Rodeo Red by Maripat Perkins

Rodeo Red by Maripat Perkins, illustrated by Molly Idle
Rating: 5 stars

Peachtree Press

Well, I'm just fit to be tied! This rodeo book is all that I've ever wanted in a sibling-cowboy book!

And I never even knew that's what I always wanted!

But yes indeed, I am smitten with Maripat Perkins' clever and sweet tale of two siblings working out how to live together. It doesn't hurt that she's got Caldecott honor-winner Molly Idle (Flora and the Flamingo) illustrating "Rodeo Red," the heroine of this book; "Sideswiping Slim," her new little brother; and their story of a stolen pup named "Rusty."

Rusty belongs to Rodeo Red, and they "had always been happier than two buttons on a new shirt" until her little brother showed up. Rodeo Red nicknames him Sideswiping Slim even before his arms and legs reach out to everything that is hers.

Once Slim learns to walk, he wants to play with Rodeo Red, and wants her stuff, too. One day he steals Rusty, her stuffed dog and faithful sidekick--and her parents back him up. She tries to take justice into her own hands by sneaking into his room during a nap and stealing the dog back--but she just wakes the baby. She tries to tie up the thief, but...well, that doesn't go down very well either.

The Sheriff showed up and well...
What followed weren't pretty.

Rodeo Red gets thrown in jail. (Well, not jail really, but the backwards chair made my kids and I laugh out loud because it really does look like jail.) She's befuddled, frustrated, and locked up. Once released from jail, she slumps into her afternoon snack, trying to think up a plan.

A plan arrives in the form of a package with a swanky new stuffed animal for her. From her aunt, who is more of a "city slicker." The stuffed animal is not Red's cup of tea, but she successfully trades the beast for her faithful dog, and both siblings end the story happy.

I love it. Love, love, love it! The cowboy twang required of me to read this book out loud was sun fun and made me so happy that I wanted to slip it on top of the "to read" stack every day. Idle's illustrations are beautiful and funny (how she got that combination right is so impressive to me), but it all started with a great sibling story told in a clever, fun way. Loved it!

While You Were Napping by Jenny Offill

While You Were Napping by Jenny Offill, illustrated by Barry Blitt

Rating: 4 stars

Random House Kids

WARNING: Do not read this book to your child if she or he still naps!!

For better or for worse, my three kids are past the napping stage. Mostly, it’s a for-better thing. And after the explosion of cool stuff that happens in this book while one little boy takes a nap, they’d never nap again.

While You Were Napping by Jenny Offill is a new-ish picture book published by Random House in late 2014. It’s a story told in the voice of a big sister speaking directly to a little brother. You must know that the humor is slightly twisted, just a little mean, but to me downright funny. Like it or not, it's the stuff of siblings. This big sister tells her little brother all the fun adventures that happened while he—and he alone—napped. All the other kids in the entire universe were up, partying with pirates and carousing with juice boxes, while he snored.

Here’s the fun that’s had:

They lined everyone up on the diving board
From the bravest to the scaredest,
Then waved their big swords in the air
And told us to make our last wishes.

First, construction workers roared by in their working trucks. Since they were “bored with building,” they offered their vehicles to the kids. Since there was no grass left when they were done bulldozing, the next cool activity they moved to was digging up dinosaur bones.

As if that wasn’t enough, some enormous robots strolled by with blue cotton candy—wouldn’t you know it? the slumbering child’s favorite kind—and the only other thing available to eat were french-sandwiches. No “please” was heard for miles.

Fireworks and rockets, lit by even the youngest of babies (yikes!) got the firefighters’ attention so they raced to the scene with their sirens screaming. The fire also attracted pirates with bandannas and eye patches, who lined up everyone on the neighbor’s diving board and threatened to make them walk the plank.

Finally, some astronauts arrived on their rocket ship to take everyone to the moon. The upside: learning to function in zero gravity. The downside: plenty of moon dust in the kids’ boots.

Luckily, none of this woke up the sleeping boy. How shocking to see the boy’s face turn grumpy despite his long nap! 

Rest assured that was the last nap of his life.

This was a delight to read to my three kids, who roared with every new page. With my slightly sarcastic sense of humor, they are pretty tuned in to what’s fact, and what’s fiction. Their sense of humor, especially the second and third children (both boys), is a little twisted. This book is not for that literal lad who might believe a little too much of it. Or for any child who is still napping—unless you don’t want that child to nap again. Ever.

Little Miss, Big Sis by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Little Miss, Big Sis by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Harper

Rating: 5 stars

If you know of any little girls who are about to become big sisters, this is The Book to get her. It is cute, it is sweet, it is funny, and it is both realistic and optimistic about a big sister's sibling experience.

Should I just stop there?

I'll go on a little more:

This book has just 129 words and has a very simple rhyme, making it perfect for the youngest of big sisters--Lorelei became a big sister when she was just 18 months, and I know she's not alone in this experience of early-sibling-hood.

After receiving the news that she, the "little miss" is going to become a "big sis," and after she and her parents rush to the hospital to have the baby, the story goes on to talk about what the new big sis can expect"

Drool. Drool. Cry. Cry. (Lullaby?)
Do not despair--I'll help care!
From there, EVERYWHERE...
Stay near crib. Help with bib. (What a sib!)

And despite the fact that the baby "sometimes takes toys" and "sometimes annoys," Big Sis "always supports.

Really, it's just the sweetest poem, and the icing on top is Peter Reynolds' fantastic illustrations. It seems like whatever he draws it's uplifting and sweet, funny and poignant.

The. Perfect. Book. for a girl becoming a big sister!

(Amy Krouse Rosenthal is such a great author--she delivers witty and fun books. Click HERE to see the list of books of hers I've reviewed. And Peter H. Reynolds, an author/illustrator, has produced some incredible books as well--click HERE for a list of his books.)

Me First by Max Kornell

Me First by Max Kornell
Nancy Paulsen Books

Rating: 5 stars

There is something pretty great about this book. Max Kornell manages to write and illustrate this story right at the intersection of Funny and Insightful. And he manages to right my perspective on my kids' bickering--which I appreciate because it's been off lately due to the normal mix of stomach bug grossness, shared space closeness, too much sleepiness, too much in-car-ness, too little outdoorness.

In this great new book by a great, new-ish author, two siblings argue about who is first--who is going first in a game, who got there first, who should do something first. Sound familiar? Right. The afternoon hike and picnic is full of "Me first!" and "Me first!" and still more "Me first!" Their parents are pretty calm about the whole thing--one day I'll be that calm--and when the two kids want to go home a different way, the parents allow them, as long as they go together.

On the new way home, they go through a few rounds of "Me first!s" that backfire--Martha tries a new berry first and has to spit it out because it's gross. Hal wants to go through an old fallen log but comes back out quickly after realizing it's filled with millions of cobwebs.

Hmm. Maybe this "Me first!" thing has its downsides.

But they don't learn this. Not yet, anyway, until Martha wants to cross a stream on a fallen log--"Me first!" she insists. The log breaks, she falls down in the water and is shaken up. Hal sweetly helps her up, and they walk back home together, arm in arm.

Sobered by the fall, a wave of politeness washes over them: Hal to Martha when they got to the front door: "You had quite a tumble back there. You go ahead." Martha to Hal when it was time to wash up before dinner: "You wash up first. You're the one that got covered in cobwebs."

These sweet manners continue through dinner. And after dinner Dad comments on how polite they are being towards each other. Mom quips, "Yes, but I noticed it first."

Chuckle, chuckle...!

The New Small Person by Lauren Child

The New Small Person by Lauren Child
Candlewick Press

Rating: 5 stars

Warning!! After reading this book, your kid is going to request some jelly beans be put in his lunch. But it's okay, you'll have them. Leftover from his Christmas morning stocking (despite the fact that its' March). And you'll stingily give him a dozen. And he will be excited about those twelve colorful bursts of sweetness.

Lauren Child, author of many children's books (most noticeably the Charlie and Lola series), has given the picture book world another gem for its shelves with The New Small Person. Older siblings the world over--especially those with a big gap before a little sibling is born--will relate to big brother Elmore Green and his unhappiness, unease, yet eventual acceptance of his little brother.

"Elmore Green started off life as an only child." He has it all figured out. He has his own room in which he can display anything and everything on the floor. He can arrange his jelly bean collection however he likes, and eat them one at a time. In any order Elmore Green prefers. His parents adore him! Everyone fawns over him!

One awful day, the small person moved its bed
into Elmore Green's room.

And then (dum...dum...DUM) the new person arrived.

The little new person quickly becomes the center of attention, the star sibling, the most adored one. The little new person has opinions that actually matter, and Elmore Green must, for the first time, consider someone else's preferences. The little person moves into Elmore Green's room, demands the channel be changed on TV, and licks every single one of Elmore Green's jelly beans!

When the little person gets bigger, it's clear that he just wants to do what his big brother is doing. He wants to be like him, sure, but he wants to be with him even more.

Elmore Green commits to avoiding him until one night when Elmore Green has a really bad dream. The little person trots over to his bed and shouts, "Go away, Scary!" and cuddles with his big brother until both feel better. He sees that it is nice to have someone else around--in both the day and the night.

Elmore Green realizes: Life is best when shared, even though sharing life is sometimes challenging. Especially when sharing jelly beans is involved.

(Will parental readers see themselves in this book? I know I did.)

Ninja! by Arree Chung

Ninja! by Arree Chung
Henry Holt and Company

Rating: 4 stars

This is a sparsely-worded, richly-illustrated picture book by Arree Chung, and it is a really fun read. It's light, it's cool, it's a story about a stealthy ninja boy named Maxwell and his little sister Cassandra.

This ninja is super brave: he surprises his father awake from a nap on the couch. Few children would dare do that in our house! Luckily this dad wakes up with a pretty good sense of humor.

Maxwell's courage continues into the kitchen, when he swipes milk and cookies from his little sister. Cassandra doesn't see the humor in the swipe-ification, and screams to protest his action. The ninja is sent to his room.

But he makes amends...he invites his sister into his ninja den and offers to teach her the ninja ways. The last page is a picture of them, romping off together. "Sayonara!" she gleefully yells out from her brother's shoulders.

Sweet. Fun. Light. And good sibling stuff, too.

But you know what's almost more fun than the book? Arree Chung's website for coloring pages and back story on the characters and other fun stuff, where you can "ninjafy" yourself if you click HERE. Upload a picture and put a costume on yourself, add a ninja-y quote in a word bubble, and frame it up before you print it. Again: sweet, fun, light, and good parenting stuff, too, if you do all that and put it in your child's lunchbox one random school day.

Hiiiii-ya!

I Always, Always Get My Way by Thad Krasnesky

I Always, Always Get My Way by Thad Krasnesky, illustrated by David Parkins

Rating: 5 stars

This book is written for third kids everywhere. For those kids whose parents are wise enough to know that a little leniency isn't a bad thing (but tired enough to forget that too much leniency is a bad thing). For those kids who happily take just the teensiest advantage of their parents' doting and get away with a little too much. For three year olds who are young enough to make a few too many questionable choices and old enough to know how to get away with it.

For those kids like Kiefer, basically.

The little girl-narrator of this story makes some big mistakes: she accidentally dumps orange juice all of her father's work pants, she trips over the big roller coaster track her brother is building, and she swipes her big sister's things to make some unusual gluey model in her room. After all of these things, the little girl's mom rushes to her side and to her defense, and wags her finger at Dad, brother Tom, sister Suzie...NOT the little girl.

"After all...she's only three," rings the chorus.

And then the girl pushes it, like any three year old will. Through a hilarious string of very realistic kid  decisions, such as waking up early on Saturday morning and helping herself to ice cream, her whole family realizes that things have got to change.

After a particularly mischievous string of mishaps, her whole family, including her mom, is standing around looking at her.

My dad stood still. His shoes did not.
They squished and left a drippy spot.
He calmly said, "I'd like to know
who turned the tub on hours ago
and flooded out the upstairs hall,
and soaked my bedroom, rug and all." 

Dad noticed Suzie's dripping shoe-
Tom's dressed-up lizard--and he knew.Dad looked at Mom. Mom looked at Dad.
And that's when things got really bad.
Mom pointed to the stairs and said,
"That's it young lady! GO TO BED!" 

I sweetly answered, "Don't blame me.
Did you forget? I'm only three!"
When I saw Mom being to fume,
I trudged, forlorn, up to my room.

I can't spoil the ending--the last two lines of this perfectly written, oh-so-clever poem are so, so perfect. I just can't tell you. You'll have to check it out for yourself! Krasnesky has created a marvel of a book, with small vignettes that kept my kids riveted and chuckling and then asking for more. This book is going to be purchased and given to any third kid-three year old party for the rest of my life!

Sidenote: How interesting and cool that Thad Krasnesky is a distance-running Army major, teaching at West Point! I have to point that out because when I was three (okay, that'd be too neat a story--actually I was in first through third grade), my own father was a distance-running Army major, teaching at West Point! AND it was around that time that my dad wrote a beginner chapter book (still not published, but still loved by his two girls). He served three tours in Iraq as well, so I can't say enough how much I love the twist on a stereotype...hooray and hooah for this author and hero. Can't wait to check out his other books.

The Baby Tree by Sophie Blackall

The Baby Tree by Sophie Blackall

Rating: 5 stars

It's an age-old question most parents dread: Where do babies come from?

Sophie Blackall takes a stab at answering this question, taking the load off our parental shoulders for a bit. This beautiful book is on many (most?) of the year-end "best book" lists, and there's a reason why: it's a sweet story with an important message, told with sweet words and incredible illustrations.

Here's the story (and a few illustrations to give you an idea of how great they are):

At breakfast, a little boy's parents break the news to him: there's a baby on the way! He's going to be a big brother. As he quietly eats his oatmeal while the hubbub of the morning swirls around him, he only has one thought: Where are we going to get the baby?

Teenage neighbor Olive answers his question as they walk to school: "You plant a seed, and it grows into a Baby Tree."

Hmm. He's not sure about that. He still wonders, so he takes his question to school.

Mrs. McClure the art teacher replies: "From the hospital."

Okay...he can picture a hospital, because his Grandpa had stuff removed (gall stones) there. But he's still unsure, so...

He asks Grandpa, who tells him: "A stork brings your baby in the night and leaves it in a bundle on your doorstep."

What??!!?

Everyone was right. Except for Grandpa.

Maybe the mailman can clear things up: "Babies come from eggs."

At the end of this long, confusing day, the boy asks his mom and dad where babies come from. The simple, succinct answer includes: "They begin with a seed from their dad...which gets planted in an egg inside their mom...the baby grows in there for nine months...until it runs out of room...and it's ready to be born."

So everyone was a little bit right. Except for Grandpa and that stork thing.

There's more information in the back about where babies come from, with recommendations on how to answer the question based on the age of your child. The information also includes twins and adoption and c-sections in very brief but still-honest ways.

This is a great book for many reasons: it's wonderful to look at, great to read aloud, and a fantastic teaching tool. What more can you expect from a book? (Please don't tell her, but we are giving this to Lorelei's teacher--she has a toddler at home and is expecting her second baby in January!)

Big Little Mother by Kevin Kling

Big Little Mother by Kevin Kling, illustrated by Chris Monroe

Rating: 4 stars

I was prepared not to like this book, based on the title and cover. Then I reminded myself that that whole "don't judge a book by its cover" thing exists for a reason, so I did my best to suspend my disbelief and read the book. Glad I did! It's a a cute story.

The little brother in this story will always have a) a big sister and b) a cat, Kittywumpus, that is also older than him. Kittywumpus is that big sister's chosen playmate nine times out of ten; sometimes, if she's in just the right mood, that little brother gets to play along a little, too.

Until the day that Kittywumpus bolts out the door, and that big sister is forced to turn to her little brother and play with him. Things go well and things go smoothly as they play Adventures in Cardboard, Couch Cushion Treasure Hunt, and Sweet Moves in Groovy Threads. They pause between games to look for Kittywumpus, but then go back to each other and their creative play.

There's a sprinkling of mean-big-sister stuff in here, and I really dislike how she's mean--and how the little brother goes along with it as if he has to, as if his assertiveness needs not apply when dealing with his older sister.  I don't love this part of their relationship, though no sibling relationship is certainly perfect.

The end is fairly predictable, but not in a bad way. Kittywumpus does return, but the little brother remains in the big sister's circle of chosen playmates. The little brother is ecstatic to be accepted by her, even with the sprinkling of cool unkindness.


(My problem with the title/cover: I don't like the idea of oldest girls being "little mothers." Because I have an oldest girl and two younger boys, I hear "Oh! Is she like a little mother to them?" way too frequently. That's my own pet peeve I didn't mean to throw onto an innocent picture book...but did anyway...)

Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos

Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos, illustrated by Joy Ang

Rating: 5 stars

Confession: I have mixed feelings about facial hair trending towards  picture books.  I'm fine with it when dads and pop-pops are concerned, but…babies?! As a woman who carried three babies (separately, thank God), I'm a little grossed out at the thought of one of those babies popping out with a mustache.

But when Mustache Baby showed up on the Children's Choices list, I knew I had to get over my bad self and check it out.

I'm so glad I did.

Mustache Baby gave me and my kids fits of giggles, and I know I appreciated it the most; much of wit and humor requires hours of crummy movies to amass the cultural knowledge to appreciate how mustaches show up in this world. Thanks, Dad, for making sure I was exposed to all those crummy movies!

(And the illustrations by Joy Ang are spot-on--funny without a touch of creepiness. That is no small feat!)

Ok, here's the story:

Baby Billy was born with a mustache.  This was a little alarming to his parents and siblings, but what they began to worry about was whether it'd be a good-guy mustache or a bad-guy mustache.  At first, it was a good-guy mustache. Billy was a noble cowboy who protected his cattle (stuffed animals) and cared for injured animals (replaced stuffing in said stuffed animals).

His good-guy mustache also enabled him to be a ringleader in a circus, a Spanish painter, a sword fighter, and a pilot.  He also spent some weeks as a motorcycle cop, complete with mirror shades, thick 'stache, and inflated sense of cool.

But then…

Billy's mustache grew long, and curled up at the ends. He had a bad-guy mustache.  (Enter shriek here.)

He became: "A cat burglar, a cereal criminal, a train robber so heartless he even stole the tracks."  He terrorized his siblings and the whole neighborhood, with glee.

Sadly for him, his getaway car bumped into his mom after he robbed a bank (his sister's piggy bank).  He was thrown in jail (don't worry folks, just his crib).  He kept time on an etch-a-sketch, and vowed to change his ways.  His mom busted him out of jail just in time for Billy to meet the neighbor's baby,…

who had a full beard.

There is no better book for a facial-hair sporting father who is having a baby, so buy this for him today. Or check it out with your kids and giggle like I did at the story, and marvel at the creativity and humor Heos and Ang poured into this book.

Digger and Tom by Sebastien Braun

Digger and Tom by Sebastien Braun

Rating: 5 stars

Separately, I tell Lorelei, Ben and Kiefer that they have a special superpower with each other: the power of encouragement.  While a "You can do it!" from Mommy or Daddy is great and sometimes can't be beat, a "You can do it!" from your sibling (especially, in Lorelei and Ben's case, an older sibling), is pretty awesome in its own way.  What grown younger sibling doesn't still crave an encouraging "You can do it!" from their older brother or sister?!

Oh, wait.  Shoot.  Am I the only one?  Hmm...

Anyway, Digger and Tom by Sebastien Braun provides just the right context for helping your child understand how wonderful it is to say "You can do it!" to somebody else.  We've all got to be so darn self-motivated in the world; it's nice for some help some days.

Digger is a little digger, the littlest construction vehicle on the lot.  He and Tom, a dump truck, work together to move dirt and rubble and other stuff.  While clearing the construction site at the end of the day, Tom notices one stubborn rock sticking out from the ground.  Tom leaves it in Digger's small but capable bucket.

Digger hops to it, but the rock is just too big.  It is just too stuck.  The other bigger vehicles move in and push Digger aside, maneuvering their bigger and more capable bodies in front.  They each have a turn with the rock, but no one can get it unstuck.  Those big vehicles decide to take a break.

While they're catching their breath, Tom whispers to Digger: "Why don't you have another try? You're a digger.  Digging's what you do best!"

So he gives it another try.  And he gets it unstuck! He is tired but proud, and thanks Tom: "Thank you for believing in me."

I LOVE this sweet book.  There are two other books by the prolific children's book author Sebastien Braun that emphasize team work and encouragement towards smaller-than-most vehicles (older Toot and Pop and newer Whoosh and Tug), but this one is our favorite.

Brothers At Bat by Audrey Vernick

Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brothers Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Steven Salerno

Rating: 5 stars

I love this book.  Love it!

Meet the Acerras: The best way to meet them, methinks, is to go back in time and stand outside their house on a nice Spring day like today (here in Northern Virginia) and count how many boys run out.  Count how many gloves and bats fly out the door with those boys.  Count how many times the back door slaps against the frame as they come out, running, to the ball field.

It'll slap twelve times.  Twelve.  Twelve!  There were twelve baseball-playing brothers.  (And four sisters, too.  They didn't play ball because "back then, most people thought sports were just for boys.")

Their uniforms all said the same thing: Acerras.

Their story is fun and sweet and full of SO many little and big opportunities to compare and contrast today's childhood and yesteryear's childhood. The Acerras' house was crowded, and they entertained themselves, mostly with outdoor sports.  (Those two things are certainly related!)  Smaller house equals more outside play time.  In 1938, the brothers ranged in age from seven to thirty-two.  Their was an Acerra on the high school baseball team for twenty-two years in a row.  The facts are mind-boggling, and smile-inducing.

There were so many brothers that they formed their own semi-pro team and competed against other New Jersey teams.  Their coach?  Dad.  Each brother had their own nickname that matched his own personality. There was no rivalry or fighting--"we stick together," Freddie said.  And when that same guy, Freddie, suffered an accident and lost an eye, his brothers helped him through it and helped him get back on the field.

This is a feel-good book of all feel-good books.  The tight-knit, huge family; the all-American game of baseball; the nostalgic illustrations by Steven Salerno; the gut-wrenching moments when they all went off to war (and came back--each and every one--I have to spill the beans so you don't worry)…  All of this makes for a great read and a huge appreciation for the type of childhood that built characters I know and love.  Characters like my two grandfathers, my dad, my uncles.

The all-brother team always drew big crowds.

I kinda want to buy Brothers At Bat for those characters.  For my Grandpa K, whose excellent playing put him in the Pennsylvania Baseball Hall of Fame (but he went to serve his country rather than join the major leagues).  Or maybe for my other Grandpa, who coached--baseball on the field and life lessons off the field--his three boys and  all the neighborhood boys.  Or maybe for those three boys, who are now my dad and my two uncles.  Or…

Or maybe I'll just read it to Ben, who leapt off the sofa just a dozen minutes ago, where he was comfortably watching an afternoon cartoon, because the neighborhood brothers (all three of them) plus their cousin (all one of him) invited him to play baseball.  And he's out there now on this warm Spring afternoon, throwing and catching and hitting like so many boys before him.

Nino Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales

Nino Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales

Rating: 3.5 stars

Second to the incredibly wonderful winner Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown, Nino Wrestles the World recently earned a 2014 Golden Kite Award illustration honor.  I think this award is noteworthy because peers--fellow authors and illustrators--nominate and vote for books.  Familiar with Brown's but not Morales' book, I ordered it up at the library and happily lugged it home with us in our always-heavy book bag.  My trio and I read the book together at some meal--me, standing in the kitchen with the book, pausing to refill milk and get yet another dipping sauce that makes meals tastier and them, sitting at the counter, rocking back and forth on the swivel bar stools while they chomped and listened.

Morales provides some background into lucha libre in an author's note at the end of the book.  He explains that it is "a theatrical, action-packed style of professional wrestling that is popular throughout Mexico and many other Spanish-speaking countries."  They represent mythical figures and ancient heroes and villians.  Many luchadores wear masks to hide their identity--the most famous luchador, El Santo, never revealed his true identity.

Nino makes his Puzzle Muzzle move
and Olmec's mind is blown!

The story: Nino is a lucha libre wrestler whose costume is (as you can see above) underwear and a red mask.  He fearlessly takes on frightful opponents one at a time, and dominates them with silly moves like the tickle tackle or the Popsicle Slick (in which he cleverly uses a melting popsicle to make El Chamuco slip).  Nino's last opponents are his two little sisters, awake from their afternoon nap.  Rather than competing against them, they join forces to become invincible.

This is not your typical story with full sentences and plot development.  It's best read in your best WWF announcer voice (think: "Let's get ready to rummmmmm-ble!") and you better be prepared for some wrestling action afterward, particularly if you have, like me, more than one boy-child in your house.  It is, without a doubt, a lot of fun to see a little boy defeat these huge villians in such clever and creative, kid-appealing ways.

El Chamuco

This is definitely an out-of-the-box book that will appeal to some, but not to others.  For me, it's just okay--I can appreciate it but I am not crazy about it.  I think I'm missing a cultural link that might make it more special or meaningful, or at least provide more personal context.  The pictures are really cool with out-of-this-world graphics that jump off the page, having the devil in a children's book definitely throws me off a little.  In fact, having to explain who the devil is the devil (ha ha) to Lorelei and Ben while they slurped milk and tried to get away with using their fingers was not what I expected in my evening.

That said, this book has cool appeal I can't deny.  The illustrations are completely award-worthy, the story inspiring and funny, the ending a cute twist on the rest of the book.

Phoebe and Digger by Tricia Springstubb

Phoebe and Digger by Tricia Springstubb, illustrated by Jeff Newman

Rating: 4.5 stars

A digger book!  A digger book with a girl for a main character!  This is already welcome stuff.  Ben was confused, in a great way.  Their definitions of what girls play with/do and what boys play with/do are so chiseled in stone it's great to see a book challenge their stereotypes a little!

And the story is really good: "When Mama got a new baby, Phoebe got a new digger." The baby and Digger made lots of sounds all around Mama, until she says, exhausted from the movement and noise: "It is time to go to the park." Phoebe and Digger have room to play, space for noise, and heaps of real dirt.  Phoebe and Mama are both happy.

Until Phoebe spooks a little boy with a worm, which makes him cry, and that made Mama's baby cry, which "turned out to be a secret baby signal.  Soon every baby in the park was crying."  Phoebe took a time out on the bench.  When she was allowed to play again, a big, mean girl comes in and swipes Digger.  Phoebe turns from a tough cookie to a sad kid in one push of a digger's wheels.  The big, mean girl has Digger.  Phoebe isn't sure she'll ever get Digger back.  Just when she feels like she's about to cry...

When Mama got a new baby,
Phoebe got a new digger.

Mama comes in and rescues her, helps her get Digger back.  After some big hugs and positive interaction between the new siblings for the first time all day, Phoebe gives the baby a turn with Digger while she shares a popsicle with Mama.  It's an ending that makes you feel good.

I am reading children's books through a whole new lens these days.  I came out to the world (okay, really just myself and a few friends on Facebook) as an aspiring author a few weeks ago while packing for my first Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators in New York.  I say "came out" because while I only came out as an author, it did take a dose of bravery to say, out loud, what I've thought of myself for decades.

Anyway, the conference was phenomenal--informative and inspiring and a wonderful immersion into a whole world of kids' literature.  I did my best to scribble down any and all tidbits and suggestions and tips in my notebook, to which I've returned almost daily to get a little dose of motivation.  One of the big takeaways from the conference: a children's book--even one with just 30 or 50 words--needs structure.  I knew I had a lot to learn, but I didn't realize that just reading hundreds (thousands?) of books with my kids didn't teach me what I needed to know about how to write children's books.  The really good ones have a structure behind them that makes them sound better.

And Phoebe and Digger, though there's no rhyming at all in it, has a rhythm to it and a structure to it that makes it read nicely.  For me, there are a lot of similarities between this book and Owen by Kevin Henkes, and a bunch of his other books.  Books that are very well written, and therefore very enjoyable reads...especially, as we do it here, read-alouds.

Dirty Joe the Pirate: A True Story by Bill Harley

Dirty Joe the Pirate: A True Story by Bill Harley, illustrated by Jack E. Davis

Rating: 5 stars

Rarely am I really surprised by a book.  This one got me.  In a great, great, much-needed way.

Lorelei and Ben were sitting in my lap, Lorelei's wet-from-the-bath hair was soaking my shirt, but I was happy she chose this book, unknown to me.  I started it with my best pirate accent...

Bill Harley whittles witty rhymes out of an already humorous story: Dirty Joe is a pirate captain who likes to steal his enemy's socks.

The socks he took from other ships, you'll be surprised to learn,
He tied upon his rigging lines that stretched from bow to stern.
They flapped and fluttered in the breeze, five hundred little flags--
And the smell that those old socks gave off was enough to make you gag.

They soon see another pirate ship, to which they set their sights, eager to gain even more stinky socks for their ship.  They look at it and notice that this pirate ship also has a whole lot of flags flapping along, but they don't think much of it...yet.  As they approach, they realize that this pirate ship has a female captain, and an entirely female crew.

"It's Stinky Annie," someone said, "and her band of smelly varmints.
She captures every boat she can and takes their undergarments."
"Then all is lost," another said.  "We haven't got a chance.
You can't be a pirate if you don't have underpants."

I love this!  A band of women pirates who are just as stinky and brazen and full of arrrrghs like the boys!  As the two ships come together and the fight started (there are some pirates with swords and knives, but most have creative weapons: a fly-swatter, a broom, a toaster, a tennis racket).  Soon, Dirty Joe and his boys realize they are fighting in vain: the girls don't have any socks on!

They continue the fight anyway until the two captains give each other the one-eye (literally; they each wear an eye patch).

Stinky Annie lowered her sword.  They peered at one another.
"Wait," she said, "I see it now--you're Joe, my little brother."
"That's right," said Joe.  "You're sister Ann, you bounced me on your knee.
Put down your sword, give up this fight.  Please don't do this to me!"

I thought this was the ending--one of an amicable handshake full of sibling love, an image I'd like my kids to have.  (Well, I hope their handshakes involve hands rather than hooks.)  But Annie throws a curve ball.  Nope, she still wants their underwear!  Hand 'em over!

The illustration by Jack Davis, by the way, is great: chuckling, victorious, sockless female pirates and humiliated, frowning male pirates all wearing barrels to protect their modesty.  And the last stanza, which left me cracking up then in the hallway with my trio, because I knew it to be true more than those two little brothers Ben and Kiefer:

That's the finish of this tale.  It's silly and it's done.
But there's a lesson here that I'd impart to everyone:
If you've got an older sister, then I feel bad for you,
'Cause just as long as she's alive, she'll tell you what to do.

So, so, SO true!  I am cracking up again--because my purse at this very moment is a list my big sister wrote for me today of the things I need to have done by the time I see her again on Thanksgiving.  Ha!

Big Truck and Little Truck by Jan Carr

Big Truck and Little Truck by Jan Carr, illustrated by Ivan Bates

Rating: 5 stars

Big Truck and Little Truck are two hard-working trucks on Farley's Farm.  Everything Little Truck knows is thanks to Big Truck; Big Truck has taught him how to cart equipment, stake scarecrows, take vegetables into the city, and do all sorts of chores that sound a lot more fun than the chores I do most days.  If Little Truck is nervous about something, Big Truck is there to offer encouragement.

One day Big Fred Farley needed Big Truck to do a big job--to help with a tree down.  Little Truck was left by himself, and realizes how alone he is without his truck-chum.  He waits anxiously for Big Truck's return...and then is pretty dismayed to find Big Truck limp up, clearly beaten down and broken down from that big job.  To the shop he must go.

Once again, Little Truck is left alone.

He's in familiar territory, but without his friend and booster and teacher, everything is different.  As the days turn to weeks, Little Truck slowly, slowly, slowly gains confidence in doing the old jobs that he once did with Big Truck.  He's proud of himself and, of course, when Big Truck returns (smiley and shiny thanks to Ivan Bates' great illustrations), he's proud of Little Truck, too.

This is the perfect book for Ben right now, because Lorelei is off to kindergarten.  She'll be gone from us from (gasp!) 7 AM until 4 PM.  I am still in shock from this and know that it'll take a few weeks or months to get used to.

But Ben will be the one who will suffer--and then benefit--the most.

He's a smiley, happy kid but still shy.  Lorelei happily introduces him to anyone and everyone, and encourages him to do the things she does.  She loves him, and he loves her fiercely right back.  It'll be hard for him to spend so many hours on his own at school and with me--I expect he'll be the most excited when she steps off that school bus in the afternoon.

Kiefer and I will be tied for second, just a heartbeat behind.

This is a wonderful book, especially for those little brothers or little sisters who need a little nudge to do more things for themselves and by themselves.  Hopefully Ben and all those other little siblings will discover some inner strength and creativity and happiness, just like Little Truck.

The Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy by David Soman and Jacky Davis

The Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy by David Soman and Jacky Davis

Rating: 4 stars

Last fall, Ladybug Girl's partner-in-crime, Bumbleebee Boy, got his own book.  We checked it out then and liked it, but my appreciation for the book has gone up between then and now.  Ben, our resident superhero-in-training, and Kiefer, his little brother, are just beginning to play together.

I use the term "play" loosely.  Really, they like to yell at each other, happily taking turns out-shouting the other.  And then there's chase: Ben is doing something and Kiefer zombie-walks near him, Ben screams "Here comes a Kiefer monster!" and runs away, much to Kiefer's delight.  The other version of chase is totally dangerous but even more fun because it involves our dog Guidry racing around the table, with Ben racing, too, and Kiefer...tottering precariously between and around them.  I am certain that our first trip to the Emergency Room will be a result of one such game.

Ben climbed onto my lap with this book earlier today--Lorelei was at camp and Kiefer was napping.  "Let's read this one, Mommy."  Okay, twist my arm.

Bumblebee Boy has adventure after adventure in this book.  He fights pirates and battles dragons.  He faces wild lions and chases after bandits.  On each of these uber-boy adventures, his little brother Owen interrupts and wants to play, too.  "Me be soup hero too!" Owen says, wearing his zip-up footie pajamas and from-the-hospital newborn blanket tied around as a cape.  (Pretty adorable stuff.)

My superhero boys this morning...

At first, Bumblebee Boy is adamant that he wants to play alone, and doesn't appreciate Owen's eagerness to participate at all.  Slowly, with each interaction with Owen, he realizes that these games would be more fun with a partner.  Not only does he invite his little brother to play with him, but he also incorporates what Owen is doing into his own game.  Without a tantrum or bribe or --gasp!-- a parent telling him that he should play (nicely!) with his brother.

Not the best superhero book out there (Max is still my favorite) but...right now it's my second favorite.  The good brothers in the story make me want to check this out every other month, just so Ben remembers that Kiefer will soon develop from a screeching partner to a fellow superhero.  Talking might help a little.

Fire Engine Man by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha

Fire Engine Man by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha

Rating: 5 stars

We are loving these Zimmerman and Clemesha books.  The husband-wife team has three sons, so all of their books (that we've read so far) are SO perfect for little boys, including our little boy. 

Fire Engine Man, and their other book that's on our shelf Digger Man, are great simple books with the tried and true boy subjects of firetrucks and diggers.  You can't go wrong with these images on the pages of a children's book!  The stories are both told through the voice of a young boy, maybe 5 or 6 years old, and tell how he's going to be a "Fire Engine Man."  He's going to drive his own big fire engine, hook up his hose, and help the other firefighters fight the fire. 

But what makes this book (and Digger Man, too) special is the fact that the little boy has a younger brother, maybe 12 or 18 months, whom he actively adores.  He drives by his family in his big fire engine, so his brother can see him, and then invites his little brother to the fire station to visit, "because it would be safe."  There's a great picture of the big brother driving the fire truck, and the little brother in the passenger seat, in a car seat, with a bottle.  Lorelei and Ben and I always wonder if a real fire truck could have a carseat in it...I'm guessing not, but it's fun to pretend it's possible.  The end of the book shows the two brothers playing happily together, with the big brother declaring, "When my brother gets bigger, he can help."

How wonderful to see a positive sibling book!  I can't get the ones where one sibling is trying to sell off the other one out of my hands fast enough.  I don't want to give Lorelei any ideas...  Really, though, I don't think it's too much to expect that my kids are going to love each other.  Most days, at least. 

This book, and Digger Man too, are GREAT books for boys who have a new little brother in their life. 

Twinnies by Eve Bunting

Twinnies by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

Rating: 3.5 stars

Twins!  Double the fun!  If you know someone in your life who has them (maybe you) you would appreciate some of the images and sentences from this book.  We have twin nieces, so I have a special spot in my heart not just for twins, but for their parents.  Especially that tough first year.

The annoyed-looking big sister on the cover over there is, as you'd expect, annoyed to have not just one but two little sisters.  She is grumpy throughout the whole story and complains to anyone and everyone that "the worst thing is that there are two of them."  And they take up too much space in her bedroom, in the kitchen, and in their lives.  Her mother admits she feels "truly overwhelmed"--yup, I've seen the real-life images from the book at my sister's house, and I'm here to say that that is one accurate statement.  The annoyed big sister begrudgingly helps out, though she does switch socks on the twins just to be funny.

At the end, the neighbor complains that the twins woke her up at night with their screaming and crying.  The big sister gets her feathers ruffled: "Who does she think she is, picking on our twinnies?"  So the next night, when the babies inevitably wake and cry, the exhausted parents take them into their fluffy bed with them.  The big sister shows up, too, and whispers if there is room for her.  Her dad assures her there is, and she squeezes in between her two sisters.  They are soft on either side of her; she thinks "if there was only one, I'd feel lopsided."  She drifts to sleep holding their toes and finally wipes the annoyed look off her face and replaces it with a contented smile.

It's pretty understandable that a big sister would feel like this, so I have to forgive some of Eve Bunting's character's disgust with her baby sisters.  I wish she'd have changed some of the text to make it a bit more positive, but it ends so well and the images are so true to life that it definitely has many redeeming qualities.

I'm a Big Sister and I'm a Big Brother by Joanna Cole

I'm a Big Sister and I'm a Big Brother by Joanna Cole, both illustrated by Maxie Chambliss

Rating: 5 perfectly in-between stars

When my stepsister first asked what big sister books I had or would recommend to her, this is the only one I had on our shelf.  It was the only one I bought for Lorelei when Ben was born (she was only 18 months, so I'm pretty sure that I didn't buy it for her ahead of time, as she was mostly unaware of the reason I was getting so large).  It is really not a story book, but it's more than a book about babies and about a baby sibling.  It's the perfect in-between.

I don't think I can review any more bad sibling/new baby books right now.  I've got to take a break!  I've got Where Did That Baby Come From? and A Baby Sister for Frances and the VERY odd Perfect Friend right next to me, but they are all in the category of not really good...  (They all assume that the older sibling dislikes/hates/resents the younger sibling; in the case of Perfect Friend, the book is about a talking, thinking, feeling dog resenting a new baby in the family.  He's happy only when he realizes that the new baby is the only one in the family who won't ignore him any more).  There are too many books that we've found in the past few weeks.  Maybe I'll get back to more not-so-great ones when I'm out of great books...  That could take awhile!

So I'll end this bout of sibling books with this really good one.  It's a great starter book at the very least because it provides a 2- or 3-year old big sister or big brother with the basics: What a baby can and cannot do, what a baby can and cannot eat and other little lessons in a cute, accessible way.  It points out how a big sibling needs to ask permission from a parent before s/he can hold the baby, which is different from almost all the other books that show a toddler lugging around a 6-month old in a most frightening way.  There is also a note from the author about things you can do to help adjust your older child to the new addition.  You've most likely read the same things from your Google search and heard the same things from your pediatrician, but it'll probably comfort you to know you're already doing all the things you can do to make the adjustment a smooth one.

This is a must-buy--don't even bother checking it out at the library because you probably will read it again and again and again and again to your older child.  Maybe it'll be one of the first books your younger one will hear, too!

It worked for us, and Lorelei and Ben love each other, most of the time!