Tag Archives: great books for kids

Wednesday: The Twits

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In honor of my son’s birthday, I offer you his favorite book, The Twits. Written by none other than Roald Dahl (who’s like a celebrity around our house), The Twits details the, well, twitty, awful, ridiculous, offensive and downright hilarious adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Twit. The Twits, as their name might suggest, are two of the foulest people you could ever meet. Mr. Twit has a beard which he never cleans and, as such, has a collection of food items like fishsticks and chicken livers, adhered to it which he licks when he wants a slight snack. Mrs. Twit has a “wonky nose” and “stick-out teeth” and likes to hit cats and small children with her walking stick. And together, they wreak havoc among others and themselves. That is, until, their pet monkeys (the Muggle-Wump family) decide they’ve had enough and exact their twisted, upside-down revenge. This book is Dahl at his finest – wicked, clever, a tad nauseating and altogether fabulous.

Friday: Earrings!

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Seems that every girl has a vivid memory of when they got their ears pierced. Mine was at Beadazzled at the mall with that earring-gun contraption that fueled my nightmares for months. My mother’s was at the hands of her uncle, a needle and a well-placed ice cube. (Ack!) No matter the situation, we all remember that fateful day and what it meant to us. For me, it meant long dangly earrings. Earrings with stars. Earrings with unicorns. Even earrings with (now, remember this was the 80’s) feathers. And for the months leading up to my fateful bejewelment, I thought about it constantly and what a rite of passage it was. Judith Viorst (of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day fame) has captured that sentiment perfectly in her book, Earrings! which tells the story of a little girl who will do ANYTHING if her parents would just agree to let her pierce her ears. And with deals like walking the dog and cleaning her room every day for a year, how could those parents resist? For anyone who has ever wanted something so badly they’re willing to even be nice to their little brother, this is the book for you…and a fun read if in fact you have a little one doing some earring wheelin’ and dealin’ right now…

Monday: Star Wars – A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy

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Around our house,  Star Wars is King. And not in some sort of ineffectual, outdated Monarchy kind of way. I mean, truly Kingly – in charge, ever-present and downright overpowering. We talk about Star Wars, we dream about Star Wars, at times we dress like Star Wars, and we read every book available on the topic. So imagine my utter delight when my mom purchased Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy for my sons. I swear the Heavens opened. Angels sang. And my boys found themselves completely blissed out on every eye-popping, 3-D page. (Pssst…there’s even a light-up light saber…). This is the perfect gift for any Star Wars-oholic, young and old…made by the expert hands of pop-up author Matthew Reinhart. It’s so awesome, they even keep it in plastic wrap at the book store. I mean, how can you resist? Star Wars is King, I tell you. And long may it reign.

Wednesday: In Daddy’s Arms I am Tall

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In celebration of Black History Month, I wanted to be sure to recommend one of the most beautiful books I’ve seen in some time. “In Daddy’s Arms I am Tall” is a compelling and stunning collection of poems paying tribute to African American fathers from a wide variety of writers, new and old. Winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, this book is a treasure trove of words and collage pictures from Javaka Steptoe that will resonate with every family, no matter the color.  From the introductory Ashanti proverb: “When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him”, to the poems of Folami Abiade and Sonia Sanchez, this collection is a true testament to the power and beauty of fathers everywhere.

Tuesday: One Morning in Maine

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Now, granted, I have an intense bias. I love Maine. Everything about it. The ocean. The lobster. The osprey. The way the salt sticks to you like powder and the way the lobster boats hum in the morning. It’s utterly delicious. So, of course I’m going to adore the quintessential Maine writer, Robert McCloskey. It sort of goes with the territory. But you don’t have to love Maine…heck, you don’t even have to be able to find Maine on a map..to love Robert McCloskey and his brilliant ode to The Pine Tree State, “One Morning in Maine.” You might recognize Sal from her adventures in Blueberries for Sal (plink, plank, plunk) and this time she’s going on another adventure to Buck’s Harbor with her father and little Jane. The simplicity of the day – a loose tooth, a loon on the water, rolling up her pants to dig clams – all make for a magical McCloskey day matched beautifully with his black and white pencil illustrations. If you’ve never read this book, please do. It’s not only a Caldecott Honor book, but it’s the kind of book you don’t find every day…magical for no other reason than it just is.

Monday: Trick of the Eye

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When I was in elementary school, I did my science project on optical illusions. You know the one with the picture of the old lady with the big nose that is also a picture of the young lady looking to the side? And the little gray dots that appear in between the black and white squares? Ooooo, I loved those. I’d spend hours staring at them and marvelling at the moment when I could finally see the trick within. Well, imagine my delight while visiting the Getty Museum at finding Silke Vry’s Trick of the Eye: Art and Illusion. It’s one of the best books on optical illusions I’ve seen since it marries both the ubiquitous illusions, a la “is it two faces or a vase?” with real-life illusions in fine art. From the mirror in van Eyck’s “The Arnolfini Portrai” to those darn stairs from MC Escher, Vry’s book is a gorgeous way for children to see, or not see, illusions in art and design. 

Thursday: Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

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Years ago, my dear friend Gaby gave me a copy of Sharon Creech’s Granny Torrelli Makes Soup and, for some reason or another, I just never got around to reading it. Well, shame on me, because last night around 11pm, when i finally turned the last page of this remarkable book, i immediately added it to my list of absolute favorites. It is a stunning, beautiful, heartbreaking tale of the friendship between 12-year-old Rosie and her best friend, a very handsome and vision impaired boy named Bailey.  For anyone who has ever had a best friend…for anyone who has ever felt those first stirrings of love and friendship all mixed together and for anyone who absolutely adores their grandmother, this is the book for you. Granny Torrelli is the heroine of this book – the no-nonsense Italian grandmother who solves all of the world’s problems with a little garlic and a whole lot of love. This chapter book is most appropriate for children ages 8 and up, and yet it speaks perfectly beautifully to adults as well. A complete and utter treasure of a book from a treasured friend.

Wednesday: Chicken Soup with Rice

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Oh, Maurice Sendak. You wonderful, wonderful man. Not only did you give us Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen, but you gave me my favorite, Chicken Soup with Rice. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I checked this book out of the Lincoln Elementary library growing up…I just adored it. Still do.  Mostly because it has the word “whoopy” in it…as in “whoopy once, whoopy twice, whoopy chicken soup with rice.” The monthly sing-song rhymes of the book married with the inimitable illustrations of Sendak himself make this book a classic to be enjoyed through the generations. And for an extra treat, try to find Carole King’s (yes, of “I Feel the Earth Move” fame) recording of Chicken Soup with Rice as part of her Really Rosie album of Sendak books. It’s walk down 1970’s memory lane…

 

Tuesday: Bedhead

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If you saw me walking to school this morning, I apologize on behalf of my bedhead. It was truly epic and yet, for a variety of reasons (spilled oatmeal, exploding kitty litter and a late alarm clock notwithstanding) I did not have time to tame the beast. So I subjected you all to its horror. And for that I am truly sorry. I feel much better, though, knowing that Oliver, the mane, er, I mean, main character in Margie Palatini’s delightful book Bedhead has it much worse. Poor Oliver wakes up. Shuffles into the bathroom. Takes one look into the mirror. And there it is. Bedhead. Even the back of his head looks like a cat’s “coughed-up furball.” Trust me, I can relate. So Oliver’s family takes action and tries combing, brushing, moussing, gelling – to no avail. Only a baseball cap will help at this late hour. But when Oliver arrives at school and its PICTURE DAY for heaven’s sake (no baseball caps allowed), what will our follicularly challenged child do? A marvelous book for any and all who have suffered through bedhead…or are still recovering from seeing mine.

Monday: My Listography

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I love lists. I love making lists and I especially love checking things off of my lists. Chores. To-dos. Dream vacations. New Year’s Resolutions. Really cute outfits I’ll fit into one day. I even made lists as a kid – boys I had crushes on (if you’re out there Colby, I’ve gotten over you), amazing jobs I wanted to grow up and do…just about anything you can imagine, I put it into a list. So imagine my sheer delight to find Lisa Nola’s My Listography: My Amazing Life in Lists. It’s a list book for children – like a journal with categories of things like “favorite things about your family” and “if your parents left you alone for a day”…Each page offers a fantastic springboard for creativity and imagination for your children and (don’t tell them this but…) will offer some great practice in writing, too. It’s so important for kids to have a place to write their thoughts and dreams and worries and goals and Nola’s book offers a fun and engaging way for kids to do just that.  And just think how awesome it will be for your kids to stumble upon this book of lists when they’re our age! My old lists are a step back in time and yet I really haven’t changed all that much. I can still be an archeologist, right?