A boy was collecting pinecones in
his wagon when he met a robot.
A boy and robot meet, bond, are temporarily confused by ill-timed power outages and sleep, then play happily ever after. This sweet book allows you to break out your best robot voice and is perfect for bedtime.
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Ame Dyckman, bedtime, Boy + Bot, Dan Yaccarino, Machines, science fiction
When I was a kid, Calvin and Hobbes was the highlight of the comics page. When this big box set came out in paperback a bit over two years ago, I pounced. Last year, I started reading it to my oldest before bed. Now he is devouring it without me (but he loves to show me the strips he thinks are the funniest, like the one above).
Author: Bill Watterson
Illustrator: Bill Watterson
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Posted in Comics
Tagged Animals, bedtime, Bill Watterson, I read this as a kid, school, science fiction, series, The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, toys
This series, about a slightly-diabolical genius whose science skills far outpace her social skills, has been making the boys HOWL with laughter. In a very happy coincidence, the poem generator above was part of tonight’s bedtime reading. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Author: Jim Benton
Illustrator: Jim Benton
Comments Off on Franny K. Stein: Mad Scientist series
Posted in Chapter Books
Tagged Animals, bedtime, Diverse Books, food, Franny K. Stein: Mad Scientist, Jim Benton, Machines, school, science, science fiction, series, toys, Valentine's Day
The Iron Giant came to the top of the cliff.
How far had he walked? Nobody knows. Where had he come
from? Nobody knows. How was he made? Nobody knows.
Taller than a house, the Iron Giant stood at the top of the
cliff, on the very brink, in the darkness.
The wind sang through his iron fingers. His great iron head,
shaped like a dustbin but as big as a bedroom, slowly turned
to the right, slowly turned to the left. His iron ears turned, this
way, that way. He was hearing the sea.
His eyes, like headlamps, glowed white, then red, then
infra-red, searching the sea. Never before had the Iron Giant
seen the sea.
He swayed in the strong wind that pressed against his back.
He swayed forward, on the brink of the high cliff.
And his right foot, his enormous iron right foot, lifted – up,
out, into space, and the Iron Giant stepped forward, off the
cliff, into nothingness.
CRRRAAAASSSSSSH!
Down the cliff
the Iron Giant
came toppling,
head over heels.
CRASH!
CRASH!
CRASH!
I’m not sure how I missed this book for so long. It came out over forty years ago, but I had never heard of it before the (quite good, very different from the book) movie came out in 1999 and never read it until this week. This is one of the first times I’ve read a book with my oldest that I was really reading along with him–a book that I had never read before. Luckily, we’re in complete agreement–it is great–especially for reading aloud.
Perhaps it is a good thing I waited so long; the 2010 design and illustrations by Laura Carlin are captivating. I’m not particularly found of her illustrations of people, but they are completely overshadowed (in a good way) by her thoughtful spacing of the text, her portrayal of the Iron Giant, and her introduction of the space-bat-angel-dragon.
This book has been called both a tall tale and a fairy tale. Although neither label is wrong, they are a bit surprising; I would call The Iron Giant an excellent introduction to science fiction.
Author: Ted Hughes
Illustrator: Laura Carlin
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Posted in Chapter Books
Tagged Australia, fairy tale, Laura Carlin, Machines, science fiction, Tall Tale, Ted Hughes, The Iron Giant
As we’ve discussed before, David Wisener’s work is nearly wordless and always carefully-plotted, mixing the familiar with the very strange. (Although it is very different, it reminds me of Shaun Tan’s excellent, wordless, graphic novel, The Arrival–which I look forward to introducing the boys to when they are bit older.)
Flotsam is the tale of an underwater camera that washes up on a beach with some very unusual pictures waiting to be developed. Among its other virtues, it is the perfect bedtime book for when you’ve lost your voice to a summer cold (assuming you’ve already explained the concept of “film” that needs to be developed during previous readings).
Author: David Wiesner
Illustrator: David Wiesner
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged aliens, Animals, beach, bedtime, Caldecott Medal, David Wiesner, Flotsam, Machines, New York Times Best Illustrated Book, science fiction, Shaun Tan, The Arrival, Tuesday
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
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Posted in Non-fiction, Picture Books
Tagged A Reading Rainbow Selection, At the Waterworks, beach, Bruce Degen, In The Time of the Dinosaurs, Inside a Beehive, Inside a Hurricane, Inside the Earth, Inside the Human Body, Joanna Cole, Lost in the Solar System, Magic School Bus, On the Ocean Floor, school, science, science fiction, series, The Electric Field Trip
Hush, little alien,
don’t say a word,
Papa’s gonna catch
you a goonie bird.
If that goonie bird flies too far,
Papa’s gonna lasso you a shooting star.
If that shooting star’s too hot,
Papa’s gonna
find you an astronaut!
When my oldest was two, he started singing this song. I thought he was making it up as he went along and was absolutely amazed. Finally I caught on that he had heard it at school, started searching, and found the song has come from this really fun variation on “Hush, Little Baby.” (Of course, I still think my boy hung the moon.)
Caveat: The astronaut Papa finds fights back (with his fist), so the aliens move on to something else. I always just shook my fist, added the line “Put me down, please!” and moved right along, but if you are concerned about any kind of physical confrontation, you may want to skip this one.
Author: Daniel Kirk
Illustrator: Daniel Kirk
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Posted in Board Books
Tagged aliens, astronauts, bedtime, Daniel Kirk, Hush Little Alien, out of print, science fiction, songs
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
A perfect tall tale of daring and dairy. This book may (almost literally) have everything. Among other things, there are aliens, dads, dinosaurs, flying saucers, hot air balloons, pirates, ponies, piranhas, space time paradoxes, time machines, vampires, volcanoes, and (fortunately) the milk. An effortless read aloud and an absolute hoot.
Author: Neil Gaiman
Illustrator: Skottie Young
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Posted in Chapter Books
Tagged aliens, Animals, Fortunately the Milk, Machines, Neil Gaiman, pirates, science fiction, Skottie Young, space time paradoxes, Tall Tale, vampires, volcanoes
Jack, from the backseat, said to his dad,
This car is OK. This car is not bad.
But it’s just a car. Nothing great. Nothing grand.
It’s nothing at all like the car I have planned.
This may be the perfect picture book. The rhymes, cadence, and illustrations are irresistible (not for nothing did this book win the E.B. White Read Aloud Award). Also, we all really, REALLY want Jack’s car. (An instant snack bar? A pool? An impeccable safety record? A built-in robot chauffeur? The ability to sail, submerge, and fly? SIGN US UP.) This is the first book my oldest learned by heart; it is simply addictive.
Author: Chris Van Dusen
Illustrator: Chris Van Dusen
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Chris Van Dusen, E.B. White Read Aloud Award, If I Built a Car, Machines, mystery reader books, science fiction, series