The Secret Shortcut by Mark Teague
Rating: 4.5 stars
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...kids walked to school. Remember that?
A few months ago I read an article in the New York Times which explained that in several school districts a child is not allowed to walk to school if they live a certain distance from school. And in those same districts and many others, parents who do let their children walk to school are harangued by other parents for such dangerous negligence.
Ok, I admit we don't exactly live in a neighborhood where Lorelei and Ben can ever walk to school. But if we did live in more of a city, you better believe I'd buy them bikes and send them on their merry way!
Oh--the book! It's a fun one, even if you plan on driving your child to school every day of their schooling (hopefully not college). Two 8-ish-year old boys just can't get to school on time. First it's the space creatures making them late, then it's the pirates (arrrgh...hate it when they get in my way), and finally a plague of frogs. Their teacher is fed up with their excuses, and they know she means business, so they find "the secretest shortcut" and vow to get to school on time. Of course, this secretest shortcut somehow leads them past sleeping alligators and other jungle creatures. They begin to wonder if they'll be late again when they fall in a mud puddle, hear the school bell ring, and make a run for it. They make it on time--with stiff, muddy hair and all. The illustrations are vibrant and funny--Mark Teague is great for some captivating illustrations.
This is a great parent-free adventure of two little boys. Definitely a classic type of tale and one that I wish could happen in real life a little bit more--maybe we can't let our children walk to school, but at least we can lengthen the leash a bit and let them have some parent-free time to create, alone or with their friends, their own tales of their own.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Get to Work, Trucks! by Don Carter
Get to Work, Trucks! by Don Carter
Rating: 5 hard-working stars
Today is Lorelei's fourth day of school. And she's home sick. I'm not completely surprised because she looked extra tired yesterday and, as a first-time-school-goer, she's going to catch everything this year that her classmates have. Woo hoo! I'm going to stock up at Kleenex and Tylenol and chicken soup now...
I was planning on taking Ben to the park and library, which are placed wonderfully close to each other in our town. But with a sick Lorelei, could I still go? What a dilemma: spreading germs vs. staying in the house all day...getting some fresh air vs. staying in the house all day...getting new books for a quiet afternoon vs. staying in the house all day. I guess you know what we chose. (In my defense I washed their hands with soap and water before going into the library! We only stayed 5 minutes!)
Lorelei was pretty cheery after a missed breakfast, and she insisted that the park was a good idea. We stayed about 20 minutes and did our civic duty by taking along a towel and drying all the slides and tunnels from last night's rain. We went to the library to return our old books and pick up those on hold for us, plus a few more that I knew Lorelei would look at again and again, and then headed home. The moment we got home Lorelei said she wanted to go upstairs, so I took her now-de-germed sheets out of the dryer, made her bed and tucked her in. Ben didn't even want to go upstairs with us--a bag full of new library books is heaven for him, so he stayed downstairs pulling each book out and, one by one, "reading" them.
Second, after the trucks get into a line and proceed in caravan to the work site, they all stop for a turtle that is trying to cross the road. That strikes a chord for us, as we live in a fairly rural area where turtle crossings occur. When my husband or I stop to help the turtle along, we always put the turtle's now-hidden head up to the kids' windows so they can see. I'm sure the turtle is not thrilled at this ("Just put me down on the other side of the road, you fool!" he's probably muttering) but Lorelei and Ben like it.
A great little book for Ben, whose vehicle-related interests already have broadened my mind.
Rating: 5 hard-working stars
Today is Lorelei's fourth day of school. And she's home sick. I'm not completely surprised because she looked extra tired yesterday and, as a first-time-school-goer, she's going to catch everything this year that her classmates have. Woo hoo! I'm going to stock up at Kleenex and Tylenol and chicken soup now...
I was planning on taking Ben to the park and library, which are placed wonderfully close to each other in our town. But with a sick Lorelei, could I still go? What a dilemma: spreading germs vs. staying in the house all day...getting some fresh air vs. staying in the house all day...getting new books for a quiet afternoon vs. staying in the house all day. I guess you know what we chose. (In my defense I washed their hands with soap and water before going into the library! We only stayed 5 minutes!)
Lorelei was pretty cheery after a missed breakfast, and she insisted that the park was a good idea. We stayed about 20 minutes and did our civic duty by taking along a towel and drying all the slides and tunnels from last night's rain. We went to the library to return our old books and pick up those on hold for us, plus a few more that I knew Lorelei would look at again and again, and then headed home. The moment we got home Lorelei said she wanted to go upstairs, so I took her now-de-germed sheets out of the dryer, made her bed and tucked her in. Ben didn't even want to go upstairs with us--a bag full of new library books is heaven for him, so he stayed downstairs pulling each book out and, one by one, "reading" them.
 |
| Ben takes out all the new library books. |
Three paragraphs in, and I'll get to this book: we've had it in our possession for about 3 hours and I've already read it 4 times. I think that's a good sign. It's really not a whole lot more than your basic truck book, with two twists that I like:
First, Don Carter uses foam board, dry wall, and acrylics to make his illustrations, so they look really different and bulky and strong, something that is just perfect for a little boy's book. (The background also looks like frosting, so many I'm just hankering for some cake right now.)
Second, after the trucks get into a line and proceed in caravan to the work site, they all stop for a turtle that is trying to cross the road. That strikes a chord for us, as we live in a fairly rural area where turtle crossings occur. When my husband or I stop to help the turtle along, we always put the turtle's now-hidden head up to the kids' windows so they can see. I'm sure the turtle is not thrilled at this ("Just put me down on the other side of the road, you fool!" he's probably muttering) but Lorelei and Ben like it.
A great little book for Ben, whose vehicle-related interests already have broadened my mind.
Fire Truck by Peter Sis
Fire Truck by Peter Sis
Rating: 4 stars
Since it's basically Ben Week this week as Lorelei started preschool and he finally has the undivided attention of his mother, I made it a point to order books mostly for him--books that were age-appropriate and topic-appropriate. The end result: holy smokes I'm going to read a lot about trucks this week!
Now this is a strange little book. Ben loves fire trucks and firefighters and hopefully all things related to fire except fire itself, so when I saw this on a recommended reading list somewhere, I ordered it right up. When we picked it up today, Ben was just as eager and curious as me to read it. So we dug right in.
The text is simple--a little boy loves fire trucks; "fire truck" are the first words out of his mouth in the morning, and the last words out of his mouth at night. The pictures are simple black and white except for the very red fire trucks--both Ben and I give that two thumb's up, so that's four thumb's up from our family. But then the boy becomes a fire truck. I found that a bit odd, but I guess there are little boys out there who probably aren't satisfied to just ride a fire truck. That's so last week. BEING a fire truck is way cooler. Well, this book is for them.
As the little boy-truck--a fire truck with a chest and head sticking out the back end--drives around, he seems to be having a great time. There's a great double pull out page that shows the number and an image, getting the little reader to find 3 hoses, 4 blinking lights, etc. I know Lorelei will love that page when she sees it. The boy-truck rolls around saving toys and stuffed animals until he smells something good for breakfast: pancakes! So he parks his truck, morphs into a little boy again, and eats some of those pancakes for breakfast.
This is a good book for a fire truck/firefighter collection, mostly because it's different than most of the books out there on the subject. If Ben decides to be a fire truck for Halloween, I'll be sure to come back to this post and add a picture...that would be interesting! As long as he doesn't insist on requiring a Dalmatian for the ensemble. We've already got two high-strung dogs. I can't handle a third!
Rating: 4 stars
Since it's basically Ben Week this week as Lorelei started preschool and he finally has the undivided attention of his mother, I made it a point to order books mostly for him--books that were age-appropriate and topic-appropriate. The end result: holy smokes I'm going to read a lot about trucks this week!
Now this is a strange little book. Ben loves fire trucks and firefighters and hopefully all things related to fire except fire itself, so when I saw this on a recommended reading list somewhere, I ordered it right up. When we picked it up today, Ben was just as eager and curious as me to read it. So we dug right in.
As the little boy-truck--a fire truck with a chest and head sticking out the back end--drives around, he seems to be having a great time. There's a great double pull out page that shows the number and an image, getting the little reader to find 3 hoses, 4 blinking lights, etc. I know Lorelei will love that page when she sees it. The boy-truck rolls around saving toys and stuffed animals until he smells something good for breakfast: pancakes! So he parks his truck, morphs into a little boy again, and eats some of those pancakes for breakfast.
This is a good book for a fire truck/firefighter collection, mostly because it's different than most of the books out there on the subject. If Ben decides to be a fire truck for Halloween, I'll be sure to come back to this post and add a picture...that would be interesting! As long as he doesn't insist on requiring a Dalmatian for the ensemble. We've already got two high-strung dogs. I can't handle a third!
My Abuelita by Tony Johnston
My Abuelita by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Yuyi Morales
Rating: 2.5 stars
Confession: I don't really like clowns. Or dolls. So this book definitely freaks me out.
And now, the illustrations. I had to find out the background on these strange things, and I found this neat You Tube clip of Yuyi Morales describing how she made it. The video is a wonderful illustration of how illustrations come to be--how painstakingly time consuming and detailed, and how much talent and time are both involved.
Lorelei likes this book because there is Spanish sprinkled in with the text. And she thinks she can speak Spanish, just like my cousin did when he was a preschooler (he's now in high school--oh my!). She'll say some jibberish and then, kindly, translate it for me. It makes me laugh everytime.
For me, a strange book, but...it might be someone else's favorite.
Rating: 2.5 stars
Confession: I don't really like clowns. Or dolls. So this book definitely freaks me out.
I'll try and explain the story first, which is pretty good, though not stellar. This little boy lives with his abuelita, who is an odd character to put it mildly. Colorful is probably more polite. But he, of course, loves her and thinks she's the best thing since sliced bread. The book is mostly the little boy just describing her routine in the morning, as she gets ready for work. And that's the big mystery Johnston really wants us to wonder about, because he mentions it on almost every single page, making me think to myself in my most inappropriately sarcastic voice: OK! WE GET IT! WE'RE CURIOUS ABOUT HER WORK! In the end, we find out she is a storyteller, and the little boy wants to grow up to be one, too.
And now, the illustrations. I had to find out the background on these strange things, and I found this neat You Tube clip of Yuyi Morales describing how she made it. The video is a wonderful illustration of how illustrations come to be--how painstakingly time consuming and detailed, and how much talent and time are both involved. It's pretty neat (and I'm not even a fan of the end result), but if you don't have 3 minutes and 42 seconds to watch it, here's the short version: She made the abuelita, the little boy, and the cat, then gathered together all the other stuff you see on the pages and took photographs of them, over a three year period. For me, the illustrations in the book are a bit creepy, voo-doo-like and just not my thing. That said, they are very different and it's great to show kids different styles so they can find one or more that they like. That's what art is all about, right?
Lorelei likes this book because there is Spanish sprinkled in with the text. And she thinks she can speak Spanish, just like my cousin did when he was a preschooler (he's now in high school--oh my!). She'll say some jibberish and then, kindly, translate it for me. It makes me laugh everytime.
For me, a strange book, but...it might be someone else's favorite.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser
Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser
Rating: 5 surprisingly wonderful and funny stars
This is one of my favorites. Do I say that so much that it doesn't mean anything? Maybe, but REALLY, this time, I mean it! I can't believe that I've not seen this book before, one that makes Lorelei belly-laugh (and Ben pretend belly-laugh, just to assure her that he gets the joke, too, even though he doesn't totally get it) every time we read it. One that stands outs with its unique artwork and quirky, human-like animal characters. One that really has fewer words than I thought was good, but Sebastian Meschenmoser does all kinds of right in this book.
I'm going to spend awhile on it. By the end, you'll probably bypass the library and go right to the bookstore, which I think is a wise decision.
So squirrel is waiting for winter--waiting, specifically, to see snow, which he usually sleeps through. There are a dozen pictures (no words) of him waiting, waiting, waiting. Then he almost falls asleep waiting and decides that exercise will help him stay awake. More pictures (no words) of frantic squirrel scurrying up and down and around and through a tree. That wakes up hedgehog, who decides that since he's awake, he, too will wait for the first snowflake. They wait and wait and wait and begin to fall asleep (few words). They decide that, to stay awake, they should sing sea shanties. (This is my favorite part because Meschenmoser doesn't provide any words, so I fill in with a hearty, pirate-sounding "What do you do with a scurvy pirate?" that makes Lorelei and Ben smile.) Not surprisingly, they wake up someone else: bear.
Bear emerges looking like most of us do after a night that started too late and ended too early. His barely-open eyes are pained by the fact that they are not closed. C'mon, I know you know that feeling. Or maybe you forgot about it since your children now sleep through the night?
This is where Lorelei really gets into it. She knows what snow looks like, so she thinks it's really funny that she knows something these two animals don't. Another note to aspiring children's book writers: Make your young listeners think they are smarter than your characters!
So the animals sit around thinking about which one is right when a snowflake--a real one--lands on Bear. And then more fall, and soon they are surrounded by it. The last few pages are wordless and show the animals walking and playing in the snow. They build a snowman--with a tin can hat, a toothbrush pipe, and a sock nose--that make two men trudging through the tracks stop in curious wonder.
This is a delightful, delightful book that is super fun to read aloud. I can't wait to read it again when winter gets closer (though I am certainly not waiting for it...more like dreading...I'm a warm weather person, myself) and when Ben can understand more and produce a true belly laugh for himself.
Rating: 5 surprisingly wonderful and funny stars
This is one of my favorites. Do I say that so much that it doesn't mean anything? Maybe, but REALLY, this time, I mean it! I can't believe that I've not seen this book before, one that makes Lorelei belly-laugh (and Ben pretend belly-laugh, just to assure her that he gets the joke, too, even though he doesn't totally get it) every time we read it. One that stands outs with its unique artwork and quirky, human-like animal characters. One that really has fewer words than I thought was good, but Sebastian Meschenmoser does all kinds of right in this book.
I'm going to spend awhile on it. By the end, you'll probably bypass the library and go right to the bookstore, which I think is a wise decision.
So squirrel is waiting for winter--waiting, specifically, to see snow, which he usually sleeps through. There are a dozen pictures (no words) of him waiting, waiting, waiting. Then he almost falls asleep waiting and decides that exercise will help him stay awake. More pictures (no words) of frantic squirrel scurrying up and down and around and through a tree. That wakes up hedgehog, who decides that since he's awake, he, too will wait for the first snowflake. They wait and wait and wait and begin to fall asleep (few words). They decide that, to stay awake, they should sing sea shanties. (This is my favorite part because Meschenmoser doesn't provide any words, so I fill in with a hearty, pirate-sounding "What do you do with a scurvy pirate?" that makes Lorelei and Ben smile.) Not surprisingly, they wake up someone else: bear.
 |
| Squirrel and Hedgehog's sea shantys wake up Bear. |
Anyway, they decide to wait together but then realize they might have missed the first snowflake. So they go hunting for it. Each finds something white and wet and cold and soft and is convinced that it is, without a doubt, the first snowflake. Squirrel finds a toothbrush; Hedgehog finds a can. Two full pages are dedicated to what a snowfall would look like with these "snowflakes." Squirrel, surrounded by toothbrushes with toothbrushes falling down around him. And Hedgehog, surrounded by cans with cans falling down around him. (Ouch!) And then there's Bear, with a sock. Meschenmoser writes: "But the snow will be a little smelly." Giggle, giggle.
 |
| The first snowflake falls on Bear's nose. |
So the animals sit around thinking about which one is right when a snowflake--a real one--lands on Bear. And then more fall, and soon they are surrounded by it. The last few pages are wordless and show the animals walking and playing in the snow. They build a snowman--with a tin can hat, a toothbrush pipe, and a sock nose--that make two men trudging through the tracks stop in curious wonder.
 |
| Making a snowman before going to sleep. |
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Firefighters: Speeding! Spraying! Saving! by Patricia Hubbell
Firefighters: Speeding! Spraying! Saving! by Patricia Hubbell, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli
Rating: 5 speeding, life-saving stars
Who doesn't love a fireman? We are fans of all first responders in this house, but firefighters hold a special place in our hearts. Especially Ben's big little heart. I am sure that 99.8% of little boys go crazy when a fire truck speeds by, with sirens blazing, forcing cars to get out of the way. This is Ben--in fact, he starts crying and moaning when they pass, wanting to see them again. Ben really would love it if, one day, I put my blinkers on and go on the chase, following that fire truck in an exciting, traffic-dodging race to the emergency. He might pee his pants (which would happen anyway, of course, since he's still in diapers).
Rating: 5 speeding, life-saving stars
Who doesn't love a fireman? We are fans of all first responders in this house, but firefighters hold a special place in our hearts. Especially Ben's big little heart. I am sure that 99.8% of little boys go crazy when a fire truck speeds by, with sirens blazing, forcing cars to get out of the way. This is Ben--in fact, he starts crying and moaning when they pass, wanting to see them again. Ben really would love it if, one day, I put my blinkers on and go on the chase, following that fire truck in an exciting, traffic-dodging race to the emergency. He might pee his pants (which would happen anyway, of course, since he's still in diapers).
 |
| Fireman Ben to the rescue! |
Lorelei and I went to the library last Saturday and I spotted this book on the little shelf of board books. I'm so glad it jumped right out at me, because it's a great one. Firefighters are a pretty easy subject for a well selling book (along with trucks and princesses)--but there are definitely some duds out there. This one is great! It's a sturdy board book, which is essential in Ben's oops-did-I-rip-that hands, and is a poem, which is always nicer to read, especially to kids under 2 or 3. And it actually teaches small but important facts about firefighting; my two favorites: that saving lives is their most important jobs (many firefighter books shy away from this--their firemen rescue cats from trees or check the fire alarms in pizza parlors); and that cars need to get out of the way when a fire truck races past (all DC residents need to read this and re-learn that basic driving fact).
Ben has slept with this book since we checked it out from the library. I try and keep library books downstairs (after one got ripped up during a particularly destructive naptime) but this board book was an exception. It's way too cool a book to not read over and over and over and over again. I've not memorized it YET, but...give me another few days with it.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Posy by Linda Newbery
Posy by Linda Newbery, illustrated by Catherine Rayner
Rating: 2.5 stars
In an effort to not throw my own biases on my kids, I got Posy from the library last week. I am trying to like it, to be enthusiastic when Lorelei or Ben want to read it. But...I'm just a dog person pretending to think that cats are a good choice for a pet, too. (Deep inside, horrible, dog-loving me is thinking: My dogs would give you a run for your money, Posy!)
Ok, I don't really want my weims to terrorize Posy. She is cute and cuddly. But she's just an alien creature for Ben and Lorelei. And there is little to this story: "Posy! She is...a whisker wiper, crayon swiper, playful wrangler, knitting tangler." It just describes the cute things that this kitten does. As a dog family, we need a little more convincing that we should really love this Posy creature. Whatever your preference--cats or dogs, horses or snakes--it's hard to argue that the illustrations by Catherine Rayner are not pretty adorable.
If you're a cat person, feel free to rant in the comment section below. (And check out this book, plus Linda Newbery's other cat-related books.) If you're a dog person, feel free to give me a cyber-high five below. (And click here to find all my reviews on dog books. And note that I don't even have a special label for cat books! My tastes and preferences are obvious...sorry, cat-loving book-readers out there...)
Rating: 2.5 stars
In an effort to not throw my own biases on my kids, I got Posy from the library last week. I am trying to like it, to be enthusiastic when Lorelei or Ben want to read it. But...I'm just a dog person pretending to think that cats are a good choice for a pet, too. (Deep inside, horrible, dog-loving me is thinking: My dogs would give you a run for your money, Posy!)
Ok, I don't really want my weims to terrorize Posy. She is cute and cuddly. But she's just an alien creature for Ben and Lorelei. And there is little to this story: "Posy! She is...a whisker wiper, crayon swiper, playful wrangler, knitting tangler." It just describes the cute things that this kitten does. As a dog family, we need a little more convincing that we should really love this Posy creature. Whatever your preference--cats or dogs, horses or snakes--it's hard to argue that the illustrations by Catherine Rayner are not pretty adorable.Turk and Runt: A Thanksgiving Comedy by Lisa Wheeler
Turk and Runt: A Thanksgiving Comedy by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Frank Ansley
Rating: 4.5 stars
This is one of the funniest children's books I have ever read! I found myself chuckling out loud at the line ahead of the one I was reading to Lorelei and Ben. The thing is, I think this might be a 4-year old minimum, because you have to at least understand that the turkey you eat on Thanksgiving is the same turkey that says gobble, gobble at the zoo. I'm not sure Lorelei gets that, and I know Ben doesn't, and I'm fine with not pointing that out today. Maybe tomorrow.
But if your kids DO know that turkeys are animals and we gobble them up (unless you're a vegetarian, which this book might make your kids), then they would find this book hilarious! Turk and Runt are two brothers in a turkey family. Turk is the prized brother--big, muscly, fast, gorgeous, and ignorant of the fact that he might become some one's dinner. Runt is the forgotten brother--little, scrawny, ugly, and aware of the fact that his brother is in high demand. Turk is determined to be selected by each family who drives up to the farm, and his parents naively parade him around and show him off. Runt pulls of stunts to make Turk look undesirable and inedible, successfully saving him from becoming some one's meal. But at the end a scrawny old lady looks for a scrawny little chicken--Runt! Turk finally clues in to the dangers of Thanksgiving and saves his little brother. The book ends with Christmas season--people pulling into the farm looking for turkeys for that holiday meal find four snow-turkeys, safe under their cold disguise.
I'm not doing this book justice. Check it out and see for yourself--and tell me what age of kids laughs the loudest!
Rating: 4.5 stars
This is one of the funniest children's books I have ever read! I found myself chuckling out loud at the line ahead of the one I was reading to Lorelei and Ben. The thing is, I think this might be a 4-year old minimum, because you have to at least understand that the turkey you eat on Thanksgiving is the same turkey that says gobble, gobble at the zoo. I'm not sure Lorelei gets that, and I know Ben doesn't, and I'm fine with not pointing that out today. Maybe tomorrow.
But if your kids DO know that turkeys are animals and we gobble them up (unless you're a vegetarian, which this book might make your kids), then they would find this book hilarious! Turk and Runt are two brothers in a turkey family. Turk is the prized brother--big, muscly, fast, gorgeous, and ignorant of the fact that he might become some one's dinner. Runt is the forgotten brother--little, scrawny, ugly, and aware of the fact that his brother is in high demand. Turk is determined to be selected by each family who drives up to the farm, and his parents naively parade him around and show him off. Runt pulls of stunts to make Turk look undesirable and inedible, successfully saving him from becoming some one's meal. But at the end a scrawny old lady looks for a scrawny little chicken--Runt! Turk finally clues in to the dangers of Thanksgiving and saves his little brother. The book ends with Christmas season--people pulling into the farm looking for turkeys for that holiday meal find four snow-turkeys, safe under their cold disguise.
I'm not doing this book justice. Check it out and see for yourself--and tell me what age of kids laughs the loudest!
Read It, Don't Eat It! by Ian Schoenherr
Read It, Don't Eat It! by Ian Schoenherr
Rating: 4 stars
Recently one of our friends found out that I had a children's book blog. A father of a 14-month old, he said: "Great! Now I know which books are the most delicious!" When I saw the title of this book, recommended on our library's home page, I had to get it, if only to send it to the little book-eater. (Ben still gnaws on some, though he's not actually eaten any in months. Progress!)
This is a fine book to read, but a great book to use to teach how to use the library, and specifically how to treat the books that you check out from the library. It'd be essential in any preschool or elementary school, but a great one for parents when we first start going to the library. And from time to time after that because--well, maybe it's different in your home--we need to reinforce things again and again and again and again and...
Here is the entire book, right here:
Each line has a corresponding picture to illustrate the point, which is helpful to those little ones who, thankfully, don't know what stealing or censoring is quite yet.
Lorelei and Ben love this book, probably more than I do. It's a quick read but a great example of a book that really teaches--and, in this case, teaches them something about a place that they love, about a thing they love: the library and books! Hopefully this love affair lasts for many decades.
Rating: 4 stars
Recently one of our friends found out that I had a children's book blog. A father of a 14-month old, he said: "Great! Now I know which books are the most delicious!" When I saw the title of this book, recommended on our library's home page, I had to get it, if only to send it to the little book-eater. (Ben still gnaws on some, though he's not actually eaten any in months. Progress!)
This is a fine book to read, but a great book to use to teach how to use the library, and specifically how to treat the books that you check out from the library. It'd be essential in any preschool or elementary school, but a great one for parents when we first start going to the library. And from time to time after that because--well, maybe it's different in your home--we need to reinforce things again and again and again and again and...
 |
| Don't censor, delete, or deface. |
Here is the entire book, right here:
Read it, don't eat it.No dog ears, please.Find someplace else to sneeze.Borrow, don't steal.TRY not to squeal.Rips and tears won't magically heal.Don't overdue it, just renew it. (Really, now, there's nothing to it.)Leave no trace (or at least erase).Don't censor, delete, or deface.It's not a platter, or a stool.Be careful with it at the pool.Don't leave it in the rain or sun.Please return it when you're done.Share it with a friend, a sister, a brother.Now go out and get another.
Each line has a corresponding picture to illustrate the point, which is helpful to those little ones who, thankfully, don't know what stealing or censoring is quite yet.
Lorelei and Ben love this book, probably more than I do. It's a quick read but a great example of a book that really teaches--and, in this case, teaches them something about a place that they love, about a thing they love: the library and books! Hopefully this love affair lasts for many decades.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll
I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam
Rating: 4 stars
I can't believe Lorelei likes this book. I actually checked it out from the library because I was curious about a book that would encourage the idea that monsters are under the bed. I hid it from the kids for a week or two, but they found it on the dining room table. I need a better hiding spot.
Here's the gist of the story: The little boy you see peeking under his bed is looking for his monster, but instead he finds a note: "Gone fishing. Back in a week. Gabe." A week! Without a monster!? The little boy can't sleep without a monster for a whole week! So he calls on (the monster world?!) and five monsters appear, one at a time, to "interview" for the position. The little boy finds fault with each of them: The first doesn't have scary claws, the second paints his fingernails, the third is a girl (Lorelei's favorite line: "Boy monsters are for boys and girl monsters are for girls!"), and the fourth is too funny to be scary. Finally, Gabe reappears and, after some threats to eat his toes if he lets them fall to the floor, the little boy drifts off into a contented sleep.
Lorelei thinks the book is hilarious! I can't believe it. But I don't think I'd ever read this to her as a bedtime story, though I bet a lot of parents do...
The author got the idea for the book when her fourth child was born. Her third child just wouldn't go to bed, and, during what she called "not her finest parenting moment," she wished that she could put a monster under her third child's bed so that she'd stay put. I love that the author is from Spanaway, Washington, a little town sorta near Tacoma, on the way to my beloved Mount Rainier. We have dear friends in Spanaway. I wonder if they have ever run into Amanda Noll? I'll have to ask!
Rating: 4 stars
I can't believe Lorelei likes this book. I actually checked it out from the library because I was curious about a book that would encourage the idea that monsters are under the bed. I hid it from the kids for a week or two, but they found it on the dining room table. I need a better hiding spot.
Here's the gist of the story: The little boy you see peeking under his bed is looking for his monster, but instead he finds a note: "Gone fishing. Back in a week. Gabe." A week! Without a monster!? The little boy can't sleep without a monster for a whole week! So he calls on (the monster world?!) and five monsters appear, one at a time, to "interview" for the position. The little boy finds fault with each of them: The first doesn't have scary claws, the second paints his fingernails, the third is a girl (Lorelei's favorite line: "Boy monsters are for boys and girl monsters are for girls!"), and the fourth is too funny to be scary. Finally, Gabe reappears and, after some threats to eat his toes if he lets them fall to the floor, the little boy drifts off into a contented sleep.
The author got the idea for the book when her fourth child was born. Her third child just wouldn't go to bed, and, during what she called "not her finest parenting moment," she wished that she could put a monster under her third child's bed so that she'd stay put. I love that the author is from Spanaway, Washington, a little town sorta near Tacoma, on the way to my beloved Mount Rainier. We have dear friends in Spanaway. I wonder if they have ever run into Amanda Noll? I'll have to ask!
Wow! School! by Robert Nuebecker
Wow! School! by Robert Nuebecker
Rating: 5 stars
Well, the count down to the start of preschool is on. I'm not sure who is more excited--me or Lorelei. Ben, if he realized what is about to happen, would definitely NOT be excited. Even though Lorelei's favorite past time is to boss him around, he will miss her for every minute of the three and a half hours she'll be out of my hands. Mostly, I'm curious: How will she react? How will she behave? What will she love? Will she make friends easily? How long will it be till the school calls to tell me she's sick or has broken her arm on the playground?! (I'm sure that phone call will come from Ben.)
This is one of the best starting school books out there. It's simple--with minimal words, Nuebecker just produces these huge sheets of art, filled with all the little things that you'd find in a classroom. Check out some of the pages:
Rating: 5 stars
Well, the count down to the start of preschool is on. I'm not sure who is more excited--me or Lorelei. Ben, if he realized what is about to happen, would definitely NOT be excited. Even though Lorelei's favorite past time is to boss him around, he will miss her for every minute of the three and a half hours she'll be out of my hands. Mostly, I'm curious: How will she react? How will she behave? What will she love? Will she make friends easily? How long will it be till the school calls to tell me she's sick or has broken her arm on the playground?! (I'm sure that phone call will come from Ben.)
This is one of the best starting school books out there. It's simple--with minimal words, Nuebecker just produces these huge sheets of art, filled with all the little things that you'd find in a classroom. Check out some of the pages:
 |
I love the fact that Nuebecker sat in the back of his daughter's preschool class and sketched the pictures. We are big fans of Nuebecker's--dorky me follows his blog and is impatiently awaiting his next WOW! book, which is Wow! Ocean! We'll probably have to trek up to the Baltimore Aquarium to fully appreciate that book.
For now, though, we'll just focus on the start of school. Keep your fingers crossed for all of us!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Mr. Peabody's Apples by Madonna
Mr. Peabody's Apples by Madonna, illustrated by the one and only Loren Long
Rating: 3.5 stars
I searched high and low for a picture of Madonna with this book of hers, just because I thought it'd be funny--but somehow appropriate--to have a picture of her on a blog about children's books. Of course, I only have so many minutes in the day to devote to blogging to my imaginary friends about books they might never read, so I only went through the first dozen pages from my not-so-exhaustive Google search. This is the only one I can find, and it's definitely not of this book, but...I couldn't resist!
Let me get to the book, because it is surprisingly good--though surprisingly serious. I'll say it's for 4-year olds, but only if they are mature and ready to really learn lessons from books, and not just lessons like "share your toys" and "poop in the potty."
Loren Long shines, of course. Any book he's touched is worth reading a few times, or at the very least looking at and talking about the pictures. This isn't my favorite of his book, but I love his drawings. I love how the cover states "art by Loren Long" rather than illustrated by Loren Long. So fitting.
A book by a pop star. Not a home-run or chart buster, but a good one, and I think it's a good one with which to introduce the word "rumor." Hopefully all our kids will understand the word and the damage done by them by middle school...before they get caught in one themselves.
Rating: 3.5 stars
I searched high and low for a picture of Madonna with this book of hers, just because I thought it'd be funny--but somehow appropriate--to have a picture of her on a blog about children's books. Of course, I only have so many minutes in the day to devote to blogging to my imaginary friends about books they might never read, so I only went through the first dozen pages from my not-so-exhaustive Google search. This is the only one I can find, and it's definitely not of this book, but...I couldn't resist! Let me get to the book, because it is surprisingly good--though surprisingly serious. I'll say it's for 4-year olds, but only if they are mature and ready to really learn lessons from books, and not just lessons like "share your toys" and "poop in the potty."
 |
| Mr Peabody wonders where everyone is. |
Mr. Peabody is a beloved teacher and baseball coach of a Little League team that always has a good time losing. After a game, he walks home and passes a fruit stand, where he takes an apple. Without, it seems to one of his players from across the street, paying. The little lookout tells everyone that Mr. Peabody is a thief, and soon no one shows up for a game. Mr. Peabody shows that he has an arrangement with Mr. Funkadeli, the grocer; he takes an apple after the game but pays for it on Saturday, when he picks up his milk. The little lookout boy feels pretty badly, as he should, and asks what he can do to make it all better. Mr. Peabody tells him to meet him at the baseball field in an hour, and bring a feather pillow.
Once there, Mr. Peabody instructs the boy to cut open the pillow and let the feathers fly. The boy is confused but eager to win back his coach/teacher's respect, so he does it. Thousands of feathers fly everywhere. "Now pick them up," Mr. Peabody says. The boy is surprised and confused and states that that is impossible. Mr. Peabody says quietly: "It would be just as impossible to undo the damage that you have done by spreading the rumor that I am a thief." The last picture, shown here, is the pillow, restuffed, all sewn up.
A book by a pop star. Not a home-run or chart buster, but a good one, and I think it's a good one with which to introduce the word "rumor." Hopefully all our kids will understand the word and the damage done by them by middle school...before they get caught in one themselves.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Sally Goes to the Vet by Steve Huneck
Sally Goes to the Vet by Steve Huneck
Rating: 4.5 stars
I'm so glad we had this book on our (borrowed from the library) shelf, because we had to take Lulu, our black dog, to the vet yesterday. In the book, Sally the black lab "plays the chasing game" with her friend Bingo the cat. She is running too fast to see a root in front of her, and she trips and falls and hurts herself. She's carried to the car and the vet examines her--looks at her eyes, her mouth, x-rays her, and then gives her a shot. Sally wonders if the shot will hurt; the vet says if she thinks of a happy thought she won't feel a thing. We get a cute shot of lovable Sally with a thought bubble of an ice-cream cone. After she gets home, she tells Bingo about her trip to the vet, including how she learned how to think of happy thoughts. The last page shows the two friends cuddling together, with a thought bubble coming from Bingo, with Sally in it. Cute!
Here at our house, Lulu just needed a bordatella shot. Lorelei was really interested in going in with her (if it's just a shot, a vet technician can just take the dog back alone, without us, or we can go back with Lulu) to tell Lulu to have a happy thought. We had a lot of fun wondering what that happy thought might be for our own black dog: a treat, some leftover meat, popcorn, Guidry (our other weimaraner), or maybe Lorelei and Ben! As soon as we got to the vet's office, though, Lorelei and Ben both became way too interested in the tiny kids' play area and forgot why we were there. Good ol' Lulu shuffled back with the vet technician and emerged back so quickly that Lorelei and Ben insisted they needed five more minutes of playing time.
Maybe next time they'll want to hold her paw during her shot.
Rating: 4.5 stars
I'm so glad we had this book on our (borrowed from the library) shelf, because we had to take Lulu, our black dog, to the vet yesterday. In the book, Sally the black lab "plays the chasing game" with her friend Bingo the cat. She is running too fast to see a root in front of her, and she trips and falls and hurts herself. She's carried to the car and the vet examines her--looks at her eyes, her mouth, x-rays her, and then gives her a shot. Sally wonders if the shot will hurt; the vet says if she thinks of a happy thought she won't feel a thing. We get a cute shot of lovable Sally with a thought bubble of an ice-cream cone. After she gets home, she tells Bingo about her trip to the vet, including how she learned how to think of happy thoughts. The last page shows the two friends cuddling together, with a thought bubble coming from Bingo, with Sally in it. Cute!
Here at our house, Lulu just needed a bordatella shot. Lorelei was really interested in going in with her (if it's just a shot, a vet technician can just take the dog back alone, without us, or we can go back with Lulu) to tell Lulu to have a happy thought. We had a lot of fun wondering what that happy thought might be for our own black dog: a treat, some leftover meat, popcorn, Guidry (our other weimaraner), or maybe Lorelei and Ben! As soon as we got to the vet's office, though, Lorelei and Ben both became way too interested in the tiny kids' play area and forgot why we were there. Good ol' Lulu shuffled back with the vet technician and emerged back so quickly that Lorelei and Ben insisted they needed five more minutes of playing time.
Maybe next time they'll want to hold her paw during her shot.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Seabiscuit the Wonder Horse by Meghan McCarthy
Seabiscuit the Wonder Horse by Meghan McCarthy
Rating: 4 stars
I'm trying my best to create a horse-crazy daughter...because I want to ride horses again myself! I am not completely self-motivated here. Horses saved me from those middle school years where a lot of girls crumble in the face of mean girls, changes in their body, hormone swings, and their first "boyfriends." I poured myself into whatever horse I was leasing at the moment, practicing my braids and Dressage tests and making sure their stall was spic-and-span (though my room sure never was).
This book is a surprisingly exciting children's book, one based on the wonderful little wonder horse, Seabiscuit. (If you've not read Laura Hillenbrand's book Seabiscuit: An American Legend you really should!)
She sets the pace quickly by explaining, in wonderfully simple and appropriate words, how the country was at a depressed spot. "In the 1930s, times were tough. There were long lines to get food. People didn't have much and needed an escape." In comes horse racing in general, and Seabiscuit in particular. Seabiscuit was a big, ungraceful horse that was pretty unsuccessful until the right team assembled around him. Then, as Seabiscuit gained confidence, calmness, and speed, he gained a huge following of fans who had "Seabiscuit-itis."
It's a great American story, and it is super fun to read aloud, especially if you don't have any adults listening to you and you pour yourself into the excitement of the words and the feelings. Which you definitely should do, because then your kids will enjoy it all the more. Lorelei and Ben now have races (around the dining room table, accompanied by our crazy weimaraner Guidry) where they pretend to be jockeys on Seabiscuit and War Admiral. Of course, as the big sister, Lorelei is always the winner on Seabiscuit.
I don't love the illustrations. I think they are a bit goofy, and the plate-like eyes on the horses and people throw me off a bit. But the story is what counts--and that is a winner.
Rating: 4 stars
I'm trying my best to create a horse-crazy daughter...because I want to ride horses again myself! I am not completely self-motivated here. Horses saved me from those middle school years where a lot of girls crumble in the face of mean girls, changes in their body, hormone swings, and their first "boyfriends." I poured myself into whatever horse I was leasing at the moment, practicing my braids and Dressage tests and making sure their stall was spic-and-span (though my room sure never was).
This book is a surprisingly exciting children's book, one based on the wonderful little wonder horse, Seabiscuit. (If you've not read Laura Hillenbrand's book Seabiscuit: An American Legend you really should!)
She sets the pace quickly by explaining, in wonderfully simple and appropriate words, how the country was at a depressed spot. "In the 1930s, times were tough. There were long lines to get food. People didn't have much and needed an escape." In comes horse racing in general, and Seabiscuit in particular. Seabiscuit was a big, ungraceful horse that was pretty unsuccessful until the right team assembled around him. Then, as Seabiscuit gained confidence, calmness, and speed, he gained a huge following of fans who had "Seabiscuit-itis."  |
| "A hush fell over the crowd. The horses twitched. The riders sat perfectly still." |
Of course, no good story exists without a good villain. In this book, it's the graceful, well-bred, and gorgeous War Admiral, whose success came easily. Seabiscuit's owner challenged War Admiral to a race, and the two horses met. Thousands came by train, by car, by boat. "They were squished--crammed in like sardines--but that didn't matter." The two horses walked out on the track and...then...they're off! The horses race side-by-side briefly, and then Seabiscuit takes off and never looks back, leaving War Admiral four lengths behind him as he gallops across the finish line.
It's a great American story, and it is super fun to read aloud, especially if you don't have any adults listening to you and you pour yourself into the excitement of the words and the feelings. Which you definitely should do, because then your kids will enjoy it all the more. Lorelei and Ben now have races (around the dining room table, accompanied by our crazy weimaraner Guidry) where they pretend to be jockeys on Seabiscuit and War Admiral. Of course, as the big sister, Lorelei is always the winner on Seabiscuit.
I don't love the illustrations. I think they are a bit goofy, and the plate-like eyes on the horses and people throw me off a bit. But the story is what counts--and that is a winner.
A Know-Nothing Halloween by Michele Sobel Spirn
A Know-Nothing Halloween by Michele Sobel Spirn, illustrated by R.W. Alley
Rating: 2 stars
I walked into the house today from my weekly morning out without kids to hear our sitter reading this book to Lorelei. I told Miss Chloe, "I just rescued you from finishing that book!" She gave me a thankful look and told me it was giving her a headache--I knew she wasn't exaggerating much. Here's a little example of what is in the loooooooong (three little chapters!) book:
Rating: 2 stars
I walked into the house today from my weekly morning out without kids to hear our sitter reading this book to Lorelei. I told Miss Chloe, "I just rescued you from finishing that book!" She gave me a thankful look and told me it was giving her a headache--I knew she wasn't exaggerating much. Here's a little example of what is in the loooooooong (three little chapters!) book:
"We could trick-or-treat."Good grief. I hope that your children will not find these in the library. If the do, consider hiding it immediately after you come home, in a place even the sitter can't find.
"How do we do that?" asked Morris.
"We go to people's houses and do tricks for them," said Norris.
"Then they give us treats."
"I don't know any tricks," said Boris.
"Maybe Floris knows some tricks," said Norris.
"Sit, Floris."
"I don't think Floris knows that trick," said Morris.
"Roll over, Floris," said Norris.
"Floris does not know that trick either," said Morris.
"Stand on four legs, Floris," said Norris.
"What a great trick," said Morris.
"Floris is such a clever dog," said Boris.
Elephants Can Paint, Too! by Katya Arnold
Elephants Can Paint, Too! by Katya Arnold
Rating: 5 stars
I bought this book without checking it out from the library first. I knew I would love it. I knew Lorelei would love it, and I knew Ben would love it. And, amazingly, I was right about it all!
Why does Lorelei love it? Lorelei starts preschool in just about a week. She's ready. I'm ready (mostly). Last week she received a letter from her teacher, who introduced herself and told her a little bit about herself and what Lorelei should expect in the upcoming school year. The letter was so thoughtful and unnecessary--and it was written in such an appropriate tone--I just felt like it assumed Lorelei was an intelligent, thoughtful little girl capable of great things. I know, I read into it a bit. Well, it turns out that Lorelei is in the elephant class at school! So I just had to buy this book. Lorelei loves it and is excited to show it to her teacher when she first meets her.
Why does Ben love it? The book is written so well--it is a simple little story for kids Ben's age, with parallel lines for Katya Arnold's two different lives: in one she teaches little humans in Brooklyn, in the other she teaches big elephants in Thailand. Some eat grass, some eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but they all love cookies. And all of her students love art class. She shows how each student holds a paintbrush (some with fingers, some with their trunk). In addition to this simple story, there are inserts with tons of interesting facts about elephants, which are great for older kids like Lorelei.
I'm so happy this book will stay on our shelves and not have to be returned to the library next week!
Rating: 5 stars
I bought this book without checking it out from the library first. I knew I would love it. I knew Lorelei would love it, and I knew Ben would love it. And, amazingly, I was right about it all!
 |
| Who knew that elephants could paint flowers?! |
Why do I love it? As a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand I've traveled to the Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, Thailand, to see the elephants perform, show off what work they can do, to watch them paint, and to ride them. It was one of my most memorable tourist activities of my life--riding an elephant made me feel like I was 5--it was so exciting and fun and different! Plus I was there with my best bud Caitlin, who makes everything hilarious and memorable. Anyway, I was so excited that a children's book had been written/created to highlight a really neat animal that almost all children think is cool. I'm always on the prowl for nonfiction books, and this one was a well-timed find.
Why does Lorelei love it? Lorelei starts preschool in just about a week. She's ready. I'm ready (mostly). Last week she received a letter from her teacher, who introduced herself and told her a little bit about herself and what Lorelei should expect in the upcoming school year. The letter was so thoughtful and unnecessary--and it was written in such an appropriate tone--I just felt like it assumed Lorelei was an intelligent, thoughtful little girl capable of great things. I know, I read into it a bit. Well, it turns out that Lorelei is in the elephant class at school! So I just had to buy this book. Lorelei loves it and is excited to show it to her teacher when she first meets her.
 |
| Ben loves this picture of the author. |
I'm so happy this book will stay on our shelves and not have to be returned to the library next week!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Man on the Moon (A Day in the Life of Bob) by Simon Bartram
Man on the Moon (A Day in the Life of Bob) by Simon Bartram
Rating: 4.5 stars
And now for something completely different...
A Peace Corps pal of mine recommended this book to me. She said her two boys, who a little older than Lorelei and Ben, love to find the little aliens on each page. Their funny little alien faces--some with three eyes, some with eyes coming out of their heads, others more human except for their green skin--make this one of the best look-and-finds we've read.
And there's a story, too! Bob is the Man on the Moon, a regular, Earth-living guy whose job it is to fly to the moon every morning (I asked Lorelei this morning while we read this, "Does Daddy take a rocket to work?" she thought that was funny) and clean it up. It gets dirty from all the tourists from Earth, you know. The pictures of him vacuuming the moon are pretty funny. Then he and his two buddies, the Man on Mars and the Man on Saturn, do some funny dances for the tourists that blast by. He then lectures them about the moon and sells moon souvenirs. The whole time, little aliens are crawling all over the background. Bob insists that there are no such thing as aliens, which makes Lorelei and Ben shout out to him, "Bob! There ARE aliens! Look!"
VERY cute book, and one that is just different in a great way.
Rating: 4.5 stars
And now for something completely different...
A Peace Corps pal of mine recommended this book to me. She said her two boys, who a little older than Lorelei and Ben, love to find the little aliens on each page. Their funny little alien faces--some with three eyes, some with eyes coming out of their heads, others more human except for their green skin--make this one of the best look-and-finds we've read.
 |
| Bob looks for aliens but can't find any...but we do! |
VERY cute book, and one that is just different in a great way.
Otis by Loren Long
Otis by Loren Long
Rating: 5 special stars
One of our most favorite illustrators has written (and, of course, illustrated) a book of his own. And it is wonderful! One of my favorite things about it is that it's about a tractor, thus drawing in Ben, but he's a really cute tractor that loves to rollick and play and jump all around, so this draws in Lorelei really easily, too.
It is a simple tale about friendship: Otis is an old-school tractor and loves to work on his farm. He becomes friends with a young calf and, together, they romp through the fields and sit together under the apple tree after a day of hard work. But then the farmer upgrades and gets a huge, snazzy, new tractor. Otis is moved from inside the barn to outside, where weeds grow over him and he starts to rust. One day the young calf gets stuck in Mud Pond, and no one--including the snazzy new tractor--can get him out, until a familiar puff putt puffetdy chut comes from the barn, and Otis rescues his little friend. "The calf was a special calf, Otis was a special tractor, and the two of them were special friends."
SO sweet!
A note on Loren Long. His talent just blows me away. I'm so appreciative that he chose to apply his artistic talents to, among other things, children's books. Most of his books are pretty heavy--Wind Flyers is about the first all-black fighting squadron, I Dream of Trains is about a little black boy devastated by the death of Casey Jones. But Otis is a wonderful book with appropriate art--slightly more cartoon-like than his other projects. And the use of color--red Otis, the yellow new tractor, the red fire truck--just pop out from the pages.
This is one for your bookshelf. Definitely a great gift for any 3- or 4-year old, boy or girl!
Rating: 5 special stars
One of our most favorite illustrators has written (and, of course, illustrated) a book of his own. And it is wonderful! One of my favorite things about it is that it's about a tractor, thus drawing in Ben, but he's a really cute tractor that loves to rollick and play and jump all around, so this draws in Lorelei really easily, too.
It is a simple tale about friendship: Otis is an old-school tractor and loves to work on his farm. He becomes friends with a young calf and, together, they romp through the fields and sit together under the apple tree after a day of hard work. But then the farmer upgrades and gets a huge, snazzy, new tractor. Otis is moved from inside the barn to outside, where weeds grow over him and he starts to rust. One day the young calf gets stuck in Mud Pond, and no one--including the snazzy new tractor--can get him out, until a familiar puff putt puffetdy chut comes from the barn, and Otis rescues his little friend. "The calf was a special calf, Otis was a special tractor, and the two of them were special friends."SO sweet!
This is one for your bookshelf. Definitely a great gift for any 3- or 4-year old, boy or girl!
Monday, August 30, 2010
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.
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.
The Story Blanket by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz
The Story Blanket by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz, illustrated by Elena Odriozola
Rating: 5 stars
This book is a little gift of a tale about Babba Zarrah, a wonderful old lady, giving gifts to everyone in her village. And, in return for her generosity, they give her gifts in return. There are so many wonderful things about it I don't know where to start.
"The next time the children went to Babba Zarrah's for a story, there was a colorful new blanket to sit on and a tale about a village where everyone shared with each other."
Such a sweet, sweet story! The images from Elena Odriozola are simple and whimsical. They help make what could be a pretty heavy story into a light, approachable one. It is definitely one for teachers and grandmas (our Grammy would give it ten stars and tear up while she read it), but one for parents as well. There are so many lessons to draw from the tale, especially those of sharing and generosity and thoughtfulness. But also of recycling and creativity and resourcefulness. An all-round winner!
Rating: 5 stars
This book is a little gift of a tale about Babba Zarrah, a wonderful old lady, giving gifts to everyone in her village. And, in return for her generosity, they give her gifts in return. There are so many wonderful things about it I don't know where to start.
Babba Zarrah is a beloved story-teller, and kids come from all over to sit on her story blanket and listen to her stories. One day she notices one of the little boys has a hole in his shoes, so she decide to knit him some socks. But the winter snow is too deep to allow new supplies to come to the village; she can't find any new wool. She says, wisely, "Every question has an answer. I just have to think of it." (What wonderful thing to say to my kids, and to have them say to themselves!) She looks at the story blanket and finds the answer...she unravels it to make socks for the little boy. And then a scarf for the chilly postman. And then mittens for the headmaster. Pretty soon everyone has mysterious, warm gifts delivered on their doorstep, and the story blanket becomes smaller and smaller, forcing all the kids to squash together. When the villagers finally realize where they gifts are coming from--and you see the villagers wearing the warm gifts, the beautiful story blanket shared with all--they decide to return the favor to Babba Zarrah by unraveling all of their blankets and giving her their wool.
Such a sweet, sweet story! The images from Elena Odriozola are simple and whimsical. They help make what could be a pretty heavy story into a light, approachable one. It is definitely one for teachers and grandmas (our Grammy would give it ten stars and tear up while she read it), but one for parents as well. There are so many lessons to draw from the tale, especially those of sharing and generosity and thoughtfulness. But also of recycling and creativity and resourcefulness. An all-round winner!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Baby Danced the Polka by Karen Beaumont
Baby Danced the Polka by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by Jennifer Plecas
Rating: 5 polka-dancing stars!
This is an old favorite of ours, one that beloved Grammy found some years ago. It's the only book that we have that gives a nod to our Polish ancestry, something that lingers in my sister and I though our last names no longer have a confusing jumble of consonants that somehow sound like "check" or end in "ski." But, to be honest, it's only a tiny nod, just a good excuse to get this book for anyone and everyone who has a little bit of polka-dancing in their past.
Karen Beaumont is at her best with this swinging poem about a baby who just won't go to bed. His Ma and Pa keep on putting him to bed and get right to work on some chores around the house like fixing the chow, washing wigs (?! hey, it rhymes with pig), starching long johns, hauling water and other stuff we don't do anymore but is fun to think about doing. Except the wig thing. Ok, and maybe the long johns, too. But then the baby comes barreling out of his bedroom doing a different dance with a different animal, obviously not sleeping! First, he polkas with the polka-dotted pig. Then he boogie-woogies with the frisky little goat, then he cha-chas with the chocolate-colored cow. You get the idea.
One of our favorite parts when we're reading aloud is opening the flap that shows the polka-ing or cha-cha-ing or boogie-woogie-ing baby and animal, with the last word (the animal) written under the flap. Lorelei yells it out in her biggest outside voice. And Ben says "EH!" his favorite word for most everything. It makes me laugh, and it makes them laugh, and that makes this a great, great book.
Lorelei ripped the last two pages of the book when she was a baby, and the words are missing. So when the kids get Daddy to read it, he has to yell from the other room: "What's the last verse?" And I shout out the words because they are etched in my memory. For months we'd recite this walking to the mailbox and back, even though we left the book at home. I am willing to bet that I'll be able to recite it in twenty years, too!
Rating: 5 polka-dancing stars!
This is an old favorite of ours, one that beloved Grammy found some years ago. It's the only book that we have that gives a nod to our Polish ancestry, something that lingers in my sister and I though our last names no longer have a confusing jumble of consonants that somehow sound like "check" or end in "ski." But, to be honest, it's only a tiny nod, just a good excuse to get this book for anyone and everyone who has a little bit of polka-dancing in their past.
Karen Beaumont is at her best with this swinging poem about a baby who just won't go to bed. His Ma and Pa keep on putting him to bed and get right to work on some chores around the house like fixing the chow, washing wigs (?! hey, it rhymes with pig), starching long johns, hauling water and other stuff we don't do anymore but is fun to think about doing. Except the wig thing. Ok, and maybe the long johns, too. But then the baby comes barreling out of his bedroom doing a different dance with a different animal, obviously not sleeping! First, he polkas with the polka-dotted pig. Then he boogie-woogies with the frisky little goat, then he cha-chas with the chocolate-colored cow. You get the idea.
One of our favorite parts when we're reading aloud is opening the flap that shows the polka-ing or cha-cha-ing or boogie-woogie-ing baby and animal, with the last word (the animal) written under the flap. Lorelei yells it out in her biggest outside voice. And Ben says "EH!" his favorite word for most everything. It makes me laugh, and it makes them laugh, and that makes this a great, great book.
Lorelei ripped the last two pages of the book when she was a baby, and the words are missing. So when the kids get Daddy to read it, he has to yell from the other room: "What's the last verse?" And I shout out the words because they are etched in my memory. For months we'd recite this walking to the mailbox and back, even though we left the book at home. I am willing to bet that I'll be able to recite it in twenty years, too!
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, illustrated by Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak
Rating: 5 stars
Oh my gosh such a sweet book. Be prepared for tears! (From you, of course, not your little one, who will mostly be oblivious to the sweetness of this book.)
I'm certain that you've at least heard of this book before as it was written in 1993 and stayed on the NYTimes bestsellers list for a long time. And almost every preschool that has a recommended reading list to parents during the back-to-school months must include this book on it. It's a simple story: the little raccoon is starting school and is worried he'll miss his mama. So she kisses his hand and tells him that if he feels lonely, just put the hand up to his face and he'll feel her love for him, even if she's not right there. At the end, he kisses her hand (sniff, sniff!) and tells her the same thing.
Our preschool suggests that we "create a ritual of saying good-bye" like having a special handshake or a song, or a kiss on the hand like this book suggests. For Ben it'll certainly be an explosive fist bump, something that cracks him up like nobody's business. For sweet Lorelei, it'll be something like a kiss or song. Ok, I've got to stop thinking about the first day of carpool and actually saying good-bye to Lorelei. I'm so thankful that Ben will still be in the car with me; I hate crying in front of them, so I'll at least have to sob silently.
Rating: 5 stars
Oh my gosh such a sweet book. Be prepared for tears! (From you, of course, not your little one, who will mostly be oblivious to the sweetness of this book.)
I'm certain that you've at least heard of this book before as it was written in 1993 and stayed on the NYTimes bestsellers list for a long time. And almost every preschool that has a recommended reading list to parents during the back-to-school months must include this book on it. It's a simple story: the little raccoon is starting school and is worried he'll miss his mama. So she kisses his hand and tells him that if he feels lonely, just put the hand up to his face and he'll feel her love for him, even if she's not right there. At the end, he kisses her hand (sniff, sniff!) and tells her the same thing.
Our preschool suggests that we "create a ritual of saying good-bye" like having a special handshake or a song, or a kiss on the hand like this book suggests. For Ben it'll certainly be an explosive fist bump, something that cracks him up like nobody's business. For sweet Lorelei, it'll be something like a kiss or song. Ok, I've got to stop thinking about the first day of carpool and actually saying good-bye to Lorelei. I'm so thankful that Ben will still be in the car with me; I hate crying in front of them, so I'll at least have to sob silently.
Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney
Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney
Rating: 4.5 stars
I should give it a 5 but it has the word "hate" in it. I know, isn't that so old-fashioned of me?
Other than that, this is one of my favorite ready-for-school books. The short, snappy rhymes that made Anna Dewdney's other books so popular and so fantastic are back, and because the text is so quick, it sticks with kids. I hope this line sticks with Lorelei in a few weeks: "Don't be sad, new little llama! / It's okay to miss your mama, / But don't forget-- / when day is through, / She will come right back to you. / Llama llama, please don't fuss. / Have some fun and play with us!"
After another trip to a park where Lorelei ran over to ask some big kids to play tea party with her (they declined so kindly...whew!), I'm pretty sure she'll be just fine. But a book like this one, which introduces the whole concept of Mom's-going-to-drop-you-off-at-school-and-leave-you-with-strangers thing has a perfect little dose of "missing" in it. I am glad for it, because I explain to Lorelei that she'll probably miss me but maybe some other kids will really, really miss their moms, and she can be a good helper and a good friend and try to cheer them up by inviting them to play and stuff.
Fingers crossed. Three more weeks till school starts, so I'm trying my best not to fret. But I'm so GOOD at it!
Rating: 4.5 stars
I should give it a 5 but it has the word "hate" in it. I know, isn't that so old-fashioned of me?
Other than that, this is one of my favorite ready-for-school books. The short, snappy rhymes that made Anna Dewdney's other books so popular and so fantastic are back, and because the text is so quick, it sticks with kids. I hope this line sticks with Lorelei in a few weeks: "Don't be sad, new little llama! / It's okay to miss your mama, / But don't forget-- / when day is through, / She will come right back to you. / Llama llama, please don't fuss. / Have some fun and play with us!"
After another trip to a park where Lorelei ran over to ask some big kids to play tea party with her (they declined so kindly...whew!), I'm pretty sure she'll be just fine. But a book like this one, which introduces the whole concept of Mom's-going-to-drop-you-off-at-school-and-leave-you-with-strangers thing has a perfect little dose of "missing" in it. I am glad for it, because I explain to Lorelei that she'll probably miss me but maybe some other kids will really, really miss their moms, and she can be a good helper and a good friend and try to cheer them up by inviting them to play and stuff.
Fingers crossed. Three more weeks till school starts, so I'm trying my best not to fret. But I'm so GOOD at it!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
I Love Tools! by Philemon Sturges
I Love Tools! by Philemon Sturges, illustrated by Shari Halpern
Rating: 4 stars
Like I said, we can't stop reading these books! They are each very simple but fun and a wonderful introduction to basic but important concepts. Like tools. I found myself really excited, in a super dorky way, about reading what little snippets Sturges found on each tool on the front and back cover/jackets (is there a right word for this?!) of the book. He didn't disappoint!
- Because a hammer has so many uses, including making other tools, it is sometimes called the "king of tools." (Is there a queen of tools? I'm going to guess not.)
- If you live in a typical American home, your house was probably built using around 200 pounds of nails!
The book introduces tools as a family of four (including both a son and daughter) build a bird house together, making this book a fantastic one as a springing board for such a project at home. Lorelei will be ready to do this sort of project in the Spring, which means Ben will be, too.
Rating: 4 stars
Like I said, we can't stop reading these books! They are each very simple but fun and a wonderful introduction to basic but important concepts. Like tools. I found myself really excited, in a super dorky way, about reading what little snippets Sturges found on each tool on the front and back cover/jackets (is there a right word for this?!) of the book. He didn't disappoint!
Here are some of his random factoids:
- The earliest rulers were based on the length of people's feet, hands, or fingers.- Because a hammer has so many uses, including making other tools, it is sometimes called the "king of tools." (Is there a queen of tools? I'm going to guess not.)
- If you live in a typical American home, your house was probably built using around 200 pounds of nails!
The book introduces tools as a family of four (including both a son and daughter) build a bird house together, making this book a fantastic one as a springing board for such a project at home. Lorelei will be ready to do this sort of project in the Spring, which means Ben will be, too.
I Am a Backhoe by Anna Grossnickle Hines
I Am a Backhoe by Anna Grossnickle Hines
Rating: 3.5 stars
The other day I had to get my car taken in for a very minor repair. I'd already gone twice without the kids, but I was tired of all my with-the-sitter time taken up by the darn car shop. Lorelei and Ben are really well-behaved, so this time they came with me. Of course, it took longer than the 30 minutes my designated representative told me it would be. So we took a walk. Luckily for us, there was a construction site just a block away!
At 9:30 in the morning, the three of us walked along a very desolate part of the ex-burbs of Northern Virginia and watched some real backhoes do some work. Ben could hardly contain his excitement when he saw a dump truck actually DUMP something! And then, right next to the sidewalk, a tiny little digger (ok, I don't think the operator called it that, but I did) that was still on, just idling, waiting for its operator to come spur him into action. I couldn't believe Ben resisted the temptation to reach out and touch it. Next to this still-on machine was some other machine that I should know because I've read so many books like this, and leaning on it were three very filthy but very friendly construction dudes. We of course said hello and good morning and smiled, but they were just perplexed as to what we were doing there. Until they saw Ben jump up and down with excitement when a big backhoe came and scooped up some rocks RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! Oh my gosh, the thrill of it!
Maybe you had to be there.
Anyway, I hope these cheap thrills last a lot longer! The book is a good twist on the normal machine-book-for-little-boys genre that will never go out of style. The little boy in the book acts out all the machines, which is pretty cute and actually really interests Lorelei, who chooses to read this book more often than Ben. The other good little twist is that, at the end of the book, the little boy's father puts him on his back and acts like a flatbed truck. His dad dumps him "into the big garage" (the sofa) and they finish the book by reading a book. It ends: "I like trucks. And so does Daddy."
Rating: 3.5 stars
The other day I had to get my car taken in for a very minor repair. I'd already gone twice without the kids, but I was tired of all my with-the-sitter time taken up by the darn car shop. Lorelei and Ben are really well-behaved, so this time they came with me. Of course, it took longer than the 30 minutes my designated representative told me it would be. So we took a walk. Luckily for us, there was a construction site just a block away!
At 9:30 in the morning, the three of us walked along a very desolate part of the ex-burbs of Northern Virginia and watched some real backhoes do some work. Ben could hardly contain his excitement when he saw a dump truck actually DUMP something! And then, right next to the sidewalk, a tiny little digger (ok, I don't think the operator called it that, but I did) that was still on, just idling, waiting for its operator to come spur him into action. I couldn't believe Ben resisted the temptation to reach out and touch it. Next to this still-on machine was some other machine that I should know because I've read so many books like this, and leaning on it were three very filthy but very friendly construction dudes. We of course said hello and good morning and smiled, but they were just perplexed as to what we were doing there. Until they saw Ben jump up and down with excitement when a big backhoe came and scooped up some rocks RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! Oh my gosh, the thrill of it!
Maybe you had to be there.
Anyway, I hope these cheap thrills last a lot longer! The book is a good twist on the normal machine-book-for-little-boys genre that will never go out of style. The little boy in the book acts out all the machines, which is pretty cute and actually really interests Lorelei, who chooses to read this book more often than Ben. The other good little twist is that, at the end of the book, the little boy's father puts him on his back and acts like a flatbed truck. His dad dumps him "into the big garage" (the sofa) and they finish the book by reading a book. It ends: "I like trucks. And so does Daddy."
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sally Gets a Job by Stephen Huneck
Sally Gets a Job by Stephen Huneck
Rating: 4.5 stars
Today during our fairly regular "girls outing" during Ben's Saturday afternoon nap, Lorelei and I went to the library. We love going, and we both love going while "the little guy" (as we all call Ben) is sleeping, instead of running around loudly, trying to pull books off shelves and wrestle with the stuffed alligators they have for other little guys.
Lorelei was pretty pooped from a morning at the playground, so I just wanted to sit and read with her. Sometimes the library can be an overwhelming place, and finding the right books that are simultaneously familiar and known is tough. I was heading over to the H section to look at Kevin Henkes books (we sure do love Lilly!) when I saw that our little local library --gasp!-- had every single one of Stephen Huneck's Sally books. Lorelei was as excited as I was, which made me smile even bigger. We pulled them out--all six of them--and read them all in a row.
We liked them all, but we have our favorites. This is one of them, that we brought home to read with Ben. Lorelei and I were both a little intrigued by the title of this one and wondered out loud what sort of a job Sally the dog could get. We soon found out! The book starts out: "It's a lucky dog that has a family, and a lucky family that has a dog." I was so hooked! I almost teared up over it (yes, I cry at Hallmark commercials). I'll try and continue without getting choked up...
Sally watches her family go to work and school each day and thinks that maybe she should get a job, too. So she envisions jobs for herself: bus driver (driving other dogs), a teacher (of obedience class), an archeologist (because she's good at digging), a paleontologist (because she likes bones), a rescue dog (saving animals from burning buildings). Once again, the charm is in the huge pictures. Stephen Huneck's woodcuts are simple and wonderful and different, and just plain charming. She finally realizes that she has the best job in the world: taking care of her family. Awww!
The final illustration is the little boy in the family playing tug-of-war with Sally; each has one end of the sock in her/his mouth. I know that it's only a matter of time that Ben attempts this with our dogs. I sure hope it doesn't result in a trip to the dentist!
Rating: 4.5 stars
Today during our fairly regular "girls outing" during Ben's Saturday afternoon nap, Lorelei and I went to the library. We love going, and we both love going while "the little guy" (as we all call Ben) is sleeping, instead of running around loudly, trying to pull books off shelves and wrestle with the stuffed alligators they have for other little guys.
Lorelei was pretty pooped from a morning at the playground, so I just wanted to sit and read with her. Sometimes the library can be an overwhelming place, and finding the right books that are simultaneously familiar and known is tough. I was heading over to the H section to look at Kevin Henkes books (we sure do love Lilly!) when I saw that our little local library --gasp!-- had every single one of Stephen Huneck's Sally books. Lorelei was as excited as I was, which made me smile even bigger. We pulled them out--all six of them--and read them all in a row.
We liked them all, but we have our favorites. This is one of them, that we brought home to read with Ben. Lorelei and I were both a little intrigued by the title of this one and wondered out loud what sort of a job Sally the dog could get. We soon found out! The book starts out: "It's a lucky dog that has a family, and a lucky family that has a dog." I was so hooked! I almost teared up over it (yes, I cry at Hallmark commercials). I'll try and continue without getting choked up...
Sally watches her family go to work and school each day and thinks that maybe she should get a job, too. So she envisions jobs for herself: bus driver (driving other dogs), a teacher (of obedience class), an archeologist (because she's good at digging), a paleontologist (because she likes bones), a rescue dog (saving animals from burning buildings). Once again, the charm is in the huge pictures. Stephen Huneck's woodcuts are simple and wonderful and different, and just plain charming. She finally realizes that she has the best job in the world: taking care of her family. Awww!
The final illustration is the little boy in the family playing tug-of-war with Sally; each has one end of the sock in her/his mouth. I know that it's only a matter of time that Ben attempts this with our dogs. I sure hope it doesn't result in a trip to the dentist!
Book Fiesta! by Pat Mora
Book Fiesta! by Pat Mora, illustrated by Rafael Lopez
Rating: 4 stars
The cover of this book is like an gorgeous invitation to any book-loving kid out there. It is bright and cheerful, and shows kids romping and reading together. It was peeking out at me in the Bilingual section of our library this afternoon as Lorelei and I sat during our "girls outing" that often happens during Ben's Saturday afternoon nap.
The book is about Children's Day, or El dia de los ninos and also Book Day, El Dia do los libros. It is a sweet poem that originally was a song that Pat Mora wrote. In the pages of this wonderful book he expands on the song and celebrates children and books together--because he thinks, as I sure do, that the two go hand-in-hand. "Hooray! Today is our day. / El dia de los ninos! / Let's have fun today reading our favorite books. / We read in English and Spanish, / in Chinese and Navajo too. / We read by ourselves, / we read with a friend."
Rating: 4 stars
The cover of this book is like an gorgeous invitation to any book-loving kid out there. It is bright and cheerful, and shows kids romping and reading together. It was peeking out at me in the Bilingual section of our library this afternoon as Lorelei and I sat during our "girls outing" that often happens during Ben's Saturday afternoon nap.
The book is about Children's Day, or El dia de los ninos and also Book Day, El Dia do los libros. It is a sweet poem that originally was a song that Pat Mora wrote. In the pages of this wonderful book he expands on the song and celebrates children and books together--because he thinks, as I sure do, that the two go hand-in-hand. "Hooray! Today is our day. / El dia de los ninos! / Let's have fun today reading our favorite books. / We read in English and Spanish, / in Chinese and Navajo too. / We read by ourselves, / we read with a friend."The text is fine. But the pictures! Oh my gosh. Pictures of kids just reading: their noses joyfully buried in their books, sitting side by side with a pal reading together, carefully balanced on the statue outside the library reading. They are excitedly running to the library, acting out the story their parents are reading to them. They read in cars, and planes, and trains, in the garden, an elephant, and even in a whale's mouth! (Lorelei found this one pretty captivating.) I can't say enough about how much I love the illustrations.
I really wish there was more text (which is, by the way, in both English and Spanish), a little more explaining of El dia de los ninos... At the end of the book, in an author's note, Pat Mora encourages people to have book fiestas of their own. It's an inspiring little section of how to bring books to life, and another reason to read this great book.
Even Firefighters Hug Their Moms by Christine Kole Maclean
Even Firefighters Hug Their Moms by Christine Kole Maclean, illustrated by Mike Reed
Rating: 5 stars
I always go on a hunt for books for birthdays and other special occasions. I try and find a bunch of books that I think the particular child would like, and then I check them out at the library to preview them, and then we buy one or two for the child. Well, I kind of ran out of time for my very best friend's son's 4th birthday and I had to do what most people do: buy a book without reading it first! Gasp!
Now that you've gotten over your shock, I'm here to say that the gamble work. This particular little boy is happily in the Firefighter Stage, which I hear is inevitable and lasts awhile. I had tried to find other books on firefighters, but when I came across this one and decided to take the risk. I am glad it was good. My best friend reported back to me on his birthday that it was great and the birthday boy loved it, so I checked it out to make sure she wasn't just being polite. (Unlikely. We've been friends far too long for that.)
This book is about a big brother and little sister who have several imaginative scenarios while playing in their house, supervised by their mother. They pretend to be firefighters putting out a fire, police officers capturing criminals, EMTs taking care of victims, construction workers building some pillow thingie, helicopter pilots rescuing people from "gigantic storms," and astronauts going to the moon. And Mars. The great illustrations show the brother and sister: a) playing together really happily (the little sister gets a special role in each situation), b) using normal household things in a super creative way, and c) the mother sometimes supervising, sometimes playing right alongside them. What great things to see!
After each little scenario, the mom requests a hug, but the little boy is too busy fighting fires or rescuing people, to which the mom replies: "Even firefighters (or EMTs or...) hug their moms!" She gets rebuffed every time until the end, when he finally gives her a hug (the illustration is very sweet) and explains to his little sister, "Even firefighters hug their moms!"
Very, very cute book for a bunch of different reasons! The copy from the library is so beat up...it looks like a lot of people agree with me that this book is very much worth reading.
So, happy birthday, G!
Rating: 5 stars
I always go on a hunt for books for birthdays and other special occasions. I try and find a bunch of books that I think the particular child would like, and then I check them out at the library to preview them, and then we buy one or two for the child. Well, I kind of ran out of time for my very best friend's son's 4th birthday and I had to do what most people do: buy a book without reading it first! Gasp!
Now that you've gotten over your shock, I'm here to say that the gamble work. This particular little boy is happily in the Firefighter Stage, which I hear is inevitable and lasts awhile. I had tried to find other books on firefighters, but when I came across this one and decided to take the risk. I am glad it was good. My best friend reported back to me on his birthday that it was great and the birthday boy loved it, so I checked it out to make sure she wasn't just being polite. (Unlikely. We've been friends far too long for that.)
This book is about a big brother and little sister who have several imaginative scenarios while playing in their house, supervised by their mother. They pretend to be firefighters putting out a fire, police officers capturing criminals, EMTs taking care of victims, construction workers building some pillow thingie, helicopter pilots rescuing people from "gigantic storms," and astronauts going to the moon. And Mars. The great illustrations show the brother and sister: a) playing together really happily (the little sister gets a special role in each situation), b) using normal household things in a super creative way, and c) the mother sometimes supervising, sometimes playing right alongside them. What great things to see!
After each little scenario, the mom requests a hug, but the little boy is too busy fighting fires or rescuing people, to which the mom replies: "Even firefighters (or EMTs or...) hug their moms!" She gets rebuffed every time until the end, when he finally gives her a hug (the illustration is very sweet) and explains to his little sister, "Even firefighters hug their moms!"
Very, very cute book for a bunch of different reasons! The copy from the library is so beat up...it looks like a lot of people agree with me that this book is very much worth reading.
So, happy birthday, G!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)