Author Spotlight: Leslie Patricelli

Leslie Patricelli’s books are simple in style & concept, but huge on fun.  The art & action are bright & sassy; the simplicity and the brevity of text keep things moving along quickly, but I always slow down to appreciate the artistry on each page:  look at the texture of the acrylic on canvas—you can almost feel it!  The Patricelli books I’ve read seem to be about different members of the same family; another thing they have in common is a celebration of imagination.  Here are just a few titles to get you started:

The Birthday Box

The baby got a birthday present—what is it?  It’s a BOX! There’s something IN the box, but the baby loves the container so much, he may well be part cat.  It’s a tribute to the joy of imagination that goes will with Antoinette Portis’s Not a Box.

 

Higher!  Higher! 

(previously mentioned here)

How high can you go?  Most children don’t seem to want to be pushed TOO high in a swing—I remember it getting kind of scary once I was above the bar—but for the little girl in this book, the moon is not enough!  As you read this with your child, it’s fun to ask what the girl sees now, what you think she may see next, and whether or not it’s all real.

No No Yes Yes

The baby is back, demonstrating good & not-so-good behaviors: drawing on the walls is a no-no; drawing on paper is a yes-yes.  The behavior gets increasingly outrageous—I express extreme outrage during storytime when the baby tears pages out of a book—and with any luck, way outside the range of what any child of yours would ever do!  The book offers a great opportunity for you & your little one to discuss what is a “no-no” and what is a “yes-yes” in your own home, & perhaps collaborate on a book of your own.

 

Faster!  Faster!

The girl who wanted to go higher now wants to go faster!  She rides her daddy’s back, urging him to go faster than a bunny, faster than a horse, faster than a cheetah!  How fast can Daddy go, and for how long?

 After you’ve checked these out, let me know what you think!  And if there are any books you’re really excited about—by Leslie Patricelli, or not—please tell me all about them!

Storyteller John Weaver

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NICE "Dear John" Letter!

Received from the director of a school in Palo Alto:

"I am not sure who had more fun, the teachers or the kids!  We were still laughing about it today in the staff room.  You have such a gift and I am so thrilled that you are using your gift in this manner.

 

"In this day and age parents,  and even some schools, rely so heavily on media to educate their children, that they are missing the single most important piece and that is a child’s imagination. You nailed it right on the head when you were telling the children that their imagination is what makes the story come alive; for each of us will imagine the same character in a different way.  You said it much more eloquently than I just did but you know what I mean!"

 

 

 

Read Up: Surprise Endings

Expect the unexpected when you settle in with any of this set of five eye-openers!  You may find yourself going along, & going along, & going along, and... then... BAM!  A turn of events that came out of seemingly no place (though in one case I was HOPING for a certain ending--but not expecting it at all)!

 Penguin

Polly Dunbar

Ben gets a penguin as a gift, but it doesn’t seem to DO anything.  Is it even real?  The most oft-repeated phrase in the book is, “penguin said nothing.” One gets the distinct impression Ben is about to ask for the gift receipt by the time a gasp-worthy moment or two finally comes along! 

I Want My Hat Back

Jon Klassen

Bear has lost his hat, and he goes around asking all of the forest animals whether they’ve seen it.  Is (at least) one of the characters lying?  It’s fun to read this one in a deadpan voice—at least for MOST of the proceedings!

I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean

Kevin Sherry

 (previously mentioned here) 

 The biggest BOOR in the ocean, you mean!  Giant Squid gleefully points out that he’s bigger than jellyfish, bigger than turtles, bigger than octopus—the biggest thing in the ocean!  Or is he?  This is a book with a definite gasp, and perhaps a nervous chuckle!  I love the illustrations—and the window clings that came in the copy of the book I purchased!

The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?

Mo Willems

A new Pigeon book from Willems is always something to look forward to, so I picked this one up the second I saw it in the bookstore.  That adorable, annoying little duckling is also back; he asks for a cookie—using his best manners—and actually GETS one!  It seems to be chocolate chip with nuts, and Pigeon is furious!  There is a surprise twist at the end—one in which I learn how much Duckling & I have in common (in addition to that “adorable, annoying” description)!

 

Hungry Hen

Richard Waring & Caroline Jayne Church

This little hen spends most of the book eating & eating, and growing & growing.  I know the feeling.  Before long, a hungry fox enters the picture, and things don’t look so good for our heroine.  The fox makes his move, and…the book ends!  Almost just like that, but with a bit of a shock in-between.

 

 Do you have any favorite books with surprise endings?  Please let me know so that I can check them out!

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