Category Archives: Picture Books

Miss Maple’s Seeds

Posted on July 14, 2014 | Comments Off on Miss Maple’s Seeds

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Spry Miss Maple (who is small enough to travel on the back of a bluebird) cares for seeds “lost during the spring planting.” She brings them to her cozy home (inside a tree), takes them on field trips (by water and by air), reads them bedtime stories (by firefly light), and (when the Spring comes round again) sends them “off to find roots of their own” with the reminder to:

“Take care, my little ones, for the
world is big and you are small. But never forget…
… even the grandest of trees once had to grow up
from the smallest of seeds.”

If you enjoy this book (or would like more of a sneak peek), check out the activity sheets and coloring pages on the author/illustrator’s website.

Author: Eliza Wheeler
Illustrator: Eliza Wheeler

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Ball

Posted on July 4, 2014 | Comments Off on Ball

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This funny book has only one word–“Ball”–and is therefore a great example of the impact of punctuation. The dog’s dream sequences are especially creative and playful, so it particularly appropriate as a bedtime story.

Author: Mary Sullivan
Illustrator: Mary Sullivan

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Houdini: World’s Greatest Mystery Man and Escape King

Posted on July 3, 2014 | Comments Off on Houdini: World’s Greatest Mystery Man and Escape King

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This is a wonderfully written and illustrated book about the greatest magician ever. Harry Houdini, born Ehrich Weiss, used books, his imagination, and pure grit to lift himself (and his entire family) out of anonymity and poverty into lasting, world-wide renown and wealth.

We came upon this book because I read The Houdini Box to my oldest and he wanted to know the real story behind the story. The boys love this real rags-to-riches tale and are fascinated by Houdini’s tricks, especially his escapes. Their favorite escape may be how Houdini would jump (handcuffed!) off bridges in front of huge (nonpaying) crowds, free himself underwater, and swim to safety (and sell out all his remaining performances in the area). As the book puts it, if you saw this, “You remembered it for the rest of your life.”

Author: Kathleen Krull
Illustrator: Eric Velasquez

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Violet the Pilot

Posted on June 26, 2014 | Comments Off on Violet the Pilot

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Violet is “a mechanical genius” with a particular gift for building flying machines, a faithful canine sidekick, and supportive parents. What is not to love about book starring a strong, independent, STEM-focused female protagonist whose skills and moxie lead her to save the day?

Well… First, the book presents Violet’s inclinations as way outside the norm for a girl: “while other girls were playing with dolls and tea sets, Violet played with monkey wrenches and needle-nose pliers.” Although this book was just published six years ago, this feels outdated. Second, Violet is an outcast. She eats lunch alone; other kids make fun of her; and she hopes to compete in an airshow because, if she wins a prize, “maybe then the kids at school would be nice to her.” While she ultimately saves the lives of an entire Boy Scout troop, and gains the respect of her community, there is real pain here that the wish fulfillment doesn’t hide.

But the boys love this book and focus on Violet’s brilliant designs, her dog, and the happy ending. (We do talk a bit about how the other kids at school are being unkind and missing out by not getting to know her.) This is the first book on this blog that we discovered through my oldest bringing home books from his school’s library, but I’m guessing it won’t be the last.

Author: Steve Breen
Illustrator: Steve Breen

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Rapunzel

Posted on June 23, 2014 | Comments Off on Rapunzel

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Once again Paul O. Zelinsky draws from the best of the Grimm’s multiple versions, along with earlier Italian and French versions, to create a compelling and beautifully illustrated tale. My youngest will accept no substitutions; we must read this edition: “The one with the big tower.”

While this story violates the Frozen principle–“You can’t marry a man you just met”–in a big way and the prince seems to be either a cad or none too bright (otherwise why wouldn’t he just bring Rapunzel a rope ladder early on in their relationship?), it is a classic. (And Frozen has made discussing these kinds of issues much easier and faster at just the right time.)

Author: Paul O. Zelinsky/The Grimm Brothers
Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky

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The Frog Princess

Posted on June 17, 2014 | Comments Off on The Frog Princess

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While the story of the Frog Princess is not as well known as that of the Frog Prince, it is a classic tale and my youngest has taken to this version like, well, a frog to water. A queen realizes her three rather foolish sons need “sensible wives,” so she has each shoot off an arrow, telling them they will find their bride where their arrow lands. Two of the princes find brides suited to their interests (food and clothing), but the youngest (a dreamer) finds only “a little green frog.” When the queen declares the son with the cleverest bride will become king after her, does the youngest stand a chance? (Of course he does.)

Author: Emma Chichester Clark
Illustrator: Laura Cecil

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The Pigeon series

Posted on June 14, 2014 | Comments Off on The Pigeon series

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Mo Willems is (still) brilliant and, oh, do we love his Pigeon, an opinionated, stubborn, ball of feathers and raging desire. In these books, the Pigeon wants, finds, begs, pleads, screams, coaxes, dreams, refuses, and (occasionally) moves on.

The boys love him (to the point where my youngest is thrilled whenever he sees a real pigeon) and this series is highly recommended.

Author: Mo Willems
Illustrator: Mo Willems

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The Bake Shop Ghost

Posted on June 11, 2014 | Comments Off on The Bake Shop Ghost

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Miss Cora Lee Marriweather
ran the best bake shop in
these parts–maybe even in the whole
state. The chocolate in her Mississippi
mud pie was darker than the devil’s
own heart. Her sponge cake was so light
the angels kept hoping it would float up
to heaven. No birthday was complete
without a Merriweather layer cake with
her special buttercream frosting.

It would be hard to find a sweeter ghost story than this one, although it does start out sadly. Miss Cora Lee’s baked goods get lots of attention, but she is basically ignored. After she dies (no one cries at her funeral until they realize her desserts are a thing of the past), her ghost refuses to leave her bake shop until a new baker can fulfill a very special request.

This book is very enjoyable to read aloud and the boys love hearing about (and dreaming of choosing from) the bake shop’s wares.  I especially like the gumption, persistence, and–ultimately–friendship of the two main characters.

Author: Jacqueline K. Ogburn
Illustrator: Marjorie Priceman

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The Magic School Bus series

Posted on June 5, 2014 | Comments Off on The Magic School Bus series

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Ms. Frizzle, who may be the coolest teacher ever, has a magic school bus which takes her (sometimes reluctant) class on incredible trips. They travel on the ocean floor; get lost in the solar system; have an electric field trip; explore in the time of the dinosaurs; and go inside the earth, a bee hive, a hurricane, the human body, and the waterworks. Yet they are always back before the end of the school day without anyone knowing of their adventures.

These books are well designed and fun to look at, are packed (packed!) with scientific information, and have fun stories too (with the exception of Lost in the Solar System, which has a truly annoying guest student as a major focus–I avoid that one whenever possible). I expect that, once the boys get older, they will enjoy reading all of the dialogue boxes and side notes that I usually skip in the interest of time. Their favorites are: Inside the Earth, Inside a Bee Hive, Inside a Hurricane, In the Time of the Dinosaurs, and At the Waterworks.

Author: Joanna Cole
Illustrator: Bruce Degen

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Peter and the Wolf

Posted on June 4, 2014 | Comments Off on Peter and the Wolf

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We enjoy looking at the beautiful pictures in this book and listening to its accompanying (fully orchestrated and narrated) CD. The wolf is delightfully scary, the (slightly edited) ending is happy, and hearing how instruments can create characters is fun (and educational). This is a perfect choice for when you are tired or have a sore throat.

Author: Janet Schulman from the work of Sergei Prokofiev
Illustrator: Peter Malone

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