Tag Archives: series

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

Boynton Albums

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Once you get hooked on Sandra Boynton books, a great surprise awaits. Boynton moonlights as a lyricist, and has gotten her work recorded in albums by some really unexpected artists. These books all come with illustrations, lyrics, sheet music, and…the real draw… CDs that have become some of our very favorites. Philadelphia Chickens is done in a musical-revue style. Dog Train‘s style is rock and roll. Blue Moo follows a 1950s-jukebox style. Below are some of our favorite artists and songs from each album.

Philadelphia Chickens: The Bacon Brothers (title track), John Stey (Fifteen Animals), and Adam Bryant (Pajama Time).
Dog Train: Blues Traveler (title track), Billy J. Kramer (Cow Planet), The Bacon Brothers and Mickey Hart (Pots and Pans), and The Phenomenauts (Don’t Give Me that Broccoli).
Blue Moo: Brian Wilson (Speed Turtle), Christopher Kale Jones (Singing in the Shower), Davy Jones (Your Personal Penguin), and The Uninvited Loud Precision Band (The Uninvited Parade).

Author: Sandra Boynton
Illustrator: Sandra Boynton


 

The Berenstain Bears’ Moving Day

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The Bear family didn’t always live in the
big tree house down a sunny dirt road
deep in Bear Country.

Years ago, when Brother Bear was an only
cub, they lived in a hillside cave halfway
up Great Bear Mountain at the far edge of
Bear Country.

And years ago, when I was an only child and the age my youngest is now, my parents gave me this book because we were moving. It must have helped. I came back to it many times over the years and now it is one of my youngest’s most requested bedtime stories.

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

Gossie

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A gosling’s beloved bright red boots turn up missing (literally) one day.  This sweet book has a lot of character and a very satisfying ending. It would make a great last-minute addition to an Easter basket, especially if your toddler has had enough of bunnies.

Author:  Olivier Dunrea
Illustrator:  Olivier Dunrea

The Country Life of J.B. Rabbit

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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

All Aboard with Jeremy Rabbit

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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

Elephant & Piggie series

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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

Bread and Jam for Frances

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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

You Choose! Series

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The boys love choosing and discarding and comparing, so this series of books (which also includes a more fantasy-geared one called Just Imagine) is absolutely perfect.  They ask question after question (for example: If you could go anywhere, where would you go?  Who would you like for family and friends?  What kind of home would you choose?  And what would you put in it?).  The more you look at these books, the more you realize is packed onto each page. The boys grab them often and spend tons of time with them, engrossed in thought or (even better) discussing their options together.

Author: Pippa Goodhart
Illustrator: Nick Sharratt

Five Little Monkeys Storybook Treasury

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We love four out of five of the stories in this book, with their charming pictures and constant refrains:  Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”), Five Little Monkeys with Nothing to Do (“There’s nothing do!”  “Oh yes there is,” says Mama), Five Little Monkeys Bake a Birthday Cake (“Sh-h-h!  Don’t wake up Mama!”), and Five Little Monkeys Wash the Car (“I KNOW!” says one little monkey.  “I KNOW!”).  I don’t like Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree as much as the rest, but the boys like it fine.  As an added bonus, this treasury comes with drawing tips for making your own monkeys and lots of stickers.

If you want to give a really popular birthday present, pair this book with the Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed Game.  The game itself isn’t really that exciting.  But it doesn’t need to be; it includes a big plastic “bed” with a spring mechanism inside and lots of monkeys to put on top.  Push a button on the bed and every so often the spring releases and monkeys go flying.

Author:  Eileen Christelow
Illustrator:  Eileen Christelow