Category Archives: great books

Sparkle and Spin

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Goodness gracious, how I ADORE this book. Sparkle and Spin: A Book About Words could potentially be my new favorite book. Not new in the sense of just-published, since this treasure of a tome was first published in the late 1950’s, but new in that I just discovered it and am seriously kicking myself for not finding it earlier. Having grown up with Dutch author and illustrator Dick Bruna’s books, I’ve always been a complete sucker for strong graphic visuals in children’s books. How could I have missed Ann and Paul Rand? It’s like Dick Bruna and Lane Smith had a child and created this book. In it, the Rands create a world of words – a delicious cacophony of syllables and sentences. With phrases like “what are words? words are how what you think inside comes out, and how you remember what you might forget about,” this delightful book captures all that is wonderful about language and does it in a way that is amazingly approachable and entertaining for children of all ages. You should purchase this book, republished by Chronicle Books, not only for your children to read but as a keepsake…a treasure to pass down through the generations of readers and lovers of words. This is a children’s coffee table book and should be relished and read aloud until the words are faint on the page.

 

Max’s Words, or Better than Collecting Tags

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For anyone who loves words as much as I do, Kate Banks’ “Max’s Words” is the perfect book. Max’s brothers each have fabulous collections – Benjamin collects stamps (what fun!) and Karl collects coins (slow down there, cowboy).  As a child, I and my friend Gretchen collected department store tags that had fallen on the floor of our local Marshall’s…but that’s for another time. Max, after some thought, decides that he would like to collect words. Cutting words out of newspapers and magazines, Max’s collection of amazing, stupendous, intriguing words grows and grows until he has just about enough to write a story for himself. Patching together his collection into a incredible tales of adventure and captivated by this new use for words, Max’s brothers get in on the action and find themselves working together with Max to build stories beyond their imaginations. Max is a child after my own heart – curious, literary and totally quirky. And the best kind of child – one who discovers the true power of words and creates something beautiful from them.

Neville

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I’ve always been fascinated by kids who had to move around a lot. I never moved until I went away to college. Same house. Same town. Same little hiding spot at the back of the closet where I kept all of my diaries and bad adolescent poetry. But whenever a new kid came to my school, I was always a little tad smitten. Whether they moved from Texas or from three blocks away, I always attributed some sort of romance to the notion of moving from one house to another and secretly envied the chance to start all over fresh and exciting – making new friends, despite the nervousness that must accompany such a daunting task. Perhaps it is this long-standing fascination that makes Norton Juster’s Neville so darn endearing. In it, a little boy has just moved to a new town. And with this move come all of the emotions inherent in such a change – fear, anger, loneliness. Will he find new friends? Will he fit in? His mother suggests the mythical solution to all childhood problems: “go outside” and the little boy does…reluctantly. How will he make friends just by going outside? Thinking perhaps there might be something a little more dramatic to do, the little boy starts yelling “Neville” at the top of his lungs. Pretty soon, curious little children hear the siren call and come to investigate. And, as children often do, they decide to join in the party, despite not quite knowing what the party actually is. Soon, all of the children are screaming for the ever-elusive Neville and magically bonding over this seemingly bananas activity. Just who is Neville? You’ll have to read this superb book (by the same author as The Phantom Tollbooth, no less ) and find out for yourself.  The seemingly daunting task of making new friends is made delightful – even fascinating.

I Want My Hat Back

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Perhaps I am just a sucker for bemused looking animals, but Jon Klassen’s book I Want My Hat Back is one of my new all-time favorites. I mean, seriously. Just look at that bear’s face. It’s irresistibly droll.  The book offers a simple story, really. No bells and whistles here. But for anyone with a slightly bent sense of humor and a great appreciation for clever writing, this is the book for you. Simply told, bear’s hat is missing. And he’s not too thrilled with the situation. Using the age-old repetitive trope of such classics as The Gingerbread Man and The Little Red Hen, the creatures of the forest encounter the peeved bear one by one, offering little-to-no guidance on his chapeau search. That is, until a graceful deer triggers a faint memory in the bear’s fuzzy brain. And with that, the true mystery of the hat takes off on little furry feet. And don’t even ask me what happens to the bunny. I’m not telling. You’ll just have to immediately go out and buy this adorably naughty book and find out for yourself.

 

Who Was George Washington?

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For anyone who has  not yet encountered the wonderfulness of the “Who Was….” series of biographical children’s books, it’s never too late to get your kids addicted to them. These books, with subjects ranging from Jim Henson to Albert Einstein, make history fun for your little ones. They’re well-written, easy to read chapter books with fascinating and entertaining information on every page. And in honor of the upcoming President’s Day weekend, I thought I’d send a special shout-out to our dear ole George. Roberta Edwards’ biography of our first President includes all of the pertinent information history buffs require with a lot of extra fun facts that your kids will eat up. They’re great for every day reading, and FABULOUS for book reports…Start a collection today – your kids will thank you for it!

A Sweetheart for Valentine

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To prove the point that love is out there for everyone, I’d like everyone to sit down right this instant and read my favorite Valentine’s Day book of all time, A Sweetheart for Valentine. I grew up absolutely loving this book, published in 1979, and have continued my love affair with it to this day. In the tiny village of St. Valentine, a great and howling noise wakes the residents – and they come to find a giant baby girl deposited on the steps of the village hall. A kind and generous village, the people decide right then and there to adopt this rather large child and raise her the best they can – feeding her enormous amounts of food, making her clothes from whatever they can find to fit and loving her collectively with tenderness and understanding as to her big-boned frame. But when sweet Valentine is old enough to marry, can they find a suitably-sized suitor? Lorna Balian’s sweet book is a testament to finding love in the least likely of places and a wonderful tale to share with your loved ones on Valentine’s Day. (Plus, Balian’s illustrations of Valentine’s giant pink fanny are sure to elicit a few giggles. )

Grandpa Green…and a misty eye

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Lane Smith is probably best known, by me at least, as the Caldecott-winning illustrator of The Stinky Cheese Man…not to mention the author and illustrator of one of my personal favorites, The Happy Hocky Family. In the past, Smith has dwelt in the sublimely cheeky – bringing his quirky sensibilities to a wide range of offbeat and utterly brilliant children’s books. And while all of his books have had a teensy whiff of sentimentality in them, I never in a million years expected the sheer gorgeousness of his latest book Grandpa Green. In this stunning new book, Smith earns his stripes as an honest-to-goodness storyteller of the highest caliber. Smith’s book tells the story of Grandpa Green, an avid gardener who tells his unforgettable life story in a series of topiaries carved into the shapes of his memories. A first kiss. A war. The cafe where he first met his wife. All are lovingly and painstakingly recreated in the lush foliage of his garden. And his great-grandson, who sees these tales come to life, is the lucky recipient of not only his Grandpa’s artistry but his rich, beautiful life story. Lane Smith has outdone himself in this quiet little book that speaks volumes to the joy of memory. This book goes beyond the normal parameters of children’s literature and into the realm of literary treasures.

Grandpa Green wasn’t always a gardener. He was a farmboy and a kid with chickenpox and a soldier and, most of all, an artist. In this captivating new picture book, readers follow Grandpa Green’s great-grandson into a garden he created, a fantastic world where memories are handed down in the fanciful shapes of topiary trees and imagination recreates things forgotten.

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, or the turnip seed facial

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I’m feeling a bit sentimental today…and, as such, I’m bringing back an old favorite – Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty McDonald. Ooooo how I loved this series as a child. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle lives in an upside down house and smells like cookies and, thankfully for parents everywhere, has wonderful cures for every possible childhood lament. And we’re not talking about chickenpox or measles, here. We’re talking about cures for things like talking back and not picking up toys and selfishness. My favorite of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle’s infamous cures is for the girl who won’t take a bath. And the dirt just keeps accumulating on this beastly little child. So, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle instructs her parents to plant turnip seeds in the dirt on her face and watch them grow. They do just that and, surprise!, a bath is quickly accomplished. Young readers will delight in the whimsical and magical words of McDonald and illustrations from Hilary Knight of Eloise fame. And parents will love that someone finally has a cure for not wanting to go to bed.

Hi! Fly Guy, or the pest that impressed

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Nothing is more exciting to an emerging reader than the idea of a chapter book. Even if those “chapters” are a few pages long and are accompanied by hilarious drawings and puns about insects, the feeling of accomplishment is no less remarkable. But which chapter books to pick for your new little book worm? If your children are anything like mine, the Fly Guy series will fit the bill perfectly. Tedd Arnold’s rhyming prose, hysterical drawings and comic book-like antics will keep you child buzzing with excitement about reading. Hi! Fly Guy introduces our main character, a little boy named Buzz, who meets a fly whose intelligence is immediately demonstrated by its ability to say the boy’s name. Buzz and Fly Guy make quick friends and soon, Buzz enters Fly Guy into The Amazing Pet Show. Does a fly have what it takes? Will the pesky beast capture the judges’ icy hearts? Dive right into this delightful series and discover what a successful combination chapter books and pestilent insects can be.

 

What’s Happening to Me?…or unexpected hair

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(Over the last year, I’ve received so many comments and e-mails about this review, that I couldn’t help reposting. Enjoy!)

In 1975, Peter Mayle (yes, of A Year in Provence fame) and Arthur Robins published a book that would forever change my life. Their brilliantly informative and remarkably unembarrassing teenage tome, What is Happening to Me: A Guide to Puberty, would prove to be my personal roadmap through acne (why yes, it does appear on your back!), periods (why yes, they do happen on ski trips!) and bras (why, yes, the woman in the bra department will quickly become your worst nightmare!). Written for both boys and girls, Mayle and Robins’ book gently and factually describes every injustice known to plague teenagers – handling each question, no matter how humiliating, with common sense, and no hint of ridicule or judgment. Robins’ illustrations bring a sense of humor to the topics and make the reader feel a lot more comfortable reading about unexpected hairs than you’d ever imagine. I poured over this book as puberty beckoned and found comfort in not being the only person on the face of the earth to experience the new feelings, emotions and struggles of that time. For any parent working through the first signs of adolescence with their children, this book is as powerful now as it was then to a little girl in her pegged jeans who just needed to know that everything was going to be alright.