Madam President by Lane Smith

Madam President by Lane Smith

Rating: 3.5 stars

I'm a stay-at-home mom with three young kids, so...keeping current with the news is not my first priority.  I must (sheepishly) admit that there have been a few times when I've heard a big piece of news and had to pretend that I already knew about it.  For example, troops being pulled out of Iraq.  This is particularly embarrassing when your dad is a retired general and your brother-in-law is active duty.  I'm pretty ashamed about that one.

But even I know that next week is the Presidential Election!

See, I ain't no dummy.  Just a tiny bit ignorant as I'm wrapped up in the immediacy of the needs within my own little existence on this planet of ours.

Why, the President is the most important person in the whole wide world!
(And the most humble.)

My choice aside, it's been fun to listen to Lorelei have a small opinion on the matter.  "I'm voting for our President, of course!" she tells me every time I bring it up.  Of course I tried to find a few books on the subject so to provide Lorelei and Ben some background into the election.  I had high hopes for this one, but don't love it as much as I expected to.

The words in the book outline the President's job.  If you close your eyes and just listen, you'll get an accurate description, complete with kissing babies and taking photo-ops, creating a good Cabinet and brokering treaties.  If you open your eyes, you see that each picture illustrates the grade school-version of that job.  Well, kissing babies is still kissing babies...  But brokering treaties involves fighting classmates, and attending a state funeral involves the death of a frog, nothing more.

A President needs protection at all times.

I do appreciate Lane Smith (click here for reviews of his books on my blog).  And I think I'll appreciate this book in another year or two, but right now the jokes are a little too old for Lorelei.  The little girl who is Madam President has her nose in the air in the vast majority of pictures, and I just don't like that image.

This is a good book for elementary students, I think...  I'll keep it in mind in four years, as long as I'm aware of the election that will take place then.

Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann

 Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann

Rating: 4.5 stars

It's rare that a book makes me tear up and also chuckle a bit.  So Bone Dog deserves a few minutes in the spotlight, not just for the absolutely fabulous illustrations, but for the story itself.

The story starts off with a little boy riding a big dog within a pack of running dogs.  "Ella and Gus had been friends for a long, long time."  The dog promises--under a full moon so his promise can't be broken--to always be with Gus.

On the next page, we see Gus without Ella, forcing himself to go about his days when Ella is gone.

Sniff, sniff.

Part of the going-about-his-day includes going trick or treating, and Gus dresses as a skeleton and heads home through a cemetery.  He soon finds himself surrounded by real skeletons who, when they realize he's a "real, live boy," they move to grab him.

(Kinda spooky...was surprised Lorelei and Ben didn't balk at it.)

But then, "the wind calmed and the moon broke shimmering from the clouds."  A bone dog--old Ella, now just bones--flies in with a smile (she must have been a Golden Retriever).  The skeletons laugh when Gus wants to fight them with a bone dog, but they quickly stop laughing when Gus and Ella whistle and howl for that large pack of dogs from the first page.

And then I chuckled, realizing that the dogs were going to chase the skeletons.  For their bones!  Three huge, wordless illustrations follow.  First, this one to the right, and then the pack of dogs, and then a small Dauchsund proudly trotting off with a single bone.

"Will I see you again?" asks Gus.  Ella wags her tail to respond under the full moon.

The pictures in here are some of the best.  Rohmann has won a Caldecott for his My Friend Rabbit, but I think this one is better than that one.  This is a very beautiful, slightly spooky, slightly funny, super touching book--wrapped in a simple tale of a boy and his dog.

Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino

Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino

Rating: 4 stars

I'm only reviewing this cute little baby book so that I can tell you a Halloween story and share a few pictures from our evening that are too cute to keep to myself.

Lorelei's inventory

First, a story:  So just before I send Lorelei, whose school is closed today, and Ben off to quiet time and raid their Halloween stash of candy (a whopping total of 18 items for Lorelei, 19 for Ben), Lorelei "does math" with her candy.  Really, the clever little girl is creating an inventory.

Drat!  She'll totally know what I took!

Wait, Ben didn't create an inventory...  I'll be right back...he won't miss a Snickers.  Or three.

Second, the book: One of our favorite author/illustrators, Dan Yaccarino, creates simple, bold pictures to the preschool song: "Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate / The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late!" etc.  Very simple, very cute, great little song for your great little one.

Third, some pictures: How cute are these trick or treaters?!

Lorelei the flamingo

Twin witches!

Little bee

Spidey-Ben

  

Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kahara

Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara

Rating: 5 spooky stars

We live in too rural an area to go trick or treating ("C'mon, kids, just five more minutes until we get to the next house!  You can make it for one more piece of candy!") so we drive over to my sister's house.  Our three plus their four make an instant pack, the kind of pack of kids that makes Halloween Halloween.  Last night they zoomed from house to house, excited for a piece of candy, running and laughing wildly at each other and with each other.

Lorelei and Ben, and of course Kiefer, are still happy with the lower range on the spook-o-meter.  It's a funny balance, finding books and stories and shows that are just spooky enough for them.  I'm happy that I didn't go overboard, because my sleep is interrupted enough.

This book, from the kids' beloved Grammy, is a perfect example of a barely spooky, but very cute book.

Here's a little story of a girl who moves into a new house.  But the girl wasn't a normal girl--she was a witch! And the house wasn't a normal house--it was haunted!  She isn't worried about cohabiting with ghosts because she knew how to catch them, which she promptly does.  And then washes them!

Who knew ghosts were dirty, and that you could pop them into a front-loader to rectify the situation?!

She makes curtains--smiley ones--with most of the ghosts, and a tablecloth and blanket with others.  She uses the last two to tuck her cat and herself in at night.

She knew how to catch ghosts.  "How lovely," she said.  "I hope there are some more!"  And there were.

The artwork in the book is one of the reasons I love the book.  One blogger was inspired to do her own cut-out activity with her kids...check it out here.  (I think I'll have to wait a few years until I bust out the X-acto knife with my trio.)  This book is a great one--for next year, as I'm a little late to inform  you of its wonderful-ness for this Halloween.  But, c'mon, we both know that you have extra candy sitting around that you'll be munching on after bedtime, so you might has well have this book around to join you.

Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss

Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss

Rating: 5 stars

The holidays are coming, and I know you're tempted to buy a bunch of toys for those kids on your list.  Don't do it!  Don't give in!  I urge you to consider two things: books and experiences.  Since this blog is supposed to focus on just the first of these two things, I'll do my best to stay on track and give you some great books to buy for your kids.

Like this one.

A classic!  If it's not on your child's shelf, rectify the situation and order it right now.  There are three books in this collection, which is my favorite Dr. Suess collection.  His rhymes shine and make both big and little kids (also known as grown-ups and children) giggle, but the poems deliver a punch: each one has a masterful life lesson that make me grateful for reading them every time I do.

I'm Yertle the Turtle! Oh marvelous me!
For I am the ruler of all that I see!

I remember the first time I read these three stories to Lorelei.  My rump was perched on a pint-sized chair and she sat, mesmerized, as I read line after line.  She was three.  (I think that's a little young for this collection, but better too early than not at all.)  I wasn't a fan of Dr. Suess because I thought him long-winded, like the crusty, pompous professor who can't stop himself when he gets going on a lecture, and drones on and on, amused with himself but losing the crowd.

But these books woke me up from my not-a-fan sleep and I have pledged my allegiance ever since.

The first story is of Yertle the Turtle, a greedy turtle king who realizes how low his thrown is, and forces all the turtles around him to make a stack so that he can be taller than his current perch.  He keeps making turtles stack up higher and higher and higher so that he can see more and more and more until suddenly--you saw this coming--one of the plain turtles down below politely complains that his back and shoulders hurt.  Yertle doesn't care and stacks on and on, but the turtle on the bottom burps innocently and shakes the whole stack.  Since Yertle was so high, he fell far.  Ker-plunk into the mud, of which he is now king.  "And the turtles, of course...all the turtles are free / As turtles, and maybe, all creatures should be."

The second story is of Gertrude McFuzz, a funny bird-like creature that has one puny tail feather and wants more and finer tail feathers, like a popular little gal she knows.  She makes a big fuss to her uncle-doctor, who gives in and gives her the secret: go to a pill-berry vine and eat just one berry.  No more!  Of course, after a fine tail feather pops out of her behind moments after eating the first berry, she gobbles still more, until her tails are gorgeous and full and...very, very heavy.  Since she could neither run nor walk, all those tail feathers had to plucked out, one by one.  Ouch!  See?  Accept yourself as you are, nods the wise Dr. Suess.  It's better that way.  Save yourself the plucking hassle.

Then the little old worm gave his head a small jerk
And he dived in his hole and went back to his work.

The third is "The Big Brag."  A rabbit and bear (both male, I should point out) engage in a silly fight over who is the best.  They perform impossibly stupid feats--the rabbit explains how his ears can hear a fly cough from over two mountains away and the bear says his nose can smell one stale egg in a nest in a tree next to a farm that is beyond far away far.  To break up their rift, a worm pops up and explains that he can see (chuckle, chuckle!) better than they can hear and smell.  And he stares this crazy serious stare and makes up a crazy serious story about what he sees.  He goes on and on adding distance until:

And I kept on looking and looking until
I'd looked 'round the world and right back to this hill!
And I saw on this hill, since my eyesight's so keen,
The two biggest fools that have ever been seen!
And the fools that I saw were none other than you,
Who seem to have nothing else better to do
Than sit here and argue who's better than who!

Funny stuff that has a wonderfully serious, important lesson.  Does it get better than this?  Not really.  That Dr. Suess is one of a kind...

John, Paul, George and Ben by Lane Smith

John, Paul, George and Ben by Lane Smith

Rating: 5 EXTRA LARGE stars

Here's a book that's been on our shelf for a long time, even longer than my absence from this blog (sorry, was a bit preoccupied with life).

Many of Lane Smith's books are politically-related, including his latest, Abe Lincoln's Dream...has anyone read it?  I've not yet.  His most famous, for which he oh-so-justly earned a Caldecott, was Grandpa Green (my review here).  I'm a fan, because Lane Smith is one funny dude*, whose illustrations match his witty words.  I appreciate funny dudes, and I appreciate the quirkiness--both written and illustrated--of this book.

The tale is one that we all know: That some important guys put their important heads together and did some important stuff in order to get our important nation off to a good start.  Smith tells the (mostly true) individual stories and then collective, revolutionary tale of John Adams, Paul Revere, George Washington, Ben Franklin, and also Thomas Jefferson (who was always off doing his own thing, so he doesn't get his name in the title).  He spends a few pages on each one, illustrating with words and pictures each particular character.

They are all funny, but Paul is my favorite.  Smith explains: "Before fun was invited, people joined bell-ringing clubs."  Because of this, Paul was hard of hearing and so, in order to hear himself, yelled an awful lot.  Check out the image of Paul, whose loudness wasn't appreciated at his shop:

Look at the look on that lady's face!  That is FUNNY!

"It took many years and a midnight ride for people to finally appreciate his special talent," writes Smith, as the illustration has Paul riding his bay steed through the cobblestone streets to warn of the Redcoats.

Ben Franklin is also pretty funny, but mostly because Lorelei had a habit of repeating two of the sayings that Smith includes in the small collection of Ben Franklin-isms.  "Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead" and "Fish and visitors stink after three days."  Can you see a preschool-goin', blonde-haired, blue-eyed three year old walking around saying these two things?  Yup, that's our Lorelei.

Anyway, I am so glad that we have had this book for so long.  It is funny and engaging and--lo and behold--completely educational.  In the back Smith includes real images of the five important dudes, and Lorelei and Ben have been able to pick them out in photographs and paintings for years.  They know an impressive handful of basic facts (for example, George Washington was the first president, and he lived in New York, not the White House in Washington, DC) and have yet to start elementary school.

I think it's so important to teach kids about our country, starting with the basics, like this book so funnily does.  This book is one example of many that can get your kids started on the right track to be an informed, appreciative patriot.

( * Lorelei also walked around saying "dude" instead of "guy" or "man" for years...oops.  I learned from that chuckle-worthy mistake, and her brothers started off with less surfer-like language.

George Washington and the General's Dog by Frank Murphy

George Washington and the General's Dog by Frank Murphy, illustrated by Richard Walz

Rating: 5 stars

Today Lorelei, Ben, Kiefer and I met my family at Mount Vernon, George Washinton's estate.  I've lived in Northern Virginia for ten years (the Army brat in me is shocked at being anywhere for this long) but this was my first trip there.

During the longish drive there, I quizzed the kids on what they knew about George Washington.  Here's what Ben (nearly 4) and Lorelei (5) knew:

• He was our first President.
• He chose not to be a king.
• He was the only President not to live in the White House.
• He lived in New York City.
• He admitted to chopping down a cherry tree.
• He was a soldier, a general, like Grand-Daddy.
• He loved animals, but especially loved dogs.
• His favorite dog was named Sweetlips.

I was proud of myself and impressed at their memory.  Once again, I'm amazed at how reading is entertainment and education all wrapped up together.  There are so many times when I'm floored by how much Lorelei has soaked up from books, especially the Magic School Bus series.  She is one smart cookie.

This book is a must-read for EVERYONE!  It is such a good tale about one of the most important characters in our country's history.  But it's also a good story of an act of kindness.  There is so much to know about Washington that I feel utterly unqualified to say much, but I will say that he reminds me that individuals matter.  One single man (or woman) can make such a difference in the course of history, in the lives of so many.  I want my kids to know more about him; this book is a perfect introduction.

The story starts off simply enough, and grabs any kid who likes any animal: Washington was an animal-lover, but dogs were his favorite.  (Would I like him as much if he was a cat-lover?  Probably not!)  He had a pack of dogs that amused him and annoyed Martha.  When he went away to fight in the Revolutionary War, he brought along his favorite dog, Sweetlips.  After the Battle of Germantown in 1777, a terrier was found wandering the fields.  Some soldiers in Washington's camp found him and realized that the dog belonged to the enemy, General Howe.  Washington's soldiers suggested he keep the dog as some sort of trophy for winning the battle, but Washington wouldn't hear of it.  A man and his dog must be kept together.

So, under a white flag of truce, Washington's aide returned the dog to Howe.

There are so many lessons in here that I don't know where to start.  I was really moved by the story the first time I read it, proud of our first President for such a simple and decent act.  My kids have such a hard time with losing and are so proud of themselves for winning--though the word "gloat" isn't in their vocabularies, they do it rather well.  But here's a tale of a winner who doesn't gloat, who recognizes the basic needs of his enemy and does the right thing.

I just love the story.  As soon as I read it I bought it and mailed it to my sister for her brood to have--my sister has framed pictures of George and Martha "as every American should have!"--so I knew she had to have it on her shelf.  Today, walking around the beautiful fields of Mount Vernon, appreciating the view on a gorgeous first day of fall, as our seven (seven!) collective kids ran around us, she and I talked about this book and how great an introduction it is to such an important figure.

We'll be back to Mount Vernon to add to the small but solid understanding Lorelei and Ben (and, soon enough, Kiefer!) have about one very important man.

The Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

The Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

Rating: 4 stars

I am normally in a good mood.  I am a smiley individual, and I look for reasons to laugh.  But last Monday night, I was in a poopy mood and needed a reason to laugh.  I was simultaneously gulping down tears and the reality that I might not be able to run a super fast marathon next month.  All because I had stubbed the bajeezus out of my toe by trying to prevent Kiefer from stopping the washing machine.  What a moron!

I was looking for something to lighten my leaden mood and remembered that I hadn't read this book yet, despite the fact that a wonderful retired-principal-friend had recommended we check it out.  She said that she observed a class during which the teacher had read this book and the whole class was in stitches.  I didn't want stitches, but did need a laugh so...during dinner I grabbed this book.

Here's the story: Grandpa chicken wants to read a book to his grand-chicken but, after the first paragraph of each classic tale, the little hen blurts out the ending in order to warn the characters of what is coming.  Gramps chides him each time, but...to no avail.  The little guy is just TOO EXCITED and can't keep his mouth shut.  I'm sure you know of someone like this in your family.  Gramps is frustrated because the books are causing excitement, not sleepiness.

In the end, the little chicken writes his own book about his grandpa, who is fast asleep by the last pages of the book.  It's a cute ending to a cute book.

I needed a laugh more than the kids last week, and the book provided a much-needed chuckle.  I can definitely see how you can get a crowd of 4 year olds worked up over this book, even if you've got a throbbing toe and a preoccupied brain.  Children's books are great for this reason--they often take my mind off of the big picture and bring me back to the present, to this little moment of laughing with my kids.

Thanks, Ann, for the recommendation!


P.S. After a trip to the doctor and a few x-rays of my little piggies, I escaped real damage and suffered only a tiny, hairline fracture in one of my toes.  One week off and then it's back to marathon training for me.  No break from Crossfit, I'm happy to say!

Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton

 Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton, illustrated by Eric Puybaret

Rating: 4 stars

"You bought our kids a stoner book?!" my husband said when he saw this book.

"It has such a sad ending!" my mother said when I told her I bought it.

This book sure has a bad reputation!  I guess that's exactly why I hadn't even thought to read it to Lorelei or Ben.  Until, that is, my cousin Stephanie suggested that I put it on my mother's shelf for all her grandkids to read.  I thought it was worth checking out.  So I did.  Literally.

I got the big book from the library, a book full of fantasy-filled illustrations, done by the talented Eric Puybaret.  The book was big--an oversized hardback--but the pictures on the pages made the book seem even bigger.  I won't quit my (unpaid) day job to sing, but I admit I can carry a tune just fine.  My kids like to hear me sing, so they were spellbound when I sang the book to them, and turned the pages of this beautiful book as the verses floated around them.

The song made the book a different experience for them, and Lorelei has been humming the tune a lot, looking for the book to fill in the blanks when she forgets the words.  ("I don't want to sing it like you do, Mommy: 'Little Jackie Paper, something something something..."  She is so right.  I always forget the words to songs!)

Puff, the magic dragon, / lived by the sea,
And frolicked in the autumn mist / in a land called Honalee.

I don't really get why this children's book is linked to some illegal substance, but my mom is right--this book definitely does have a sad twist.  After Puff and Jackie Paper frolic and imagine and play in a way only a child and his imaginary friend can, Jackie Paper grows up.  He goes away, never to return again, and Puff is lonely.

But illustrator Eric Puybaret saves the day and keeps Grammy's tears at bay.  In the last two pages, he paints in a young girl who clearly replaces the turned-into-a-muggle Jackie.  Puff is happy again with his new playmate, new adventures, new cycle of childhood.

I think that Steph is right, this is a great addition to your shelf, especially if you can carry a tune and can sing it to your children.  Pick up the board book version at your local Wegmans while grocery shopping, just like I did yesterday.

Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf by Judy Sierra

 Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Jotto Seibold

Rating: 4 stars

When I was a kid, my dad always chose the bad guys as his favorite characters.  He'd root for Captain Hook and the Wicked Witch of the West.  He'd cheer for anyone dressed in black, anyone walking around sneakily, looking suspect.  Now, it is really amusing to watch him stick up for bad guys in front of my kids.  Conversations (mini-Platonic dialogues to my philosopher father) go something like this:

GRAND-Dad: That Captain Hook isn't such a bad guy!
Lorelei: No, he is, Grand-Dad.  He always tries to steal stuff and do bad things.
GRAND-Dad: So what?  Why can't I do bad things?
Lorelei: (thinking) Because you're supposed to make good choices!  And he makes bad ones.
GRAND-Dad: I like him.  And look at his cool hat, too.

One of his favorite villains is the big, bad wolf.  I remember him clearly telling me many times that the big, bad wolf "got a bad rap."  Yeah, all that huffing and puffing stuff was totally misunderstood, Dad...  But my Dad would be a fan of this book by the fantastic Judy Sierra. The big, bad wolf finally gets the spotlight!  "It's about time," my Dad would say.

"No one is falling for your story," cracked Humpty Dumpty.

In this quirky story, B.B. Wolf, who lives with all the other bad guys of childhood in Villain Villa, is invited to the library to tell the story of how he met the three little pigs.  He is no longer young and mean; he is a bespectacled and respectable old wolf.

Off he trots, and starts to tell the tale a little...differently.  He makes himself a huge hero, explaining that those huffs and puffs were, um, really sneezes and soft blows on a dandelion puff.  The houses just happened to be on the receiving end of those accidental air pockets.

In the audience sit the three little pigs, and they adamantly argue with ole B.B. Wolf.  "Tell the truth!" they call out.  After a few more feeble attempts at a good fib, B.B. Wolf can't take it anymore and begs their forgiveness.

"Well," said the first little pig, "I guess we could forgive you."
"It did happen a long time ago," said the second little pig.
"But your middle name is still Bad," added the third little pig.

But the sage wolf isn't content with the acceptance of his apology.  He goes home and tries to make it right.  He builds the three pigs a new home--a piggyback mansion.

I like this story because it reminds me of my funny dad, but also because B.B. Wolf "makes it right," which is something I try to instill in my little ones.  If Ben happens to shove Lorelei into a coffee table and she erupts into tears, he needs to apologize and "make it right" with a hug or offer to get her something to make her feel better.  I need to make sure they do this, because I'm not going to be able to see all their infractions, within my trio and beyond.  They need to have the empathy to know when they've hurt someone and to at least attempt to make it right.  I hope this skill lasts through adulthood...

But I really appreciate this book, it's a funny way to reinforce a lesson in our home.  Hope you like it, too!

Born To Read by Judy Sierra

Born To Read by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Marc Brown

Rating: 4.5 stars

If there has ever been a kid born to read, it's Kiefer.  Born to a book-loving Mom and two older siblings who are book-obsessed, I'm betting on him reading the soonest, just to catch up with the others.  Already when we dive into the new books in the library bag on the way home, he grunts his desires until someone hands him a book.  And then he squeaks out his own version of the book in a sing-songy way during the drive home.

Pretty adorable, though I'm completely biased.

Anyway, here's a book by the fantastic duo Judy Sierra and Marc Brown, who gave us the fantastic Wild About Books, among other titles I've not yet reviewed.  This book features not Kiefer but Sam, a boy who is confident in his readership.  Books pile up in his crib, he reads in the grocery store, he helps his sister understand notes left by their mom.  My favorite example of the helpfulness of his reading prowess:

Once when Sam was almost four,
His knees turned green, his thumbs got sore,
His cheeks were flecked with yellow spots. 

They rushed him off to Doctor Potts,
Who cried, "It's Martian Mustard-ation.
You will need an operation!" 

Sam asked, "Is that necessary?
Let me see that dictionary.
Here's a better diagnosis:
Harmless Preschool Play-dough-osis."

I love it!

There's a hiccup of sorts towards the end of the book...  I can't figure out how Sam is suddenly battling a baby giant called Grundaloon, who stomps through Sam's town doing things that mean bullies--and, apparently, baby giants--do.  Though no one else dares confront him, young Sam has the moxie to go right up to him, invite him to tea, and read a book or two with him.  This time, books soothe the savage beast, and Grundaloon stops tormenting the town.

Seems a little like two books haphazardly combined into one, but the rhymes are so good and the illustrations so wonderful I have to forgive Judy Sierra and Marc Brown and go with it.

You can't help but love this book that celebrates reading and readers, despite the odd addition of ol' Grundaloon...

Olympig! by Victoria Jamieson

 The Triumphant Story of an Underdog: Olympig! by Victoria Jamieson

Rating: 2.5 stars

I know, I know...the Olympics are completely over.  But they'll be back.

So, let me tell you a story about Boomer the Pig.  Boomer decides that he'll be in the Olympics, and he trains a little before his Olympic debut.  He competes in a wide variety of events--running, weight lifting, wrestling, vaulting, boxing, and hurdles, to name a few.

This pig does not know the term "specialization of labor."  Or of sports.

He stinks at all of them.  I mean, he's really bad.  And after losing horribly at each sport and having a chipper attitude, he finally loses it and throws an oinker of a tantrum.  And then he quits.

On your marks, get set, GO!

Shortly after quitting, an annoying journalist interviews his mom, expecting her to go on about her embarrassment and shame of her son.  Instead, she lauds him and says how proud she is of him for trying.

So Boomer un-quits and tries again.  One.  Last.  Event.  Gymnastics floor routine!

His comically glittery outfit and horribly spell-binding routine help him earn a spot near the bottom.  But his attitude remains positive.  "I realized something very important today!" he says.  "I realized today has been terrific practice for the Winter Olympics!"

I'm disappointed in this book about the Olympics, about which there are surprisingly few books.  The drawings are the highlight, but the story just leaves me unsatisfied.  I guess Jamieson wants kids to learn that a positive attitude is most important, and to appreciate the people (or pigs) that support you.  But I don't love how clueless Boomer is, how delusional he is about how his talents (or lack thereof) measure up against the rest of the competition.  It makes me think of all those kids out there who receive so much praise that they are shocked--shocked!--when they finally get honest (in their mind, negative) reviews.

I'm a huge fan of the Olympics, mostly because they are the hard-earned reward for individuals who work hard for many years.  This light-hearted approach to the Games rubs me the wrong way, but maybe I'm too competitive a person to appreciate a funny book about a pig who is trying really hard to be just okay.

The Stinky Giant by Ellen Weiss

The Stinky Giant by Ellen Weiss, illustrated by Mel Friedman

Rating: 4.5 stars

Here's a random book for you...  I'm not even sure how it ended up in our library bag (in other words, Ben definitely snuck it in there, as he takes his book hunting skills very seriously).

But it's perfect for both kids.  Lorelei, and therefore Ben, is very much into riddles.  We've played guessing games (for example: "Guess what fruit I'm about to give you.  It's green on the outside and red on this inside....  Right!  A watermelon!") for a long time, so riddles fit right in within our conversations.  Ben, and therefore Lorelei, is very much into anything stinky and gross.  So...The Stinky Giant that hands out a riddle to two kids he might eat?  Count us in!

I didn't expect to like this book so much, but I do because it involves some thinking and some science.  Two very good things.

Urk the giant lives atop a mountain.  Every time he does his laundry, his dirty water floods two innocent kids below.  When they go to Urk to complain, he challenges them to a contest: He'll give them a riddle.  If they get it right, he'll move away.  If they get it wrong, he'll eat them for dinner.  Yikes.

Here's the riddle: "There is something you see every day, and it is one thing but also three things."

After working together to think of the answer and coming up with many of wrong guesses, the kids realize that the answer is water, as it is liquid, vapor, and ice as well as simply water.  Urk has to move away, and the kids live happily ever after.

I like the book because it fosters the whole riddle/word problem mentality.  We're all about word problems here, though from time to time I do throw up the white flag and say, "Not tonight!" when my brain is too tired to think up word problems for little ones...  Okay, maybe it's my patience that goes first.

Either way, it's a good book to read and a great habit to start.  Here are some word problems that we use, to help get you started (besides that whole fruit riddle listed above):

For Lorelei, 5: You are at a birthday party with four friends--two boys and two girls.  Each girl wants two pieces of cake, and each boy wants one piece.  How many pieces are served?

For Ben, 3 1/2: Lorelei, Ben, and Kiefer are running in a race.  Lorelei finishes the race in 5 minutes.  Ben finishes the race in 10 minutes.  Kiefer finishes the race in 12 minutes.  Who wins the race?

The Donut Chef by Bob Staake

The Donut Chef by Bob Staake

Rating: 5 stars

My kids don't eat a lot of donuts (see P.S. below), but they still like this book, and if your kids are donut-lovers, this is definitely a book to check out.  And I really like this book--it's too fun to not like.

The plump donut chef (apparently he likes to taste a few of the donuts from each of the batches he cooks) from the cover opens up a donut shop on a quiet street.

He stacked his pots, he cleaned his pans,
He dusted off the ceiling fans.
He grabbed a spoon, then turned a knob,
And set the stove to do its job! 

That donut chef, he worked so hard
By mixing flour, sugar, lard.
He baked his donuts fresh at dawn,
Then hoped by noon they'd all be gone.

Soon a skinny chef (clearly he doesn't taste enough of his product) saw his success and sought to steal the donut-chomping clientele.  He opened a shop nearby, and the two fought for customers through price points and shop hours.  But that wasn't enough.

They tried new shapes beyond just rings--
Their donuts were such crazy things!
Some were square and some were starry,
Some looked just like calamari!
Some were airy, some were cone-y!
Some resembled macaroni!

The donuts became so bizarre that customers couldn't even recognize them as donuts.  One day, a little girl walked into the shop, stared at the rows and rows of crazy concoctions, and asked why they didn't have her favorite kind: glazed.  Simple, uncomplicated glazed.

Soon, the crowd begins to shout for glazed.  Where've they been? they suddenly wonder.  The plump donut chef realizes his error and cooks up a batch and, when that batch is quickly gobbled up, cooks up another and another.  He realizes that success lies in providing the least frilly flavor of all.

I love the lesson: Go simple, go with the basics. You just can't go wrong.


P.S. I actually don't like donuts.  The super-sweet smell of them just turns my stomach, and when I do ignore my better judgment and eat one, my stomach gives me a hard time later on.  My kids have only had donuts a handful of times in their lives.  I try not to be a complete spoilsport, but their growing bodies need quality nourishment to fuel their crazy pursuits, and...donuts are not exactly what I'd call "quality nourishment."  Yup, that's right: I'm into depriving my kids of sweets, one donut at a time.  I'm okay with that.

The Great Doughnut Parade by Rebecca Bond

The Great Doughnut Parade by Rebecca Bond

Rating: 4 stars

Here's the skinny on this beautifully illustrated book: Little Billy ties a string around a doughnut, and then ties the string around himself.  This little doughnut quickly attracts the attention of a cat, then a dog, then a girl, and then...  Soon the entire town is following Billy and his doughnut.  By the end of the book the parade erupts into joyous dance, though no one is quite sure why they are there.  While everyone dances around, Billy slips off to eat the "crisp and delicious fried ring--the doughnut he'd tied to his belt with a string."

It's a cute book, though I know of some people who'd turn the parade into a riot when doughnuts weren't equitably distributed to the followers.  (These people are actually pint-sized--namely, my twin nieces and nephew.)  The pictures are beautiful, full of people swirling around with bright smiles on their faces.

But really, this blog is just an excuse to tell you how cool my dad is.

Over the weekend, we went to brunch with my dad and step-mother, known as The GRAND-Dad and Grandma Sharon to my kids.  He handed Lorelei and Ben this book, and said, "Now make sure you call me when you get to the end!"  They were too excited to tell him about their brand new lunchboxes to read, so I put the book next to my bag.

...and GRAND-Dad was eating and dreaming too
wanting to have a doughnut with each of you!

We got home, I forgot to take the book out of the car, and it was soon part of the pile of crap that had accumulated during the week.  Oops.  But when I did manage to pull it out from my un-immaculate vehicle, it  soon found its way to Lorelei's eager lap.  She sat there reading it, and as soon as she was done, she snapped it shut and said: "I need to call GRAND-Dad!"  So we did.

Later, I looked through the book myself.  Billy escapes to his solitary doughnut delight on the last page, but my dad had added another page, with another rhyming passage:

"...and GRAND-Dad was eating and dreaming too / wanting to have a doughnut with each of you!"

And he taped in a picture of himself, smiling big, about to bite into a glazed doughnut.

What I love so much is that my dad, an often-serious retired Army general, was playing with his grandkids through books.  He, the consummate booklover himself, a guy who consumes 3 or 4 books a week, a guy who can tell you the page number of certain quotations from a few thick books, a guy who showed me by example how to escape into the pages of a book...  He was speaking my kids' language, especially Lorelei's language, sharing a joke in the pages of another soon-to-become beloved book.

This is yet another way to have fun with books, to not make reading a chore but instead a light-hearted way to share and communicate and love.

Or maybe it was just an excuse for my dad, a big doughnut-lover, to have a few more doughnuts.  My kids' arms don't have to be twisted much.

Once Upon an Ordinary School Day by Colin McNaughton

 Once Upon an Ordinary School Day by Colin McNaughton, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura

Rating: 5 extraordinary stars

After the first page, I really didn't like this book.  Here's the first page (bear with me):

Once upon an ordinary school day, an ordinary boy woke up from his ordinary dreams, got out of his ordinary bed, had an ordinary pee and an ordinary bath, put on his ordinary clothes, and ate his ordinary breakfast.   

The ordinary boy brushed his ordinary teeth, kissed his ordinary mom goodbye, and set off for his ordinary school.

There are two more pages like that.  When you read that out loud, that's a whole lot of "ordinarys."  I was thinking: This is going to be a long book.

But from the get-go, the illustrations are beautiful and quirky and fun.  Those on the first three pages are all in black and white.

And then, on page three, an extraordinary figure bounds into the classroom.  It's Mr. Gee, a new teacher, and he's got an idea for a lesson that will help him get to know the students, and help the students get to know him.  He puts some music on and wants the kids to let the music make pictures in their heads.

Oh, and the illustrations are so great!  The extraordinary Mr. Gee is in color, but all the ordinary stuff is still in black and white.

And as the music swooped and danced and dived
once more,the ordinary boy began to write.

So he puts on the music, and everyone draws and writes what they hear.  They interpret the music so differently and wonderfully!  The main ordinary boy draws of elephants stampeding and a whole safari of animals and then a deep sea adventure and then of flying over gorgeous lands.  All in color, of course.

At the end of the day the little boy compliments the teacher on the lesson: "That was the best lesson ever!" (I love this kudos giving from little to big.)  Mr. Gee wonderfully replies: "I can't wait to read your story tonight."  I love the genuine interest the teacher has in the boy.

In a different chapter of my life, I was student body president of my college (feel free to chuckle!).  I gave a speech to all the faculty and staff once before the academic year began challenging them to be memorable to at least one student.  Isn't that what it's all about?  Taking the time and energy and risk to make an impression and helping somebody grow.  I hope that my kids are lucky enough to have a handful of teachers who care enough to have lessons like these, to help them grow and stretch and learn.

This is like a pint-sized, less-sad, book version of Dead Poets Society, which is one of my favorite movies.  And honestly, it's made me think a little more about teaching in my next chapter of life.  What fun it'd be to make a difference in other kids' lives.  Hmm.  Something to consider...

Anyway, a FANTASTIC book.  Lucky us to have found it on display at our library.  Thank you, librarians!

A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech

 A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech, illustrated by Harry Bliss

Rating: 5 fine, fine stars

Here's a book with a lesson for kids and parents: a story about balancing work and play.

Mr. Keene is a principal who thinks that his school is so "fine, fine" that kids should attend it even more than usual.  Why go just Monday through Friday?  Let's go on Saturdays and Sundays, too!  Why take days off for holidays?  Come to school on Christmas and President's Day!  Summer?  Bah!  Who needs to play?  Come to school instead!

Young Tillie, one of his fine, fine students fights her way through the under-played and over-worked students, staff, and teachers to go see him.

"Somebody's not learning, Mr. Keene," she informs him.

He gasps!  Oh, no!  What an emergency!  He's about to find a way to get the kids to go to school even more when she stops and explains who is not learning.

"My dog is not learning new tricks.  My little brother is not learning how to swing by himself.  I am not learning how to sit still in a tree for a whole hour.  Because I am at school all the time, I am not there to teach my dog and my little brother, and learn to be and do things by myself."

I love this!  Go, Tillie!

Was he going to make their dogs come to school, too?

The pictures in this book are great, and full of humorous little tidbits for us grown-up kids.  My favorite is the kid toting The Meaning of Life...  And the dog in the story is a fun character in himself.  (Another cheer for dog-lovers!)

What more important lesson is there for today's kids?  (Okay, I can think of one other that gets me fired up: health and food...)  But the lesson in this book is more for the reader than the listener.  We parents are the ones scheduling our kids for so many things.  I know it's tempting--it sure seems like all of Lorelei's classmates have been taking a language for at least a year, if not two.  And sports start as soon as they can run, so...shouldn't I be signing up Kiefer in a few months?  But playing in an unstructured way with your siblings, teaching your pets new tricks, and sitting silently with nature...  These are priceless, priceless things.

And some of us readers need to learn the lesson, too.  Work and play.  Play and work.  It's a hard balance, but I'm on the side for playing more.  These kids of ours are going to be working soon enough, so let's play with them and and stop working ourselves.

Whoever You Are by Mem Fox

Whoever You Are by Mem Fox, illustrated by Leslie Staub

Rating: 5 stars

This book should be given to any former Peace Corps Volunteer when they have a child.  If you are a former Peace Corps Volunteer, just go ahead and buy it.  You'll love it.  My good friend and fellow booklover Beth gave me the board book version when Ben was a baby--and I've read it at least a few times a week since then.

Here's a little snippet from the well-worn pages:

Little one, whoever you are, there are little ones just like you all over the world.
Their smiles are like yours, and they laugh just like you.
Their hurts are like yours, and they cry like you, too.
Whoever they are, wherever they are,
All over the world.

The illustrations are, on the one hand, great--most pages features bright, happy international faces with different landscapes in the background that'd make a Peace Corps Volunteer's heart ache a little for their days spent abroad.  You might have to pull out the ol' scrapbooks.  On the other hand, there is this really strange rastafarian dude who shows up with a gaggle of kids on each spread of pages.  Check him out on the cover.  He's usually flying, with the kids attached to his blue suit.  I totally don't get it.

The poem is soothing and quiet and calming, making it a great bedtime/naptime book.  It's just the right length--a little long if you've got an impatient tyke on your lap that thinks flipping the pages really fast is really fun--but nice once a bit of patience kicks in.

And the message?  That love is the same, and joy is the same for everyone, whoever we are, wherever we are, all over the world.

Big Truck and Little Truck by Jan Carr

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

Rating: 5 stars

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

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

Once again, Little Truck is left alone.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Press Here by Herve Tullet

Press Here by Herve Tullet

Rating: 5 stars

Please stop reading this.  Order this book--either from the library or your favorite bookstore.

Okay?  Done with that?  I'll continue.

A book has got to be fun to read.  Seriously, who wants to read through a snore-fest of a book that has so-so illustrations and a mediocre storyline just because it has a good morale?  Not me.  To get kids excited about books, you (the reader) must have fun reading them.

I can't think of another book that is more fun to read.  It makes me feel sorry for those folks out there whose kids are past picture books, into chapter books, never to look back on the big square books with huge illustrations.  I want to apologize, because you really missed out on Press Here.  

I saw Lorelei reading this book at home last week, and noticed that she was pressing the book and clapping and doing all sorts of things with the book, rather than just sitting and reading it.  My curiosity was piqued, but my to-do list was too long to drop what I was doing to check it out (yeah, I know...bad choice for me.  Pass a Mommy demerit my way).  I didn't return it with most of the books from last week, choosing instead to pack it with us on vacation.  Last night I finally got the chance to read it.  Ben sat in my lap, the lucky duck, and had the full experience.

The book is really just a list of instructions, telling the reader (or the reader's budding bookworms) to do this or that.  It starts innocently--press this dot.  Then tap it five times, and turn the page to see that the one dot has magically turned into five in a row.  Rub something gently and POOF! on the next page it's a different color.  Tilt it to the left, and turn the page to see all the dots gathered on the left-hand side (enter unchecked giggles here).  Tilt it to the right, and turn the page to see all the dots gathered on the right-hand side (enter an eruption of laughter here).

The best, though, is the "shake the book" pages.  The lucky duck kid on your lap gets shaken right along with the book.  (I should confess that I am VERY good at riling up any and all children, especially at bedtime.  I was born to make kids laugh and take that role very, very seriously.)  I think Lorelei nearly peed in her pajamas tonight when I nearly shook her out of my lap (she chose it again tonight, perhaps jealous of the experience Ben got last night).

I just ordered this book for my sister's brood of children.  I can just picture all four of them pressing and rubbing and turning and giggling.  I am patting myself on the back while chuckling for riling them up from afar.  At bedtime, of course.  Hee, hee, hee...