When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt

When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Jill McElmurry
HMH Books for Young Readers

Rating: 5 stars

Cardell the coyote had "a mostly wonderful life. He had a perfectly good mama and a perfectly good daddy." They both adored him. The thing was, that they were no longer together. Cardell mostly lived with his mama, but sometimes he spent time with his daddy and step-mama and new stepbrother, Little Frankie. They all got along pretty well.

On the other side of the desert, Cardell lived with his mama. One day, their neighbor Otis came to pay a visit--with flowers in his paws--to his mama. "Cardell felt a grrr in his throat." But his mama was smiling.

There had been other suitors before Otis, but none lasted. Otis was different, though. In addition to paying attention to mama, he kinda courted Cardell, too. Otis made prickly pear pudding with Otis. He showed the little coyote how to pounce super high. The grrr didn't come as often.

Then one day, Otis told Cardell stories. The funniest stories! They "settled on Cardell's fur like a warm blanket." Soon, Cardell was as smitten with Otis as his mama was.

And Cardell's "mostly wonderful life" got a little bit more wonderful.

--

Kathy Appelt does a fantastic job of making a sweet story out of something quite sticky. If you're a child of divorce like me, you know that the the idea of stepparents is necessary and good on the one hand, but difficult and sad on the other.

A few weeks ago I attended a conference for the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators and had the chance to listen to Kathy Appelt speak. My daughter is a huge fan of her chapter books (The Underneath and True Blue Scouts of the Sugarman Swamp). One of the things Appelt talked about was the inspiration behind her stories--how she uses the people and pets she loved most in her life to write stories. Her stepfather inspired When Otis Courted Mama. Her stepdad courted her mother when Appelt and her two other sisters were teenagers--making him a fairly brave man, she now realizes. There were a few things going for him, but it was his funny and wild stories that won over the three girls--and their mama, too.

The world needs a few more books like this one. Their positive messages need to the sad, outdated stereotypes and misgivings found in books like Hansel and Gretel, which I blogged about last week.

As if this book--about an important topic that's done so very well--isn't great enough, it's illustrated by Jill McElmurry, of Little Blue Truck fame!

Little Blue Truck's Christmas by Alice Schertle

Little Blue Truck's Christmas by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Rating: 5 stars

Little Blue and I go way back. I mean, waaaaay back.

The original Little Blue Truck was Ben's favorite book as a baby. Because I read it to him daily, I can still recite the words and recall McElmurry's sweet illustrations that correspond with the stanzas. I can still recall having baby Ben (who turns six in two weeks! what?!) sitting in my lap and reading again and again, him flipping the pages, making the animals sounds, laughing at the change in my voice for the different characters.

I also snapped up the sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way when it was released a few years later. Both of these books have all that you want in great children's books: a fun, interesting rhythm and rhyme; sweet illustrations of neat characters; a nice moral to the story. In the first book, Little Blue helps a big, rude truck get out of the muck and, through his kind actions (rather than preachy words), teaches him that it pays to be a nice guy. In the second book, country-boy Little Blue teaches big-city traffic how to slow down, be patient, and take turns.

This third book, Little Blue Truck's Christmas, is just as wonderful as the first two. It is in a board book format, so best for ages four and under. There's some counting, just from one to five and then back down again, which is best for littler readers. Little Blue puts five trees in back to deliver to his friends, who all (wonderfully) say please and thank you as they request specific trees in the truck bed of Little Blue.

Who gets the last tree? I like this part. I think in decades past the last tree would be saved for an elderly person, someone who needs it most--and while that is fine and dandy, I think the fact that Little Truck saves the last tree for himself is an example of the "self love" trend that has been occurring for the past few years: You've got to love yourself and regard your own happiness in this life we've got, and that habit starts when kids are kids...and hopefully lasts until they are old and gray (and hopefully still very happy).

It's good to see you again, Little Blue!

The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins

The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by H. Joseph Hopkins, illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Rating: 5 stars

Katherine Olivia Sessions lived in Northern California in the 1860s.  In a time when girls were supposed to be prim and proper, clean and courteous, Kate roamed the redwoods, collected pine needles, and got dirty.

(Don't you like her already?)

She was one of few girls interested in science, and she left home to study plants and soil and water at the University of California.  In 1881, she and a handful of other women held a degree in science.

(Hooray for Kate!)

She moved to Southern California, to San Diego, for a job after graduation.  Unlike her childhood in the north, she was now surrounded by desert and a landscape without trees.  She was a teacher at a local school for a few years, but missed science.  She missed trees, too.  She became determined to find trees to grow in her new home. Few believed this was possible.

(Kate had determination and faith and smarts…enough to solve any problem.)

Her friends worried Kate wouldn't find trees to live in dry
soil with lots and lots of sunshine.
But she did.

It took years of tree hunting to find trees that would grow, but found trees, planted trees, and then opened a nursery to sell trees. All of the trees grew, enriched the landscape, and made city leaders believe that Balboa Park needed trees to become a better setting for a fair that would soon be held there. They turned to Kate, and Kate turned to the community for volunteers to help.  Together, they planted trees and created a lush backdrop for the fair.

I admit that I got this book and a few others like it at the start of Lorelei's nature science camp as further inspiration for her curiosity and interest in the camp.  I read a while back that around the age of seven, girls have a significant decline in their interest of science and math.  Something happens, and I'm not expert enough to understand the nuances of how girls act in school in these subjects in most schools, or what happens psychologically as girls develop and approach things that are Typically Boy and Typically Girl.

But.

I do know that I have a daughter who gasped at the cover of this book and said, "That could be me!" before even opening it.  She identified with Kate Sessions; both girls find solace and wonder among nature and trees.  Both are curious and capable, and care enough about things besides themselves to make a difference in others' lives.  So yes, I want this book lying around to quietly and beautifully remind Lorelei: Individuals matter.  And girls can do great things.

(I believe that Lorelei can.  And will!)

Little Blue Truck Leads the Way by Alice Schertle

Little Blue Truck Leads the Way by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Rating: 5 beep! beep! beep! stars

This is the classic story of a country boy, or, in this case truck, coming into the fast-paced, rude, impatient, loud, and noisy city and teaching the other boys, or other vehicles, a lesson: how to take turns.  And then everybody just gets along and there are no more traffic violations for the rest of the city's lifetime.  That's it--no more, no less.

I can't say enough how much we all love this book.  Lorelei loves how all of the vehicles have faces with different expressions on them in each page--she cracks up at the limo's tongue when his engine dies.  Ben loves to find Little Blue, a bright little character, amidst all the buses and taxis and cars and trucks and motorcycles.  I love how there's a lesson to draw out: Everyone, not just the little brother and sister in our household, has to be patient and take turns.

But there's some magic in the pages.  It's that can't-put-your-finger-on-it stuff that makes one book about a truck brilliant and the other one silly.  Jill McElmurry's illustrations definitely have something to do with it.  They are captivating, especially to us non-city folk.  (I always glance up at those tall buildings whenever I'm downtown or in New York--they are just so impressively and oppressively high!). 

And Alice Schertle's poem like a song you can't get out of your head--but in a good way.  Sometimes I'll blurt out one line from it and Lorelei will follow up with the next line or two.  We wave to Little Blue as he leads the way (see picture) and we clap and cheer when the poem instructs us to do so.  I think that the first book is a little stronger than this one, but they are both so wonderful I'm left wondering how a beat up old truck could be so endearing.

This is a fantastic book for babies and toddlers, boys and girls, one that you can't go wrong in gifting to someone.  I'm going to try to resist the urge to buy it, but my confidence in myself is quite low because this, along with the prequel, Little Blue Truck (review here) is a Great One!

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Rating: 5 beep! beep! beep! stars

The word delightful is pretty overused when it comes to childrens' books.  But sometimes, it just fits.  It's the main word that comes to mind when I think of this book.  It's delightful to read aloud, it's delightful to listen to, and it's a delightful message overall.

Delightful, delightful, delightful!

I got it out of my system now, so I can get back to writing.

Over a year ago when Ben was just six months old or something around that--with the second you round up, starting a few weeks after birth--I felt a little badly that all he got was hand-me-downs.  His onesies were already stained, some of his blankets were pink, and all his books were already worn.  So we were at a bookstore and I decided to buy a few "baby boy" books.  I came across this one.  Jackpot!

This is a fun poem with lots of farm animals and a cool truck, all of which make sounds like Oink and Neigh and Beep--it makes Ben happy every time we read it.  They are speaking his language!  It is so fun to read aloud.  Oh, and I've not even gotten to the storyline: there's a good message plainly hidden in the words and the illustrations (which are super delightful...oops, I said it again). 

Little Blue is a friendly truck that beeps to everyone he passes.  Then we meet the dump truck, which "doesn't have time to pass the day / with every duck along the way." Then the dump gets stuck in the mud, and no one responds when he honks his important, busy, and frightened horn.  But Little Blue tries to push him out, of course, but then gets stuck himself.  And everyone responds to his "Beep!  Beep!  Beep! / I'm stuck, I'm stuck!" call of distress.  After all the animals come to the rescue, the dump truck sees "that a lot depends / on the helping hand / of a few good friends."

Little Blue doesn't gloat or say I told you so (how mature of him!); he just offers all his animal friends a ride home.

This is a wonderful, wonderful book.  I am reminded of it because the sequel just came out...a review of Little Blue Truck Leads the Way is coming soon!  I know you'll be on the edge of your seats, my imaginary friends.