Spotlight on Janet Morgan Stoeke and Minerva Louise!

One of our favorite Easter reads so far this year has been Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs by Janet Morgan Stoeke. We've been reading through her series of Minerva Louise and have not been disappointed. I think I first came across this series from a Charlotte Mason's reading list. Minerva Louise is a curious, well intentioned, kind, caring chicken all though often confused. My two find her confusion hilarious and I find it very endearing. Whether she's trying to warm lost eggs that are so cold some have turned blue or making herself quite at home in the farmhouse you will enjoy your misadventures with this silly hen. The drawings are clear, sparse and boldly colorful.


As you can see by some of the titles I've included here that you can find a Minerva Louise book for most seasons and Holidays.


List of titles include: A Hat for Minerva Louise, Hide and Seek, Rainy Day, Minerva Louise at School, Minerva Louise, Minerva Louise at the Fair, A Friend for Minerva Louise, Minerva Louise on Halloween, Minerva Louise and the Red Truck, Minerva Louise on Christmas Eve and Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs.

Part 2 - Spotlight on the Author Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Welcome to part two of my spotlight on author Amy Krouse Rosenthal. She has published about 16 children's books and even a few adult books too. I'd love to highlight a few of our favorites here today.


First up is a fun little series of simple books that play on the opposite of what one might suspect like a little owl who would rather go to bed than stay up, a pig that's neat and doesn't enjoy having to mess up his room and a pea who wants to eat healthy food rather than junk food for every meal. Little Hoot, Little Pig and Little Pea are illustrated by Jen Corace and her simple line drawing with soft touches of watercolor illustrations add so much charm to these little books. These books have a fun way of teaching kids that it's good to clean up, get your rest and to eat the right foods.


Spoon illustrated by Scott Magoon is a funny book with a great message that we are all special in are own way. The illustrations add lots of humor in their depiction of different utensils like knife, fork, chop sticks and spork.



Bedtime for Mommy has Ms Rosenthal back to her humorous flip on the expected with a little girl attempting to tuck her Mommy in for the night only to be met with the usual excuses of wanting just a few more minutes, a glass of water, a bedtime story and so on. After succeeding at the task of getting Mommy finally to bed the poor little girl now has to get Daddy to bed. Its a great way of using humor to teach kids about situations in this case bedtime. This book was illustrated by LeUyen Pham and is filled with funny, lively and brightly colored pictures.

Other books by Amy Krouse Rosenthal include: Duck! Rabbit!, Yes Day!, One of those Days, the OK book, It's Not Fair!, The Wonder Book and coming soon Al Pha's Bet.

Penguin

I'll have a basket full of some of our favorite penguin reads together here shortly but I wanted to start off with a book called Penguin by Polly Dunbar. A little boy named Ben gets a penguin as a present. Only problem is the penguin won't talk. The little boy gets very frustrated with the penguin only in his frustration to find he has annoyed a lion. Annoying lion's I might add should be avoided. But not to worry the penguin comes to his rescue and the two are at once friends again. It's a short simple read that little kids will find very funny. My two are all giggles when we read this book. The pages are all white with only the brightly colored penguin, boy and lion all whimsically sketched.

A Basket Full of Polar Bears

A basket full of polar bear books, that is. We're learning all about artic animals around here. So I wanted to share some fun Polar Bear reads with you all.


I love mixing educational non-fiction reads with fun fictional ones on the topic we're learning about. Usborne books never disappoints for educational and fun non-fiction reads. Here are some fact filled books for all ages:
Polar Bears Luxury Touchy-Feely Board Book by Fiona Watt - ages 9 months and up
Bears by Emma Helbrough - ages 5-7. About all types of bears including polar bears.
Polar Bears by Conrad Mason - ages 7 & up
As always you can contact me if you'd like to learn more about Usborne books!


Hush Little Polar Bear by Jeff Mack. Okay could that polar bear be anymore cuddly looking? It's a sweet good night read as a little girl sings her stuffed polar bear a bedtime song. Follow along as her vivid imagination transports the polar bear on a wonderful bedtime journey.



Polar Bear Night by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Stephen Savage. I love the bold, modern illustrations in this book and the cool blue tone color scheme. It's simple story of a little polar sensing something special is about to happen wonders out of his den to explore. He returns to his cozy den sleepy from his adventures making it a great cozy bedtime read.



The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett. In her wonderful retelling fashion of old tales Jan Brett brings us a fun winter twist on the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Beautiful realistic drawings accompany the text.



Panda and Polar Bear by Matthew J. Baek. A little polar bear lives at the zoo. At the end of his habitat is a high white cliff. Curious about the white cliff and what might be out there he heads off to explore. Its a story of exploration and friendship as two very different bears meet for the first time. The soft watercolor illustrations are sweet and stunning.



Romeo and Lou Blast off by Derek Anderson. Last is a funny read about two friends that are on quite the adventure in their very own rocket ship made out of snow. It's a fun, imaginative read with bold, expressive, colorful illustrations. Get ready to blast off for some serious fun with Romeo and Lou.

The Marvelous Toy

I thought I'd share a fun book about a toy today. As my two are enjoying their new Christmas toys this book came to mind, it's called The Marvelous Toy by Tom Paxton and illustrated by Steve Cox. It's based on a song written by American Folk singer and writer, Tom Paxton. See Youtube clip below to hear this song preformed by Peter, Paul and Mary. The illustrations are bold, bright and whimsical as they capture these lyrics beautifully into a picture book. The story is about a little boy who receives an unusual gift from his father. He is amazed by this toy though not quite sure what it is. The chorus lines go: "It went zip! when it moved/And bop! when it stopped/And whirr! when it stood still./I never knew just what it was,/And I guess I never will." The story ends as the now grown boy passes on the marvelous toy to his own son. It's a great book to share some delight and wonder with your young readers.

Aaaaarrgghh! Spider!

Okay along with the scary creature theme I've got going here this week for Halloween is one of the most terrifying creatures around...the spider! Yes, I'm terrified of spiders and training my two to be too. Okay a little fear of spiders or, respect of rather, is healthy but I admittedly go over bored. So in our Halloween fear conquering style we also stock up on books on spiders like Aaaarrgghh! Spider! by Lydia Monks. In this funny not so terrifying tale a lonely spider longs to be a family pet. After many attempts at showing a family that he'd make a wonderful pet only to met with screaming, terrified looks and prompt removal he finally wins them over. The cartoon illustrations are quirky, funny and capture that wide eyed terror that some might feel when one encounters a spider.

I thought I'd share one of crafts we often do along with our reads. I think our very own Aaaarrgghh! Spider! glittery webs turned out great! And yes, they are now proudly displayed on the fridge, lol.

Top Five Fridays - Laura Numeroff

We are continuing on this week celebrating my son's favorite reads. When he was just old enough to pick a book from the book shelf with intention and bring it to me to read again and again that book was often If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond. And if not that one it was probably If you Throw a Pig a Party. I'm thrilled to add the wonderful children's books of Laura Numeroff to my list of favorite books that I'm working on here. The If you give book series are truly children's classics and I'm sure many of you have read them numerous times to your children. But those are not the only books that Laura Numeroff has written. We certainly have not read all of Numeroff's books but we have read many and here is our list of top five favorites-






1. If you Give a Mouse a Cookie (illustrator Felicia Bond)









2. If you Throw a Pig a Party (illustrator Felicia Bond)










3. What Grandmas/Grandpas do Best (Illustrator Lynn Munsinger)








4. The Chicken Sisters (illustrator Sharleen Collicott)









5. 10 Step Guide to Living with Your Monster (Illustrator Nate Evans)






What are your favorites? And for more fun with Laura Numeroff be sure to check out her website http://www.lauranumeroff.com/

.

Top Five Friday - Mo Willems

We're big fans of Mo Willems around here. Publishing his first children's picture book in 2003, his bibliography has simply exploded. They are almost too numerous to count and he's continuing to write more! I am a huge fan of his humerous, simple writing style and equally simplistic drawing style. And so are my kids. To learn more about Mo Willems visit this link to his site. We went on a Mo Willems reading spree at our library to make sure we've checked out all the books before even attempting to write this post. So here goes...

My top five picks for Mo Willems:




1. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale - You've got to love a good cautionary tale, no?






2. Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identities - What can I say we're hooked on Trixie and Knuffle.






3. Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She was Extinct - This is so my sense of humor!



4. The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! - We love the pigeon books but I'd have to say this is one of our favorites. We can not get enough books about sharing over here it seems...repetition, repetition, repetition.




5. I Love my New Toy! - We love the Elephant and Piggie series too, you really can't go wrong here but this is definitly one of my favorites. Oh, the drama!





What are your favorites?

And there's a new Knuffle bunny book on it's way! Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion is due out September 28th, be sure to check it out!

Animal Strike at the Zoo. It's True!

Animal Strike at the Zoo. It's True! by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Margaret Spengler is sure to please. This rolling, rhythmic, rhyming read will have you laughing at all the animals and all their crazy demands. The text just flows and is perfectly matched with bold, bright, funny illustrations.

The Animal strike has made the papers, the zoo keepers do not know what to do and a first time visitor to the zoo, Little Sue, is heart broken. Will the animal chaos ever end? Well, you'll just have to check this one out yourself to find out. There's just too much to report here, it's true!

What Elephant?

Our next and final and bonus post seriously silly read is What Elephant? by Genevieve Cote. This quirky tale starts with a cry for 'Help' from George as there is an elephant in his house! His friends and neighbors aren't too sure about George's claims of an elephant being in his house and suggest that perhaps the heat is getting to him. Unsure of himself, George heads home to get some much-needed rest, but upon arriving home the elephant is indeed still there. George doesn't want his friends to think he is crazy, so he does his best to ignore his rather large house guest but it's hard. Elephants do not make good house guests.

Well, the whole town eventually encounters the elephant, but none wishes to be thought crazy, so no one dare mentions it. The elephant's owner finally comes to claim him, and everyone shares an awkward laugh and sigh of relief. Hopefully George has learned to trust in himself over the pressure of what others think but with another surprise visitor showing up it does not appear that he or his friends have....

This is a fun read along; I love doing voices for the different characters and my kids seem to go along with it. I'd probably die of embarrassment if I was to ever hear myself back on tape; anyway, this is a very fun read to dramatize with character voices and voice inflections as George's predicament goes from worse to worse. The sketchy mixed-media illustrations compliment nicely the anxiety and anxiousness of poor George and the funny experiences of the elephant making himself quite at home.

Top Five Fridays? - Sandra Boynton

Okay, It's Top Five Thursday this week because I'm featuring Sandra Boynton and okay everyone knows Sandra Boynton, I know. So there will be an extra post this week to try to make up for it. But a collection of great reads (and right now I appear to be obsessed with children's books, I know and I am) would not be complete without Sandra Boynton. Plus it is seriously silly book week!

We like everyone else love Sandra Boynton, we've got several of her books, grab those we haven't read off the library shelf upon eye contact and even have a few of her music cds. All are seriously silly fun. So armed with only opinions, I do have my picks.

My top five picks for Sandra Boynton:




1. The Going to Bed Book (whatelse?)







2. Barnyard Dance (I'm a country girl at heart)





3. One, Two, Three (I love a good simple read)






4. Hippos Go Beserk (I love Boynton's hippos)






5 Moo, Baa, La La La (See below)





Fifth spot was definitely the hardest, but Moo, Baa, La La La was the first book that both my kids memorized and both would sit and 'read' the story to themselves. I thought to catch my oldest on tape 'reading' it, so cute. And for that reason it will always hold a special place in my heart. Also apparent by my list, is that I favor classic Boynton, sorry Little Pookie!


What 'five' make your list?

Summer Reading - Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach

Summer = beach, no? Well, I'm actually not much of a beach person (I may share some of the beach anxiety of Scaredy Squirrel), but I'm outnumbered in my family and this is getting off topic a bit so back to books...My next pick for a great summer read and a seriously silly read is, Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach by Melanie Watt.


Have you met Scaredy Squirrel? This is actually one of four books featuring this quirky squirrel by Melanie Watt. They are all hilarious but since it is summer I thought I'd feature the beach book. Well as you may know Scaredy Squirrel has got some 'issues'. He's pretty much scared of everything and typically chooses to enjoy life from the safety of his tree. But even Scaredy Squirrel needs a vacation, right? Well he's got the perfect solution for that. Instead of going to the beach where he may get caught in the middle of the wrong crowd, like a mob of lobsters or packs of pirates, Scaredy decides to bring the beach to him. He's got pretty much all he needs right on hand except for one thing. The only way to get what he needs means a trip to the, deep breath, actual beach. Do not worry though, Scaredy knows how to pack and accessorize for such a trip.

My two love Scaredy Squirrel and his antics. Its all giggles when we read about him and its nice too know that everyone gets scared some times, some more than others, but we all do. Melanie Watt's illustrations are simple and witty. They add to the story with little fun details as all good picture books should.

Other titles in this series by Melanie Watt include: Scaredy Squirrel, Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend, and Scaredy Squirrel at Night. Check out these books for some seriously silly fun!

Moose Tracks!

Hope you're in the mood for some seriously silly reads! We always love a funny book here and I wanted to share some of our favorites this week starting with, Moose Tracks by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jack E. Davis.


Moose Tracks is a story of an all out mystery! Moose tracks are showing up everywhere in the house; outside on the porch, on the walls, on the cabinets in the kitchen. Where are all these moose tracks coming from? Surely one would remember if a moose had been there, surely you would have heard a moose clambering about? There are other odd things that also show up like bear hair on the chair, mouse prints in the bathroom and woodchips in the guest room but the owner of this home remembers when and who left all those, just not all those moose tracks.

Karma Wilson's story will have you and your kids laughing at all the animal friends in this book and their messes. The story is a rhyming read that is just fun to read out loud. There's even a surprise ending to this book! It is fun from start to finish and everywhere in-between. The colorful illustrations match the humor of the story perfectly.

Enjoy!

Top Five Fridays - Audrey Wood

I was first introduced to Audrey Wood during my babysitting years. Her books were often found on the bookshelves of the kids I used to watch and it was love at first read for me. These books are also a favorite of my two, especially my youngest and so I'm featuring Audrey Wood on my youngest’s read picks week for Top Five Friday. These books are a family affair as her books are illustrated by either herself, her husband, Don or her son, Bruce. What a talented family.

Here's my top five Audrey Wood books:





1. Piggies








2. Napping House







3. Alphabet Adventure







4. Ten Little Fish






5. The Deep Blue Sea



I can't wait to read her latest book due to come out soon, Piggy Pie Po.


Which 'five' Audrey Wood's books make your list?

Piggies!

Since we're celebrating my youngest's Birthday this week, I decided it would be fun to feature her favorite reads this week. I also wanted to bring in some flowers for the background too add to the fun of her week of picks here.

Piggies by Audrey Woods and illustrated by Don Woods is one of her absolute favorites. She squeals "Piggies!" every time we read it together, spends long periods looking at all those piggies and their antics. She even recites it pretty well from memory pointing to her own 'piggies' as she goes.

What's not to love in this lusciously illustrated book? There is so much fun packed into these illustrations, I love all the details. The story is sweet and simple just how I adore them. The piggies are delightfully entertaining and sometimes mischievous. It’s a great bedtime read too as it ends with goodnight kisses for each of the piggies before they all drift off to sleep.

Oliver Who Would Not Sleep!

Oliver Donnington Rimington-Sneep COULDN'T and DIDN'T and WOULD NOT SLEEP! so starts the book Oliver Who Would Not Sleep! by Mara Bergman and illustrated by Nick Maland. It became an instant favorite with us. It's reminiscent of the children's classic by Crockett Johnson, Harold and the Purple Crayon. Both tales of imaginative little ones that go on an adventure with beloved toys rather than off to sleep. Oliver takes the readers on an amazing journey into the world of play and imagination. It’s a fun, rhyming read that's a great way to end your day and send your little ones off to sleep filled with wonderful dreams of their own adventures.

Who's Hiding

I love this book. It's called Who's Hiding and is by Satoru Onishi. It is a delightful book AND game of hide and seek that you, your child and these adorable animals get to play together. My two preschoolers could not put this book down. When we finally got to read through it together there were non-stop giggles with each turn of the page. Both engaged immediately and wanted to take their turn pointing out who was hiding on each page. The "hiding" is quite cleverly done; I don’t’ want to ruin the surprise of how on each page new animals hide but are not quite entirely gone. There are other questions about the animals as they vary from page to page. Your little one will delight to answer, find and point out the animals. It helps with memorization skills, is an interactive read and helps your little one practice to notice details and changes. Plus, it’s just plain fun.

This is a Kane Miller book, and Usborne books now carries Kane Miller! Usborne at home consultants are the only sellers of these books. If you are not familiar with Kane Miller Publishing, they carry a wonderful selection of children's books from around the world. Who's Hiding is from Japan. If you have any questions about purchasing, as I am an Usborne consultant or would like help finding a local rep near you, please contact me. Checking it out at the library is always a good way to enjoy a good book too!