Buzz Boy and Fly Guy
by Tedd Arnold

4-Year-Old: Thumbs Up
Mom: Thumbs Up

Summary: Buzz writes his own comic book story. Buzz and his friend, Fly Guy, are superheros who save their house from pirates.

Review: Ted Arnold is really in tune with what a 4-year-old boy thinks is cool: superheros, pirates, dragons.  This book is so simple, and yet it has it all.  The artwork is colorful and fun, and the text is easy to read.  This is a big plus now that my son is starting to read on his own.  He asked me to read the book about five times in a row.  At bedtime, he declared that it was his favorite.  I didn't realize there was an entire Fly Guy series.  I'll definitely look into getting more Fly Guy books.

Zero

Zero
by Kathryn Otoshi

4-Year-Old: Thumbs Up
Mom: Thumbs Up

Summary: Zero is feeling frustrated. She never gets to count with the rest of the numbers (I think zero is a she in the book).  She tries to look more like other numbers, but it's no use - she can't help being zero.  Then, she has an epiphany. If she places herself next to the other numbers, she can help them all count higher.

 Review: I thought this was a very clever story that helps children conceptualize the value of zero. The story was positive and the character of zero finds her place in the world.  My son had an immediate "Again" reaction.  I think he liked the storyline and  responded to the excitement that zero felt when she could help the numbers count really high - like thousand, ten thousand and one hundred thousand.

If I were a school teacher, I would definitely buy this one for the classroom.