The Book Children

Animalia

2012-02-13T16:15:00.002-05:00

When Finn was gifted Animalia for his birthday a few years ago, I was not familiar with Barbara Berger's work. I soon became familiar because I was so impressed with this collection of animal stories with breathtaking simple, yet complex, illustrations.

Each story is pulled from the legend of a saint or from a traditional Chinese or Buddist tale. The stories are short enough for the attention span of young children without sacrificing the authenticity of the tales. Perfect for sharing when you want your children to have a love of good fables without the silliness or watered down stories found in so many children's books today.

Then there is the stunning artwork. And you know what a sucker I am for beautiful artwork in children's books!

Scholastic's First Discovery books

2012-02-02T10:24:00.000-05:00

I don't remember where or when I first stumbled across this little ladybug book, but I'm guessing Elizabeth was 3-4 years old. She was immediately taken with the occasional clear pages that would hide then reveal the underside of a ladybug or show you the inside of a ladybug pupa. Once she tired of the book, Philip discovered it, then eventually Finn.

Somewhere along the way, another of these books entered our home, this one about castles. Now you weren't just looking at the impressive, imposing exterior of the castle, but you could see inside to the various rooms and people working various jobs inside.

I stumbled on 2-3 more of these books at our local used bookstore and always snatched them up when I found them so when our amazing next door neighbor carried over a whole stack that used to be loved by her, now mostly grown, children. Finn was so thrilled and he has read little else, or requested little else read to him, since this stack of exploration and learning arrived.

I think he convinced Paulie to read 5 in a row on Saturday morning before they even ate breakfast and I'm sure I saw Philip snuggled in his bed on Sunday morning while he begged for "just one more" before they came downstairs for the day. His favorite of the new stack, I think, is the penguin book with the sweet little birds walking on ice floes and diving into the water.

In keeping with the beauty of these books, he also gets to see the penguins swimming in the Antarctic and the bottom of the glacier.

Not only can he see underwater in the Antarctic, but the inside of a chicken, bees and butterflies pollinating flowers, the rainforest floor, and the various holes, tunnels, animals and bugs found under the ground.

What an amazing and attention-capturing way to present information to little ones!

PS. Some of these books are still in print, but many are not. However, you can find lots of used ones on Amazon and probably your local used bookstore.

Mr. Popper's Penguins

2012-01-24T07:47:00.000-05:00

Finn and I have been reading Mr. Popper's Penguins before his nap time every day for a couple of weeks. He was very attentive to this book and eager to continue when we picked it up again each day. I asked him to dictate a review for me, and here is his just-turned-5-years-old review:

Mr. Popper was a painter who painted people's houses. He went home, and he was reading about penguins at the Antarctic. And then a penguin came in the mail. His name was Captain Cook. Captain Cook got sick and then Greta came and made Captain Cook feel better. After Greta came, the penguins got all kinds of eggs, and the eggs hatched and made them have 12 penguins. Mr. Popper made ice in his basement, and Mrs. Popper would play the piano while the penguins danced and marched and made a show. Then they went to the theater to do their show and the people liked their show. At the end, the penguins went to the Arctic and Mr. Popper went with them.

I'm not sure why, but I really never heard of this classic until the movie came out. It's definitely a cute and entertaining read, especially for reading aloud to 4-6 year olds. The sparse illustrations are perfectly spaced and well-timed and add a sweet bit of whimsy to the novel, particularly Mr. Popper's character.

Fever 1793

2012-01-23T09:15:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth's class at school has been listening to the teacher read Fever 1793. The book, following the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia, made quite an impression on her, and she has mentioned it and the story several times since they began the book. I asked her to write a review of the book for me and she agreed.

Fever is about a yellow fever epidemic in 1793. A girl named Matilda, also called Mattie, is in Philadelphia when the sickness strikes. At the beginning, she is 13 or 14 years old, and life is easy. She likes the painter, Nathaniel Benson, and has a best friend, Polly, the servant. Polly dies from a strange disease. Not too long after, bodies are piled on a cart to bring to graveyards. Some are mistaken for dead and buried still alive. Sometime in the middle of the book, Mattie sees someone carrying a death cart and dump a woman on the side of the street. She was still alive, and it was Mattie's mother. Mattie must be sent away so she does not get the disease from her mother. Most of Philadelphia is either abandoned by people or the people die. Mattie also gets the fever but survives. At the end of the book, the first frost comes and stops the disease so the rest of the people are saved. Life continues as it was at the beginning.

Elizabeth has even taken an interest in the face on the cover of the book and I've found a few sketches like this one laying around the art shelf. Clearly this book has grabbed her attention!

It's Snowing!

2012-01-19T09:05:00.000-05:00

I wish I could claim the original recommendation of this sweet book, but I found the book over on Ginny's blog, who heard about it from Grace.

Two things really struck me about this book when I looked it up on Amazon, the calmingly beautiful nighttime snow scenes and the very simplistic pictures. I really appreciated that in the house pictures, you only see a cradle, fireplace, pot, kettle and mantle with a few candles. So soothing to see such a simple depiction of home.

It's Snowing shows a mama and baby enjoy a snowfall through each of their senses, smell, taste, touch, hearing. I feared that Finn might find it a smidgen beneath his big boy self to enjoy, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that he really enjoys the simple story.

I think Finn's favorite part is when the snow becomes a bear for the mama and baby to ride.

So you can take it on my advice, or on Ginny's or Grace's, that this is really a beautiful winter book for little ones. And who doesn't love those little round houses with the very pointy roofs and with the smoke curling cozily from the chimney!

Sherlock Holmes: The Ectoplasmic Man

2012-01-18T17:02:00.003-05:00

Paulie is helping me end the hiatus here at the book children by writing a brief summary of Sherlock Holmes: The Ectoplasmic Man which he picked out recently at our local used bookstore. He's eagerly awaiting the library copies of the rest of the series of these books, which should say something about how much he enjoyed this Sherlock Holmes edition!

Sherlock Holmes: The Ectoplasmic Man is about Sherlock Holmes and when he tried to help Houdini after Houdini was arrested for robbery and murder. Houdini was falsely accused of stealing papers partly because the people of the time thought he was in touch with the spirit world because of his tricks and they were afraid of him. Holmes and Watson had a harder time helping Houdini because 2 men were chasing them and trying to steal the last paper that Houdini supposedly didn't steal himself. Holmes must put on various disguises and do strange things of that time, such as disguising himself as a very young man and flying a aeroplane to chase the villains.

I think the most interesting part of the book was the tricks that Houdini did because the author described them in lots of detail so that I could pretend I was sitting in the theater watching him. And just the fact that Sherlock Holmes was helping Houdini get out of jail was interesting.

Many thanks to Paulie for his review of Sherlock Holmes: The Ectoplasmic Man! You can find out what Paulie is reading now on the sidebar of this blog.

Fireflies!

2011-06-22T22:20:00.000-04:00

A perfect addition to any summer book basket, Fireflies just breathes summer and the excitement of the coming of fireflies. When we were on a walk in the woods the other evening, I noticed how early the fireflies came to the woods. Probably a full 2 hours earlier than they visit our backyard. I never knew that fireflies could vary their timing in the same general area. Seeing the children's joy over the fireflies made me decide to read them this book tonight while outside in the presence of the fireflies. What a magical evening story time!

One thing I particularly enjoy about this book is the simple illustration done in pencil with only the light of the fireflies in color. It really places the perfect emphasis on the fireflies' light and allowing you to feel the magic through the pages.

I can remember as a child one of my favorite parts of summer was chasing fireflies with my cousins and trying to keep them as pets. I don't quite remember how long they lasted as pets, but I know that if I would have had this book back then, I might have been kinder to the poor fireflies and set them free.

And once they are free, they are enjoyed all the more with the backdrop of the moon and the night sky.

*Sorry for my extensive absence from this space. Life has been busy and unfortunately that meant this blog got the short shrift. I hope to be back here more regularly soon.

Suzette and Nicholas

2011-04-22T06:29:00.000-04:00

Satomi Ichikawa's Suzette and Nicholas In The Garden is a treat for the eyes, one of those books that almost renders the words pointless because the pictures are so amazing that the book would be hard pressed to be made better or worse by the text. I stumbled on this lovely gem at a book sale benefit and my eye was immediately caught by the almost wallpaper look of the cover.

When I opened the book, I was struck by the beautiful soft color of the illustration, lovely rendering of the gardens, and the sweet floral frame surrounding the text on each page.

The illustrations definitely have a bit of Japanese flair and wonderful pops of color make the scenes burst alive with springy air. You can almost smell the blooms and feel the warm sun on your face as Nicholas and Suzette travel through the garden surrounding their home.

It seems like a fitting tribute on this Earth Day. A book so full of pictures of a lovely garden and children enjoying the gardens. Even as they climb garden walls, peer into the pond, pull their baby brother in a wagon along the paths of blooms and investigate the insects therein, you see a childhood full of nature and children who appreciate this nature to it's fullest.

Happy Earth Day!

LMNOP

2011-04-19T20:10:00.000-04:00

Finn's latest book obsession is a gorgeous watercolor alphabet book called LMNOP and All the Letters A to Z. He's completely fascinated by letters and this book is a great way to help him become familiar with all the different sounds.

Finn's favorite part of each page is the letter found naturally in each picture. He can't wait to trace the letter every time we turn the page. The letter in each picture is a capital letter, which isn't my favorite way to help a child become familiar with letters and their sounds, but the illustrations are so beautiful, I'm able to forgive that aspect. The poetry is very lyrical and easy to become familiar with although some of the verses seem to be a stretch.

The letter C has many uses of the hard C sound (like S) which kind of annoys me, but other verses are simply lovely, like the L verse. You really become familiar with the lilt of the L sound through that verse.

Overall I wouldn't use this as a singular resource, but LMNOP is a beautiful, engaging, interactive way to help familiarize little ones with the alphabet and it's sounds.

Over In The Meadow

2011-03-31T20:27:00.000-04:00

"Over in the meadow in the sand and the sun lived an old mother turtle and her little turtle one..."

How many of us remember this rhyme or song from our childhood? I couldn't have been more excited to find that Ezra Jack Keats illustrated a book version several years ago.

All of the classic animals are there in vibrant paintings with soft ethereal surroundings counting and buzzing as rhythmically as ever before.

Even the ratties which were my personal favorite as a child.

Even though Keats is most commonly known for his classics, The Snowy Day and Whistle for Willie, I really think that he had a special talent for painting animals and nature. His illustrations for Over In The Meadow seem to be a more sophisticated style of painting than his earlier picture books, and his contrast of colors and clean lines make this book appealing and distinctive.

Where Do They Go When It Rains?

2011-03-28T13:32:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite spring books to return to the seasonal book basket last week was Where Do They Go When It Rains? Aside from the crazy acquisition of the book and the endearing adventure we had last spring based on it's contents, this story is so charming and gentle that my littlest one heads for it again and again.

From the sweet illustrations Gerda Muller never fails to deliver, to the irresistible frolicking of the children throughout the farm, to the authentic glimpses into the animals, bugs and other farm happenings, you'll wish you had a grandmother with a farm to visit!

Finn's favorite, of course, are the pigs rolling in their mud. Now he's asking to visit a pig farm. :) Surely there must be one near us...we'll have to check into that!

At the end of an action-packed day full of farm fun and roaring thunderstorm, a beautiful rainbow appears in the clearing sky. An invitation to return to this sweet farm soon.

The Sun Seed

2011-03-21T20:54:00.000-04:00

I remember when I first stumbled across The Sun Seed. I had only been needlefelting for a brief period and the pictures, entirely needlefelted, were amazingly gorgeous and detailed. Such an inspiring glimpse into the possibilities of needlefelting!

The story is as beautiful as the pictures...the essence of spring. The wool is able to imitate roots in a wonderful wispy way, and the little shoots look so fragile and tender under the soil blanket.

I love how each page not only has the center story of the seed, but a trail of spring animals around the edges of each page.

The end of the story, when the bees are visiting the flower, is my favorite part. The soft ethereal quality of the felting makes you feel like you're looking through a sunny haze at the summery scene.

A Pot O' Gold

2011-03-16T22:21:00.000-04:00

In preparation for St. Patrick's Day, we've been reading some of our favorite Irish tales. A Pot O' Gold is one of our favorites and has been getting frequent use over the last week.

I stumbled across this volume at our local used bookstore, and it really has a great variety. The kids love the Finn McCool stories, and the various stories of saints, leprechauns, fairies, with limericks, poetry and Irish blarney thrown in for good measure, have all been well received.

They even included a recipe for Irish Soda Bread which I think we'll be making for St. Patty's day tomorrow.

David McPhail does a great job with the illustrations. They feel genuinely Irish and very authentic to the purpose of the book. His borders to various pages are intriguing and captivating as well.

Have a happy St. Patrick's Day and don't forget to read something green!

The Two Cars

2011-03-13T21:02:00.000-04:00

Did you think that the d'Aulaires only wrote books about Greek myths (or Norse myths and animals)? I did. That is until I saw The Two Cars. As it turns out, the d'Aulaires were quite prolific authors, but it wasn't until one of my frequent searches for new car books for Finn that I realized just how many books they authored.

The Two Cars, written in 1955, imitates many books of it's time by having a two-fold page of color followed by a spread of black and white pages. A cost saving measure of it's time, I love seeing the unique character brought by the contrasting images. This book in particular has adorable illustrations, just as cute in black and white as color. The cars have such personality in their gentle illustration.

One car is an old trusty engine. The other and new speedy model. They race around the town and back to the garage and find a few bumps along the road.

A vehicular version of the tortoise and the hare, no doubt, but I found it odd that this story ends by the older, law-abiding, steady car being pulled over by the police car in the end to be commended for his "safe and beautiful driving." Not quite the ending I was expecting, but I guess it's better to be recognized for a contribution to society than win a race against a loose-cannon young, hip car. I assume that's the moral they're going for anyway.

Either way it's a pretty cute book and one of Finn's go-to bedtime stories.

Thornton Burgess treasures

2011-03-09T20:25:00.001-05:00

If you were to ask my mother what books stand out most from her childhood, I'm willing to bet that she would start regaling you with stories of Thornton Burgess' Old Mother West Wind and her many animal friends. Her father used to read the stories to her as a young child, many of them published when he was a young child, and they clearly held a special place in her childhood. I'm not sure how then it came to be that I remember no Thornton Burgess books from my own childhood. Nevertheless, the tales of my grandfather reading these stories and my mother loving them stuck with me and about the time my first child was born, I decided to scour ebay and find a few copies of Thornton Burgess books for my own library.

Of course, what I ended up with, since I found them on ebay, were books a little too old and fragile for a small child to handle, and since I read the books on my own, and loved them, I decided to find a more user-friendly copy for my children to handle. Lo and behold, now you can buy this little tidy set of Old Mother West Wind and 6 Other Stories for a song in a slim, reprinted set.

I began reading them to my older children several years ago, and of course they adored each story, each character, each insight into the animal world, each sly trick the animals would play on each other. What depth, charisma and sweetness Burgess gave to these adorable, intriguing characters with names like Johnny Chuck, Bobby Coon, and Red Fox.

Now that Finn has started enjoying just listening to books that don't always have pictures, I've started reading the books aloud to him at naptimes. He's always full of questions about why the animals act a certain way or how the Merry Little Breezes pull Johnny Chuck's whiskers. I'm so glad he enjoys them. Maybe one day he'll even tell his own children how much he enjoyed reading Thornton Burgess curled up next to his mama at naptime. That's a nice full circle to envision.

Tomie dePaola sheep adventures

2011-02-24T21:10:00.000-05:00

A couple more books that we read before heading to the sheep shearing the other weekend were favorites by Tomie dePaola. Haircuts for the Woolseys is a gem we acquired at a local used bookstore. What a sweet little book! Charlie Needs A Cloak is another favorite that we borrowed from the library, although I'm convinced we own a copy if I could just unearth it...

In Haircuts for the Woolseys, the Woolsey children are dying to play outside in the lovely spring weather, although today is haircutting day.

The evening following the haircuts, a winter wind blows through and chills Fiddle-Dee-Dee Farms to the bone. Extra quilts are added to the sheep beds (isn't that adorable!)

And Granny settles in front of the fire for the evening.

The next day finds the Woolsey children playing outside in the spring snow with their new sweaters, knit from their own wool by Granny the night before. How adorable is that?!

In Charlie Needs A Cloak, Charlie clearly needs a new cloak as his old one is hanging in shreds over his shoulders.

After shearing his sheep...look at all those darling bald sheep!

And cleaning, carding and dyeing the wool...love that sheep barricading his wool from being dyed. :)

Charlie finally had a brand new beautiful cloak, courtesy of his sweet sheep. I love it!

Pelle's New Suit

2011-02-21T20:45:00.000-05:00

As we were getting ready to visit shearing day at our favorite local farm, we dragged out a few of our favorite shearing books to get us in the mood. Right at the top of my list, one of my favorite Elsa Beskow books, Pelle's New Suit.

Elsa Beskow's renowned artwork is in it's element here on a little Swedish farm with the beautiful birch trees, colorful clothes, hillside homes and sweet animals.

I love the sheep-to-suit story here, but I also appreciate the way Pelle earns the work required to make his suit. He visits both grandmothers, his own mother, and a tailor working on their labor while they each help with a piece of his suit.

And the sweet scene of Pelle dyeing his wool makes me want to hitch up my own dyeing kettle. It's almost warm enough for that around here so maybe I should!

The end finds Pelle, not only thanking his own sheep for his fine new blue suit, but with all the labors who helped Pelle watching from the background. If only we knew the hands who give us the clothes on our backs. What a community to celebrate!

Ruth Krauss favorites

2011-02-03T20:17:00.003-05:00

The first time I remember seeing this book was as an adult and it caught my eye because the boy on the cover so closely resembled the boy from my beloved The Little Fish That Got Away. There's a very good reason for that! It turns out that Crockett Johnson illustrated both books. Not only that, but he was married to Ruth Krauss, the author of The Carrot Seed, which is one of the longest published children's book. This lovely classic has been in print continuously since 1945!

Once I fell in love with the boy character similarity, I realized the text of the book is amazingly similar in style to the fishing book as well. I really like that simple repetitious text of many early children's books. It makes for a great first reading book.

The artwork is quite lovely in it's simplicity as well. I think you can really concentrate on the important points when you aren't bombarded by thousands of pictorial details on a single page. (Not that those books don't have their place too, as evidenced by Finn's love of Findus and Pettson.)

Another one of my favorite Ruth Krauss books is The Backward Day. Most children seem to love to see the ordinary turned extraordinary and having an entirely backward day is certainly extraordinary!

Finn giggles with glee when we get to the page where the boy puts his underwear on over his clothes. Oh, the humor of it all!

The illustration in this book is classic 1950s from the tablecloth to the hairstyles to the narrow variety of color. I love it! I also think it's very special to see the family of this little boy participate in his backward day and not just stare oddly at him. How refreshing for little readers to think they can mix up life and have their family joyously participate.

And "when backward day is done, backward day is done." And everyone just goes about their business like it's an ordinary day after all.

The Curious Cow

2011-01-25T21:08:00.001-05:00

Many, many years ago, I began recalling a foggy memory of a book that I had as a child. I had vague recollection of a cow who kept getting into trouble, particularly when the cow went into the house startled the farmer's wife. The cow's name was at the tip of my brain but slightly repressed and I thought the farmer's name was Brown (which was wrong, it's actually Green). About 6 months ago, I finally remembered that the cow's name was Katy, which is a different enough spelling that the google search engine provided me with a book name: The Curious Cow.

The book was originally published in 1960 with the last publication in 1977 so it's clearly been out of print for many years, hence my trouble in locating a copy. I finally did locate a reasonably good copy in hardback, the kind used in school libraries. What a fascinating discovery, when the book finally arrived, to see that the first library date was from February, 1962.

A few of the pages feel a little fragile near the binding, but otherwise the book is in very good shape. It's also fascinating to me to hear the language describing Katy as a "good cow" or a "bad cow" when that kind of labeling is so foreign in modern children's picture books.

My favorite part of rediscovering this treasure from my childhood was the illustrations. I love the rough sketching and the bright swaths of color.

I love how expressive Katy's eyes are despite the rough sketching.

And I especially love seeing the eggs fall to the floor, Katy walking down the plank of wood, and Katy swimming in the hole, all parts of the story I vividly remember being captivated by as a child.

That's all. I'm not particularly recommending this book, although it's certainly worth the read if you ever stumble across it. This blog just wouldn't be a very good reflection of my opinion and taste in children's books without a mention of the book I spent so much of my childhood loving and so much of my adulthood searching for.

Little Blue Truck

2011-01-21T20:49:00.000-05:00

Finn's most recent favorite, received for Christmas, is Little Blue Truck, about a sweet little farm truck named Blue. Blue has many little animal friends that help him along the way and an older big dump truck friend named Dump.

The lyrical verse and prevalence of onomatopoeias makes this book a fun read for the toddler and preschool set.

The illustrations are very sweet, with the right mixture of silliness and warmth. I especially like the splatter on the mud page, which looks so realistic, like most of the mud-splattered trucks in my own yard.

With a charming little moral message about friendship and kindness, the book is well-rounded and perfect tale for little ones.

You'll be cheering along with Blue and his little animal friends, especially the strong toad, when they ride away, covered in mud and hearts full of friendship.

The Tomtes of Hilltop Wood

2011-01-18T20:21:00.002-05:00

We received The Tomtes of Hilltop Wood as a gift several months ago, and it quickly became one of Finn's favorite books. We always enjoy looking for tomte and gnome houses in the woods and Finn was so delighted to see the tomtes appear from the Hilltop Wood.

The children in the story learn that the workmen plan to put a road through Hilltop Wood and rush to tell the tomtes right away.

The children and tomtes work long and hard to thwart the road-building. Finn loved seeing how they would run the creek a different way, making the bridge useless or how they moved the protected bats to a different barn which stood in the workmen's way.

When winter comes and the children leave milk out for the tomte, Finn gets excited that it's "just like The Tomten".

The beautiful illustrations really capture the woods and the changing seasons beautifully. My favorite illustration is the little lighted window in the snow which captures the perfect amount of magic and imagination in the chilly wintertime scene.

then...one snowflake

2011-01-10T21:28:00.000-05:00

Much like our day, the beginning of Snow centers around one snowflake (and a little boy's faith in snow). I really love the simplicity of the text in this little jewel of a winter book and the gorgeous illustrations certainly enhance the magic and beauty of the story.

My kids really enjoy the descriptions of the characters, like man with hat, boy with dog and woman with umbrella. (They also get a little tripped out by the wandering Mother Goose characters, which is a little random, in my opinion.)

I love the soft watercolor and ink look of the illustrations and the exaggerated features of the characters. The dreary gray really accentuates the solitary flakes in a wonderful way considering the text of the story.

At the end when the sky is finally a brighter blue, emphasizing the white piles of snow coating the world, you really get the sense that the boy's magic and happiness has coated the world as well.

Mary Poppins

2011-01-06T20:32:00.001-05:00

Elizabeth and I read Mary Poppins together a few months ago and I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to post it here. I hadn't read the book before although the movie was a childhood favorite. Elizabeth has also seen the movie many times so it was fun to discover the book together.

About 2 chapters in, Elizabeth told me that she didn't really want to read the book because "the book Mary Poppins is mean." I have to say that I kind of agreed with her. Not to mention she was a bit confused that the musical completely excluded the twin baby siblings of Jane and Michael. I think Disney (for all their failures..ahem..Little Mermaid) did a good thing by softening the personality of Mary Poppins for the musical. Mary Poppins, of the musical, was the adult caretaker of my childhood dreams, whereas the P.L. Travers-created character was coarse, gruff and not particularly nice, really. Ultimately, Elizabeth and I are both glad that we stuck through the book for a few reasons.

We were both fascinated to hear the specific stories that meant the most to us (the arrival of Mary Poppins for me, and the bird lady for Elizabeth) through the lens of the book, with Mary's true personality intact.

We also found a great many stories of Mary's time with the Banks' children, that were missing from the musical version, to be fun and engaging, like the late night visit to the zoo. Interestingly, despite the harsher character of Mary Poppins in the book, when I asked Elizabeth if she preferred the book to the movie, she chose the book because of the extra stories like the zoo and the laughing gas which were excluded from the movie.

Owl Moon

2010-12-31T10:49:00.002-05:00

Owl Moon was first introduced to me through a reading-in-schools program I participated in when Elizabeth was about 3. She and I proceeded to check it out from our local library many times, especially during the coldest parts of the winter. I'm not really sure why it never found it's way into our permanent collection.

Earlier in the year, when my mother was asking about Christmas presents for the kids, she asked me if Finn had a copy of Owl Moon. When I answered "no", she determined that he should have a copy, which proved to be a good call as it is now one of his favorites.

Winner of the 1988 Caldecott medal, Owl Moon showcases the beauty and expanse of a snowy winter on a farm. The perfect bedtime story, it whispers quiet winter softness and you can practically hear the echo of father's who-ing.

The illustrations depicting the owl's point-of-view are a beautiful change of pace when they appear. You'll find yourself wondering how you might find your way to a snow-covered farm for a bit of late-night owling.

As you can see, Finn didn't take kindly to my kidnapping his book for even a few photos. I think this will certainly remain a treasured piece of our winter book basket for years to come.

The Snowy Day

2010-12-30T16:11:00.002-05:00

Ezra Jack Keats' popular and ubiquitous winter book has never been more popular in our house than the last week with our Christmas night snowstorm.

Finn tremendously identifies with Peter and his track-making, angel-making, tree-smacking, snowball-making fun.

I never tire of the depth of the Caldecott-winning illustrations and the beautiful color peeking through each page bringing a chilly breath to each scene.

I think my personal favorite is the snowangel page. There's something sweetly preschool-like about Peter's little gnome-hat angel.

Christmas in Noisy Village

2010-12-15T20:30:00.000-05:00

Although one of the first posts I wrote here on The Book Children was a review of the Noisy Village series, I feel the need to bring them to you again now that it's Christmastime. Christmas in Noisy Village is one of the favorite books from our Christmas book basket and for good reason. The child-like expression in the writing and authentic seasonal activities captivate my kids every time.

One thing that I appreciate in older children's literature, like Little House on the Prairie, is the inclusion of children's work. It's rarely mentioned in modern children's books except for a possible mention of basic housekeeping. The fact that these 6 children spent all day gathering firewood, happily, and kept track of a toddler in their midst is amazing. I'm glad Astrid Lindgren included this activity and mention of how important the children's work was to the village.

I also enjoy Ilon Wikland's depiction of their work, like the sealing wax and gingerbread cookies. The children have messes everywhere, yet it's cute and authentic to the work that children do.

My older kids always giggle about the Christmas Eve rhyming (maybe we should try that this year), especially when Karl declares Bill's silly rhyme to be "the worst rhyme I've ever heard".

By the time you get to dinner, you'll be wishing you could step back in time for a few minutes with Lisa's family at Christmastime...or maybe that's just me.

Jan Brett's beautiful treasury

2010-12-10T17:14:00.000-05:00

I discovered this little jewel compilation of Jan Brett's Christmas (or winter, really) works while on a trip to NYC a few years ago. I knew that my little Christmas baby would need this treasury so I lugged all 10 lbs of it on the plane home. Fortunately he loves it as much as I do, well actually, all the family does.

I love how the Christmas stories that Jan Brett tells are atypical from the standard Christmas tales. Between the trolls and the ornery reindeer, it's definitely not Norman Rockwell-esque story-telling. But there's a sweetness in each narration and a happy ending for all so it's nice to have a book of alternative stories.

Interestingly, Finn's favorite stories in the book are The Mitten and The Hat, both of which we had separately before this treasury. I also like that these books are included in the treasury despite the fact that neither is truly a Christmas book, more like a winter tale.

And of course, Jan Brett's illustrations are marvelous. The kids love how much there is to see in every picture. The left side bar reflection from the previous page and right side bar peek into the next page are particularly loved.

One thing that my kids find particularly delightful about Jan Brett's stories is the hedgehog that appears in so many of her illustrations, if not the stories themselves. Paulie has turned the whole family hedgehog-crazed so they squeal with delight upon finding an extraneous hedgie.

And it doesn't hurt that Jan Brett draws them so adorably!

Finn especially gets a kick out of the final page of The Hat when all the animals scatter wearing the little girls woolens. He often will pick up any woolens he finds laying around our living room and wear them on his head to join in the game!

Room for a Little One

2010-12-09T14:13:00.003-05:00

Our seasonal book basket has been reloaded with holiday books and we've been spending some time reading them nearly every day. One in particular that Finn seems to gravitate toward is Room for a Little One. Room for a Little One is a sweet re-telling of the nativity story from the perspective of the barn animals.

The text is so simple and flows so quietly that it's easy for little ones to be satisfied with the pace and understanding of the story.

Jason Cockcroft's illustrations are simply stunning, full of light and peace. They have such a beautiful ethereal quality while remaining realistic and life-like.

In the end, you'll feel like you're peering in on the story, watching the animals welcome the Christ-child to earth.

*Don't forget to check the giveaway to see if you won!*

a tomten double giveaway!

2010-12-02T09:09:00.004-05:00

A long-loved tale in our home, The Tomten is such a rich story of the quiet of a winter night and the tomten who trails through the farm aiding and comforting all the animals and children therein.

I've written of this book before, on my other blog, but when a gently used copy appeared at our favorite local bookstore, I couldn't resist bring it home as well.

My inability to resist this gentle, comforting winter tale is your gain as I am offering it, as well as a little wooden tomten to match, in a double giveaway!

After all, "winters come and winters go" but generosity lasts forever and is what this season is truly about. I hope there is a little one in your life who needs a tomten story!

Enter here by leaving a comment. Double your chances of winning both the book and the wooden tomten by leaving another comment on An Art Family tomten giveaway! Become a new follower of either An Art Family or The Book Children for an additional entry. ~~The winner of both items will be drawn next Thursday, 12/9, at 9 am EST.~~

The winner of the wooden tomten and The Tomten book is Carolyn!

Carolyn said...
I just became a follower. Would love this for my grandson, Arlo.

Carolyn, please contact me at joy[at]anartfamily[dot]com with your information so I can get the tomten items to you right away! Thanks everyone for participating!

Cranberry Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T13:36:00.003-05:00

A Thanksgiving tale set in brisk and chilly New England, Cranberry Thanksgiving is a sweet story of kindness, generosity and judgment of others. The first of the Cranberry series, Cranberry Thanksgiving is widely recognized as the most popular.

Grandmother and Maggie each invite a Thanksgiving guest every year, and this year Mr. Whiskers makes the guest list, much to Grandmother's chagrin. When Grandmother's famous cranberry bread recipe disappears, she's suspicious of the unkept Mr. Whiskers who smells of clams and seaweed.

With adorable 1970s illustrations reminiscent of the Rankin/Bass holiday specials of the 60s and 70s, Cranberry Thanksgiving is sure to stir a bit of nostalgia back into your Thanksgiving celebration.

Cranberry Thanksgiving ends with a lesson for everyone and a copy of Grandmother's famous recipe!

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

2010-11-14T20:12:00.001-05:00

When Elizabeth was in the first grade, she came home one afternoon talking incessantly about Edward Tulane. I listened with one ear as she regaled me with storied of Edward's various adventures, leaving out connecting details, as first graders often do. When the book fair came to Elizabeth's school and they offered this hardback copy at a reasonable price, Elizabeth begged and begged me to buy it to read it again to her. I relented...and a love affair began.

The following autumn I picked up The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane to read aloud to the kids. (Philip had just started kindergarten at the time, and I probably would have waited if I had read the book myself before I read it to the kids. He's a sensitive one, although ultimately, he handled this book very well and eagerly awaited each chapter.) I was no stranger to Kate DiCamillo, having read Because of Winn Dixie, but I was completely captivated by the language of Edward Tulane. His personality was so intricately developed that although his thoughts were arrogant and vain, you loved him in spite of his flaws as his spirit is continually broken during his despairing journey.

He travels from Abilene, who truly loves and cherishes Edward, to the bottom of the ocean floor, to the fisherman's wife, to the transient, to sickly, poor little girl, to the doll shop. Along his miraculous journey, he learns about life, and the various lessons that each owner teaches his eventually melts his frozen heart.

The ending is too precious and moving to give away here, but you'll be hard pressed to make it through the coda without a tear in your eye. The illustrations of Bagram Ibatoulline really lend an air of soft sensitivity to the story. He has a way of making a cold-hearted china rabbit look scared and distraught that really confers an emotional edge to the writing. I have to say that along with Inga Moore, he's one of my favorite illustrators of children's literature.

Pumpkin Moonshine

2010-10-28T20:09:00.001-04:00

The first time I heard the title of this book, I remember thinking, "was there really a vintage children's book about making moonshine?!" (I guess I'm a true Southerner!) Fortunately, I'm here to tell you that Pumpkin Moonshine is actually a very sweet story and not at all about making moonshine. (Well, at least not the illegal alcoholic kind.) This book, written in 1938, is about making what we commonly call a jack-o-lantern.

Sylvie Ann learns about making pumpkin moonshines from her grandparents and it's on their farm that she sets off on an adventure to find the perfect pumpkin from which to make her moonshine.

Adventure and havoc ensue, of course, on her way from the pumpkin field back to her grandparents' house.

The illustrations, like all of Tasha Tudor's picture books, are simply sweet and full of the gentle breath of nature. From the animals to the pumpkin fields, the watercolors are comforting, and guaranteed to make you feel the of nostalgic pull of your own pumpkin moonshine-creating childhood.

Be sure to head over to the giveaway on An Art Family!

Findus & Pettson

2010-10-19T10:07:00.000-04:00

When I first heard of the Pettson and Findus series of books, I was drawn to them because the Findus sort of reminded me of my own Finn. Once I found out the books are Swedish, I was completely sold as some of our very favorite children's books come from Swedish authors. We currently own 2 of the Pettson and Findus books (although a little birdy told me Finn might receive a few more for Christmas), and they are some of our favorite picture books.

When Findus Was Little and Disappeared is actually one of the later titles in the series, but it's a favorite as it features Findus as a tiny little kitten and explains the story of his coming to live with Pettson and being named Findus. Of course, in typical Findus and Pettson fashion, there are many hijinks along the way, and the tiny creatures who also live in Pettson's house, and often mischievously move his belongings, are introduced.

Pettson treat Findus like a child, makes britches for him and they spend most of their time doing mundane things like crossword puzzles, making meals, and feeding the chickens. Nordqvist's illustrations add another layer to each story with little side details learned through the studying the pictures.

In Pancakes for Findus, Pettson's neighbors think he's a bit odd to celebrate Findus's birthday multiple times a year and to make pancakes using rather unorthodox ingredients.

Pettson and Findus have a blended relationship that's part parent-child and part grumpy co-habitors which makes for humorous and delightfully silly interaction. All's well that end's well when Pettson and Findus finally enjoy their pancakes in the garden by the gramophone.

I have to say that these picture books are some of my favorites to read aloud, and fortunately, Finn loves them too. We will definitely have fun building on this collection.

Tyger Tyger, burning bright

2010-10-14T20:46:00.002-04:00

This is such an odd little poetry book that I'm not sure how to begin describing it, but since each of our kids could quote the first verse of The Tyger before they were out of diapers, I couldn't avoid it's inclusion here at The Book Children. A Visit to William Blake's Inn is a Newberry Medal-winning, Caldecott honor book that I just stumbled upon at our favorite used bookstore. (Don't you just love happenstance that provides little gems like that?) With Chagall (notice flying animals) meets Rousseau meets Russian Orthodox art/architecture, the illustrations lend a vintage feel, however you shouldn't assume that all is as it seems. Much like the myriad of interesting characters hosted at Blake's Inn, the illustration and verse will lead you on an imaginative journey not unlike Blake's own writing.

The older kids especially think the mirror of Blake's Tyger poem is particularly hilarious, and this book was probably worth the $2 price tag just for that snippet.

Although this is clearly a children's book, I really think that any collector of poetry or Blake admirer would find it enthralling. A Visit to William Blake's Inn definitely stands as a poetry book in it's own right.

Little Blue and Little Yellow

2010-10-11T20:47:00.000-04:00

Yes, he's probably more famous for Swimmy, Frederick, Cornelius and a permanent color-desiring chameleon, but Leo Lionni's Little Blue and Little Yellow is right at the top of my list of favorite art books for little ones. The pure genius of personalizing a blob of color and giving it a bigger blob of color for parents makes this story so easily identifiable to the preschool set in a simple yet engaging way.

The main blobs of color, little blue and little yellow, even find other little blobs of color friends and play hide and seek behind black strips of paper. Genius, I'm telling you!

When little blue and little yellow hug and turn themselves permanently green, hilarity ensues as their parents think they are missing. A fun way to use this book to help young children express creativity is to see what other little colors could be made if different color blobs hugged.

Little blue even shares a smooch with his parents at the end, and you can almost see the affection between these different sized blobs of color.

What a fabulous book for stretching a little one's creativity while giving them imaginable adventure! I love it!

Owl Babies

2010-10-01T11:09:00.001-04:00

Finn received Owl Babies when he was around 18 months old, and it quickly became his favorite book to read at bedtime. The heartwarming story of these 3 baby owls who wait patiently, if nervously, for their owl mommy to return from her journey will melt any mama's heart, and the lyrical text will captivate any little one's attention.

Martin Waddell's illustrations provide the perfect compliment to the sweet dialogue between the little owl siblings. The owl babies look like an amazing combination of adorable, innocent, and anxious with their huge eyes and soft downy feathers.

Little Bill particularly captured Finn's heart, which I spoke of here, and we would frequently read the story together with me pausing for him to recite the words of Bill. You could almost hear Finn's breath catch in his throat nearly every time we arrived at this page where the 3 baby owls closed their eyes wishing that their mother would return quickly.

"And she came. Soft and silent, she swooped through the trees to Sarah and Percy and Bill."

I can guarantee this little book will steal your heart and provide the perfect book to snuggle in your own nest with your mama-needing little ones.

Hoglet the Spineless Hedgehog

2010-09-27T20:29:00.006-04:00

I have a special guest reviewer for me today for Hoglet the Spineless Hedgehog, my oldest stepson, Paulie. The occasion that Hoglet came to join us was quite harrowing, and you can read about it here. As such, we've enjoyed his sweet presence in our home even more.

Summary: This book is about a spineless hedgehog named Hoglet. Hoglet will have to endure many things, such as starvation, frostbite, cats and owls. It will be especially hard for Hoglet because he is particularly small and, of course, has no spines. He has no clue what the future holds for him.

What I think: I thought this book was very entertaining. It was funny at first because he was very small and had no spines. But I soon became sorry for Hoglet because he didn't get a proper name. It was also suspenseful. For instance, when Hoglet was being carried off by the own, I thought he was a goner, but he wriggled free from the owl's talons. Sometimes it became scary, and I had to stop myself from leaning too close to the book. I was very happy when he got to Second Chance House and got his new name, Handsome!! I loved the story and wish there was a sequel.

Thank you, Paulie, for such a sweet review of a lovely, heartwarming tale. I'm sure Paulie's love of hedgehogs didn't color his review at all. ;)

We really did thoroughly enjoy this tale. As Paulie mentioned, there were a few tense scenes and even some sad parts, but his struggles proved to make the ending all the more satisfying. We are definitely looking forward to more of Allyson Marnoch's books!

apples in autumn

2010-09-23T22:01:00.001-04:00

With the advent of autumn, we've been eagerly pulling out our favorite autumn books, and it's been especially fun to pour over our books on apples since our apple-picking excursion a few weeks ago. One of our favorite apple books is this photographic odyssey by Ken Robbins.

I really love how he illustrates his text with so many unique photographs. The colorful bee hives are one example. The orchard we visited kept bees as well, although their homes weren't quite as vibrant. :)

Apples contains many pictures of apple picking and the many varieties of apples with a bit of explanation about the planting and pruning.

But you'll also find unique artifacts like this shot of a hundred year old apple press used for making cider. Everytime I see this, I wonder if my great-grandfather (who farmed apples a little bit west of here, in the mountains of NC) used a press like this when he made cider. I should remember to ask my grandmother!

And the applesauce! One of our more popular autumn pastimes; the reason for all the freezer bags full of apples we stored away for winter. I also love their orange pot! See, it's a great book for mamas and little ones to drool over together.

Are you including some apple activities in your autumn?

Happy Autumn!

2010-09-22T09:14:00.000-04:00

Autumn was the first Gerda Muller book that made it's way into our collection when Finn was about 1 1/2 years old. At the time, he was content to sit with it for about 10 seconds before wandering off to find a car...but that was the case for most books at that age. As the season progressed and he moved toward his second birthday, I found myself referring to this wordless picture book when we engaged in a particularly autumnal task, and as a result, he began sitting with it on his own for longer periods of time.

Now Autumn is an eagerly anticipated join to move to the seasonal book basket we keep in our living room, and the rest of Gerda Muller's seasonal books have joined us as well. Her illustrations are simply darling and so handily capture the magic of each season from a young child's perspective.

I think Finn may have even learned a trick or two about enjoying each season's nature from these books. I remember him asking me last year if we could throw some leaves. :)

Little House on the Prairie

2010-09-21T14:03:00.000-04:00

What is the first thought that enters your head when you hear the words, "Little House on the Prairie"? I can scarcely ever hear those words without the theme song from the tv show entering my head. I know that not much can be written about Little House that hasn't been written before, but my kids are very much in a Little House phase right now, so here we are.

This evening during our family reading time, we will finish On The Banks of Plum Creek. We have been wading through the Little House series for more than a year now, with breaks between each book to bounce around to other literature. Last night, when I asked the kids what they would like to read next, all 3 of the older kids immediately replied, "the next Little House book."

And so I wondered, what is it about these books that remains timeless and appealing to my 21st century family. Even though we choose to live more simply than many folks in this day and age, we are a far cry from uprooting our family to travel via horse-drawn wagon across the countryside, living in a wagon until a new house can be built, and foraging/planting/hunting all of our own foods. Is it the real-life adventures by children so similar to them, yet so foreign in experiences? Is it the unflagging earnestness with which the Ingalls faced each hardship? Is it the secret naughtiness that Laura sometimes wishes she could express that they can identify with?

What do you think? What in this series still holds appeal for you and your children?

As a side note, the My First Little House books are a wonderful introduction to the magic of the Ingalls family for young children. We've purchased several used and they are all thoroughly enjoyed.

The illustrations are very true to the original style of Garth Williams' illustrations which lends a level of authenticity to the picture books that might be otherwise lacking.

Even though we buy these with Finn in mind, I often catch the older kids reading them and pouring over the illustrations. I think they wish they could visit this unusually magical, yet sometimes stark and frightening, place in time.

Shakespeare...comic book style?

2010-09-10T20:59:00.001-04:00

Shakespeare doesn't strike me as the type of stuff you read via comic strip, but I'm willing to give it a fair shake if my kids become interested in Shakespeare as a result. So when I saw this book on the shelf at our favorite local used bookstore, I was intrigued to put it mildly. Elizabeth, who attends an art school which instills a love of Shakespeare at an early age anyway, practically squealed when I handed it to her.

Marcia Williams apparently has quite the repertoire of comic book style illustrated classics, which I discovered after googling this book. What a fun introduction to the classics for the millennial generation, raised on Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Ugly Doll comics. With quotes from the plays and her own narration at the bottom of the pictures, Williams does a great job bringing the text to elementary level without making the style seem compromised.

I really love the illustration of Macbeth. The darker haze as a backdrop to each illustration really lends the perfect mood.

Elizabeth was particularly excited that A Midsummer Night's Dream was included since next year as a fifth grader she'll be performing this play with her class at school. Because each section of the comic strip is made to look like the staged play, I think it really gives them a good feel for watching the play performed, but in a kid-friendly manner.

Are any classics popular in your house right now?

adventures of Harry

2010-09-08T20:49:00.001-04:00

After seeing this Harry the Dirty Dog Treasury on another blog, and feeling only a wee bit jealous since I never even knew such a treasury existed, I managed to stumble on a copy while thrifting over the weekend. Woohoo, 3 Harry books in 1 hard-backed volume for $4!

First in the volume, of course, is Harry the Dirty Dog, complete with his messy, sooty, muddy puppy friends and lots of construction vehicles. Needless to say, Finn loves this book and meticulously combs over every illustration.

We hadn't read No Roses for Harry before, so it was a nice treat to have a new book in the mix. Harry is gifted with a rose-covered sweater which is not quite his style. When a bird unravels his sweater and flies off with the long strand of wool yarn, Harry is thrilled.

You'll love seeing where the wool ended up and there's a happy surprise in store for Harry at the end. A win-win situation mixed with adventure, the makings of a wonderful tale.

This summer before our beach trip, I looked high and low at all my thrifting haunts hoping to snag a copy of Harry By The Sea. Alas, Harry and his sea-going adventures evaded me but now we have a copy for next time! I remember reading this to Elizabeth ages ago and loving the part where Harry is covered in seaweed and everyone thinks he's a sea monster. That's first rate preschool-age humor right there!

Of course, he manages to escape the seaweed in the end and enjoy the rest of his adventure at the beach. The mid-sixties beachside hot dog stand is adorable, as are the rest of the drawings in their tri-tone illustration. A sweet puppy of a find, for sure!

mushrooms!

2010-09-07T20:45:00.000-04:00

After our walk through the woods the other weekend, I began searching in earnest for a preschool/early school age book on mushrooms. I didn't have much luck at my local library, but I did find Good Mushrooms and Bad Toadstools used on Amazon for $1 plus shipping. We're already enjoying flipping through the pictures and simple text.

This book depicts everything from colorful, unique mushrooms, to ordinary forest and field mushrooms.

A few photographs even show the various parts of the mushroom including the root system, the gills, the stems, and of course, the beautiful caps!

Here the field mushrooms are shown, but you can also see farmed mushrooms, morels and underground truffles. I'd love to meet the person who originally thought truffles might taste nice. They look almost like clumps of mud or *ahem* animal droppings.

Although I definitely don't want my kids to immediately head out to picking backyard mushrooms to eat, I think the ending is a bit flimsy by saying that you should only pick mushrooms out of the grocery store or off your pizza. I might have ended a little cleaner by recommending to only pick eating mushrooms when with a knowledgeable mushroom-picker. :)

Either way, the rest of the book makes up for the ending, and I'm definitely glad we added this little gem to our collection. We plan to take it with us on our next walk through the woods!

poetry from a child's garden

2010-08-24T21:11:00.000-04:00

The wonderful, if ubiquitous, A Child's Garden of Verses, found it's way into our family over the summer, and I am thoroughly enjoying it's addition to our poetry collection. Although I have had this book on my list for ages, I hemmed and hawed over exactly which version I desired until the thrifting gods decided for me. For the record, the classic illustrated version is absolutely amazing, although I can't only imagine that the Tasha Tudor illustrated version is quite nice too. Maybe we need two copies?

These poems just really call to me. The language and ideas are so pre-WWII in the best way. Like the poem below..."world is full of meat and drink...children saying grace...every Christian kind of place." Not exactly the children's poetry of the 2000s, but in a sweet, nostalgic way, I wish it was.

And the illustrations in this version really are sweet. From the antiquated clothes to the simple lines and color, I really enjoy the simplicity.

I'm trying to start a new rhythm this year by reading a verse of poetry, a Bible verse or something else meaningful while the children are eating breakfast in the mornings. I hope it will become a tradition they enjoy. This morning, we read about The Wind. Elizabeth commented that it was interesting that the opposing page picture for The Wind was of kids flying kites, but it didn't show the kites, only the kids. I love it when they are observant in noticing details like that, especially before 7 am.

I really don't think you could go wrong with any version of this book. Keep it in a handy place and find some time for a poem a day. We'll start our tradition together. :)

read Red?

2010-08-21T19:33:00.000-04:00

Barbara Lehman's The Red Book, a 2004 Caldecott Honor book, is a shining star in the wordless picture book genre. This simple unassuming cover houses a huge adventure waiting to be put into words by any child daring enough to follow the journey inside this magical world.

A little girl finds a similar red book tucked into a snow bank as she walks to school one day. As she loses herself into the book's adventure, she find herself on an adventure of her own.

Brilliantly illustrated in a simple style, this book will delight your child many times over. Peering through the portal of this red book will lead the reader to wonder what adventures waiting under the cover of their other books.

They may even start checking snow piles and sand dunes for a Red Book of their own.

first prayer book

2010-08-19T22:01:00.001-04:00

A friend introduced me to this reprint of a very sweet, vintage children's prayer book and it has become a frequent last-book-of-the-evening when I'm reading with Finn. Originally published in 1941 by Rachel Field, the simple reverent (and dripping with 1940s sweetness) illustrations by Elizabeth Orton Jones won the Caldecott Medal in 1944, which was the book official publication date, almost 2 years after the author died.

Finn loves listening to the lyrical verse and discussing the little girls bread, milk, toys and activities.

I enjoy the soft color and simple illustrations so reminiscent of idyllic childhood.

I'm also touched that the child in the book not only asks God to bless her food, belongings, family and friends but all the other children of the world, in every race and nationality, and asks him to keep them safe and free from fear. What a powerful message to bring to my own 3 year old, to hold forth other children's care and safekeeping in this manner.

There are other prayer books which we definitely enjoy reading in the evenings, but this book with it reprinted large format is always a favorite.

Harry and Horsie

2010-08-18T20:54:00.001-04:00

The minute I laid eyes on this book, I knew it would be a hit at our house. The artwork alone is a fabulous first picture book from Lincoln Agnew. A little bit modern and a lot retro, this book has such a winning combination of adventure, sentimentality and suspense that most preschoolers (and their parents) would be hard-pressed to resist.

Seriously, see those dots! So reminiscent of Lichtenstein and his fabulous cartoon art.

The author is Katie Van Camp, otherwise known as the nanny to David Letterman's son, Harry, who the book was written for, along with his pal, Horsie.

Ack...the art just astounds me! I *heart* it in a serious way. :)

Needless to say, Finn loves this book. We read it nightly for about 3 months, and he still regularly pulls it from his shelf to flip through in the evenings. All the rockets and racing cars immensely appeal to my boy. And the heartwarming end will leave you satisfied that inside every rough and tumble boy who dreams of rockets and fast cars lives a sentimental spirit.

Plenty of Fish!

2010-08-13T10:09:00.000-04:00

If you haven't heard of Vintage Kid's Books My Kid Loves yet, you need to get yourself right over there and check out some of the marvelous books she reviews...and not just because she does a giveaway every Monday. In the not to distant past, I was the fortunate winner of one of her Great Monday Gives and what a fun win it was. (And not just because it's fun to win in general.)

Plenty of Fish is a sweet story about a little boys' quest to own a fish and learning about their eating, breathing and living habits along the way. I really like this "science reader" because it's so different from the fact-based science readers that you can find at bookstores today. Through experiential learning, the boy discovers many facts about his beloved fish rather than reading a textbook of information.

The boy tries living like a fish for a while too by eating fish food, eating only once a day and breathing by opening and closing his mouth. His discoveries that humans have different needs from fish are often humorous.

The simplicity of the illustrations with charcoal, orange-red and green accents is simple with a great vintage appeal. The early 60s outfits of bathrobes, top hats and pipe are nostalgically sweet as well.

By the end of the reader, the boy has many grand plans of fish-capades to come, and you might find yourself at a nearby shop hunting down a little fish and bowl as well.

fun with malapropisms

2010-08-09T21:13:00.000-04:00

Our kids have had great fun with language silliness in the following two books. The King Who Rained is a book of homonyms taking common phrases (some of them less common now than when the book was published in 1960) and making a silly cartoon based on a homonym of one of the words, or the phrase itself. Written and illustrated by Fred Gwynne, of Herman Munster fame, with fun, kitschy illustrations.

Some of the pages use homophones instead of homonyms but are equally delightful.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves is a children's picture book based on the adult bestseller of the same name. With each page showing what can go wrong when commas are misplaced, or not placed at all, kids will howl with laughter at some of the depictions including the gun-toting panda made popular on the adult bookcover.

The illustrations are rather cartoonish, but do a very effective and silly job of exploring the difference a comma can make.

In searching Amazon for links on these books, I found a list of other books that have fun playing with language. What a fun way for kids to explore (and learn!) word usage and grammar!

pig week: partying pig with a pancake

2010-07-31T22:02:00.000-04:00

Sure, Laura Numeroff is more famous for a cookie-eating mouse, but everyone knows that the pig's where it's at. If You Give a Pig a Pancake and If You Give a Pig a Party were more popular with Elizabeth, although the boys seem to enjoy them all the same. It probably had something to do with the CD version we own, with David Hyde Pierce narrating, which has the fabulous "Piggie Polka" song at the end.

How could you not love a sweet little piggie sitting in the window sill eating her piping hot pancake?

The illustrations are simple and the story so charming in celebrating the small joys of life through a cyclical narrative.

And the party book, well, the pig has friends! Who wrap their fur turban-style! I remember Elizabeth being so amused by this when she was about 4.

The fort-building page made a huge impression on Elizabeth from the first time she saw it. She studied and thought hard about every angle of the fort. To this day, she builds more forts than our other 3 kids combined. I credit it mostly to the piggie.

pig week: Mercy Watson

2010-07-28T21:27:00.000-04:00

Next up on pig week is a buttered-toast-loving porcine wonder named Mercy Watson. Written by Kate DiCamillo, the author of Because of Winn Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux, the story has quite a but more substance than most other books in the simple chapter book/early reader categories. (I'm a huge DiCamillo fan though so I'm not sure she's capable of writing something I wouldn't love. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is my personal favorite; read with lots of tissues.)

DiCamillo's style is certainly less apparent in these simple reads, but you'd be hard pressed not to love Mercy and her doting "parents." The chapters are simple enough for readers who are starting down the path of Junie B Jones and Magic Tree House and it's nice to have some variety there. We only own 2 of the 6 volumes that make up this series, but they've all been checked out at the library, and enjoyed, at some point.

I can't say that the illustration is my favorite. The cartoonishness of Mercy and her owners are a bit much for me asthetically, but they lend a certain charm to the story.

The first book, Mercy Watson to the Rescue, comes complete with beds crashing through the ceiling, a chase scene with the antagonist neighbor, the fire department to the rescue and lots of hot, buttered toast. What more could you want?

You'll be licking your chops and rooting for Mercy when she finally gets her hot, buttered toast.

Stay tuned for a few more swine tales to come. Who is your favorite literary piggie?

pig week: Olivia

2010-07-27T23:07:00.000-04:00

You knew pig week wouldn't be complete without the amazing Olivia, so here she is! Olivia has become quite the phenomenon now complete with her own website, tv show, and merchandizing. But before she was all that, she was just a black and white pig, in fabulous red clothes, with a little bit of attitude and a whole lot of heart.

I first met Olivia on a shelf at a local seaside bookshop while on vacation with Elizabeth when she was only 8 months old. Still not quite identifying with her preschool impishness, I only had an infant myself, I was nonetheless completely drawn in by the amazing illustration of Ian Falconer.

With his mix of charcoal and simple color, usually red, and occasional splashes of photograph, like the Jackson Pollack painting in the first Olivia or the fireworks in Olivia Forms A Band, Falconer breathed new life into the picture book genre earning a Caldecott Honor for his first work.

Olivia quickly became one of Elizabeth's favorite books, a constant on her bedside book pile and she eagerly collected each new Olivia book as they were published. Of course, along the way, Philip became equally immersed, and most recently Finn has been seen with the entire pile of books in his bed.

Because what little one wouldn't identify with all of Olivia's everyday adventures, including wearing herself out.

When pressed to identify her favorite, Elizabeth hesitated before saying that she loves all the circus acts that Olivia performs in Olivia Saves the Circus.

Stay tuned for more swine here during pig week...

pig week: Toot & Puddle

2010-07-26T21:06:00.003-04:00

A chance stumble upon the 10th Anniversary edition of Holly Hobbie's Toot & Puddle won Finn's heart in the biggest way. He has since acquired a few more Toot & Puddle books and borrowed a few from the library (and he *might* even have a few coming for Christmas) but his favorite, by far, is the one that started it all...

Watching Toot travel through so many foreign lands on so many adventures, he is mesmerized by "what Toot's doing now" and "where is Toot?"

And then there are Puddle's adventures, less glamorous but sweetly familiar.

The illustrations are gentle but charmingly silly, unlike so many children's books today that really can put you into sensory overload.

And Finn loves to hear, over and over, the funny postcard messages that Toot sends from his travels:

I also really appreciate how the adventures Puddle enjoys back in Woodcock Pocket travel through each month, generally sticking to nature appreciation. Isn't Puddle jumping into the pond the sweetest picture?

Join us for the rest of the week and meet a few more amazing porcine picture books.

spreadin' the Bobbsey love (through a giveaway!)

2010-07-20T20:13:00.003-04:00

I've mentioned a few times in the past (including the intro to this blog!) of my childhood love of the Bobbsey Twins. Through an unfortunate circumstance, I lost all of my childhood volumes that I spent many Christmases and birthdays collecting. Since then, I've always checked used bookstores and thrift shops hoping to catch someone offloading a Bobbsey Twin book or two but have been mostly unsuccessful. Even on eBay, most of the auctions I've seen would cost upwards to $200 to replace my entire collection.

Recently however, my luck in finding Bobbsey Twins books turned around in a big way. I found someone's old collection of about 20 Bobbsey Twins books at one of my favorite local used bookstores and within days found an auction on eBay that also had 20 books that were selling Buy It Now at less than $2/book. I now have something close to two-thirds of my original collection for less than $60. Of course, I realized that I would end up with a couple of duplicates. My duplicates are your gain! I'm offering a double giveaway of the following Bobbsey Twins books: The Bobbsey Twins' Adventure in Washington and The Bobbsey Twins The Secret At The Seashore.

The Secret At The Seashore is #3 in the series, although the books in this series can be read independently without needing context from previous books. Each chapter has a sketch of a main event. I can remember as a child how the pictures of the stories in my head were shaped by these sketches.

And in typical Bobbsey fashion, each book begins with the same description of the twins. Tall, slender dark-haired Bert and Nan and short, chubby blond Freddie and Flossie.

Adventure in Washington is #12. I remember feeling so much more informed about Washington, it's city, monuments, government buildings and even the political process after reading this book. What a joy it is to take the trip back to my childhood each time I read these. My own kids have really enjoyed them too. They were almost as excited as I was with our recent acquisition of so many volumes!

This giveaway will run from now through Friday at noon. At that time, I will draw 2 numbers to each win a book. To enter, simply leave me a comment (if you want to tell me about your favorite childhood book, that would be special too). To double your chances, become a follower of The Book Children (or be a current follower) and let me know in the comments. To gain another entry, blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in the comments. I'd love for another Bobbsey-lover to be born through this giveaway! :)

The winners are Bending Birches and Janice! Congrats. Email me with your address and I'll mail these out right away!

flower fairies

2010-07-19T21:15:00.001-04:00

If you've never had the pleasure of reading one of Cicely Mary Barker's fairy books, you need to head straight to the library pronto and resolve that little problem. ;) We, and by we I mean mostly Elizabeth, are huge fans of her work here. Her drawings are so beautiful and ethereal you'll want to head straight into your flower beds to start searching your buds for their fairy inhabitants.

The verses she writes to accompany each fairy are simple and quite amazing. The poetry in Flower Fairies of the Summer is particularly enjoyable. She really seems to capture the magic of summer and the nature which lies therein.

I think her depictions of children in many of her fairy drawings invite children to identify with them more. And her anatomically correct flowers are a fascination to observe in such a magical setting.

This book and many of Barker's others have truly inspired Elizabeth's imagination, as I'm sure they do for many children.

Psst...come back tomorrow and you'll likely find another giveaway!

first art books

2010-07-15T06:22:00.003-04:00

I discovered one of these at a high end children's shop and one at a thrift shop when Finn was very small and they quickly became two of his favorite board books. With such vibrant color and varied art, they captured his attention and even occasionally now he'll flip through one and want to talk about the images he sees.

Part of the Mini Masters board book series, A Magical Day with Matisse features such lovely, vibrant color overflowing even beyond the magical paintings of Matisse.

Loosely describing the scene, lyrical text accompanies the paintings, although sometimes we would just talk about the items in the room, for example, instead of reading it like a book.

Elizabeth has held immense love for Van Gogh since she was about 3 so it was natural that she would want to share In The Garden With Van Gogh with her brother.

Even now as Finn is moving beyond the board book phase, we enjoy counting the irises and grouping them by color. Endless possibilities!

I heart Tasha Tudor

2010-07-13T14:48:00.001-04:00

I *heart* Tasha Tudor. I love her for many reasons. I love her for 1 is One, I love her for the Corgiville books and I especially love her for Pumpkin Moonshine. Most of all, though, I love her amazing illustrations set to Scripture. And It Was So is the latest in our collection of these beautiful books and the luminous illustrations I've come to adore and expect in her work are abundant.

She takes some of the more simple verses from the Bible and brings new relevance for children with her simple watercolors and charcoal drawings that speak to children where they are.

This book, like many of her others, alternates between colored pictures and simple charcoal drawings, and covers verses from creation through the life of Jesus.

Her dream-like quality of illustration really enhances the spiritual meaning in the verses while bringing pictures of children doing what they do best, such as the below photo of a child playing with the ducks in a puddle: God prepares rain for the earth. All children identify with the rain God prepares when they are placed in the middle of an activity they've surely participated in.

We have others of Tasha Tudor's books illustrating Scripture as well, and I may blog about them at some point, but this book with it's broad coverage is truly a treasure to behold.

a hidden beauty

2010-07-12T14:43:00.001-04:00

It seems appropriate to share this book this week since it was acquired this same week last year and has become a favorite in our summer book basket. What's Hiding in There? is the latest in a line of beautifully illustrated, magical books from Daniela Drescher. With just a bit of simple text and lift-the-flap fun, Finn was entranced from the minute I bought this book last year.

In the land of elves and fairies, you can find hidden wildlife, sweet fruits and other fairy folk around every corner, or behind every flap.

The animals are beautifully rendered and the landscapes full of light. And the flowers look like you could smell them right through the page.

As the night falls, you'll find yourself flipping back to the beginning to explore the forest anew.

The Wily Woodchucks

2010-07-10T22:58:00.000-04:00

A few months ago while visiting the Strand, I stumbled on this little jewel of a summer book by Georgia Travers. The Wily Woodchucks follows the Gág family's summer in New Jersey and their experience with the woodchucks that would pirate their vegetable garden. The Wily Woodchucks was illustrated by a younger member of the Gág family.

Georgia Travers was a childhood friend of Wanda Gág, who became a famous illustrator, printmaker and author, and wrote the biography for her friend. This book offers a charming, if rare, glimpse into Wanda Gág's childhood.

The simple, 1940s illustrations are a sweet addition to the funny and mischievous story of these two woodchucks who alternately plague and thrill the family who is trying to protect their garden while enjoying the presence of the delightful woodchucks.

I particularly enjoy the illustration of various organic tactics of keeping pests from the garden. What an impression it makes on kids who see the humane, non-chemical way to have their veggies and cute little woodchuck friends too.

undercover life of a housecat

2010-07-09T11:23:00.001-04:00

Another guest blogger for today! Paulie, my 10 year old stepson, has graciously agreed to give you a review of Warriors Into The Wild. A view into the oftentimes ferocity of the natural world of cats, Warriors Into The Wild transports an ordinary housecat into a fantasy warrior world.

In this amazing book, Warriors into the Wild, an ordinary housecat runs out the back door and into the woods. In the woods, he meets four clans: Thunderclan, Shadowclan, Windclan and Riverclan. He is named Firepaw and taken as an apprentice in Thunderclan. He will be trained to be a warrior.

I would not recommend this book to kids under nine. It is sort of scary and can be really long. I would rate this book and series, out of 1-10, as a 9. If you pick up this awesome book, and you're over 9, then you won't be able to put it down!

Thanks Paulie for a great review of Warriors into the Wild.

The Tail of Emily Windsnap

2010-07-08T11:59:00.000-04:00

Today, I have a guest blogger to share a bit about The Tail of Emily Windsnap. Elizabeth is my 9 year old daughter and a lover of fairy tales and magical stories. She discovered Emily Windsnap at a local bookstore and fell in love with her so she wanted to share Emily's story with you.

Emily Windsnap is 12 years old. She never knew her secret until she saw it. Her mom had never let her in water before (except showers). One day she begged her mom so much to please be allowed to take swim lessons. On the first day, she jumped in the pool. Soon her legs stiffened like stone; she shrieked. The lifeguard dove in after her and pulled her out of the water. She told him what happened, and he said it was just a cramp.

That night, she couldn't get over it. Since they lived on a houseboat, she decided to try again in the ocean water. So she put on her swimsuit and dove into the ocean. The same thing happened. She tried to tell herself that it was another cramp. Then her legs disappeared, and in place of them was a long green and blue tail. She was very excited, and she quickly swam around a little bit. This discovery led to finding a friend just like her and finding her father who she had never met.

I really enjoyed The Tail of Emily Windsnap because it's a great book, full of adventure, great details and even some mystery. The Tail of Emily Windsnap also has two sequels which I'm reading now!

Thanks, Elizabeth, for writing a review of The Tail of Emily Windsnap!

Eastman classics

2010-07-07T20:49:00.001-04:00

P.D. Eastman's classics, Go, Dog. Go! and Are You My Mother? have been staples at our house for a long time. Both have exquisite appeal for the preschool set and both have the perfect repetition that make them excellent beginning reader books. Of course, Finn is thrilled with any book containing cars, so Go, Dog. Go! was a favorite of his from the first time he saw the cover. I also remember Go, Dog. Go! being the first reading book longer than 6-8 pages that both Elizabeth and Philip read.

You can see some of the influences of Dr. Seuss's work in P.D. Eastman's illustrations. As an understudy to Dr. Seuss, P.D. Eastman's first books, including these, were released under Seuss's Beginner Books label.

Finn and Elizabeth both crack up when the little birdie starts calling the backhoe a "snort".

Dogs in cars...going away fast! One of Finn's favorite pages in Go, Dog. Go! Who wouldn't love the line-up of colorful dogs in fast cars?!

My own personal favorite: the hat doggy in the crazy party hat.

I can remember both of these books from my childhood, but especially Are You My Mother? I can remember the tension of the "snort" lifting the baby bird so far off the ground and wondering how the baby bird knew he even had a mother when he'd never met her. Now I know the answer to that wondering.

thrifted moons

2010-07-06T12:44:00.001-04:00

Given my penchant for 1940s children's books lately, it should have been no surprise that one of my first finds at our local used bookstore last evening was Many Moons by James Thurber. A beautifully illustrated classic, and Caldecott winner, I'm not sure why we didn't already have Many Moons as part of our children's library.

This story of a rather spoiled little princess demanding the moon, and regardless of the impossibility of her request, she cannot be dissuaded from her demands. The text is witty and the dialogue smart, just my prerequisites for a perfect addition to our collection.

The ending is sweet and portrays exactly how you'd deal with a child demanding the impossible while lending great personality to the moon itself.

Our other thrifted lunar find was a book of simple poems about the full moon of each month.When The Moon Is Full is simply illustrated with hand-painted woodcut prints by Mary Azarian, also known as the Caldecott winning illustrator of Snowflake Bentley, another favorite of ours.

The only text is a simple poem for each month about the month's moon with a bit of simple information about the traditional reason for each moon's name.

The end of the book also contains some common questions and answers about the moon such as the cause of a blue moon.

The July moon, or Buck Moon, is about 3 weeks away. Watch for it!

Make Way For Ducklings giveaway!

2010-06-29T20:26:00.002-04:00

You knew it was coming, didn't you? After all, you can hardly have a proper children's book blog without one of Robert McCloskey's books coming up at some point. I'd be hard pressed to choose a favorite between Make Way For Ducklings and Blueberries for Sal, but for today, let's just discuss Make Way for Ducklings, shall we?

I can't even remember the first time I read Make Way For Ducklings, but it's safe to say that this charismatic brood of feathered friends have been with me for a long time. I remember being slightly disappointed as a child that the book wasn't "colorized", but now I feel that it lends a bit of charm.

The story first grabbed me as a small look into the parental mind when the duck parents were searching out a home for their ducklings. Having settled on an island in the middle of Boston Public Garden, the duck family embarks on a harrowing journey to the safety of their new home. (If we ever make a family trip to Boston, this will be on my must-see list.)

Finn's favorite page is the spread with the near accident between the cars and the duck family. No surprise, since my boy loves cars. But he always laughs out loud at all the honking and quacking going on here, a bit of levity in a scene that could seem harrowing to a preschooler.

Of course, a friendly policeman is nearby to help the duck family safely across the dangerous road.

And they eventually make their way to the promised land.

I happen to have an extra new copy of this wonderful book, although I'm sure many households already hold a copy of this jewel. No matter, it could be a lovely gift for a niece or nephew or simply the next child's birthday party you attend. Everyone should make way for these ducklings. ;) Just leave me a comment, become a follower, and/or leave me a comment letting me know you referred to this giveaway from your blog and you'll be entered up to 3 times for the giveaway. ~~I'll draw a winner on Friday morning at noon.~~

According to the random number generator, Charlotte is the winner! Please email me your address so I can mail Make Way For Ducklings to you!

gone fishin'

2010-06-26T21:00:00.000-04:00

Another book that I remember quite fondly from my childhood will wrap up our beach week here on The Book Children. I'm not really sure why this book stands out to me so much. Of all the things I enjoyed doing outdoors as a child, fishing isn't something I even remember doing more than once or twice. The book I remember looked a bit different than this version, especially the cover. But when I saw that it had been reprinted in hardback in 2005, I just had to snatch up a copy.

The same simple, sweet story I remember drew in my own kids. Finn most recently discovered this book on a sibling's bookshelf so we've been reading it frequently in the last few weeks. I love the sparse yet expressive illustrations that made Crocket Johnson famous. Interestingly, I knew and loved this book before any of the Harold books, and my first thought upon meeting Harold was that he looked so much like the kid from the The Little Fish That Got Away.

Another component of the book that I think children find really appealing is the repetition. The GREAT GREAT big fish comes, then the GREAT big fish comes, then the BIG fish comes then the little fish comes and then they come around again. And they swim around and around and around and around. I've caught a least a couple of our kids quoting the book to themselves very soothingly since the words from page to page are relatively predictable.

Then, of course, there's the ending. What little kid isn't thoroughly impressed by the boy eating the entire GREAT GREAT big fish all by himself?!

farming by the sea

2010-06-22T20:40:00.001-04:00

Down on the coast of SC, I spent a good bit of my childhood romping and picking my way through gardens and picking various veggies from soil mixed with sand while tasting the salty sea air. So while the following book may be about the beach specifically, a Little Farm by the Sea definitely holds a bit of nostalgia of living on the shore for me.

Little Farm by the Sea was actually written based a real farm on Long Island which the author enjoyed visiting in the summers. Her love for the little farm is felt deeply through the gentle words and beautifully rendered illustrations depict berry-picking children, baby burros and suckling piglets.

You might wonder why I don't have the cover art shown here. Unfortunately, we don't own a copy of this lovely book, although we're frequent borrowers from the library in the summer. I didn't think you'd want to see the dinged up plastic-y cover from the library. I've never been able to find a copy for a reasonable price that was in good shape. If you ever see this book at your local used bookshop, consider yourself a lottery winner and snatch it up quickly! Until then, check your local library. :)

One of the things I most appreciate about this little farm book is the description of organic farming methods the farm employs. Oh, it's not called "organic farming" since this book was written in the 90s before "organic" became such a buzzword. It's the simple descriptions of the farm keeping birdhouses to discourage insects and using fertilizer from the animals to enrich Farmer Brown's fields.

And who doesn't love little pigs that make such a ruckus?!

watch that Wave

2010-06-20T19:34:00.001-04:00

In honor of our week at the beach, I have some beachy books to share with you. The first book is one I happened to fall in love with at the bookstore one day. I'm easily drawn into children's books with interesting cover art and this book definitely stood out amongst the shelves of cartoonish counterparts.

Wave is the story of a little girl encountering a large wave on the beach. The story is one so familiar to most of us that it quickly makes us reminisce about the point in our lives when the waves were enticing, menacing, and delightful all rolled into one large crashing tunnel of salty sea water.

Wave is told through charcoal and blue-turquoise acrylics but no text which puts it in a minority of children's picture books. A story this familiar needs no words however, and beautiful colors and lines of the illustration really tell the story in it's marvelous simplicity. The little girl's thoughts and emotions come through her varied expressions and our own experiences in her place.

I really enjoy asking younger children to tell me the story using books like this. You can learn a lot about what they think of their own beach wave experience through their storytelling of this book. A particularly handy thing when you're at the beach!

Mama, Is It Summer Yet?

2010-06-17T15:31:00.001-04:00

Here we are on the cusp of summer and nothing will put you in the mood for all of it's sunshine-y goodness quicker than Mama, Is It Summer Yet? This first literary offering from Nikki McClure, although she also illustrated All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant, is a delight for both the ears and eyes with it's rhythmic text and gorgeous illustrations.

The premise for the book is the answer to a boy's question, "Mama, is it summer yet?" His mother patiently answers on each page showing him the winter changing into spring and the spring into summer through the nature around them.

The intricate details of the paper cut illustrations are amazing. Each scene is created from a single sheet of black construction paper. Yet the blooming trees, the swooping birds, the sprouting seedlings are captured with vibrant precision.

With the strawberries ripe for the picking, mama assures her son that summer has finally arrived.

And when summer finally does appear, your toddler to preschool-aged child will be begging to read through the mesmerizing book again.

Who's Benjamin Franklin?

2010-06-15T21:21:00.000-04:00

Benjamin Franklin has always fascinated me. A Founding Father of the United States, he possessed a vast array of talents as an author, printer, politician, inventor, scientist, and soldier. One of the first introductions to Ben Franklin that we bought for our kids was the Step Into Reading book below. I generally think of those books as being kind of cheesy, but this one really appealed to Paulie with it's advertisement of *magic*. Paulie has a wide interest in math and the description of mathematical process of the numbered squares and the magical outcome really caught his attention and quickly made Ben Franklin one of his first biography interests. There are several websites, including this one, with more information about Ben Franklin's magic squares if you're interested.

Now & Ben focuses on more of Ben Franklin's inventions, shown in picture book format, with an invention we now take for granted shown beside the idea that Ben came up with to facilitate the invention. A nice synopsis for the slightly younger set to familiarize them with the enormous amount of inventions we have now because of Ben's ideas.

{timeline of Ben's inventions}

Ben and Me is more of a tongue-in-cheek biography, to use that word loosely, of Ben Franklin and his pet mouse, Amos. The story is told from Amos's point of view, and according to Amos, most of Ben's inventions came largely from Amos's ideas. Although some critics don't appreciate the way the writer makes Ben sound less than intelligent and the mouse sound sometimes derisive toward his master, I really appreciated the more humorous approach to the historical telling of Ben Franklin's inventions. I also liked the language of the book, which was kind of typical of the 1930s when the book was written, and the more robust vocabulary than you often find in current children's biographies.

{inventing the Franklin stove}

{sending poor Amos up on the ill-fated kite flight}

come visit Noisy Village

2010-06-12T20:31:00.003-04:00

"In the winter the boys usually throw snowballs at each other during recess. In the spring they shoot marbles, and the girls play hopscotch. When the boys have nothing else to do they fight, and during class they get into all kinds of mischief, whether it's winter or spring."

~The Children of Noisy Village

I'm not sure where I first heard of these books, but in my opinion, the stories of these children from Noisy Village even surpasses Astrid Lindgren's more famous offering of Pippi Longstocking. The simple, sweet adventures of the children around the farm, on their way to and from school, and their holiday celebrations make for a fun and gentle read of farm life in Sweden in the 1940s.

In The Children of Noisy Village, the story is told from the perspective of Lisa who lives in middle farm with her two older brothers. Her friends who make up the rest of the children from noisy village live on either side of her farm in north and south farms. Together they squabble, tease and play their way through an idyllic Swedish childhood.

In the sequel, Happy Times in Noisy Village, the farm next door has a new baby, Lisa is a little older, but essentially there are more stories and adventures along the same vein as the previous book. This second adventure in Noisy Village includes losing teeth, capturing a musk oxen, finding a chest of the wizards, taking a baby lamb to school and learning how to babysit.

Another story including the Noisy Village children is Christmas in Noisy Village, a beautiful picture book depicting the celebratory activities around the Christmas season. All of my kids enjoy this addition to our Christmas-time book basket with it's joyous portrayal of the children's holiday gatherings.

Apparently there's another picture book in this series as well, Springtime In Noisy Village, but I have yet to snag a copy of this out-of-print book at a thrift store. So if you see one, grab it! ;)

Be sure to visit the Caps For Sale post and leave a comment, if you haven't already, so you can be entered into the giveaway!

Caps For Sale and a giveaway!

2010-06-10T20:20:00.002-04:00

One of the books I remember most fondly from my childhood (outside of the previously mentioned Bobbsey Twins) is the ever-popular Caps for Sale. Caps for Sale was a book from my mother's own childhood that she introduced to me. I was immediately captivated by the simple illustrations, bold colors and storyline with which any child could personally identify. I mean, what little kid doesn't appreciate the foot-stamping, fist-raising frustration those monkeys cause?!

When I first purchased this book for Elizabeth, I probably hadn't seen my childhood copy in 15 years. The picture below is the one that really took me on a trip down memory lane. I remember how impressive it was that the peddler could carry all those hats on his head at one time, and I remember thinking the foremost building was a church. I'm not really sure what gave me that impression except that the top of the building resembles a belfry.

And then there are the monkeys, those mischievous rascals!

One thing I appreciate about this book is the easily identifiable beginning, middle and end to the story. We occasionally ask the kids various questions about the books we've read aloud, and this one is great for a 5-7 year old to begin to understand the structure of a story.

As a way to get the ball rolling on this new blog, I've decided to giveaway a copy of Caps For Sale to one lucky commenter. You can also gain a second entry by following The Book Children blog and a third by mentioning this giveaway on your own blog. ~~The giveaway will end on Monday (6/14) at 8 pm and a winner will be announced shortly thereafter.~~

The winner of the first giveaway by The Book Children is Ginny! Congrats Ginny!

Welcome to The Book Children!

beginning of The Book Children

2010-06-10T20:17:00.000-04:00

Has there ever been something that was such an integral part of your life that you don't ever remember it not being there? A deep love of books has been a core part of my inner being for as long as I can remember. My mother says it runs in my family. I think my father owns as many books as just about anyone I know. He even built bookshelves in his office and our house, including a pair of small shelves for my brother and me, and when Paul and I married, our first addition to this house was floor to ceiling bookshelves in a small room off of our living room which became the library.

Some of my earliest memories include being read to by my mother and grandmother. My favorite bed growing up was the double bed I had as an elementary schooler with a built-in bookcase in the headboard. I kept all my favorite Bobbsey Twins books on that shelf, and I would read until late into the night with just the light coming through the crack in my door to see by.

I don't think I was ever as avid a book collector as I became when I had my first child. So desperate was I to raise children who love reading, I began collecting as many wonderful children's books that crossed my path as I could, starting with many of my own favorites from childhood. I've become relatively picky with my children's books over the last several years. There are just too many good ones to choose from. Why settle for less than a fabulous illustration or a great story. I hope to bring many of our favorites to this space and also hear of some new ones along the way.

Join me, won't you!