"You Wouldn't Want to......." A wonderful Non-Fiction Series

I love this series of non-fiction books focusing on historical events and people.  My son, age 6, in particular loves this series. While the text is advanced he loves the illustrations and the fun (and sometimes disgusting) facts he learns!  What makes these book so wonderful is the vibrant comic illustrations, that will draw even the most reluctant reader, and the depth of information found in each book. The subject matter covered in this series ranges from the middle ages, to American colonist, to World War II, to being a skyscraper builder. The most recent historical topic I found was You Wouldn't want to be on Apollo 13! Here are a few of our favorites from the series:

You Wouldn't Want to be A Roman Gladiator!: Gory Things You'd Rather Not Know by John Maham, Illustrated by David Antram

You Wouldn't Want to Live in Pompeii!: A Volcanic Eruption You'd Rather Avoid by John Maham, Illustrated by David Antram

You Wouldn't Want to be Polar Explorer!: An Expedition You'd Rather Not Go On by Jon Green, Illustrated by David Antram

You Wouldn't Want to be a Samuari!: A Deadly Career You'd Rather Not Pursue by Fiona MacDonald, illustrated by David Antram

Five Fantastic Books About Pigs

Pigs are funny animals and kids love them.  Unlike foxes that are sly and owls that are wise, pigs are most often silly, which makes them wonderful characters for children's books. The pigs in these stories are silly, but also occasionally clever.  You can't judge a pig by his sterotype! Here are five wonderfully silly and fantastical tales about pigs.

Me First by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger -- Popppington always has to be first.  First in line, first for lunch, first on the bus.  One day, on a pig scout outing he meets his match in the Sandwich who shows him that first is not always best.  A fun book by one of my favorite author/illustrator teams.

Pigs by Robert Munsch -- Told in Munsch's usual frantic style this story of pigs in the pigpen will delight children. A daughter doesn't believe her father when he tells her that pigs are smart, but soon learns her lesson.






Pigsty by Mark Teague -- A young boy with a very messy room welcomes his first few pig visitors, but soon he realizes pigs in his room are not all fun and games.

Piggie Pie! by Margi Palatini, Illustrated by Howard Fine --A hungry witch decides that piggie pie would be the perfect thing for dinner.  Can the creative and cunning pigs in the barnyard outsmart the witch and save their skins?






Piggies by Audrey and Don Wood -- A wonderful creative twist on "This Little Piggie."  With detailed and vibrant illustrations by Don Wood the classic fingerplay takes on a whole new life.  Each finger is given its own personality and as the setting changes on each page these personalities come alive. Audrey and Don Wood have collaborated on several other wonderful books including The Napping House and Hackedy Peg.

Four Funny Books About Underwear

'Cause who doesn't love a book about underwear? Not high literature, but lots of fun, young children will laugh out loud at these silly stories. Please be sure to establish underwear sharing guidelines before you start reading!

Underwear by Mary Elise Monsell, illustrated by Lynn Musinger -- all the animals love underwear, except for the grouchy buffalo.  Everyone enjoys picking out their new underwear at the underwear fair, except the buffalo.  Everyone can't say the word "underwear" without laughing, except buffalo.  The animals are determined to change his mind and make him laugh.  Kids will laugh right along with this silly story.

Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort -- Vibrant, comical illustrations set the tone for this whimsical book.  Aliens come to earth, not to meet earthlings, but to steal their underpants!  Set in rhyme the aliens show us why underpants are so much fun.

Charlie's Superhero Underpants by Paul Bright and Lee Wildish -- Charlie loves his new Superhero Underpants, but one day while they are hanging out to dry they blow away!  Charlie sets off an expedition across the world to find them. When he finally does he is able to trade his woolen hat for the one item that means so much to him.

What Color is your Underwear by Sam Lloyd -- This lift-the-flap book presents each animals with the question "What color is your underwear?" Each animals shows their silly underwear until the surprising ending!

Inspirational Biographies of African American Women

Three of my favorite inspirational biographies about African-American women.  All of these biographies feature strong women who overcame huge obstacles and did amazing things.  Biographies are one of my favorite genres to read, they allow the reader to become immersed in another persons life, very different than their own, and share in their journey.

Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rodolph Became the World's Fastest Woman by Kathleen Krull, Illustrated by David Diaz

A truly inspiring story about the will to overcome lifes challenges. Wilma was often sick as a child and at five contracted polio.  Wilma's legs were affected by the illness and doctors thought she would never walk properly again. Wilma's determination live the life she wanted pushed her to strengthen her legs and she soon no longer needed her leg braces. Wilma became a star athlete excelling at running and in high school played many different sports. She was offered a track-and-field scholarship to Tennessee State University then went on to compete in the summer Olympics of 1960.  She amazed everyone by winning the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and 400-meter relay. This once sickly child had become the first American women to win three gold medals in a single Olympic games!  This book has unique illustrations using a combination of lovely watercolors with photographs as backgrounds.

When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan, pictures by Brian Selznick

Marian Anderson's inspirational story tells of a young girl with an amazing talent and how she overcame racial prejudice to share her gift with the world. Ryan and Selznick beautifully show Marians's confusion when, as a young girl, she is not allowed entrance into a music school due to her race. By 1927 Marian was a successful singer worldwide and was welcomed everywhere....except the United States.  In 1939 Howard University booked a concert with Marian and looked for a place to hold the large crowd she was expected to attract.  They tried to book the 4000 seat Constitution Hall--but were told they had a white performers only policy.  Fans wrote angry letters to the newspapers and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the board of Constitution Hall in protest.  At Eleanor's urging President Roosevelt agreed to let Marian perform in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. On the day of the performance 75, 000 people, of all races, showed up to hear Marian sing.  I love this book for its wonderful muted illustrations and beautiful story.

Minty: A Story of Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder, Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

This book tells the story of young Harriet Tubman before she escapes to freedom. While some of the exact details of the book are fictionalized, they are based on fact.  Harriet was a 'difficult' slave who was often mistreated and abused by her masters. This book does not shy away from the difficult demeaning life that slaves endured.  The author and illustrator depict the realities of the day to day life of a slave, but also show Harriet's determination to escape to the freedom she deserves. It is easy to imagine the girl that Harriet once was, knowing the determined, brave, spirited woman she became.  Renowned illustrator Jerry Pinkney, has created detailed period accurate illustrations that add wonderfully to the story.

The Poetry of Jack Prelutsky

Jack Prelutsky is one of my families favorite poets.  Humorous and irreverent Prelusky's poems appeal to kids of all ages.

His poems can be laugh out loud funny and spooky too. Some are realistic, some fantasy and some the pure nonsense that kids love.  These collections are best shared read aloud and enjoyed together.




Prelutsky was selected the first Children's Poet Laurete in 2006 and has published numerous poetry collections. Prelutsky, who is also a musician and singer, brought his anthology A Pizza the Size of the Sun to life with joyful renditions of the poems in the audio edition of this book.  The Dragons are Singing Tonight is a wonderful collection of poems dedicated to dragons. The poems are funny, sad, haunting, and silly. Beautiful watercolor illustrations accompany each poem.


Here's a poem to memorize from I've Lost my Hippopatamus: "A centipede was thirsty, But to satisfy its need, It drank too much for it to hold --, And so the centipede."







In Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant Prelutsky combines an animal and an object and creates something totally new. Whimsical and inventive kids will love the ideas presented in this collection and will enjoy coming up with new ideas on their own. An elephant and an umbrella -- an Umbrellaphant!



For more information on Prelutsky and to view his numerous poetry collections check out his website at: http://www.jackprelutsky.com

Classic Folk and Fairy Tales by Paul Galdone

Acclaimed author/ illustrator Paul Galdone published over 100 books for children during his lifetime. He is particularly well-known for his many adaptions of classic folk and fairy tales. His vivid illustrations bring classics to life and are filled with humor and quirky details. There are too many to list, but here are a few of my favorites:

Three Little Kittens

The Little Red Hen

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Hans in Luck

The Three Bears

Thidwick: The Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Suess

A lesser known Dr. Suess story my whole family enjoys!  Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose, happily lets several animal guests live in his horns.  His grouchy guests are most ungracious and soon Thidwick is afraid they will be the death of him.  A happy event, that happens each year, saves Thidwick and gives the guests their comeuppance. A fun read aloud for the whole family to celebrate Dr. Suess' birthday!