Read Up

Ready for some more fun books to check out from your library?  Here are four I like:

The Sea Serpent and Me
Dashka Slater & Catia Chien
This tale of a little girl and a tiny (but rapidly-growing) sea serpent features spare but descriptive wording, but is really made by Chien's gorgeous watercolor artwork.  The story is a gentle adventure that aquarium- and ocean-lovers will enjoy, and it can stimulate fun conversations about real & fantastical animals.

Dragons Love Tacos
Adam Rubin & Daniel Salmieri
"Hey, kid!  Did you know that dragons love tacos?"  The "kid" and his dog look skeptical.  It turns out dragons don't like the delicious tacos you might find at your local taco truck or taqueria; they like the crisp-shell-tomato-lettuce-and-cheese kind you might get from that famous drive-through.  AND THEY HATE   SPICY SALSA--you wouldn't like dragons when they've eaten spicy salsa!  Nothing here but silly fun, as the author describes how you can throw a taco party for dragons.

My Dad!
Steve Smallman & Sean Julian
Simple, rhyming text is only part of what makes this a fun read for toddlers & preschoolers (and a book early readers will be able to read with a little help).  A cuddly-looking father-and-young'n bear pair get into many adventures real-life kids & parents might enjoy: biking, camping, playing ball & reading, and there are plenty of other cute animals around to keep you on each page, exploring together.  The real hook for some children, though, will be the brief episodes of burping and tooting.

Split!  Splat!
Amy Gibson & Steve Björkman 
Super-simple, mostly onomatopoeic, text and bright, large illustrations convey the joyful adventure of a little girl & her dog as the two enjoy a splashy adventure in the rain--and mud!  The book is very easy to read, and gives you and the little one a little something to talk about regarding bringing mud into the home, I'd say!








Check these books out!  Have fun with them, & let me know what you think   Do you have any favorite stories of serpents, or tacos, or bears, dads, rain--or whatever?  Let me know!

Click on this link & READ UP!  I have many more great books to share with you!

Storyteller John Weaver

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Read Up! Here: Kitty, Kitty, Kitty (etc.)

If you've got a cat lover in your home--but no cat, due to problems with allergies, odors, responsibility or what have you--have I got just the pair of books for you!

Despite the conflicting titles, Viviane Schwarz's There Are Cats in This Book and There Are No Cats in This Book are both loaded with friendly, playful kitties with which the reader can actually interact.  You can throw them their ball of yarn, play hide-and-seek, and even have a pillow fight or help them pack for vacation.  These are no ordinary cats.

Although the books might seem to be meant for interacting directly with a single reader or listener who is sitting right there, able to touch the pages & play one-on-one with the cats, both titles still do work very well in a storytime setting, with the adult reader getting "coached" by the children present to act as their surrogate.  

Once you've met the cats & played with them, you may want to extend the feline fun beyond the pages of the books.  For the crafty type, there are patterns for knit versions of the cats.  For the rest of us, though, you could just print out these scissors-ready kitties that are ready to stick anywhere & everywhere!

Don't hesitate to pick up the cats from There Are Cats in This Book and There Are No Cats in This Book.  You'll have a lot of fun, and I promise you: you will not have to use a lint brush after you put them back down.  Check them out!

 

 READ UP!  I have many more great books to share with you. 

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Read Up! Three to get you talking.

One of the joys of reading books with children is that many of the stories can fuel great discussion. You know, kind of like a Book Club--but one where everyone has actually read the book.  These three recent finds can really get the conversation flowing!

Happy by Mies Van Hout

Happy is a VERY simple book: each two-page spread has a single word relating to emotion on one page, and a drawing of a fish on the other. The colorful free-style sketches really pop against the black backgrounds.  The feelings we encounter include "Curious," "Nervous," "Astonished," and 17 more.  It’s a great vocabulary boost, a lot of fun to copy the faces, and a nice exercise to talk about one’s own feelings.  Happy is a book that works on several levels for different age groups, and I think is good for re-reading over time. 

Percy Listens Up and Percy Gets Upset by Stuart J. Murphy

Have you met Percy?  I just met him recently (he is new on the scene), and I am loving him—as are  preschoolers and caregivers alike in my storytime audiences.  As written & illustrated by Stuart J. Murphy, Percy is a child (well, a child who happens to look like a giraffe) who gets into real-life situations anyone can recognize; for instance, sometimes he gets mad, and sometimes he doesn’t listen.  In Percy Listens Up, the little guy discovers that he misses out on things when he does not pay attention.  In Percy Gets Upset (or as I discovered the book & shared it with my bilingual groups, Percy Se Enoja), our friend has several cranky outbursts throughout a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (sorry, I couldn't resist).  It’s fun to read each outburst aloud in a cantankerous, childlike tone, and see the recognition in peoples’ eyes.  Both of these Percy books (and there are more I've yet to explore) allow for a lot of conversation, whether in a group setting or one-on-one: have you ever been mad like that?  Do you still get mad like that?  Do grown-ups act that way sometimes?  What I really like about both books is that while they do offer those lessons, they are still very fun to read & share—a rare feat.

 

 READ UP!  I have many more great books to share with you.  Check them out!

Read Up! Fanciful Eating

 Gathering together the books I'd set aside for this new edition of "Read Up," I discovered they all had a common thread: eating.  No, they are not really so much about food--and I don't care too much about theming--but there it is.  What I love about the coincidence is that the introductory paragraph this time practically writes itself!  So here are some great books for you to check out:

The Boy from the Dragon Palace

Margaret Read MacDonald & Sachiko Yoshikawa

A poor flower seller scatters his unsold flowers on the sea one day, as a gift for the Dragon King.  To thank the man, the Dragon King gives him a gift: a boy.  A snot-nosed little boy.  The boy has terrible table manners—and did I mention a snotty nose?  The amazing thing is, every blow of his nose seems to grant a wish—but will the flower seller be able to excuse the grossness of it all?  The story carries a lesson, and a lot of laughs—but I find it hard to read aloud without keeping a tissue handy!

 

The Giant Carrot

Jan Peck & Barry Root

(Previously mentioned here) It takes family teamwork to have a successful vegetable garden—but what can a tiny little girl do?  HUGE things, it turns out!  Everyone does their part, and everyone reaps huge rewards.  And like all good books with food as the subject, this one has a recipe in the back!

 

Beware of the Frog

William Bee

What’s a sweet little old lady to do when monsters come out of the woods to threaten her?  Her hungry frog can help!  This funny story is short, silly, and very surprising.

The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers

Lisa Campbell Ernst

A sequel to a twist, this book shows the late Gingerbread Boy’s little sister acquiring a zoo—of animal crackers.  They run away as fast as they can, of course.  Will the fox eat them up?  Make sure your child knows the original gingerbread tale before you read this one—and then snuggle up with a box of animal cookies while you read up!

Go to your local library's website right now, reserve these books, and let me know what you think.  And as always, if you have any favorite books, I'd like to hear about them!

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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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!

Same, Same but Different

     Do children still have pen pals?  Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw's Same, Same but Different makes a wonderful case for restarting the trend!

     Elliot lives in the U.S., and he starts trading notes & drawings with Kailash, who lives in India.  We get to see both of their worlds--how different they are, and how very much the same.  Kostecki-Shaw's art--a combination of drawing, painting & collage--draws us beautifully into each child's world.  You may end up wanting a pen pal of your very own!

Read Up! May Flowers

This time around, just a small Spring arrangement of books about gardening. All are blooming with fun & imagination, and can be enjoyed indoors or out.


Fran's Flowers
Lisa Bruce & Rosalind Beardshaw
Fran finds a flowerpot with a tiny bud growing inside, and she tries to make the bud flower. Did you know that pizza & ice cream are unlikely to make plants grow? It's fun to read this book along with the children in your life, and talk to them about their ideas as to what Fran is doing wrong.




 

My Garden
Kevin Henkes
The girl in this book knows her way around a garden, but she has big dreams about what a garden of her own would look like. Would you also like jelly-bean bushes?






Rose's Garden
Peter H. Reynolds
Reynolds is responsible for a growing list of beautifully-illustrated stories about amazing transformations in the lives of their young characters. The "Rose" here, with the help of a diverse group of new friends, cultivates a colorful garden in a formerly-dreary & neglected neighborhood. Reynolds books inspire.


Koala and the Flower
Mary Murphy
Poor little Koala lives with a couple of grownups who can only see things in black & white, and always think they have the answers to everything--without ever seeking out any actual information. Koala finds the place where information blooms from the shelves, and her garden soon flowers like magic.




 The Apple Pie Tree
Zoe Hall & Shari Halpern
Part storybook, part nonfiction, this book is the least fanciful of the set--but still asserts that apple pies grow from trees. The collage illustrations are beautifully done, and the pie recipe at the end looks full of possibilities.

Read Up! A Little Family Time

Fall & Winter are the cold & “celebrate-y” parts of the year, with warm thoughts often turned toward family.  There are so many wonderful picture books available on the topic—and my short list here (just eleven, I don’t want to overwhelm), doesn’t even scratch the surface.  What are some of your favorite books that feature family members having fun together?  Here are just a few of mine.

The Big Honey Hunt, by Stan & Jan Berenstain

Back before the the Berenstain Bears became a ubiquitous franchise, there was just small bear and his mom & dad.  This simpler, funnier era was my favorite, and The Big Honey Hunt is a great example.  Small Bear follows his dad on a stinging adventure, while Mother just waits for the moment they finally get back with the safer, store-bought stuff.

The Family Book, by Todd Parr

We Belong Together: A Book About Adoption and Families, by Todd Parr

“There are lots of different ways to be a family,” writes Todd Parr in The Family Book, and in his typically bright, colorful & simple style, he shows fanciful yet relatable families of all stripes—even skunk stripes!  Parr has individual books to cover mommies, daddies, grandmas & grandpas, and even one on adoption: We Belong Together.  The entire collection shares funny images that are sure to get kids giggling & talking.

Let’s Go, Froggy, by Jonathan London & Frank Remkiewicz

Froggy & his daddy are planning a bike trip & a picnic, but will they manage to get out of the house in time?  The story certainly reinforces the adage, “it’s always the last place you look.”  It’s always fun to imitate Froggy’s voice as he replies to his parents’ calls with a stretched-out, “wha-a-a-a-at?”

Oh, Daddy!  By Bob Shea

This book is worth picking up for the cool, bold art alone, but the story isn’t lagging either!  Little Hippo loves his daddy—and loves showing him how to do things.  In fact, Daddy wouldn’t be able to get dressed, get in the car, or even eat lunch without Little Hippo!  Great big fun.

Our Grandparents: A Global Album, by Maya Ajmera, Sheila Kinkade, & Cynthia Pon

Beautiful photos from around the world celebrate the joys shared by grandparents and grandchildren.  The book ends with “five things to do with your grandparents.”   A treasure of a book about treasured family.

Our Granny, by Margaret Wild & Julie Vivas

With gentle wit and lots of love, a pair of children talks about the fact that there are all kinds of grandmothers in the world—and the fact that the most special one to them is their own.  Grandmas at storytime always get a giggle out of the idea of a wobbly-bottomed granny who “marches in demonstrations!”

Lola at the Library, by Anna Mcquinn and Rosalind Beardshaw

Lola Loves Stories by Anna Mcquinn and Rosalind Beardshaw

What a great imagination Lola has!  She & her daddy load up on library books once a week, and Lola’s parents read or tell her stories every evening.  The next day, Lola’s play echoes the previous evening’s stories!  This is a family who really knows how to love & play together.  For more Lola & family, check out Lola at the Library.

Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, by Sarah S. Brannen

Chloe is scared that when her favorite uncle gets married, she’ll lose him forever.  Over the course of this sweet and reaffirming book, she is assured that her family is actually growing to include another favorite relative.

What!  Cried Granny: An Almost Bedtime Story, by Kate Lum & Adrian Johnson

Patrick has arrived at his Granny’s for his very first sleepover there—but he seems to be missing a pillow, a teddy bear—and a few other things!  Granny will do whatever it takes to make sure Patrick has all of the bedtime essentials he needs, even if it takes all night!  Johnson’s bold, colorful art carries the weight of the story, and will have adults & kids smiling at this eager-to-please grandmother.

I hope you check these out, and maybe find some new favorites. If you’ve got some great books in mind—whether they fit in with this list or not—please share them with me!