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This is a very pretty book. The small-ish book just feels nice in your hand, and the paper is thick and lovely. I actually quite liked the illustrations, which were also done by the author. When I look at/page through the book, I imagine something in the spirit of The Tale of Despereaux - and for the most part this feeling is dead on regarding the story's tone.
My one problem with this book is that it has an overuse of inverted sentences and over-cute word use (especially with the overuse of the ...more
My one problem with this book is that it has an overuse of inverted sentences and over-cute word use (especially with the overuse of the ...more

Emmaline is a little girl that lives in Neatasapin. The town is made up of cement yards without grass or shrubbery. In this world Emmaline desires a bunny.
I think this is a nice book for early readers. Beautiful color illustrations are on about every page. The writing style is filled with repetitive nonsensical words that can offer a small challenge but are doable. Yet this simple story is definitely on the cutesy side. It's an environmental book that carries a nice message but you have to ...more

All of us yearn for a friend, and I clearly remember a point in my childhood when my pets were my closest companions. I could tell them all my secrets, pour my heart out to them and they wouldn't tell a soul. There's a special magic in having such a pet. Emmaline craves a bunny as her special friend. It's a lovely book - perfect for 1st through 3rd graders (or younger children as a read-aloud) who love animals.
Emmaline and her family live in the town of Neatasapin, on Shipshape Street. The town ...more
Emmaline and her family live in the town of Neatasapin, on Shipshape Street. The town ...more

I don't know about this book - I think it's excellent for trasitional readers who are just moving from easy readers into chapter books, but the tone is awfully precious and I found the environmental message pretty heavy handed. The watercolor illustrations are an excellent fit for the story and they're very well done. I also like that the book was printed in a more environmentally friendly manner, but that's just not enough to overcome the sickly sweet feeling.
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This is a (maybe overly) precious story, written in a kind of poetic style, with really charming color illustrations. It's so rhymey-whimey that I think it'd work best as something an adult would read aloud to younger kids, though it's also tinged with sadness because the heroine, a messy girl in a neat town, is so lonely and longs so fiercely for a wild bunny. (Don't worry--it ends happy.)
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Read this because it's on a Mock Newbery list. I enjoyed the story about Emmaline, who lives in Neatasapin where everything must be tidy (so no wild animals, among other things). Beautiful pictures and all made in an environmentally way. Loved Ida B., but don't think this is Newbery-worthy compared to others.
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This is a darling little "green" book. It is for younger readers, about 2nd grade level, but good for anyone. A nice little lesson, without really even knowing it, about being good to the earth and the wildlife in it.
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i had high hopes for Katerine Hannigan's newest book, as i loved her first work, Ida B. (in fact, i've probably booktalked it more than almost any other title over the past few years). while it was a sweet story, and a number of things about it appealed to me, i felt as though it was trying just a bit to hard to be different, creative, original. and while i love all of those characteristics in a book, especially a children's book, this fell just a bit short. it would be a good chapter book for b
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I was looking forward to this book, as I was a fan of Ida B, but didn't enjoy it's overly cutesy language. I read it to several 1st grade classes and felt like I was patronizing them.
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Very sweet reminder about 'the bigger picture'...
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Aug 25, 2008
Rachel
marked it as to-read

Jul 26, 2009
Kris Springer
added it