Posted by Angie on Saturday, Sep 30, 2017
I love you, Michael Collins by Lauren Baratz-Logsted is an epistolary story. It doesn’t have any chapters in it because it is a story told through a collection of letters that 10 year old Mamie Anderson sends to Michael Collins in 1969 as he prepares to go to the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
What started out as a one-time class assignment of writing to the astronauts of Apollo 11, turns into a summer of writing to Michael Collins. She is the only kid in her class to chose to write to him. All the boys write to Buzz, because he is the best, and all the girls write to Neil, because he is the best. But Mamie is determined to show that the one who stays with the ship is the best. Through her funny and charming letters to Micheal, she tells him all about her life during the summer of 1969 and just how important it is for her to stay with her ship. The book is very well written and a quick read with a satisfying ending.
I am not sure what made me pick this book up off our new shelf, but I am glad I did. Since I was a child, I have found that I really like reading books in this format, so I was pleasantly surprised when I flipped through to see it was an epistolary story. If you would like to pick up a book in letter form, we have a great collection of them in the Children's Department.
Dear Mr. Henshaw: In his letters to his favorite author, ten-year-old Leigh reveals his problems in coping with his parents’ divorce, being the new boy in school, and generally finding his own place in the world.
Dying to meet you: Ignatius B. Grumply moves into the Victorian mansion at 43 Old Cemetery Road hoping to find some peace and quiet so he can crack a wicked case of writer’s block. But 43 Old Cemetery Road is already occupied by eleven-year-old Seymour, his cat Shadow, and an irritable ghost named Olive.
Love, Ruby Lavender: When her quirky grandmother goes to Hawaii for the summer, nine-year-old Ruby learns to survive on her own in Mississippi by writing letters, befriending chickens as well as the new girl in town, and finally coping with her grandfather’s death.
Unusual chickens for the exceptional poultry farmer: Through a series of letters, Sophie Brown, age twelve, tells of her family’s move to her Great Uncle Jim’s farm, where she begins taking care of some unusual chickens with help from neighbors and friends.
The day the crayons quit: When Duncan arrives at school one morning, he finds a stack of letters, one from each of his crayons, complaining about how he uses them.
Click, clack, moo : cows that type: When Farmer Brown’s cows find a typewriter in the barn they start making demands, and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what they want.
XO, Ox : a love story: An epic, if initially unrequited, love affair between a graceful gazelle and a clumsy, hapless ox. Romance will never be the same.
Dear Yeti: Two young hikers set out to look for Yeti one day, and with the help of a bird friend, they trek further and further into the woods, sending letters to coax the shy creature out of hiding.
About the Author
Angie is the Children's Services Coordinator at the Iowa City Public Library. You can find her in the Ellen Buchanan Children's Room or occasionally on the Bookmobile.
This meta–early reader begins (between the end pages and the title page) with the famous duo Elephant and Piggie expressing excitement about reading a book about a pig and an elephant who happen to be best friends, just like them. Piggie holds a copy of Harold & Hog Pretend for Real!—which is identical to the book readers are holding, leading them to believe that the characters are reading the same book. Piggie and elephant Gerald then open the cover of the book just as elephant Harold and Hog push it open from the inside, and the story seamlessly shifts to the latter pair’s perspective. Harold and Hog—illustrated with depth and fairly realistically, compared to the cartoonlike Piggie and Gerald—are excited to see the famous duo, and Harold suggests they pretend to be them. Harold then produces round, wire-rimmed glasses for himself and a cartoon pig’s snout for Hog so that they can pretend “for real.” Unfortunately, Hog is “too CAREFUL to be Piggie,” and Harold is “too CAREFREE to be Gerald!” The question then arises: Can Harold and Hog’s friendship survive this game? Building on the popular Elephant and Piggie books and with the frame story contributed by Mo Willems, Santat creates yet another early reader that is at once playful, self-aware, and perceptive in its exploration of the differences of personalities and the complications (or simplicities) of friendship. A hoot for readers who already know Elephant and Piggie. -Kirkus Reviews -Angie