Which Witch is Which? by Pat Hutchins

Which Witch is Which? by Pat Hutchins

Rating: 3.5 stars

Every now and then Lorelei gets all I'm-over-that with me and the boys.  For me, it's a sad moment when a little independence replaces the reliance on me, a little sass replaces the sweet.  Happily, it's rare, and almost always, it's fake.  She'll pretend to be beyond something (such as dancing like a fool in the kitchen, lip synching with any object that might happen to work as a microphone) but after watching the boys and I do it, she realizes she just can't miss out on the fun and usually joins in.

That's how it is with picture books.  Every so often, Lorelei decides she doesn't want to read a book Ben chooses at bedtime; she'd rather go read chapter books by herself.  I try and find the balance of letting her do her own thing (I really do get her need for a break from her brothers) and strongly encouraging her to come join us (ending the day together, along with a few good books is a habit I don't want to break for a long, long time).

Picture books like this--with simple illustrations of preschoolers on the front--can easily get Lorelei to walk away.  But when I started to read it aloud in the library (don't worry, I used my quiet library voice), she was instantly drawn in, as was Ben.

Ella and Emily looked the same and were often called by each other's name.
Ella likes pink, Emily blue.
Which witch is which?
They played tug of war, three on each side, and Mouse's mother had to decide
if Ella or Emily's team had won.
Which witch is which?

It's a little mystery involving clever word play and identical witch twins!  Cute and fun and thought-provoking in just the right way.  Just tricky enough that Lorelei and Ben asked me to read it again, more slowly this time, so they could figure out which witch was Ella, and which witch was Emily from the start.

This is a good little Halloween book that plays with language in just the right way--for preschoolers and their older counterparts.

Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

Rating: 4.5 stars

This book reminds me that children's books don't have to be cool.  I mean, as much as Fancy Nancy now permeates our days (Lorelei: "Mommy, can I play with your fancy shoes?" or "What fancy dress will I wear today?"), my kids cheer when they find this simple book on our library stack. 

Personally, I find it a tad annoying, but just because I don't go around saying "Fiddle dee fee" when I get frustrated.  I usually spell out a word or two.

Anyway, Pat Hutchins (think Rosie's Walk or The Wind Blew always produces read-aloud classics with intricate drawings, and this is a good example of why children from all over for so long have appreciated her books.  It's a long poem that is simply counts down the apples on a tree--one by one they are picked and eaten by animals on the farm, with the farmer insisting that they leave one for him.  He gets the last one, but then his wife comes up and wants one.  Oops!  Luckily the farmer, his wife, and all their animals spot another tree and everyone ends up happy. 

It's charming in a dusty sort of way, but Lorelei and Ben just adore it, and grandparents seem to be a fan of it, too.  In the picture is beloved Grammy, who --sniff, sniff-- left us yesterday.  At first I was going to write in this review that I couldn't get the right rhythm to the book, but on the third or fourth read I figured it out.  My mom got it on the first try.  Humph.