W, X, Y, and Z!

Wombat Walkabout by Carol Diggory Shields

My Mom Has X-Ray Vision by Angela McAllister

Yuck! That's Not a Monster! by Angela McAllister

ZooZical by Judy Sierra

Well, that brings the A to Z Challenge to an end!  Thanks for joining us this month as we explored the shelves of our local library using the alphabet as our guide.  We hope you found a few new books to add to your shelves!

Q, R, S...T, U, V...

The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

Silverlicious by Victoria Kann

Tap Tap Bang Bang by Emma Garcia

Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Brought to You by the Letters O & P

One Drowsy Dragon by Ethan Long

In this entertaining counting book, one drowsy dragon desperately wants  to get some sleep, but his ten little dragons want to have fun instead. Five are playing with their toys, six are making milk shakes, and seven are watching scary shows on TV. Will the drowsy dragon ever catch some ZZZs?

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle

Eric Carle's vibrant tissue paper collages introduce readers to a string of ten endangered animals, including a swinging spider monkey, a swimming sea turtle, and a soaring bald eagle, each watching over the next.

N is for...

Ned's New Home by Kevin Tseng

Ned loves his apple, but when it begins to rot, he must find a new place to live.  Ned searches high and low, trying out several different fruits, before finally finding a new place to call home.

L is for...

Leon the Chameleon by Melanie Watts

Leon isn't your average chameleon.  Instead of blending into his surroundings, Leon turns the opposite color!  Leon, embarrassed by his lack of camouflage, feels like he doesn't quite fit in with the other chameleons.  One day when a group of young chameleons go exploring, Leon secretly follows them.  When they wander too far away from home and become lost, and it's Leon's crazy contrasting colors that save the day, allowing their parents to spot them from far away.  Not only does this book have a great message about appreciating individuality, it also includes a fun lesson in color theory, introducing readers to the color wheel, primary colors, and complementary colors on the final page.

K is for...

Kittens! Kittens! Kittens! by Susan Meyers

H, I, J: Triple Play!

H is for...

How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long

I is for...

If You Were a Penguin by Wendell & Florence Minor

J is for...

Jimmy's Boa and the Bungee Jump Slam Dunk by Trinka Hakes Noble

E is for...

Elmer by David McKee

Elmer the colorful patchwork elephant feels that he doesn't quite fit in with the other gray elephants.  After painting himself with gray berry juice, he blends right into the herd, but Elmer soon realizes that he enjoys being unique, even if it means he stands out in a crowd.  Elmer learns that it's important to be yourself and to celebrate the things that make you special. 

B is for...

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

Bear is snoozing in his cozy cave on a cold winter night.  While he's sleeping, a variety of woodland creatures sneak into his cave to take shelter from the cold.  They brew tea, pop popcorn, and enjoy each other's company inside the warm den, all while Bear snores on.  When Bear wakes up, he's surprised to find he's not alone, and is happy to join in the fun.

How Do You Sleep?

"When the sky grows dark 
and the moon glows bright,
everyone goes to sleep...
...except for the watchful owl!"

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na featured a wonderfully soothing bedtime verse.  As the night sky grows dark, animals prepare for sleep in many different ways.  Some sleep in peace and quiet while others are noisy sleepers.  Some sleep standing up, some sleep while moving.  Some even sleep with both eyes open!  But no matter how they sleep, the owl keeps watch all through the night.  When the sun comes up, it's time for everyone to wake up..."except for the tired owl."  At last it's his turn to get some sleep.

A Book of Sleep is beautifully illustrated with a combination of paint textures and digitally generated images.  And the little owl is indeed on every page watching over the sleeping animals.  A Book of Sleep is a gorgeous, soothing bedtime book to add to your collection.  Sweet dreams!

A Hip Hop Tale

It's no secret that I enjoy children's books with clever wordplay and a touch of humor.  Hip and Hop, Don't Stop! by Jef Czekaj is one of those books.  Hip is a turtle from Slowjamz Swamp who loves to rap as slow as molasses.  Hop is a bunny from Breakbeat Meadow with a talent for rapping lightning fast.  One day they each see a poster for the Oldskool County Rap-off, and a new friendship forms as they practice together for the contest.  When the big day arrives, all of Oldskool County is there to see the contestants "battle" each other with their raps.  In the last round, Hip and Hop face off against each other.  Hip rapped so slowly that no one paid attention to him.  Hop rapped so fast that no one could keep up with her.  But when the two friends team up and rap together they find the perfect balance and pretty soon the entire audience is moving to the beat.  Hip and Hop share the title of "Best Rappers in Oldskool County."

My daughter enjoyed the bright, fun illustrations in Hip and Hop, Don't Stop!  The allusions to the world of hip hop music are amusing, including animal characters such as "Ludafish," "Jay Zebra," and "Queen LaTreeFrog."  The raps are clever and entertaining, and include visual clues to enhance the reading/rapping experience...red text is meant to be read slowly and green text is intended to be read very fast.  Hip and Hop, Don't Stop! was definitely the favorite pick from the library this week. 

It's Time to Rise and Shine!

My kiddos are a couple of early birds.  They are both usually up before the sun and ready to have some fun, much like the little calf in Millie Wants to Play! by Janet Pederson.  Millie knows she has to wait for the "rise and shine sound" before she can play with her friends.  As the animals of the barnyard begin to stir, Millie begins to hear a variety of sounds...the "baaaa" of a lamb, the "oink! oink!" of a piglet, and the "neigh!" of a pony, but none are the "rise and shine sound."  Finally Millie hears the sound she's been patiently waiting for..."Cock-a-Doodle Doo!"  At last it's time to play and start the day!

My daughter loved trying to guess which animal was making each sound and was delighted by the adorable watercolor illustrations of Millie and her farm friends.  And more importantly, just like Millie, she now stays in bed waits patiently until the sun is up and she hears her own "rise and shine sound" that signals the beginning of her day.

A Rainbow Wish for St. Patty's Day

 

We love this book so much we've had it on loan from the library for 5 weeks.  My daughter just can't get enough of it!  Little Pip and the Rainbow Wish by Elizabeth Baguley is a charming tale of friendship that sparkles with the magic of rainbows on each page.  Pip is a shy little mouse who would love to play with two other mice, Spike and Milly, but is too timid to ask to join them in their games.  One day Pip sees a beautiful, shimmery rainbow and he thinks that if he could just catch the rainbow and give it to Milly and Spike they will want to be his friends.  Spike and Milly notice that Pip is feeling sad and is struggling to catch the rainbow, so they join in the chase and help him out.  Soon all three mice are working together to catch the elusive rainbow, and even though they never catch it, the three friends spend a playful, fun-filled day together.  Little Pip and the Rainbow Wish is an adorable book with a great message...friends will love you for who you are and the fun you have together, not for the things you can give them.  The shimmery rainbows and delightful illustrations of wispy dandelions, splashy rain puddles, bright green grass, and colorful spring flowers by Caroline Pedler make us so happy that spring is just around the corner! 

Puppy Love

"I love...
the way you always care, 
the way you're always there.
That's the way I love you."

There is nothing sweeter than the love between a child and a cherished family dog.  The Way I Love You by David Bedford and Ann James is an adorable book that celebrates "puppy love."  From playtime to snacktime, bathtime to bedtime, the tender poem and charming charcoal and watercolor drawings perfectly illustrate the bond between a little girl in pink overalls and her beloved canine companion.  The Way I Love You is the perfect valentine for the four-legged friend in your life.

"I love...
the way you understand,
the way you show me how,
the way we are right now.
That's the way I love you."

That's What it's All About!

Hokey Pokey: Another Prickly Love Story by Lisa Wheeler tells the tale of Cushion the love-struck porcupine.  Cushion's true love, Barb the hedgehog, really loves to dance, but poor Cushion has two left feet when it comes to dancing.  His "rumba was rumpled, his waltz always wobbled, and his tango was totally tangled."  His friends try to help him find his rhythm, but with disastrous results.  While learning the fox trot from Tally-ho, he steps on the fox's tail.  Clover attempts to teach him the bunny hop, but Cushion hops on the rabbit's foot.  And when Biddy tries to show Cushion how to do the funky chicken, she gets a bottom full of quills for her trouble.  Cushion, feeling "lower than a limbo stick" is ready to give up dancing for good when he hears a sweet voice say "I can teach you."  It's his true love Barb!  Barb lovingly teaches Cushion the fox trot, the bunny hop, and the funky chicken, but best of all, she teaches him her favorite dance, the Hokey Pokey, and the two friends dance the night away.

All You Need is Love

It's been a whirlwind of craziness here in Dallas lately.  Between snowstorms and stomach bugs, there hasn't been a lot of time for blogging.  But we're back now, just in time for Valentine's Day!  Over the next few days we'll share with you some of our favorite love-themed books.  We hope you enjoy them!

Mole's in Love by David Bedford featuring illustrations by Rosalind Beardshaw

It's springtime, love is in the air, and Morris the Mole is searching for his true love.  Although he can't see very well, he knows exactly what he's looking for.  He finds an animal with "luscious shiny black fur" and immediately falls head over heels.  But it's not his true love after all...it's a horse!  He comes across a "pretty pink nose," only to find out it's really a pig, not his true love.  He thinks he struck gold when he finds someone with "gorgeous big wide feet," but alas, it's a duck, and his heart is broken once again.  Just as Morris decides to throw in the towel, someone places a present on his nose, and when Morris peers through the gift, he sees all the things he has been looking for..."luscious shiny black fur, a pretty pink nose, gorgeous big wide feet and best of all" a matching pair of "perfect sparkly eyeglasses!"  And suddenly Morris isn't looking for love anymore because his love, Mini the Mole, has found him!

Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum

"Bubble gum, bubble gum, 
Chewy-gooey bubble gum,
Icky-sticky bubble gum
Melting in the road."

Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum by Lisa Wheeler was one of the very first books we ever checked out from the library.  We enjoyed it so much the first time around that we've checked it out three times since!  This enjoyably wacky rhyme begins with a single blob of bubble gum in the road.  That tiny blob of icky-sticky gum causes big trouble as one by one a whole slew of animals become stuck in the chewy-gooey mess.  What will the animals do when a big blue truck comes rumbling down the road?  They "must chew, and chew, and chew" of course!  The "light and lifty bubble gum" "floats them toward the sky as the truck zooms by."  Just when you think the story is over, along comes a big burly bear, and the bubble gum saves the day once again.  "Oh what luck!  The bear got stuck," and the icky-sticky story begins all over again.

The vibrant acrylic and collage paper illustrations by Laura Huliska-Beith make the story pop right off of the page.  They are the perfect complement to the energetic, onomatopoeia-filled rhyme.  And who doesn't love a good onomatopoeia?  We give Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum two enthusiastic thumbs up!

Shake Your Rump

"I'll wiggle my rump with a bump, bump, bump, and smash your house!"

Ok folks, this one made me laugh out loud!  The Three Little Gators by Helen Ketteman is a very entertaining retelling of the classic tale The Three Little Pigs.  In The Three Little Gators, Mama Gator sends her three little gators out to make their mark in the wild swampland of East Texas.  But before they depart, she warns them to build sturdy houses to protect themselves from the notorious Big-bottom Boar, who would love nothing more than to make a tasty snack out of little gators.  So each little gator sets out to build his new home.  The First Gator wisely chooses to build his house out of rocks, but his two brothers think rocks are too heavy and require too much work, so they continue on to build houses of their own using sticks and sand.  Unfortunately, sticks and sand are no match for the Big-bottomed Boar, who wiggles his "rump with a bump, bump, bump," and smashes the houses down.  The Second and Third Gator "scramble through the brambles" "faster than a fox after a muskrat" straight to the home of First Gator.  Although the Big-bottomed Boar "wiggled and bumped, and waggled and thumped," he couldn't knock down the rock house.  Never one to miss out on the chance for a tasty snack, the Big-bottom Boar attempts to enter the rock house through the chimney, and receives a nice set of grill marks on his rear end as a souvenir.

From the silly catchphrase to the bold illustrations, The Three Little Gators kept us smiling from beginning to end.  We highly recommend this new humorous twist on an old classic.

Way Out in the Desert

'Way out in the desert near the ocotillo door
lived a rattlesnake mother and her baby snakes four.
"Rattle!" said the mother.  "We rattle!" said the four,
so they rattled in the shadow of the ocotillo door.'

Based upon the children's song "Over in the Meadow," Way Out in the Desert by T.J. Marsh and Jennifer Ward transported us right into the heart of the Sonoran Desert.  With each new verse, we met new and unusual desert dwellers such as Gila monsters, javelinas, and horned toads.   At it's core, Way Out in the Desert is a clever counting book.  The number of animals increases with each new verse, and the corresponding number is hidden on each page.  The spectacular illustrations by Kenneth Spengler really bring the desert creatures to life.  Living in Texas, we're familiar with most of the creatures featured in Way Out in the Desert, but we enjoyed referring to the glossary in the back of the book to learn more about a few of the more unfamiliar things like saguaros and palo verde trees.  The melodic text is a delight to read, even if you're not familiar with the original tune.  Luckily, sheet music for the song was thoughtfully included on the last page, an entertaining bonus for a certain little girl with a brand new keyboard! 

So the next time you feel the urge to run with the roadrunners or jump with the jackrabbits, Way Out in the Desert is a one-way ticket to a Sonoran Desert adventure.

"Yippee-O-Ki-Yee!"

Whenever I'm selecting a new batch of books to check out from the library, I'm always drawn to humorous retellings of classic songs, rhymes, and stories.  That is exactly what this book delivers.  There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea by Jennifer Ward gives a Southwestern twist to the classic silly song "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly."  In this version, a wily coyote swallows a tickly flea, plucked right from his knee.  In his quest for a remedy he continues swallowing a series of very interesting things, each one a little bit zanier than the last.  "It takes lots of practice to swallow a cactus!"  The flow of this rhyme is so catchy I find myself singing the story instead of simply reading it.  And the bold, delightful illustrations by Steve Gray make this one a new family favorite.