The Emperor's New Poodle

The Emperor's New Poodle by Liza Charlesworth, illustrated by Kelly Kennedy

In this version of The Emperor's New Clothes, the emperor gets bilked into buying an invisible dogs. He is told that only fools cannot see it, so everyone tries to pretend they see it. Then in a parade, a poor girl is the only one to identify the dog as non-existent. The emperor likes her dog, and then learns he can get a dog he likes at the animal shelter. They live happily ever after. This ending is quite different than the real one. It is nicely told, but the changes to the original feel excessive.

The Elephants and the Shirtmaker

The Elephants and the Shirtmaker by Liza Charlesworth, illustrated by Doug Jones

A shirtmaker is down on his luck and only has a few scraps of traffic. He leaves it out at night and wakes in the morning to find a shirt fully sewn. He buys more fabric, and each morning finds shirts made. There are some clues as to who did it : hay and peanuts. One day, the elephants are scared of a mouse and wake the shirtmakers. They see the elephants and their ratty shirts. They make nice shirts for them and thank them for their work and let them know they are doing well enough on their own now. It is a fun fairy tale I have not heard often before.

All About Chameleons

National Geographic Guided Reader - Level D: All About Chameleons by Liza Charlesworth

This short book has pictures and text about chameleons. It is fairly easy to read (once you get past the title word.)

City Moose, Country Moose

City Moose, Country Moose (Let's Learn Readers) by Liza Charlesworth, illustrated by Doug Jones

A moose living in the country invites is movie-star cousin to visit. They try to have fun together, but the city moose does not enjoy country things (like eating grass from a big field.) They decide to go together in the city. The country moose marvels at the opulence of his cousin's life. However, he does not enjoy life in the city. The country moose is happy to go back to the country. It is a simple message of enjoying where you are.

The Ugly Guppy

The Ugly Guppy by Liza Charlesworth and Doug Jones

A guppy is born with the 1000 other eggs. He looks different and doesn't fit in. He visits other fish, and gets more depressed at his differences. He grows legs and then hops out. Another frog lets him know they he is a frog and he is now happy. It is a little wordy for a beginning reader, but not that bad of a book.