All the birds inside this book
Are very strange and rare.
And if you travel to the zoo
You will not find them there.
Don’t look for them in nature books,
In parks or pet shop cages.
The Drippet, Piffle and the rest
Live only on these pages.
The names and descriptions of these “rare birds” are mildly amusing; their portraits are playful and beautiful. This is an especially wonderful book for pre-readers.
Author: Arnold Lobel
Illustrator: Arnold Lobel
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Arnold Lobel, out of print, The Ice-Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds
“Mom,” said David, “when will it snow?”
“I think soon,” said Mom. “Why don’t you help make
cookies while you wait.”
Everything that David does makes him think of snow. Is it coming yet? And when it does come, will it be Big Snow?
We wait and watch with David as his day progresses and the storm rolls in. We see the skyline of his overcast neighborhood slowly disappear into ever growing clouds and snow (the boys really like this part), we watch the roads get covered and uncovered. We watch the light outside disappearing and homes’ lights appear (including his neighbor’s menorah). We watch (the very capable, if somewhat distractible) David help his Mom with an impressive number of getting-ready-for-holiday-guests chores. When naptime comes, we watch David’s dream of Big Snow come a bit too true (I’m amused by how his mom keeps right cleaning throughout) and the book ends as he wakes up to play with outside with his family.
The further away from snow we get, the more popular this book becomes.
Author: Jonathan Bean
Illustrator: Jonathan Bean
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Big Snow, Christmas, Diverse Books, food, Hanukkah, Jonathan Bean
One dark, dark night in Burrow Down,
a rabbit named Eliza Brown
found a book and settled down…
when a Snatchabook
flew into town.
In this cozy mystery story, books begin to disappear from the town of Burrow Down. As the title foreshadows, the culprit is a Snatchabook (a small, cute critter who is desperate to hear a story). This is a quick, rhyming read with a happy ending. It is perfect for bedtime and is very frequently requested. (As a bonus, there is a great discussion of how the illustrations were created here.)
Author: Helen Docherty
Illustrator: Thomas Docherty
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, bedtime, Helen Docherty, mystery, The Snatchabook, Thomas Docherty
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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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged bedtime, Eliza Wheeler, fable, garden, Miss Maple's Seeds
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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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Ball, bedtime, Mary Sullivan, Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book, toys
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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Posted in Non-fiction, Picture Books
Tagged Brian Selznick, Eric Velasquez, Harry Houdini, Houdini: World's Greatest Mystery Man and Escape King, immigration, Kathleen Krull, The Houdini Box, USA
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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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Machines, school, science, Steve Breen, Violet the Pilot
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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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Caldecott Medal, fairy tale, frozen, garden, Grimm Brothers, Paul O. Zelinsky, Rapunzel, translated
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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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Emma Chichester Clark, fairy tale, food, Grimm Brothers, knitting, Laura Cecil, out of print, The Frog Princess, translated
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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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Caldecott Honor, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, food, Machines, Mo Willems, series, The Duckling Gets a Cookie?!, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, The Pigeon Needs a Bath!, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!