Xander's Panda Party

Xander's Panda Party
Written by Linda Sue Park
Illustrated by Matt Phelan
Recommended for ages 4 and up

DELIGHTFUL.

This is my new favorite children's book. And that is not an easy accomplishment.

In Xander's Panda Party, by Linda Sue Park, Xander wants to throw a panda party. For pandas. But he's the only panda at the zoo. So he plans a bear party. But when he gives Koala her invitation, she points out that she is not a bear, but she would still like to come to the party. So Xander plans a mammal party. But Rhinoceros refuses to attend without his bird. So Xander plans a bird and mammal party. But Crocodile points out that reptiles and birds are distantly related...I think you can see where this is going. In the end, everyone parties!

This is the rare children's book that has nearly perfect rhyme and rhythm. The first sentence (and you have to let it roll off your own tongue; it won't work just in your head) is, "Xander planned a panda party." Go on, try it. You can whisper it if you have to. I won't tell anyone. And the story only gets better from there.

And the ILLUSTRATIONS. Don't even get me started. I want to hang them on my wall. Well, maybe a nursery wall. And they complement the story so well. I just can't say enough good things about this cute little book.

Xander's Panda Party is available on Amazon.com. To purchase, click on any of the Amazon affiliate links in this post.

The Perfect Pumpkin Pie

The Perfect Pumpkin Pie
by Denys Cazet
Recommended ages 3 and up

I know, I know...The Perfect Pumpkin Pie sounds like it should be read on Thanksgiving. Maybe on Christmas sometimes. But I promise you that this story takes place on Halloween.

Mr. Wilkerson is a crabby old man who insists that his wife make him perfect pies. Lucky for her, he kicks the bucket one Halloween night, and she buries him in the yard and moves away. The next Halloween, Jack and his grandmother are about to dig into a pumpkin pie when the ghost of Mr. Wilkerson assaults them, chanting, "Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkin pie!" If they don't bake him a perfect pumpkin pie, he'll haunt them forever. Luckily, Grandmother is a smart, sassy old lady who knows just what to do.

This is a nice change from the usual stories about witches and cutesy ghosts. (Although I love those stories, too.) My only warning is that for some children, the illustrations might be a little too gross. But then again, for other children, that will be the best part.

The Perfect Pumpkin Pie is available on Amazon.com. To purchase, click on any of the Amazon affiliate links in this post.

Leaf Man

Leaf Man
by Lois Ehlert
Ages 3-6

Leaf Man is a pretty popular autumn read-a-loud, but I thought I'd post it for those of you who haven't read it yet.

The story begins, "Leaf Man used to live near me, in a pile of leaves." But the wind blows Leaf Man away, and we watch as he flies over gardens, marshes, farms, rivers, and meadows. Someday, you might find him floating past your house.

The best part of this book, though, is that it's almost entirely illustrated with leaves. Leafy chickens, gourds, fish, butterflies...it opens up all kinds of possibilities for creating leaf pictures with your kids.

Leaf Man is available on Amazon.com. To purchase, click on any of the Amazon affiliate links in this post.

Hank Finds an Egg

Hank Finds an Egg
By Rebecca Dudley
Recommended for ages 2 and up

Cuteness alert! Hank Finds an Egg, by Rebecca Dudley, is so stinkin' adorable that I can hardly stand it.

Oh, and The Boy likes it, too.

Hank is a little...bear, I think?...who finds an egg on the ground in the forest. He sees that its nest is high above him in a nearby tree, and try as he might, he can't reach the nest to put the egg back inside. He takes care of the egg overnight, then returns to the tree in the morning. Hank finds someone there who can help him, but they'll have to work together to return the egg to where it belongs. The sweetness of the ending might knock you over.

This is a wordless picture book, which really works here. I'll be keeping my eye out for more books by Rebecca Dudley.

Hank Finds an Egg is available on Amazon.com. To purchase, click on any of the Amazon affiliate links in this post.

Julius

Julius
Written by Angela Johnson
Illustrated by Dav Pilkey
Recommended for ages 3-6 

We've already taken Julius back to the library, but I'll tell you what I remember about it.

I remember that Julius, an enormous Alaskan pig, was given to Maya by her grandfather, who lives in Alabama (but winters in Alaska). Maya and Julius have a lot to learn from each other and accept about each other at first--like manners (for Julius) and appreciating jazz music (for Maya). In the end, they become devoted friends.

I remember the vibrant illustrations, and I remember the sweetness of friendship existing between Maya and Julius, who are so cartoonishly different. Friendship isn't necessarily about being the same--it's about learning from each other and enjoying each other's differences.

Julius is available from Amazon; click on any of the Amazon affiliate links in this post.

Mouse Soup

Mouse Soup
Written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel
Recommended for ages 3-7

Mouse Soup, by Arnold Lobel, is a classic. And I don't usually review classics--so much has been said about them already. But I'm going to slap this one up here because The Boy loved it, and because I think that it's become lesser-known since I read it as a kid.

So here's how Mouse Soup goes. A mouse is sitting under a tree, reading a book, when he's captured by a weasel. The weasel threatens to make soup out of him, but the mouse protests that mouse soup only tastes good if it has some stories in it. The weasel agrees, so the mouse tells four stories, delaying the soup-making and eventually allowing for his escape.

Here's what I love about this book: One, the mouse's stories are funny little things that don't necessarily make a lot of sense. Two, the mouse gets himself out of his predicament using his own wits. Three, it's an easy reader, so your kids may be able to read along with you. And four, it proves that a children's book doesn't have to be flashy or trendy to delight a child. Oh, and five--it's by Arnold Lobel, people!

Anyway, Mouse Soup is available from Amazon; just click on any of the Amazon affiliate links in this post.

Forever Friends

[Note: I'm required by the new FTC guidelines to tell you that this post includes Amazon Affiliate links. I choose the reviewed books myself, from the local library or my own bookshelf.]

Forever Friends is the story of the friendship between a bluebird and a bunny. They become friends one spring, and they play together throughout that summer and fall. When winter approaches, the bluebird says that she must fly south for the winter, and that she'll be back again in the spring. The bunny waits patiently all through the winter, and when spring returns, so does her bird friend.

This story reminds me of City Dog, Country Frog (I love that one, by the way)--except that in this book, the friend really does return after the winter ends.

I know I say this all the time, but I'm going to say it about this story, too: the illustrations are fantastic. I'm a sucker for cut-paper illustrations anyway, and I was fascinated by the way Berger used magazine print and graph paper to create such beautiful pictures.

This story is pretty simple, so I'd recommend it to be read-aloud to younger children, although older children might appreciate its simplicity as well.

Forever Friends is available at Amazon.com.
Written and illustrated by Carin Berger
Approximate age range: 3-7 

The Surprise

[Note: I'm required by the new FTC guidelines to tell you that this post includes Amazon Affiliate links. I choose these books myself, from the local library or my own bookshelf.]

The Surprise is a wordless book that is aimed at children in the preschool-to-early-elementary age range. It begins with a sheep. We see her measuring her wool, shearing it off, choosing from a rainbow of dyes, and taking it to be spun by a poodle...but why? Well, that's the surprise: Sheep takes that spun wool and knits it into a lovely sweater for her giraffe friend.

This is a great story to look at together, as children try to guess what Sheep is up to. One warning: it's barely noticeable, but Poodle is smoking a cigarette; this might be explained by the book having been first published in the Netherlands. Anyway, I just see it as an opportunity to discuss smoking, if your children point it out. Otherwise, this is an offbeat, touching story about an unlikely friendship.

The Surprise is available at Amazon.com.
Written and illustrated by Sylvia van Ommen
Age range: 3-6 (Age ranges are very flexible.)

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together is part of a series that's perfect for read-aloud time. (The series also includes a collection of fables, one of Mother Goose rhymes, one of scary stories...you get the idea.)

You'll need at least two readers for this. One of you reads the red words, the other of you reads the blue words, and you read the purple words together. The colors alternate every few lines.

We've only read the fairy tale volume, so that's all I can comment on. Each fairy tale is a few pages long, and each of you plays the part of one character. For example, in "Jack and the Beanstalk," I was Jack, and The Boy was the giant. Each tale has a little bit of a twist from the original, and the characters always end up reading to each other in the end. Cute, right?

This is a pretty slim volume, and I'm assuming that the others are, too. The Boy liked this one well enough that I'm sure we'll be checking out the others soon.

I'd recommend this for kids at a first grade reading level or higher. And for parents of any age.

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together
Written by Mary Ann Hoberman and illustrated by Michael Emberley
Age range*: 5-8

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: The books reviewed here are books that I own or that have been checked out from the local library. The links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links.

And Then It's Spring

And Then It's Spring is a simple story about...well, spring. It begins, "First you have brown, all around you have brown...", and follows a boy as he plants seeds, hopes for rain, waits and waits...and then it's spring. 

The illustrations really carry the story. The text describes what the atmosphere is like--brown, rain, greenish hum--but it's in the illustrations that you see the boy, his dog, the turtle with the little red cap on, and the bears pulling up "please do not stomp here--there are seeds and they are trying" signs.

I'll be honest: I must have been in a bad mood when I read this book the first time. I didn't like it at all. But the second time, I loved it, and I've loved it just as much every time since.  


And Then It's Spring
Written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Erin E. Stead
Age range*: 2-5
My rating: 5 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: The books reviewed here are books that I own or that have been checked out from the local library. The links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links.

If...

I loved If..., by Sarah Perry. It's just so...weird.

As you turn each page, you'll see a phrase starting with "if." For example, "If leaves were fish..." The next page has a picture to go along with it, like a bunch of green fish clinging to a tree branch. Turn the page again, and you'll get something equally improbable and imaginative.

That's it.

Some of the "ifs" (and their accompanying pictures) grossed me out a little bit, like "If toes were teeth..." and "If caterpillars were toothpaste..." Kids will love those, though. My favorites are "If frogs ate rainbows..." and "If lightning made rhinos..."

So, if you're looking for a book to spark your kids' (or your!) imagination, I highly recommend this one.

If...
Written and illustrated by Sarah Perry
Age range*: 2-5
My rating: 5 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: The books reviewed here are books that I own or that have been checked out from the local library. The links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links.

Good News, Bad News

Good News, Bad News has only three words in it: good, bad, and news. Rabbit and Mouse are trying to go on a picnic, but for everything that Rabbit declares to be good news (a picnic!), Mouse counters with something that's bad news (a storm!). Rabbit counter-counters Mouse with more good news (an umbrella!), and so on (the umbrella's blowing away!), until the story's happy ending.

I like this story for two reasons. One, you can point out to your little one how Rabbit's attitude and Mouse's attitude are different. Nobody wants to be a grumpy little mouse, right? Two, you can show your child that the book has only a few words in it, yet still tells a good story. Maybe together you can think of your own good news/bad news story.

Good News, Bad News
Written and illustrated by Jeff Mack
Age range*: 2-5
My rating: 4 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: The books reviewed here are books that I own or that have been checked out from the local library. Some links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links.

An Awesome Book!

Yep, that's really the title of this book--An Awesome Book! And it is awesome.

This book is all about dreams and imagination. Dreams about things like rocket-powered unicorns and musical baboons, as opposed to dreams about furniture or matching silverware. There are only a few words per page, and it doesn't have a ton of substance, but I'm all for any book that encourages creativity and personality.

I love that this book was originally written by the author for his son. I love the whimsical illustrations. And I love that it's inspired me to dream a little bigger. Awesome, indeed.

An Awesome Book!
Written and illustrated by Dallas Clayton
Age range*: 2-6
My rating: 5 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: The books reviewed here are books that I own or that have been checked out from the local library. Some links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links.

The Easter Bunny's Assistant

I'm going to warn you right now: The Easter Bunny's Assistant is best for kids who like fart jokes.

I'm the mother of a six-year-old boy, so I don't even notice the fart jokes that fly around my house anymore. And the six-year-old boy did enjoy this book.

It's a very simple story, with bold illustrations and speech bubbles for text. The Easter Bunny and his assistant, Skunk, are really excited to teach you how to dye Easter eggs. The only problem is that when Skunk gets excited, he...well, he...you know. Gets all stinky.Which isn't technically a fart, but as far as kids' interest goes, it might as well be.

There's a quick guide in the back of the book to dyeing Easter eggs for real. No skunk required.

The Easter Bunny's Assistant
Written and illustrated by Jan Thomas
Age range*: 2-6
My rating: 3 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: The books reviewed here are books that I own or that have been checked out from the local library. Some links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links.

The Easter Egg

Wow, it's been exactly one month since I posted last. Will you forgive me if I promise that I have a good story for you today?

The Easter Egg, by Jan Brett, is one that we read for the first time this year. I don't know why we hadn't checked it out before--but I should have known that an Easter story by Jan Brett would be good.

Every year, every bunny in the forest decorates a special egg for the Easter Rabbit. Whichever bunny has made the best egg gets to help the Easter Rabbit deliver eggs on Easter morning. But Hoppi can't decide what to do with his egg. As he hops around the forest, each bunny's egg seems more special than the one before. One egg is carved from wood, another is made of chocolate, another has a beautiful silhouette painted on it...how can Hoppi ever compete?

This story doesn't mention the religious aspect of Easter, but it is sweet and touching nonetheless. The illustrations are by Jan Brett, so they're gorgeous. Kids of all ages will enjoy the illustrations, while the story itself is best suited for early elementary-aged children.

The Easter Egg
Written and illustrated by Jan Brett
Age range*: 4-7
My rating: 5 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: I don't receive any compensation for reviewing children's books--the books are usually just checked out from the local library.

Green

Green isn't a story book, exactly--it's a collection of shades of green. I checked it out from the library because I've had a hard time finding good St. Patrick's Day stories, so I figured I'd cast a wider net this year and pick up some books about the color green, rainbows, that kind of thing.

Little did I know how awesome this book would be.

Each two-page spread features a different kind of green--jungle green, lime green, faded green, and so on, with beautifully painted illustrations. Each spread has little die-cut shapes in it, and what you see through the shapes on one page becomes something totally different on the next page. For example, the "forest green" page has two cut-out leaves on it. Turn the page, and the same cut-outs become two little brown fish on the "sea green" page.

It's fascinating. The Boy and I have been through this book several times, just in the last couple of days. I recommend it for preschool- and elementary-age kids, parents, and teachers.

Green
Written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Age range*: 2-7
My rating: 5 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: I don't receive any compensation for reviewing children's books--the books are usually just checked out from the local library.

The Perfect Nest

Jack is a cat, and he's hungry for eggs. So he builds the perfect nest--see the pillows and whatnot on the cover?--to attract a chicken, which will lay an egg, and then Jack will have the omelet of his dreams. Brilliant, right? But the nest also attracts a goose and a duck, and they all lay an egg in the nest. One perfect nest is too small for three birds, and Jack can't get to the eggs, so he lures the birds away. Yay, eggs! But then he notices that the eggs are hatching...

The ending of the story is sweet, and I like the illustrations. I think kids and parents will laugh at this story. To me, the funniest thing is that each of the birds speaks (clucks?) with a different accent. The chicken says, Caramba! The duck says, Sacre bleu! And the goose says, Great balls of fire! Ha--you'll have fun putting on a quack-y French accent, I promise.

The Perfect Nest is available from Amazon.com
Written by Catherine Friend, illustrated by John Manders
Age range*: 4-7 (Age ranges are very flexible.)

The Valentine Bears

Here's the thing about Valentine's Day picture books--it's hard to find a good one. I see a lot of books about Valentine's Day in a classroom setting, which is fine, but they're not relevant to my little homeschooler. I also see a lot of books about crushes--also fine, I guess, but still not relevant to my six-year-old (as far as I know, anyway).

So I look for books that celebrate Valentine's Day in a family setting. One of our favorites is If You'll Be My Valentine, by Cynthia Rylant. This year, we found a new one: The Valentine Bears, by Eve Bunting.

Mrs. Bear has never celebrated Valentine's Day with Mr. Bear--they've always been hibernating on that day, every single year. But this year, Mrs. Bear has set her alarm clock for February 14th. She's so excited--she's written Valentine poems already, and she has a special meal planned--but she can't get Mr. Bear to wake up! Hmm...will Mr. and Mrs. Bear miss Valentine's Day again? (Spoiler: nope. They have a super-cute Valentine's Day.)

The illustrations in this book are by Jan Brett, which is an added bonus to an already sweet story. I'd recommend it for any age; it's probably best for kids who get the basic gist of Valentine's Day.

The Valentine Bears
Written by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett
Age range*: 3-7
My rating: 5 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.Full disclosure: I don't receive any compensation for reviewing children's books--the books are usually just checked out from the local library.

The Emperor of Absurdia

[Update: I'm required by the new FTC guidelines to tell you that this post includes Amazon Affiliate links. I choose these books myself, from the local library or my own bookshelf.]

We loved this one. It was recommended to me by a good friend, who has excellent taste in kids' books. We've already taken it back to the library, so my memory is a little fuzzy, but I think I can get the main idea across here.

The Emperor of Absurdia is basically what it sounds like--it's about a little boy who lives in a funny, absurd land. It begins, "The Emperor of Absurdia was having the most extraordinary dream. All of a sudden he woke to the hoots of the sky fish nibbling the umbrella trees." (I looked that up. Haha.) He soon discovers that he's missing his snuggly scarf, so he hunts all over Absurdia for it. He also encounters creatures like dragons and a pointy bird with a pointy-sounding squawk. Good fun.

At the end of the day, the little emperor tumbles into bed--don't worry, he found the scarf--and on the last page, you can see that he's woken up as an ordinary boy whose bedroom has some familiar-looking elements in it.

Kids'll love this one. The younger ones might not totally follow what's going on, but I think they'd still enjoy the detailed pictures and the silly--ahem, absurd--adventure of the young Emperor of Absurdia.

The Emperor of Absurdia is available from Amazon.com
Written and illustrated by Chris Riddell
Age range: 4-7 (Age ranges are very flexible.)

Over and Under the Snow

I have a really cool book for you guys today. We all know about what animals over the snow are doing in the winter, but what about under the snow?

This story follows a little girl and her father on a cross-country skiing trip. They see deer eating bark, foxes pouncing on prey, that kind of thing. But in the illustrations, we can see animals under the snow--a bullfrog hibernating in the mud, for example. And the father explains that after a snowfall, the snow that's closest to the ground melts, leaving space for little rodents to run around and hide in. It's called the subnivean zone, and I had no idea that it existed.

This is a great book for winter. I think that it would appeal to kids in a wide range of ages--the illustrations make it possible for younger kids to see what the animals are doing above and below the snow, and the storyline gives more details for older children.

Over and Under the Snow
Written by Kate Messner and illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
Age range*: 3-7
My rating: 4 stars [out of five] 

*Age ranges are very flexible.