Tag Archives: book review

Tuesday: The Secret Circus

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I can’t bear to think of the day when my sons will no longer treasure a really good bedtime story. I know that the day will come, when iPods and pimples and tossing notes in class will take precedence over a really great pre-sleep read, but for now, I will hold each moment and each book  dear – especially Johanna Wright’s “The Secret Circus.”  With just enough repetition to lull those little eyes to half-mast, and just enough intrigue to keep them open, this darling book tells the story of a Parisian circus that is so small, “only the mice know how to get there.” And those mice do go there, dressed in their top hats and parasols and other mouse finery. A wonderful, wonderful book for little ones with big imaginations. So, tuck them in tonight with “The Secret Circus” and enjoy that wonderful age and that wonderful book together.

Monday: Iggy Peck Architect

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Few are the children who know exactly what they want to be when they grow up. I, at the age of 5, wanted to be a veterinarian. Then an archaeologist. Then a pediatrician. Then a librarian. (We’ll just gloss over the period in which I wanted to become a Canadian.) Iggy Peck, however, knows exactly what he wants to be: an architect. From the age of 2, he has been constructing buildings from whatever materials he could lay his hands on..who could forget his tower made of dirty diapers and glue? But when his 2nd grade teacher tries to squash Iggy’s passion for building, you won’t believe how he changes her mind.  Andrea Beaty and David Roberts have created a delightful story in rhyme that will warm the hearts of readers young and old.

Monday: Lulu and the Brontosaurus

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For those children of the 70’s and 80’s you might best remember Judith Viorst from her fantastic book, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” This was a staple of my reading life as a child – and I repeatedly checked this book out from my school library – just adoring the fact that a child could actually admit that stinky things happen sometimes. Viorst has a knack for creating tales that are refreshingly honest and appealing to children and her book “Lulu and the Brontosaurus” is no exception. Lulu is awfully awful. For lack of a better term, she’s a brat. And used to getting exactly what she wants. But when what she wants is a Brontosaurus, her parents have to draw the line. So Lulu revolts with a hearty “foo on you” and skips town armed with pickle sandwiches (yum!). Ironically, guess who she finds in the forest? Yep – a Brontosaurus…who wants HER as a pet. You can’t resist this adorable story, complete with illustrations by the inimitable Lane Smith. So grab a pickle sandwich and settle right in with this delightful chapter book.

Friday: The Pencil

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I grew up on Crockett Johnson’s “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” And I continue to love the idea of a little boy creating a new world with just a blank wall and a little imagination.  And while no book will ever come close to winning my heart over Harold, I do believe he has some stiff competition in Allan Ahlberg’s “The Pencil.” The story begins with a pencil…”a lonely little pencil, and nothing else.” But soon, this little pencil is creating worlds and people and animals and all is well until those people and animals start to have a few demands of their own. And even when the pencil draws himself an eraser to get rid of a few items, his eraser takes on a rather unseemly life of its own. What’s a pencil to do? Grab this book and find out…before you get erased.

Monday: Long Tail Kitty

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In my opinion, every bookshelf should have a long tail kitty, or at least a copy of Lark Pien’s lovely book by the same name. “Long Tail Kitty” is fantastic – I cannot get enough of this fabulous little book. Not only are the illustrations right up my alley (Pien is a long-time graphic-novelist and her drawings are simple and poignant and utterly adorable) , but the small chapter format is great for little readers. Long Tail Kitty meets aliens, talks to a crabby bee and ultimately steals your heart.

Monday: The Hallo-wiener

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I apologize in advance for recommending a book that has within its title a word that will invariably cause incessant repetition on the part of your children. Or perhaps that’s just my children. Nevertheless, “The Hallo-Wiener”, by Dav Pilkey (of “Captain Underpants” fame) certainly belongs on any list of great Halloween books. Oscar is a dachshund who is “half-a-dog tall and one-and-a-half dogs long” and is regularly teased by the other dogs. But nothing causes more ridicule than his mother’s decision to dress him for Halloween with a bun complete with mustard. Poor little Oscar – what shall he do? Come to the rescue, of course, as the little readers will find. A tale of inner strength and the best sausage puns you’ve read…

Friday: Food Play

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‘For my wonderful family, who ate most of the contents of this book.” Thus is inscribed Saxton Freemann and Joost Elffers’ fantastic book, “Food Play” – a photography book that has kept my family in stitches since we bought it a year ago at the SFMOMA. Halloween book? Not really…but because there are many pumpkins and gourds in it, I’m going to include it. Basically, what we’re looking at here is a photo book of fruits and vegetables, made into characters. We have onion people, radish dogs bowling, strawberries kissing and chef made of mushrooms. Green onion families wait for a zucchini train and kiwis become barbershop quartets in this wonderfully wry and stunning book. No words are necessary  – and my sons love to create captions for each of the photographs. Don’t miss this book. It’s witty and creative and quirky and cute and all the best that photography books have to offer for children and parents alike.

Thursday: The Best Halloween Ever

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Hooray for the Herdmans! Barbara Robinson’s “The Best Halloween Ever” may, in fact, be the funniest book on the market. The author of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”,  among others, has a lightening-quick wit and a tenderness towards her characters that is unparalleled. Reading this out loud to my boys is an act in self-control since her lines are so funny and so heartwarming you want to laugh and cry at the same time. I adore adore adore this book and can’t recommend it highly enough. Somehow the horrible Herdmans always save the day – and we, as the reader, end up rooting for them despite our better judgment. Don’t miss the audio recording of this book, read by Elaine Stritch. Hers is the only voice i could imagine for this. Sheer perfection.

Wednesday: Goodnight Goon

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What would Margaret Wise Brown think if she saw “Goodnight Goon”? Probably laugh herself silly…just like my sons do every time we read this soon-to-be Halloween classic.  Michael Rex already followed in Brown’s footsteps with “Runaway Mummy” and now we can giggle ourselves to sleep with “Goodnight skull/And goodnight shoe/Goodnight creature/Goodnight goo/And goodnight to the old werewolf hollering ‘Boo.'” My boys love the words and the illustrations and were fascinated by the fact that an author can take something old(er) and make it new(er). A valuable lesson for readers young and old(er).

Tuesday: Zen Ghosts

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For anyone who has marveled at the words and illustrations of Jon Muth (of “Zen Shorts” and “Zen Ties” fame), or for those of us who just can’t resist a giant panda named Stillwater, you’re in luck. Muth has just published his next entry into the Zen series – right in time for Halloween. “Zen Ghosts” follows our same characters, Stillwater, Addy, Michael and Karl as they trick-or-treat for candy and then are treated with scary stories from a mysterious visitor. These books are utterly gorgeous both textually and graphically…and my children just adore them. Happy reading!