Ballyhoo Bay
Author: Judy Sierra
Illustrator: Derek Anderson
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Year of Publication: 2009
Genre: Fantasy
Horn Book Review: 3
Summary: This book is about a woman who teaches art on Ballyhoo Bay, Mira Bella, that participates in an art fair every year with her students (grannies, kids, and different animals from the sea and sky). On the day before the art fair, construction workers plan to build houses for nine zillion dollars where the beach should be. The children and animals do everything they can to save Ballyhoo Bay.
Summary of Professional Reviews: All of the reviewers seemed to have a fascination with the acrylic illustrations and the way that they complimented the writing on the pages. The rhyming and alliteration also seemed to make the reviewers enjoy this book more because they believe it made the book more enjoyable and fun to read; as stated by one reviewer, "The vibrant illustrations give the rhyming text its "pop". The main theme of the reviews was the rhyming paired with the illustrations; every reviewer seemed to like those aspects of the book.
Review by Sarah Custard: I believe this book has a good message for the children that would read this book; it shows kids that they should stick up for something that they love (although they might not see this message themselves). The rhyming makes the book more enjoyable to read and can keep the children's interest while reading this book. The illustrations match the words on the pages well and give the students a real idea of what is happening in the book. The fact that animals are painting and doing art makes this book comical for kids because they know that they could not actually do that.
This book could be used to teach students what is real and what is fake (fiction and nonfiction), or they could simply use the book to reinforce those ideas. The students would have to know if the animals mentioned in the book could actually make artwork or if a house could be worth nine zillion dollars. The teacher could also use this book to explain the different ways to make art (the seagulls made collages, the crabs used clay, the otters made self portraits, etc.) and this could then give the students ideas for their own artwork.
Illustrator: Derek Anderson
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Year of Publication: 2009
Genre: Fantasy
Horn Book Review: 3
Summary: This book is about a woman who teaches art on Ballyhoo Bay, Mira Bella, that participates in an art fair every year with her students (grannies, kids, and different animals from the sea and sky). On the day before the art fair, construction workers plan to build houses for nine zillion dollars where the beach should be. The children and animals do everything they can to save Ballyhoo Bay.
Summary of Professional Reviews: All of the reviewers seemed to have a fascination with the acrylic illustrations and the way that they complimented the writing on the pages. The rhyming and alliteration also seemed to make the reviewers enjoy this book more because they believe it made the book more enjoyable and fun to read; as stated by one reviewer, "The vibrant illustrations give the rhyming text its "pop". The main theme of the reviews was the rhyming paired with the illustrations; every reviewer seemed to like those aspects of the book.
Review by Sarah Custard: I believe this book has a good message for the children that would read this book; it shows kids that they should stick up for something that they love (although they might not see this message themselves). The rhyming makes the book more enjoyable to read and can keep the children's interest while reading this book. The illustrations match the words on the pages well and give the students a real idea of what is happening in the book. The fact that animals are painting and doing art makes this book comical for kids because they know that they could not actually do that.
This book could be used to teach students what is real and what is fake (fiction and nonfiction), or they could simply use the book to reinforce those ideas. The students would have to know if the animals mentioned in the book could actually make artwork or if a house could be worth nine zillion dollars. The teacher could also use this book to explain the different ways to make art (the seagulls made collages, the crabs used clay, the otters made self portraits, etc.) and this could then give the students ideas for their own artwork.