A Kiss From Mommy
Annie Applefield
E & E Publishing, 2002

A grown up girl remembers her childhood and her Mommy's kisses. Mommy set kisses on her hurts and gave kisses to help her grow tall. Mommy's kisses on her sleepy eyes sent her off to sleep and kisses on her forehead were given so she would not worry.

And now she has a little girl of her own!

Writer Annie Applefield has created a pleasing little book sure to enchant small children. The narrative told in rhyme on the pages of 2A Kiss from Mommy" is one the 3-7 set will delight in and soon 'read along' as Mom or Teacher reads aloud to them.

The illustrations found in "A Kiss from Mommy" are nicely done and certain to please little ones. Children will be caught up in the tale as they think about their own Mommy and how she too kisses hurts and kisses to ease fears.

As a teacher I would like to see a vocabulary list added to the back of the book with each word used in the text listed and grade level for the word added. I would like to see target audience noted as a help for Teachers and Parents.

"A Kiss from Mommy" is an charming little work I would use successfully in my own Kindergarten classroom. The book is a 'read to' for the 3-5 set and a read alone for strong 6-7 year old readers.

The Beetle and the Berry
Annie Applefield
E & E Publishing, April 2002

Arthur the Beetle has found a nice big juicy berry. He is so thrilled and begins to move the berry home. When the berry stops rolling Arthur has a problem to solve. How Arthur works out his dilemma and gets the berry to his house is what this story is all about.

"The Beetle and the Berry" is a colorful book of 14 pages children should enjoy. I enjoyed the tale, and the opportunity "The Beetle and the Berry" presents for classroom teachers, home school teachers and parents to guide their student discussion about problems and problem solving. "The Beetle and the Berry" is a book classroom teachers will find of value for 'free time reading' and for 'student tutor' use. Home school teachers and parents will find "The Beetle and the Berry" is a good addition to their library.

The vocabulary used in "The Beetle and the Berry" presents a 'read-to' circumstance for ages 3-5 and read alone for readers who read on a first/second reader level. The one change to the book that I as a teacher would like to see is a Vocabulary list at the end of the book.