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!