Fairly Fairy Tales

by Esme Raji Codell
pictures by Elisa Chavarri

****

Adorable pictures and amusing twists on several classic fairy tales.  Few words and  fun illustrations make it great for the very young (with short attention spans) as well as older children (who are sure to get a good laugh!)  For full appreciation of this book the readers should be familiar with the tales of "The three Pigs," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Cinderella," Hansel and Gretel," and "The Three Bears."

Princess Hyacinth (the Surprising Tale of a Girl who Floated)

by Florence Parry Heide
pictures by Lane Smith

****
This princess faces an unexpected dilemma: For some unexplained reason, she floats! So she spends her days literally tied down to the furniture or weighed down with extremely heavy clothing. She is the quintessential confined princess, until one day (against all caution) she removes her clothing and lets herself float away. Her adventure not only leads her to a new friend, but to a new way of life! Funny pictures and clever text make this a great read. I also really liked the hues in the artwork and the page layouts...different (which I like.)

Manfish, A Story of Jacques Cousteau

by Jennifer Berne
pictures by Eric Puybaret

****

This book did a great job of telling who Jacques Cousteau was and what he did for the sea and our understanding of it today. The story format and beautiful pictures really appealed to both me and my kids. What I liked best about it was how it intrigued them to learn more. They asked a lot of questions about Cousteau and expressed interest in seeing his early films about the sea. So I found a video at the library featuring one of his films...and I've already placed it on hold! I just love learning with my kids!

The Birthday Tree

by Paul Fleischman
pictures by Barry Root

****

I thought this was a beautiful story, but it went a bit over my kids' heads. The author drew a parallel between a boy, Jack, and the tree his parents planted when he was born. After he left home his parents were able to know how Jack was, based on the tree's appearance (sounds weird, but I promise it's better than I'm making it sound!) My kids did enjoy it when I read it to them, even though they did give me a few puzzled looks and said, "what?" more than once! I guess some books were intended more for the pleasure of the parents reading them...and there's nothing wrong with that!

How Mama Brought the Spring

by Fran Manushkin
pictures by Holly Berry

****

This book, with its wintry setting that turns spring, is not exactly what you'd expect kids to pick out in the hottest part of the summer, but mine did! I think it's a manifestation of the power a book can have in carrying us off to another world (a snowy day in Minsk is just about as distant as you can get from a scorching hot day in Central Valley, California!)

This is a lovely story of a mother who tells her daughter a tale from her own childhood in Minsk, in order to motivate her out of bed on a freezing Chicago morning. I can imagine the imagery of her own mother's magical blintzes (a cheese-filled breakfast pastry) warming me and my girls on a cold day. I definitely want to check this one out again when that time comes and I am longing for warmer days. I'll probably even try the recipe for "Mama's Cheese Blintzes" found at the back of the book!

The Big Tidy-Up

by Norah Smaridge
pictures by Les Gray

****

For spunky, spiky-haired Jennifer cleaning her room is just not a priority. She finds it convenient to throw her hat on the ivy plant and store pie under her pillow for a bed-time snack. When her mom declares her room a "Keep Out" zone, Jen delights in her mess and passes her time there quite happily...that is until she realizes she is tired of living in chaos and clutter! Jennifer decides the only way out is to do a BIG tidy-up.

My kids have asked me to read this one over and over again in the two weeks we've had it from the Library. They enjoy the colorful pictures and methodical rhymes. Unfortunately it hasn't sparked a "big tidy-up" of their own...yet!

Courage

by Bernard Waber

****

Courage takes many forms, and Bernard Waber does a great job depicting these through words and pictures. My favorite of his explanations include: "Courage is tasting the vegetable before making the face" and "Courage is explaining the rip in your brand-new pants." My kids really enjoyed his many definitions of courage...and even added on a few of their own!

Road Trip

by Roger Eschbacher
pictures by Thor Wickstrom

****

I really enjoyed reading this fun book of "road trip" poetry aloud with my kids. I really like how this compilation of poems tells one larger story and how each poem leads into the next. Although told in a series of poems, it documents one family's two day trip across country to Grandma's house. It honestly made me want to pack up the car with my family and head east for a on-the-road adventure!

The Gardener

by Sarah Stewart
pictures by David Small

****

A very cute story told through the letters of little Lydia Grace Finch. She moves to the city to live with her straight-faced uncle, and help in his bakery. While living there she secretly creates a roof-top garden for him in hopes that it will get him to finally smile. This book won a Caldecott Honor in 1998.

Grasshopper on the Road

by Arnold Lobel

****

This book can be enjoyed on so many different levels. From my three-year-old thumbing through the pages to admire the funny pictures, to my five-year-old sounding out the words on her own, to my own appreciation for Lobel's witty humor and contemplative themes (it's much deeper than you would think an "I Can Read" book would be!) Grasshopper's journey down the road seems to be a metaphor for life, and all the bugs he runs into represent the day to day things that distract us from what's really important (from the narrow-minded beetles who can't accept any view besides their own, to the fireflies who zoom around so quickly that they don't even notice the flowers and leaves.) Anyway, more simply put it is very fun read for kids and adults!

Amelia Bedelia

by Peggy Parish
pictures by Fritz Siebel

****

This story is about an absent minded, yet lovable house maid with a name as silly as she is! She takes her new employers' directions way too literally resulting in things like dressing a raw chicken carcass in trousers with suspenders (her instructions were to "dress the chicken.") Great humor for both kids and adults (although I did have to explain to my kids why some things were funny....they were with Amelia on a few of the things; dress a chicken?!)

Dreams

by Peter Spier

****

I believe this book is out of print, but it is definitely worth purchasing from a used bookstore (just do a google search.) In this wordless picture book, Spier brings the clouds to life by illustrating what two children see in the sky as they lay in a meadow and stare at the changing white cumuli. This book is so imaginative and encourages my kids to look a little longer, and a little closer at things around them.

Another wonderful book by Peter Spier: Noah's Ark

Zen Shorts

by Jon J. Muth

****

This charming book tells the story of three young siblings that meet a large panda named Stillwater. He teaches each of them profound life lessons through the simple stories he shares. Two of Stillwater's anecdotes are based on stories from Zen Buddhist literature, and the third comes from an ancient Taoist tale. The paintings in this book are done in watercolor and are absolutely breathtaking. Muth earned a Caldecott Honor for the illustrations in this book in 2006.

How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World

by Faith McNulty
pictures by Marc Simont

****

After my five-year-old daughter's inquisitive questions on what is under the sidewalk (my answer: "dirt"); then what's under the dirt? ("more dirt, and rock"); what's under the rock...and so forth, we decided to research the topic at the library. We found several good non-fiction books that had great pictures of the earth's layers and core, but the explanations were not very exciting to a young child. And then we found this book...it is so great! It is like taking a trip through each layer of earth, to the center, and out the other side. It kept both my girls griped as it explained exactly what one would find if she dug a hole right to the other side of the world. It's a total learning adventure!

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

by Simms Taback

****

Joseph starts out with an overcoat. When it is worn he makes it into a jacket...and then a vest, etc...until it is just a tiny button. The text is based on an old Yiddish folk song that the author loved as a child. The artwork is bright and entertaining. Taback won the Caldecott medal in 2000 for his illustrations in this book.

Another fun book by Simms Taback is There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.

Grandfather's Journey

by Allen Say

****

A simple, but moving story of Allen Say's Grandfather's life in Japan and America. In telling about his Grandfather's story and love for both countries, he also reveals his own deep connection to both places. He says "...the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other." For some reason this book always makes me choke-up. The pictures are beautiful and the reminiscent story-telling is tender. Say won the Caldecott Medal for this book in 1994.

Brave Charlotte

by Anu Stohner
pictures by Henrike Wilson

****

I read this for the first time last week after my three-year-old picked it out at the library. She chose well...it was a very fun read! Charlotte is a little sheep who is very unlike the other sheep in her flock (who often "tsk, tsk" her wild tactics.) The day soon comes that little Charlotte's courage is just what her shepherd and flock need. This is a charming story that shows that there's a place for everyone...even a daredevil sheep!

Miss Nelson is Missing

by Harry Allard
pictures by James Marshall

****

A no-nonsense Miss Viola Swamp shows up to substitute Miss Nelson's class after she is determined missing. The kids in Room 207 certainly learn a lesson in respect after several days with "The Swamp." The best part is the twist ending...it makes kids want to flip back and read the story all over again!

Fancy Nancy

by Jane O'Connor
pictures by Robin Preiss Glasser

****

This book is a big hit at my house...but then again I have two girly girls. Nancy is a lovable character whose fancy for fancy influences her clothes, her room, her words, and even how she holds her cup ("pinkies up Darling!") I love how her family humors her (even though they aren't particularly fancy themselves), and truly appreciates the big personality she has.

Martha Speaks

by Susan Meddaugh

****

This is a good-humored story about a dog that gains the ability to talk after eating her owner's alphabet soup (the letters go to her brain instead of her stomach.) It's funny to hear the kinds of things a dog would say...if she only had the chance! There are other Martha books that followed this one (although I haven't read any of them), and apparently PBS has a new show based on this book.