, like the Pittsburg mills, Bethlehem Steel is no longer functioning.

And similar to the skies of Pittsburgh, Bethlehem also had "no star nights." Both towns are different today. As the author notes in her description of Pittsburgh, today the skies are clear. The stars are visible. Most of the workers have left to find other jobs in other places.

Again, as a personal note, part of where Bethlehem Steel existed, is now a Casino. Many thought Pittsburgh and Bethlehem could never function without the mills. As the author notes, when grandchildren return to Pittsburgh, they talk about their stories of the long nights when the skies were clouded.

This is a story of years gone by in the industrial age of America.

This is another example of a children's illustrated book that teaches history of a time gone by, never to return.

This short book talks about how are emotions can look and feel. It provides a way for children to talk about their emotions that is accessible to younger students. During quarantine I did a read aloud of this books and had my students right about what color they were feeling during the height of the pandemic.

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Dr. Seuess. (1996). My Many Colored Days. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers.
This story for preschoolers allows them to start making a connection with their emotions and know that it is ok. Dr. Seuss uses this wonderfully colorful to connections colors and emotions. It is great that is leads us to the fact that emotions can change throughout the day which is really important for young children. Incorporating the pictures of animals that may not be the usual color we thing about allows children to see it is good to express themselves in their art work.

This book makes me sad for the people that live in the small mill town out of Pitsburg because they live in such an industrial town that is all about the mill. The smoke usually covers they sky so much so that they can't see the sky. Especially at night, when all they see is the red glow of the molten steel. I understand the long, weird work hours because that actually sounds like my husband's job when he switches between days and nights. The silence that must take over the house so he can sleep during the day because his job too is "too dangerous to go without sleep". But in the end, I was happy to hear that the mill shut down and people of the town were actually able to see the stars in a clear sky. To me that brought a much needed sense of normalcy to the families of the town.

This book tells about the life of a beloved children’s writer, Dr. Seuss. He traveled the world starting out as a doodler drawing made up unique animals and characters. He started out drawing for an advertising agency. But later on writing some classic books and animations. This book outlines his life from birth to his death. Was more than just a writer.

I loved this book! I would use it in little people land to explain different feelings and how colors can describe them.

A story about a little boy who finds a salamander and wants to keep it in his room. Or maybe he just wants his room to be outside. A good book for teaching about nature.

"Some days are yellow. Some are blue. On different days I'm different too." Dr Seuss takes the reader on a journey through the many different moods that can be experienced in life with paintings that reveal such striking images as a bright red horse kicking its heels, a cool and quiet green fish, a sad and lonely purple dinosaur, and an angrily howling black wolf. Using a spectrum of vibrant colors and a menagerie of animals, this unique book helps children explore human moods and emotions.

"Cat, You Better Come Home" follows a cat owner whose cat has run away from home. When the owner lets the cat outside, the cat refuses to come back in. She ends up leaving because her owner never fed her any fancy food, and she decides to make a better life for herself. The owner later finds out that the cat became a celebrity in Europe, and is now extremely rich. The cat is in magazines and commercials, and lives in a mansion with many animal friends. The owner is still asking the cat to come home, as they know that the cat's friends will abandon her as soon as she spends all her money. Eventually that ends up being the case, and the cat ends up coming back to her owners house. The cat looks terrible, but the owner is just happy to have her back. The cat agrees with the owner that she's better off living with her owner, since they know what's best for her. She ends the book with a message to all other cats to go back to their homes. I think the book is very sweet, and you can tell that the author has a passion for cats. The cat in the book reminds me of one of my cats, and I'm sure that any cat owner would agree. I think kids would enjoy this book's wonderful illustrations and heart-warming story, unless they don't like cats for some reason.½

A story about a young girl growing up living in a town with a steel mill, No Star Nights recalls both good and bad childhood memories. The best thing about this story is the illustrations and that they tell a story all on their own.

This book was written about feelings and moods and is full of colour and animals. It will appeal to very young children but also to fans of Dr Seuss of all ages.

I never knew Dr. Seuss started at a magazine. From there he worked his way into the hearts of everyone, including his lovely wife Helen. He was then an ad mad, drawing advertisements that would catch peoples eyes. Even during the Second World War, he kept drawing, but these drawings poked at Hitler and Japan. Each page is full of many facts about his life, some not known to many people yet. As you read each illustration gives clues as to what will happen next in the story if you pay close attention. Some of the illustrations even include never before seen artwork by the Great Doodler himself.

This book shows the life of Dr. Seuss starting from his child. This book will identify with students as it starts with his childhood and his love for drawing. Dr.Seuss inspires that at no matter what point you are in life it is never too late to go after your dreams and be able to succeed.

When he cannot sleep at night, a young boy imagines himself running and dancing among the star constellations as he journeys across the night sky. Leo the Lion and Ursa the Bear invite young readers to join them in the magical night world of star climbing. Dive into a shimmering star pool with Pisces the Fish, rest on the glimmering back of Cygnus the Swan. Young children are encouraged to let their imaginations soar on the whimsical journey through sparkling star constellations.

A brief explanation of some of the constellations follows the story. Enhanced with beautiful full-color art that highlights the star patterns in the night sky, the simple text is perfect for a quiet bedtime story.

Highly recommended.

After a boy catches a salamander he is asked how he will give him all of the things he needs in his room. As he explains he slowly begins to visualize his whole room turning into a forest. With beautiful imagery in text it is a great book for teaching visualizing.

This poetry books contains amazing imagery about nature. Being that it is poetry, it helps with teaching visualizing due to the descriptive language used and could be used to teach about deeper meanings of the poems as well.

Ages: 3-6
This story is a wonderful book to get Children to use their imaginations to picture as the little boy's room transforms from his bedroom into a forest!
Source: class library

I would use this book for a lesson on visualizing because the story is filled with imagery. The author does a great job of building on ideas with answers to questions the mother poses for a perfect home for his new salamander friend. Children will be able to visualize the perfect home for a wild animal based on their knowledge of habitats.

Book for visualizing and making connections. Discuss what they come up with in their minds based on the text, then show illustrations. Can have children draw pictures about what they "see" before showing illustrations. 1st-3rd grade.

Poetry book to use for visualizing. Will have children close eyes and visualize using their minds before comparing illustrations in text. K-3rd grade.