Once Upon a Twice (Picture Book)
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Set preferences to see our top age-appropriate picks for your kids. Once Upon a Twice. Clever, spooky nonsense adventure isn't for sensitive kids. Denise Doyen Picture Book Sign in or join to save for later. Based on 2 reviews. Based on 1 review. Get it now Searching for streaming and purchasing options Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free. Get it now on Searching for streaming and purchasing options A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book. What parents need to know Parents need to know that they should read this book through a couple of times before reading it aloud because the clever nonsense words can be stumbling blocks.
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User Reviews Parents say Kids say. Parent of a 14 year old Written by jjazzlover August 31, Denise Doyen's inventive story and language provides the fun and some beguiling misc Parent of a 4, 11, and 14 year old Written by LeMoon August 27, Great action adventure poem!
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Fun and worth the challenge. The rhyme and rhythms in this book are outstanding -- truly reminiscent of the Jabberwocky. The story is essentially the Peter Rabbit story: Teen, 14 years old Written by nazz4ever September 15, Is it any good? Talk to your kids about Why did the elder mice want Jam to stay with the group and not venture out into the night alone? What lesson did Jam learn in the end? Why is he called the "Keeper-of-the-song"? Do you think his adventure was worth the risk?
Picture Book Book type: Random House Publication date: August 25, Publisher's recommended age s: For kids who love creepy stories. Scary Movies for Kids. Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary. Mighty mouse tale sure to tickle kids of all ages. Cute tale about a shy boy and mouse writing a book. Anatole 50th Anniversary Edition. The Tale of Despereaux: Brave mouse adventure a modern classic; great read-aloud. I would venture that the verdict will be unanimous in favor of Doyen's beautiful wordplay.
Close by reading the original one more time because once just isn't enough for Once upon a Twice! I like to have fun with wordplay, nonsense verse and rhyme. At times I have come up with some rather brilliant snatchets. But to weave it all together in a meaningful, poetic and well paced narrative that tells a great story takes mastery. Her nonsense defines itself. You find yourself speaking this new language that you understand perfectly well.
And it teaches a great lesson Jamagination can be a good thing but you don't want to le I like to have fun with wordplay, nonsense verse and rhyme. Jamagination can be a good thing but you don't want to let it runscurry away with you. Once again it was the intriguing title and incredible cover art that first grabbed me. Barry Moser's cool night shadows with just enough warm light painted the world of Jam Boy perfectly.
It must be read aloud.
Sure that is true of most every picture book. It is especially true of this one. Have fun with the wordplay, the meter and the lyrical quality. Oct 07, Regina rated it really liked it Shelves: Jam goes against the advice of his elders and decides to take a moonlit walk. In doing so, he finds out that the warnings they made were for a good reason - the world can be a dangerous place!
Once Upon a Twice
Doyen uses a fun rhythmic language and made up words reminiscent of Lewis Carrol or Dr. I enjoyed the poetry of the book but not as much as the illustrations. They were rich and dark, conveying the sense of fear and the risks that Jam was taking. However, this book may be a little to dark or scary fo Jam goes against the advice of his elders and decides to take a moonlit walk. However, this book may be a little to dark or scary for some children. Jul 02, Shelli rated it it was ok Shelves: Maybe this would be a wonderful bedtime tale to share, guaranteeing sleeping toddlers before books end??
It would have been better received if it were in a different format like a compendium of poetry for older children. Nov 14, Chris Callaway rated it really liked it. Fantastic wordplay, reminiscent of jabberwocky. Would be great for reading aloud. I can take or leave the cautionary tale, but maybe the point is that the dangerous near-misses make for a great story to tell the young-uns. Sep 30, Lupine rated it it was amazing Shelves: Reminded me of Lewis Carrol and reading it aloud was delightful!
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Aug 02, DJ Librarian rated it it was amazing. The mistake I see being made by folks giving this book 2 stars or so, is the feeling it has to be translated for children. Kids live in a world where they are constantly figuring out the meaning of words and situations by association or context.
The flow of language and the masterfully done nonsense-word-portmanteaus will make sense to children the wonderful art helps if you just "let it flow" over them. Think of all the sophisticated things your child already listens to and gets the gist of: Feeling like you have to parse each nonsense word and steal away its magic and mystery WILL ruin the book.
That is not the writing's fault, but the undermining work of a distrustful adult reader. Really, just let go and let the children enjoy. My toddler to kindergarten Storybook Time listeners loved this book. Because I read it with gusto and we talked a bit about the overall story not each challenging word. Good luck and adventure! Jul 08, Stefanie Burns rated it it was ok. Found them and the rhyming words to work against each other which resulted in a complex text. It made the reading more stilted than than it should have been as both the rhyming text and made up words needed to be deciphered.
Not for beginning readers. Nov 12, Denise Bucklew rated it it was amazing. I read this book last night at bedtime to my granddaughters who stayed over night. It was a rhyming book. A quick read that kept the girls interested until the end even though it was nonsensical. Jan 13, Charlotte rated it really liked it. Oct 14, Kaitlin rated it really liked it. This is a tale of Jam the brave, yet foolish mouse who refuses to be cowed by anything or anyone.
Yet, what lies in wait for Jam could bring an end to this new and exciting adventure with a ssssssnap of the mouth. Will Jam get the chance to realize his This is a tale of Jam the brave, yet foolish mouse who refuses to be cowed by anything or anyone. There are many words created in this book that are made to rhyme and not make sense. The text is very well placed and helps you see the order of events happening as you follow the text from top to bottom and left to right. The genre is fiction with the plot being the average kind with rising action, climax, and falling action.
The story is told well and there is a great meaning behind the text. This picture book reinforces the message that your elders usually know that they are talking about and that youth would do well to follow their actions and dispositions. Although, many of us know that some people have to find out things the hard way such as Jam did This book revolves around poetic lines the author uses to weave this powerful story.
The illustrations are all dark with a full moon shining over each scene and lighting up the fair colored mice as they travel in their reed clouded world. The many predators of Jam are all created with dark colors that hint at a trace of darkness that accompanies each predator. Oct 06, Kaitlyn Elmerick rated it it was ok.
Once Upon a Twice by Denise Doyen | www.newyorkethnicfood.com: Books
Modern Fantasy Grade level: I would not read this to my future class. Feb 22, Megan McReynolds rated it liked it Shelves: I found this book a little hard to read. While the rhyming of it was clever, I think that children will have little to no grasp of the concept it's attempting to propose. I do think, however, that having the students think about some of the made-up words, and discuss what they could mean would be fun and engaging! Jun 15, Taneka rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is a poem about the dangerous adventure of a mouse named Jam. Jam slows the scurrying of his mouse clan to smell a rose.
The elders of his clan have told him the dangers that lay wake in the night and holding them up can put them in danger. Jam decides he is wiser and unafraid and jumps the fence to go on an adventure. He is nearly killed by a snake, but escapes by hiding in a log. He lives to be older and wiser and tells the tale to the young mice about the dangers that live outside the co This is a poem about the dangerous adventure of a mouse named Jam. He lives to be older and wiser and tells the tale to the young mice about the dangers that live outside the comfort of their shadow.
This seemed like a rebel story, to me. The young mouse went out to prove the elders wrong. His attempt is to show that he is smarter and braver than they are. It is like a coming of age story. In order for Jam to understand the danger, he has to experience it. People aren't mice, but they desire to prove themselves on a regular basis. Sometimes they are successful and other times they are not. They became unknown words for a character in an unknown world.
The illustrations add a dramatic effect to the poem. The story takes place in the dead of night when things unseen lie in wake. Throughout the illustrations, there are eyes peering out through the dark spaces. The moon is high and full and creates a bit of mystery to the setting, highlighting the underbrush and the serpent as it slithers towards its prey.
The ripple of the water gives the reader a sense of movement as eyes begin to appear. The colors are dark, but the surroundings are slightly illuminated by the moon. The darkness adds to the sense of danger. Feb 13, Viviane Elbee rated it really liked it Shelves: This book was written very poetically, but it is a little tricky reading this out loud without stumbling. I love the cover illustration. Probably one of the most difficult poems that a young reader could decide to decipher, though very nicely done, considering what the author's goals were.
Comparisons to the Jabberwocky are not misguided. Sep 06, Kim Struyk rated it did not like it Shelves: Once upon a twice. No Journal necessary choice book I started reading this story, and lost interest very fast. They begin the book by using words that did not make sense in the sentence. I believe the author was going for a poetic approach, but instead it lost my attention. I was confused about what was happening.
It took a few pages in to understand what was happening in the story, and then I was not too thrilled about the fact that the s Doyen, D. It took a few pages in to understand what was happening in the story, and then I was not too thrilled about the fact that the story was about a mouse taking risks and breaking rules. I did like the illustrations, the bright moon in a dark nighttime setting had a nice effect, and the facial expressions of the mice were detailed, but it was not enough to ale me enjoy the story. Im sure there are some people who can appreciate the creative approach the author wanted to take on this story, but I would not want to read this book to a group of young students, as I don't think it would hold their attention.
Jan 05, Jennifer rated it really liked it Shelves: The wordplay is the best part of Doyen's story of one mouse's nighttime adventure.
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Lots of made up almost words are used and the text falls into a rhythm surprisingly well since it's not always uniform. The illustrations by Barry Moser are done in a night palette of blue, black and green. While this palette makes the pictures very atmospheric it also means the book is more suited to a lap read than a storytime as children will want to look closely at the illustrations to find what's hidden in th The wordplay is the best part of Doyen's story of one mouse's nighttime adventure.