Tag Archives: katie zeigler

Tuesday: Children Make Terrible Pets

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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.

Wednesday: Sneezenesia

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Do your children like boogers? Mine do. They even like the word “booger.” If you ever see my children and want to make them laugh, just say “booger.” It’s a sure thing. So imagine my utter joy at finding Deb Lucke’s quirky and wonderful “Sneezenesia” in which a little boy at the supermarket sneezes so hard he forgets his name. And with each sneeze, he loses a little bit more knowledge. Math equations…names of Presidents…they all come out of his schnozzola with each “achoo.” I don’t think I could have scripted a more wonderful  book for my sons – knowledge as boogers. Tremendous. But how will he get the knowledge back? Sniff around and you may find out.

Tuesday: Stop Bugging Me

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Meet Smudge. He is, well, a smudge. And he is grumpy. Very grumpy. And yet, like some grumpy people, his friends still like him. All Smudge wants to do is go on a secret errand alone without any interruptions. (Hey, Smudge, you and me both, big guy!) But his friends want to know more. And they follow him. And they ask questions. And they ask more questions. Until finally, poor little Smudge is just about ready to burst. Little readers everywhere will love Daniel Cleary’s “Stop Bugging Me” and parents might actually recognize some of themselves is dear ole Smudge. As Smudge’s friends, one by one, follow along on their curmudgeonly friends’ errand, you won’t be able to hold your giggles in – nor will you be able to resist these adorable smudgy drawings. For anyone who has had their own moments of Smudge-ness, you are not alone. Although you might like to be.

Monday: Cinder Edna

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For anyone who ever felt that Cinderella (despite the soot) was just a little too perfect, do I have the book for you. “Cinder Edna”, Ellen Jackson’s riotous retelling of the classic fairy tale, champions not the beautiful, albeit rather dim, Cinder Ella, but rather accordian-playin’, tuna casserole-makin’ Edna. Glass slippers? Not Edna. She prefers loafers which, let’s face it, are a lot easier to dance in. At the glorious ball, Ella catches the eye of Prince Rudolph (a vain, handsome and boring man) while Edna sparkles the eyes of his brother, Rupert, who runs the palace recycling plant. As you might have guessed, the clock strikes midnight and, luckily, true love ensues, as the brown penny loafer and Rupert’s soul mate are reunited. For little girls everywhere who might feel more like an Edna than an Ella, this is a wonderful tale of being yourself and finding true happiness.

Friday: Art and Max

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Never before have I seen a children’ s book that more articulately and beautifully captures the artistic spirit than David Wiesner’s “Art and Max.” It should come as no surprise that Wiesner has come up with yet another gem of a book – he is one of two people to have ever won the Caldecott for three different books (“Tuesday”, “The Three Pigs” and “Flotsam) – all of which are worth buying and immediately loving.) What sets “Art and Max” apart from the others, though, is that it truly challenges readers big and small to think about the creative process of artists and appreciate the different ways and methods in which art can be made. Lofty subjects for young readers, but Wiesner makes them come to life magically. Art and Max are two lizards. Art is a serious artist – one who studies form and shading and lines. Max just wants to be an artist and, despite Art’s instruction, moves ahead with his own way of creating and we find that both can be beautiful. I really can’t recommend this book more highly – it’s a masterpiece in its own right.

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.

Friday: Mercy Watson

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Mr. and Mrs. Watson have a pet pig named Mercy. Which really isn’t all that odd, since my Aunt once had a pot-bellied pig named Reginald…but I digress..What is odd is that Mercy, despite her best attempts to just spend her days eating toast “with a great deal of butter”, somehow manages to solve every mystery and crime that comes to Deckawoo Drive. She is, as Mr Watson puts it, “a porcine wonder.” And readers young and old will agree that Kate DiCamillo (of “Despereaux” fame) has again created a series of instant classics with her six “Mercy Watson” books. These easy-to-read chapter books will delight your children and keep the parents laughing with the old lady antics of Eugenia and Baby Lincoln who live next store and an animal control officer named Francine Poulet. Don’t walk, run to your local library for Mercy’s sake.

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.

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.