Tag Archives: USA

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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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 Art Lesson

Posted on May 24, 2014 | Comments Off on The Art Lesson

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Tommy knew he wanted to be an artist when he grew up.
He drew pictures everywhere he went. It was his favorite thing to do.

His friends had favorite things to do, too. Jack collected all kinds
of turtles. Herbie made huge cities in his sandbox. Jeannie,
Tommy’s best friend, could do cartwheels and stand on her head.

But Tommy drew and drew and drew.

This book is a great portriat of a young artist (“Tommy” is Tomie de Paola himself) and a very different time. The boys really enjoy this book. Highlights are Tommy’s joy in the sixty-four colors found in a large Crayola box (they agree that gold, silver, and copper crayons are especially exciting) and they are always amazed that each first grader in Tommy’s is given one (and only one!) precious piece of paper for art class.

In the final page of this book, a grown-up Tommy is sitting in his studio. Pictures from some of his most famous books (many of which the boys recognize) are on the wall. Tommy drew and drew and drew…

And he still does.

Author: Tomie de Paola
Illustrator: Tomie de Paola


 

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Charlotte’s Web

Posted on April 6, 2014 | Comments Off on Charlotte’s Web

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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

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Posted in Chapter Books

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Chelsea Morning

Posted on February 6, 2014 | Comments Off on Chelsea Morning

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This is the perfect bedtime story for when your voice is giving out (which makes it very helpful to have in reserve this time of year).  Pop in the enclosed CD, let Joni Mitchell provide the vocals, and enjoy the utterly fanciful art (the picture above is my oldest’s favorite).

Author:  Joni Mitchell
Illustrator:  Brian Froud

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Henry Hikes to Fitchburg

Posted on January 31, 2014 | Comments Off on Henry Hikes to Fitchburg

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One summer day, Henry and
his friend decided to go to
Fitchburg to see the country.
“I’ll walk,” said Henry.
“It’s the fastest way to travel.”
“I’ll work,” Henry’s friend
said, “until I have the money
to buy a ticket to ride the
train to Flitchburg. We’ll see
who gets there first!”

Based on a passage from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, this book focuses on how there are many ways to reach the same destination.  Some of them are more conventional.  Some of them are quicker.  Some of them are more fun.  And all of them take effort, of one sort or another.

Being thoughtful about the kind of effort is best suited to a particular task, rather than just hopping into the first thing that comes to mind is a good message for anyone.  The boys like the racing aspect of the book, they like counting the money and the miles accumulated by the two bears, and they are always a bit surprised that the “winner” is ambiguous.

While we really enjoy this book, we’ve tried out a few other in this series (Henry Builds a Cabin and Henry’s Night) that did not connect with the boys.  Your mileage may vary.

Author: D.B. Johnson
Illustrator: D.B. Johnson

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Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

Posted on January 12, 2014 | Comments Off on Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

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This book was our introduction to Mo Willems, a man who probably needs no introduction if you’ve had kids in the ten years or so.  (If you haven’t, the quick version is he is brilliant.)  Like his other books, Knuffle Bunny has a straightforward story:  a favorite toy is left behind in a laundromat, communication issues ensue between a (barely) pre-verbal toddler and her father, and a happy ending is ultimately achieved.  Like his other books, the art is cartoonish.  And, like his other books, it absolutely connects with kids.  This is an especially fun story for reading aloud–lots of voices and sounds and the kids love to hear how Knuffle Bunny is beloved, lost, and found and how the heroine finds her words.

Author: Mo Willems
Illustrator: Mo Willems

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The Ballad of Valentine

Posted on January 6, 2014 | Comments Off on The Ballad of Valentine

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Happily, it is Clementine season.  We love those sweet, juicy balls of Spanish citrus, and it is hard to eat them without humming a bit of “oh my darling, oh my darling…”  Which, strangely enough, leads us to this book.  Using the tune from the famous western folk ballad, this story is told from the viewpoint of a hapless would-be suitor who keeps trying (and trying) and failing to send a romantic message to his darling, Valentine (who is concurrently working on a, much more successful, surprise of her own).  The word play is clever, the scenarios delightfully ridiculous, and it offers the opportunity for lots of dramatic interpretation (singing is optional, but lots of fun).

Author:  Alison Jackson
Illustrator:  Tricia Tusa

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How My Parents Learned to Eat

Posted on December 29, 2013 | Comments Off on How My Parents Learned to Eat

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In our house, some days we eat with chopsticks
and some days we eat with knives and forks.
For me, it’s natural.

Perfect for any kind of mixed family (and most families are mixed, in one way or another), this book shows how flexibility, willingness to learn, and a sense of humor can allow people from very different backgrounds to come together and create a new family.  Well, that is what I notice.  The boys just agree that “[i]t’s hard to be happy if you’re hungry” and that it is funny to watch adults learn (with a lot of trial and error) how to eat.

Author:  Ina R. Friedman
Illustrator:  Allen Say

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Storm Boy

Posted on December 23, 2013 | Comments Off on Storm Boy

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A chief’s son
went fishing
alone,
and a terrible storm arose.

Deliberately patterned on universal archetypes and Northwest Coast Native motifs, this story contains many unexpected elements for both its hero and its readers.  The boys are fascinated by this one, and I suspect the unusual, almost frightening, images play a major role.  Recommended for slightly older children, especially those who enjoy tales of the sea.

Author:  Paul Owen Lewis
Illustrator:  Paul Owen Lewis

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