Book Review - Mice & Spiders & Webs...Oh My!

Mice & Spiders & Webs...Oh My!

By: Sherrill S. Cannon
Illustrated by: Kalpart
Publisher: Strategic Book Publishing
Publication Date: March 2015
ISBN: 978-1631359491
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: May 2015

Oh my! What will poor Rosemary do? Before leaving school on Friday, her teacher, Ms. Eddy, told the children that come Monday, there would be mice in the classroom! Eeek! Rosemary does NOT like mice. Nope, nada, not one little, tiny bit. The young student tells her mother that she will not be going to school Monday morning.

Rosemary’s mother is quite confused at her daughter’s declaration. She knows Rosemary loves school and has lots of friends there too. What could the problem be? When Rosemary explains the imminent arrival of several mice, her mother assures her that all will be okay and surely a few little creatures can’t keep the girl from school. After all, she reasons, the mice will be in a cage. That may be so, replies Rosemary, but Ms. Eddy also said there’d be spiders…and webs! Double-eek!!!

“I know they’re just bugs, and perhaps they won’t bite,
But something about them just gives me a fright.
They move much too quickly, they scurry and crawl,
I know I should like them – I can’t, though I try.
If this one has legs that are hairy, I’ll cry!”


With the addition of spiders and webs, even Rosemary’s mother is a bit apprehensive about Monday morning. Surely, the teacher wouldn’t let spiders run around the classroom. Time for Mom, Rosemary, and Ms. Eddy to have a chat!

Mice & Spiders & Webs...Oh My! tackles a really fun, and often ignored, topic – misunderstood words, how many words have more than one meaning, and the importance of listening to what the teacher is saying. You see, while Rosemary thought her teacher was talking about real mice and spiders, Ms. Eddy was using computer terms to introduce her students to popular technology. No spiders spinning webs in her classroom – nope, nada, not going to happen. Instead, Ms. Eddy was talking about the Internet, the mice we use to control our cursor, and email as well as other useful tools.

This is the second book of Ms. Cannon’s that I’ve reviewed, and the third that Feathered Quill has reviewed (the other two are Manner-Man and My Fingerpaint Masterpiece). Like the other books, Mice & Spiders & Webs...Oh My! is a super-fun book that will surely put a smile on the faces of both children and adults. The rhyme is perfect, setting a light-hearted but informational tone, and the drawings, again by Kalpart, are bright and well-matched to the story. The author has taken a very interesting topic, computer technology, and turned it into a fun learning experience. Children will get a giggle out of Rosemary’s confusion of various terms while also learning what some of those terms actually mean. This book is a winner any way you look at it!

Quill says: Another winner from author Sherrill S. Cannon and a great way to introduce youngsters to computer technology.

For more information on Mice & Spiders & Webs...Oh My!, pleaes visit the author's website at: sbpra.com/sherrillscannon

Book Review - Manner-Man

Manner-Man

By: Sherrill S. Cannon
Illustrated by: Kalpart
Publisher: Strategic Book Publishing
Publication Date: January 2013
ISBN: 978-1622124787
Reviewed by: Holly Connors
Review Date: February 15, 2014

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's ... no, it's not one of those other superheroes, this time it's Manner-Man, the superhero who helps children deal with bullies and other misbehaving children.

As the story opens, we meet a young boy who has been bullied by another boy. He's upset and tells his mother what happened and gets some excellent advice. That night, he thinks about what his mom said, and soon falls asleep and dreams about Manner-Man:

"Call upon Manner-Man; he'll save the day
And help all good children to share when they play..."


The next day at school, two boys are fighting. Fortunately, our young protagonist knows just what to do:

I put up my hand, from the tips came a flash,
And Manner-Man came, just as if I had asked.
He stopped all the fighting and arguing too,
And then he told them what they needed to do:


Manner-Man is smart, he knows the way to stop the fighting is not to push back. Instead he tells the children to use words, words to explain that fighting is not cool; words to explain that sharing is more fun. He also cautions that words can hurt too, and explains that calling people names is not kind and will hurt feelings.

Manner-Man helps the children through many tough situations, from the bullies who push and shove, to the teddy bear snatchers, and those who don't know how to say "please" and "thank you." Soon most of the kids at school are calling on Manner-Man to help and they all know that,


No matter the problem, no matter the crime,
Manner-Man saves the day, time after time.
He teaches good manners, so take his advice:
If someone starts shoving, just shout out "Not nice!"


Normally I don't use as much text from a children's book in my reviews, but I must confess that I just love the easy-flowing rhymes of Manner-Man and wanted to share that with readers. So many books that tell stories through rhyme have at least a few sections where the rhymes don't quite work, where text is forced. Not so in this adventure tale! The whole story flowed so perfectly that I read it through three times - it was that much fun to read. Of course, the truly important question is, does the story work? The answer? Absolutely! Dealing with bullies is not easy for anybody, especially young children. As adults, we know that fighting back is NOT the way to deal with a bully, but the temptation to push back is strong with a child. Manner-Man uses his superpowers to teach children that that is not the way to stop bullying. The line, 'If someone starts shoving, just shout out "Not nice!" is repeated numerous times in the story in slightly different variations. It's an important lesson, and one that comes through loud and clear.

Finally, a review of Manner-Man would not be complete without mentioning the fantastic artwork. Created by Kalpart (a group of illustrators specializing in children's books), the author has used this team for her other award-winning books. While I haven't read the other books, the illustrations for Manner-Man are absolutely perfect. The drawings are bright, quite colorful, expressive, and eye-catching. They add the perfect finishing touch to a fun, creative book.

Quill says: A delightful book that not only entertains but also teaches children an important lesson.

For more information on Manner-Man, please visit the author's website: sbpra.com/sherrillscannon