Review for children's book The Lucky Seven Show by Mary Jo Wisneski Johnston

The Lucky Seven Show by Mary Jo Wisneski Johnston

About the Author

Mary Jo Wisneski Johnston is a retired reading specialist who has taught at kindergarten through graduate school over a 44-year teaching career in several states and Germany. She enjoys living on a hobby ranch with her husband and approximately 20 animals, ranging from horses to goldfish.

Summary:
Muscatino Rattuti the Great-or Musky for short-is delighted to have discovered the huge barn with seven sides. It's perfect for storing the Rat Pack's treasures from their nightly forays, and the entertainment possibilities of the barn are endless: It's loaded with various and sundry items that the wood rats, flying machines, forest people, musical instruments, photographs, the world geography contingent, and ancient farm tools are inspired to engage in. Musky isn't the only creature vying for use of the barn. Everyone wants to play there! In The Lucky Seven Show-a delightfully illustrated new book, Musky the wood rat and the weathervane horse use their wits to bring about a resolution to the problem, as all seven groups showcasing their talents in the barn at once would cause utter chaos. A positive outcome grows out of generous planning, collaboration, and compromise among the groups-and the final resolution brings happiness to all!

• Paperback: 36 pages
• Publisher: Outskirts Press (November 12, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1478747099
• ISBN-13: 978-1478747093

Review:

The Lucky Seven Show presents young readers to a magical fiction/fantasy drama delightfully resolved through collaboration. 

In this story there is a unique seven sided hepbarn and 7 groups who wish to call it theirs. You have Musky, then flying machines, wood spirits, musical instruments, photographs, flags and maps, and farm tools. Musky has to figure out how the groups could work together instead of all being so divided in thought. A plan was devised with the help of the horse weathervain. 

This story entices young readers to further research animals and their behavior, flight principles, games and game theory, social studies and geography, mechanical principles, music and art in a multitude of formats. 

The words in the story are more complex for older children than younger but children of all ages will enjoy the illustrations and plot, as well as the messages of compromise, teamwork, and friendship.