When the PBS kids’ show, “Dinosaur Train” debuted, a dear (and hilarious) friend of mine quipped that the producers just sat down in a room and mashed together two words that would immediately appeal to little boys and then made a show out of it. Having now watched Dinosaur Train ad nauseum, I think it also has to do with the fact that they had an entire episode on poop. I was reminded of that same concept of the little boy title mash-up when I came across Chris Barton’s “Shark vs. Train.” I mean, really? A shark versus a train? What little guy could resist that just based on the title alone?! Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to read this original and clever book and find that , despite its WWF-esque title, it is WONDERFUL. Shark and Train are pitted against each other in a variety of battles: high diving, burping…the only one where neither wins is the video game competition since, as Train says, “sure would help if we had thumbs.” The book is fast-paced and hilarious and each subsequent battle is funnier than the last. This is my new favorite little boy read..
Tag Archives: katie mauro zeigler
Monday: Everything is Better with a Gorilla
Little did I know how awesome life could be if I just had a gorilla. Thanks to Andrew Gall and his wicked clever book “Everything is Better with a Gorilla” I now know better. For example, did you know that washing dishes with a gorilla is better than doing it alone? Why, you ask? Because the mountain gorilla’s fur can double as a dishtowel. Amazing! Ooooo…and did you know that having a gorilla over for a sleepover is better? It is! Because you can talk late into the night with the gorilla as long as you understand that the conversation will, as Gall puts it, “inevitably veer toward plants.” Kids will love the quirky “gorillustrations” and parents will love the fact that real facts about gorillas are hidden between the lines of Gall’s witty and wonderful text. Trust me, you’ll go bananas over this book.
Share this:
Friday: There Was an Old Lady
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. I don’t know why she swallowed a fly, but perhaps it was so she could have her story told in this exquisite, unbelievably gorgeous, whimsical, magical book. Jeremy Holmes, an artist is every sense of the word, has recreated this classic story in one of those most amazing books I’ve seen in a long time. We all know the story – lady, fly, spider, bird, cat…her untimely death after nibbling on a horse….But this oft-told tale is suddenly made new under Holmes’ talented hand. it’s like the Old Lady met Edward Scissorhands at a party and they got together and made this book. It’s edgy and interactive (the old lady’s coat comes off as a book cover and her eyes close at the end) and one of those rare books that also qualifies as fine art. Love it.
Ages 2-6. Visual and musical gimmicks enhance Carle’s signature bright, textured collages in this holiday-cum-counting story. A white-bearded farmer lives the simple life with a few animals that he names One through Five. Children don’t find out which number matches which animal, though, until they follow the farmer through a visually clever dream. “It’s almost Christmas, and it hasn’t snowed yet,” says the farmer. But as he sleeps, he envisions snow falling, covering each of his animals, while the text counts along–“The snowflakes gently covered One with a blanket”—a plastic sheet printed with snow overlays each page, concealing the collage images until readers lift the page and discover that One is a horse, Two is a cow, etc. Dream becomes reality when the farmer awakes to a white world and hurries outside (dressed in Santa coat and boots) with presents for the animals and ornaments for a tree that, thanks to a changeable battery pack, plays a chiming tune at the press of a button. Although this is more an exercise than a story, Carle fans and toddlers learning the basics will still enjoy the gentle text and creative design features.
Share this:
Tuesday: Children Make Terrible Pets
Meet Lucy. She’s your typical brown bear. Fuzzy. Brown. Wears a pink skirt and a pink bow in her fur. One day, while toodling through the forest, she comes upon a little boy whom she promptly names “Squeaker.” Lucy’s mother reluctantly allows Lucy to keep her new “pet” but with the warning that “children make terrible pets.” And, boy, is Lucy’s mom right. Squeaker refuses to be potty trained, ruins the nice furniture and causes general chaos throughout the quiet bear household. For anyone who has ever thought that your child was at least part wild animal, this is the book for you. It’s utterly adorable and turns the age-old “mama, can i keep him?” story on its fuzzy little ear. A must read.
My Mama's Goodnight 