summertime book of the week…a most unusual diary

The Matchbox Diary, by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

A room  full of curiosities.
A beautiful great-grandfather.
A mysterious collection of quaint, old matchboxes, each with one peculiar object stashed inside.

From the get-go, this story entices us with the mystique of hidden treasures, the aroma of musty books and leather trunks, the captivating images of far-off places.

A young girl is meeting her great-grandfather for the first time. He’s a handsome man with a well-lined face and a lifetime of stories that he’s happy to share with her. Together, they open a worn, wooden cigar box filled with decorative matchboxes, which, he tells her, comprise his diary.

A diary of matchboxes?

For a young boy who could not read or write, it was an extraordinarily clever method of preserving memories. Inside each one, a small object reminds him of an incident, and as they slide open the matchboxes and discover the trinkets, he tells his great-granddaughter the stories of his life.

Born in Italy, into a life of poverty and without the possibility of going to school. A long trip over land and sea to America. Grueling work as an immigrant family to make ends meet. Always the yearning to become literate.

This is the life great-grandfather sketches out with sensory detail and poignant emotion as he fingers tiny bits of his life — an olive pit, a pen nib, sunflower seeds, a tooth. Fifteen matchboxes are opened and explained while the stories are unreeled.

It’s a touching, compelling book, a hopeful glimpse of intergenerational bonds, a salute to the prize of literacy, and a lovely historical account of the lives of immigrants arriving in the U.S. at the turn of the century. Fleischman is a superb writer and this book is beautifully crafted. In his author blurb, he tells of the intriguing way he got the idea for this story.

Bagram Ibatoulline’s accompanying artwork is simply stunning. Wow! Such gorgeous work! His illustrations are in acrylic gouache. The scenes involving the great-granddaughter are in warm, full color, the glow of sunlight illuminating a roomful of gleaming wood and brass, each matchbox lid beguiling with its intricate design. The scenes of great-grandfather’s life are in exquisite sepia tones. Such beautiful humanity, detail, and sense of time and place — you really feel you are looking at reproductions of historic photographs.

One of my favorite new books this year, I highly recommend this for ages 5 and up. Great book to share between grandparents and grandchildren, which will hopefully spark your own conversations and storytelling.

Here’s the Amazon link:
The Matchbox Diary

Read Full Post »

summertime book of the week…of cookies and community

Cascade Falls, photo Ingrid Swanson

Summer is finally creeping out of the cellar here in the North. We went camping last week in our favorite ever campground, Cascade River State Park, between Lutsen and Grand Marais, MN. There were still patches of snow in the woods, and overnight temperatures dipped into the 20s which meant serious bundling up in the tent! But…oh, so much beauty,

Dutchman’s Breeches, photo Ingrid Swanson

and even a few brave wildflowers.

When summer rolls around, I feel the need for a bit of a blogging break.Rather than reading stacks of children’s books, I hope to enjoy my kids who will be home now and then, soak up as many days at Lake Vermilion as possible, work on some other writing projects, go berry picking, gaze at all the green-ness around me and be thankful.

I’m planning on blogging one title a week for the summer. I have a stack of superb picture books, most of them brand new this year, that I can’t wait to alert you to, and I hope to highlight some older chapter book gems as well.

Today’s title is…

Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar? by George Shannon, pictures by Julie Paschkis

…and this is one glorious book!

When you grab that lip-smacking, mouth-watering Chocolate-Chip-Oatmeal Cookie, or a crumbly slice of Raspberry Almond Shortbread, you reap the benefit of many hands at work.  How many different people had a part in putting that cookie in the jar?

Of course, there’s the baker, but thinking deeper and broader, there’s also the workers who made the cookie sheet, the farmers who raised the dairy cows, and the laborers who harvested the sugar cane. There are truckers and grocery store workers. When you think about it,  there are also people who are needed to take care of these bakers and harvesters and factory workers.

There’s a world of creative work in that one cookie! What a marvel.

Although there is something deeply satisfying in a picture of pioneer independence — growing the wheat, raising the hens, churning the butter, firing up the wood stove, responsible for each step of the process — there is also a great beauty in the worldwide marketplace that we could do a much better job of noticing and appreciating. That’s the joyful anthem in this short, exuberant, book.

Julie Paschkis’ gouache illustrations are outstandingly joyous, beautiful, and warm. Her multicultural people are wonderfully handsome, beautifully clothed, and gorgeously distinct.  Her folk art motifs and a generous helping of charming cookies bring homespun loveliness to each page. Her highly stylized images remind me of the WPA murals we saw in the Coit Tower in San Francisco — that curvy, strong, solid, vitality fills the scenes. Gladsome through and through.

As a bonus, there’s a sugar cookie recipe to bake together. Yum! So much fun to cut out and decorate. And eat!

New this year, and sure to bring a smile to anyone from 2 to 100.

Here’s the Amazon link:
Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar?

Read Full Post »

Boston Globe-Horn Book 2013 Winners!

Congratulations to those who won the prestigious Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards and Honors yesterday!

I am so thrilled that Building Our House by Jonathan Bean was the winner in the Picture Book category!!! I adore this book, and you can read my review of it here if you missed it.

The non-fiction winner was Electric Ben, by Robert Byrd,which I also reviewed awhile back and found to be an excellent, encompassing biography of Benjamin Franklin with masterful illustrations.  You can read that review here.

 

You can find the other winners and honorees at this link if you’re interested.

 

Read Full Post »

fiction favorites…Charlotte in London

Charlotte in London, by Joan MacPhail Knight, illustrations by Melissa Sweet

Charlotte Glidden is a (fictional) American girl, living in France in 1895. Her father moved the family there in order to study plein air painting under the great master, Claude Monet.

Now, her father is taking them on a jaunt to London. His plan is to spend several months painting his impressions of England. This provides Charlotte an incredible treasure trove of opportunities: viewing the sights of London, watching boat traffic on the Thames, attending fabulous dinner parties and teas with the likes of Henry James, marketing at Covent Garden and Piccadilly, venturing into the Cotswolds, and meeting famous artists such as James Whistler, Sir John Lavery, Edwin Abbey, and above all, John Singer Sargent.

It is Mr. Sargent that they are most interested in, with Charlotte’s mother greatly desiring that he paint her portrait. As the Glidden family moves about England and the glittering circles of artists and collectors and

The Black Brook by John Singer Sargent

writers there, Charlotte learns more and more about the current art scene, and in particular about Sargent’s life, temperament, and painting genius.

This is, I believe, the fourth of the Charlotte books in which we meet artists and their worlds in such enchanting, creative stories.  Charlotte in Giverny meets Monet for the first time, in Paris she meets a number of the Impressionists, and in the midst of all this European living, she voyages to New York for a special exhibition. Her journals are the format of the books, and are full of the enthusiasm and delight of a young girl encountering these thrilling people and places.

Melissa Sweet’s collage art is perfect for the scrapbook look of these accounts. Color reproductions of masterpieces by the featured artists fit in alongside Sweet’s bright, charming watercolors and ephemera. The pages are a visual joy that draw us like a magnet into the lively, fascinating text.

These are fantastic introductions to the art of this period, with this book capturing as well the glories of England at the turn of the century. Included are short biographical entries on each featured artist and an author’s note clarifying what the fictional Charlotte would truly have encountered on such an expedition. It’s 64 profusely-illustrated pages long and will capture the interest of ages 7 and up — younger for some artistic souls.

Here’s the Amazon link:  Charlotte in London

Read Full Post »

the magic of a poem…a list of five poetry books for young children

I had so much fun looking for poetry collections for National Poetry Month in April, I couldn’t help but post some more.

Reading poetry with children is a splendid way to sharpen our senses, taste the deliciousness of words and patterns and rhythms, and simply enjoy interesting wonder-fying thoughts. Whether they’re funny or beautiful or sad, poems enrich us.

These five books cater to the very young, with short poems and outstanding  artwork.

A Child’s Book of Poems, collected and illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa

Whatever Gyo Fujikawa illustrated is worth the having, and this collection of poems is packed with her captivating work.

Both her line drawings and her paintings usher us into an enchanting, blissful world of beauty and nature, imagination and playfulness, kindness and contentment. Her multi-racial children, their pleasing bustle, and the emotions found in their faces and postures, win us over, make us pour over each small drawing, and cause us to imagine ourselves in the place of the child on the page. Each tiny detail she tucks in is long remembered.

This collection of poems contains the most classic poetry of today’s list of five, and perhaps the largest number of poems. There are poems from William Blake, Robert Browning, Lewis Carroll, Emily Dickinson, Kate Greenaway, Keats, Longfellow, Shakespeare, Stevenson, Tennyson, Wordsworth, and quite a few from Christina Rossetti, among many other well-known poets. The pages are prolifically illustrated, some with double page, full color enchantments, some with numerous, masterful, ink drawings. 

This is such a beautiful book, and will suit children ages 3 to 12 very nicely. 

Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry, collected by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters, illustrated by Polly Dunbar

This package of delight for toddlers lives up to its name — it’s a fantastic choice for a first book of poems.

Bursting with vivacious color, charmingly capricious children, and buckets of happiness, it will draw children in like a candy store window.

Polly Dunbar’s illustrations are adorable and winsome and happy. Every single page sings out with love, and lovely multi-racial families, and sunshine and fair weather, yet there is a lovely distinction to the pages — each one is unique and enticing, making it a cinch for children to recognize the page with their favorite poem.

The poems, printed in colorful letters and friendly type,  are geared for the youngest of listeners. It’s a wonderful selection, arranged as we walk through the day from morning wake-up until bedtime, by some of the best and dearest children’s poets — Dorothy Aldis, Aileen Fisher, Nikki Grimes, Mary Ann Hoberman, Margaret Mahy, A.A. Milne, and a host of others. Playful, silly, and sweet — I really love this book.

To Baby With Love — collected and illustrated by Jan Ormerod

I am a huge Jan Ormerod fan, and the little fellow in his stripey sleeper on the cover of this book is a clue as to why. What a charming baby, in such a comfy pose, with plumpness in all the right places!

This slim volume is another happy choice for the very youngest listeners — even under-twos will love it.  It holds just five poems! You can read the whole book, and then read it again…and again. The poems, simple and familiar,  are What Are We to Do?, Two Little Dicky Birds, Chickens, Five Little Ducks, and Turtle. 

There’s often only one line of a poem on a  page, so Ormerod drenches these tiny treasures in rapturous color and bold designs. I think you have never met a more winsome piglet or proud mama hen, not to mention the expressive children. Warm, bold,  cheerful — that’s the feel of this charming little book. It would make a great baby shower gift, if you can find a copy.

Poems for the Very Young, selected by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Bob Graham

Bob Graham’s loose, humorous, home-ly, style makes me smile instantaneously. So, having his jolly illustrations profusely gamboling about  this book gives it a splash of good humor right off the bat.

Michael Rosen has selected a delightful group of poems for the very young — preschool and up — including a great deal of playful, funny or nonsensical pieces that children adore.

Between the two of them, then, this is the most lighthearted book in today’s list, with dogs and toys and bedlam and chocolate smears and spilled milk and a collision or two spilling from the pages. There are quite a few poems here, all short and to the point.

A great choice for the liveliest of listeners, who will identify readily with these rambunctious playfellows, and laugh, and beg for more. My children loved hearing funny poems when they were small. They make a mighty pleasant start to a day, or a bad day better. Instant sunshine.

My Very First Mother Goose, edited by Iona Opie, illustrated by Rosemary Wells

Mother Goose is essential children’s literature. These  marvelous bits of our culture, the rhythms and word play, the famous and beloved characters, the shocking tales, the nonsense, the ease with which a teensy rhyme can be learned by heart to use while slogging through tiresome tasks or what-have-you — all of this is bundled up in Mother Goose.

This selection of nursery rhymes was pulled together by Iona Opie, who I guess knew more about our folklore and nursery rhymes than just about anyone else on the planet.

Rosemary Wells’ iconic illustrations make this nice, stout volume radiate with color, burst with vitality, cajole with charm.  Who but Rosemary can draw such adorable bunnies and mice and kittens and pigs, outfit them in such dashed adorable wardrobes, and make them gush with personality?! She is a wonder.

Toddlers will be entranced by the pictures on these nice, big pages as they hear over and over and over the tale of Humpty Dumpty, the cat and the fiddle, Jack Horner, and Little Boy Blue. There are quite a few rhymes that will be unfamiliar to you as well. Immense fun!

Here are Amazon links for these magical worlds of poetry:
A Child’s Book of Poems
Here’s A Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry
Jan Ormerod’s to Baby with Love
Poems for the Very Young
My Very First Mother Goose

Read Full Post »

nonfiction nuggets…the woman who opened library doors to children

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children, by Jan Pinborough, illustrated by Debby Atwell

Anne Carroll Moore was born into a large family in Maine in 1871. She had a happy childhood, including a father who read to her daily, but her life took on sorrow when she was 20, with the deaths of both her parents in just a few days time. Her thirst for education remained strong through some difficult years and social constraints, however, and eventually she received training as a librarian.

Anne’s first job was to organize a children’s room at a small library, which was an entirely newfangled notion. Children in a library?! Making noise?! Being a nuisance?! Damaging the books?!

Anne did her research thoroughly and her new children’s room was a huge success. So much so, that she was put in charge of all the children’s rooms in all the branches of the New York City public libraries. In this position, Anne revolutionized the experience of children and books, not only in New York, but across America and around the world.

This loving, fascinating biography of Anne Carroll Moore will warm your heart  if you have any attachment whatsoever to children’s literature. What a marvelous gift she was to all of us, and I had never heard of her. A delightful woman to meet in these joyous pages.

Debby Atwell’s acrylic illustrations burst with the same vivid color and bustle and creativity and friendly charm that Miss Moore must have had coursing through her veins. Truly delightful.

Also included are the author’s notes about other “trailblazing librarians,” further information on Anne Carroll

Anne Carroll Moore

Moore, a couple beautiful, historical photographs of her, and a list of sources.

Brand new this year, this fresh, inspiring biography is perfect for ages 5 to 100. I loved it!

Here’s the Amazon link:  Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children

Read Full Post »

birds of a feather…a fabulous flock of five books about birding

Look up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard, written and illustrated by Annette LeBlanc Cate

Robins hopping across the grass, drilling their beaks into the earth, snagging a worm.
Pigeons strutting, flashing their metallic sheen, nabbing bits of stale popcorn on the sidewalk.
Mallard ducks, emerald capped, lounging on ponds with their soft-brown mates.

One nice thing about birds is that no matter where you are, there are almost certainly birds about for you to watch and enjoy, and even these most common birds I’ve just mentioned have a beauty and delight worth noticing.

Annette Cate has written a fantastic new book packed with sunny advice on how to begin looking more carefully at the birds around us. She is all about urging us to observe, sketch, and identify these feathered beauties. “The point is,” she says, “spending time outside observing life and drawing in a sketchbook can help you to see the world in a whole new way.” Exactly true!

Cate entices us into the hobby of birding and nature-sketching with fascinating information parceled out in manageable bits, punctuated with loads of witty banter by birds and humans alike in conversation bubbles that beg to be read, and illustrated profusely in imaginative, sketchbook styling.

Gorgeous color wheels of birds, close-ups of feet and beaks to help us hone in on what to spot first, bird behaviors to watch for, a lesson on field markings, a guide to field guides, and short introductions to topics like bird ranges, classification, migration…there is so much information crammed into this one small book, handled so artistically and winsomely. It’s not a one-sitting book; it’s a lovely resource to have on hand along with sketchbook, colored pencils, and beginning field guide (as well as some cookies, probably) to open up a glorious doorway to nature study, outdoor ramblings, and the wonder of birding for kids and adults of all ages.

Birds of a Feather, by Francisco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais

Holy Moly! It’s a book! It’s a puzzle! It’s a treasure chest! It’s so much fun, and it’s all about birds!

This jumbo-sized book (15 x 11 inches) contains one heavy-duty page after another filled with fascinating and clever flaps to lift, pictures to pop up, and puzzle pieces to flip. Riveting illustrations. Highly unusual displays. Oodles of bird facts. Irresistable!

Flip up a silhouette to learn about the bird with that crazy crest or those knobby knees. Choose from a dozen large flaps with close ups of gorgeous wings to find out which bird sports these beautifully colored feathers. Open the variously-speckled and sized eggs to see who will hatch.  Match up all the right flaps to construct one of six exotic birds. Unlock the jigsaw pieces to discover who is spying out at you.

Originally published in France, this is one of the most unusual books I’ve seen, and sure to spark curiosity in anyone with a heartbeat. Grab this one for kids of any age or just for yourself!

For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson, by Peggy Thomas, illustrated by Laura Jacques

Roger Tory Peterson’s field guides to birds are some of the most familiar on the shelves, but I’m going to bet that most of us know very little about this man and his vast contributions to conservation as well as ornithology.

Like so many naturalists, Peterson fell in love with nature as a child (a great reason, by the way, to get your kids out of doors from babyhood on!) pressing wildflowers, collecting moths, and eagerly participating in his local Junior Audubon Club. A chance encounter with a startled flicker inspired his lifelong study of birds.

Peterson grew up at a time when the only available field guides to birds were scholarly tomes whose descriptions were quite unhelpful for identifying birds in the wild. His painstaking observations, sketches, and notes allowed him to teach others how to identify birds much more easily, and his first, innovative field guide was an instant success. In addition, his lifelong studies led him to decry the effect of DDT years before Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, and to travel the world advocating for the protection of birds.

Peggy Thomas’ biography is an interesting account of a man who recevied an incredible array of honors throughout his life, yet is largely unknown by most of us today. Fascinating details of his childhood, his birding techniques, and his life of devotion to these lovely creatures, are engagingly written for ages 7 and older. It’s a bit lengthier than many picture-book biographies, with mixed media illustrations and some nice ink drawings.

Bird Talk: What Birds Are Saying and Why, written and illustrated by Lita Judge

Far more easy than spotting birds, is hearing them. Chirping, warbling, pipping, cawing…if we hold still and listen, so many sounds meet us. What do all these sounds mean?

Sometimes they mean: Pay attention to me!
Sometimes: Be careful there, young’un!
Sometimes: I’m hungry, mama!

Lita Judge has provided this delightful sort of catalog of birds, describing the various calls they make and their purposes. Her magnificent illustrations flood the pages with life and delight and motion. The darling-ness of chicks and the strength of hawks in flight, the ostentatious dances and displays, and the glorious array of colorful feathers grab our attention with every page turn.

Perfect tidbits of information accompany each spotlit bird, expanding our sense of wonder as we begin to grasp the array of ideas communicated by their music, as well as other types of bird behaviors.  It’s an incredibly engaging book for preschoolers and up.

Included is a list with thumbnail illustrations of each bird and a few more facts plus their habitats and ranges, a glossary of bird terminology,  and a lovely Author’s Note tracing Lita Judge’s fascinating background in birding, growing up with ornithologists for grandparents. Love this book!

Puffling Patrol, by Ted and Betsy Lewin

Off the coast of Iceland, a cluster of islands host “one of the largest puffin colonies in the world.” The birds migrate here by the hundreds of thousands in springtime, living in burrows in the rocky cliffs.

Now, here’s the odd bit. When it’s time to take off again in August, some of the little newbies get muddled by the lights of the small towns and land in the street rather than heading for the sea. This is a problem because they can’t take off again from street level. They need to launch themselves into the sea breezes from cliffside.

Puffling Patrol to the rescue! Out go the local kids, armed with boxes and flashlights, to gather up these little fellows, get them inspected by the team of biologists, then re-launch them from the beaches.

Ted and Betsy Lewin have quite the dream gig, traveling about the world experiencing these amazing places, meeting such interesting people, then writing and illustrating it for all of us to thoroughly enjoy! I certainly have enjoyed many, many of their books. This one is absolutely fascinating, as we learn about these delightful birds, the research being done in Iceland, and follow twin 8-year-olds as they care for the birds in their unique island homeland.

Of course, the writing and illustrations are superb. There are several additional pages with facts about puffins and information about an enormous volcanic eruption 40 years ago which threatened these islanders’ homes, plus a glossary and handy pronunciation guide for those Icelandic words sprinkled in the text.  Fantastic choice for kindergarteners and up.

Here are Amazon links for this fine-feathered collection:

Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard
Birds of a Feather
For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson
Bird Talk: What Birds Are Saying and Why
Puffling Patrol

Read Full Post »

nonfiction nuggets…our kite-flying, wise-cracking, proverb-writing, patriot

Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin, written and illustrated by Robert Byrd

Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706, long after the Renaissance, yet if anyone could be called a true Renaissance man, it would be Ben. He was a scholar, printer, writer, entrepreneur, traveler, community organizer, philosopher, journalist, editor, politician, jokester, inventor, social benefactor, postmaster, publisher, scientist, diplomat, orator. How any one person could cram so much into one lifetime is truly astonishing.

Composing a biography of Franklin for children, then, is a demanding task. Robert Byrd’s book, new in 2012, does a beautiful job of displaying the breadth of Franklin’s interests and service, and revealing the motivations and aspirations of this incredibly hard-working person. In Byrd’s own words, he attempted to be

Franklin by Joseph Duplessis

“evenhanded” as well as include what he guessed “Dr. Franklin himself might have considered worthy of telling.” These strike me as excellent parameters, and his book is clear, vivid, respectful and fascinating.

Byrd arranges his material on two-page spreads that explore a particular facet or period of Franklin’s life. He narrates the story of his life beginning with his birth in Boston, the youngest of fourteen children, and continuing with his schooling and apprenticeships in which Franklin’s inclinations began to guide him, his  printing and writing,and the many reforms he instituted in Philadelphia. Byrd includes a hefty discussion of his scientific experimentation, his meetings with the Six Nations, the French and Indian War, the Revolution, and his lengthy diplomatic work, concluding with Franklin’s position on slavery and work for abolition. 

That’s a great survey. It’s a fairly lengthy book, geared for upper elementary and older.

It’s a beautiful book, too, and that’s a key point. Despite a considerable amount of text, this book has great visual appeal. Using ink and watercolor, Byrd has created elaborate, intricate illustrations that tremendously aid our conception of everything from the printing press to a Leyden jar, to the court of Versailles, to Franklin’s sedan chair. The paint colors and fashions and architecture and scientific equipment were all thoroughly researched. 

Sprinkled here and there throughout the book in quaint frames are Franklin-isms, which are also printed en masse on the endpapers. There are some interesting Author’s Notes, a thorough timeline, and a very nice bibliography with suggestions for young readers as well. 

Many biographies of Franklin have been written. I love the scope of this one, the fact that Byrd does not talk down in the least to his readers, and the really, exceptional artwork here that enhances our understanding. Winner of a Sibert Honor for children’s nonfiction in 2013.

Here’s an Amazon link:Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

Read Full Post »

a list of…five affectionate stories about moms

Ol’ Mama Squirrel, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein

If you think it’s prudent to never come between a mama bear and her cubs…let me introduce you to Ol’ Mama Squirrel!

This is one feisty mama! Of course, with all the creatures lurking about, just dying for a morsel of baby squirrel, she’s got a tough job on her hands for one so small. But each time she confronts an enemy with her steely look,  paws firmly on hips,  letting loose a shrill “Chook, chook, chook!“,  let me tell you, those creatures vamoose!

One enemy, however, is too large even for Ol’ Mama. No matter how she chooks and chatters, or even pelts this fellow with her store of acorns, still he threatens her babies. What will Mama do? Fortunately, she is up to the challenge, and with the aid of a formidable host of other mamas, the scalawag is sent packing!

Capitalizing on the legendary fierceness of mother love, David Ezra Stein has written a vibrant, enthusiastic, happy tale. Ol’ Mama is a delightful character, and the powerful results of her chook-ing are immensely satisfying! When I read it, I was reminded a little of the tsk-tsk-tsking done by the peddlar and monkeys in Caps for Sale — such a jolly, rip-roaring shout for everyone to break into throughout the story. Plus, the magnificent image of this no-nonsense posse of mama squirrels running down the intruder is fantastic!

Stein’s artwork is deceptively simple, with strong line, superb energy, and just the right combination of strength and pertness in Mama.     And not to worry — he promises no squirrels were harmed in the making of this book New in 2013, great fun for preschoolers and up.

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

If somehow you don’t already know this classic story, it’s about a baby bird who hatches while his mother happens to be away, and then sets out to find her. Never having seen his mother, however, he can’t identify her. In fact — he walks right past her!  Unbelievable.

Checking with a kitten, a hen, a dog, a cow, and even a car, a boat, and a plane, our baby bird is tremendously distraught to find that none of these is his mother. The last straw occurs when a terrifying Snort scoops him up and carts him away. With that, the baby bird simply breaks out wailing! “I want to go home! I want my mother!“

And suddenly — all his problems are solved! Phew!!

I wonder how many times we read this book!  First published in 1960, it simply does not grow old. The tension builds up as that poor baby bird searches for mother until he is simply bawling out his woe…and then, everything turns quiet and happy and cozy! The smug, superior knowledge of the child-reader about such things as Snorts allows her to chuckle at this bird’s naïveté, but still…we feel his pain! And such a happy ending. So reassuring.

Perfect for beginning readers, but just as brilliant as a read-aloud for ages 2 and older. Everyone ought to know this one.

Mother, Mother, I Want Another, by Maria Polushkin Robbins, illustrated by Jon Goodell

It’s bedtime for baby mouse, and as usual mother helps him get ready, tucks him in, reads a story, and gives him a good night kiss. BUT…

The original illustrations are by Diane Dawson.

…this time baby mouse starts crying, “I want another, Mother!”

Ah…what a world of difference a comma can make! For Mama Mouse hears him say “I want another mother.”

Aghast that her baby prefers another mother,  but ever ready to provide for him, she runs around the countryside on her errand. Yet none of the local moms she recruits — Mrs. Duck, Mrs. Frog, Mrs. Pig, Mrs. Donkey — seems to be just what baby mouse is looking for. What does a young mouse have to do to get another…kiss?!

Funny and sweet, this story was published first in 1975. We read it many times with our small children, and now it’s been given new illustrations. Silly and sweet for preschoolers and up.

My Mom, written and illustrated by Anthony Browne

I have saved lots of incredibly dear notes and cards, painstakingly written and drawn for me by my children over the years. No matter how wobbly the spelling or Picasso-esque the portrait, words of praise from a child are golden to mothers.

Anthony Browne’s book reads like the simple declarations of a young child describing

Buy it in the UK and get a mum rather than a mom!

his faithful mom. She fills many heroic roles in his world, besides being “as comfy as an armchair” and especially, particularly nice. The capstone of it all, though, is her tremendous, unfailing love for him.

Isn’t that what we all long for? Someone to love us on, and on, and on? It’s an exhausting privilege to do this for the children in our lives, whether or not we are their mothers, and it’s what makes this brief book ring true and hit home.

Browne’s apple-cheeked, kind, down-to-earth mom looks like someone we’d all like for a friend. His illustrations are delightful, and very, very clever as he spins off from iconic images and artists. Plus, the lovely floral fabric in mom’s bathrobe imaginatively appears throughout the pages, tying all of this child’s thoughts together and to mom.

So much unrestrained love! Delightful.

This Quiet Lady, by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Anita Lobel

In this story, a little girl is looking at photographs of her mother through the years. She finds them in frames around the house, and in the pages of an old scrapbook. “This baby smiling in her bassinette under the crocheted throw is my mother,” she says. Such a mind-bending thought.

As each page turns, we see that little girl growing up, going to school, getting married. There she is, a quiet smile on her face, “lovely and large” with child, and…voila! in the next picture she has a tiny baby in her arms. A new beginning.

It’s a book filled with quiet wonder, and Lobel’s illustrations are the perfect complement. On the left-hand pages she gives us quiet, muted snapshots of the narrator as she moves about the house finding old photographs or lolls on the summer grass with that hefty scrapbook. On the opposite sides are beautiful, soft, richly colored images of the photo she’s spied. Watching her mother grow up, we also watch the eras spin by, from frilly baby bonnet to a Beatle’s lunch box; flower-child fashions giving way to more sophisticated elegance.

It’s short and sweet, and may well prompt you to get out your own photos for your children.

Here are Amazon links for all these books full of mother-love:

Ol’ Mama Squirrel
Are You My Mother? (Beginner Books(R))
Mother Mother I Want Another
My Mom
This Quiet Lady

Read Full Post »

E-I-E-I-O…a list of five tales from the farm yard

Barnyard Banter, written and illustrated by Denise Fleming

Cows in the pasture, moo, moo, moo
Roosters in the barnyard, cock-a-doodle doo…

Straight out of the gate, this noisy, cheerful barnyard story sets our toes a-tappin’ with its wonderful rhythms, its boisterous animals, its irresistable invitation to join in with the moo-ing, clucking, braying and shrieking.

This is one rowdy, farm-ful of animals, yet each sticks to her proper pen — except for Goose. Silly goose is racing and ducking and craning her neck in hot pursuit of a dancing, yellow, butterfly. If you look carefully, you can spot the two of them on every page. Will she catch it? Sounding off, and a merry chase — that’s what this book is all about.

Accenting the cacophony of sounds are Denise Flemings marvelous, colorful illustrations. Egg-yolk yellows and tomato reds, lively spring greens and iridescent bluesy-purples explode from the pages. Massive cows and proud peacocks, springing frogs and curious kittens brim with energy. The lovely spattery look in the illustrations comes from “pouring colored cotton pulp through hand-cut stencils.” I can’t envision this process, but the pages are loaded with glorious happiness.

Great fun for the youngest of listeners who will very quickly memorize this and happily join in with all the animal sounds.

Farm, written and illustrated by Elisha Cooper

Turning the volume way, way down, taking time to stand in the middle of vast fields with a long, flat horizon, noticing the colors and textures of the land, the ordinary tasks of the farmer, the idiosyncracies of the animals…that’s the sublime feel of Elisha Cooper’s beautiful book.

Beginning in spring, Cooper walks us through the tilling and planting, the gradual warming of the days, the greening of the fields,and the harvesting. He introduces us to very particular animals and their funny personalities;  he describes interesting, realistic farm tasks;  he observes unusual aspects of farm life and beauty that many books for this age range overlook.

Paired with his lovely, descriptive writing are Cooper’s beautiful watercolor and pencil illustrations. So gorgeous!  Big, two-page spreads display the wide-open, long-horizon landscapes pouring out restfulness, while a myriad smaller illustrations pull us up close to observe tractors and seeds, pheasants and farm dogs. And just take a look at that incredibly handsome rooster on the cover! It’s framable.

What I love about this book is how it beckons us to stand still and look. To be quiet and notice. A bit reminiscent in personality to the Provenson’s work on farm seasons, but modernized with cell phones in the tractors. I recommend this as an absorbing read for ages 5 and up.

Life-Size Farm, by Teruyuki Komiya

Coming to us from Japan, this is part of a series of extra-large books that bring us face to face with animals in full-color photographs, at actual life size!

How is this possible? Well, you don’t get the whole cow. But…you do get a four-page fold-out of just her head, so you can get a true feel for how

These Shanghai cows are a tad more than life size.

enormous she is, especially compared to the tiny chick on the next page! How big is a cow’s nose, compared to your hand?

These animals are from a farm exhibit at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, and they include some critters we Americans would not normally associate with a farm, such as a mara ( do you know what that is?) and a ferret. That makes it all the more fun, though, and the Old McDonald bunch are there as well, from sheep to llamas, pigs to goats. 20 animals in all.

Each animal comes with a side bar of information listing the animal’s name, age, and scientific name. There are a few questions that help us look more carefully at the animal and observe interesting things about it. For instance, did you look closely at the shape of the goat’s pupil? It’s oval, like a jellybean. Do you know its special purpose? This book will tell you. There are also a few juicy facts about each species, illustrated in little comic squares.

Several animals are soooo big, they require fold-out pages to encompass just their heads. That’s exciting! Great fun for preschoolers and up. There are others in the series featuring zoo animals, if you enjoy this one.

The Piggy in the Puddle, by Charlotte Pomerantz, pictures by James Marshall

See the piggy,
See the puddle,
See the muddy little puddle.
See the piggy in the middle
Of the muddly little puddle.

Get your mouth in gear for the rapid, tongue-twisting nonsense in this delightful, silly story! It starts out running, and doesn’t let up until the final, merry syllable.

It seems there’s a young pig who simply loves to dawdle and diddle in the mud. Her fuddy-duddy father wants her out of there and all squeaky clean, but that little one simply won’t come out. Her mother cajoles her, her brother importunes her, but nope. She’s not in the mood for soap.

What ever will they do? They are flumoxed, until a most surprising idea occurs to Mother!

Written in 1974, this enormously jolly book is a family favorite of ours. The irresistable,  rhythmic, verse is paired with illustrations by the brilliant James Marshall. What could be better? His comical portraits of this portly bunch, their ridiculous apparel, facial expressions, and merriment are fetching and funny.

Read this to children as young as 3, or let early readers have a blast with all these diddle-daddle, mooshy-squooshy words themselves.

Cows to the Rescue, written and illustrated by John Himmelman

More silliness ahead!

It’s county fair time and Farmer Greenstalk has piled his whole family in the station wagon, loaded a pile of pigs in the trailer, and is ready for a jimdandy day.

But, consarn it all, the car won’t start.

Not to fear! Cows to the rescue!! Those heroic bovines scoop up kids, pigs, and all, thunder down the dusty road, and deliver everyone to the fair in short order. Excellent.

This is the running theme of the day, of course. Every time one of the Greenstalks runs into a spot of trouble at the fair, those swell cows come to the rescue. So handy.

Himmelman’s watercolor illustrations of those gallant cows, earnestly rushing, kindly tutoring, daintily scrubbing, nervously riding the Ferris Wheel, are enormous fun. You will fall in love with this herd of cattle in very short order.

Great humor, a wonderful chance to shout all together “Cows to the rescue!”, (this is perhaps not a bedtime story!)and a true day brightener of a tale. Preschoolers and up will have their funny-bones tickled with this one. There are other titles in this same vein by Himmelman, so look for those as well.

Here are Amazon links to this fine crop of  books:
Barnyard Banter
Farm
Life-Size Farm
The Piggy in the Puddle (Reading Rainbow Books)
Cows to the Rescue

Read Full Post »