This classic story is beautiful, disturbing, and hopeful. It is also, unsurprisingly, a great read aloud and not to be missed.
“But now,” says the Once-ler,
“Now that you’re here,
the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear.
UNLESS someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.
Author: Dr. Seuss
Illustrator: Dr. Seuss
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Dr. Seuss, fable, I read this as a kid, knitting, Machines, The Lorax
‘Round the mountains, high and steep.
Through the valleys, low and deep.
Into tunnels, underground.
See the darkness. Hear the sound.
Chugga-chugga choo-choo, echo calling,
Whoooooooo!
Whoooooooo!
Whoooooooo!
Whoooooooo!
This simple, rhythmic story of a special journey works best at bedtime and is perfect for little ones who are interested in trains. It is a real pleasure to read aloud.
Author: Kevin Lewis
Illustrator: Daniel Kirk
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Posted in Board Books
Tagged bedtime, Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo, Daniel Kirk, Diverse Books, Kevin Lewis, Machines, toys
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
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged All Aboard with Jeremy Rabbit, Animals, Doris Susan Smith, farm, food, garden, Machines, out of print, series, The Country Life of J.B. Rabbit
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
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged All Aboard with Jeremy Rabbit, Animals, beach, Doris Susan Smith, food, Machines, Need a House? Call Ms. Mouse!, out of print, series, The Elephant's Airplane and Other Machines, The Travels of J.B. Rabbit
The boys love choosing and discarding and comparing, so this book is absolutely perfect. It asks 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 this book, the more you realize is packed onto each page. The boys grab it often and spend tons of time with it, engrossed in thought or (even better) discussing their options together.
Author: Pippa Goodhart
Illustrator: Nick Sharratt
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Diverse Books, food, Machines, Nick Sharratt, out of print, Pippa Goodhart, series, You Choose!
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
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Eileen Christelow, Five Little Monkeys Storybook Treasury, food, Machines, series, songs
This book is a compilation of cozy, old-fashioned stories about a community of mice in England. (It really feels quite British, at least to this American.) There is lots of loving discussion of food and games and activities (the creation of a beautiful ice hall to have a Snow Ball in is a favorite). But the sweet stories may just be an excuse for the tremendously detailed, wonderful illustrations. The many cross section pictures (like the one above) are particular favorites.
Author: Jill Barklem
Illustrator: Jill Barklem
Comments Off on The Complete Brambly Hedge
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, birthday, England, food, Jill Barklem, Machines, out of print, series, The Complete Brambly Hedge
Clink’s an old and rusty robot who has watched countless robots be taken home to families while he stays on the shelf. No one seems interested in a robot who simultaneously makes (burned) toast and plays music. But is there a match out there for Clink?
This book is poignant, ultimately joyful, and beautifully illustrated. Both boys have agreed they would love to adopt Clink, burned toast and all.
Author: Kelly DiPucchio
Illustrator: Matthew Myers
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged clink, food, Kelly DiPucchio, Machines, Matthew Myers, science fiction, toys
This series is nothing if not predictable. A little white mouse says “That’s not my [robot/monster/train/etc.]” over and over, explaining why the item on each page is not the one he is looking for (usually based on their textures or colors). At the end of each book, the little mouse exclaims “That’s my [robot/monster/train, etc.]!” and then explains why. (For example, “Its antennae are so sparkly.”) These books were very popular through the toddler years–we had the robot, monster, and train versions and there were lots more at daycare. Strangely, the whole series is now out of print.
Author: Fiona Watt
Illustrator: Rachel Wells
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Posted in Board Books
Tagged Animals, Fiona Watt, Machines, out of print, Rachel Wells, series, That's Not My Monster, That's Not My Robot, That's Not My Train, Usborne Touchy-Feely
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
Comments Off on Henry Hikes to Fitchburg
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, D.B. Johnson, Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award, fable, Henry Hikes to Fitchburg, Machines, New York Times Best Illustrated Book, series, Thoreau, USA