Christmas Favorites

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry-- Mr. Willowby sets up his perfect tree only to find that it doesn't quite fit in his living room. As he snips off the top it is passed on to another who will enjoy it, then snipped again and passed on again.  Eventually Mistletoe Mouse ends up with his very own perfect Christmas tree. A fun book with charming illustrations and fun rhyming text.







Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini, Illustrated by Henry Cole -- Mr. Moose is a great Christmas enthusiast getting everything ready and check, check, checking off his list.  But, when Christmas arrives he realizes he has forgotten one very important thing!  A fun read aloud with lot lots of repetition and a cute ending.

McDuff's New Friend by Rosemary Wells and Susan Jeffers -- McDuff is ready for Christmas and waiting for Santa.  When he hears bumps in the night he wakes Lucy and Fred--but nothing is there. Soon a discovery is made and Christmas is saved by McDuff.  A sweet book, that I love for the 1940's inspired illustrations.  Check out the other non Christmas books in the McDuff series.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson -- When the horrible bullying Hurdman children are asked to join the Christmas pageant everyone expects the worst. Instead hilarity and humility follow proving it to truly be the best Christmas Pageant ever. A wonderful hilarious early chapter book to read aloud that everyone will enjoy.  I still remember when my classroom teacher read this to us in third grade.  It has always been one of my favorites!

Amy Krouse Rosenthal

We recently re-read "It's Not Fair" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and it reminded me how much I love her books.  I then realized that I had only read about half the books she has published and am now on a quest to read the other half.  Her books are quirky, cute and children love them.  Many have been on the New York Times bestseller list.  She has a cute website where you can check out for more information.

It's Not Fair -- One of my favorites to read to my kids when they are having a rough day with each other. Children wonder: "Why'd I get the smaller half? Why don't you yell at her? Why does my team always lose? Why can't we have a pet giraffe?"  The light-hearted illustrations make the book a humorous read.

Little Pea -- a little pea is forced to eat candy for dinner, which he hates, all so he can get spinach for dessert.  A fun book picky eaters everywhere will celebrate.

Little Hoot -- after a busy day playing with his friends a small owl is forced to stay awake by his parents because that's what owls do.

Little Oink -- a little pig tries to stay neat and clean in a world of messy pigs.

One of Those Days -- A list of all those difficult days that we all have: a Not Big Enough Day, a Gutter Ball Day, a Nobody's Listening Day. Presented in a humorous way, a great book for a child having a bad day.

Yes Day! -- A wonderful idea, one day when parents say "Yes" to everything.

Duck, Rabbit! -- a clever illustration that seems to switch between a duck and a rabbit provides for a humorous discussion between two narrators.












Other titles by Amy Krouse Rosenthal:
Bedtime for Mommy
Cookies: Bite Size Life Lessons
The Wonder Book
One Smart Cookie: Bite-Sized Life Lessons for the School Years and Beyond
Sugar Cookie: Sweet Little Lessons on Love
Spoon
This Plus That: Life's Little Equations
Al Pha's Bet
The OK Book
The Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life

The Gallager Girl Series by Ally Carter

If you're looking for a nice fluffy read for a 12 year old girl (or for yourself!) this is a great series.  Not high on intellect, but full of humor, adventure and mystery. Cammie and her three best friends and roommates all attend an elite school called The Gallagher Academy. However what the outside world doesn't know is that it is actually.... a secret training school for spies!  Cammie and her friends must deal with the trials of teenage life such as first love and making friends all while conversing only in Arabic and learning how to subdue a villain with a spaghetti noodle.

All four books in the series are fun and engaging and they get better as the series progresses.  After the first book the series takes on a more overarching storyline bringing in new characters, reveling long lost secrets and incorporating adventures outside the walls of the school. Cammie, or The Chameleon, as she is called is forced to face some unpleasant truths, decide who she can trust and discover the answers to questions about her past and future.

Check out author Ally Carter's website for additional information about the author and the other series she writes.

The Smithsonian: Ten Great Science Books for Kids

The Smithsonian reviews: Ten Great Science Books for Kids.  By some fluke there are only nine books on the list.  For number ten I vote for Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Previously reviewed on this blog here.

Variations on a Classic: Stone Soup

Stone Soup by Marcia Brown

This engaging folk tale tells the story of a group of soldiers coming into a small French village.  They tell the villagers not to worry about feeding them because they are going to make stone soup.  Starting with the stone they convince the villagers to keep adding more and more ingredients to the soup until they have a wonderful flavorful broth.  A little trickery and a little cooperation make this a fun story for all. Find below two variations on this wonderful tale. Winner of the 1948 Caldecott Honor.

Kallaloo! A Caribbean Tale by David Gershator. 

In this Caribbean version of stone soup a poor hungry woman convinces the town to help her make Sea Shell Soup.  The sea shell keeps asking for more ingredients for the soup and the townspeople comply. After the soup is done cooking the whole village enjoys a meal together.  The dialog is lively and the illustrations are wonderfully vibrant and bright.

Cactus Soup By Eric A Kimmel. 

Set during the Mexican Revolution this tale follows the original story with a Mexican twist.  Delicious chiles, beans, and garlic are added to the soup along with traditional tomatoes and carrots.  When the soup is done tortillas, tamales, and chorizo are added to the meal and a grand fiesta with dancing and music is enjoyed by the whole village.

Reading these three books together would create wonderful opportunities for comparing and contrasting the stories.  Additionally, the illustrations in each book are wonderfully engaging, but so unique. What is each illustrator trying to say with their illustrations? A book illustrated in 1948 has a much different look than a book illustrated today, why is that?  

Kirkus Reviews: Best Children's Books of 2011

The Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books of 2011 list is out! This link is to the complete list, however on the side they have links to various subjects including: "Books to Make you Laugh, Book for Animal Lovers, and Adrenaline Rush."  With a little something for everyone, I can't wait to start reading!

If you are unfamiliar with Kirkus Reviews here is a summary of their mission:

Founded in 1933, Kirkus reviews more than 5,000 books each year, including fiction, nonfiction, children's, teen, self-published books (“Indie”) and iPad storybook apps for kids. Our mission is to help readers discover new books, publishers and agents discover new authors, producers discover new stories and characters, and librarians and booksellers discover the best new books pre-release. To help separate books of remarkable merit from the masses released each year, Kirkus’ reviews are crafted by specialists selected for their knowledge and expertise in a particular field. Our critics are tough—if a book is captivating, capable and interesting, we applaud it, but if it’s not, we let readers know.
~Taken from KirkusReviews.com

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

The Whipping Boy is one of those classics books that I always felt I should read, but never did. So when S picked it up off the audio book shelf I was glad to finally have the chance to hear the story.  We all enjoyed it immensely!  It was a wonderful story with lots of action and a good message. The setting of the story is during the middle ages which gave great opportunities for historical educational tie-ins.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Jemmy, a street orphan.  Jemmy has the unlucky job of being the prince's whipping boy. This job entails being whipped whenever the prince is bad, since the prince can never be punished.  The prince, whose nickname is Prince Brat, takes great pleasure in getting in trouble and watching Jemmy get punished.  While Jemmy is plotting his escape from the castle the prince discovers him and forces Jemmy to take the him along.  Many adventures follow as two boys gradually learn a thing or to from each other and finally become friends. The story is filled with colorful characters such as Cutthroat, Hold-Your-Nose-Billy, Betsy and her dancing bear, and Mr Nibs the Hot-Potato Man.

The old fashioned language, different accents and dialects might make this a challenging read for younger kids or reluctant readers.  It would be a wonderful family read aloud or audio book for a long trip in the car--parents will enjoy it just as much as the kids!

Newberry Medal winner - 1987