Brownie and Pearl Get Dolled Up by Cynthia Rylant

I don't know why the cat has a little girl name and the little girl has the name that should belong to the cat, but with a name like Brownie she might have more options to get dolled-up in the future as a pageant star or something. I don't know. But this was a really fun book and my own little girl, who herself loves to dress up, really liked this book as the characters go through all of the steps to getting ready to go out. My favorite page was the Glitter! page in which Brownie is depicted throwing a bunch of glitter up in the air.

As a parent, if my child was playing with glitter while getting "dolled up" that would probably not make me awww at her cuteness (okay, I would initially--that is until I saw the huge glittery mess all over my bedroom floor that I knew for a fact that my child was not about to clean up by herself) but indeed it would lead to a quick time-out.

Illustrated by Brian Briggs.
Beach Lane Books, 2010.

You're Weird by Kevin Luthardt

You're Weird is a great opportunity to explore differences and it is a lot of fun to use voices when reading (even though sometime in the middle of the book I got the turtle and the rabbit's voice confused- but little M didn't notice anyhow...)

The two characters cannot really agree on anything that they have in common, however, in the end they agree to disagree and they realize that they BOTH are weird!

Dial Books for Young Reader, 2005.

It's Not Fair! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld

It's Not Fair!

The mantra heard all around the world by parents, employers, bosses, coworkers, and really anybody. In fact, it is a commonly discovered thing in life that nothing is fair, and this book reaches out to teach that lesson young. This book is fun to read and my favorite page was filled with babies in the hospital nursery, already complaining about how things weren't fair. "Why'd I get these funny feet? Why'd she get the window seat? I always get the boring sheet. It's not fair."

The book opens and closes with a page from the "Circuit Court of Fairness" with a "Complaint at Law" which is quite amusing as well.

Harper Collins Publishers, 2008.

Belinda Begins Ballet by Amy Young

Poor Belinda has the feet the size of....well, honestly I can't think of anything long enough to compare them too, but I can sympathize greatly. Anyhow, she is always stuck with this disability her extra-extra-large feet have left her with. But she decides she wants to be a ballerina after she is inspired by seeing a ballerina. Of course, she must learn to overcome her struggles and her difficulties (with Mrs. Rhino- appropriately named for the HUGE honker she has on her face--who has assigned Belinda to be the clown n the talent show).

This is a great book for girls who love ballet, anyone with big feet, and anyone who strives to overcome struggles to reach a goal.

Viking, 2008.

Birdie's Big-Girl Shoes by SuJean Rim

Birdie's mom seriously has some style. If I were a little girl who lived in that house, with those SHOES, ahhhh, I'm in heaven now just thinking about it. I mean, the before-the-main-page is just covered in illustrations of some f the most fashionable heels EVER. If I were Birdie, I would want to wear my mom's shoes too. But when Birdie realizes how many things she CAN'T do wearing her mom's shoes, she has a new-found appreciation for her bare feet.

This book is perfect for anyone who has an appreciation for fashion and especially for anyone who loves shoes!

Little, Brown and Company, 2009.

Doodle Bites: A Tilly and Friends Book by Polly Dunbar

Doodle woke up in a "bitey" mood one day and then went on a super destructive rampage throughout her entire house, literally eating everything in site (The damage depicted is like ten times worse then even the most destructive non-housetrained dog). However, a solution must be found after she bites Tumpty the Elephant (who is not very pleased). One of those big family meltdowns occurs but in the end it is all better. It's a really nice little story and I love the illustrations of the Tilly books.

Candlewick Press, 2009.

Shapes that Roll by Karen Nagel

This book has everything. Shapes, numbers, drama, adventure, contrast, color, and the shapes on the pages even have this nifty smooth feeling to them.

I won't waste any more time in saying exactly WHY this book is absolutely amazing, because it really covers all bases when it comes to concept books. Did I mentioned it also rhymes too? Yeah.

My favorite page says, "Shapes of fruits that grow on trees" and that's all, but it collides so well with the rest of the book (and really it is just my favorite because of the shapes of the fruits).

On a personal note, both of my children were totally drawn to this book, and why wouldn't they be? It's got interesting appeal and lots of contrast and it sticks out (and it works!)

Read it!

Illustrations by Steve Wilson.
Blue Apple Books, 2009.

Ellsworth's Extraordinary Electric Ears; and other amazing alphabet anecdotes by Valorie Fisher

This was one of the funniest and most novel alphabet books I have seen. Each picture on each page is created by putting together a bunch of alphabetically related pictures. There is also a pithy sentence using multiple words of the one letter. In many cases, the sentence is somewhat quirky and gives some sense to the unusual scene depicted in the photograph.

Some of my favorites are:
"Holly was hugely happy ibn her humble handbag home."
"Mario's mechanical moustache machine made many mistakes."
"Uncle Upton's unusual utensils were unbreakable, unforgettable, and utterly useless."

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003.

What the No-Good Baby is Good For by Elise Broach

John doesn't like his baby sister. She's a no-good baby that isn't good for anything. And for good reason, she's messy, destructive and downright mean. So John's mother tells him that they will send the baby away since she's no good. This reaction allows John to reflect upon his little sister's qualities (really anyone with a small child can connect to this book because it is funny how the baby and her brother interact) and in the end he decides that she isn't so bad  after all. I applaud John's mother for dealing with sibling resentment and jealousy in the proper manner because she sent the baby off to Grandma's for the night she she could spend more quality time with John (because obviously from his attitude he is looking for more parental attention).

My no-good baby ripped the first page out of this book. She didn't even get the idea from the book either...

Illustrated by Abby Carter.
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2005.

The Younger Brother's Survival Guide by Lisa Kopelke

These two kids put sibling rivalry to the test. Matt (the younger brother) compiles a list of tips on how to deal with his older sister. Incidents that lead him to the creation of the tips are also depicted (so the reader can see the full picture of sibling torture). Right away this book had me laughing because it made me think of my sisters and the terrible things that we would do to one another. It's a really nice book and it ends on the positive tone that "It's not always easy having an older sister, but it's always an adventure" (meanwhile main character is tied to a tree while his sister and her evil cat are hanging out -- but isn't that technically considered quality sibling time?)

Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2006.

Sea Horse, the shyest fish in the sea by Chris Butterworth

Seahorses, seahorses, seahorses! Absolutely adorable and BEAUTIFULLY illustrated sea horses. On the front and back insides of the cover, different species of seahorses are named and displayed. Before I read this book I knew little to nothing about seahorses (aside from things that one generally assumes from popular culture I suppose). Not only did this book dispel some of my previously-thought incorrect beliefs, but it gave me a firm knowledge base on the life of seahorses.
It was so nice to look at and so simply written, I didn't even realize I was learning. So if the tricks work on me (an adult) surely a child will soak up information from this book.



I never knew that seahorses paired up for life and when I learned that in the book it was one of those Awwwww moments. Seriously. The picture on page 15 of the development of baby seahorses was too cool. I felt a little bit bad though because poor dad was abandoned by the babies as soon as they hatched and escaped from his pouch.

I definitely learned something from this book and looking at the illustrations only made it more enjoyable.

I love seahorses!!!!!

Illustrated by John Lawrence.
Candlewick Press, 2006.

How to Make Friends with a Giant by Gennifer Choldenko

This is the nicest story about Jake and Jacomo and how their friendship has no limits.

Before Jacomo moves in next door, Jake notices that builders have come and are making the house bigger (and by bigger we're not just talking accomodating Clifford the Dog bigger.....) and he soon meets his new neighbor Jacomo who, besides from being like 12 feet tall and having this really big round head, seems to be a nice kid.

Everyone uses Jacomo's height as a reason to discriminate. Jacomo can't fit on the bus, he's big for the classroom and he's rough on the playground. Jake leads by example and befriends Jacomo and finds alternatives in every situation to make Jacomo feel better. (He races the bus instead of riding on it and he beats the bus to school!)

Although a bit exaggerative, this book makes a clear point which is easily relatable to readers.

Illustrated by Amy Walrod.
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2006.

Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen

Guji guji is a crocoduck. Aka, a crocodile RAISED as a duck. This is a cute story about how he is raised by ducks and then confronted by crocodiles one day (who reveal to him that his really isn't a duck) who want him to help them eat his duck family. Instead, he and the ducks trick the crocodiles and drop rocks into their mouths and break all of their teeth.

Mama Duck is great. She's practically always got a book in hand and you can tell she probably goes a little bit wild with naming her babies (Crayon, Zebra, Moonlight, and of course, Guji guji).

Kane/Miller Book Publishers, 2004.

The Story of Honk-Honk-Ashoo and Swella-Bow-Wow by Ralph Cosentino

Honk-Honk-Ashoo is an actual pillowhead. Yes. His head is a pillow (how convenient). The story shows HHA's life and how he meets his very best canine friend, Swella-Bow-Wow.


This is just one of those super cute books and I really really really like it. I also like how it has become a favorite for storybook plush.

Viking, 2005.

The Foggy Foggy Forest by Nick Sharratt

In the foggy foggy forest, one never really knows what to expect. The reader must guess at the silhouetted shapes of various fairy-tale and fantasy creatures that are encountered within the foggy foggy forest. It would be quite difficult to guess everything on the first (second, third, fourth, fifth) try, but this would be a great book to build upon memorization and character recognition skills.

The pages are also made of this non-papery material which is actually really cool.

I like this book more for the concept rather than the story line but it is different and I haven't seen anything similar.

Candlewick Press, 2008.

Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

In Spoon the reader is introduced to Spoon as well as Spoon's family (which consists of quite the assortment of silverware!). Spoon is jealous of Knife and Fork and Chopsticks and relates to his mother his jealousies and why they are so much luckier than him. Spoon's mother reiterates why it is so great to be a spoon and how spoons can do all sorts of things that knives and forks and chopsticks CAN'T do. And in the meantime, each of the aforementioned3 pieces of eatery are expressing their envies about Spoon to their parents. The book ends with a spoon family cuddle. AWWWWWWWW.

What this book does is take the general theme of envy over others and applies it to a cute but generic format which could be applied easily towards any possible reader.

I like it.

Illustrated by Scott Magoon.
Hyperion Books, 2009.

Papa Small by Lois Lenski

When I first opened and read this book I felt like it was one of those sarcastic-but-true parodies of modern life. Then I realized it wasn't. Upon further investigation I realized that this book was written in 1951 during a peak time of traditional family roles. Ha ha. Poor Mama Small. There's a reason her and Papa small are sitting what looks to be inches but in all actuality is probably feet apart.

The story starts out with an introduction to the Small family. They have a dog and a read house and approximately 3 children (Baby Small is pictured very gender-neutrally so it could be either he or she).

It then starts to get pretty intense. Papa Small goes to work everyday (his face is turned in the picture so the reader cannot see the huge smile that must be depicted on his face). Mama Small is then pictured trying to tame the chaotic mess the house has become (probably over the weekend while they were out and about). Mama Small has to cook the meals (while the baby is throwing junk all over the floor)  while Paul Small brings out all of the crooked cutlery (which I'm sure used to be Mama's finest before it got destroyed and bent up) and Polly Small sets the table. Mama looks kind of evil standing over the oven (with wavy heat lines coming up- she's probably so mad looking because her day has been super chaotic and she had to do all of the crazy work around her house and then stand over the hot stove to cook).

When Papa Small comes home he is greeted like the coming of the second Messiah. (Note- Mama Small neither waves goodbye or greets Papa Small, I wonder....)

After dinner Papa Small gets to sit and "watch the baby" with his feet up and read the paper (because he HAS worked all day) while Mama Small has to wash the dishes with the help of her loving children Paul and Polly (who I'm sure did their share of bickering and or dish dropping).

On Mondays when Papa Small comes home he helps Mama Small and hangs the laundry on the line (Note- Mama Small is depicted as washing the laundry with one of those old-fashioned wringer washers so I'm quite sure that Papa Small is really helping her out by hanging up that pesky laundry).

On Tuesdays Mama Small irons the clothes. And what does Papa do? Why, he tries them on, that's what he does. (What a helper!)

Because Papa Small likes to help around the house so much, on Wednesday he hangs up a picture for Mama. (Note- I think that a women who is capable of running a household alone, cooking, cleaning and operating a ringer-washer is more than able to get a step-ladder, a hammer and a nail and hang up one picture. Who does Papa think that he is fooling when he's being such a help?)

On Thursday Papa Small has to fix the kitchen sink. Which is a novel thing. But all three of the Small children are depicted lined up at the edge of the kitchen counter (with Mama Small hovering behind to check up on Papa Small and contain the little Smalls). A couple of thoughts ran through my head in this scene. Firstly, if Papa Small is fixing the sink, what is he doing with a saw, a butter knife and a file? Secondly, if Papa Small regularly fixed things around the house I doubt it would be such a big deal to the little Smalls and Mama Small, so I'm guessing that not only does Papa Small NOT know what he is doing with the kitchen sink, but Mama Small also knows this and not only does she have to watch the kids while he screws up the sink, but she is either telling him what to do or could do it much better than Papa Small. This is why all of the Little Smalls are lined up so precisely because Papa Small is short on his patience due to his ineffective mechanical skills and Mama Small's belittling comments and is ready to snap at the first kid who gets in his space while he's trying to work.



Friday seems to be the only day of the week that gives Mama Small more rest than work (while Papa Small cuts the grass and a disgruntled looking Paul Small gets to rake it up)

On Saturdays the Small family does the shopping. OR really, Papa Small runs ahead with Baby Small in the cart and Mama Small with her two helpers, Paul and Polly, frantically try to remember everything that they are supposed to be buying while trying to keep up with Papa Small's fast pace. Mama Small makes him carry the baby and an extra bag of groceries (which suspiciously is a closed brown bag that resembles a large bottle of bagged liquor) in return for his "help" grocery shopping.


They all do gardening.

On Sundays they go to church, but of course, when the baby cries Mama Small has to leave. At home Papa "helps" cook dinner but does present it to the family (in reality he probably added something to boiling water and the was all the "helping" that happened). When they go for a car ride later on in the afternoon, Mama is jammed in the back of the car probably because she was so irate with Papa Small that she didn't want to sit in front with him.

At night, Mama gets all of the beds ready after putting Baby Small to bed while Papa Small gets to read a bedtime story to Paul and Polly (aka hang out in a comfy chair while wifey does yet more work).

I wonder what the Smalls would look like within a modern context,  if they weren't such a good example of the traditional nuclear family?

This really is a great little book and a good example of how household roles have changed in the past 60 years.

Random House, 1951.

Emily's Balloon by Komako Sakai

This is the story about Emily and her balloon. It's a simple story with a universal appeal and gorgeous illustration. I love it a little bit more every time I read it.

Chronicle Books, 2003.

Daddy's Scratchy Face by Edith Kunhardt

This book is part of the Pat the Bunny Playtime series, and I must say although the video of Pat the Bunny is highly entertaining albeit a little bit creepy (okay, so maybe it ranks pretty high up there on the parental creepy factor, but the kids absolutely LOVED it. LOVED it. More than anything else. I don't even want to describe the coercive amount of trickery it took to get that stupid dvd back to the library...)

Anyhow, this is a book about beards.

Yep, a children's book about men's facial hair. It even shows some animals that have facial hair too (like elephants, cats, catfish, tigers, lions, etc.-- you know, all those crazy hairy animals out there).

The only part of this book that I did not fully appreciate was a page early in which poses the question to the reader, "Is Mummy's face scratchy?" because I feel this could be interpreted very honestly by some children who do in fact have mothers with facial hair. I'm not going to speak ill of bearded women or even women with slight bristling, because I do realize that there is nothing that can be done short of swapping out some DNA (and don't forget that handy dandy hormone- TESTOSTERONE!). So for all of the scratchy faced, mustached mommies- this probably isn't the book for you. But for all of those seven o' clock (and two o'clock, five o'clock, and seventy-two hour) shadowed men for whom facial hair is a fact of life (like it or not) this is the book for you.

In fact, it kind of made me wish I had a beard so I could have my daughter's pretend-shave while I got ready for work. But that is a role reserved for daddies. Even though face-shaving skills won't come in handy until atleast after menopause for my little ladies. (I hope).


Golden Book, 2005.

Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Little Hoot is every parents dream child. If he wasn't an owl that is. This is one owl who doesn't want to stay up late like all of the other owls. He wants to go to bed. EARLY. What kind of parents wouldn't want a child with borderline narcolepsy? (That is, without actually HAVING narcolepsy). Actually, after reading this book I realized how awesome it would be to be an owl. They learn really cool stuff at school like staring and pondering. The late late bedtime thing is a bummer though and I personally agree with Little Hoot. I wish my kids did too....

Illustrated by Jen Corace.
Chronicle Books, 2008.

Little Oink by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Little Oink just wants to clean. But since he's a little pig he has to follow to set standards that pigs are messy. And so, despite his whines and protests to his parents, he has to make a big mess and wear dirty stained clothes. He gets to exhibit his OCD behaviors in his tree house though when he gets to play.

I thought this book was too cute and I like how it dealt with a pig facing stereotypes because of his species (which can relate to any child dealing with stereotypes on ANYTHING). I didn't like how much Mama Pig reminded me of myself though.....


Illustrated by Jen Corace.
Chronicle Books, 2009.

Alpha Oops! The Day Z Went First by Alethea Kontis Illustrated by Bob Kolar

This is a story of a dysfunctional alphabet. It all starts when Z decides that he wants to go first. It all falls apart from there. At the end of the book, after each letter has taken a turn on the stage with all of their props, which most certainly get mixed up amongst the letters, and A and Z make amends.

This book is really cute and full of humor and truly a great idea.

"V is for violence!"

Candlewick Press, 2006.

Smitten by David Gordon

A sock. A mitten. IN LOVE. Sock+Mitten=Smitten.
This is one of the cutest little love stories I have ever read.

Sock and Mitten meet up when Mitten is hanging out on a fence post and Sock takes a tumble out of a traveling laundry basket. They team up and go on a little adventure through a city (it's kind of unusual because if they were people this would be a story about dirty, roughed up homeless people in love.)

Sock gets all stretched out from being tugged apart by dogs (after he's shrunken from the wash). Mitten becomes unraveled after they almost die being run over by a train. But Sock, through whose actions I have myself fallen in love with him,  gets a pair of knitting needles and a Knitting-How-To book and works all night to put Mitten back together. And in the end, even though she's a bit lumpy and misshapen and he's all rugged and stretched out, they make the perfect pair.


Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2007.

How to Talk to Dads by Alec Greven

This book is modern, simple, and brutally honest, A kid's view at the way dads work.

The chapters are short and sweet, filled with simple drawings and cover topics such as "What Dads Like" and "How Kids Bug Their Dads" (as well as "How Dads Bug Their Kids" so it isn't so one sided).

This book is cleverly written and very true in the simplest sense, "There is an 80% chance that Dad will say yes when your mom might say no!"

Also by the same author (who is himself a ten-year old boy) are the titles, How to talk to Santa, How to talk to Moms, How to talk to Girls, and Rules for School.

Illustrated by Kei Acedera.


This my absolutely favorite page of the book, mostly because I can completely imagine this happening in my own life. (And it is really funny.)

HarperCollins Publishers, 2009.

Shelley the Hyperactive Turtle by Deborah M. Moss

This is a lovely tale about Shelley, an oddly familiar looking friendly boy-turtle (Franklin anyone?). Shelley is an active turtle who likes to have fun and is much faster than all of the other turtles. Because of these qualities, everyone gets mad at him and he doesn't have any friends. One of Shelley's favorite activities is depicted to be throwing food fights and spin dancing. He is also very impulsive and accidentally breaks things. Shelley's innocent-looking turtle parents become distressed with their son's overwhelming sadness, lack of friends and chaotic behavior and take him to the very old and hardly suspicious looking Dr. Turtle who hoods Shelley up to some electrodes and monitors his brain activity.Dr. Turtle tells Shelley that everything is going to be okay.

Well, it sure turns out that way.

Shelley now must see a "therapist" every week and his mom shoves this giant white horse pill down his throat everyday to help him "calm down a little". Shelley then develops some flute playing and boating skills and makes friends with everyone and he had "lots and lots of friends".

As much as I truly see the honorable intentions of this book and I hope that it has served it's purpose a thousand times over. I just don't think something like this would fly nowadays. You can definitely tell this book is from 1989. It has a charm to it though and definitely was my big library find for the week.

Illustrated by Carol Schwartz.
Woodbine House, 1989