A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippen by Jen Bryant

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippen by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Rating: 5 stars

This is a really neat nonfiction book about artist Horace Pippen (and illustrated by super talented Caldecott winner Melissa Sweet) that I reviewed a while ago for a local mag, the Washington Family Magazine:

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippen provides just the kind of story I want my children to see, read, and have in their heads and hearts for years.

Here's the story: Horace Pippen was born in West Chester, PA, in 1888.  He grew up in a large family where no one had much and everyone helped out.  From a young age, he loved to draw.  “If he could find a scrap of paper and a piece of charcoal, he drew pictures of what he’d seen that day.”  By looking around to what was available to him, Horace made scenes and people come alive on his paper.

To read the rest, click here.

Mapping Penny's World by Loreen Leedy

Mapping Penny's World by Loreen Leedy

Rating: 4 stars

The other morning at school Ben had an "outdoor day," where his class spent the entire morning outside.  All the things they normally did inside were simply done on the school playground and various other places.  I found out maps were a big part of the morning when he came home and asked me if there was a compass on my smartphone.

The next day I sent in this book with him to class--we had looked at it a few times at home, but I thought his teacher might want it as well.  I try hard not to be annoying and suggestive with books, but I sometimes I can't help myself!

This educational book introduces the importance of maps, the different kinds of maps, and how to draw and read maps to young children.  It does all of this in a storybook format, with a young schoolgirl as a narrator and her Boston Terrier Penny as a cute diversion from the teaching that is going on.

Lisa's class is making maps--which are, her teacher explains, "a picture of something from above.  It's like flying over that spot in an airplane."  The class draws out the school on the blackboard (remember those?), completely with a title, key, symbol, scale, compass, and labels.

Lisa and Penny decide to map out her bedroom, and then map where Penny hides her hidden treasures out in the yard. They map the route to Penny's friend's house, then the local park where Lisa rides her bike and Penny rolls in the grass.

The book ends with a map of the world, where a hopeful dotted line shows a map of where Lisa would like to travel one day.

The book is a great reference for parents and teachers to teach their kids how to draw a map--of their bedrooms or yards or communities.

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

Rating: 5 (maybe 6!) stars

Hands down, this is THE BEST children's book I've read in 2013!

First there was Iggy Peck, Architect, a book that Lorelei discovered from a student whose parents were clearly more concerned about her literary future than Lorelei's parents... While Lorelei brought in a flimsy paperback about sparkly fairies, her classmate brought in these two gems by Andrea Beaty.

Now there is Rosie Revere, Engineer, a book about Iggy Peck's classmate Rosie.  Young Rosie is a shy girl who dreams of becoming a great engineer.  In her spare time, when no one is looking, and after her lights should be out, she happily creates gadgets and gizmos.  She invents contraptions for anyone and everyone, including for her favorite zookeeper-uncle Fred.  For him, she creates a hat made of parts of a fan and cheddar cheese spray to keep snakes off his head.

His reaction?

He laughed till he wheezed and his eyes filled with tears,
all to the horror of Rosie Revere,
who stood there embarrassed, perplexed, and dismayed.
She looked at the cheese hat and then looked away.
"I love it," Fred hooted.  "Oh, truly I do."
But Rosie Revere knew that could not be true.
She stuck the cheese hat on the back of her shelf
and after that day kept her dreams to herself.

Until one day (and thankfully, there is a "one day" for Rosie as I hope there is a "one day" for all of us), her great-great-aunt Rose tells tales of the things she's done in her long, full life.  Aunt Rose has accomplished everything she's ever wanted on her long bucket list.  Except one thing: to fly!  She has not yet had that thrill, and she doubts if she'll get the chance...at her age, it might be just an old lady's dream.

That night, Rosie cannot sleep.  She wants to help.  She knows she can!  The idea of creating a flying machine for her Aunt Rose completely captivates her (as I hope things captivate my kids and yours).  So, the next day, she creates a flying machine.

She hauls it out before Aunt Rose, her confidence shaky.

Strapped into the cockpit, she flipped on the switch.
The heli-o-cheese-copter sputtered and twitched.
It floated a moment and whirled round and round,
then froze for a heartbeat and crashed to the ground.

Her reaction?

Then Rosie heard laughter and turned round to see
the old woman was laughing and slapping her knee.
She laughed till she wheezed and her eyes filled with tears
all to the horror of Rosie Revere.

But before little Rosie gives up her dreams altogether in one horrible moment of failure, her wise old aunt grabs hold of her and gives her a you-did-it speech.  Rosie is confused; did Aunt Rose not see that her invention failed?  Of course she saw it, and of course it failed!  But for one brief moment before it crashed, it flew!

"Your brilliant first flop was a raging success!
Come on, let's get busy and on to the next!"
She handed a notebook to Rosie Revere,
who smiled at her aunt as it all became clear.
Life might have its failures, but this was not it.
The only true failure can come if you quit.

Rosie goes on to invent more things of and on her own, and she also inspires her classmates (including Iggy) to create contraptions both silly and useful--contraptions that my kids thought were a complete hoot.

The three huge things this phenomenal book does are pretty clear but I have to applaud Beaty a thousand times over:

First, it gives the spotlight to a little girl bravely tip-toeing into a field traditionally dominated by men.  There's no mention of it, but that's because in elementary school, girls don't yet realize when they are making moxie-filled decisions.  They're just being true to themselves.

Second, it teaches the importance of failing--the need to fail!--as a part of the learning process.  I read Mindset: the New Psychology of Success over the summer, and scrawled on our kitchen's whiteboard "Mistake = the opportunity to learn and grow," hoping they'd begin to understand. I hope that more kids are more open to making more mistakes and learning from them than perfectionist me ever was.

Third, Beaty provides all of these examples and lessons in a children's book that is fun and interesting and cool!  She accomplishes so much in such a cooly written and awesomely illustrated book. David Roberts' quirky and creative and fun illustrations are a fantastic compliment to her story, for sure.

Oh...and a fourth...! Of course I love the nod to Rosie the Riveter, the original American tough girl.  That is just the icing on an already amazingly wonderful book.

(I think that most 4- or 5-year old girls will be getting this book from us for the next, um, 30 years...!)

P.S.  This book made me want to start a new category--"mighty girls"--on my blog, so I'll be going through all my past entries to tag/label all books that encourage female empowerment. If you've got a girl or you're a teacher, definitely check out A Mighty Girl website.  I can get lost there for days!

Mini Racer by Kristy Dempsey

Mini Racer by Kristy Dempsey, illustrated by Bridget Strevens-Marzo

Rating: 5 stars

I've got to admit: I barely keep it together most mornings.  I try really hard to wake the kids, get them clothed, fed, brushed, and ready while making their breakfasts and lunches while also caring for our dogs and being tolerable to my husband.  It's as if I'm juggling way too many things while also balancing on a ball, doing my best to breathe deeply in order to maintain a shred of sanity.

More than anyone else, Ben hears, "Not in the morning.  I just can't."  Even as I type it I cringe.  It doesn't sound good to say it, it doesn't sound good to hear it, it doesn't sound good as it clicks through my fingers just now.  But it's really the truth.  Mornings are tough.  Even though most of our mornings are actually pretty good, rarely do I have time to do much beyond the necessary.  No savoring moments or sips or laughs.  Just trying to get everyone's day started on a good, positive, happy note.  Mine, too!

Ready, steady; green light, go!

But then there are some mornings when one of the boys sleeps in and I have time with the other one after Lorelei and my husband leave for the bus.  The other day was one such morning.  Ben was still sleeping, Kiefer had already eaten, and I actually listened to the voice in my head: Slow the heck down.

So I grabbed a book--Mini Racer--and my littlest guy, and we read.

What a cute book this is!  Yes, there are a dozen books for toddlers about cars in a race.  Yes, most of them rhyme.  Yes, many have good illustrations.  But this one seems to work more than most.

Ready, steady; green light, go!
Mini Racer won't go slow.
Out the gate and down the hill,
Jump a bump, show your skill!
Over, under, in and through,
Obstacles are tough to do.

The story is a notch above good, with a catchy rhyme for sure.

Kiefer's favorite page...the giraffe's head sticks out of the jeep,
and therefore he's stuck outside the tunnel.

But the illustrations make it a notch above great.  They are so cute!  A bunch of animals are racing, and each one has a car unique to him or her or them.  The owl family has a tree car, the dog is driving a motorcycle with a box of bones that are constantly falling out, the rabbits have a carrot box-car thingie, the honey has a beehive on the back of its vehicle...  You get the idea.  And each two-page spread has a different racing scene with a bunch of interesting things going on within the illustration alone.

Good story + great illustrations = one fantastic book.  Mini Racer really should be available in a large board book format--it is destined to be a favorite of many car-loving little guys and girls!

All of this makes for a very good read on a surprisingly quiet morning with an always special boy.

Halloween by Gail Gibbons

Halloween by Gail Gibbons

Rating: 4 stars

Question: Do you know where the word jack-o'-lantern comes from?

Answer: An old fable.  Who knew?  Supposedly, when a mean, stingy, old man named Jack died, he wasn't allowed to go to heaven.  There wasn't any place for him to go, so he carved a turnip (!), placed a piece of hot, glowing coal in it, and roamed all night long here on Earth.  People called him Jack of the Lantern.  Or, Jack-o'-lantern.

This is the most interesting factoid in this where-does-the-holiday-come-from book by Gail Gibbons, but the other facts are pretty interesting, too.  She explains how the holiday came about and the traditions around the holiday.

As always, Gail Gibbons produces a nice little book with plenty of fine illustrations and interesting facts.  This one is good for the younger crowd, too (many of her books involve so many facts that kids under 5 tend to lose interest with all the facts).

11 more days until Halloween!

The People in Pineapple Place by Anne Lindbergh

The People in Pineapple Place by Anne Lindbergh, cover illustrated by Marla Frazee

Rating: 3.5 stars

Young August Brown moves to Washington, DC, after his parents divorce.  He is adjusting to a new reality in many ways--his mother is back at work for the first time in his life, he lives in a brand-new city (specifically, a neighborhood in Georgetown), and he has no friends.  Until he meets April and her siblings and friends.  He stumbles upon them one day in an alley around the corner from his house, and is overjoyed that they have taken him in as their new playmate.

The funny thing is, they are not real.  They are invisible to everyone but him.  (Well, even more mysteriously, one of the kids is often seen by an adult or two, causing for massive confusion in both real and imaginary worlds.)  They have some fun adventures in their neighborhood and in Washington, DC, itself, and August begins to feel more at home in his new home and also within himself.  Amazing what friends can do, huh?

This book is not the best read aloud chapter book for younger (5-8) kids.  It is not the best book for a 6 year old to read on her own.  But it is the book that our local library selected as the book to be discussed at this afternoon's Kids Book Club.  Lorelei saw the sign and said, "I would love to do that!"  So...I read the book myself, decided it was fine for her to read, and then met with her to have our first Mother-Daughter Book Club.

My goal was two-fold: First, to spend time with our oldest, whose good behavior often means that she gets the least attention.  Mix that with the longest school day of all three children, and you get a mom who misses her daughter when the school year starts. We are both pretty crazy about books; why not share that passion with someone I'm crazy about?  Second, I wanted to give her an example of what a book club was about.  Sure, plenty of them are more social than literary, but I needed to gauge her interest and ability to talk about a book in a focused way.

Well, she did great!  And we had a great time.

Lorelei and her chosen treat: a cake pop

I couldn't find any study questions on The People in Pineapple Place so I got into Kate-the-teacher mode and made up my own.  Along with a fancy-ish invitation to join me for tea, I gave Lorelei a list of these questions about a week before we met so she could think about the answers, reread the book if she wanted (she did), and know what sort of thing we'd be discussing.

1. Pretend I've not read the book. What is the book about?
2. Which character do you like the best?  Why?
3. Why is August mad at the beginning of the story?
4. Do you think August is telling the truth--can he really see the kids?
5. What would be fun about being 10 years old for a long, long time?  What would NOT be fun?
6. What places have you been to that August has also visited?
7. Why can August's mom only see one child?
8. What was your favorite part of the story?

The book was fine, the afternoon with Lorelei was priceless.  We sat outside Starbucks--well, I sat and she twirled and flitted around the seating area while answering all these questions and more.  We laughed about the silly parts of the books, especially about the games the invisible kids could play and get away with, such as roller skating in the National Museum of Art.  A conversation with any child is a bit like sitting in the passenger seat and letting them drive a little--you've got to just follow their lead, take advantage of the focused moments and chuckle at the very random tangents that inevitably occur.

I'm really looking forward to next month's Mother Daughter Book Club!  I think Lorelei is, too, though she might be looking forward to the cake pop at Starbucks more than time with her mom.  That's ok, those things do look tasty.

Baseball Tips by Dean Hughes and Tom Hughes

Baseball Tips: A Simple, Surefire System to Make You the Best Player You Can Be by Dean Hughes and Tom Hughes, illustrated by Dennis Lyall

Rating: 5 stars

About a month ago, Ben shyly asked our friend and librarian Miss Sharon where the baseball section was located.  When looking for a book on dinosaurs, we realized that there were plenty of children's books tucked within the nonfiction sections of the library.  He wondered if there were any good baseball books out beyond the well-known children's section.  So he asked.  And there are!

This is one of his best finds yet.  It turned out to be the first chapter book he and I read together.  It isn't exactly a classic chapter book but it is a) a book, b) has chapters, and c) about something he is very, very interested in.

Baseball Tips is chock full of great facts and lessons that you cross-your-fingers-hope your child's little league coach will teach them.  And you cross-your-fingers-hope that your son or daughter will listen to him or her and really, really allow the wisdom of his words to sink in.  The language is simple and straightforward, as if a grandfatherly coach was talking to a few boys who had taken a knee to pay closer attention.

The book simply introduces the game of baseball to young kids.  There are four parts: Up to Bat, In the Field, Positions, and Attitude.  Within each there are a few chapters.  For example, in the Positions part, there are chapters on Pitching, Catching, First Base, Infield, Outfield.

Within each chapter, Dean Hughes writes the "Big Three" rules for that topic.  (He gently mocks himself a bit about the fact that there are big three's for everything he writes.  It is part of his casual, approachable style.)  Here are the Big Three of Base Running:

The Big Three of Base Running:
1.  Round the bases.
2.  Always run hard.
3.  Be alert.

And then he talks about each one, describes it in easy terms.  Words mainly describe the ideas, but also plenty of diagrams and illustrations to show what he's talking about, too.  He points out the obvious in the best ways... He makes sure that kids know that the obvious facts (such as "always run hard") is actually what they think of the least, but it is focusing on these details that turn a decent player into a great one.  And I had to bite my tongue to keep from explaining to Ben that the lessons Hughes was writing apply to lots of other sports and also life itself.

The section entitled "Always Run Hard:"

This might sound too silly to talk about.  But it's not.  Every team would score more runs if all the players ran hard all the time.

You hit a ground ball right to the shortstop.  You figure it's an easy out.  But it's easy to miss a grounder.  And that shortstop has a long throw to make.  So run hard and force the shortstop to hurry a little.

I loved reading this with Ben.  While I love to run and Crossfit and try out new sports, I'm not much of a sports-watcher.  And the highlight of my one season of softball as a kid was catching a fly ball with my forehead (I only joined the team because my best friend Stacey was on it, and I was moving soon so I wanted to hang out with her).  It was fun learning the details of the game with Ben in the comfort of his room, a safe spot where he could ask questions.  He often said, "I know everything about baseball!" or that sort of thing, and I gently reminded him that the very best players always believe that they always have something to learn, something on which they could improve, something yet to truly master.  "Stay open to it all," I said, "by realizing you have more to learn."

This book should NOT be out of print.  Get it from your library, eBay, or through a used book seller.  It should be given to all little kids as they start the sporty side of their lives.  It is full of lots of information that kids need to take the time to learn while NOT on the field, but also full of lessons in life that you can learn from baseball.  And isn't that what sports is all about?

Super Hair-O and the Barber of Doom by John Rocco

Super Hair-O and the Barber of Doom by John Rocco

Rating: 4 stars

There are tons of books available to kids that have solid messages, important tales, and illuminating lessons.  I think we should find these books and read them with our kids so they learn and grow while sitting in the safest and most comfortable spot of all time: our laps.

And yet!

We've got to make sure there's plenty of laughter in our lives.  That might be more important for us too-serious muggles who have forgotten the delight that comes with blowing bubbles of milk with our straws, spinning around and around until we're dizzy, and eating with our fingers instead of forks.

Luckily, there are books like Super Hair-O and the Barber of Doom to keep us chuckling!

The super talented John Rocco creates truly incredible illustrations of a young boy, Rocco, with a fantastic ball of hair atop his little kid head.  Rocco and his pals believe they are super heroes--and that their super powers stem from their long, cool, unruly hair.  The pack of them--and their unique cool, unruly hair--is pretty funny.  The longer their hair, they think, the more powerful they are.

I was captured...and dragged away to the villain's lair.

Then one day, Rocco was captured and taken to the barber. (Dum, dum, DUUUUMMMM!)

He returns to his hideout with --gasp!-- short hair.

His super friends, coincidentally, all got hair cuts on the same day, and they are all dismayed to have lost their super power.  Now, sniff, they are just...normal.  They sit around in dejected stances wondering how to frame their play until a little girl screams.  Her stuffed bunny is hanging by a leg fro the monkey bar!

The super friends jump into action, rescue the bunny, and realize that they are still powerful with neat and tidy hair.  Whew!

One cute and funny book, served up so very, very well by one John Rocco.  Loved it!

Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses by Kimberly & James Dean

Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses by Kimberly & James Dean, illustrated by James Dean

Rating: 4 stars

He's ba-ack! And in a very good way...

Pete the Cat finds himself in a situation for which he's not totally prepared: he's grumpy.  "Pete had the blue cat blues."  His trademark cool black ears aren't sticking up--they are flopped down sadly, and Pete's trademark cool eyes are looking rather glum.

But that's okay, because his pal Grumpy Toad, who is actually less grumpy than Pete, rolls up on his motorcycle and gives Pete some cool blue magic sunglasses that will help him see everything in a whole new way.  And it works!  Turn the page, and all the blue has turned to sunlight bright yellow!

"Right on!" declares Pete, suddenly cool and happy again.

Pete the Cat had the blue cat blues.

Pete wears the sunglasses and skateboards along his day, bumping into animal friends that are grumpy. He shares his cool blue magic sunglasses with them and they, too, begin to see the world in a lighter, brighter way.  Once they don the classy shades, they each chant:

The birds are singing!
The sky is bright!
The sun is shining!
I'm feeling all right!

At the end of the book, Pete falls off his skateboard and breaks the sunglasses.  Oops!  He realizes that the magic sunglasses really just have a placebo effect (my word, not Dean's...no, you won't have to explain to your child what a placebo effect is), and he can still change the color of his world, the tone of his day, the mood within himself by simply choosing happiness.  There's not really any magic in them.

The sunglasses are cool, but they're not a necessary accessory for a good attitude.

The chant isn't quite so catchy as his first two books, but James and Kimberly Dean definitely did a lot of things right in this book.  I really like that cool Pete is in a bad mood--shows that we all have emotions and grumpy days are part of life.  I like that he shares his sunglasses and good mood with others--I always tell the kids that the most important thing they need for school is a smile, meaning a good, open attitude.  Cheesy, but they've got to know it.

Awesome!

Oh, and here's another fun thing: In the back of the book, there's a pair of cool blue magic sunglasses that you can rip out, put together, and wear.  Kiefer was dismayed to learn that we actually needed to BUY the book in order to WEAR the sunglasses.  And Lorelei and Ben wondered why, when you put on the blue sunglasses, did your blues go away and everything turns bright yellow...but they didn't stick around for my lecture on suspending your disbelief while reading fiction...

But that leads me to wonder: When the library gets copies of this book, do the librarians rip out the sunglasses and wear them around before we all get there, gettin' their Pete the Cat groove on before story time?  I sure hope so!

The Roller Coaster Kid by Mary Ann Rodman

The Roller Coaster Kid by Mary Ann Rodman, illustrated by Roger Roth

Rating: 4.5 stars

Confession: I checked out this book from the library for the sole purpose of reviewing it here and attaching a video from Ben's first roller coaster ride from this past summer.  Sometimes a book leads to a story in our house; every so often a story leads to a book.  I think that's normal, right?

My plan went awry when I actually read the book for the first time--out loud, to all three kids, and barely made it through without sobbing.

Okay, let me back up.

This past summer I took my trio to Erie, Pennsylvania, where both my parents were born and raised.  We had a family-filled few days that were also sprinkled with a surprising amount of fun, including a trip to Waldameer.  I had once heard that if you want roller coaster riders as middle grade and older kids, you've got to start them young.  So, building upon the pint-sized success of a rinky-dink county fair roller coaster, they were willing to try a small roller coaster--small, but the real deal.

Brave Lorelei sat in the front seat, alone!  (I had told her this was the best, the most thrilling seat, so she wanted no other seat.  Atta girl!)  Ben and I sat behind her.  Like a normal 21st century mother, I whipped out my smartphone and took a video of his face for the first of two short laps around the track.  You can see his on-the-fence-ness, his uncertainty, his fear, and then...finally...his delight!  It's really cute.

So, to show off this video, I got this book from the library, The Roller Coaster Kid.

The book starts off innocently: Zach's grandfather earned the moniker "The Roller Coaster Kid" when he was a boy by riding the Whipper 100 times in a row.  Zach is impressed but afraid to ride it.  Every summer when he visits his grandparents in Oceanside, they do lots of fun things, including going to the park where the Whipper is still up and running.  Every summer Zach thinks he's brave enough, but as soon as he sees it, he decides next year, and he and Grandma go ride the Ferris Wheel.

"When the time is right, you'll face your fear," Grandma says.

She tells him the same thing I told Ben: "When the time is right, you'll face your fear."

Turn the page, read these words:

"Next summer comes, but everything's different.  Grandma's gone.  Forever."

I just about choked on whatever random lunch I was eating with the kids.  What?!  I hadn't expected this!  Tears immediately came to my eyes, and I tried to choke them back, barely successful.  Lorelei asked if I was okay, and I had to lie.  I'm usually pretty honest with them, but I couldn't this time.  If I had said, "I'm brought-to-my-knees saddened by the very thought of losing my mother--your one and only Grammy."

Grammy is, blessedly, healthy and strong, fit and capable--more than most 60-something year olds.  My kids think everyone dies when they're about 100, so they don't think about and don't need to think about their beloved Grammy dying sooner!  My tears were irrational, but real.  She is just such a big part of my life that very thought of losing her makes me incredibly sad.

I really need to read books first before I read them out loud.  Haven't I learned this by now?!

Counseled by his parents, Zach doesn't bring up his own sadness. He chokes it back instead.  He tries to cheer up his clearly sad Grandpa, and he finally decides that a ride on the Whipper will do the trick.  So he does it.  With Grandpa beside him.  He has fun, but when they step off, Grandpa is still his new blue self.

Until Zach blurts out loud, "I miss Grandma.  She'd have said I was brave.  For riding the Whipper.  For facing my fears."

Those are the words that get to his grandfather, the one that helps snap him back to reality a little bit.

I love that the courage Zach shows in showing his emotions, and telling Grandpa his honest feelings is bigger than the courage he shows in riding that roller coaster.  We so often applaud one sort of bravery but not the other, especially in boys.

And I will go back to appreciating my mom, my kids' Grammy, even more; my trio and I will do the Lucky Me dance because we don't have to miss her.

The Vanishing Pumpkin by Tony Johnston

The Vanishing Pumpkin by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Tomie DePaola

Rating: 4 stars

With wonderful, just-spooky-enough illustrations by the one and only Tomie DePaola, Johnston's silly, just-spooky-enough story unravels:  A (to say it nicely) elderly couple--a 700-year-old woman and 800-year-old man--simply wants to bake a nice pumpkin pie when they realize their pumpkin has vanished.  They go to find it, accusing everyone in their path of swiping it.  The pattern--first with a ghoul, then a rapscallion, followed by a varmint, then finally a wizard, is the same:

When told that he is guilty of stealing a giant pumpkin the creature looks around himself in a silly, kid-giggle-inducing fashion but cannot find it.  The annoyed-for-no-reason Old Man does a trick on the creature in order to prove that it is hiding the pumpkin somewhere.  The ghoul is turned invisible, the rapscallion is turned upside down in the air, the varmint is turned into a flea-filled cat, and the wizard...  oh wait, you can't trick a wizard or he'll trick you right back.  Each trick is applauded by the Old Man and the Old Woman and even the trickee himself.

It turns out that the wizard hasn't snitched the pumpkin--he's borrowed it so he could make a smiley jack-o-lantern.  And he's baked the pumpkin pie (which he's forgotten is under his hat) to share.

Johnston adds in some quirky quips that kept me chuckling: "Lucky lizards!" and "Snitched!" and "Don't be fresh with an 800-year-old man!" and "Great grizzlies!"

This is a very cute, slightly older Halloween book (1983!) that most kids probably haven't seen before...a great one to read at a Halloween party near you!

Which Witch is Which? by Pat Hutchins

Which Witch is Which? by Pat Hutchins

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hide & Seek by Il Sung Na

Hide & Seek by Il Sung Na

Rating: 4 stars

I really relish the moments when my older kids come sit with me and Kiefer and read with us.  Often they show him parts of a book that he has not seen before.  Sometimes they show me parts of a book that I have not seen before.

Kiefer is almost 2 1/2, and he's just getting into look-and-finds, a category of books with which Ben was obsessed.  Whereas look-and-finds that I've seen dozens of times before are pretty tedious,  a new one brings a fresh challenge.  There can be something really fun about it.

That's how it was with Hide & Seek.  I first read the book to Kiefer and we both liked it: A simple tale where some animal friends play hide and seek.  Elephant counts while his friends all run and hide.  The illustrations are bright and whimsical, the animals are each playful and unique.  Elephant finds them all, except chameleon.  Chameleon finds them.

It wasn't until Ben came to sit with us that I realized that the sly, clever Chameleon is hiding in each page.  Il Sung Na colors his skin in a bunch of fun, interesting ways, allowing him to camouflage himself perfectly.  So, on another read of the book, Ben and Kiefer and I also hunted for Chameleon.  The three of us had a great time silently looking, pointing quietly at the little lizard when we found him in an encouraging oh-good-job-Kiefer way, rather than a competitive I-found-it-first-ha! way.

It was just one of those sweet moments on the sofa with both my boys and one good book.

Into the Outdoors by Susan Gal

Into the Outdoors by Susan Gal

Rating: 4.5 stars

What's a concept book? As I'm tip-toeing beyond the world of reading children's books into the world of writing them, I've got to know these things.  So I figured I'd educate you as well.  It's an informational children's book that takes a single category--numbers, the alphabet, colors--and focuses on that.

Those concept books are pretty common (betcha you can think of a dozen); one on prepositions is not.

But that's exactly what Into the Outdoors is, and it's a good read for parents and kids.  But it is also a quality, lesson-filled book for teachers to know about when they teach prepositions.  Even though I grabbed the book because of its cover (I try not to judge by a cover, but...well...I'm only human), the book turned out to be a whole lot more than I expected.

We're going camping!  Leaving the city down in the valley, we head up the mountain.
We drive over a bridge and under the towering trees.  At last we arrive in the great outdoors.

Each preposition, those words that "help children know where they are in the world," is highlighted.  The story is cute, the lesson plan possibilities endless.

The trail winds around the lake...

But the illustrations!  That's what got me.  For some reason--was I just feeling particularly nostalgic that day?--they felt like they were straight from my family camping days from 30 years ago.  Dark woods, bright streams, a wood-panel grocery-getter (a.k.a. station wagon) filled with way too much stuff, big brown hiking boots with red laces, and two happy campers.

Like my family, the one in the book drives to their campsite, pitches the tent, and then goes off on a hike.  Following them along the way are some curious animal-friends: a bear, a fox, a porcupine, and a chipmunk.  In almost every page you see those animals peering at the family, with the older boy skipping ahead and the mom carrying the younger boy in the backpack.  The younger boy is the only one who sees the animals, and the looks they exchange are super cute.  In one page the bear sneaks up and quietly replaces the little boy's fallen hat as the family sits atop the mountain, soaking in the view.

A great book, for many reasons.  Makes me want to go take a hike (and use lots of prepositional phrases along the way)!

The Ghosts in the Cellar by Jacques Duquennoy

The Ghosts in the Cellar by Jacques Duquennoy

Rating: 4 spooky stars

If you hand this book to Kiefer, he'll cringe away from it and say, "Cary!" and then smile at his own little joke.  Pretty funny, that kid.

And pretty cute, this book.

What kid doesn't like a what's-that-spooky-noise type of book, a mystery wrapped in a little children's book?  And when the characters are ghosts and those ghosts are scared, well...that's a little silly.  Just silly enough to get some giggles from your audience.

And that's what the story line is: four ghosts are playing cards in a castle when they hear boom after boom.  They decide to be brave and investigate (after hiding, quaking in fear, under the card table for a few minutes).  As they encounter creepy stuff--a mouse, a spider, a bat, their own reflection in a mirror, Lorelei and Ben were howling with the image of scared ghosts.

They finally find what's making the noise: a chest.  They throw it open and all yell, together, "HELP!  A GHOST!"  (More silliness!)

It's their Aunt Gigi; it's her birthday.  She's 500 years old today and wants to invite them to her party.

A cute little book, great to read to a preschool or elementary school class this Halloween!  (I like another of his ghost books, A Ghost's Dinner, even more...)

Big Snow by Jonathan Bean

Big Snow by Jonathan Bean

Rating: 4 stars

Last week when I should have been zipping to my yoga class, I stopped at the library to pick up this book.  It was recently released, and I was on a long hold list, so I was pretty excited to see that it was en route to our local library earlier than I expected (yup, you read that right: nerdy me checks the status of holds to see when exactly I'll be getting my hands on certain books I'm nerdily excited about).  So after the kids were tucked in bed and before my yoga class, I ran into the library to check this out.

We are huge, huge fans of Jonathan Bean--especially of Building Our House.  I follow his blog so I'd heard a lot of chatter from him and kidslit critics about Big Snow.  My hopes were high!

And he did not disappoint.

Small flakes fell softly, white and fine.

Young David (my guess is he's about 4) lives in what seems to be one of the many small towns off of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  You laugh, but drive along there and look out, and you'll see the same image as what's in Bean's book--a modest, nondescript town at the foot of rolling hills that sure looks like a solid, safe place to slowly wonder, dream, and grow up.

He is really, really excited about the fact that it's going to snow today, yet he impatiently wants the snow to have fallen five minutes ago while simultaneously wanting information about why the snow isn't falling, if it'll be big snow, and how much snow big snow will entail.  I have another such question-asker in my house, so...I admire David's mother's patience in answering her son and providing distractions for him.

Yet he's so snow obsessed that the flour he's adding to the cookies makes him think of snow.  The suds in the tub he's cleaning make him think of snow.  The white sheets on the bed make him think of snow.

He tried to shovel away the drifts,
but the snow just fell heavier.

In a bit of literary unrealistic-ness (at least in my naps-ain't-cool house), David manages to gulp down his impatience and excitement and take a nap.

His dream combines his reality of helping his mom clean the house and his hope of big snow: there's a blizzard-like big snow inside their house, and David helps shovel it out while his mom tries to vacuum it up (love that image!).  Then his father's stomping feet coming home from work early wake him, and his father invites David to check out the big snow for himself.

The small family of three dresses for the big snow and goes to explore it, together.  Simple stuff--that's what the rich fabric of life consists of.  Little moments, thoughtful conversation, modest explorations, quiet hand-holding.  Once again Jonathan Bean gives us a tiny, rich slice of the good stuff of life.

Clouds by Marion Dane Bauer

Clouds by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by John Wallace

Rating: 4 stars

My young Mr. Question (that's Ben, nearly 5) loves to ask about clouds.  This simple, straightforward Ready-to-Read book is definitely made for Ben.  He can almost read the whole book himself!  Not that that means I can prop my feet up on my table and let him answer his own questions from now on...  I hope he always comes to me with questions.

But questions of the cloud variety?  I'll let nonfiction children's book author-guru Marion Dane Bauer handle it.  She explains the three most common types of clouds--cirrus, stratus, cumulus--and defines them in graspable terms.  Then she tells young readers how clouds help us: they shade us from the sun and wrap the Earth at night to keep us warm.  (Last night when we were reading this book I asked Kiefer if he wanted a cloud blanket to keep him warm.  Everyone, including myself, got a kick out of that.  He said no.)

Everyday science, that's what this book teaches.  I love it.

(A while ago we checked out and read together Tomie De Paola's The Cloud Book, a wordy, informative book about the ten most common forms of clouds.  De Paola includes information on how to predict weather with clouds and also myths about clouds.  We'll have to take another look at it because the kids weren't ready for it then (whenever "then" was), but Lorelei especially might be ready for it now.)

Parents and teachers should know about Marion Dane Bauer!  I have reviewed her Grand Canyon book, just one in a series of Wonders of America Ready-to-Read books.  She has four weather books and two natural disaster books in the Ready-to-Read category, and also five "my first biographies."  (We have Benjamin Franklin on our shelf at home--so Ben can learn about Ben.)   For all (children's) nonfiction stuff, click here.  Or you can go to her website and click around yourself.

Wild and Woolly by Mary Jessie Parker

Wild and Woolly by Mary Jessie Parker, illustrated by Shannon McNeill

Rating: 4 stars

Do opposites attract?  These two do.

When my trio and I looked at the cover of this book, we each independently thought that the book was about a goat and a sheep.  We were wrong.  The book is about two sheep--a sleek and strong bighorn sheep from the hills and a white, fluffy sheep from the meadow.  They bump into each other while exploring the fringe of their own existence.  They are both curious about each other, and surprised to hear that the other is a sheep.

Instead of being sure that the other is wrong and turning around and returning to their own comforting zone, they are open to exploring the other's world.  (Such a childhood thing that being truly open is...)  First, Woolly the sheep takes Wild the bighorn to his land, and he wonders where he hides when wolves come (and completely freaks out when the sheep dog comes to visit).  He's sure that his home is better, and invites Woolly up to his place.

They climb and climb and climb and climb up and up and up and up--Woolly is pretty pooped by the time they get there.  He loves the view (basically of his own home) of his rocky home but then gets utterly stuck in a clump of prickly bushes.  Woolly is distraught; Wild slowly and carefully gnaws on the branches to set her free.

Woolly's life is not for Wild, and Wild's life is not for Woolly.  Not permanently, that is.  But they decide to stay friends (and, I add, appreciate the differences and learn from each other).

A nice book on friendship while we're still at the start of a school year!

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler

Rating: 5 stars

I was so excited to find this book in Barnes & Noble a few weeks ago.  I read the board book version, then went home and ordered the book through our trusty local library.  I was ready to shout from the hilltops about how great the book is, until I found www.roomonthebroom.com and got a flashback from Spaceballs the movie.

There is a Room on the Broom website.  There is a Room on the Broom activity book.  There is a Room on the Broom T-shirt.  There is a Room on the Broom board game.  There is a Room on the Broom stuffed animal.  There is a Room in the Broom play.  There is a Room on the Broom puzzle set.

Oh.  You mean this book has been out a while?  Like, I'm the last one on earth to discover it?  I see.

Still, I've got to tell you about it, in case you're behind me in the yet-to-discover-it line.

Better than the list of consumer items above, here's the proof that this book is great: I read it to my multi-age trio--ages 2, 4, and 6--and they were all spellbound.  The rhythm of the rhyme rollicks along, inviting anyone in the room to stop what they're doing and listen.  The huge illustrations and the rhyme itself help with predictions, and little Kiefer could easily fill in the blank and finish the stanza.

How it is written is fantastic and impressive.  But what the story is about is even better: Karma.

Yep, that's right.  Karma.  Every kid should know about it!

Here's the truly magnificent broom!

The witch and her cat fly along, and one at a time things drop from her cute, spooky outfit.  And one at a time an animal down below helps her find it.  She drops her hat; a dog picks it up.  She drops her bow; a bird flies to return it.  She drops her wand; a frog lifts it from the bog for her.  After an item is returned from her, the animal asks if he can join her and the cat on the broom.  She says, unequivocally and without any annoying "only if you're good" statements: "YES!"  Delighted, they hop on.

But a hop is where they get into trouble: the frog hops out of excitement, and the broom breaks!

Down they all go, into the territory of a fire-breathing dragon.  The dragon quickly catches the witch and is about to eat her up when he spots a terrible animal rising from the mud with four heads and four different sounds coming from it.  This creature demands the dragon to return the witch.  He's so frightened that he does, and flies away quickly.  As soon as he's gone, the four animals hop down and wash themselves off--and the grateful witch thanks them.

She was kind to let them ride her broom, and they save her life.  Karma.

With the animals' help, she concocts a brew and a magic spell (what's a Halloween book without a little abra-cadabra?) to make a "truly sensational broom," with fancy seats for the cat and dog, a nest for the bird, and a pool for the frog.

This is a great, great book--a winner of a gift to any child or family that loves Halloween.  But you probably already know about it.

Children's Picture Atlas by Usborne

Children's Picture Atlas by Usborne

Rating: 4.5 stars

I really want Lorelei, Ben, and Kiefer to have a terrific sense of geography.  That desire-turned-goal comes from having traveled around the country, living in a bunch of different places as the daughter of a soldier.  Add to that living in a few different parts of Asia and traveling around to a few more in my twenties, and you get someone who can say she definitely was a traveler.  (Now I just travel via books. And to Reston.  Does that count as travel?)

This atlas, given to Lorelei by my sister for her 5th birthday, is a wonderful children's atlas that gives a whole lot of information presented in a manageable, organized, and understandable fashion.  One of the Standards of Learning for first grade social studies (nerdy me looked them up) here in Virginia involves maps.  And looky here, there is a page on maps--what they show, how they are made, different types of them--and a page on people--different cultures have different clothing, music, food, and religion.

(Of course, everyone is smiling and happy on this page, suggesting harmonic world peace despite these differences.  Maybe understanding the issues that arise from religious and cultural differences are part of  the Standard of Learning in grade 4...)

Then, there are pages about different climates and habitats.  Another Standard of Learning is climates, and how they shape the choices people have and the cultures that mature in them.  These pages do a really great job of showing just that--the homes desert people live in, the animals those in grasslands need to worry about, the religious festivals that occur alongside (and in) some rivers.  On these pages are symbols that kids can take the time to find on the next pages, which are...

Here come the maps!  The first is of the world, of course.  Green and blue and for travelers like me a bit of a dare: where you gonna go next?  Then, each of the continents.  The continents are a little crowded with symbols of animals, crops, and activities, but clearly and thankfully most kids are more interested in where wild horses run free than the political boundaries of Poland and Germany.

For someone who has a map of the world tattooed on her ankle (that'd be me--not my wisest choice ever, but...not something I lose sleep over either), a good book on maps is important.  Many thanks to my sister for finding this one for us!


P.S.  Speaking of maps, we love this puzzle of the United States, designed by children's book author and illustrator Dan Yaccarino!

Willow by Denise Brennan Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan

Willow by Denise Brennan Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan

Rating: 5 stars

Hmmm...where to begin when there are so many things right about this book?

Maybe with Willow herself.  She's a more-than-likeable character; the type of girl you'd love for a student or daughter.  She's creative and clever, cheerful and kind.  Her wiggly hair has a mind of its own; her playful outfits made even more sunny with her smile.  She carries around her well-loved art book, the one that inspires her to draw with her heart.  Best of all, her happy demeanor is resilient against put-downer Miss Hawthorn.

Miss Hawthorn is the unlikeable character, in case her black attire and slicked-back hair don't clue you into her villainous job in the book.  Sadly, she's the school art teacher.  She instructs the kids to draw trees EXACTLY as she prescribes.  (Willow's is a whimsical, pink version of a weeping willow.)  She shows the kids EXACTLY how to produce an apple tree.  (Willow's is a big blue apple with a trunk underneath.)

Despite her cold presence in the art room, warm Willow doesn't give up on Miss Hawthorn.  At winter break, the students leave the teachers' desks full of boxes and presents and cards and tokens of affections.  Except Miss Hawthorn's desk.  She has but one gift.

It's from Willow: her very own well-loved art book.

Behind a graceful willow tree,
covered in paint from head to toe,
a woman was painting.

And the book, wonderfully, inspires Miss Hawthorn to let loose.  She (literally and figuratively) lets her hair down, whips out the paint and paper and ends up painting all night.  When the students return from their vacation, the new version of Miss Hawthorn are invited to help paint the walls with their own versions of trees and apples and nature.

I admire how Willow does not give up on either Miss Hawthorn, despite the many times Miss Hawthorn dashes her artwork, nor herself--she remains quietly confident in her own artistic ability.  Plus, Willow gives Miss Hawthorn not what she wants (obedience) but what she needs (inspiration).  Bravo to Miss Hawthorn for breathing in that inspiration, letting it fill her lungs and heart...and the classroom.

I couldn't NOT review this book today; I volunteered in the art room in Lorelei's school.  It was a gift to be able to observe my first grader among her peers, diligent and focused on her work, with a smile for the teacher and her friends, and a wink or two for me.  The class was continuing a lesson on how to draw a castle with shapes--and there was a Miss Hawthorn-esque example at the front of the class for them to look at and learn from.

But each of their castles was unique and special; the wise teacher encouraged them to make each castle their own.  Most chattered as they worked, explaining to their classmates who lived in the castle and what sort of castle it was.  There was a story for every part, a reason for each color.  You could feel the joy and creativity in the room. I did not want to leave!

A great book, and a great art hour with a great art teacher at my daughter's school.

On A Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne

On A Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky

Rating: 4.5 stars

"I have no special talents.  I am only passionately curious," said Albert Einstein.

I love this quotation because it makes you think that everything about Einstein is approachable.  Right!  He was only passionately curious!  If I, too, was passionately curious, then I, too, could discover such wonders as he did.

Riiiight.

But I'll keep my skepticism to myself, especially while reading this book with my kids.  I love taking the opportunity to teach them about a fantastically famous person through a well-written children's book, and On A Beam of Light is that opportunity.

Berne starts with autobiographical tidbits--Einstein was a late talker and a quiet wonderer when he did start talking.  He was insanely curious, constantly asking questions about how things worked.

(This part is perfect for my Ben, whose nickname is Mr. Question.  I've never added up the questions he's asked in an hour, a day, or a week but...he never really stops.  Sometimes I do need a break, so I sing him my goofy Mr. Question song that I made up especially for him.  It makes him smile and pause for just a few blessed moments--but then he gets right back to it, which of course I want him to do because I want to foster that passionately curious mind of his.  Just with a few breaks every now and then for sanity's sake.)

Albert began to read and study.

Along with asking questions, Einstein began to imagine, read, and study.  About gravity.  Light.  Magnetism.  Sound.  Math.  Big stuff, but kids are less intimidated than these subjects than you'd think. Wonderfully, "can't" isn't yet part of their vocabulary.

I have to admit that my favorite part of the book is when Berne shares that Einstein's favorite place to think was on his little sailboat.  She's quietly encouraging kids to have a favorite place to think--I love that.  And he even chose clothes that he thought would foster great thinking--saggy-baggy sweaters and pants, shoes without socks.  I love that--and love that maybe one day this school year my kids will get dressed in some (assuredly random) outfit that will foster creativity of one kind or another.

The back two pages are filled with more facts about Einstein--about his discoveries, experiments, personality, and of course some other books through which you can find out more information about him.

I plan on checking this book out every few months, just to keep providing inspiration into my kids' minds.  And then I'll remember to open (or close!) the door and step away so to provide the opportunity to be creative in their own way.

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman, illustrated by Betsy Lewin

Rating: 4 stars

How could I not love a book with Cowgirl Kate in it?!

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa are best friends.  In this I Can Read chapter series of six books (so far), the two friends have always cute, sometimes funny lesson-filled adventures.  It won a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book in 2006--an honor that has also been awarded to books written by wonderful authors such as Mo Willems, Eric Litwin, and Tedd Arnold.

The chapters are loosely connected and longish...this series is better for an intermediate reader or an advanced reader that is about reading to jump into the Magic Treehouse and Cam Jansen series.

Let me give you a few more details about one of the books in the series; I'll take Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: Rain or Shine.  In the first chapter, despite a looming thundercloud and gutsy winds, Kate and Cocoa need to get to work counting bales and checking fences.  When thunder cracks and they race back to the barn, Cocoa pretends to have been just racing the wind for fun, not for fear.

In the second chapter, they've got to go work, rain or shine.  Cocoa isn't excited so he fakes a cold, until realizing that the "cows need us!"  And they have to walk through some fields that have some tasty timothy grass.

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa are realistic characters (except for that whole horses-can-talk thing) who are hard workers, fun havers, look-at-the-bright-side types.  What's not to love?

Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty

Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

Rating: 5 stars

During the first week of Lorelei's first grade, her teacher asked each student to bring in his or her favorite book to share with the class.  That simple little assignment was like a parenting test for me.  I really wanted to intervene, to suggest some of the fantastic titles we've read and loved here.

I wanted to place one of the Little House books in front of her, so she could share with her class that we read them together each night during her Kindergarten year (and so that I could earn a gold star vicariously for my own reading of the books).

I wanted to place Loren Long's Drummer Boy in front of her, a holiday book rich with emotion and lessons, so she could share with her class the creative result of a song turned into a book (and so that I could earn a gold star vicariously for finding good books off the beaten path).

I wanted to place Lane Smith's John, Paul, George, and Ben in front of her, a unique book telling the story of five (Thomas is in there, too) of our founding fathers, so she could share with her class her knowledge of history (and so that I could earn a gold star vicariously for providing educational books to  toddlers).

Thankfully, I passed the parental test. I resisted the urge to intervene and involve my ego in her homework.

She brought in one book from the Rainbow Magic fairy series, a harmless, light chapter book series for young girls that involves a whole lot of sparkles and fairies and stuff.  (Blech.)

But another girl in her class brought in Iggy Peck, Architect!  And Lorelei was so impressed with it she asked me if we could order it from the library.  ($50 says that no one went home and asked their mother if they could check out the fairy series...)

This clever, rhyming book by Andrea Beaty (author of the Ted series...this is SO MUCH better than those) with fantastically quirky illustrations by David Roberts is about a little boy who just cannot contain his passion for building.  His first masterpiece was

and out on the porch built the St Louis arch
from pancakes and coconut pie

when he built a great tower--in only an hour--
with nothing but diapers and glue.
"Good gracious, Ignacious!" his mother exclaimed.
"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!"
But her smile faded fast as a light wind blew past
and she realized those diapers weren't clean!

There's just the right amount of humor for kids, to keep them laughing and turning the page.  Iggy builds with clay, fruit, pancakes...anything, really.  Until, that is, he gets to second grade, where he meets Miss Lila Greer who doesn't appreciate architecture and tells him to stop.

Until, that is, she takes the class on a field trip to a little island in the park and young Iggy saves the day by rebuilding the footbridge that collapsed as they crossed over the island.  (He starts the suspension bridge with her shoe, and somehow it involves someone's underwear...ha!) Miss Greer jumps from her place as dream-crusher to dream-supporter as she walks to safety.

This is a great book packed with little nuggets of goodness (support your kids' dreams, you parents and teachers! provide creative outlets for them! let them choose their own books, even if silly fairies are involved! oh wait not that one...), and we hope that our library gets Andrea Beaty's newest book, Rosie Revere, Engineer, really soon!

David and Dog by Shirley Hughes

 David and Dog by Shirley Hughes

Rating: 5 sweet stars

I have a well loved, chewed up copy of this book tucked away on a high shelf in our library, away from the curious fingers of my trio.  My ten year old full name is written out in careful cursive on the first page. I usually share well, but this is one of my very favorite books from my own childhood, and my flimsy paperback copy needs to be seriously reinforced.

This is a simple little story of a well loved, probably chewed on stuffed animal named Dog.  It's David that loves him, takes him everywhere with him, and constantly holds him.  Until the one day when David drops Dog.  His big sister offers him one of her many teddies, but...sleep is just not the same without Dog.

The next day is the school Summer Fair.  (The illustration immediately takes me back to the fundraiser of a fair at one of our many Catholic schools, Sacred Heart School in Savannah, Georgia.) Tables are set up with different sorts of games and activities, all in the hopes to make you part with your nickels and quarters that will go towards the school.

On one such table are a bunch of old toys, being sold yard sale-style.  It's there that David finds Dog--with a sign on him labeled 5 cents!  While he rushes to find his mother to get the nickel and buy back dog, a not-so-nice little girl buys him and does not want to part with him.  David returns not with his mother but with big sister Bella, who is toting an enormous teddy she's won from a raffle.  The girl doesn't want to part with Dog...until she sees that teddy.

"Then Bella did something very kind."  (I must have read that sentence a million times.)  Bella generously offers a swap of stuffed animals, and the girl and David are enormously pleased with her good deed.  Brother and sister go home happily, where sleep is made much happier with Dog in bed.

That's it.  Nothing more to it.

I don't know what struck me as so wonderful about this book when I was a kid.  The sentence of kindness was my favorite, and I am sure I was impressed with Bella's willingness to sacrifice her prize for her brother's happiness.  But as I read it today, I still smile at her kindness and still hope that my kids treat each other as well as David and Bella treat each other.  At least most days.


P.S.  This book is now called Dogger.  Not sure why, but the title changed a few decades ago; both versions of the book are way out of print.  I think that means I'm officially old!