Flashback Friday: Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go

The first time I stumbled upon Richard Scarry was way back in my babysitting days about 25 years ago. I remember that whichever small child I was watching at the time was completely mesmerized by all the bits of action, intricate details, and many, many captions attached to the various objects. I remember thinking, even at age 13ish, what a brilliant concept for a young children's book. Tiny vehicles, animals that drive, labels on everything...a perfect reading companion for nearly any toddler or preschooler.

Fast forward 20 years to my youngest child's toddlerhood, a child whose first word was car, who played with Matchbox cars religiously from less than one year old. Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things that Go arrived for his second birthday and remained close at hand for years. I can't even tell you how many times I read that long, long book at bedtime. (It takes serious time to read ALL. those. labels.) Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things that Go is still a favorite that makes a frequent appearance. And I can definitely foresee it being one of those beloved books that remains on his teenage bookshelf and eventually is carried off to his adulthood to be saved for his own children someday.

Exclamation Mark!

From the authors of Duck! Rabbit! comes another delightfully quirky read, Exclamation Mark! The exclamation mark does not understand why he is so different from the plain, serious periods in his life. He did everything he could to make himself more like them, and then he met another strange looking fellow who stands out from the periods, the question mark! After he tires of listening to all of question mark's queries, he discovers his purpose in being different from the others.

I thoroughly enjoyed this simple, yet highly amusing, book about basic punctuation. Better yet, my 7 year old LOVED it. I thought a few of the puns might fly over his head, but each time he read through the book, he'd discover another humorous remark and come running to show me. He must have read this book two dozen times in the first 3-4 days he owned it. It is that much fun! In addition to the entertaining text, the uncomplicated, bold illustrations perfectly match the personality of the characters. (Pun intended.) The early elementary lined paper makes the perfect backdrop for this punctuation story.

You can find Exclamation Mark! in the Picture Books section of The Book Children Store.

Woodland Litter Critters

Woodland Litter Critters ABC, written by Patience Mason and published by her own Patience Press, only came to my attention in the last month. Oh, how I wish I would've had this when my littles were just learning their ABCs! Many ABC books are loud and chaotic. These little litter critters though have such charm and cleverness that you can't wait to turn the page to see which critter will represent the next letter!

From Andy Acorncap and the Bird babies to Zippy the Zygodactyl, each page contains an amazing litter critter to examine and a sweet or humorous bit of text to accompany. The critters alone are stunning in their detail and ingenuity. And the text is a nice accompaniment but doesn't overshadow the little critters. My personal favorite page is probably the hooty owls of the O page. Just look at those acorn cap-eyed sweet fellows!

I'd recommend the book on artwork alone! It makes me want to take a walk in the woods immediately to find my own litter critters. What lucky preschoolers to have such a fine ABC reference now available to them!

You can find Woodland Litter Critters ABC in the Picture Books section of The Book Children Store.

Maps

After spying Maps at a boutique bookshop in NYC this spring, I knew this lovely children's atlas must become part of our family. Maps is decidedly NOT your parents' atlas. With only 52 countries, it wouldn't be considered comprehensive, but oh, the countries presented are a visual treat. Each country is introduced with the cultural bit and pieces that make it stand out in the world. For example, Germany pictures The Brothers Grimm, the Bauhaus building, the Mercedes-Benz museum, various castles, Kant, Gutenberg, Beethoven, a beer stein, and a slew of other German-identifying people, animals, places, and things.

The Mizielinskis have created an amazing niche with their Maps book. The artwork is simple, yet sophisticated, modern, and while each page is loaded with information (capital, language, population, among the other pictured items) the pages are perfectly balanced and manage to avoid chaos. The colors are muted but competently utilized. Cooler tones tend to represent Russian and the northern European countries, warmer tones are featured in South American and African countries. Scattered with charming illustrations and delightful insights, this is truly a perfect first atlas for children.

You can find Maps in the Picture Books - Nonfiction section of The Book Children Store.

10 Books for Space-Loving Kids

Mousetronaut is the tale of a little mouse who has a great desire to travel into space. He studies hard and prepares well, and he is finally chosen for an important mission. While in space, disaster strikes and the little mouse is the only crew member who can save the mission. Mousetronaut is written by actual astronaut, Mark Kelly! For preschool through grade 2.

Fly Guy Presents Space contains accessible bites of space information for grades pre-K-3. Fans of the Fly Guy books will appreciate the narration provided by Fly Guy and Buzz while they visit a space museum. Fly Guy and Buzz learn about planets, stars, comets and asteroids, sharing that information sprinkled their customary humor. Striking photographs enhance this humorous presentation.

There's No Place Like Space is part of The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library. With rhythmic text and silly adventure, The Cat in the Hat presents each of the eight planets in the solar system. There's No Place Like Space is a fun way for grades K-3 to begin learning about concepts such as the solar system, telescopes, constellations, and satellites.

Moonshot depicts the historic mission of Apollo 11 with gorgeous illustrations from Brian Floca, this year's Caldecott winning artist. Floca depicts the entire mission from getting the astronauts snapped into their uniform and gear to the ROAR of the rockets and the hushed tones of the moon. Filled with greater detail than most picture books, Moonshot is perfect for kindergarten through grade 5.

Planets, by National Geographic Kids, is a lovely early reader with an appropriate reading level for grades 1-3. Illustrated with vivid photographs, Planets introduces the reader to the solar system, particularly the planets and dwarf planets, with plenty of intriguing facts sprinkled among the lovely photos.

Another title by National Geographic Kids, the First Big Book of Space is an amazing large book meant to satiate the appetite of the elementary kid who is obsessed with learning more about space. Plenty of large photographs liberally sprinkled with age-appropriate bits of info, any space-loving 1st through 4th grader with a passion for learning more about space.

The Smart Kids series presents Space, the perfect first glimpse into the solar system for early elementary kids who long to learn about everything from planets to UFOs to space shuttles. Full of impressive photography and smaller bits of informational text, Space is sure to be a hit for grades K-3.

Zoo in the Sky captures the sparkling twinkle of the stars above us, matching them with the animals that have long been associated with each constellation. Each animal comes to life in beautiful painting over-layed with the stars that will help them identify the constellation in the night sky. The rich text accompanying these paintings brings the night sky to life in this book of legends intended for grades 1-5.

A Black Hole is NOT a Hole covers new territory in lively and humorous text appropriate for grades 2-6. Beginning with introduction to gravity and moving to the complex scientific concept of black holes, A Black Hole is NOT a Hole uses humor and excellent illustrations to keep the reader engaged. Even adults may learn something new at the hands of this witty book.

Space Encyclopedia, another National Geographic Kids title, is for the kid who has blown through all of our other space books and still has the yearning to know more. Intended for upper elementary through middle school, Space Encyclopedia is similar to the Big Book of Space in that it cover a wide variety of space topics, but decidedly more in depth than the Big Book. Space Encyclopedia will be your go-to resource for space-obsessed children and solar system school reports for years to come.

Monsters and Legends

If you know a little one who enjoys reading both fantasy and nonfiction, I know the perfect book for them! This marvelous little cryptozoological treasure, Monsters and Legends, is a splendid introductory book to the mythological creatures of past and present, along with historical background about how those legends became popularized. Lo and behold, when you turn the page, you'll find even more material about alternative explanations, such as animals who were not widely known possibly starting legends of many monsters. Including explanations of older references, such as the camelopard (a giraffe) and sea pig (a walrus), kids will also recognize some current favorites like mermaids, werewolves, zombies, and Bigfoot.

The illustrations of Monsters and Legends are a perfect accompaniment to the text. The hand-drawn pictures in soft, yet bold, colors lend a vintage children's book vibe. With the printed cloth cover and large size, Monsters and Legends almost feels like the perfect coffee table book for a children's playroom—if playrooms had coffee tables.

The Boy Who Loved Words

Deliberate. Luxurious. Mystical. Resilient. Savory. Cooperative. Scrumptious. Intricate. Spry. Mellifluous. Ample. Spectacular.

While other children might collect rocks, feathers, or stamps, Selig is a collector of words. Words that moved his heart, like mama, and words that ring in his ears, like tintinnabulating, and words that he can taste with his tongue, like tantalizing. Other children find him unusual, which leads to loneliness, but following an inspiring dream, Selig sets out on an adventurous journey to find his purpose as a word collector. As he finds inspiration for his word collection, he also acquires a purpose for his logophilia...to spread words, to sprinkle, disburse and broadcast them. Selig discovers new happiness in the spreading of his word collection and helping those in need find their words.

Logophiles unite! I originally purchased this book for my littlest guy, who has been a wordsmith nearly all of his life. Slow to talk but quick to use words much bigger than most his age, he has long been a collector of words, and I knew this book would quickly become a favorite. I was surprised to discover though that this would find a place in the hearts of nearly all in our family as we read through Selig's word collections and his sprinkled words throughout the town. What a great resource for elementary school classrooms to build vocabulary in a fun, unique way!

You can find The Boy Who Loved Words in the Picture Books - Books with Strong Males section of The Book Children Store.

Interactive History Adventures

If you have an elementary age child who loves history, they will be delighted with these Choose Your Own adventure type books which lead them as a historical figure through that period in time. If you have a child who is disinterested in reading much about history, these books might just be the catalyst by which they tolerate or even, dare I say it, enjoy learning a bit more about history.

I've read a few of these interactive history adventures as a read-aloud, and my kids have read many of them alone. The last couple of summers as we studied both Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt, I read the accompanying Interactive History Adventure books, several times actually, as we would choose different paths each time. While I wouldn't say they gained a depth of knowledge of those places and periods in history, they certainly covered a few basics, and the enjoyment factor was higher than with other presentations.

Before we went on our road trip last summer, when I knew we would be visiting several historical sights, I bought the Revolutionary War, Battle of the Bull Run, Colonial America, and Civil War adventures for the kids to read before we left. The older kids each took turns trading them around before bedtime, and all were read by each of them by the time we hit the road.

In addition to these, Elizabeth has the Titanic interactive history adventure that she read during her voracious obsession with all things Titanic. When Philip needed a book on the Great Depression, and I wanted him to enjoy his reading, we purchased the interactive history adventure about that topic. And I just purchased the Race to the Moon adventure for Finn to read this summer, now that he's reading chapter books and continues to be preoccupied with all things related to space. Thus far, we have been delighted with all of these books and the portrayal of history within. There are dozens more titles than the ones mentioned here, which means that many periods and events in history are available in this appealingly child-accessible form.

Locomotive

Paul and I were fortunate enough to spend the last weekend in March visiting NYC...without children. Although we traveled without the kids, that didn't mean that children's literature was very far from my mind, and as I made plans to visit a few local bookstores I discovered that the renowned Books of Wonder had scheduled a Medal Winners book signing for the very weekend we were in town. That's right...Medal Winners. As in, Caldecott and Geisel Medal Winners. I think it was my very favorite part of the entire weekend! Over the next couple of weeks, I plan to review each of the books I bought and had signed, beginning today with Locomotive, the 2014 Caldecott winner.

Just inside the front and back covers of Locomotive you will find depictions of the train parts (back) and the travel line depicted in the book (front). The information here lends itself well to children who are interested in the details and will soak up the background, maps, and history that led to the formation of the Transcontinental Railroad. Although this is a lovely picture book, it could also be a useful research tool for many children.

It goes without saying that the illustrations of Locomotive are amazing. What I truly appreciated about the artistic style of the book is that while the rendering of the locomotive itself is extremely detailed and full of life, the landscape scenery is more dreamy and ethereal, and the text is typically placed among a minimalist background. This style allows the reader to truly focus on the locomotive and the action depicted without being distracted by peripheral busyness.

One of the most remarkable feats of this book is the use of vintage typefaces and sound effects to draw the reader into the adventure aboard the locomotive. The hiss of the steam, the clang of the bell, the breath of the engine nearly jump off of each page as you move through the varying landscapes, heaving up mountains, barreling across deserts toward the West Coast.

Locomotive is sure to delight those with a childhood train obsession and enthrall those who never knew a train story could be quite so captivating.

Scholastic's First Discovery books

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.

LMNOP

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.