Sunday, May 30, 2010

Book 37

Book 37: Little One Step, by Simon James, Candlewick Press 2003

This book is so true! My eighteen-month-old son runs around the house like an idiot, or runs through the library pulling books off of the shelves if I set him down for a SECOND. But will he walk on his own when I want him to? -- No way! And so, Little One Step finds he can walk no farther.

I could have sworn that the author is French, because he style is so clean, simple, and yet elegant, but when I looked on the back cover, he appears to be as American as I am. So, there is hope for me yet in the elegance department.

Anyway, Little One Step is a sweet, encouraging book for anyone, especially anyone who needs a little encouragement.

* For other reviews, please see Books I Buy and Why

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Book 36

Book 36: Mirror Mirror, by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Josee Masse

I love this book! I checked this book out from the library the first week it came in, and I had to order a copy for myself. This is a great book for anyone who likes poetry, fairy-tale and beautiful illustrations (who doesn't?), and a must-have for anyone who likes all three.

The poems offer a succinct summation to common fairy-tales, and from two different points of view. I won't even pretend that my toddler son understands this book, although he will sit still to listen to poetry, but I love how it stretches my "mommy-brain" and forces me to respect the subtleties of good punctuation -- something I have obviously let slide. Any cure for "mommy-brain" is a very good thing. And this book has inspired my new favorite form of poetry: The Reverso. It is pretty hard to write, so Marilyn Singer has a good deal of my respect.

As I am a visual person, I will have to mention the illustrations, which are clever, vibrant and beautiful. My favorite is probably the one for Little Red Riding Hood. You'll have to check out this book from your library, or better yet, buy it to see it.

*For other reviews, please see Books I Buy and Why

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Reverso

Here is my poem for the week. Another Reverso.

A baby turtle is exposed--
Defenseless.
Danger!
No!
Swooping hawk
Surprises
Musk
Turtle.

Turtle
Musk
Surprises
Swooping hawk.
No
Danger.
Defenseless?
A baby turtle is exposed.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Book 35

Book 35: Unlovable, by Dan Yaccarino

Unlovable by the incomparable Dan Yaccarino is anything but. I'm not a huge fan of small dogs, like pugs; I prefer the sturdier breeds, like Rhodesian Ridgebacks, but my sister and her husband are pug fans. In fact, they have two. And they are lovable even though the old arthritic cat teases them.

So when it came to building my son's library, Unlovable was an early choice. He sees my sister's silly dogs and can relate them to Dan Yaccarino's adorably quirky illustrations. That makes Alfred in the story pretty darn lovable. And what a great story it is.

I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Yaccarino a few years ago. A kinder or more considerate author is just not possible. My only problem with Mr. Yaccarino is that he's about my age and he's created this amazing body of work in so many forms of media. That is a bit depressing. He, however, is a darling, and although I'm reviewing Unlovable in this entry, any of his books is worth buying.

* For other reviews, please see Book I Buy and Why

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Book 34

Book 34: The Best Pet of All, by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama, Dutton Children's Books 2004

Such a good book! The story is great: repetitive without being annoying; funny -- the dragon eats spaghetti in the bathtub and roasts hot dogs in the living room, but the illustrations make this book buy-worthy.

Hanako Wakiyama is great at capturing a retro feel that is somehow modern. Mom is this book is so stylish. (I love that. Frumpy moms in illustrations depress me.) Yet, she seems relate-able to those without her slim physique and fun clothes. The little boy is adorable, and often pictured helping out around the house. You've got to love that. And the dragon -- well, any dragon that's found a drug store wearing dark glasses and hat is worth knowing.

One of the best books of all!

* For other reviews, please see Books I Buy and Why

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Book 33

Book 33: Curious George/Jorge el Curioso, by H. A. Rey, Houghton Mifflin Company

This is another example of my ambition in secondary language far outstripping my skills. I'm starting to realize that I all really learned in my first and second grade class was how to say "boys and girls, sit down", how to count to twenty and a few colors. Still I'm always up for a challenge.

I would recommend any version of Curious George, especially the original 1941 version. The story is sweet and the illustrations are delightful. I would not, however, recommend reading it all in one sitting to a toddler. I broke the story into two readings and that seemed to work out pretty well. Also, even though this is not a chapter book, it seemed like a good way to introduce the concept of them.

My book is in paperback, which is fine since I'll probably be reading the book to my son. It is a good idea to reinforce the spine of paperbacks with clear packing tape. It will help them last much longer.

*For other reviews, please see Book I Buy and Why

Reverso

Reverso

In the bed,
Chloe Cat
Fat cat
Sweet cat
Warm cat
Cuddles against
My aching back

My aching back
Cuddles against
Warm cat
Sweet cat
Fat cat
Chloe Cat
In the bed

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Book 32

Book 32: Otis, By Loren Long, published by Philomel Books 2009

This is one of the books that I bought solely because I love, love, LOVE the artwork. Loren Long used a subdued color palette to create gorgeous, retro illustrations. Otis the tractor charmingly goofy (or goofily charming), and the calf from the back view looks almost exactly like my dog Sophie did when she was a puppy -- She's a fawn-colored Ridgeback and her ears used to stick almost straight out.

The story is timeless: Friends stick with you, friends help you out, friends make you feel special; so although this theme is used frequently in children's stories, I don't find it tired. And the story is well-told, and not overdone.

This book is a must for any child interested in vintage vehicles from the '40s and '50s and appreciates a sweet story. Some of the renderings were accurate enough for my husband to identify them and he has restored two vintage cars and a truck.

*For other reviews, please see Books I Buy and Why

Monday, May 10, 2010

Reverso

I was inspired by "Mirror, Mirror", and by Thomas' early science experiment to write a reverso.


Reverso:


Magnets

Like to

Stick to

Things:

A refrigerator

A trashcan,

Not

Mommy’s butt



Mommy’s butt –

Not

A trashcan,

A refrigerator.

Things

Stick to

Like to

Magnets

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day!

We couldn't pay anyone enough to take over the job of being the mother, but I wouldn't want to. Being a mother to my son is its own reward.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Book 22 -- Part Dos

Book 22 -- Part Dos: Como iremos a la playa?

About a month ago I reviewed How will We Get to the Beach by Brigitte Luciani and illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Someone read that review (Thank you!), commented (Thank you! Thank you!) and told me about a bilingual version of the book (Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!). I had hoped to find a French/English version. I did not, but I did find a Spanish/English version.

Truth be told, this book is so far beyond my second-grade Spanish, I have no hope of reading it through without first studying Spanish. The items, however, I can manage, so I will concentrate on those when I read this book. My intention is to introduce my toddler to a second (or third or fourth) language, not to make him fluent. So this book serves that purpose. It is a great book to read in English, so adding those few Spanish words does not make it cumbersome.

* For other reviews, please see Book I Buy and Why

Monday, May 3, 2010

Book 31

Book 31: Are You My Mother?, by P.D. Eastman

In honor of the quickly-approaching Mother's Day, I decided to take on this classic book.

Over the years, I'd read some pretty snide remarks about this particular book. Perhaps inflicting it on a seven- or eight-year-old child for the first time would be cruel, as it is simple and repetitive, without the quirky humor of Suess, but for a toddler, this book is perfect.

For one thing it is simple. The baby bird looks like a bird; the kitten looks like a kitten; the dog looks like a dog, and so on, and the mother looks like the baby bird. A toddler can spot the family resemblance. For another thing, it is repetitive. While I'm not a big fan of repetition in books that I read for my own enjoyment, I am a fan of it in toddler books. And so is my toddler. Repetition is predictable, and therefore, safe, to the very young "readers".

*For other reviews, please see Book I Buy and Why

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Book 30

Book 30: A Splendid Friend, Indeed, by Suzanne Bloom, Scholastic 2006

Pesky characters in books appeal to me, like Willems' pigeon and Numeroff's mouse. I'm not sure why, they just do. So I find the irritating goose in A Splendid Friend, Indeed charming. But even more than the goose, I love the patient polar bear. He's the perfect foil to the silly goose.

The friendly pair are well-drawn -- the bear's fur is magnificent -- and expressive. Bloom brings them to life using pastels, which is not an easy medium to work with.

The story itself is so simple that a toddler has not trouble following it, especially when enhanced by the excellent illustrations.

*For other reviews, please see Books I Buy and Why

poetry end

After a year and a month of poetry, I'm taking a break. Over that year I've written some good, bad and indifferent poetry. I'd like to think I've improved. :) Anyway, for the next week I'll be concentrating on illustrating on then seeing what inspires me next -- possibly, cleaning.