Children's Book - Chicken Cheeks

 
Chicken Cheeks
Author: Michael Ian Black
Illustrated By:  Kevin Hawkes

My sister Emilee gave this book to me and all my sisters for Mother's Day.  What a thoughtful and wonderful gift.  Since then we have read this book at least a couple times a day.  And we giggle, laugh, and exclaim over the illustrations and the words.  I mean really there is not much funnier than different kinds of animal bottoms.

My daughter Fia just sat on my lap and laughed and said "Read it,  Read it,  Please...."
Now a pause to read the book

It all begins with a bear wanting some honey at the top of a very very tall tree.   His friends come to help him and each animal climbs on top of the other and you see their rear, tushy, derriere, cheeks, caboose,  I bet you get the picture now.
Speaking of pictures they are delightful and full of fun and laughs.  Each time we read the book all we hear is
"Again, Again."
It is a very fast read and the best parts of the book are the illustrations and if you are into a little "bottom" humor this book is for you.

Children's Book- The Important Book

The Important Book   

By Margaret Wise

Illustrated by:  Leonard Weisgard

Libbi, Noah's speech therapist lent us this marvelous book awhile ago. 

This book was first published in 1949 and it's timelessness is evident. 

It goes through different things and talks about why that thing is important.  Such as Snow,  that it comes in winter, that it is cold but the most important thing about snow is that it is White.  They talk about an apple, the sky, the rain, a daisy, the wind, a shoe and different things like that.  And at the end of the book it talks about how the most important thing about you is that you are you.  This opened up a whole discussion with Noah and I  we would walk around talking about what the important thing about a chair was, about Sofia, about our house, a tree, grandma etc.  It sparked his imagination and the illustrations are intricate and colorful.  I think it would be fun to make a book about the important things about your family for Family Home Evening or about Friends.   Although I do not necessarilary agree about what they wrote is the most important thing about each subject was.   It still made you talk about each thing and decide what you thought was most important. I really really loved this book.  

Children's Book- Mailing May

Mailing May   

By Michael O. Tunnell

Illustrated by Ted Rand

This book is about a young girl, May, who wants to visit Grandma in Lewiston, Idaho (you gotta love a book that references real places). Unfortunately,  they do not have the $1.55 for the train ticket.  She even tries to find a job to earn the money.  To save the day, May's folks come up a quirky and probably illegal (but still hilarious) idea to get her there--mailing her.

It's an adorable story that has all the magic of a little girl setting out into the big world via a train. There is a delectable sense of history and wisdom as she makes her railway journey, and the writing is personable and funny. I love the references to the post office. It shows some of the processes that they go through to get the mail where it needs to go. It is based on a true story and the author writes a note in the back about the real story in his family history.  I just love true stories and family histories so I was smitten,

The illustrations are 3/4-page watercolor paintings, with smaller paintings of postage stamps, photographs, tags, and railroad documents, thus adding to the story's sense of reality and historicity. They help establish the early 1900s setting, and develop the characters through facial expressions.  Ted Rand does and amazing job.  This book has got me looking more at  his illustrations.

Check it out,  Kids love it too.  

Children's Book- Sister Anne's Hands

Sister Anne's Hands

By: Marybeth Lorbiecki

Illustrated By K. Wendy Popp

I learned of this book from my Children's literature class, my last semester in college.  That class was the perfect way to end school, at least for me.  This book is in my top ten all time favorite children's books.  The illustrations are just lovely and authentic.  The lovely illustrations are slightly muted in tone, appropriately giving the book the look of a memory recalledIt teaches lessons about tolerance, love, excepting and embracing all our differences. I love the flow and rhythm of this book. It is lovely to read out loud. Outstanding in every way. You really just have to read to see why I just love it so much.  

Seven-year-old Anna Zabrocky is excited about her first day in the second grade. She is also very curious about her new teacher, Sister Anne, an African-American nun. Anna has never encountered a black person up close and personal before. Therefore, she feels a little uncertain and nervous as she avoids Sister Anne's gentle touch of welcome on the first day of school. Soon all of Anna's apprehensions vanish as her classroom comes alive. Sister Anne's warmth and gentleness engages them in learning new things, sharing wonderful stories and telling hearty jokes. Just when everything feels perfect for the new school year, someone hurls a paper airplane that sails by Sister Anne's head and hits the blackboard. On its wings were written some very hurtful things. Not only did this cruel act bring a great deal of pain to Sister Anne's eyes, but a sense of guilt comes upon Anna as though she had crafted the paper airplane herself. It is how Sister Anne chooses to take this painful moment and turn it into a teachable moment that makes this book so great. By the close of the school year, it is obvious that the strength and courage of this teacher changes the lives of her students forever. I love the very specific way it changes Anna.

Children's Book- The Rainbow Goblins

The Rainbow Goblins By Ul De Rico

I was first introduced to this book back in Jr High when I was dancing at The Children's Dance Theatre at the U of U.  My dance teacher gathered us all around her and read this book to us as the pianoist played a beautiful melody to emphasize the points in the book.  Afterwards, we were all assigned a color and we Danced the book.  After, this class, this book became so very magical.  It started a lifelong love of this book.  I can still remember the way my body moved and stretched to the melodies and the satisfaction I felt afterwards. 

It is not just the memories or the story that totally engrossed me in this book,  It is the Illustrations.  Every page is a individual painting in bold bright colors and intricate detail.  It is almost Renaissance in style but with a lot more bright colors.  They are all oil paintings done on oak panels shrunk to a third of their size.  They are simply breathtaking.  Each one beautiful enough to want to frame and hang up in your house.  

 

Here is a brief peak of what the book is about...

"There once was a land that lived in fear of the seven Rainbow Goblins. Each had its own color, which was also its name, and they were led by Yellow, who was their chief because he was the craftiest. The goblins were feared because they lived on color and scoured the land looking for rainbows. Whenever they saw one they would catch it in their lassoes and suck the colors out of it so that they could fill their bellies with the bright liquids. However, one day the Rainbow Goblins came to a hidden paradise called the Valley of the Rainbow, the one place in all the land that did not fear the goblins."

The story does have some dark undertones as well. It has a very Grimm Fairy Tale type of feel. Where everything does not always fit into a beautiful,happy, pleasant little package. This is a story about how good triumphs over evil. And how every part of the earth works together to save the rainbow and it's color. And it explains now why a rainbow never touches the ground.

I adore this book .  I have always been fasinated with the Classic Fairy tales and this fits right in with all of them.  Sometimes we get out this book just to look at the pictures and name all the colors.  There is also another Goblin book called "The White Goblin" Bu Ul De Rico  that is also really good and a great companion to this one.  But the Rainbow Goblin is my favorite.  

Children's Book- Tops and Bottoms

I am starting a new series where I will showcase some of my favorite children's books.  I love, love, love children's books and have collected them even before I had children.  I am quite passionate about these books.  I really cannot say I have an absolute favorite children's book.  I have quite a few.  In no particular order of when I post these.

Tops and Bottoms  By: Janet Stevens

It is the story of a lazy bear and a Hare.  The bear owns all the land and Hare and his family are starving so they come up with a plan. 

"We can be business partners!" Hare says. "All we need is this field right here in front of your house. I'll do the work of planting and harvesting, and we can split the profit down the middle." Hare says soon afterwards, "So what will it be, Bear?" "The top half or the bottom half?" Hare doesn't mention what crops he will grow to bear, because, of course, he will plant veggies that bear fruit(or, well...vegetables) underground. Carrots, radishes, etc.

The next growing season, Bear will naturally choose the bottoms, but-again-he doesn't demand a certain vegetable to plant, so Hare plants vegetables like cabbage that grow above ground.

Finally Bear gets smart-or at least he thinks he is-and demands to have both the tops and bottoms of the crops; Hare agrees? This time he plants Corn so that he gets the middles.  Tricking the bear once again.  

Finally Bear gets so upset that he says he will do it himself.  Hare and his family get land for themselves and the message is that "Hard Works Pays off"

It is a Caldecott Honor book, so a lot of you might have seen or read this one before.  The pictures are incredible.  Rich with a lot of detail and new discoveries that make you look at them over and over again.  Hare wears a carrot Hawaian shirt and Bear always has a loose tie and big boots.    One very original thing about this book is it's format.  Instead of reading the book horozontally,  the only way you can read it is vertically.  

This book is clever, witty and humorous.  We love it,  and a plus is that Noah will read it sometimes even though it is not Star Wars.