Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and four

Jon J. Muth is one of favorite author illustrators. He wrote and illustrated The Three Questions and Zen Shorts. 

The panda bear character in Zen Shorts, Stillwater, is back in this Halloween title. In this book, readers of all ages will once again to be challenged to think about themselves in a new and interesting way. 

Zen Ghosts

Jon J. Muth

Picture Book

Ages 6 and up

Scholastic, 2010, 978-0-439-63430-4

   Karl, Addy, and Michael are getting their Halloween costumes ready. Their friend Stillwater the panda bear comes over and he explains that he is going to be a ghost for Halloween. Karl is going to be a monster, and Michael is going to be either an owl or a pirate. He doesn’t know which he prefers. Stillwater suggests that Michael might like to be an “Owl-Pirate.” After all, on Halloween anything is possible. Stillwater then tells his young friends that this Halloween is special because there is going to be a full moon. He knows someone who can tell the children a ghost story.

   So, after treat-or-treating on Halloween night, the children meet Stillwater at the stone wall and he takes them to his house where they meet a panda bear who looks exactly like Stillwater. He tells them a story about a girl whose soul separated and went into two different directions. One soul stayed with her family, and one ran away with the boy she loved. Which soul was the real girl?

   In this beautiful and thought-provoking picture book, Jon Muth brings readers an old story that has timeless appeal. Yes, it is a ghost story of sorts, but it also a story about duality, which is something all people of all ages encounter. I am my mother’s child, but I am also someone’s best friend. Which self is the real me?

   With gorgeous paintings throughout and a story that will resonate with readers of all ages, this picture book is an enduring treasure. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and three

Halloween is just a day away, so I have a couple of Halloween titles that I would like to share with you. You can find many more titles that have a Halloween theme on the TTLG Halloween Feature. 

And then comes Halloween

Tom Brenner

Illustrated by Holly Meade

Picture book

For ages 4 to 6

Candlewick Press, 2011, 978-0-7636-5299-9

   Every year when the days get shorter, when Papa stacks firewood under the eves, and when the geese fly south, the children know that now, at last, it is time. It is time to cut out paper witches, to bring home and carve pumpkins, and to decide about costumes.

   When they see spooky decorations start to “sprout on lawns” and hang from trees, the children know that they need to get their costumes ready. Then, after so much waiting and planning, it is Halloween and the fun can begin.

   This delightful picture book, with its cut paper art, perfectly captures the anticipation that builds in the fall as children wait for, and plan for, Halloween. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and two

Not long ago my daughter was bemoaning the fact that her life is "so complicated." We both agreed that small children have an easier time of it because they have so few responsibilities. Of course little children have a different opinion. They resent the way they are not allowed to do all the "fun stuff" because they are too small. I can sympathize with this, and therefore today I have a review of a book that was written for little children who are forced to hear the words "you are too small" over and over again. 

A small surprise

Louise Yates

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Random House, 2009, 978-0-375-85698-3

One day a little rabbit, who is out in the world on his own, comes to a circus. He sees a sign that explains that there are jobs available at the circus but “small animals need not apply.” Though he is definitely a small animal, the rabbit goes into the big circus tent anyway.

   Inside he meets a large gorilla, a tall giraffe, a hefty rhino, a big lion, a long snake, and a bear. The rabbit admits that he is small. He admits that he is too small to wipe his own nose, to tie his shoes, to walk far without getting tired, and to eat his food without making a mess. However, there are things that small animals are very good at doing.

   When you are young, and small, grownups are always telling you that you are too little to do practically everything that is really worthwhile doing, and it is very annoying. This book was specifically written for little children who are forced to experience this exasperating adult behavior. With its minimal text and its deliciously funny illustrations, this book is a perfect fit for little children because it reminds them that there are things that are best done by small people. 

Poetry Friday - A review of Rumble, Roar, Dinosaur!

There a a few topics that seem to have a universal appeal for children. The ones that come to mind are: dragons, wizards, witches, princesses (for girls mostly), dogs, cats, bears, and dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are HUGE, especially for kindergarten and elementary school kids.

Since I happen to find dinosaurs interesting as well, I am happy to review dino-centric books. For this reason, I really enjoyed reviewing today's poetry title, which combines poetry, illustrations, and lift-the-flaps to give little children a dinofabulous bookish experience. 

Rumble, Roar, Dinosaur!

Tom Mitton

Illustrated by Lynne Chapman

Novelty Poetry book

For ages 5 to 7

Kingfisher, 2010, 978-0-7534-1932-8

   Many children have a passion for dinosaurs. They cannot resist looking at pictures of these strange creatures of long ago, and love learning new facts about hadrosaurs, stegosaurs, and their relatives.

   In this unique book, Tom Mitton’s amusing poems are paired with Lynne Chapman’s colorful and expressive illustrations to give young readers a memorable dinosaurish bookish experience. On the first spread there is an introduction from the dinosaurs in which they tell us that we “can read about us on our very own pages” and that we should “take a look and watch us in our world of long ago.”

   What follows are seven double page spreads, each one of which features one kind of dinosaur. Here, on the first spread, is a herd of hadrosaurs “honking through the trees.” We read that hadrosaurs had special horns on their heads that helped them to communicate with each other. When we open the flap on one of the pages we see two a picture of these dinosaurs making their singular noise.

   Further in the book we get to meet elasmosaurus, a marine creature that had a long neck “like a snake” with a tiny head on the end. Open the flap and we can see how that neck helped the elasmosaurus catch its food.

   The poems throughout the book are cleverly written and amusing, and at the same time they provide young dinosaur fans with lots of dinosaur facts that will engage their interest.

   At the back of the book, the author gives us more facts about the seven dinosaur types that are described in the book.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and one

As the mother of a tween girl, I often worry that my daughter will get caught up in what I call the "look at me" crowd. These are tweens and teens who think their appearance defines them. They spend so much of their time creating an image for themselves that they spend no time at all thinking about what they are like as people.

In today's picture book you will meet an elephant who is, like all elephants, rather odd looking. Thankfully, Willy the elephant has the good sense not to worry about how he looks. Instead, he focuses on helping the people around him, which means that he is loved and appreciated. 

Willy

Geert De Kockere

Illustrated by Carll Cneut

Picture Book

For ages 5 and up

Eerdmans, 2011, 978-0-8028-5395-0

  Willy is an elephant, which means that he has four pillar-like legs, an enormous body, huge ears that flap, a trunk attached to his face, and a tail with a “ridiculous brush at the end” attached to his rear. In short, Willy is not exactly beautiful. In fact he is downright odd looking.

   One would think his oddness would be a problem for Willy. But it isn’t. He is “invited everywhere.” Having such big ears, Willy is an excellent listener. He hears about happy things, and he hears about the events that made people sob and sigh. Willy’s tail serves as an excellent paintbrush, and his trunk does an admirable job beating time in the choir. Of course, some people make unkind remarks about Willy’s appearance, but Willy’s friends and admirers “brushed off,” “overruled,” or “swept away” these words.

   Most of us have our own version of Willy’s big ears, his long dangly trunk, or his funny little tail. We wish we were blonder, bigger, smaller, and so many other things. Luckily Willy is here, in this book, to remind us that what we look like doesn’t matter. What matters is how we choose to help others, and how we are loved.

   With a message that is ageless and timeless, and a loveable main character, this is a picture book that will resonate with readers of all ages.   

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred

Many people have written stories that are told from the point of view of a stuffed animal. Through their glass or button eyes we have found out what it is like to have the kinds of adventures that stuffed animals have. In today's picture book you will meet a stuffed animal who does not have a special dramatic adventure. Instead, Bunny shows us what it is like to grow up with a little boy, and how the boy and Bunny teach each other all kinds of important lessons.

Bunny’s Lessons

Harriet Ziefert

Illustrated by Barroux

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Blue Apple, 2011, 978-1-60905-028-3

   Bunny and his little boy Charlie are the best of friends. Over the years, Bunny has learned all kinds of things from Charlie. He has learned about loud music, and that meals of butter noodles are messy. He has learned about pretending, time-outs, and what it feels like to be jealous.

   Sometimes Bunny’s times with Charlie are wonderful, like when Charlie reads to him. Other times are really unpleasant, like the time when Charlie paints Bunny blue. Thankfully the bad times can usually be turned into good ones.

   In this delightful picture book we explore a close friendship between a little boy and his toy bunny. Just like all friendships, there are high points and low points, and just like all good friendships, the bonds of love make it all worthwhile.

   With wonderful illustrations and a loveable main character, this is a picture book that little children will love to read again and again, savoring Bunny’s lessons as they snuggle with their own favorite stuffed animal.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book two hundred and ninety-nine

I have days when I just cannot bear to read a book that is sad. I don't want to have to suffer with a character as he or she tries to survive in a dangerous world. I want to experience the book equivalent of being wrapped in a cozy quilt. Today's picture book is just such a cozy quilt title. It is sweet, funny, and is a perfect book to read when the world is looking rather grim and frightening. 

Very Hairy Bear

Alice Schertle

Illustrated by Matt Phelan

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Harcourt, 2007, 978-0-15-216568-0

  The very hairy bear is hairy all over. He has a hairy body, and hairy feet, and a hairy head. The only part of him that is not hairy is his “no-hair nose.”

   In spring, the bear does not care that his nose has no hair. He is far too busy catching tasty salmon in the river. During the summer months, the bear has a fine time raiding bee hives. Even when his no-hair nose gets stung and covered with honey, the bear does not mind. His no-hair nose is very useful in the fall when he uses it to find all those acorns that the squirrels hid under the oak trees. There is a time of year though when having a no-hair nose is a problem.

   With gorgeous soft illustrations and a delightful story, this is a picture book that children will find irresistible. They will laugh at the bear’s antics, and smile when they see how he solves his nose problem.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book two hundred and ninety-eight

It is not easy to teach a child how to problem-solve. Often children expect their grownups to fix everything for them, to make bad things go away, and to make things goods easy to acquire. In today's picture book you will meet a little girl who takes the initiative, and who figures out how to solve a problem that is very dear to her heart.

I want a dog!

Helga Bansch

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

NorthSouth, 2009, 978-0-7358-2255-9

   Lisa loves dogs, all kinds of dogs, and more than anything else in the world she wants a dog of her own. The problem is that her parents feel that their apartment “is too small for a dog.” People give Lisa toys that have a dog theme, trying to satisfy her need for a pet, but these gifts, though well meant, really don’t fill that doggy shaped hole in Lisa’s heart.

   Lisa tries being really really good in the hope that her parents will reward her with a dog, of course. But they don’t. Then she tries to be bad, but that does not work either. Finally Lisa realizes that she is going to have to think outside the box to solve her problem.

   In this delightful and sweetly funny picture book, children will meet a little girl who knows what she wants, and who uses her head to get what she wants. Children will be delighted when they see what Lisa does, and they will appreciate how she figured it out all by herself. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book two hundred and ninety-seven

Most of us, at some point, wish we could do something interesting that is different from our everyday lives. Sometimes those of us who pursue an adventure, end up having some unexpected misadventures instead. Today's picture book is about a little girl whose quest for a little excitement does not quite go as planned. 

The Child Cruncher

Mathilde Stein

Illustrated by Mies van Hout

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Lemniscaat, 2008, 978-1-59078-635-2

   It is summertime, and a little girl is bored because there is no one to play with and nothing to do. Luckily a “big, ugly villain” comes along and kidnaps the little girl. Finally she is going to have a little excitement in her life. Of course, the little girl tells her dad that she is being kidnapped. Dad, who is working in his study, tells her to remember to brush her teeth and to “Have fun.”

   The little girl has every intention on having fun. She and the villain have a wild ride on a horse through the forest until they get to the villain’s den. The villain is in a terrible mood and he goes to bed “without saying goodnight.” The little girl decides that she will try to cheer him up, and she gives his den a makeover while he is asleep. Instead of being pleased, the villain behaves very badly and he then explains that he intends on having the little girl for breakfast. The little girl is very peeved. Her adventure has not turned out as she had hoped and she is not going to accept being stuck with “an ordinary old child cruncher.” What a nuisance!

   Children who suffer from bouts of I’m-bored-itis and there-is-nothing-to-do-itis will surely appreciate this clever and unique picture book. The will appreciate the little girl’s keen need to do something interesting (for a change), and will laugh out loud when they see how she deals with the child cruncher.