Where and what can a home be? Some of Ms. Ellis’ answers are conventional (for example, a nest), others are pure fantasy (see the picture above). Her drawings are deceptively-simple and peaceful–perfect for before bed. But what gives the boys the most pleasure is that every double-page spread in this book contains a dove. Sometimes the dove is easy to spot. Sometimes it is very well hidden. The boys always love finding it.
Author: Carson Ellis
Illustrator: Carson Ellis
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Architecture, bedtime, Carson Ellis, city, Diverse Books, fairy tale, France, Home, Japan, Kenya, Mythology, Norse, Russia, Slovakia, USA
This book purports to be written by a pigeon. And it is about architecture. (Let us accept from the beginning that it is deeply odd.) It is also jam packed with real information; while my oldest has read most (all?) of it, I have not read very much of it aloud. Instead, I’ve focused on the names of the buildings (human and pigeon) and the eye-catching pictures, which had the unexpected result of my youngest (already a huge pigeon fan) becoming sure he spoke fluent pigeon. About six months ago, he frequently approached pigeons asking them excitedly if the were going to see the Great Worm (also known as the Great Wall of China) and was very disappointed when they flew away without responding.
Author: Speck Lee Tailfeather (aided by Stella “Pigeon Whisperer” Gurney)
Illustrator: Natsko Seki
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Posted in Non-fiction, Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Architecture, Architecture According to Pigeons, Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, England, France, History, India, Italy, Japan, Mo Willems, Natsko Seki, Speck Lee Tailfeather, Stella Gurney, USA
Famous sumo wrestler Forever-Mountain thinks very highly of himself. But when he plays a joke on a young woman she (literally) drags him home to her mother (who carries around their pet cow around to spare its delicate feet) and grandmother (who pulls oak trees out of the ground if she trips over their roots) and the three of them offer to make a truly strong man out of him. When he agrees:
Every day he was made to do the work of five men, and every
evening he wrestled with Grandmother. Maru-me and her mother agreed
that Grandmother, being old and feeble, was the least likely to
injure him accidentally. They hoped the exercise might be good for
her rheumatism.
We love this book. It is unexpected, funny, and satisfying from start to finish.
Author: Claus Stamm
Illustrator: Jean and Mou-sien Tseng
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged city, Claus Stamm, Diverse Books, farm, Japan, Jean and Mou-sien Tseng, out of print, Tall Tale, Three Strong Women: A Tall Tale from Japan
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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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged A Reading Rainbow Selection, Allen Say, Diverse Books, food, How My Parents Learned to Eat, Ina R. Friedman, Japan, USA