This classic is one of the very best books to read aloud to children. (I’ve been known to read it to babies.) Our edition has gently colorized pictures that gild the lily a bit but please the boys. It called the Signature Edition and is out of print but fairly simple to find.
We also enjoy the (much less beautiful) animated movie now and then (mostly for the songs).
Author: E.B. White
Illustrator: Garth Williams, with watercoloring by Rosemary Wells
Comments Off on Charlotte’s Web
Posted in Chapter Books
Tagged Animals, Charlotte's Web, E.B. White, fable, farm, food, Garth Williams, I read this as a kid, movie, Newbery Honor Book, out of print, Rosemary Wells, USA
In this sequel to All Aboard with Jeremy Rabbit, it is Waldo Otter’s turn to be a fish out of water when he visits his cousin, Jeremy Rabbit, in the country. This time there are trips on a car, river boat, and bicycles. There are more delicious feasts and daring rescues. And once again the cousins, although they go through a few rough patches during the visit, have a wonderful time together.
Author: Doris Susan Smith
Illustrator: Doris Susan Smith
Comments Off on The Country Life of J.B. Rabbit
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged All Aboard with Jeremy Rabbit, Animals, Doris Susan Smith, farm, food, garden, Machines, out of print, series, The Country Life of J.B. Rabbit
As I’ve mentioned before, searching for the rare Need a House? Call Ms. Mouse led to The Elephant’s Airplane, one of our favorite books to date. Since its major attraction was its illustrations, I went hunting for all the other books illustrated by Doris Smith that I could find. All Aboard with Jeremy Rabbit seemed particularly interesting because it was both authored and illustrated by Ms. Smith and it has turned out to be a greatly enjoyable book in its own right. We have the United Kingdom version of this long out-of-print book; it was published in the States as The Travels of J.B. Rabbit.
In this book, landlubber Jeremy Rabbit visits his seafaring cousin Waldo Otter for a memorable vacation. There are trips on a train, car, boat, and hot air balloon. There are delicious feasts and daring rescues. And, perhaps best of all, there is a sequel.
Author: Doris (Susan) Smith
Illustrator: Doris (Susan) Smith
Comments Off on All Aboard with Jeremy Rabbit
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged All Aboard with Jeremy Rabbit, Animals, beach, Doris Susan Smith, food, Machines, Need a House? Call Ms. Mouse!, out of print, series, The Elephant's Airplane and Other Machines, The Travels of J.B. Rabbit
There was once a good shoemaker
who became very poor.
At last he had only one piece of leather
to make one pair of shoes.
“Well,” said the shoemaker to his wife,
“I will cut the leather tonight
and make the shoes in the morning.”
The story that follows is full of craftsmanship, thoughtfulness, generosity, good fortune, and magic. I loved this book as a child (my mom bought it from someone going door-to-door pulling a wagon full of used books, if I remember correctly) and the boys really enjoy it now.
Author: Freya Littledale/The Grimm Brothers
Illustrator: Brinton Turkle
Comments Off on The Elves and the Shoemaker
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Brinton Turkle, Christmas, fairy tale, Freya Littledale, Grimm Brothers, I read this as a kid, knitting, out of print, The Elves and the Shoemaker, translated
The Elephant & Piggie series focuses on the interaction of two best friends: Elephant (who is generally cautious and anxious) and Piggie (who is generally spontaneous and joyful). (This odd-couple pairing reminds me of Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad–the stars of a series that I remember fondly but doesn’t interest the boys much.) The books are very funny and inspire lots of dramatic reading aloud and laughter. They are very popular at home, at school, and during trips to the library and the Kennedy Center.
I think the books pictured above are the very best of the series, but it would be hard to go wrong here.
Author: Mo Willems
Illustrator: Mo Willems
Comments Off on Elephant & Piggie series
Posted in Early Readers
Tagged Animals, Arnold Lobel, Elephant & Piggie, food, Frog and Toad, Happy Pig Day!, I read this as a kid, I'm a Frog!, Kennedy Center, Listen to My Trumpet!, Mo Willems, series, Should I Share My Ice Cream?, Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book, Today I Will Fly!, We are in a Book!, We are in a Play!
This quiet book tells gestation/birth/baby stories for many different animals, ending with one human baby:
You rode curled beneath your mother’s heart,
growing and growing. You floated in a salty sea, waiting
and waiting. Waiting for us who were waiting for you.
“We’re ready,” we said. And you were ready too.
So you squeezed out, wailing.
My toddlers thought babies were interesting. That tendency, combined with the interesting details on the various animals and gentle pictures, ensured this cozy book kept their attention during the board book years.
Author: Marion Dane Bauer
Illustrator: JoEllen McAllister Stammen
Comments Off on If You Were Born a Kitten
Posted in Board Books, Non-fiction
Tagged Animals, If You Were Born a Kitten, JoeEllen McAllister Stammen, Marion Dane Bauer, out of print
“Help! Help!” cried the Page when the sun came up.
“King Bidgood’s in the bathtub, and he won’t get out!
Oh, who knows what to do?”
King Bidgood is determined to stay in the bathtub. Attempts to entice him away with battling, lunching, fishing, and dancing fail spectacularly. Will anything get him to leave?
The premise of this cheerful book is very funny (although the language is sometimes a tiny bit awkward) and the elaborate pictures are beautiful. We are always stumbling across new details we missed before.
Author: Audrey Wood
Illustrator: Don Wood
Comments Off on King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Audrey Wood, Caldecott Honor, Don Wood, food, King Bidgood's in the Bathtub
There isn’t much plot or characterization here. An egg hatches. The resulting caterpillar eats (and eats), then builds a cocoon, nibbles his way out, and is a beautiful butterfly. Simple. But the book’s design (especially the holes) and unexpected food choices reliably caught the boys’ attention when they were toddlers. (And I liked making the butterfly “fly” at the end by flapping the back cover.)
Author: Eric Carle
Illustrator: Eric Carle
Comments Off on The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Posted in Board Books
Tagged Animals, Eric Carle, food, I read this as a kid, The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Jam on biscuits, jam on toast,
Jam is the thing that I like most.
Jam is sticky, jam is sweet,
Jam is tasty, jam’s a treat–
Raspberry, strawberry, gooseberry, I’m very
FOND… OF… JAM!
This book is a treat and a hoot, with a charming main character, a supportive (yet firm) family, and lots of lovingly described food. The useful morals (that some variety really is a good thing and you won’t know if you like something until you try it) are just the icing on the cake.
Author: Russell Hoban
Illustrator: Lillian Hoban
Comments Off on Bread and Jam for Frances
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Bread and Jam for Frances, fable, food, I read this as a kid, Lillian Hoban, Russell Hoban, school, series
This is a straightforward book with beautiful woodcut illustrations, an ever-appealing subject matter, and ever-appreciated pronunciation guidance. Our favorite dinosaur in the book is pictured above. The boys agree its tail might take out a T-rex and the oldest thinks it looks like “a very early kind of knight.”
Author: Christopher Wormel
Illustrator: Christopher Wormel
Comments Off on Wings, Horns, and Claws: A Dinosaur Book of Epic Proportions
Posted in Non-fiction, Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Christopher Wormell, out of print, science, Wings Horns and Claws: A Dinosaur Book of Epic Proportions
