Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Rating: 5 stars (of course)

I realize that reviewing this book is downright silly. OF COURSE it's one of the best children's books ever written. OF COURSE it makes me realize why I'm typing words about books rather than writing them. Authors like Eric Carle make me realize just how talented the good authors are. It's humbling, really. This book is just fantastic.

I had to add it to my blog because my wonderful neighbor hadn't ever read it (!!!!!) until she borrowed our copy. Of course it came back completely loved, meaning with its binding out of whack and some of the pages peeling off of the cardboard on which it was pasted. I took it as a compliment. This book should be required reading for infants. Is there such a thing? There should be.

Here are some of the things that impress me each and every time I read this, which is a lot--it is one of the books we rarely leave at home when we travel. (Right now it sits in my son's pack and play in his room at our rented beach house, waiting for bedtime along with his blankie and two "loveys.") Ok, that list of things I love:
- Carle shows us a great variety of fruit, and then all the fun junk food (pickles and ice cream!) on the next page
- Carle includes the days of the weeks for older kids like Lorelei, who likes to spot them when she reads
- Carle has a good time with a caterpillar, which is actually questionably cute (in just 6 weeks our back deck will be CRAWLING with them. One = cute, 351,958 = gross)
- Carle puts holes in the book! Holes! The man is genius! What little 6 month old or 15 month old doesn't love to put his chunky little fingers into the hole, pressing it as far as it will, only to have his parent put her finger on the other side and tickle it just a bit!??!?!! Holes! All books should have holes like this. It would make the selection for the Caldecott a lot easier.

That's it. I mean, who's not read this book and loved it? If you've not, you're missing out. If you're a grandparent or fairy godmother looking for a gift, buy the big ol' one with the toy caterpillar that you can move through the holes. I think I might ask for it from Santa this year.

Never, EVER Shout in a Zoo by Karma Wilson

Never, EVER Shout in a Zoo by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Doug Cushman

Rating: 2 stars

Lorelei just ran up to my husband and said "Don't say I didn't warn you!" He looked surprised, then looked at me, and I told him what book it is from--one of the many Karma Wilson books lying around, Never, EVER Shout in a Zoo. There are a few good lines like "Don't say I didn't warn you!" (but that's the best) in this book, and the illustrations are really fun.

BUT it might be a little scary for some little folk. I have to chuckle at myself as I type that...a preschooler book about a zoo that might be too scary? But there are some little ones in our life that are pretty sensitive to some things that you wouldn't quite expect. Here's the story: A little girl shouts in a zoo because her ice cream falls off her cone. This sad yell causes a huge stampede of animals that chase after her--think lions and zebras and apes and bats and foxes and bears chasing after a little 4 year old. The animals then shake the keys out of the zookeeper and lock up the little girl and the other humans in a cage. That might just MIGHT be a bit much for some little kids. Ok, now that I typed this I can understand why it really might be too scary for some kids.

The other BUT in this post/review is that, um, well, you might want to take this review with a grain of salt. Because the copy of the book we got from the library is, um, kind of missing the last page. So we don't know how it ends. I mean, it's pretty obvious--on the left-hand side of the page are three humans, locked up in the cage, glaring accusingly at the right-hand side of the page. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's the little girl with her empty ice cream cone. So let me know if you actually do read the book. Let me know how it ends! I'll be on the edge of my seat until then.

I'm a big, huge fan of Karma Wilson, but this is definitely my least favorite book of hers. Oh well--I guess they all can't be fantastic!

Monday, March 29, 2010

The Napping House by Audrey Wood

The Napping House by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood

Rating: 5 stars!

This is Ben's favorite book right now. He's reading it right now next to me. Well, "reading" is really not what he's doing exactly. He's not talking yet--just a few words like Dada and such--so he's screeching in a different way for each page, especially the page where the mouse wakes up the cat. He just loves this book! It's funny, because it was really tucked away for Lorelei's first two years, and I didn't think it was that great. But here's my second child, turning the book upside down so he can see the granny from a different angle as she breaks the bed at the end of the book. I LOVE this book, mostly because I appreciate how much Ben loves it.

This is an older one (okay, 1984 wasn't that long ago, but you get what I mean), so most of you have probably read it before. No? Then go buy it right now! For yourself! It's a poem, which I love, and it's just a simple little book without a huge moral or point or message. Maybe the message is that we should take more naps? I like that, for me AND my kids. Anyway, one by one, starting with the "snoring granny," creatures fall asleep on a rainy afternoon in "the napping house." They fall on top of each other, cozying up with each other just like we'd all like to do on a rainy afternoon, until a "wakeful flea" lands on the mouse and wakes it up, which wakes the cat up, which wakes the dog up, which wakes the child up, which wakes the granny up!

This book was a gift to me, and sort of for Lorelei, for my first baby shower. It was a book-themed event; I wonder if this choice of theme started it all? Once again, I have my big sister to thank for something. I got a zillion books--the real count was probably around 30 or 40--and most are still in tact today and still read. This one, from the lovely Amanda, is on the top of the most appreciated list.

Roar! by Margaret Mayo

Roar! by Margaret Mayo, illustrated by Alex Ayliffe

Rating: 4.5 stars

We are the dorky family who reads while we eat. Are you surprised? I guess you're not really supposed to do this or eat while watching TV; one should focus on the food only and chew deliberately and do only one thing at a time. Oh well. Chalk it up to another thing I need to work on to be Mommy of the Year. Maybe next year. Anyway, Roar! is one of the books that we started reading when we started reading while eating. Both my kids (3 years and 16 months-ish) sit in booster seats and I strap them in so they can't go anywhere (hey, it works for us) and then we eat and read, read, read. They love it! I usually let them choose one book each, and then I choose a few. I've got to be sure these books are interesting to both of them, so we rarely read a Berenstein Bear book or something with a whole lot of text. Then, to encourage eating, I won't turn the page until they've taken a bite or spoonful of whatever they're eating. I often pretend to peek at the next page and get excited about what I see so they are motivated to "help me get there." Even if we've read the book dozens of times, this still works. For now!

Anyway, the book.

It's a good one! Ayliffe steals the show a bit with the illustrations--so bright and interesting and fun. This is just a parade of animals and what they do: elephants mud-wallow, giraffes stretch, tigers prowl, zebras run. That's my favorite page, the zebra one, though Ben's favorite is the hippo page because once my husband made a hilarious hippo sound, so they make me do it again. PLUS, as an added bonus, the hippo has his mouth wide open as only hippos can do, and Ben likes to "feed" the hippo whatever he is eating. Yes, I'm sure to wipe off the page before returning it to the library. Only to check it out again. And again. And again. It is a poem, which I always appreciate (maybe because I can't write a poem to save my life), and the text is great. There's a new word for Lorelei on every page, and one that is easy to explain, like prowl or fierce.

This is a great, great book!

Elmer by David McKee

Elmer by David McKee

Lorelei's rating: 5 stars!

What a gem, what a gem! My neighbor happened to be at the library with us and happened to be standing next to the "M" section. She knows of my crazy quest for great books and pulled out this one. It is one of her go-to gift books for a newborn, and I know why. (In the picture, Lorelei follows the words with her fingers as she reads it in her pajamas while we're at the beach.)

Elmer is a patchwork elephant in a herd of regular, plain-old "elephant-color" elephants. The other elephants love him for his uniqueness, but he sees himself as odd and different. Which of course he is. So he tries to make himself just like everyone else, and therefore takes away all his uniquness and coolness. And as soon as he realizes what he's done, he plays the best joke of his life on the rest of the herd.

Ben's favorite animal is definitely an elephant right now; he practices how to trumpet like an elephant all day long, and often calms himself before going to sleep by blowing through his lips in his one elephant way again and again and again and again until he's asleep. So he especially appreciates all the elephants in the book; several pages are just big pictures of a herd of elephants, to show how different Elmer the patchwork elephant is.

As of today (late March 2010) I think this is my favorite book of all!

Dinos on the Go by Karma Wilson

Dinos on the Go by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Laura Rader

Lorelei's Rating: 3.5 stars

I was trying to write a bit this afternoon at a little table at our rented beach house. I asked my husband to watch the kids. He happily accepted, situating himself a room away from me, with a bunch of toys around him. On the table next to my computer was a stack of books. Within five minutes Lorelei was sitting across from me and Ben was sitting next to me, each with a book in their hands. It was cute, but I did want to get a little writing done, so I told Lorelei that she had to read to herself. She said okay, but then, after looking at each page for awhile asked me politely, "Mommy, which dinosaur is this?" or "Mommy, what is this word?" or "Mommy, will you read just this one part to me?" Clever girl.

I'm not a huge dinosaur person, but they are definitely a rite of passage for children, I think. I am sure I went through an interest in dinosaurs when I was a child--Mom, as my one faithful follower, is this true? I didn't expect Lorelei to be interested in them, and before her third birthday! Her decision to read Dinos on the Go today was helped by my husband's decision to turn on the cartoons earlier, just to see if there was anything good for her. There happened to be some dinosaur cartoon and she thought it was cute. So, now she can identify her T. Rex and Triceratops and Barosaurus. These are the dinos that Wilson chooses to include in her cute book, which I like but there are others of hers that I'm much crazier about.

This is a poem, which of course always makes me happy, and it is cleverly written and even more cleverly illustrated. What I like best about Wilson's writing and Rader's pictures are the things that they stick in for the older readers, parents included. For example, the sign on one truck is "Herb Ivore and Sons, Expert Gardening." Or the whole gist of the book--dinos are on the go because they're going to be extinct! Lorelei doesn't get that just yet, or the little jokes, but she does like how the barosaurus rides her bike (with a helmet--gotta love that nod to safety first) and the T. Rex barely fits on the sleeping berths on the train.

In all, a good book. But not one that we'll likely be checking out again and again from our library.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow

Rating: 3 stars

Well, this one isn't for my twin neices, who once disappeared in my sister's basement for a few minutes, saying things like "You're my partner in crime." My sister--crazily--didn't suspect anything. They emerged, one relatively unscathed but the other's three year-old limbs were completely colored on. Completely. Her entire face, hands, and feet--anything that was not covered up with clothes--was drawn on. And her sister had done a great job filling in between the ears, I mean lines.

So this book, with the super-fun illustrations by Catrow, might not be for those kids who might think that painting themselves from head to toe is a good idea. I'm being serious here! This is your official warning for the book. If you do have kids in your life who will listen to the simple rule "Wait till your Dad is home and I'm out with my friends to paint yourselves completely." then get them this book. It is really funny, and Lorelei and Ben both think that painting your arm with ants is downright hilarious. If they get a tatoo like this in the future, I'll know which book to blame. This book is an example of fine text but incredibly illustrations. When the little painter's mother takes the paint away and hides in the closet, the entire picture is just black and white, devoid of all color because the baby picasso has been robbed of her tools. But then she creates a ladder for herself to rescue the paints and resume the mess and the bold colors and craziness continue.

Super cute. Fun to add to a gift of art supplies, which is how it landed on our very full shelves.

Princess Me by Karma Wilson

Princess Me by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Christa Unzer

Rating: 3.5 stars (is it a 5 and I'm just anti-princess?)

Ok, I'm not into princess books. I admit it. I just really shy away from them, and I've been known to sneak them back to the shelves after Lorelei chooses one from the library. It's not that I don't think that there are some redeaming qualities in these books, but...it's just that it's a slippery slope, this whole princess thing. Right? Or am I blowing it out of proportion? That is one of my favorite things to do. But right now as I type this Lorelei sits across from me with Princess Me; the only thing I can see are her little fingers, one of which disappears when she carefully turns a page. This princess book, I like.

First off, it's a poem, like almost all of Karma Wilson's books. Princess Me is a mostly sweet little girl--but she's also known to get "cross or blue"--whose parents are king and queen. I don't mind that reference to me being a queen...maybe that's why I like the book? Princess Me imagines that all her toys and dolls are her entourage, and they wear really beautiful dresses and capes and stuff that Lorelei, whose not exactly into dresses (can't imagine why) is captivated.

I have to add that while I wrote the two short paragraphs above Ben joined Lorelei and me. He's now sitting on a tall dining chair with a book (another Karma Wilson fave in this house, Dinos on the Go) "reading" along with her. If this post is a little skatter-brained it's because my eyes keep darting over to make sure he's still well-balanced on the chair. I better end before he falls off.

One more thought: This is one of my favorite books to give if the little birthday girl is into princesses. I don't want to deny an existing interest (preventing it isn't a big deal, apparently, in my book) so this is my nod to her interest and, usually, an introduction to one of my favorite authors. And sometimes I accompany it with some dirt in a bag so the little birthday princess is introduced to tomboy-hood, too. Just kidding.

Koala Lou by Mem Fox

Koala Lou by Mem Fox, illustrated by Pamela Lofts

Rating: 4.5 stars

During the recent Winter Olympics we searched high and low for some children's books to explain what the games were. We came up empty-handed...and figured that the Olympics Committee had copyrighted everything to the extent that they'd be officially un-thrilled with me using the O-word in this posting! Anyway, with that search and after I read Mem Fox's book Reading Magic (I'll blog on that later; amazingly I paused to read a book for my own age group), I found Koala Lou What a gem!

Little Koala Lou is the oldest koala in the family, and after all her little brothers and sisters are born, she seeks to regain the attention and love of her mother by participating in the "Bush Olympics." Of course, her mother loved her all along and, not of course, she doesn't win the gum tree climbing event. I think that losing--well--is a great little lesson for kids. Some of my friends would disagree heartily--but who in this world wins every time? Certainly not me in Scrabble, I must report sadly. In almost all other books, the main character achieves the objective and wins the gold and reaches the top...but in this one, little Koala Lou is sad--and Lorelei definitely feels sad for her--but when her mother throws her arms around her and reaffirms her love... I admit that a) I'm a sap and b) tears came to my eyes the first time I read it. And no, I wasn't pregnant when that happened.

The book has a great sing-songy rhythm to it--my daughter loves to read the part "Koala Lou, I do love you!" which appears on half of the pages. The illustrations (thanks to Pamela Lofts) are beautiful and there's a lot to look at and discuss. It'd be a fine book to bring on a plane, for example, because there are all sorts of crazy animals from Australia and a great scene where all the animals wear fabulous hats.