11 Great Children’s Books for Cool Girls

In honor of my Mama’s mid-life political revolution and her participation in the Women’s March on Washington, I (Brynn) have compiled a list of my favorite awesome-girl books. Some of these characters are brave, others are wicked smart. Some are insanely creative, while others are simply willing to speak their minds. All of them are my heroes and paint a vivid picture of what a little girl like me might aspire to someday.

The books are arranged from least to most complex.

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans: Madeline is certainly a classic, and every girl should have it on her shelf. Madeline is fearless in the face of mice, lions, her classmates, her headmistress, and surgery. Her classmates all want to be like her, and so do I!

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell, illustrated by David Catrow: Molly Lou Melon is short. REALLY short. And she has buck teeth. REALLY big buck teeth. And her voice sounds “like a bullfrog being squeezed by a boa constrictor.” Squeezed REALLY tightly. Fortunately, Molly Lou Melon has an awesome grandma who gives her outstanding advice to always be loud and proud and confident and the world will love her. When Molly Lou Melon moves to a new school and a bully teases her, her grandma’s advice is put to the test in the funniest of ways. Great illustrations and snappy text make this book hilarious.

Mud Puddle by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Dusan Petricic: Both my brother and I are huge fans of Robert Munsch’s stories, and while all of his stories have spunky child heroes, this story and the next are particular favorites of ours. In Mud Puddle, Jule Ann is in a predicament: every time she ventures outside, she is trounced by a mud puddle. She tries various ways to outsmart the villainous mud puddle, but at one point, she is crouched by the back door, too afraid to even stick her nose out. That’s when she has a brilliant idea: soap! A funny, fabulous book that both my brother and I have asked our parents to read time and time again.

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko: This book is another Munsch classic. The awesome heroine, Elizabeth, confronts and outsmarts a castle-burning, boyfriend-stealing dragon in nothing but a paper bag. But when she rescues said boyfriend, he doesn’t even thank her. Instead, he criticizes her looks, so she gives him the boot and goes skipping off into the sunset by herself. This final illustration has become the iconic seal for all of Robert Munsch’s classic stories. My mom always laughs out loud at the very last line when Elizabeth tells Prince Ronald, “but you are a bum.” Love it!

My Name is Not Isabella by Jennifer Fosberry, illustrated by Mike Litwin: This book functions more as a history lesson than a traditional children’s story. The main character, Isabella, repeats the phrase, “My name is not _____. My name is ______.” And she substitutes names of influential women in history. Each woman is described in a few words, but there are no real details about the women until the brief biographies at end of the book. I like this book because it introduces me to important female figures through the eyes of a young girl like me.

Ladybug Girl by David Soman and Jacky Davis: Ladybug Girl is an awesome character, and these books are some of my very favorite. Ladybug Girl dresses in a tutu and ladybug wings, but she is also imaginative, brave, adventurous, friendly, and helpful. These books show that girls can wear tutus and still be amazing at the same time–just like me! The illustrations are fabulous, too!

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts: Books about girls who do cool things are at the top of my list, and this book is one of the best. Rosie loves to create gizmos and gadgets in the middle of the night when no one can see and make fun of her attempts. One day, her great, great aunt Rose comes to visit. She gives Rosie an idea that will not let her be, so in the middle of a sleepless night, Rosie builds her first flying machine for her aunt. It crashes, but before it does, it flies…just a little. When Rosie wants to give up and never try again, her aunt tells her that you never truly fail, unless you quit. Great message, great premise, great character, great illustrations!

The Red Wolf by Margaret Shannon: Both my brother and I like this book. He actually read it to me the other night! Roselupin is a princess who is kept locked up in a tall, stony tower by her father, the king. He doesn’t want her to be hurt by the outside world, so he keeps her completely separate from it. One day, a mysterious box appears for Roselupin’s birthday. In it are balls of yarn along with a note that says, “Knit what you want.” So she does. She knits a red wolf suit, whispers some magic words, and “poof!” she transforms into a giant red wolf. This first taste of freedom is only temporary, however, as she accidentally transforms back into a girl and her father locks her up again. That night, though, Roselupin hits upon a more permanent solution…and wins her freedom for good. A great story of empowerment and clever thinking.

Willow by Denise Brennan-Nelson, illustrated by Rosemarie Brennan: Willow is a girl who loves art. When she runs into an art teacher who does not appreciate her purple trees and crazy snowpeople, she doesn’t get mad and she doesn’t get sad. Instead, she gifts her teacher with her favorite art book that is chock full of art that defies reality. Her teacher has a turn of heart, and Willow’s gentle insistence that the world can be seen in many different ways is an inspiration in a world that is sometimes depressingly black and white. Willow is my art-hero!

Bloom by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by David Small: This book is the longest and most complex picture book on the list, and it is likely more appropriate for children who are 4-5 years old. Bloom tells the story of kingdom made of glass that has been built up with the help of a fairy called Bloom. The people of the kingdom soon forget that the fairy helped them, and they shoo her away. As soon as the kingdom begins to crumble, however, they are desperate for her help again. The King and Queen both visit her, but when Bloom lays a bucket of mud at their feet and claims that it is the solution, they both recoil and run away. Finally, they decide to send someone “ordinary,” a small girl called Genevieve, to coax the fairy into helping them. When the fairy lays the bucket of mud at her feet, she hems and haws for awhile before deciding to give it a shot. Bloom then teaches Genevieve to make bricks, out of which they build a house. She takes her knowledge back with her and shows her King and Queen how to rebuild the kingdom. Genevieve comes to realize that she has enormous power and that there is no such thing as an ordinary girl. A powerful message for all girls to internalize.

Pinky Dinky Doo by Jim Jinkins: Pinky Dinky Doo is an amazing girl with a crazy imagination. In this series, she makes up all kinds of outlandish, creative stories for her little brother. The stories contain multiple choice questions, search and finds, and matching pages. The illustrations are pretty neat, with photograph backgrounds of a generic house overlaid with cartoon figures, and they help to underscore the main message of the series: anyone, including the reader, can create stories, too.

Girls Rock! Happy Reading!

-Brynn (age 2.5)

Clicking on the pictures of the books will take you to Amazon.com. If you purchase a book, a small portion of the sale comes back to me. I, in turn, will donate profit back to a children’s literacy effort in my area. Thank you!

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Books We Will Be Giving (and receiving) This Holiday Season

Hello Thirsty Blog Readers!

It has been awhile since our last post, but here we are again with another fabulous list of the best books that we’ve read over the past few months! This post is brought to you by Luke (age 5) and Brynn (age 2.5). Think of this list as a Venn diagram: Luke’s top picks first, followed by books that both Brynn and Luke enjoyed, and then Brynn’s favorites at the end. We hope that you find something amazing to give to young readers that you love!

We Forgot Brock! by Carter Goodrich: I (Luke) love this book, and my mom says that it’s one of her all-time favorite children’s books, too! It’s a wonderful story about a little boy, Phillip, who has an imaginary friend, Brock, whom he accidentally leaves at the fair one night. Brock meets a little girl with an imaginary friend of her own, and she takes him home with her until they finally find Phillip. In the end, the four become great friends. The best part of this book, however, are the illustrations. Phillip and the rest of the “real” characters are done in color–beautiful, soft, amazing color–while the “imaginary” characters are done in cartoonish black and white. The contrast is stunning. If you’re looking for quality picture books, this book is one for the shelf.

Yak and Gnu by Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Cat Chapman: There are some children’s books that you read and think, “I could have written that!” And then there are others that you read and marvel that the author could have come up with such a clever text. Yak and Gnu is one of the latter. Simply put, it’s a book about friendship. But the text is so clever that it elevates the book above most others that we’ve read. The text rhymes, except when it doesn’t, and those few places are used to emphasize the growing realization that there are many other animals who pilot their own water crafts, just like kayak-paddling Yak and the canoe-loving Gnu. But in the end, the friends realize that “There’s nobody else quite like you!” I (Luke) love this book because of the song that Yak and Gnu sing throughout the book. Anything with music has me completely hooked. Mom loves this book because it tickles her inner English teacher with the use of non-rhyming lines to emphasize the message. The illustrations are also very well done. I am giving this book to several of my friends this year!

A Squiggly Story by Andrew Larsen, illustrated by Mike Lowery: I (Luke) have read this book with my mom and by myself a dozen times since we borrowed it from the library this month. It’s about a little boy who can’t write very many words, but he can write enough letters and squiggles to start a story of his own, just like his big sister. Any story that deals with the imagination and creating something is a story that I’m interested in, but this book captured my interest in particular because the little boy doesn’t know how to start his story, and he gets stuck multiple times. It’s not easy for him, but his big sister encourages him by saying that he’s the boss of his own story. I like that idea. Maybe some day I’ll write my own books for others to review!

Teeny Tiny Toady by Jill Esbaum, illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi: Dr. Seuss is a master of rhyme. The King of children’s books. A genius on so many levels. Teeny Tiny Toady reminds me of Dr. Seuss. High praise, I know, but the rhyme has a beautiful flow to it and Esbaum uses creative not-quite-words just as Dr. Seuss did. The story is about Teeny, the smallest girl-toad in a family of big strapping brothers. One day, Mama Toad gets picked up by a human boy and stuck in a bucket, and it’s Teeny and her brothers who have to save her. The brothers try their hardest, but they really aren’t very bright, and they never listen to Teeny’s ideas. In the end, after her brothers fall in themselves, it’s up to Teeny to save her Mama AND her brothers from the bucket. An awesome story about a spunky little she-toad who saves the day with her brains instead of her brawn. For little people like me, it’s a satisfying message. The illustrations are beautiful, too! Another high-quality picture book for the shelf.

Maggie and Wendel Imagine Everything by Cori Doerrfeld: This book is one that both Brynn and I (Luke) loved. The text is incredibly simple, just a few words on each page, but the adventures of these two siblings are incredibly complex. Maggie is the older sister, but she really enjoys playing with her younger brother Wendel. Together, they create imaginative play scenarios that keep them endlessly entertained. They don’t always get along, but they do manage to make up on their own (something that fascinated both Brynn and me). Clever, spare illustrations allow the reader a look into the play worlds that Maggie and Wendel create together. A great book for siblings!

The Acrobat by Alborozo: Both Brynn and I like this book. The text is simple enough for Brynn, but the story is engaging enough for me, and the surprise embedded in the climactic illustration toward the end is amazing and beautiful enough for anyone. The story is about a struggling acrobat who decides to leave the circus one day and ends up in a park. There, he tries trick after trick to entice the children to pay attention to him, but something else always draws them away. Until a colorful bird arrives and alights on the acrobat. Then another bird arrives. And another. And another. Soon, the acrobat is covered in birds of all colors. The kids are all watching now. Suddenly….pow! The acrobat leaps up, scattering the colorful birds in all directions (the illustration is stunning–Brynn and I both look at it for a long time)! A very neat book.

No, No, Kitten! by Shelley Moore Thomas, illustrated by Lori Nichols: Hi! Brynn writing now! My turn! This book is one of my favorites from this year. I liked this book for several reasons: One, it has a cat in it, and I love cats. Two, the cat doesn’t listen to her owner, just like I don’t listen to my mom (most of the time). And three, the cat asks for all kinds of things that she shouldn’t have (again, just like me!) (like a helmet and lasers) and then uses those things to blast off to space. As a reader, you don’t know what all of these items are going to be used for until the countdown to liftoff starts. I love surprise endings! Illustrations are done by Lori Nichols of Maple fame and are whimsical and expressive.

Harry and Walter by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Qin Leng: My mom is not quite sure why I love this book so much, but it’s true, I love it! The story is about an almost-five-year-old little boy, Harry, whose best friend is a 92 year old man, Walter, who lives next door. They ride lawnmowers together, play games together, build snowmen together, and drink hot chocolate and talk together as they watch the snow fall. It’s a beautiful friendship…until Harry’s family has to move. There is a surprise ending again, which I love, but really, I like this book because I love my grandparents and this book shows me that I can be best friends with them.

The Nuts: Sing and Dance in Your Polka Dot Pants by Eric Litwin, illustrated by Scott Magoon: “Polka dot pants, polka dot pants, sing and dance in your polka dot pants!” Sing it with me! Eric Litwin in an interactive picture book genius. I didn’t think he could do any better than the original Pete the Cat books, but this book is pure fun. One rainy day, Hazel Nut decides she wants to sing and dance in her polka dot pants, but no one will play with her. Not Dad, not Mom, not little brother. Who does Hazel eventually call to save the day? Grandma, of course! I love the song that is repeated throughout the book, and I love doing the polka dot pants dance that’s at the end of the book. So much fun! I’m definitely giving this book to a few of my friends this year!

Mom School by Rebecca Van Slyke, illustrated by Priscilla Burris: This book would make a great gift for any mom with small kids. It’s about a little girl who imagines that her mom went to school to learn how to be a great mom. At Mom School her mom learned to bait a hook, throw a ball softly, ride roller coasters, grow vegetables, and decorate cupcakes. And even though her mom has a job that she goes to every day, her favorite job is “being my mom.” I enjoy reading this book with my mom because she talks about the things that she knows how to do that she still has to teach me, like putting a worm on a hook and playing the violin. I love that these kinds of conversations can emerge from books!

Happy Reading!

–Luke, Brynn, and Mama

If you click on the picture of a book, it will take you to Amazon.com. If you purchase a book through Amazon, a part of the proceeds will come back to me. I, in turn, will use the proceeds to purchase books for children’s literacy efforts in my community. Thank you!

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The Yes

Summer vacation as a kid: sleeping in, reading my own books on the front porch all day, playing “empty lot” baseball with my brothers, riding bikes around the neighborhood with friends, watching scary movies with my best friend at her house so my parents wouldn’t find out, fishing and swimming down at The Lake, Dilly Bars from Dairy Queen…

Summer vacation as a mom with two kids: no sleeping in (kids have no respect for clock time–they only acknowledge sun time), no reading my own books (not during the day, anyway), no baseball (even on TV), no bikes (kids too young), no movies (kids can’t sit through them), no fishing (Worms on a hook? Ewww!), no swimming (Luke won’t do life jacket or water on his head), Dilly Bars…hmm…well, I guess we have had Dilly Bars.

One yes! Woohoo!

As parents, we have to say no a lot. No to ourselves and to our children. A lot. But man, in the midst of all of those nos, isn’t it refreshing to actually say yes sometimes?

That’s what The Yes by Sarah Bee and Satoshi Kitamura is all about. In this book, the Yes is a big orange animal-ish blob that wants to do so many things like hike huge hills, climb skinny trees, and ford wide rivers. Clustered all around the Yes though, are Nos, hundreds of Nos, all of them telling the Yes what it can’t do, where it shouldn’t go, what is too dangerous to attempt. But in the end, the Yes keeps right on going, ignoring the multitude of Nos that seek to bring it down.

It’s a wonderful, empowering message for kids. Lots of people will tell you no throughout your life, but if you want something badly enough and are willing to fight for it, you can do it. Ignoring those Nos may be the hardest thing that you ever have to do, but as the book says, in the end, all of those Nos are puny little things, completely unequal to the task of bringing down a determined YES.

It’s a great message for kids, but I believe that this book is also great for parents (these types of books make the best children’s books, right?). After I read it to Luke (age 5 now!), I realized that I had a lot to learn from the Yes. As summer vacation started, Luke and Brynn (age 2) had to figure out how to be together all. day. long. And I found myself saying (well, more accurately “loudly exclaiming”) “Nooooo!” all. day. long. It was exhausting, and no one was having much fun. After reading The Yes, I made a pact with myself: say “yes” at least once a day, per kid. It doesn’t sound like much, but it was a start, and it began to change the tenor of our summer.

One Yes. That’s all it took to make everyone just a little bit happier, a little more content, which slowly snowballed into more and more moments of peace…and more Yeses.

Did I mention that The Yes is also a great picture book in general? The prose reminds me of e.e. cummings poetry, with made-up words that don’t quite make sense but then kind of do. A little bit like Dr. Seuss, but with a more serious tone. There is repetition as the Yes tries thing after thing, and the illustrations are artistically done, not cartoony.

I really enjoyed this book, clearly, and Luke really liked it as well…especially when he got to shout, “YES!”

Happy Reading!

-Erin

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A Series That Luke Loved: Emily Jenkins’ Toys Trilogy

Hi there. Luke here. I’m four and a half years old now. I still enjoy reading picture books either with my parents or by myself, but I also really enjoy being read longer, more difficult books, too. My mom has tried Magic Treehouse (not engaging enough for me), Magic Schoolbus (I like them but they are pretty complicated), and some Roald Dahl books (I’m definitely not ready to talk about child abuse and parents dying!), but the Toys trilogy by Emily Jenkins has been the first series to really stick.

The chapter books are about the adventures of three toy friends (and a few other supporting characters like a one-eared sheep, a rocking horse, and a bath towel): Plastic, a rubber ball; Stingray, a blue plush stingray; and Lumphy, a stuffed buffalo. They belong to a little girl whose name (they are pretty sure) is Honey.

I enjoyed these books for a number of reasons:

1) SOUND EFFECTS! I love sound effects! They make me laugh and keep me engaged. Seriously, who doesn’t think “Fwuuumpa! (baggle baggle)” is funny? Ok, how about “Fwap! Gobble-a gobble-a”? And “Grunk, gru-GRUNK!” When Stingray gets scared, she makes this sound, “Frrrrrrrr.” My mom does a great job with this sound–I laugh every time.

2) Songs! Sprinkled throughout the stories are funny little songs. My favorite is sung by Frank, the washing machine. Did you know that washing machines get lonely and need dance parties, too?

3) Just the right level. Some longer chapter books have too many words that I don’t know, and when there are too many of them, I have a hard time following the story. But these books had only a few words that I didn’t know, and my mom would either define them for me or I could piece together what they meant from context.

4) The story. As a kid who finds social interactions challenging, these books gave me many examples of how friends can interact. From fights to making up to feeling empathy for others to having fun, the toys in the stories, with their distinct personalities and strengths and weaknesses, provided models of friendship for me. The toys’ adventures are also laugh-out-loud funny, touching, and a bit philosophical. (The last two pages of the third book made my mom cry. She said that the ideas about existence in them were beautiful. They were ok, I thought, but she said that I’d better understand them when I got a little older…)

So if you’re looking for a series to read to an older preschooler, Kindergartner, or first grader, check out the Toys books!

Happy reading!

–Luke (age 4.5)

Clicking on a book will take you to Amazon.com, and if you decide to buy the book, a portion of your purchase comes back to me. I, in turn, will use the profits to purchase books for our local library or for a children’s literacy project.

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Luke’s 11 Favorite Books for New Readers

Hi there! It’s Luke (blog co-author, age 3.5).

New readers are a special breed: we are older than babies yet younger than school kids. We’re in the middle, and our books need to be the same way. We can read baby books, but the subject matter is too infantile. We want to read chapter books for school kids, but our reading level isn’t quite there. Here are a few books that I’ve found that do a good job of meeting us half way. They are listed from simplest to most complex. Also, even if your child isn’t quite ready to read independently, these books still make great read alouds with a parent–it’s how they started for me! Enjoy!

The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstain: With only a few words on each page, a generous dose of repetition, and a spoooooky storyline, this book is really fun to read. My favorite parts are when the bears get the shivers–Mama likes to hug me and make me shake along with them!

Come Back, Ben (I Like to Read®) by Ann Hassett and John Hassett: Another book with very simple text, lots of repetition to help new readers feel successful, and a delightful storyline. Ben’s balloon takes him for a ride, and as he travels up and up and up, objects like a window, a tree, and a mountain plead, “Come back, Ben!” Illustrations are simple, yet full of expression. The ending is a nice surprise, too. Cute book!

I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! (Beginner Books) by Dr. Seuss: This book was my Mama’s favorite book when she was a kid (Jake the Snake and Foo Foo the Snoo were her favorite characters). This is a classic that uses a wide variety of words, but they are everyday words that new readers will quickly learn to recognize. My favorite page is the one with all of the signs at the end of the book–I love to play “can you find” with the signs (click on the “can you find” link to see a description of the game)!

You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman and Michael Emberley: This book is one in a series of books that directly facilitates partner reading. Different colored text makes it easy to alternate readers, and the stories are very short yet high interest. “I Like” is my favorite story!

I’m a Frog! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) by Mo Willems: As I wrote in my Mo Willems post, he is a children’s book genius. All of the Elephant and Piggie books are hilarious, but they are also absolutely perfect for beginning readers: very few words on the page; simple, kid-friendly story lines; and exaggerated text that helps new readers get a feel for inflection. And they are hilarious–oh, I already said that. It bears repeating!

The Big Honey Hunt, 50th Anniversary Edition (The Berenstain Bears) by Stan and Jan Berenstain: Brynn and I both like this book (although she can’t read quite yet). The reason? A bee. A buzzing bee. That Papa Bear and Baby Bear follow throughout the entire story as Papa Bear attempts to show Baby Bear how to collect honey (and fails…over and over and over again in most hilarious fashion). Nice repetition, fun rhyme and rhythm, and easy sight words make this book a good one for beginners. Buzzzzzzzzz!

The Big Wet Balloon: TOON Level 2 by Liniers: I’ve recently become interested in these TOON books–basically comic books for little kids. Not all of them are very good, but I really liked this one (we borrowed it from the library for about twelve weeks!). Two sisters, about five and two and a half years old, find all kinds of fun things to do on a rainy day. The big sister is clearly in charge, and she does a great job teaching her sister Clemmy all about puddles and umbrellas and rainbows. The relationship between the characters is fantastic, and the illustrations are very expressive.

Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold: The Fly Guy books are technically chapter books, but the chapters are very short, more divided in order to be called “chapter books” than for any structural or story telling reason. Fly Guy is a pet fly, and he can say his owner’s name, Buzz. Buzz and Fly Guy go on all kinds of adventures, usually smelly, gross, and involving garbage or road kill, but they’re also funny. Really! These books are great! Simple words, short sentences, and quick-moving, big-kid action are all appealing for the slightly older beginning reader (kindergarten).

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman and Betsy Lewin: The books in this series are also chapter books, and they ARE divided into chapters for a reason. The chapters are all linked (but not necessarily chronological) in order to tell a longer story, thus making the stories more involved with more character development. Words and sentences are more advanced than the Fly Guy series, too. Cowgirl Kate is a spunky girl whose horse is her best friend. Cocoa is a character who gets into all kinds of mischief and plays tricks on Kate. Their interactions are quite amusing!

Buster & Phoebe: The Great Bone Game by Lisze Bechtold: There is a book before this one, Buster, and although I liked Buster, I really really really like Buster & Phoebe (Mama actually bought this book for me since we checked it out of the library so many times). This book is also a chapter book, and while the chapters are linked by a common theme (bones!), they are actually mini stories. Phoebe is the older dog, and she is selfish, greedy, and all about tricking Buster into giving up his bones. She’s hilarious. And Buster, well, he’s the younger dog, and while he’s trusting and gullible, he’s also smart and gives Phoebe a run for her money. Their interactions are laugh-out-loud funny, and the illustrations perfectly capture Phoebe’s slyness and Buster’s innocence. Great book!

Pinky Dinky Doo: Where Are My Shoes? (Pinky Dinky Doo Series) by Jim Jinkins: Pinky Dinky Doo is a storyteller. She makes up crazy stories for her little brother. In this book, everyone shows up to school with a different kind of food on their feet because they can’t find their shoes. Within the stories you will find zany multiple choice questions, a few big words (Mr. G., Pinky’s pet guinea pig, looks up the definitions), a longer story with longer sentences, and a kid-friendly plot. Probably best for slightly older readers (kindergarten or first grade).

Happy reading!

-Luke, blog co-author (age 3.5)

Clicking on the book will take you to Amazon.com, and if you decide to buy the book, a portion of your purchase comes back to me. I, in turn, will use the profits to purchase books for our local library or for a children’s literacy project.

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The Joy of Jumping on the Bandwagon: The Book with No Pictures

Hi there!

My name is Luke, I am three years old, and I am a bookaholic.

This past Christmas, Mama gave me B.J. Novak’s The Book with No Pictures. She also gave it to three other friends of mine. Clearly, she loves the book and put her money where her mouth is.

Sometimes Mama’s taste in books does not coincide with mine (see A Sick Day for Amos Magee), but in this case, we are in complete agreement. The Book with No Pictures is AWESOME! So, there are literally zero pictures in the book (unless you count the penguin symbol for Penguin Books, in which case there are exactly THREE pictures on or in the book–trust me, I counted them). But there are crazy words that the person reading the book HAS TO SAY. And the “person reading the book” is usually an adult, so listening to an adult make weird noises and say weird things is really quite entertaining. Try it! And to make that adult read the book over and over again is the ultimate power trip. Think about it: the adult thinks that she is doing something educational for you, something “beneficial for your development,” but in reality, the adult is making a complete fool of herself and making you laugh and laugh at her as she stumbles through words like “ma-grumph-a-doo” and sings nonsense songs about her face being a bug.

Silly parent. The joke’s on you!

I’m just sitting here enjoying the show, enjoying the book, enjoying the words, en…joy…ing…read…ing…awww, man! I’ve been had!

The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak

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‘Tis the Season to Be Giving…Beautiful Wordless Picture Books

My mama has an obsession with beautifully illustrated wordless (or almost) picture books. Maybe it’s because she couldn’t draw a straight line to save her life. Who knows. But because she feeds them to me, I’ve learned to love them, too. These kinds of books are often paradoxical: no words seems to imply easy to digest for little ones, but in actuality, the plot lines and illustrations can be extremely intricate and definitely need an adult’s help to interpret. So, wordless picture books make great gifts for kids of all ages. And they’re works of art, too, which helps me learn to appreciate beautiful things.

Here’s a short list of my favorites from the past three years:

Chalk by Bill Thomson: On a rainy day, three friends are out walking when they discover a bag hanging from a playground dinosaur’s mouth. They look in the bag. Chalk! They begin to draw. And magically, what they draw comes to life! Everything is going well…until the mischievous boy decides to draw a dinosaur. The solution to their predicament is both ingenious and simple. Illustrations are to die for. Beautifully done. I LOVED this book when I was two.

Flotsam by David Wiesner: A boy discovers a camera on the beach and develops the pictures. What those pictures have to show is both clever and amazing. Gorgeously illustrated. My mama has checked out a number of Wiesner’s books, but this one and the next one have been my favorites.

Mr. Wuffles! (Caldecott Medal – Honors Winning Title(s)) by David Wiesner: Mr. Wuffles is a cat who doesn’t like playing with anything…except tiny spaceships with visiting aliens inside. While trying to fix their broken ship and outsmart the wily Mr. Wuffles, the aliens meet some unlikely friends (ants and a ladybug). When I was two and a half to when I was three, I really really liked this book. Mama made up an alien and an ant language, and we had lots of fun making upset cat meow sounds. Clever storyline and beautiful illustrations. The best of the best.

Yellow Umbrella (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards)) by Dong Il Sheen and Jae-Soo Liu: In this book, all the reader ever sees is the tops of umbrellas on their way someplace. The umbrellas travel through a variety of scenes, all viewed from above (a novel difference in perspective). Soft watercolors help create a rainy day atmosphere. There is also a CD included with the book that readers can play while “reading” (no words in this book), and there is a song with a score and lyrics printed on the last page. I really liked this book for three reasons: 1) I “worked on” colors 2) I “worked on” counting (the umbrellas are added one by one) and 3) Mama sang the song (badly) at the end and followed the music notes for me. I also enjoyed listening to the CD.

Journey by Aaron Becker: Woo! If you have a slightly older child or a younger child who is fairly patient or a budding artist in the family, this book is a treasure. A young girl is bored. On a whim, she picks up a piece of red chalk and draws a door on her bedroom wall. She steps through it to enter a magical place where her chalk helps her to escape from a number of scrapes. In the end, she finds a friend who is just like her.

My dada gave this book to Mama for Christmas last year (to read with me, of course), but I wasn’t quite ready for it until I was almost three years old. But since then, it’s been a favorite that I return to every few weeks. Talk about creative! And talk about wonderful illustrations! The rich details will keep you opening it again and again, finding something new every time. Fantastic.

Red Car, Red Bus by Susan Steggall: Not a traditionally illustrated book. Instead of hand-drawn illustrations, the author uses torn paper to create richly detailed scenes. There are a few simple words that accompany the scenes: red car. red bus. yellow car. yellow van. As the traffic line lengthens, the reader begins to notice a simple pattern developing. I was obsessed with this book when I was first learning to read because I could follow the pictures and read the words. Before long, I had the pattern memorized. I also loved discovering the little “mini-stories” within the larger story. A great book for learning to attend to details, learning colors, and learning patterns. It’s also about vehicles, for the vehicular obsessed child 😉

Happy reading and happy gifting!

–Written by Luke (age 3) and Mama (age ?)

Clicking on the books will take you to Amazon.com, and if you decide to buy the book, a portion of your purchase comes back to me. I, in turn, will use the profits to purchase books for our local library or for a children’s literacy project.

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Hitting the Jackpot: Random Library Picks That Luke Loves

Some library trips we come home with twenty books and none of them are any good. Other trips, like this last one, we come home with ten books, and they all rock. Luke is now three years old, but even if your child is a little older or younger, check them out! As with all children’s books, different books appeal to different kids for different reasons.

Batty by Sarah Dyer: Batty isn’t the most popular animal at the zoo, so he decides to try being more like the other animals. Super cute book about being yourself. Luke loves this book because some of the pictures are from Batty’s perspective…upside down, that is. He loves turning the book over to view the illustrations right side up. Very well done.

Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard: One morning Bird wakes up in a foul mood. He doesn’t want to eat, play, or even fly. So he starts walking. Along the way he meets a host of animals, each of which eventually joins him on his walk. Soon, the walk turns into a game, and Bird’s bad mood is gone. Illustrations are bold and simple. Text is spare and repetitive (perfect for toddlers/preschoolers). A super cute story.

Froodle by Antoinette Portis: Four birds sing the same song day in and day out…until one day when the little brown bird decides to try something different. Something silly. Something like, “Froodle!” A really cute, well-done book about how much fun it can be to break from the usual every once in awhile. Illustrations are great. Text is simple enough for early readers. Luke says that he likes the words “blurv” and “inkpadink” the best.

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein: Little chicken LOVES her bedtime stories. She loves them so much that she can’t help but interrupt her father’s reading every time. Papa starts stories only to have little chicken leap into the story (literally–she is actually drawn into the storybook pages) and save the characters from disaster. This is a Caldecott honor book, so the illustrations are fun, and the text is simple enough for preschoolers. Luke thinks little chicken is pretty funny.

Cheese Belongs to You!: by Alexis Deacon and Viviane Schwarz: This is Rat Law: cheese belongs to you…unless a big rat wants it…unless a bigger rat wants it…unless a faster rat wants it…unless… and on and on. Luke gets a huge kick out of the dirty rat (we do lots of nose holding and ewww-ing) and the hairy rat (gross), and he enjoys watching the story build. What’s funny is that the ending is all about how nice it is to share, but Luke usually walks away for the last two pages. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t know how to share very well?

Come Back, Ben by John Hassett and Ann Hassett: Luke can read this book independently. Simple, repetitive text is great for the newest readers. And for such an early reader book, it’s actually really cute. Ben goes up and up holding onto his balloon, and everything he passes says, “Come back, Ben!” including the window, a tree, some bees, a big hill, etc. He finally reaches the moon, where he fills his pockets with moon rocks and floats gently back home. Luke really enjoys reading this book, in part because it’s easy enough for him to read by himself, and in part because we’ve started doing baby signs with Brynn (3 months old) and we can sign almost the entire book. Fun!

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Love Lessons for My Daughter

Brynn is only seven weeks old, but she has already had a lifetime’s worth of lessons via the books she’s been read. Here is a list of the books and what I hope they convey to her brand new brain:

The Red Wolf by Margaret Shannon: BE CLEVER. In this book, Roselupin is a princess who has been imprisoned in a tall, stony tower by her well-intentioned but misguided father, the king. He wants to protect her from the wild and dangerous world, but in doing so, he also removes her from the joys of life as well. On her seventh birthday, however, Roselupin receives a surprise present: a chest full of balls of wool with a note that says, “Knit what you want.” That night, she knits herself a red wolf suit, speaks some magic words, and is transformed into a giant wolf that bursts from the tower into freedom.

There is more to the story, and a surprise ending to boot, but the central idea I hope you take from it, Brynn, is to be resourceful and clever and to use the tools available to find solutions to knotty problems.

Goodnight Songs: Illustrated by Twelve Award-Winning Picture Book Artists by Margaret Wise Brown: BE MUSICAL. Your father gave me this book for Mother’s Day this year in anticipation of your birth. It is a collection of poems written by the author of Goodnight Moon and is illustrated by several different authors. A CD comes with the book, but I’ve never listened to it. I like to read the poems and make up my own melodies for you. Music has played a huge role in my life, and I hope that you pick up on how important it is to have some form of beauty in your life.

Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! (Big Bright & Early Board Book) by Dr. Seuss: BE CONFIDENT. “Think left and think right, think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.” Most people would say that this is a book about thinking and creativity, but I really like the part of the message about trying. I’d like you, Brynn, to grow up knowing that you can do almost anything if you only put your mind to it. Effort reaps rewards, and it’s not just about how smart you are.

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You : Dr. Seuss’s Book of Wonderful Noises (Bright and Early Board Books) by Dr. Seuss: BE SILLY. Moo, buzz, boom boom boom, dibble dibble dop your way through life, Brynn, and don’t worry a fig about what other people think. It took having kids of my own before I finally learned this lesson, but I hope you learn to have a silly, wonderful time dancing through life.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams: BE REAL. “‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.’”

Oh, Brynn. This will be one of the biggest challenges of your life. To be Real. People will make fun of you because they are jealous and call you names because they are insecure, but they are little people in the end and can never change who you are as long as you remain committed to this idea of being Real.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle: BE ENGAGED. I’d love for your life’s mantra to be “What do I see?” I used to have my Seniors do a ten minute writing on a quote that says, “Being bored is an insult to oneself,” and I can’t help but agree. Everything in life has the potential to teach you something, even if it’s what not to do, so keeping your eyes open and taking time to think about what you see is one of the most valuable lessons I could teach you.

I Love You Through And Through by Bernadette Rossetti Shustak and Caroline Jayne Church: BE LOVED. Find a few really good friends and a best friend for a partner and you won’t go wrong, Brynn. They make life worth living. And always know how loved you are.

Your first month and a half in books, Brynn. Be happy, girlfriend…

Love,

Mama

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The Birthday Book Post: Books We Have Given

For one reason or another, many of my little friends have birthdays in May. This slew of birthdays has inspired me to post a list of the books that I have given to others for their birthdays over the past three years. I consider these books the “best of the best,” otherwise I wouldn’t pass them on! Books are arranged by the ages of the children to whom I gifted the books, but that doesn’t mean that older children wouldn’t enjoy them as well….

FOR ONE YEAR OLDS:
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by James Dean and Eric Litwin: I don’t know a little one who doesn’t like Pete the Cat! Pete has a new pair of white shoes, but he keeps stepping in different colored things (strawberries, blueberries, etc.). “Does Pete cry? Goodness no! He keeps walking along singing his song.” I loved that this book could be read with tons of inflection and that Mama and Dada sang (I use the word loosely) the little ditty that Pete sings. Fantastic for kids learning their colors.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems: I’m not sure how many times I can post this book before I get in trouble for copyright infringement. This book is great for little ones because of the big text, inflection, and funny storyline. See Mo Willems post for more info!

FOR TWO TO THREE YEAR OLDS:

Snip Snap!: What’s That? by Mara Bergman and Nick Maland: One of my all time favorite books just before I turned two! Lots of fun noises for parents to make, a jaunty rhyme, nice repetition, and an alligator on the loose make this book a sure hit. There is a great close up of the alligator that always made me laugh, too!

If I Were a Lion by Sarah Weeks and Heather Solomon: Another huge favorite of mine! A spunky little girl is in time out for making a huge mess and her mother dubs her “wild.” The rest of the book is the girl protesting that if she were truly wild, she’d do all of these “wild” things like “poke and pierce and tear, not sit here nicely in my chair.” Great rhyming text, expressive illustrations, and, of course, the little girl is the quintessential toddler: equal parts mischief and sweetness. (She does apologize and say sorry at the end!)

Gorilla! Gorilla! by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross: Definitely a fun book for toddlers who can talk (or at least yell, “STOP!”). A mother mouse’s baby goes missing, but as mama is looking for him, a giant gorilla yells, “Stop!” at her. She takes off running, of course, and that begins a chase across the globe. In the end, the gorilla turns out to be a great guy who found her baby and has been trying to give him back the entire time. Nice repetitive text, opportunities for audience involvement, and a surprise ending make this book another fun read for both parents and kids.

FOR THREE TO FOUR YEAR OLDS:
Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown: What a fantastic book! Jasper Rabbit is obsessed with carrots, and he picks them from a field every day. One day, however, the carrots start following him, “tunk tunk tunk…” or do they? Jasper sees carrots everywhere, but with Peter Brown’s clever illustrations, neither Jasper nor the reader is entirely certain whether the carrots are really there. Finally, Jasper hatches a plan to ensure that those carrots never bother him again, but it is the carrots who get the last laugh! Black and white illustrations with only splashes of orange for the carrots lend a Twilight Zone feel to the book. Entertainingly suspenseful text, too!

The Gruffalo (Picture Books) by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler: Another great book with a clever twist at the end! Everyone wants to eat Mouse, but he foils them all by making up an imaginary creature called a Gruffalo who loves to eat the other animals. Mouse soon discovers that the Gruffalo DOES exist, and it’s hungry for mouse, too! But Mouse is pretty darn clever, and he fools the Gruffalo just like he did the other animals. Nice repetition, catchy rhyme, and Mouse’s cleverness make this book tons of fun for both parents and kids!

Ladybug Girl by David Soman and Jacky Davis: I liked this book for a very long time. Lulu may dress like Ladybug Girl, but she is a spunky girl with a can-do attitude. When her brother refuses to play with her one morning, Lulu makes her own fun and proves to the world that she is NOT too little to do big things (like save ants, count letter Ls, and rebuild rock walls). This book encourages kids to be independent, use their imaginations to entertain themselves, and leave their own pint-sized impact on the world. Illustrations and language are both wonderful.

Happy gifting!

–Luke (age 2.5, blog co-author)

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