Tag Archives: books

Tuesday: The Three Robbers

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My boys love this book – not only because it has robbers in it but because it’s the only book we’ve found with a “blunderbuss” in it.  The three robbers are just that – thieves with hats shaped like rooftops, who spend their days pillaging stagecoaches and homes in the village. But one night, inside a recently seized coach, they find Tiffany – small orphan girl who was on her way to be delivered to a wicked aunt. Suddenly, and without warning, the three robbers find themselves thawing to the sweetness of this little girl and pledge to spend all of the money their acquired so wickedly to create a castle and town for all of the little orphans of the world. What started with a pepper spray, an axe, and the much-loved blunderbuss, culminates then in a very happy ending for them all. Tomi Ungerer is a favorite of mine, and this is the best of the best. If you can, run out to the library or book store to buy the Scholastic Inc., video of this book – it’s fantastic.  And here it is!

Friday: The Big Orange Splot

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It was a day like any other. Mr. Plumbean was enjoying  a lovely morning when, out of the blue, a large seagull flies over and drops a can of orange paint right on his roof. Mr. Plumbean quite likes the shock of orange, but his neighbors, who all live in identical brown houses, are aghast and agog. Like a meeting of a Manhattan co-op board, his neighbors decide that Mr. Plumbean must re-paint his house this instant or incur the wrath of the community. And, oh, Mr. Plumbean paints. But he paints with large splotches of colors – blues and purples and reds and even adds a few pretty girls and elephants to the mix. He paints, as he says, a house that looks like “all my dreams” and encourages his neighbors to do the same. What results is a beautiful example of trying something new and sharing that spirit with those around you. D. Manus Pinkwater (what a fab name!) has given us a great tale of bucking the system and creating a space all your own.

Thursday: Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon

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Meet Molly Lou Melon. She has buck teeth. She is short. She has a voice that sounds like “a frog being squeezed by a boa constrictor.” But what little Miss Melon lacks in beauty and grace, she more than makes up for in charisma  – lovingly nurtured and supported by her beloved grandmother who tells her to stand up tall and shine her light for the world. Molly Lou lives her grandmother’s words..that is until she moves to a new town and a new school and must encounter the penultimate bully, Ronald Durkin. But what Ronald Durkin doesn’t know is that little Molly Lou, with her bushy hair and her buck teeth and her enormous buggy eyes, is a force to be reckoned with and a voice that will, in the words of her grandmother, “sing out clear.” Patty Lovell and David Catrow have given us a gorgeous book and an important one for all of the Molly Lou Melons and Ronald Durkins of the world.

Tuesday: One of Those Days

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For anyone who has ever had “one of those days” this is the book for you. As grown-ups, those days might be called “Ran out of Gas Day” or “Hair Dryer Broke Day” or even “Toilet Overflowed Day.” But for children, as Amy Krouse Rosenthal so beautifully writes, those days include “Not Big Enough Day” and, even worse, “Nobody’s Listening to You Day.” Like a laundry list of really awful holidays, Rosenthal’s book depicts each potential rotten day with insight and, above all, humor. The book is blessed with Rebecca Doughty’s cartoon-like drawings, which perfectly capture each grimace, groan and “grrr” of the afflicted children. Grown-ups and children alike can both have their days completely derailed by one little thing – like the day my sweater fell in the toilet in 4th grade – and this morning when my toothbrush did. And this lovely little book reminds us that it’s OK to have one of those days. And there’s always tomorrow…

Thursday: Halibut Jackson

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Certain people are just shy. Some people would rather just sit quietly in the perimeter. For Halibut Jackson, the reluctant titular hero of David Lucas’ book, shyness manifests in camouflage. He has crafted clothes to match any possible scenario – so he literally blends in with his surroundings…the sun, the grass, the flowers. And he’s quite content to exist in his chameleon-like world until he gets an unexpected invitation to a birthday party at the palace. Determined to disappear into the splendor of the palace walls, Halibut sews an outfit that is both ornate and bejeweled. But when Halibut Jackson arrives, the tables are quickly turned and a lesson in being unique is quickly learned. A wonderful story about overcoming the need to blend in…and the beauty of standing out.

Saturday: The Vanishing Pumpkin

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Where else can you find a 700-year old woman, an 800-year old man, a rapscallion, a ghoul and a varmint? Not to mention characters who say things like “Great snakes!” (which, let’s face it, everyone should say now and then…). Look no further than the delightful book, “The Vanishing Pumpkin” by Tony Johnston, illustrated by, none other than, Tomie DePaola. My sons wait all year long to check this book out of the library each October and now my older son loves to read it to his little brother with all the silly voices he can possibly muster. What starts with a missing pumpkin and a hearty desire for pumpkin pie quickly becomes a veritable parade of Halloween misfits and a seriously old wizard.  Don’t miss this wonderful Halloween book. (Or I might just have to say “Great snakes!”)