Elbert's Bad Word

Elbert's Bad Word by Audrey Wood; illustrated by Don & Audrey Wood
This was Emery's naptime book of choice this afternoon. I have read other Audrey & Don Wood books but this one was new to me. It's great. The concept of words having their own entity and power is a great theme. Plus, it is completely true that we don't realize bad words can be captured and stored away until the most inopportune times (such as having your big toe smashed by a croquet mallet). The illustrations are great, as always from these two and the vocabulary pushes the 'norm' for children's books. Even though Em fell asleep as I read it, I still enjoyed the story! Some of my other Wood favorites are:
The Napping House (one of Em's latest favorites)
Piggies
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear
Ones I'm going to check out:
Quick as a Cricket
Silly Sally
Heckedy Peg
Weird Parents

Mo Willems Week: Day 5

Check out Mo's latest books! They're hot off the presses, actually. I have not had a chance to read this first one; it's waiting at the library for me. We were able to read the "Friends Who Fly" though. It's short and sweet but still endearing.

The colors are vivid and the pages are not busy. Emery likes to follow the flight pattern of each animal and make the sound of it's wings flapping.
I loved Mo's inclusion of the pigeon. The pesky pigeon and his cameos! I'm excited to check out the other titles in this series, set to come out later this
year. Another great set of characters from Mo!








Now for the adult portion of this week: You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Monsoons:The World On One Cartoon a Day

Less than a week after Mo graduated from NYU he set about on a trip across Europe, Egypt, the MiddleEast, Asia, and part of the US (with one stop in Canada). He only took one change of clothes, some money, paper, and his drawing pens. Each evening he drew a cartoon depicting the image that stuck out to him the most during the day. Then a few years ago he read through these images, added modern-day Mo reflections and put them together in a book for us to enjoy. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling around the world through Mo's eyes. It was also interesting to read his reflections after more than a decade had passed. It is smart, perceptive, and very humorous.
(Ian & Bekah I think you would really enjoy this book! You can compare travel adventures!)

Mo Willems Week: Day 4

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

This book makes me happy. Here's why:

1. It's simple but still an entertaining read

2. It accurately depicts a dad's tendency to miss the small details but the mom knows exactly what's wrong

3. It's fun to watch the illustrations say more than the words can

4. I love the mix of illustrations with the black & white photos of New York City

5. Emery loves to read along with it

6. The Scholastic Collection I've mentioned previously has a video of this book, read by the real Mo & daughter Trixie

7. It has a sequel:

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity

The sequel is excellent too! I love the relationship dynamics of the two little girls because it's realistic (and funny).

Here's the best part: Mo is releasing a third installment in the fall of this year.

It's called Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion. Can't wait!

Mo Willems Week: Day 3

This is the story of Wilbur. As you may have deduced, he's a naked mole rat who likes to get dressed. As normal as clothes are to us, in Wilbur's realm his affinity for clothing makes him Mr. Social Outcast.
This is a great story about embracing individuality and self-expression. Plus how many stories do you get to see naked mole rats? Not many, I can assure you.

If you're looking for something to help you get through to the end of the week, I encourage you to check out Mo's website. You can find it at http://mowillems.com (easy enough). You can see a list of all his great books and buy merchandise (like a cute Wilbur plushie). Plus, if you click on "The Pigeon Presents" it will take you to a game website. You can help Wilbur get dressed, help the pigeon get lunch, and watch The Elephant & Piggie do fun dances. This last one is Emery's favorite. Go check it out!

Mo Willems Week: Day 2

The Pigeon.

He's a pesky (and hilarious one). Each Pigeon book offers a new adventure but I have to say my favorites are

"Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus",

"The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog", and

"Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late."

These stories are creative and mostly silly! The Pigeon attempts to use all the reasons he can think of to convince the reader to be on his side. Stand firm (and enjoy!)

Mo Willems Week: Day 1

Within the last month or so a college friend suggested that I look up Mo Willems' books to share with Emery. I had seen his Pigeon books on the shelves before but sometimes I'm wary of modern kid's literature. It's not always as good as the classics. I was wrong about Mo. My favorite part about reading these books to Em is that they make me laugh so I don't mind reading them repeatedly. Without further ado, let me share a few reasons why Mr. Willems is my new favorite children's author.

Let me introduce you to Leonardo.

Isn't he ugly in the cute kind of way? Leonardo tries very hard to live up to his 'monster' image but it doesn't work out for him. He is not deterred quickly though, he researches until he thinks he's found the perfect candidate to scare. Enter Sam. He's having a rough day and Leonardo's scare tactics are the icing on the cake. After meeting Sam, Leonardo starts to realize there might be an even better vocation for him after all. You'll have to check this book out to see their story!

Enjoy!

ABC

ABC: A Child's First Alphabet Book by Alison Jay

Emery really loves ABC books because she enjoys singing the song. This is a great one to read to the child in your life. Alison Jay's illustrations have a crackled-varnish-antique look to them and the main picture is large & captivating. I also enjoy this book because of the way her illustrations flow. In each picture she adds a small snippet of the illustrations to come. It's fun for me to find the hidden pictures while I'm reading to Emery. Plus, she has one main picture for each letter but then adds smaller items to fill the page. For example for the letter P, the main picture says "P is for Panda" but you can point out all the other "p" words to your child. For example, the panda is on a picnic and there are pears, peppers, a pumpkin, and a plate scattered on the picnic blanket. I could see us revisiting this book when Emery is older so she can find the other items herself. As I was searching for an image of the book I came across a few more titles by this illustrator that we'll have to check out. Here's some samples:

The Perilous Journey

What a great series! Opening this book was being reunited with old friends. I enjoyed the first book but of course, there's a lot to learn in the first book of the series. You have to meet the characters. This time, I already knew the history so I was able to simply enjoy the adventure. Mr. Stewart has developed a well-written group of kids and sets of challenges. It's not as intense for me as Harry Potter but it certainly made a me jump and raised my blood pressure a couple times! Other times Constance made me laugh out loud--what a great (albeit frusrtating) character!

This book and the series in general packs a lot of punch. You get adventure, mystery, puzzles, comraderie, loyalty, self-development, and a lot of fun! This is one I'll be passing on to Em when she's ready!

Me With You

I realize I "review" a lot of children's books but as it turns out, I have a small child and we read lots of books so I have a seemingly-endless supply. I stumbled across this one and have enjoyed it as a bedtime read the past couple weeks. It's beautifully illustrated by Christopher Denise and portrays a relationship between a grandpa and his granddaughter. I have to promote those when I find them because how many books include grandpas? Not as many as grandmas, I'll tell you. Without further ado, let me share a couple of my favorite passages from this book:

We're a pair beyond compare,
a rare and special two,
in all the ways that I am me
and you're completely you....

On days when being me feels like
the sky was painted black,
you and I together roll
along a brighter track...

And though I'll find new ways
of being me my whole life through,
my favorite me will always be
when I am me with you.



Sweet. Charming. Delightfully illustrated. Check it out!
*photo courtesy of http://www.kristydempsey.com/

Where Do Balloons Go?

Where Do Balloons Go?: An Uplifting Mystery

written by Jamie Lee Curtis

illustrated by Laura Cornell

"Where do balloons go

when you let them go free?

It can happen by accident.

It's happened to me."

The story speculates the life and adventures of a freed balloon and is illustrated with much whimsy. I had no idea the actress Jamie Lee Curtis was writing children's books but apparently she's been teaming up with Laura Cornell for years. I've also read their Big Words for Little People and thought it was well-written and charming. I did find the illustrations a little overwhelming because she packs a lot of images into each page. The fun of that is finding something new each time you read it! Emery enjoyed the pictures and I enjoyed the subtle message of the book.

A few other titles by this duo are:

When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoir of Her Youth

Today I Feel Silly and other Moods that Make My Day

Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born

It's Hard to be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel

Enjoy!

Llama Llama

Llama Llama Red Pajama
By Anna Dewdney

We've been reading this book at every bedtime (and most naps) for the past few weeks. I love it and so does Emery! The rhymes are great for her to learn word recognition and patterns. Plus, the story is charming and the images are entertaining.
I've heard good things about the the Llama Llama books but haven't checked them out yet because I can't bring myself to return this one yet!
A must-read-along with your little ones!

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart.

This is a story of four children (3 orphans, 1 runaway) who band together to save the world from being 'brainswept'!

The characters are really perfect and relatable. Reynie is a natural leader who struggles with self-doubt. "Sticky" is the nerd who can remember absoultely everything he's read or learned and longs to feel wanted. Kate's past lead her to become independent and strong but she realizes she can't do everything on her own. Constance is true to herself even when that means frustrating those around her but she pulls through in the toughest of situations.

It is everything a children's book should be! It had surprises, humor, emotion, wit, friendship, values and was entertaining overall. The best news is that this book is only 1 of a series!

Quotes:

"You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn't depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family."

"The missing are not missing, they are only departed, all minds keep all thoughts-like gold- closely guarded."

"Children are capable of such rudeness."

Go check it out! (http://www.mysteriousbenedictsociety.com/)