Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Rating: 4 stars

This is a stretch for books on strawberries...but there aren't many out there!  Hmm...maybe I have found some inspiration to write my own?  Hmm....

This adorable book, and its equally adorable sequels, is by the Julianne Moore, who was a freckleface little girl herself (who grew up to be a big-time Hollywood actress, take THAT you silly kids who teased her about her freckles!).  The illustrations make me wonder how some artists make characters that are just immediately likeable, while other artists fall short.  It's a good story, but Pham certainly helped out the books' popularity with his personality-filled kids stomping around in cartoon-like clusters within the pages of the books.

It's a pretty predictable story: A little girl has freckles and doesn't notice them at all until other kids point out that they stand out.  And we all know that standing out in ANY way in middle school can be totally scary!  The kids around her call her names and taunt her a bit, making her want to hide in silly ways.  Finally, when she comes out from one particularly unwise disguise (a ski mask in summer), a passing mom enlightens her: I had freckles as a child, and they went away.

Whoa!  Good to know!

Our little hero is relieved, and is even more relieved when all the kids at school find her and explain how much they've missed her while she was in hiding.  What?  Teasing is actually a form of love?  Another strange lesson of middle school.  And beyond.

The book is good, though I'd direct them to kids older than five because of the teasing in it.  Call me silly, but I just hesitate to introduce something like that to my kids, who don't do it now and I want to keep them in that bubble of kindness for as long as possible.  But I'm so glad that this book exists--one of our nieces has freckles, and they are so adorable on her already beautiful face that I hope she never feels ashamed of what makes her even more beautiful and more unique.

And this is surely the first book I've reviewed that has a musical based on it!  Check it out here.

The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher by Molly Bang

The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher by Molly Bang

Rating: 2.5 stars

Ever look at a piece of artwork and just wonder... Huh?


That's what I think about this, a Caldecott winner from a few years back.  It's a wordless picture book (hey, I was just talking about those the other day...click here if you missed it) full of eerie, odd, spooky pictures.  It reminds me of the magical realism that Isabel Allende uses in her novels, but just doesn't seem to work here.  For us, anyway.

I just don't get it.

The Grey Lady gets strawberries from the market and walks home to share them with her grandchildren.  Along the way, a spooky, blue creature tries to steal them away, but the grey lady morphs into different objects in order to hide from the strawberry snatcher.

At least that's what I think happens.

We've read a bunch of Molly Bang books, and I expected a step out of the normal from her.  We especially appreciated her When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry with its vibrant pictures and unique spin on what to do to regain control of yourself.

But this one?  I'm sort of dumbfounded.  I'm going to return it to the library and check it out again in a few months...maybe I'll get it a little more then...?  Or, like that crazy artwork, I'll leave it to The Experts to fully get and appreciate.

Strawberries, Strawberries Everywhere...

This isn't exactly an entry about books, but...

I haven't gone strawberry picking since I was Lorelei's age...up in Erie, Pennsylvania, where my parents are both from.  I still remember looking out at the fields of strawberries, in awe of how much fruit there was to pick.  And the taste of the berries--so sweet!  I went with my Buschia (Polish for Grandma) and we'd go to her house afterward and help wash and clean the strawberries so she could make jam out of it.  Of course we'd munch on berries the whole time.  I am very excited to go!

Strawberry elves...can't wait to surprise Lorelei and Ben with these!

We've been talking about what to expect--will the berries be larger or smaller than those in the grocery stores?  Will they taste the same, or sweeter, or less sweet?  Will they be as small as the wild ones we've been finding in our woods?  Lots of questions...soon to be answered.  I love fostering my kids' curiosity, especially about food and nature.

Lorelei, Ben, and I have been crafting a list of ways to enjoy strawberries.  You better believe that I was thinking about (enter southern drawl here) Forrest Gump's buddy Bubba talkin' 'bout all the stuff he can do with shrimp.

Here's what we've come up with (most have links, many from my favorite kids/family cooking blog, weelicious.com, in case you're interested in the recipes):

Strawberry jam

Strawberry shortcake

Strawberry smoothie

Strawberry yogurt (we'll just mix in strawberries with plain yogurt)

Strawberry muffins

Strawberry ice cream (without an ice cream maker)

Strawberry and almond butter sandwich

Strawberry milk

Strawberry soup

Chocolate covered strawberries

Strawberry Popsicles

Strawberry "elves" (omg how cute are these?!) 

What have I forgotten?  And can we actually make ALL of these things?  It'll be a strawberry-filled long weekend for us...

Crocs! by David T Greenberg, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

Crocs! by David T Greenberg, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

Rating: 4 jaw-snapping stars

I can't get enough of these books.  I wish our library had the other two!  Read more about this book here, on my review of Snakes!   Or just read these fun stanzas from Crocs! to get a feel for the witty, sophisticated rhymes in this book for an advanced listener or reader...

The day is dank and glum
The mailman hasn't come
The monkeys in the trees seem somewhat nervous

Your dog is strangely missing
Your kitty's starting hissing
Your telephone has disconnected service

You're terribly paranoid
Very PARANOID
You race around your home to check the locks

Safe! You've checked them all
You're padding down the hall
And are smothered by a tidal wave of CROCS!

(I just want to assure all of you fellow dog-lovers out there that the pooch does turn up at the end...he is not eaten by crocs!  In fact, this book is a little less scary than Snakes! though the crocs do some damage in the boy's house...ripping up pillows and stuff.  Still, a fun read!)

Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie DePaola

Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie DePaola

Rating: 5 yummy stars

This is, by far, my favorite wordless picture book.  I love, love, love it.

It's a simple story: a woman wakes up thinking about pancakes.  She assembles the ingredients--the traditional way.  No grocery store run for her.  She milks the cow, churns the butter, gathers the eggs, collects syrup from the tree.  Just as she's ready to make the pancakes, she realizes her dog and cat, who are also hungry, ate all the ingredients!  She's bummed.  But then...sniff, sniff...she realizes her neighbors woke with the same idea.  So she trudges through the snow, invites herself in, and eats a bunch of their pancakes (hopefully not all of them!).

As always, Tomie DePaola's drawings are funny and sweet, straightforward and inviting.  Nothing fancy in this book, just simple drawings for a simple story.

I'm usually not a fan of books without words, and can empathize when I hear other parents complain of them.  At the end of the day, when you're counting down the seconds until the door is closed on your day as a parent, who wants to actually think of the words to a story?!  I hear ya.

BUT they are important...  Here are a few reasons why (feel free to add your own, and tell me which ones you like to read with your kids/students):

• Kids imagine and create their own words and stories.
  
• Kids can "read" them by themselves, giving you a bit of a break and them a boost of confidence on their own path to literacy.
  
• As always, you can practice prediction and sequencing.
  
• For budding artists, having a wordless, cartoon-like book can inspire them to write/draw a book of their own.

But don't forget the best part of all about this particular book: it inspires you to make pancakes!  Hear are my two favorite healthy recipes in case you're in need of a new taste:

From my favorite restaurant in Atlanta, the Flying Biscuit, click here to get their oatmeal pancakes.  They soak overnight in buttermilk...yum, yum.  Top with peaches like they do, and a little maple syrup.  Definitely half the recipe, unless you are feeding a small army or the Dugger family!

From Cooking Light, click here to get a recipe for whole wheat pancakes.  We add blueberries to ours and usually dip them in honey.  They freeze really well (freeze individually) and become my go-to dinner when I need to get dinner on the table in 5.4 minutes or less.

(Also, see those labels at the end of this post?  Click on "wordless books" to see my reviews of a bunch of other wordless books, including the great Polo series, which are great for traveling in the car...)

Pretty Princess Pig by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, illustrated by Sam Williams

Pretty Princess Pig by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, illustrated by Sam Williams

Rating: 3.5 stars

Well, we know what sells to little girls--anything pink, anything with a princess, and anything that glitters.  Look at the cover of this and you've got all three.  Smart!  I guess I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but it's hard not to roll my eyes at such an obvious marketing choice.  I wasn't excited to read this, but...was pleasantly surprised.

Princess Pig decides to have a tea party for her friends, and does her best to get her house ready for her guests.  She does everything but makes a giant mess in the meantime, leaving both the house and herself a mess when her friends arrive.  Of course they don't care--they are, after all, her good friends who don't even see the mess.

Um...can I just say I've been there?  More than once?  Luckily my friends don't really care either.  They don't mind if my kitchen is messy (especially if the mess is from baking) or if I clean while I chit-chat with them.  Bless them!

A fine book, nothing over the top special but nothing deserving of my initial eye-rolling, either.  Little girls will love it, and as long as they clean up when their mothers ask them to clean up, what's the harm in the message that friends accept you regardless of your appearance?

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood

Rating: 4 stars

I think most people read this books to their kids when those "kids" are actually infants, or barely walking.  I've heard of it before and read it at the bookstore out of curiosity, but this is the first time we've all read it together, little Kiefer included.  We all give it one thumb's up, though for different reasons than I expected.

The story, in case you've not read it: Mouse finds a strawberry and wants to eat it, but this voice tells him that there's a big, hungry bear who wants to eat it.  Mouse tries to hide it, guard it, and disguise it...but the voice tells him that the bear will sniff it out and find it.  The only way to keep safe from the bear is to slice it in half and share it with the mysterious voice, and then it will be gone before the bear finds it.

"But, little Mouse, haven't you heard about the big, hungry Bear?"

Things we like:

• That mouse is so silly!  His expressions are so wonderful, and Ben giggles at every picture on every page.
• It is very fun to read, especially the page where the mouse shakes with fear.  Ben laughed like crazy as I shook the book like crazy.
• Nice lesson on sharing...a mom can't dislike that!
• Kiefer is amused by the book (or, more accurately, my reading of it), Ben giggles throughout it, and Lorelei asks some good questions.  That's a good book: it holds the attention of a wide range of kids.
• The book makes us wonder, and think--who is talking to mouse?  It is mysterious, and we don't know the real answer.  What a fun twist for little kids who are usually told The Answer.
• The book makes us question:  Where is that bear?  Why don't we get to see him?  Does the bear really exist, or is the mysterious voice tricking the mouse into sharing?  (Okay, is it bad that I suggested this to inquisitive Lorelei?  Will it make her suspect intentions that are actually fine and true??  Mommy demerit for me...)

We checked out this book because we're starting our summer field trips a little early this year.  We're going strawberry picking for the first time on Friday!  Lorelei and Ben are very excited.  We've picked blueberries (check out pictures from our first time picking, here in the review of Blueberries for Sal).  This year I'm hoping to link our field trips to books a little more thoughtfully...keep your fingers crossed that this works all summer long!  Having three kids sometimes challenges my ability to fulfill a few aspirations here and there...!

The Sniffles for Bear by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

The Sniffles for Bear by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

Rating: 2 stars

I don't often review books that aren't that great.  There are so many great ones, why waste my time pointing out the not-so-awesome ones?  (And I think I say that every time.)  But this one's flaws are downright funny, so I thought I'd share...

This silly illustration saved the book a bit...

The book starts off fine...  Bear is sick, and Mouse wants to help him feel better.  Bear breaks out all the drama and insists to Mouse that he is dying.  As I read this to Lorelei, I found myself cringing--I don't really want to encourage drama like this.  I have little patience for making something a bigger deal than it is.  I've been known to say, "Just wash it off in the creek!" when someone cuts themselves while playing in our woods.  Sympathy?  Um, I don't have a ton of it.

Mouse tries to cheer up Bear in a number of ways, but grumpy Bear will have none of it, and rudely cuts down Mouse's efforts.  In fact, Bear is so insistent on his impending death that he asks Mouse to help him write his will.

Um...excuse me?  Now I'm explaining what a will is to my 5 year old?  How is this appropriate?  Luckily, I actually didn't have to explain why Bear was bequeathing his roller skates, wash bucket, and teakettle.  Even though "bequeath" is such a fun word...

This book was put back in the library bag after one reading.  I'd like my kids to stay in their bubble of ignorance on everything related to death for as long as possible, thank you very much.

Toot & Puddle by Hollie Hobby

Toot & Puddle Wish You Were Here by Holly Hobbie

Rating: 5 rich, whimsical stars

Every week, we come across at least one new, good book at the library, one that captures my kids imagination or makes them laugh out loud or makes them ask me a thoughtful question or two.  But usually it's just one book.  We read it a bunch of times and return it, and check it out again whenever we want to experience what it offers again.

But once in a while we check out one book and then--to our delight!--that it is linked to a whole SERIES of books and then--joy oh joy!--we have a handful or, in this case, about a dozen books to read!  That is the case here.  How did I not know about these Toot & Puddle books before?  I feel like climbing to the top of the nearest hill in the playground and shouting at the top of my lungs while all the classes are playing.  Since I would definitely receive some crazy looks if I did that, I'll just tell you here and now.

THESE ARE SPECTACULAR!

We've seen the series advertised on TV but never watched them.  They show looks cute enough, but I admit I only reluctantly lets my kids watch TV.  Wanting to keep them ignorant on how many options there are out there, I'm always saying "no" to the kids when they ask me if they can watch a new show.  Anyway, I was at the library, looking for a book in the H section last month and saw Hollie Hobby's name.  Of course I recognized the name and pulled it out.  The cover illustration made me gasp.  So beautiful!  So thoughtful!  So whimsical!  So fun!

I grabbed all of the Toot & Puddle books as if a herd of moms were coming my way, looking for them.  That's right--I'm a book hoarder.  Hope you weren't looking for one of them in Fairfax County.  Because when I got home I ordered the rest of them online.

Okay, okay...I'll get to the books...!

My favorite book in the series right now is Wish You Were Here.  In it, Toot goes off to explore the world, sending postcards home to Puddle, who stays at home and can't imagine why Toot wants to see anything other than Woodcock Pocket, his (and Toot's) beloved home.  (This so strikes a cord with me--I so wanted (and still want to) see the world, and jetted off to Asia as soon as I could after graduating from college.  Why?!  Why is it that some people are so intent on flying, going, exploring while others are content with planting roots, staying, and just being?)

I got side-tracked.  Again.  Sorry.

Anyway, Toot goes off and has grand adventures while Puddle stays home.  When Toot returns, he is not his usual pink but...violet.  He has gotten some sickness and can't shake the blue color.  Puddle and his cousin Opal consult various doctors, the internet, and books and finally find a remedy that works.  Toot is pink again, and soon decides that his next adventure will be set in Woodcock Pocket.  He marries--at least momentarily--his longing to go and his desire to stay.  (As I have--at least momentarily!)

Right now I have two favorite things about these books:

First, I love the illustrations!  They aren't just gorgeous--that wouldn't be appropriate for a children's book with rich characters and a great story line.  They are thoughtfully created; no detail is left out, and the expressions on each little pig face is unique and animated.  These pigs are cute and funny, sweet and...somehow, real.

Second, I love how there are no grown ups.  I'm a fan of this in general with children's books, because I like when kids read about kids who are independent: they solve their own problems, create their own stories, come up with their own games.  I really believe that this helps inspire independence in little readers like Lorelei and Ben.

And if the books aren't enough for your kids, there is the TV show on Nick, Jr, and not one but TWO websites: one on a National Geographic, and one through Nick, Jr., that has games, printables, video clips, and more.  (Summer's coming up, so these printables might be the answer to your prayers one day.)

I love these books.  LOVE them!  They will be birthday books for our friends all summer long...

Samantha on a Roll by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Christine Davenier

Samantha on a Roll by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Christine Davenier

Rating: 4 stars

Samantha wants to learn how to skate, but her mom doesn't have time for her...not today.  What's a girl to do? Put the skates on and (augh!) skate around the house, teaching herself by going up and down the hall and around furniture.  And while her mom's not looking she (gasp!) heads outside by herself!  She skates all around town while her mom's looking after the baby (note to self: keep an eye on the others while changing the baby's diaper).  Whisking down Hawthorn Hill is where the adventure really begins...

Will is chasing butterflies.
Sammy takes him by surprise.
Flying by him like a jet,
Carries off his insect net.

"Now she's heading into town. / Tries to brake but can't slow down."

Matt and Molly, playing ball,
Miss the frantic warning call.
Sammy stumbles, bumping Matt--
Winds up with his baseball bat.

Toward the park now, swerving right,
Snags the strings of Katie's kite.
Katie hollers, "Come back NOW!"
Sammy cries, "I don't know how!"

As you can see, it's pretty fun to read.  As Samantha gains momentum and gathers collateral from her adventure, I gain momentum as I read it out loud to Lorelei and Ben (and Kiefer!).  It gets more and more exciting, especially if I get more and more into it.  (And what kid doesn't like their parent getting into a fun story?!)

The pictures are really fun, showing the crazy ride Samantha is on, showing Samantha's excited, now worried, now frantic, now happy, now proud face as she skates around town, and finally back to her house...where her mother now has time to show her how to skate.  Wouldn't you know it?  Samantha isn't interested anymore.  She'd rather just read a book quietly.

The Little Little Girl with the Big Big Voice by Kristen Balouch

The Little Little Girl with the Big Big Voice by Kristen Balouch

Rating: 4 very vibrant stars

When I wasn't blogging, there were a few books that made me miss it more than others.  This was one of them.  We checked it out a few months ago, grabbing it from the New Book Section in our library.  The illustrations grabbed me, so I had to grab it.  I couldn't resist!

The story: The big-voiced little girl needs someone to play with; she comes upon animal after animal and is excited to play with them, but her big voice scares them away.  Finally she meets a lion, who roars a big giant roar after she uses her big giant voice.  They look at each other, blink, and then laugh, knowing they've found a new friend in each other.

"She came upon a snake swinging in the tree."

The pictures are ah-maaaaaa-zing.  Vibrant.  Bright.  Happy.  Big.  I'm not sure I have enough words to describe how much I love Balouch's illustrations.  Her story was good, her pictures were great.  More, please!

My kids, post-breakfast

I'm not a perfect mom.  I know...there is no such thing.  But when I look back at my five years of being a mom, I realize that I did do the book thing right.   After breakfast today, I looked up from my usual place--the sink, of course!--to see this.  I grabbed my camera, feeling proud of them, and proud of myself.

My book-obsessed kids, taken by their proud (book-obsessed) mama

Lorelei started the trend, and Kiefer is looking straight into his little board book because there is a mirror in it, so he's either kissing himself (he definitely got the self-love gene from me) or just being silly (um, yeah, he probably got that gene from me, too).  And Ben had insisted he wasn't hungry and didn't want oatmeal until I coaxed him to the table by promising him to read him a book.  He came with five.  We compromised with two.

Life is good.

Priscilla and the Pink Planet by Nathaniel Hobbie, illustrated by Jocelyn Hobbie

Priscilla and the Pink Planet by Nathaniel Hobbie, illustrated by Jocelyn Hobbie

Rating: 4 stars

Anyone with a daughter understands what I mean when I talk about an explosion of pink.  It started with the (very lovely) baby shower before she was born.  An eruption of pink!  As someone who was not a girly-girl growing up, it was a bit of a shock then.  I'm lucky to have two boys to balance out the pink.  Because of them, I appreciate the pink--and all of the other girly-girl stuff that that single color represents--a whole lot more.

That is exactly what this book is about--appreciating differences!  It definitely made me smile.

Here's the world o' pink...

Priscilla is an adventuresome girl who lives on the Pink Planet.  Everything on the planet is, you've guessed it, pink!  "Pink apples, pink bananas, pink oranges, too. / Pink bicycles, pink rubber on the sole of your shoe. / Pink rivers.  Pink fish.  Pink grass and pink sky. / Pink is all you can see, no matter how hard you try."  That's a whole lotta pink.  Lorelei (and 98.4 percent of all 5 year old girls) would be in heaven!

But Priscilla decides, a la Edna in A Penguin Story, that there must be more color in this world, and she sets off to find it.  She searches and searches, overcoming this obstacle and that, until she runs into a TRULY colorful butterfly.  She follows the butterfly until SNATCH! he is caught in a net by...the Great Queen of Pink!  She haughtily explains: " 'Now look, little girl, just what do you think?! / Don't you know who I am?!  I'm the Great Queen of Pink! / This whole planet is mine, ocean and land, / and unwelcome visitors are one thing I can't stand!' "

...and here's the world o' color.  Better, don't you think?

Priscilla really wants more colors, but she knows she can't just argue with the queen.  Instead, she sits down to tea and outwits the queen by explaining that if all of the colors were out for all to see, that "pink would look even pinker."  So true!  Contrast is everything!

The illustrations by Jocelyn Hobbie are outstanding.  They are fun and busy, jam-packed with little details that make my kids' eyes linger over them until each little detail is discovered.  The animals and people are friendly and cheerful, and Priscilla is quite the character--she seems fun but not snotty, adventurous but not bratty.   And the post-pink world pictures are so much more vibrant, because of the added colors, that I think Lorelei and Ben really DO see and appreciate the idea of contrasting colors, and, hopefully (maybe just maybe!) contrasting differences in things besides color.

The fact that these books are long poems are such a bonus.  They are so much more fun to read, and now I realize how rhymes help Lorelei practice her pronunciation without anyone else around.  Nice little bonus to books that are already getting rave reviews in my house.  We've read a few of the sequels--Priscilla Superstar! and Priscilla and the Splish-Splash Surprise--and will be ordering the rest from our library soon.

Snakes! by David Greenberg, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

Snakes! by David Greenberg, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

Rating: 4.5 stars

This book is not for the faint of heart!  If your child is already afraid of snakes, perhaps...choose another title.  And if your little reader is intimidated by a lot of big, unknown words, perhaps...choose another title.

This is a romp of a tale told by a sophisticated author whose word choice is awesome and hilarious and challenging and, for sure, different.  I'll give you a sample of what I'm talking about:

Tangled like spaghetti
Slithery and sweaty
Nesting in a heap beneath your bed.

Can you feel your mattress shaking?
Slowing they're awaking
And it's months and months and months since they have fed

What a horrifying rustle
Of cartilage and muscle
Very very slowly they unwind

Tongues abruptly flickering
Whispering and snickering
They wriggle off to see what they can find

Every stanza impresses me!  And, wonderfully, Lorelei and Ben are of the age where they appreciate the rollicking feel of the poem, and Lorelei needs to be challenged by words in this book.  She knows almost all the words she comes across in books, but this one...this one makes her realize how many fun ones there are out there!  For the child who is already reading but either isn't into chapter books (for whatever reason) or isn't ready for the subject matter of chapter books, this is a good little series of books to check out.

The other wonderful thing about this book, and others by David Greenberg (including Skunks! and Bugs! and Slugs!) is the icky nature of them.  They are so far from the clean, pink world of most princess books...I love it!

Hold on, gotta go check for snakes under my bed...

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith

Rating: 3.5 stars

 Lorelei and Ben read a Dora book a long time ago where Dora "jumps into the book" to save a princess (blech!).  But the thought of jumping into a book has stayed with them.  This is a book that I'd like to jump into.

Undoubtedly, the Caldecott team got it right when they selected this book to be a winner.  The illustrations are phenomenal, and worthy of purchasing the book.  Smith tells the tale of a boy, illustrating the pictures with bushes pruned to become parts of the story.  When the little boy steals his first kiss, the boy is actually kissing a bush cut to be a girl, leafy lips puckering to meet his.  The boy studies horticulture but goes to a world war instead ("What's a world war, Mommy?"  Hmmm...maybe wanted to wait until , Kindergarten for that one...), but happily finds a woman to marry and grow old with.  They have kids and grandkids...

And then the little boy stumbles into his grandfather, whose memory fails him now.  The grandfather is returning to one of his favorite things in his old age--gardening--and is sharing it with his grandson.  "But the important stuff," the book ends, "the garden remembers for him."

Anyone with an aging parent or grandparent, please cue the tears right about now.  Seriously!  I do hope when I'm old and gray and wrinkled I am able to celebrate the amazing moments in my life--and there have been many--in some way.

This book is not for little kids, except for the illustrations, which can definitely inspire and awe the littlest of eyes.  The older they are, the more they can appreciate the illustrations and how they show the story line.  This is a great gift book for older people, I think.  I love that some children's books are mostly for adults, and this is definitely one of them.

One Little Seed by Elaine Greenstein

One Little Seed by Elaine Greenstein

Rating: 5 stars

This is a simple little book.  Simple words.  Simple pictures.  Simple message.  You can't go wrong with it; I think it should be the base for all of us mother-gardeners who are looking for a book or two to explain the process of gardening...

Here's the whole book (I'm sure you can imagine the beautiful illustration on the corresponding page):

One little seed

Our garden, day one.

Dropped in a hole
Watered and loved
Roots unfurl
Sprout uncurls
Stretch in rain
Weed and watch
Bud bursts out
Sun shines bright
Blooms blossom
One little seed is picked

That's it, and that's all.

Why do we garden?  At our house, there are a few reasons: To save a bit of money; to become a little closer to nature; to know the origin of our food; to differentiate between vegetables grown on a vine, in the ground, etc; to have something productive to do.

But the biggest reason: to teach patience.  Good things take TIME.  And often, a lot of it.

A few weeks ago we checked out a Franklin book where Franklin's class each gets a seed from their teacher.  Their homework: plant it, watch it grow, and identify what sort of plant it is.  When they can identify it, they are to bring it back to school and plant it in the school's garden.  Franklin's plant takes the longest, but finally (of course) he realizes what it is (I can't remember!) and brings it back, happy that his plant can join all of his friends' plants.  The teacher asks them what plants need, and they chime in the same answers as we did when we were kids: water, soil, sun.

And Franklin adds: "Time!"

I was so proud--SO PROUD!--of Lorelei when she told me that she also added "time" when her teacher asked her class what plants need to thrive.  It is just so true.  We all need time to grow...  Time to get over difficult times, time to get rid of that baby weight, time to watch your garden bloom, time to get past an un-fun phase with your kids, time to learn what loving your husband really, truly means, time to understand what it means to be happy.

So, we simply garden.  And we simplly learn life lessons from gardening (and lots of other stuff).  And we simply teach our kids...  One day at a time.

Ugh! A Bug by Mary Bono

Ugh! A Bug by Mary Bono

Rating: 5 stars

I asked Lorelei what sort of party she wanted for her birthday; she replied, "A princess party!" uber-enthusiastically.

Because I'm mean like that, I said, "No."  Then I thought to myself, That was pretty mean.  Perhaps I could soften my response a bit?  I explained to her that I thought it was important to make the boys at the party welcome, and they might not be excited about a princess party.  And then, because I know how to get under skin, I used her favorite word in my next argument: "Besides, everyone has princess parties.  Let's have one that is unique."  Her eyes lit up, and she got excited.

We decided on a garden party.  Not just a fairies and tea party garden party, but a wear-boots-'cause-you're-gonna-get-messy garden party.  We bought all our vegetables and set out the pots they needed to be planted in and helped the little gardeners (aka guests) plant our own garden.  It was a lot of fun--I only wish that we had more to plant, because we had so many eager hands!

Lorelei's twin cousins at the "reading center" at her party.

Because I'm nerdy like that, we had "centers" when the kids arrived.  Both Lorelei and Ben dig centers at school, and the concept has been super useful for me for playdates or just managing a long rainy afternoon with my own kids.  We had a sidewalk chalk center, a painting rocks like ladybugs center, a bubble center, and...you guessed it!  A book center.

This book was one of the garden-themed books we included.  It is a fun book--a great rhyme--that asks kids what they do when they see a bug with a ton of questions.  For example: "If you spied a centipede slithering by,/ would you reach for a stick? Run away?  Start to cry?"  The book ends by encouraging children NOT to stick bug in a jar for they are always happier out in nature.  Thankfully Bono makes no mention of that horrible boys-always-do-it thing about burning bugs with a magnifying glass (shudder)!

The illustrations are plain and simple and great.  It makes the kids giggle, and they can find some of the bugs mentioned in the book in our own yard and woods, which is always satisfying to me.  Entertaining and educational?  That's a good book in my mind.

Because I'm cheap like that, I bought our copy for 99 cents.  That's the only downside to this book: it's out of print.  But the one we found is in fantastic condition.  (Confession: It was actually supposed to be a gift, but we liked it so much we kept it!)  If you find a used copy, it might be worth grabbing it.  But you can always get it the way we first found it: our wonderful library.  And it's even cheaper than 99 cents.

Welcome back, ... me.

I'm not sure how a year passed since my last post.  Of course, having a baby will do that to you--make you disappear from the face of the earth, only to be seen when the baby is almost walking, giggles more than cries, and totally weaned.  But the past year wasn't totally a blur.  It was full of many wonderful moments, many sweet memories, many laugh-out-loud incidents.  It just wasn't full of blog posts!  Whoops.

I'm determined to change that, and hope that there are maybe just maybe a few people out there who are reading that.  (Besides Mom.  Hi, Mom!)  I miss writing, even if this is mostly a journal to print out later for Lorelei, Ben, and Kiefer to have as a deeper scrapbook of their childhood.

I'll start writing book reviews tomorrow, but first I have to catch you up on my kiddos:

First, Lorelei turns five tomorrow.  Five!  My little bookworm started reading a few months after her fourth birthday (thanks to Mo Willems and those wonderful Elephant and Piggie books), and is now reading chapter books.  I'm actually realizing a hole exists in kid-lit: advanced books for little readers.  While the Magic Treehouse series is pretty great, it's the only series I've found that is void of sarcasm, name-calling, and older-kid issues.  If you've got some titles for me, please send them my way.  Anyway, Lorelei is the sweetest little being on earth, insisting she "loves everyone and everything."

Second, Ben is three and a half.  Since Lorelei is reading chapter books and since Lorelei is his main hero, he pretends to read chapter books, too.  When she opened up her gifts at her party, she opened two chapter books.  He immediately went crazy with excitement, asking her to borrow one of them.  Sweet Lorelei agreed, and he sat on the front steps of our yellow home "reading" the chapter book.  For about fifteen minutes.

Third, Kiefer is almost one.  Thankfully he's no longer a blob (sorry for any of you who love the newborn stage...I appreciate it, but only as a stage to greater things) and he cruises around, laughing out loud--often at himself.  It seems like all of the kids inherited my man-I-think-I-am-funny gene!  I guess they hang out with me all the time...  Anyway, he's pretty darn cute (pictures to follow) and even has his favorite book: Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb, by Al Perkins, which he "dances" to while "reading" it by himself.

So, books are still a huge part of our mornings, afternoons, and nights.  This summer we're going to take our weekly field trips one step further and add a bunch of books and an experiment or two to make it a "Science Summer" (here's to hoping...aim high, right?).  I'm hoping that some of you can follow along a week behind, using the books and activities we've read and done to guide you through a summer of fun field trips, augmented (of course!) with books.

I love feedback of any sort, so please post comments and suggestions at the end of this or any post, or send me an email...

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman

Rating: 5 stars

What do you do while nursing or feeding a newborn?  "They" (who are they anyway?) say to talk to him, sing to him, read to him.  For me, I can't keep talking.  Either a) the quiet is so peaceful or b) I don't want to add to the crazy array of sounds we are already forcing Kiefer to listen to.  So, when it's just me and him, I read to him.  My husband laughs: "Starting him early?"  You betcha! 

Even Jonathan remembers this book and, if pressed, he could probably recite some of it.  It was Lorelei's bedtime book for months.  I'd read it every night--if traveling, I'd recite it from memory.  Kiefer now gets the same book--amazingly, our original is in tact.  It survived Ben's phase of eating books.

Karma Wilson has produced a book with a great rhyme and sweet message--one that resonates with me, the youngest child: no one wants to be left out!  A bunch of animals gather in Bear's den while he hibernates, and they party all night until suddenly Bear wakes up.  They all think he's mad but in fact he just wants to join in.  They invite him to eat and play with them until Bear is the only one who is not sleeping.

Luckily, Karma Wilson has saved my kids from complete boredom by writing more Bear books: Bear Wants More, Bear Feels Scared, Bear's New Friend. and Bear Feels Sick.  They are all great, but the original is my favorite.  Kiefer will soon agree.  He just has to hear it 7,538 more times.

Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems

There is a Bird On Your Head! by Mo Willems (and all the rest of these Elephant and Piggie Books)

Rating: 5 belly-laughing stars

Where have I been?  How did I not know about these books?  I guess these are two very separate questions...while I mean that in relation to this fantastic series, I guess I should quickly explain why I've been silent for these past months: 

I've been busy being pregnant and having a baby!  Our littlest guy, Kiefer, arrived last week.  He's happy and healthy and already has a good reading list under his nonexistent pillow.  Anyway, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, adjusting to a new and wonderful reality with two young ones and one newborn (and a husband and two crazy hounds).

Back to this series!  Enough about life-changing news! 

Lorelei's pal gave this to her for her fourth birthday a few weeks ago, and I was curious about it.  I had picked up one of the books in the series earlier but had not been impressed.  I don't really know why, because it blew my socks off this time!  Lorelei is starting to read--when she wants to, and whatever words she wants to--and these books are super simple.  They are written in conversation style, with text bubbles coming from the lovable elephant and pig. 

What makes this series so stellar is Mo Willems' wit.  He just gets what makes kids giggle!  Take There is a Bird On Your Head!  A bird lands on Elephant's head, and he isn't thrilled about it, but Piggie finds it pretty funny.  Then the bird falls in love, makes a nest, and lays some eggs.  This makes Elephant less happy and Piggie more happy.  Then the eggs hatch!  Elephant politely asks the bird family to move away, which they do.  Onto Piggie's head. Now the roles are reversed, and Elephant chuckles at Piggie's new nest.  Lorelei cracks up every time, and Ben does, too (though part of his laughter is definitely from my-favorite-big-sister-is-laughing-so-I-am-too-though-I-don't-know-what's-funny).

You cannot go wrong with this series!  I want to buy them all for every 4 year-old I know.  I want Mo Willems to write more of them!  They are appropriately hilarious for the age group, and a fun invitation to try to read a word or two.  Check out all of them, like we did last week!