The Busy Building Book by Sue Tarsky

The Busy Building Book by Sue Tarsky, illustrated by Alex Ayliffe

Rating: 4 stars

This is one of Ben's favorite books on construction.  The book follows the steps to build an office building in a big city, from plans to excavating, scaffolding to framing rooms.  It provides just a basic outline with minimal sentences, but included on each page are dozens of labels for those curious readers who want a little more information.  There's a lot going on in each page, so there is plenty to look at...and look at, and look at...  Definitely a good one for the construction collection in anyone's house.

And, speaking of construction, our construction adventure continues!  The house on Kirby Road that we're keeping an eye on is progressing from hole in the ground to a recognizable house.  Last week we picked up Lorelei from school and checked it out with the general contractor and our friend Sidd.

Look closely.  Can you see the hole in my jeans?
Note to self: Don't wear your good jeans when hopping fences.

When we arrived, Sidd invited us to hop over the (low, chain-link) fence, walk down a steep, muddy path, jump through a window-looking opening that was actually going to be a door, stroll around the "basement" while simultaneously dodging a handful of strong men swinging big ol' axes while digging trenches for pipes.

Did I mention that, in addition to holding the hands of my adventuresome 4- and 5-year old kids, 22-month old Kiefer and 62-yearold Grammy were tagging along?  And I (stupidly) was wearing my nicest jeans.  But did I let any of these factors stop me?  NO!  I'm THAT kind of mom who trespasses and traipses while looking cute!

Writing her initials in cement...all kids should do it once!
(Preferably legally.)

And I'm glad we did--because the kids had the chance to see the basement before it became a basement.  Sidd had plans for the house ready for us to page through, and the kids saw how it resembled artwork (albeit more precise).  They get a peak at how Sidd's imagination helped make this muddy hole become a home.  We walked around, with Sidd pointing out different things to the kids while I tried to keep them fairly clear of the swinging axes that might disfigure them (that'd be bad).  There was some fresh cement, and he let them write their initials in it with an iron stick that was lying in the dirt.  The kids' eyes were big the whole time while they soaked up this totally new and cool experience.

Next time, we're wearing boots.  And maybe Kiefer should stay with Grammy in a safer location...

Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood by Mike Artell

Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood by Mike Artell, illustrated by Jim Harris

Rating: 5 stars

Some books we read to educate, some to escape, some to inspire, some to answer deep questions.  But some books we read just to laugh.  Because laughter is delicious.

My husband is from Lafayette, Louisiana, so I've tried to make sure that our overstuffed bookshelves include some books that represent his story, his upbringing.  All books by Mike Artell should probably be in our house, permanently.  Not only are they written in fantastically creative verse with Cajun lingo infused in every beat, but they are wildly witty!

In Petite Rouge, Little Red Riding Hood is a duck, sent to visit her sick grandmother by pirogue (boat), across the swamp.  Instead of a wolf threatening her success, a 'gator named Claude is determined to take her lunch sack and life.  He scares Grandma away and dresses up like her (yup, it's a pretty hilarious illustration).  Petite Rouge outwits him by throwing some hot sauce-laden boudin (sausage) into his mouth, which causes a spicy eruption in his innards and he sends himself away for good.

But how the story is told makes that it so, so great!

Here's the part when Petite Rouge eyes up "Grandma" for the first time (read it out loud, it's better, trust me):

Ol' Claude make a smile,
an' he say, "It's dat flu.
It makes me all green wit' dem bomps,
dat's fo' tru'. 

"Why don' you come closer,
'cause I wanna se
all dat good food you mama
done cook fo' po' me. 

Petite Rouge Riding Hood
an' den Tejean de cat,
dey take a step closer
from where dey was at. 

Petite Rouge, she say, "Grand-mere!
I know you been sick,
but I t'ink mah eyes
be playin' on me a trick. 

"You mout' kinda big,
an' you nose kinda long,
an' I got me a feelin'
dat somet'in' bad wrong."

Every page or two I stopped to "translate" a bit for Lorelei and Ben, to make sure they comprehended the unfamiliar sounds coming out of my mouth.  I'm sure that if my husband heard me read this book (and Artell's other good one Three Little Cajun Pigs), that he'd probably cringe at some of my pronunciation--but that's the beauty of kids, they don't know!  They don't care!  It's like tripping a little when you're dancing a solo.  Will anyone really know?  Nope.  Just proceed with confidence and you'll be just fine.

This book is just downright fun--possibly more fun for the reader and other grown ups who appreciate the witty twists Artell produces.  It begs to be read aloud, which means it is, like all great things in life, meant to be shared.  If you've got a Cajun around you like I do, this is required reading dat's fo' tru'!

Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas

Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas

Rating: 5 stars

I have two mom friends with whom my trio and I have weekly "dinner parties."  This tradition started last summer when my pal   Steph and her two adorable blondies, Sophie and Ryker, realized we were tired of being the only grown up at the table.  We got together every Wednesday afternoon for a long play session followed by dinner.  We switched locations/houses/dinner responsibility every week--usually we met at one of our homes, but sometimes for a treat, we went to a local park for a summertime picnic.

At first, our goal was to simply break bread (albeit gluton-free) with good friends.  But we soon realized there were a ton of other benefits for the kids, including: learning how to eat at someone else's house, trying new food, how to be a good host in your own house, how to be a good guest in someone else's house.

But mostly, it was really fun.  And the older our kids get, the more time they spend playing without us moms, and the more we get to chat by ourselves.  What a treat!

It was at Steph's house last month that we came across this book.  Steph called to cancel our dinner because she was having someone come over to spend 30 minutes going over paperwork.  I said, "No!  Let us come over and I'll watch the kids so you can focus."  (You know you've got a good friend when you can say "no" to her...)  So the plans stuck and we headed over to her house after Lorelei got home from school.

Right as we were finishing dinner, the Someone came over to chat with the grown-ups of the house, and I was left with five kids.  Yikes!  Steph had shown me this book earlier, and when the kids were done eating and starting to get antsy, I grabbed Can You Make a Scary Face?  The book is PERFECT for situations like these, when you need to get and keep kids' attention.  For those times when you need a book to read to your child's class, this is The Book to grab.

Because all it really is is a funny looking ladybug giving "orders" to the kids.  "Hey, you!  Yes, I'm talking to YOU! Stand up!  No, I changed my mind...SIT DOWN!  No, I changed my mind AGAIN.  STAND UP!"

Those are the first three pages of this simple-but-wonderful book.  You see where this is going--down a very silly, giggle-filled road.  That's always a nice road to be on.  The book ends with the ladybug asking his audience to make the scariest face in the world in order to scare away a giant, hungry frog (who wants to eat ladybug pie for lunch).

Hmmm.  Maybe I should read this book to Ben's class before any other mom in his class sees this and knows about this book and reads it first...!

The House Book by Keith DuQuette

 The House Book by Keith DuQuette

Rating: 3.5 stars

This is one of the many building books we've got lying around our house these days.  The illustrations make it worth checking out--I'm looking at the inside flap before the words even begin, and I'm remembering talking with Ben about all the different types of houses that exist.  There are detailed illustrations of an adobe house, an a-frame ski lodge, city row houses, a simple cabin, an old fashioned colonial, a beach house near the sea...

The images in this book (and others) have made Ben talk about what kind of house he would like to live in, and he constantly asks me what kind of house I'd like to live in.  A small part of me wants to remind him of how lucky we are to live in such a nice house with such beautiful woods surrounding us each and every time he brings up the "What kind of house do you want?" conversation.  But I know he's not being ungrateful; he's using the big imagination in his little head to think up alternative homes.  We're all struggling in some way between the balance of appreciating what we have and wanting something different, I think, and Ben is playing with that big idea in a little, safe way.

Ben's block "neighborhood"...

(Neighborhoods are especially attractive to Ben.  We don't have much of one as we live at the end of a pipe stem, and I think he's a little envious of those he sees--the houses are close enough together were kids can play more easily, and yards touch the yard next door...  Something about that has caught his eye in a big way.)

The words in this book are fine--it's a nice rhyme that describe the parts of a house, from door to windows, roofs to yards.  "Each room is used in its own way, / some for work and some for play. / Another fact that's worth revealing; / one room's floor another's ceiling."

But the detailed illustrations are why you want this book in your library bag, especially if you've got a kid who, like Ben, can't stop constructing houses out of anything he touches!

The Library by Sarah Stewart

 The Library by Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small

Rating: 4.5 stars

The great Sarah Stewart has written a book to memorialize her late friend, fellow book lover and librarian Mary Elizabeth Brown.  What a great ode to a reader--to have a book written about her!

This is a simple tale about a girl who, above all else, chooses books.  The clever and funny illustrations by Stewart's husband, David Small, are top-notch.  We don't see the gal's face very often as it is usually hidden by a book.

Of her childhood (what flashlights are for!):

She always took a book to bed,
With a flashlight under the sheet.
She'd make a tent of covers
And read herself to sleep.

Of college life (um, I can relate):

Elizabeth Brown
Preferred a book
To going on a date.
While friends went out
And danced til dawn,
She stayed up reading late.

She eventually stumbles into a small town, and her reading habit takes over her house.  So she does what any good reader does: she shares her books.  She signs them over to her town, and her house becomes the town's library.  She moves in with a friend, and reads for the rest of her days.

This is a charming book--a great book for a child, but also a really good book to give to an adult reader, too.

Alphabeep by Debora Pearson

Alphabeep: A Zipping, Zooming ABC by Debora Pearson, illustrated by Edward Miller

Rating: 4.5 stars

There are hundreds of alphabet books out there--but this one is particularly good.  It is especially great for any little (or big!) car enthusiasts out there...

And Ben sure is.  We just learned about "symbol signage" in Meet Me At the Art Museum, so he loved all the signs for the road.

But I have to warn you in case you're brave enough to drive Ben somewhere.  (Which won't happen anytime soon because he's way too attached to me to get in somebody else's car...maybe next year.)  He is a back seat driver.  I've already had to tell him the important life lesson: "No one likes being told how to drive, Ben!"  He asks me all the questions about the rules of the road, and is constantly baffled by my bad luck with red lights.  "Why are the lights always red for you, Mommy?"  Sigh.  "I guess I need to keep practicing patience, Ben!" is what I cheerfully muster while muttering something else in my impatient brain.

Ben's intersection.
If there's an accident, we've got an ambulence on standby.

But rules of the road are important, and it is cool that he is paying such close attention.  Just a few minutes ago I built him an intersection on our floor with blue painter's tape (our favorite toy), and now he's having his cars take turns stopping and going.  He was disappointed there were no turning lanes; I promised him that next time, I'd plan ahead and include them in my design.

The Quiet Place by Sarah Stewart

 The Quiet Place by Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small

Rating: 4.5 stars

Some of the best books help launch kids (of all sizes) into a different creative space.  They teach!  They show!  They inspire!  And, thanks to the great words of Sarah Stewart and the incredible drawings of David Small, The Quiet Place does all of that.

The story: Isabel moves with her mother and older brother from Mexico to America--to some unnamed northern state where it randomly snows in April.  Her mother bakes cakes for little girls' birthday parties, and Isabel gets to tag along.  Sometimes she is offered a piece of cake or goody bag, but she politely declines those and asks for boxes.  She collects boxes--the bigger,the better--and creates her "quiet place" from which she can write letters back home, read books, and just think, dream, be.  By the end, all the little girls in the neighborhood are invited to her birthday party, and they are wowed by the quiet place she's created.

"My quiet place was not quiet, but it didn't matter"

(Check it out in the picture--aren't you wowed, too?)

This book resonates with me for three reasons:

1. Lorelei has two little brothers who are like two puppies from the same litter.  While she can be loud and crazy, too, Ben and Kiefer are almost always loud and crazy.  So she often looks for a quiet place to read and finish an art project.  Her cardboard box house might need a padlock. Or two.
   
2. As an Army brat, my family moved around every 2 or 3 years.  My parents would set aside one room for boxes--for my sister and I to play with.  Just like Isabel, we would create elaborate tunnels that led to higher boxes, with windows and doors, all decorated with our favorite Crayola colors.  I particularly remember the one we created in the bright sunroom in our big brick rental at 25 East 52nd Street in Savannah.  (How I remember the address but not the words to my favorite songs is beyond me.)
   
3. The book is written through letters, from Isabel to her favorite Auntie Lupita back home in Mexico.  Letters are by far my favorite thing to write.  And I don't mean the electronic kind!  I spent a few years in Asia and while email was around then, letters were clearly superior.  I was lucky to have parents who wrote frequently and well, and there are boxes of letters in our houses from each other.  I love that this book shows kids another great reason to read--letters are out there to be written and read, shared and enjoyed.  Pen pals and grandparents, cousins and aunties...hopefully millions of letters will be penned by my trio over their hopefully long and happy lifespan (but soon not delivered on Saturday).

Monkey See, Monkey Draw by Alex Beard

Monkey See, Monkey Draw by Alex Beard

Rating: 5 stars

About a month ago the kids' beloved Grammy went to visit an old family friend in New Orleans.  She and Sheila strolled around the city, eating everything they could and drinking in the time together (and hopefully nothing in grossly oversized mugs).  I loved the pictures Sheila sent me of their time together in the Big Easy--it gave me hope that I'd be able to wander around a city, exploring new shops and old book stores as long as I'd like...  At the moment that seems like a hilarious notion as in this chapter of my life, one, two, or three noisy, needy shadows constantly follow me around.  Anyway, one of the many cool places they visited along Royal Street was Alex Beard's studio.

Alex Beard's New Orleans studio

The pictures that Sheila sent me from the studio really intrigued me.  Here's a guy just a little older than me who was steeped in the arts at an early age and continued to be a photographer and artist as well as an "adventurer"--he's traveled across the world and clearly remains open to having new and unique cultures touch and affect him.  Monkey See, Monkey Draw was in the studio, and I saw pictures of my mom paging through it.  It was beautiful!  I ordered it from our library right away.

The story is simple: A band of silly monkeys play around with a baobab nut, and an elephant joins in.  The elephant's strong throw lands the baobab nut into a dark cave of which the monkeys are afraid.  The elephant is curious and brave and only a little afraid, so he leads the way inside.  What they see amazes them.  The animals find on the walls beautiful, elaborate paintings of animals.  "Each picture [is] made from a handprint or footprint."  Inspired and delighted, the elephant and monkeys use their feet and hands to draw pictures.

See how the art spills over the box/frame?  I love that--like
it can't be contained!

The illustrations use--you guessed it--thumb and finger prints for most of the animals in the story.  Beard crafts wily faces and crazy faces, jumping bodies and wiggling bodies, but all have the same base: his own hand.  The other cool thing about the illustrations is that they have a boxed frame to contain them, but the animals will NOT be contained!  They jump outside of it, and the African scenes spill over the sides of the box, too.  It's a neat addition to the book.

But the best part?  The invitation in the back in the author's note.  Beard describes how children always react wildly when he uses his hand or foot--or a willing child's hand or foot--and transforms it into an animal.  "Tracing a child's hand and turning the palm and fingers into the body, legs, and head of anything from a giraffe to a butterfly to a horse--and of course a monkey--fascinates the kids.  It gives them an easy starting place from which to make their own works of art, and it helps them think beyond their immediate comfort zone of flowers, rockets and square houses with triangular roofs and stick-figure families."  He hopes that when children read this story, they associated themselves with the monkeys and have fun with art.

This is more than a book--it's an invitation and an inspiration.  This book, some paint, some big paper and time (the best part of any gift) with your child to create alongside them (rather than type up a blog entry like I am doing).

How A House is Built by Gail Gibbons

 How A House is Built by Gail Gibbons

Rating: 5 stars

After reading and falling in love with Building Our Home by Jonathan Bean, Ben became interested in how houses are built.  So I've found as many books about building homes as I can.  This one, by the leader in how-to/informative books Gail Gibbons, is the best we've found.

Usually I'd recommend Gibbons' books for kindergarten and grade school kids.  They are always jam-packed with information--in a good way, but there are usually TOO many details for four year olds like Ben. This one, though, is a great exception.  It's a bare-bones book, providing first an overview of the types of houses that exist.  (In case you wondered, Ben would prefer live in a glass house.  I informed him that's not a wise choice if he plans on inviting his brother Kiefer in as Kiefer is currently in a let-me-throw-anything-and-everything stage.)

 After that very brief introduction--that is done through more illustrations and few words--Gibbons begins to explain the many steps it takes into building a house.  There are so many lessons that can be drawn from this book...I hardly know where to begin!  One of my favorite lessons to show Ben is in the general contractor area--the architect recommends one to be in charge of a team (team! team work! everyone does their part!) that work together (did you hear that?  work together!) to get the job done right (right! not partially right!).  Also, I love explaining that everything is done by steps.  We follow recipes; Kiefer learns how to run; we climb mountains; they get to high school....EVERYTHING is done one step at a time.  I think this is comforting for my kids--I know it is for me.

Now we could have stopped there with the book and the life lessons, but...why?  I called a friend of mine who is a general contractor; might he have any projects we could visit to show Ben how a house is built, rather than just reading the words in a book?  It was our lucky day--Sidd said that they were starting a new house just 25 minutes away from ours.  So today after school, we stopped by for a visit.  I hope it'll be the first of many.

As Ben and I drove to the site, I asked him if he had any questions.  Ben is Mr. Question, so he already had a few for Mr. Kashyap.  First, what kind of house is he building?  Second, who is it for?  After some more chatting, we realized we had two more questions: How long will it take to build the house?  And finally: Can we check out the blueprints of the house?

When we got there we were totally excited.  Everyone drives past excavators all the time, but we had permission to park, get out, and watch up close!  Way cool.  So we did just that.  Sidd was tied up in the county's office so we asked our questions via text.  (A frame house; there's no buyer yet...you can buy it if you want...click here for more information; five months; yes, the plans are online.)  We will return late next week to see concrete poured for the foundation.

We finished up our Mommy and one son outing with milk for Ben, tea for me, and a shared chocolate chip cookie.  In all, a rather fine afternoon!

Huff & Puff by Claudia Rueda

Huff & Puff: Can You Blow Down the Houses of the Three Little Pigs? by Claudia Rueda

Rating: 3.5 stars

Dear Great Falls librarians,

We just wanted to apologize to you.  We so enjoyed this silly take on The Three Little Pigs that we got the book a little messy.  See, we often read books during mealtimes, and Mommy didn't realize that this was an interactive books until a few pages into the book and a few bites into lunch.  She often lacks the ability to stop when a good time is being had, despite the fact that she should be the most mature one in the group.

Mommy didn't know that we, the readers, were to assume the role of the wolf.  Therefore, after each pig built his house, we--two boys and one Mommy--were to blow through the little hole in the book with all our might.  The author taunted us by challenging us to blow harder, and we rose to the occasion.  We blew with all our might and successfully crushed the first two houses, and got frustrated by the brick on the third.  We were happy to finally stop huffing when the pigs held up a cake with candles on it, ending our game in a sweet, yummy way rather than a frustrated way.

But, since we were eating dinner...um...Ben thinks he got some guacamole on page 3 and Kiefer spat out some partially chewed bits of quesadilla near the third pig on page 9.  We did our best to clean them up.

Next time we check this out, we'll be sure to eat and THEN read.  Sorry...!

Love,
Kate, Ben, and Kiefer

Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant

Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant

Rating: 5 very sweet, very sad stars

This morning a friend of mine and her son came over for a playdate.  Our sons--her first and my third--are about six months apart and play together well.  More importantly, I really like her.  She's wonderfully grounded in the Real Things That Matter, more sure of herself than I ever will be, and a big reader of both children's and adult books.

Plus, she's a dog lover.  In fact, two weeks ago Kiefer and I went to her house to play, and we had the privilege of meeting their family Golden Retriever.  Goldens, in case you didn't know, are the most lovable of all dogs; we had one growing up. My friend's Golden and my childhood Golden both had big goofy grins and big tail wags.  They were sweet, friendly, and looking to give love to and receive love in every set of hands their noses touched.

So I was saddened, to put it lightly, to hear that a few days after we met him, their ten year old Golden simply collapsed during a simple walk in their woodsy backyard.  The next day, she got a call from the vet that every dog lover/owner dreads.  He was gone.  There was no advanced warning, no time to prepare her son, no thought given to hiding away little remembrances of a great dog.  Their family dog--furry playmate, welcome-homer, late night companion--is gone.  I am sad for their family.

I've seen Dog Heaven at the library before, but had no reason to check it out.  Today when I saw it up on display, I grabbed it.  It was a sign, and I believe in signs.

Rather than focus on the inevitable sadness, Cynthia Rylant (an author to remember) focuses on the happy: where dogs go once they leave their Earthly homes.

They will be there when old friends show up.
They will be there at the door.

It is definitely a little religious--in my opinion, in a good, open-armed sort of way--but I love it.  I LOVE it.  It is one of those smile-through-the-tears sort of books.  I really want to type out the whole book here, but here are a few of my favorite passages:

When a dog first arrives in Heaven, he just runs. Dog Heaven has clear, wide lakes filled with geese who honk and flap and tease.  The dogs love this. 

And, oh, the dog biscuits.  Biscuits and biscuits as far as the eye can see.  God has a sense of humor, so He makes His biscuits in funny shapes for His dogs.  There are kitty-cat biscuits and squirrel biscuits.  Ice-cream biscuits and ham-sandwich biscuits.  Every angel who passes by has a biscuit for a dog. 

Every dog becomes a good dog in Dog Heaven.

This is a good book to know about, and to remember.  Because if you're reading this and you're a dog lover and you've got kids, you might need this book.  Actually, this book is proof that children's books are for all ages.  It is a fantastic book to remember even for those tough-seeming but actually tender grown ups whose hearts are going to break when their beloved pup passes away.  Imagining your great dog chasing geese in heaven, getting biscuits in heaven, and hearing that he is, finally (for my dogs) a good dog....it might help put a small smile on your face.

Good dog, Paddington.  Your people miss you greatly.

Going from Crazy to Reading in 6.2 seconds...

Once upon a time when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uttaradit, Thailand, I attended a big English camp for fourth and fifth graders.  My friend and fellow volunteer Ingrid lived in the capital of the province, and she planned the whole thing.  I came in from the country side to help--I lived a few hours away in Fak Tha.

I don't remember the number of kids who attended that camp, but I think it was something like four thousand.  Okay, I'm exaggerating.  It was more like two hundred (seriously).  When farangs (foreigners) were around to teach English, every body wanted to come!

The morning of the first day, all of the kids were gathered in this huge outdoor, playground-like space.  They were...well, they were being like fourth or fifth graders in any country.  They were playing as loudly as possible, in gangs of four or five or twenty.  There were games of soccer in one corner, girls laughing in another corner...everyone was competing for space and sound.

My trio reading after a crazy bout of play.

And then, a teacher took the microphone and said a few things in Thai--he told them it was time to get quiet and meditate before beginning the camp.  Within a few minutes, that scene of craziness transformed into a peaceful, amazingly organized group of little Buddhists.  They had quickly arranged themselves an arm's length apart and sat, criss-cross-apple-sauce, backs ram-rod straight, waiting in silence.  You could hear a pin drop. I was in awe.

At that moment, I learned that kids could calm themselves.  They just need to be taught how.

Lorelei, Ben, and Kiefer don't know any Buddhist meditations. (Yet?)  But they do read.

So, for the past few years, when they get particularly crazy--maybe your kids don't get crazy?  Lucky you!--and they are jumping on each other and the furniture and the dogs, yelling and screaming and laughing as loudly as kidly possibly and I am about to go join the Peace Corps again instead of live within this chaos..., I give them a few more minutes and then say: "Enough of the crazy!  Please grab a book!"  And they do.  Sometimes I have just 5 or 10 minutes of calm before the crazy begins again, sometimes longer, but...even 5-10 minutes provide enough peace to let me stay another few days.

Thanks, kids of Thailand, for helping prepare me for motherhood.

So You Want to be a World Explorer? by Judith St. George

So You Want to be a World Explorer? by Judith St. George, illustrated by David Small

Rating: 4.5 stars

This book has a bunch of my favorite words: Plucky. Thrilling. Adventuresome. Gutsy.  Gusto. Risk. Spunky. Moxie.  These new vocabulary words are reasons enough to bring this book home from the library more than once!

We liked So You Want to be President? but didn't love it.  It seemed a bit disorganized, though the illustrations from the great David Small were too great to linger on that negative.  Judith St. George rectified her mistake and organized this book and So You Want to be an Inventor? and made them great, rather than good.  And the illustrations catapult them into amazing.  These are terrific books for the older picture book reader.  (Younger ones will still get drawn into the pictures, but there is just too much information for kids younger than 5, I think.)

In this book, after a brief introduction, Judith St. George takes one attribute of explorers (for example, they might make a discovery and not even know it; they make mistakes like everyone else; they must be risk takers; they must respect the natives) and gives two examples.  These examples are three to five short sentences, so we're going for breadth not depth here.  This is just to whet a child's appetite, to provide the briefest introduction, to pique their curiosity to this whole explorer stuff.  Or to provide some quality imaginative kid-planned explorations in their backyard, a local park, or even their bathtub.

As someone whose wanderlust led most of my decisions in my twenties, I like the idea of exploring different parts of the earth.  Therefore, I greatly appreciated St. George's broad definition of exploring.  At the end she includes gene exploration, something I would never have thought of.  She ends the book by inviting kids to start and keep exploring--what a way to spend your life!  I might just quit my day job.

I recently reviewed another book on exploring--the never-to-be-topped Lonely Planet has come out with books beyond guide books.  They are really interesting, and we keep our copy of How to be a World Explorer in the car.  It's perfect for long car rides where a kid's attention span might be challenged by a looooong car ride...  Yet another book that will help plant the travel bug in your child (for better or for worse!).

Love, Splat by Rob Scotton

Love, Splat by Rob Scotton

Rating: 5 lovey stars

Well...I started this on Valentine's Day.  Might as well finish it, despite my tardiness...

We love these Splat books by Rob Scotton.  All of the books have cute, quirky illustrations; they tell a simple, solid message; they inspire some giggles by any boy or girl nearby me.  Can't beat that!

In Love, Splat our sweet but smelly, second-guessing, simply-minded feline hero finds the moxie to write a Valentine to the fluffy cute cat that he likes.  Enter Spike, the cat who is always foiling his plans.  Spike and Splat compete in their own cat ways to show each other (not really Kitten) who likes this special girl more.  With each contest Splat feels more and more sorry for himself--clearly, he thinks, Spike is the better choice. He's so downhearted that he just throws away his Valentine.

Spike doesn't.  He gives his to Kitten.  It is obnoxiously large and says: "You're SO lucky that I like YOU!"  (Are you rolling your eyes?  You should be!  But not in front of your kids, lest they pick up this bad habit.)

"I feel loved when I show off my muscles...  Or sometimes
I act like a living waffle.  I am a walking calculator."

Fluffy daintily plucks Splat's card from the trash, reads it, and loves it.  It says, simply: "I like you!"  She gives him a special Valentine that explains, with a little more flair, that the feeling is mutual.

Simple stuff.  Sweet stuff.  That's about as mushy as I want my kids to read right now!  Though Lorelei declared last week that she wants to marry my good friend's son Owen, my line--that I will be repeating until she is out of college--is "Have boys for friends first."

I've included here one of the many activities creative teachers have done after reading this book to their class.  This teacher had her kids add details to Splat and add words to the heart he is holding.  I smiled at this child's answer to the teacher's first words "I feel loved when..."  What a character this kid seems to be!  Love it.

Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff

 Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond

Rating: 5 unique stars

Here's my first favorite Valentine's Day book.  It's a silly little board book, but I just love it and the message it provides for kids.  I can't find our copy, so this is based on my memory from reading it last year.  And the year before that.  And the year before that.

Mouse is preparing Valentine's Day cards for all of his friends.  But he doesn't make them as most kids do these days--just buy a box, pop in some high-fructose-corn-syrup-filled candy, and sign his name.  Nope.  "Mouse wants each one to be just right."  He stops to think of each of his friends, and what they like to do, and then he creates a unique card for each of them.

Lorelei's owls, Ben's bumblebee

For Moose, for example, he thinks of how much Moose likes art, and creates a masterpiece of art for him.  Because Pig is such a good dancer, Mouse creates a card with a music note bursting with joy.

For anyone familiar with all of Laura Numeroff's books (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, etc.), the images will be familiar--almost all of them are taken from different books, so it's like a gathering of sorts of all those fun illustrations by Felicia Bond showing the animals at their wackiest.

But I love the message: Be thoughtful; think of the other person as you create a card just for them.  We make our own Valentine's Day cards--not sure how long this will last, but I love it for now--and I was proud of Lorelei when she wanted to add glasses to two of her owl valentines.  "Red ones for Ritvik, purple ones for Jessica!"  I of course obliged; was so happy for her thoughtful additions.

Happy Valentine's Day, all.

Farmer Enno and His Cow by Jens Rassmus

Farmer Enno and His Cow by Jens Rassmus

Rating: 5 stars

Children's books don't usually surprise me.  Because they are written for, um... children, their endings are usually predictable.  But when Ben and I read Farmer Enno and His Cow a few weeks ago, we stopped a few times to wonder out loud where the heck this tale was going.  He liked the ending; I LOVED it.

Every night, Farmer Enno dreams.  He dreams of being a captain on a ship, of riding high on waves and guiding his ship through the waters.  And every morning when he wakes up, there is a boat like the one in his dream somewhere near him.  At first these boats are small and manageable--but after months of dreaming and months of boat acquisitions, his bedroom is full of rowboats, tugboats, small ocean liners, sail boats, and one bewildered Farmer Enno.

Farmer Enno, Ben, and I scratched our heads together.  Huh?  We all wondered.

The next few nights, the boats appeared outside.  Life-sized ships with masts sailing up towards the clouds!  "This can't go on," Farmer Enno said to himself.  So he walks to the village to find someone who could cure his strange ailment.  Plenty were excited to hear his story and offer suggestions, though none could help him.  And when he was told to dream in a sleep lab and the latest giant ship crashes through the side of the wall...well, he didn't exactly wait around for the diagnosis.  He ran.

But he didn't run home.  He ran towards the shore, thinking that if he again dreamed of sailing, at least the boat would land in water safely.  When Farmer Enno reached the shore, he breathed it in.  He closed his eyes and let the smell reach every part of him. He let the sounds fill his soul.  He let the salty air fill his lungs, reaching a depth he never knew was possible. Until that moment.  Exhausted, he lay down on the sand and slept.

But he didn't dream of boats.  He had realized what his dream was: Now that he had seen the ocean, he didn't want to be a farmer.  He couldn't be a farmer.  He woke up he ran home, sold the farm, bought a real ship.  He had to fulfill his dream.

Ben and I loved it.

(The words on the book's jacket are so great: "Here is a story about the dream that sometimes lives within each of us and will not let us rest until we have tried to make it real.")

The Friend by Sarah Stewart

The Friend by Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small

Rating: 5 tear-jerker stars

Annabelle Bernadette Clementine Dodd is a little girl who seems too small for everything in her house.  Her home, a spectacular mansion, seems to swallow her up.  Next to her fancy-schmancy parents, whom we only see once as she kisses them good-bye minutes after she wakes, she seems unnoticeable.  And the big,wide ocean next to which and into which the story takes place engulfs her.

Since her parents are much too busy for her, they entrust her to Beatrice Smith, also known as Bea, the housekeeper/nanny...  These titles just don't begin to describe the relationship between tiny white girl and sturdy, strong, kind African American woman.  Each day has its own rhythm, with these two ladies dancing their part in a sweet relationship.

First day of the week, they'd wash all the clothes--
Hanging them out in the sun's fullest glow.
Belle would assemble large clothespin bouquets,
While Bea would respond in her singular way:
"Glory be, Lord knows you try, my child!
Now let those clothes just flap for a while." 

Then they'd walk to the beach for a swimming spree--
Belle and Bea, hand in hand, to the sea.

Turn the page to a wordless wonder of an illustration by the uber-talented David Small showing Belle and Bea holding hands in the surf, walking down the dozens of steps from the old mansion into the sparkling water.

Each day of the week is full of chores turned into games, from which they deviate to spend time by the sea.  Near the end, after we know that Belle and Bea are completely inseparable, Belle separates from her.  She decides to go to the beach alone.  With her big red ball.  That floats off in the water.  Belle first feels brave and confident when she paddles in after it, but...then a wave hits.

Back at home Bea realizes in a flash that her little shadow is missing and immediately runs to the sea.  And then into the sea, rescuing the drowning girl.  Bea pulls her out of the water and into her strong, loving embrace.  Grateful, frightened Belle clings to her.  Bea weeps with relief; she would have lost her world had something happened to her.

The book is written in tribute to the author's childhood nanny, and it is a beautiful, beautiful book--both prose and pictures, lessons and reflections.

My Snake Blake by Randy Siegel

 My Snake Blake by Randy Siegel, illustrated by Serge Bloch

Rating: 4.5 stars

Introducing the only snake I'd ever let live in my house: Blake.  I love what author Randy Siegel does here--he turns an icky and scary snake into a witty, polite pet!  It's a good example of what happens when a good story-teller with a great sense of humor asks him/herself "what if?" while walking around a pet store.  This book is pure fun, and makes Ben and Lorelei giggle as kids should.

A boy's father gets him a pet snake for his birthday, and it turns out that this snake is no ordinary snake.  Ask him a question and he'll spell out the answer for you with his body.  His mom is freaked out until:

The rest of the book is just a list of funny things (with accompanying funny illustrations by Serge Bloch) that Blake does, like find car keys under the sofa, lick the dishes clean, play baseball with the boy, and walk the dog (with a noose-like grip around the trusting pup's neck).

Totally worth checking out.  Totally not getting a snake as a pet anytime soon, though.

Homer the Library Cat by Reeve Lindbergh

 Homer the Library Cat by Reeve Lindbergh, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf

Rating: 4 stars

As a person who loves to escape into the pages of a book, I always like books where characters escape to the library.  Sometimes mice live there, sometimes boys are raised by librarians, sometimes cats are searching for their quiet person in a quiet place.  (That's Homer the cat, in case you didn't figure it out!)

Homer is a cat content with his quiet, peaceful life--playing with yarn and feathers, looking out the window at the birds, sitting with his quiet lady while she reads.  Then one day he falls out the window!  The noises begin--banging trash cans, sneezing kids, weeee-ooohing sirens, clanging trains.  Can't a cat catch a break?!  Finally he pads across a quiet building, across a quiet floor.  He enters a library.

He heard a quiet voice he knew.
He saw a rocking chair.
There was the quiet lady!
And children everywhere. 

"Homer!" said the lady.
"What are you doing here?"
Homer jumped into her arms
And purred into her ear. 

They boys and girls loved Homer.
Homer loved them back.
He slept right through the stories
But woke up for the snack.

I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did--the sweet rhyme and friendly illustrations won me over.  And, after finishing the last stanza and closing it while reading it to Ben the other day, he asked me: "Will you read it again please?"  You know I will.  So we opened it up and read it all over again.


P.S.  For some unknown silly reason, Lorelei dared me to sing this book, not just read it, a few days after I posted this.  Always one to accept a dare, I did it.  And it not only worked but was fun and funny!  I will have to try that again sometime, though I will for sure do it only when I'm the only adult in the room.

So You Want to be President? by Judith St. George

So You Want to be President? by Judith St. George, illustrated by David Small

Rating: 4.5 stars

Here's a book to introduce the Presidents to your kids.  Not exactly the Presidency...it doesn't shed light on executive orders or what Commander in Chief means.  For me, the story line is a little disorganized and messy--each page is a different aspect of a President's life, from what he eats to what pets he had, from the jobs he held prior to being President to what states most Presidents are from.  There's a lot going on for kids who don't have a firm foundation of these guys.

But the illustrations!  David Small is one of the best in the business; he makes me think that books should be cataloged in the library by illustrators (yes, I know this is crazy and impossible, but a girl can dream, can't she?).  The Caldecott he won for this book is much-deserved in my opinion.  He's created quirky characters doing funny, memorable things, turning what could be seen as stuffy history into fascinating, fun stuff.

Here are some pictures that are going to stay in Lorelei's mind for a long, long time:

Nixon installed a bowling alley in the basement of the White House.

Teddy Roosevelt's kids brought up a pony to cheer up a sick sibling.

Warren Harding winning the Presidential Beauty Contest.

300 lb Taft and his four-person tub!

I know that there's not a ton of historical information here that is going to be handy on a future Social Studies test.  BUT!  There are funny pictures galore, and the book and its fantastic illustrations make learning about Presidents chuckle-worthy.  Can't beat that!