Tag Archives: Animals

The Chocolate Cat

Posted on December 1, 2013 | Comments Off on The Chocolate Cat

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Who can resist a chocolate cat?  Not us.  This sumptuous book begins by introducing a chocolate maker who lives in a “drab little place,” has nearly no friends (or customers), and has forgotten how to smile.  His only companion, a chocolate-colored cat, is rather lazy and grumpy.  But then–

One day, for no particular reason, the chocolate maker made something different.  Suddenly, there were chocolate mice with crunchy pink-sugar tails everywhere.

And everything begins to change.  This book inspires rapt attention and much wide-eyed dreaming as we watch an inspired cat transform an entire town.

Author:  Sue Stainton
Illustrator:  Anne Mortimer

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The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature

Posted on November 28, 2013 | Comments Off on The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature

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This book combines two of my not-so-favorite things (non-fiction kids books and the Berenstain bears) to make something that is actually… good.  Quite good.  A nearly 200-page monster that contains three books from the 1970s–The Berenstain Bears’ Almanac, The Berenstain Bears’ Nature Guide, and The Berenstain Bears’ Science Fair—The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature is informative, funny, and truly interesting for everyone.  Which makes me quite thankful.  Happy American Thanksgiving!

Author:  Stan & Jan Berenstain
Illustrator:  Stan & Jan Berenstain

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Posted in Non-fiction, Picture Books

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George Shrinks

Posted on November 26, 2013 | Comments Off on George Shrinks

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One day, while his mother and father were out, George dreamt he was small, and when he woke up he found it was true.

This opening sentence essentially is the entire plot–the book’s appeal comes from the way George calmly but joyfully proceeds to fulfill his absent parents’ rather large to-do list under these unusual circumstances.  George Shrinks works especially well for very young pre-readers, so the board book version is ideal–I particularly recommend the lap-sized version, if you can find it.

Author:  William Joyce
Illustrator:  William Joyce

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Posted in Board Books

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Mrs. Armitage and the Big Wave

Posted on November 24, 2013 | Comments Off on Mrs. Armitage and the Big Wave

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I’ve always associated Quentin Blake with his illustrations for Roald Dahl’s books, but Blake has both written and illustrated over thirty books of his own.  In his three-book Armitage series, a quirky character reacts to seemingly mundane situations in increasingly unusual ways.

In the Big Wave, the second Armitage book, the title character triumphantly turns a simple surfboard into something more akin to a flotilla, based on repeated discoveries of “what we need here” while waiting for the Big Wave with her faithful dog.  In the other Armitage books, Mrs. Armitage seems a bit scattered and disaster prone.  But the Big Wave shows Mrs. Armitage at her most creative, competent, and engaging.  (Mrs. Armitage, Queen of the Road is also popular in our house; Mrs. Armitage on Wheels is not.)

Author:  Quentin Blake
Illustrator:  Quentin Blake

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First Discovery Books series

Posted on November 15, 2013 | Comments Off on First Discovery Books series

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I began hunting down these books well before the boys were born.  I stumbled on one (Fruit?  Colors?  I really don’t remember) and completely fell for their simple yet brilliant design–regular page, transparent page, regular page.  For example, in The Rain Forest when you first open the book you see only lush, green plants.  Turn the transparent page and suddenly the animals and birds that have been hiding behind the plants burst into view.

The boys really enjoy non-fiction books and I gravitate to fiction, so these have been a great way to balance the scales a bit.  They are great for nap time and for paging through alone because their spiral bindings and very strong pages mean they are about as durable as board books.  Plus, their constant surprises help non-readers fully engage in what is going on.  We currently have (gulp) at least 35 books in the series  (I can’t be certain I found all of them for the photo shoot) yet I still pick up more whenever I can.  Many of the books in the series are out of print in English, but they are fairly easy to find online.  Both my boys consistently prefer the Airplanes and Flying Machines  and Castles books above all the others, although Boats has been a recent favorite. 

Author: varies
Illustrator:  varies

 

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Posted in Non-fiction, Picture Books

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Panda Cake

Posted on November 14, 2013 | Comments Off on Panda Cake

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A panda cake, a panda cake,
Mama is making a panda cake.

Panda Cake is, as far as I can tell, is Rosalie Seidler’s only book.  (I hope I’m wrong and will discover another one someday.)  It is quietly lovely, gently humorous, and makes me wish that I could somehow bake “that wonderful cake/That only a panda knows how to make” with my boys.  Some combination of the lilting cadence, soft black-and-white pictures (perfect for pandas!), and gentle message always draws us  in.  Great for before bed, or any time at all.

Author:  Rosalie Seidler
Illustrator:  Rosalie Seidler

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The Maggie B.

Posted on November 12, 2013 | Comments Off on The Maggie B.

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An easy way for me to get a “yay” from the boys is to pick out The Maggie B. as their bedtime story.  A little girl begins the book by wishing on a star:

North Star, star of the sea,
I wish for a ship
Named after me,
To sail for a day
Alone and free,
With someone nice
For company.

When she wakes up, she finds that she is “in the cabin of her own ship” and spends the day joyfully taking care of the ship and her “dear baby” brother (the nice company).  This book is always a favorite.  Both the words and the pictures are scrumptious and story is a perfect mix of the fantastic and the matter-of-fact.  (My youngest also enjoys the counting rhyme that ends with a nibbled little finger.)  I was lucky to find this book through raves on other sites (one look at the pictures and I was hooked) where the word that came up over and over to describe it was “cozy.”  I completely agree; we love ending the night snuggled up with The Maggie B.

Author:  Irene Haas
Illustrator:  Irene Haas

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Mr. Putter & Tabby series

Posted on November 11, 2013 | Comments Off on Mr. Putter & Tabby series

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The first Mr. Putter & Tabby book I picked up was Mr. Putter & Tabby Pick the Pears.  I loved it.  The relationships between Mr. Putter, his fine cat Tabby, their outgoing neighbor Ms. Teaberry, and her good dog Zeke are the heart of the series and the the soft, bittersweet tone and pictures grabbed me immediately.  Much to my delight, my boys loved it too.  So we’ve slowly been adding to our Mr. Putter & Tabby collection.  Like any series, we’ve connected with some of the books more than others.  But we’ve read most of the following over and over again (sometimes we’ll read the whole book at a go, other times we’ll read a chapter before bed for several nights running).  We also have several others in the series on our wishlist for “someday.”  Here is our current collection in the order the books were published:

  • 1994 Mr. Putter & Tabby Pour the Tea (a great place to begin–the origin story of Mr. Putter and Tabby’s friendship)
  • 1994 Mr. Putter & Tabby Walk the Dog (introduces Ms. Teaberry and her chaos-causing dog Zeke–the boys love Zeke)
  • 1994 Mr. Putter & Tabby Bake the Cake (a nice Christmas story that we just take out for a short time each year)
  • 1995 Mr. Putter & Tabby Pick the Pears (as mentioned above, my personal favorite)
  • 1997 Mr. Putter & Tabby Fly the Plane (a particularly bittersweet entry)
  • 1997 Mr. Putter & Tabby Row the Boat (great for a hot day)
  • 2000 Mr. Putter & Tabby Paint the Porch (the illustrations here are priceless)
  • 2001 Mr. Putter & Tabby Feed the Fish (Tabby’s “fish problem” is presented with both sympathy and humor)
  • 2003 Mr. Putter & Tabby Stir the Soup (Zeke gets lots of giggles here)
  • 2008 Mr. Putter & Tabby Run the Race (the boys are in complete agreement with Mr. Putter’s motivation for running the race–a second-place prize of a model train set)

Author:  Cynthia Rylant
Illustrator:  Arthur Howard

 

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Posted in Early Readers

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The Elephant’s Airplane and Other Machines

Posted on November 10, 2013 | Comments Off on The Elephant’s Airplane and Other Machines

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For years I’ve heard about the beloved Need a House?  Call Ms. Mouse! but I’ve never been able to find a copy that wasn’t selling for hundreds of dollars.  (I’m still looking, if anyone has a hot lead!)  But I’m very grateful to Ms. Mouse; she led me to my oldest son’s very favorite book:  The Elephant’s Airplane and Other Machines.  Doris Susan Smith illustrated both books and her work is amazingly intricate and creative.  The story (translated from the original French) is really mostly an excuse for the illustrations; animals come from far and wide to Raccoon, Maker of Fine Machines, to order the custom-built machines of their dreams.  My son’s favorites include an underwater speed boat for The Deep Diving Platypus and a traveling home for Rabbit the Explorer.  Personally, I’m particularly fond of the heated snowmobile for A Most Unusual Lizard.  Though it is out of print, this book is easy to find and is absolutely worth the effort.

Author:  Anne-Marie Dalmais
Illustrator:  Doris Susan Smith

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