Dayni's 2008 Resolution

2011-06-29T01:11:00.001-07:00

http://littleriverdental.com/cool01.11.php?ID=899

what'd you have for dinner?

2010-01-23T16:06:00.001-08:00

met up with j ra for dinner last night. at first we were planning on having indian food but they're on a long ass vacate. instead we go to union landing to tribu, the new filipino place that's replaced rose garden. know what we had? filipino fried rice with mango, pork and other stuff. we also ordered some . . . pig face. my jen said that when the US was occupying the phillipines the american cooks would make a lot of pork and just throw away the heads. then the filipino cooks would prepare the heads to eat. the pig face came on a sizzling platter and there was minced pig ear and sprinkles of deep fried pigskin. the rice was very tasty as well. i've never had mango with fried rice before. the only thing is it would have been better hot.

FINAL TALLY!

2009-01-12T15:43:00.001-08:00

It took me about a week to count the number of books that I (at least attempted to) read. In 2008, I read a grand total of 411 books. That's a lot huh? More than one per day on average. Of course many of my books were children's books. And that concludes my 2008 resolution. Thanks for reading.

2008-12-31T15:20:00.001-08:00

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Just started reading this book today. I've already learned that Canadian kids born between January and March are better at hockey than kids born the rest of the school year. They're bigger kids that make the cutoff for hockey and are given more opportunities for practice, etc. Fascinating book so far. I highly recommend Gladwell's books.

2008-12-28T10:36:00.001-08:00

The Complete Far Side by Gary Larson

My brother bought me this for Xmas this year. The whole set! I'm very excited. I'm starting with volume 2 because he's reading the first volume. Larson has added some notes of explanation to a few of the comics. I wish he were still drawing comics . . . They're hysterical!

2008-12-18T20:43:00.001-08:00

Business Builders in Sweets and Treats by Nathan Aaseng

This book is so fascinating! Did you know that Hershey paid 10 cents for every 20 dozen Kisses wrapped, and workers would lick the bottom of the Kiss to get the tissue paper flag to stick? Gross huh? The Wrigley gum guy started off selling soap for his dad's business. Snickers was named after a horse. Completely awesome book!

2008-12-17T20:50:00.001-08:00

The Day We Danced in Underpants by Sarah Wilson and illustrated by Catherine Stock

Author's local, lives in Danville. This rhyming picture book is very fun! Father, son and three aunts visit the king and when lunch is about to be served, dad's pants split! Soon everyone is running around in their underwear :o)

Adele & Simon in America by Barbara McClintock

This is a truly delightful book about a French brother and sister who visit their American aunt. Young Simon keeps losing different items as they travel across America and Adele is constantly scolding him.

2008-12-16T17:10:00.001-08:00

You're Different and That's Super by Carson Kressley

Yeah, that Queer Eye for the Straight Guy dude. Trumpet is a unicorn among horses who is ostracised when his horn begins to grow. During a barn fire, Trumpet's horn saves the stable and he becomes a famous, lauded hero.

Nobody Here but Me by Judith Viorst

A little boy wants some attention from his mom, dad and big sister in this picture book. He goes and causes trouble as he tries to get his family to notice him. Not only does he cut holes in the knees of his jeans, but he also gives himself a haircut and makes a huge mess in the kitchen. This book was alright, I liked her other picture book a lot better: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

2008-12-15T16:16:00.001-08:00

Good Night, Feet by Constance Morgenstern and illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith

Rhyming book about thanking your different body parts as you get ready for bed. Not my fave.

2008-12-15T16:12:00.001-08:00

Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. by Luis J. Rodriguez

In 11th grade honors English, Matt Ortega read this book and he raved about it. Now, umpteen years later I'm reading it too and it's interesting and depressing at the same time. As some of you might know, I had a mad crush on a gangster I once worked with as a teen. I loved hearing all about his crazy gang life. This autobiographical book is about the author's youth. I'm not that far into the book but he's about 6 years old and his bro is 9. Luis's brother is super violent and chokes him with a rope. Their mom has to force Luis to play with his older brother. Vida loca indeed.

2008-12-11T20:28:00.001-08:00

Gorgonzola: A Very STINKYsaurus by Margie Palatini

Sassy bird teaches stinky triceratops named Gorgonzola about personal hygiene. At the end of the book, Gongonzola is "ex-stink." Ha . . . ha . . . ha.

Crocs! by David T. Greenberg

Very funny rhyming book about a child's experience with crocodiles. Here's a sampling: "See oodles and oodles of crocs slurping noodles a crocodile chef with a wok." The pictures are wonderful as well :o)

2008-12-09T14:48:00.001-08:00

Time to Pee! by Mo Willems

Here is a funny book that teaches little kids how to pee in the toilet. There's a hysterical picture of a boy peeing (don't worry, you can only see his face)--his face is all relieved looking. Willems even reminds his kids to flush and wash their hands :o)

2008-12-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Scalpels, Stitches + Scars: A History of Surgery by John Townsend

This kid's book is filled with awesome, gruesome pictures! There's a ton of fascinating information too. Did you know that barbers used to perform minor surgeries? They'd have bloody bandages that they'd hang outside to dry and the wind would twirl them around. That's why the symbol for barbershop is that red and white post. South American Indians would use ant jaws as stitches! They'd then pinch the ants' bodies off. And did you know that in the Middle Ages knights would be in the saddle for too long and an abscess would grow on their rectums? Crazy stuff . . .

Bats at the Beach by by Brian Lies

I liked Bats at the Library more, but I'm biased :o) This is another of Lies's rhyming picture books. My favorite picture is of the marshmallows the bats are roasting--they come with cricket legs sticking out.

Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car by John Burningham

Mr. Gumpy piles loads of animals and 2 kids in his old school convertible for a car ride. They all get stuck in the mud but no one wants to get out and push. Finally they all help push the car out of the mudhole and go home. My favorite picture is of the author on the back flap of the book. He seems be calmly saying, "You better like my book, or I'll kill you."

Rolie Polie Olie by William Joyce

The illustrations in this book look computer generated. This book is about a robot family and how they spend their day. My favorite picture is of a young robot brushing his teeth and recharging his head :o) The simple story is very imaginative and lots of fun.

Anne Was Warned by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

This book reminded me of Wolf's Coming by Joe Kulka. Anne was born on Halloween and she is dared by her brother to visit a haunted house. All these spooky things happen to her along the way but none of them scare her. When she gets to the house, there's a great big surprise waiting for her.

Rolling Along with Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Cindy Meyers

This is just like the regular story, except the baby bear is in a wheel chair. The three bears take the baby to physical therapy and that's when Goldilocks breaks in. At the end of the book, Goldilocks and the Baby Bear are great friends.

2008-12-05T16:37:00.001-08:00

Tupelo Rides the Rails by Melissa Sweet

In this picture book, an abandoned dog befriends a hobo and hopes to find new owners.

Oink, Oink Benny by Barbro Lindgren and Olof Landstrom

Two pig brothers play in a mudhole and both fall in. They're comforted by a kind female pig and run in the rain to clean off. This book was alright.

Baby Brains and Robomom by Simon James

Loved this book about a genius baby who notices his parents are constantly exhausted and creates Robomom! At first Robomom does a fantastic job but then service deteriorates and she serves the family nuts and bolts in engine oil for breakfast. This book is very creative :o)

2008-12-05T14:30:00.001-08:00

What a Trip! by Arthur Yorinks

Boy trips and enters an alternate dimension where everything in the world is pointy. A couple pages, the reader folds to see a new picture, kind of like in Mad Mag, but not as clever.

Big Little Monkey by Carole Lexa Schaefer and Pierre Pratt

A little monkey wanders away from his family to prove that he is big. Along the way he meets a sloth, parrot and boa but eventually returns home to his mother.

Twelve Terrible Things by Marty Kelley

This book lists 12 things that kids might be afraid of. There's a scary picture of an evil looking clown. One of my favorite ones is the lady pinching the kid's cheek super hard.

A River Dream by Allen Say

A sick boy's uncle gives him a box of fishing lures and he soon dreams of catching rainbow trout. In the dream, the uncle releases the fish he catches and tells the boy that he likes to leave the river the way he found it, and who knows, they just might catch a mermaid one day. When the boy catches the biggest trout, he must decide if he will kill it to show his parents or set it free. Another fine story by Allen Say.

2008-12-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

The Retired Kid by Jon Agee

A kid gets tired of being a kid and decides to retire. He goes to live at a retirement community and gets involved with prune juice smoothies, hearing about hip replacements and playing card games. After 3 weeks, he gets tired of being retired and goes back to being a kid. Agee is cool.

Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey

Hally the dog lives with the Tosis family. Get it? Hally . . . Tosis? Ha ha ha. As you can imagine, Hally has awful breath and periodically goes around and knocks people out with her stank breath. There are lots of pictures of green fog stank breath. Anyway, eventually the family decides they can no longer put up with Hally's breath and try to rid themselves of her. When a couple of burglars try to rob the Tosis family, Hally inadvertently saves the day . . . with her stank breath!

From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons

Picture book about the different parts of plants. There's brief talk about the birds and the bees too. I learned that there are some seeds that sprout when they're in forest fires.

Terrific by Jon Agee

Eugene is a super negative man who assumes the worst will happen to him. He wins a trip to Bermuda and ends up on a deserted island where a talking parrot named Lenny advises him on how to build a rescue boat. He uses his checkered trench coat as a sail. At sea they run into a fishing boat and are rescued by the crew who recognize Lenny as their parrot. When they get to Bermuda, Lenny and Eugene disembark together.

2008-12-02T16:23:00.001-08:00

Tree of Cranes by Allen Say

In Japan, a Japanese boy celebrates Xmas with his mom who used to live in California when she was younger. They dig out a pine tree that was planted when the boy was born and bring it into the house to decorate with origami cranes and candles. The boy receives a warrior kite as a gift for promising to stay away from a dangerous pond with pretty fish. There's something seriously zen about the books that Allen Say writes :o) I love them all!

Dancing to Freedom: The True Story of Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin and illustrated by Anne Spudvilas

Autobiographical picture book about a poor boy from China who leaves his poor village and grows up to become a world renowned dancer. The story is uplifting and inspiring.

Manuelo the Playing Mantis by Don Freeman

Manuelo is a praying mantis who wishes to make beautiful music like the cricket, katydid and frog. A spider comes along and they make a cello together. Soon Manuelo is the leader of a music making group made up of different insects.

Outside and Inside Giant Squid by Sandra Markle

Giant squid are completely fascinating! Their eyes are as big as volleyballs and can move independently of each other. The right eye can look up and the left eye can look down! They have 3 hearts and the plasticlike "spine" is called the gladius.

Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton

It's Splat's first day of school and he's nervous about not having any friends. Chaos ensues when he lets his mouse Seymour out of his lunchbox. This is a simple, fun book.

2008-11-21T15:41:00.001-08:00

Purple, Green and Yellow by Robert Munsch and Helene Desputeaux

Munsch is a Canadian storyteller and this story is really funny. A little girl demands a set of permanent markers and then proceeds to color herself all sorts of bright colors. When she realizes what she's done, she colors herself skin color. But once she washes her face, the skin color doesn't stick on top of the bright colors and the doctor gives her an orange pill to take in the bath. The pill makes her invisible! But then she just colors herself skin color and she's good again.

The Monster Trap by Dean Morrissey

Paddy can't sleep because he thinks there are monsters lurking about. Pop tries to create traps that will catch the monster and baits it with cheese and fruitcake. In the morning the food is gone but the trap is empty. Pop and Paddy make a bigger trap and see a bunch of monsters playing on it and having a grand time. Once Paddy sees they're friendly monsters, he still can't sleep because he's having so much fun with them.

My Friend Gorilla by Atsuko Morozumi

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It's short but amazing. The first sentence is such a hook: "When they closed the zoo, my daddy brought home a gorilla." A boy and a gorilla become great friends until the day when the gorilla goes back to Africa to be with other gorillas.

2008-11-21T14:58:00.001-08:00

Blue Aliens by Tony Porto and 3CD

3CD is a graphic design firm in Chicago. This book was really fun! A little boy is convinced that blue aliens have taken over. The book starts off focused on green then the 2nd half of the book goes into blue. You learn all sorts of fascinating, random stuff too. Did you know that praying mantises are the only insects that can turn their heads from side to side? And blueberries used to be called star berries! Part story, and part Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, this book fascinates :o)

The Chalk Doll by Charlotte Pomerantz and illustrated by Frane Lessac

A sick girl is getting ready for bed and starts talking to her mom about her childhood in Jamaica. The story segues from topic to topic and the reader is drawn in quite naturally. My favorite part of the book is when the mom tells about how they used to pick mangoes from trees and let the seeds dry up, then they'd rub the seeds on some tar and stick them on their feet for some homemade high heels. I wish there was a Taiwanese book like this.

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble and illustrated by Steven Kellogg

This book is ridiculous, and I love the pictures. Kellogg is such a classic illustrator. This is a fun story about a class visit to the farm where all hell breaks loose. The pigs end up on the school bus, the cow is attacked by a haystack, etc. And it all started because Jimmy's pet boa freaks out the farmer's wife by eating her drying laundry.

The Boy Who Cried Fabulous by Leslea Newman

This rhyming book was alright. It's about a boy with ADHD who's always late because every little thing fascinates him.

Have You Seen Chester? by Andrew Murray and Nicola Slater

X marks the butthole for Chester a cat and Buddy the dog. The two animals are always fighting and one day, fed up, Chester runs away. Soon Buddy and their owner begin to miss the cat and Buddy crawls through the cat door and tries to find him. I love the lesson that even though two people may not always get along, they can still be friends at the end of the day.

2008-11-21T11:45:00.001-08:00

Minji's Salon by Eun-hee Choung

There are parallel stories in this book. First story is of a mom getting her hair done at a fancy salon and the parallel story is the daughter styling the poor family dog. While the mom is getting orange hair dye put in her hair, the dog is getting different flavors of ice cream mixed in its fur. When the mom gets back home and sees the mess, she's not angry at all but instead asks if the daughter is the salon's owner.

The Twin Princes by Tedd Arnold

The old chicken king is dying and he has twin sons--good Henry and evil Fowler, but they don't know who's older. The king announces a race and says that whoever's horse is slowest shall be the next king. Fowler poisons Henry's horse but they end up switching horses so Henry becomes king after all.

Max's Magic Seeds by Geraldine Elschner and Jean-Pierre Corderoch

This is a lovely picture book about a young boy named Max whose botanist uncle gives him a potato sack full of seeds. Each day as he's walking to school, he scatters seeds wherever he sees soil and soon the whole town is abloom.

2008-11-20T20:44:00.001-08:00

A Taste of Colored Water by Matt Faulkner

Two naive kids hear about colored water and drive into town to try a sip. They're expecting some fruity flavors but it turns out they've come to a water fountain for black people. Along the way they pass protestors--blacks who are trying to gain suffrage--and witness firemen blasting water into the crowd. The pictures are great and Faulkner is a local who lives in Oakland.

Mouse Island by Eve Bunting

A lonely mouse lives alone on an island. One day a ship is sinking and while the men are all rescued, the cat struggles in the ocean. Brave mouse jumps in and saves the cat, bringing it back to the island. Once they establish that cat won't eat mouse, they become friends and play volleyball together.

Waking Beauty by Leah Wilcox

This is a fun rhyming book from the Prince's perspective of Sleeping Beauty. He tries various ways of waking up Sleeping Beauty like dumping water on her head, jumping on her bed and shooting her out of a cannon. Finally the three fairies tell him she needs to be kissed. I love the response: "One hundred years of morning breath. Wow! That could be the kiss of death!"

Angelina, Star of the Show by Katharine Holabird and illustrated by Helen Craig

Angelina Ballerina is a bratty mouse who travels with her grandparents by boat to a dance festival. She's asked to help paint the boat and cook but is too busy practicing her ballet to bother. Eventually she ruins her dress and realizes how horribly she's been behaving. She soon learns to pitch in and help with chores. Grandma loans her an old sailor outfit and she dances a sailor's jib at the festival.

Boris and the Snoozebox by Leigh Hodgkinson

I loved the pictures in this book! It's like Hodgkinson took photos of fur, cut it out and drew cat features. Very creative. OK so Boris is a stray cat that finds a box, but every time the box is opened, it's by someone who's not expecting a cat. He travels all around the world and even into outer space. The disappointed aliens had been waiting patiently for a remote-controlled space butterfly. Eventually Boris arrives at Grandma Flapjack's house and stays put.

2008-11-20T17:51:00.001-08:00

Mail Harry to the Moon by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley

This funny book is about a little boy who wants to get rid of his baby brother, Harry. My favorite picture is of Harry eating the older bro's stuffed gorilla's nose. Older brother suggests all sorts of ways to do away with Harry: Flushing him down the toilet . . . throwing him in the trash, etc. This is a terrific book for older sibs who might be worried that the new baby will be more important than they are.

The Lonely Moose by John Segal

A moose hangs out with a bird who can't fly. During a forest fire, bird learns to fly and leaves moose. In spring the bird comes back with a bunch of bird friends and they all lift Moose by the antlers and he flies too.

2008-11-19T15:41:00.001-08:00

A Birthday for Cow! by Jan Thomas

A pig and a mouse plan to make a special cake for the birthday cow. At every turn, the duck insists on adding a turnip to their efforts.

2008-11-18T15:21:00.001-08:00

39 Uses For a Friend by Harriet Ziefert

Super simple book filled with pictures of things friends can do. My favorite one is "napkin" which shows one kid wiping his hands on his friend's sleeve.

The Dumb Bunnies Go to the Zoo by Sue Denim and illustrated by Dav Pilkey

A family of idiotic pink rabbits take a trip to the zoo and wreak havoc. There's a gold medal on the front cover that says: This book is too dumb to win an award." I agree :o)

Louis the Fish by Arthur Yorinks and illustrated by Richard Egielski

Yet another WTF book here! A third generation butcher who hates his job turns into a giant salmon in this weird picture book.

Cockatoos by Quentin Blake

Quentin Blake illustrated the Roald Dahl books I read as a kid. Professor DuPont has 10 Cockatoos and one day they all escape through a broken window. He spends the entire day looking for them and the next day they show back up where they're supposed to be.

2008-11-18T13:18:00.001-08:00

What's With This Room? by Tom Lichtenheld

Fun rhyming book about a boy's disastrously messy room. My favorite part is when the mom is talking about how he used to think there was a monster under his bed and how the monster exists but died when it ate the boy's sock. Eventually he blasts his room clean with a big explosion.

No Such Things by Bill Peet

Peet reminds me of Dr. Seuss with his menagerie of fantastical, imaginative creatures. The best creature is called a Mopwoggin and at the end of its tail is a toupee that it places on top of its bald, monklike head. The pictures are very good in this book, they're not the same style as Seuss's pictures but they are still good.

Cecily G. and the 9 Monkeys by H. A. Rey

Well well well, this is the first book about Curious George! Cecily G. is a lonely giraffe who meets up with a family of 9 monkeys. They all become fast friends and the monkeys love playing with Cecily. There's a picture where they tie Cecily's neck to a tree and ski down her back. I'm not quite sure why it was George that spun off into his own series and not his other brothers and sisters.

When Woman Became the Sea by Susan Strauss

This is a Costa Rican folktale about Thunder and the creation of the first woman who becomes a tree, then bursts open and becomes the sea.

How the Ox Star Fell From Heaven by Lily Toy Hong

This is an old Chinese story about oxen in heaven who were cast down to earth when they relay a message to farmers incorrectly.

Circus Girl by Jack Sendak and illustrated by Maurice Sendak

Here is a long picture book about a circus girl who ventures outside the circus to discover what the world is like. She was having this weird dream where everyone had the same face and people couldn't ID their own kids. When she goes out for a day, she ties a rope between two trees and does a tight rope walk above the town to observe these noncircus folk.

2008-11-18T11:44:00.001-08:00

Umbrella by Taro Yashima

Momo, a Japanese American girl, receives red rubber boots and an umbrella for her birthday in spring. She can't wait to use her umbrella and tries to convince her mom that she needs it to shade herself from the sun. Finally it rains and Momo is able to wear her birthday boots and carry her umbrella. This book is a Caldecott Honor Book which means it didn't win the Caldecott but they thought it had some pretty nice pictures.

The Quarreling Book by Charlotte Zolotow and illustrated by Arnold Lobel

This little green book looks like a classic. On a rainy day, a man forgets to kiss his wife and starts a chain reaction of negativity. When the negativity is directed toward a dog, it wants to play and reverses the chain of negativity.

Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt

This book was written by a hypochondriac and is about a hypochondriac squirrel who never ever leaves his tree. One day he drops his emergency kit and when he jumps to get it, discovers he's actually a flying squirrel!

2008-11-15T16:45:00.001-08:00

The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups by David Wisniewski

Fave thing about the book is the cover which has been made to look like a classified manila envelope. OK this book is hands down ridiculous! Why should kids drink milk? To stop our atomic cows from exploding. Apparently there are 6 giant radioactive cows in America that provide all the milk for the country. If we stopped drinking milk there the cows would get bigger until there was a nuclear meltdown.

Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming

Mr. McGreely plants a veggie garden but a group of rabbits keeps stealing his crops! He tries to put up all kinds of barriers but each time the rabbits outsmart him. At last the veggies are in a veritable fortress but it's still not enough to keep the rabbits out. Eventually he must learn to share.

Grand Old Tree by Mary Newell DePalma

Wonderful book with lovely, simple pictures about the life of a tree.

2008-11-15T16:01:00.001-08:00

Caleb & Kate by William Steig

Loved this Steig book too! Caleb and Kate are a married couple who love each other but fight every once in a while. One day after an argument Caleb storms out and goes into the woods where he falls asleep. A witch turns him into a dog and he goes back home. Kate is sick with worry and goes out to try to find Caleb who she doesn't realize is her new stray dog. This book is very sweet and um . . . humbling.

Big Chickens Fly the Coop by Leslie Helakoski

Rhyming book about 4 chickes who want to leave their coop and visit the farmhouse. The first thing they see has a roof, a door and a tail. It turns out to be the doghouse. Next they see something with a chimney, a seat and tires. It's a tractor. And they just keep making these hilarious mistakes and totally freaking out when they all get attacked.

When Poppy and Max Grow Up by Lindsey Gardiner

Super simple book about a little girl named Poppy and her dog Max. Poppy has many aspirations for when she's older. She's going to be a vet, a diver, a rock star, etc. But for now she's happy with her job taking care of Max. Aw.

Picky Mrs. Pickle by Christine M. Schneider

This is a rhyming book about a woman who is dead set in her gross taste ways. She's all about green and pickles--pickle pie, pickle ice cream, green shoes, etc. One day her niece gets her to try some eggplant ice cream and Mrs. Pickle's whole world opens up.

2008-11-15T14:59:00.001-08:00

Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy by Jane O'Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser

This is the first Fancy Nancy book I've read and it's very cute. Nancy's family wants to get a dog and Nancy has her eyes set on a needy Papillon that her neighbor also has. She dogsits and soon discovers the tiny little rat dog isn't really a good fit with her family. This book reminds me a little of Lemony Snicket because Nancy describes difficult words that younger readers might not understand.

Peter Spit a Seed at Sue by Jackie French Koller

Fun fast rhyming book about four kids who spit watermelon seeds at each other. Soon the whole town joins in and the city is covered with seeds! The mayor stops by and chastises them but then she psyches them all out by flinging cream pies into the crowd. I was kind of expecting a lesson but this book is just all about fun.

Spinky Sulks by William Steig

I can't believe I never read this one as a kid! I loved William Steig's stories! When his family bums him out, Spinky gets all pouty and sulky. Nothing seems to cheer him up. His friends come over, a clown is dispatched, etc. Finally he just gets tired of being sour and accepts his family's apology.

2008-11-15T12:44:00.001-08:00

Haystack by Bonnie and Arthur Geisert

This is a nonfic book about the life of a haystack. They cut the grass and put it in a big pile. Then they stomp it down to pack it. Thunder is a threat because it can burn down the hay. The hay is used to feed cows and pigs during the winter. By the end, all that's left is poo which they use to fertilize more hay. This book was fascinating!

2008-11-13T20:48:00.000-08:00

Bat's Big Game retold by Margaret Read MacDonald

OK how cool is it that the author's middle name is Read?! There's a soccer game between a team of animals and a team of birds. A bat wants to play too and at first joins the animal team. When they start losing, bat switches his jersey for the bird's team. Then he tries to switch again. The animals notice this and soon kick him out of the game. This is a great book that teaches loyalty to a team, no matter if they're winning or losing. A nitpicky thing: In the book, the birds' jerseys are described as red but the illustrations in the book are of orange jerseys.

The Ultimate Guide to Grandmas & Grandpas! by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Michael Emberley

Cute book with lots of different types of animals about what to do with your grandparents. One of my favorite pictures is of an older koala with giant glasses trying to park a car, with a little koala in the passenger seat pointing at a parking spot. This is a great picture book :o)

Fartiste by Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer

THIS BOOK IS FARTASTIC! It's based on a real character in France who could control his intestinal muscles and fart on command. Joseph Pujol performed at Moulin Rouge and hung out with Toulouse-Lautrec and Picasso. He was a baker by day and a fart performer at night. I wish someone like that was around today. I would pay good money to see him!

The Littlest Dinosaur by Michael Foreman

A runt dinosaur is ignored by his siblings until the day his entire family gets stuck in the muck. He runs for help from a gigantic brontosaurus and they soon become friends.

2008-11-13T19:59:00.000-08:00

Cool Daddy Rat by Kristyn Crow
This is a scatty book. I like the pictures--they're sketch-like. It's about a scatting rat. Not my favorite but I'm biased because I'm not all into overly onomatopoeic books. It'd be cool if Cab Calloway would have read this one!

Say Hello by Jack & Michael Foreman
Love the pictures in this book, they're simple crayon-y charcoal drawings. This is a very simple rhyming book about a dog and a little boy who are both lonely. A group of kids invite the dog to play with them and the dog, in turn, invites the lonely boy to play. Sweet book.

Thea's Tree by Alison Jackson and illustrated by Janet Pedersen
LOVED this book! It's a different format from other children's books because it's a series of back and forth letters. A science teacher assigns a science project and a student named Thea plants a mysterious purple seed in your yard. She writes to various experts trying to identify the type of plant but then all these weird things start happening! One day she finds a golden egg near the trunk, then a harp and some gold coins. Soon you see a giant chasing Jack and the Beanstalk! This book is really imaginative and clever, I likey a lot.

Hannah Duck by Anji Yamamura
The illustrations in this book are Japanese woodcuts :o) This is a simple picture book about a duck that reluctantly goes for a walk on Sundays. One day the parakeet tags along and Hannah has a much better time.

To Be Like the Sun by Susan Marie Swanson and Margaret Chodos-Irvine

Nonrhyming poetry book about how a sunflower grows. Not my favorite but I despise all nonrhyming poetry.

Fleas! by Jeanne Steig and illustrated by Britt Spencer

A lovely book that I would totally buy :o) An old man pets a dog and is given fleas. He trades the fleas for a woman's talkative uncle. Then trades for a giant mass of cheese and then for a banjo, etc. He comes across all sorts of interesting characters. This book reminds me of that Craigslist story about the man who traded a paperclip and eventually got a house. In the end, the man ends up watching a circus with all his traders and the original dog :o)

Peg Leg Peke by Brie Spangler

This is definitely one of those WTF picture books, but in a good way. Peke is a Pekingese dog with a wooden leg. Right, cue the WTF. You're the narrator and having a convo with the dog and decide that Peke could be a pirate. The two of you go find the treasure which happens to be the blanket that make everything better.

Hen Hears Gossip by Megan McDonald

Remember that game "telephone" where you get in a line and whisper a sentence down your string of friends? This book is like that but set in a farm. Hen hears something and passes it on to her animal friends. The message starts off with "Sadie the dog has a thorn!" and, with each rhyming telling, morphs until eventually it goes back to, "Hen! Hen! You're lazy, fat, and ate all the corn!" This is a simple book that warns of the harm in spreading gossip.

A Perfect Snowman by Preston McDaniels

Here is a perfectly beautiful tale. A boy makes a perfect snowman with round coals, a carrot nose, his dad's umbrella, top hat and scarf. Everyone admires the snowman and eventually go back in their houses for winter. Soon a family of hungry rabbits comes by and begs the snowman for its nose. A cat begs for its scarf and a little girl begs for its coals. Eventually the snowman is just three big balls of snow and when the sun comes back and the earth turns to spring, the snowman melts and goes up to heaven where he is met by the little girl with the coals.

2008-11-12T11:26:00.001-08:00

Darkness Slipped In by Ella Burfoot

A little girl befriends darkness personified. They dance the funky twist.

It's Library Day by Janet Morgan Stoeke

Multicultural elementary school kids go to the school library and hear stories and choose books.

2008-11-07T14:46:00.001-08:00

Twenty Heartbeats by Dennis Haseley and illustrated by Ed Young

Set in Ancient China, a wealthy man hires a great artist to paint a picture of his beloved horse. Years go by without receiving the work until finally the wealthy man confronts the artist who immediately paints the horse in the course of twenty heartbeats.

The Chicken of the Family by Mary Amato

This is such a great book! When Henrietta's two older sisters convince her that she's really a chicken, she goes to a nearby farm and begins bonding with her new poultry family. The pictures are Oilily-esque.

Big Bad Bunny by Franny Billingsley

I thought this book was alright. Basically there are two parallel stories. A baby mouse pretends to be a big bad bunny and gets lost. The other story is about the mama mouse tucking in her other young mice. The stories meet when mama mouse has to find the baby and bring him back home safe.

Veronica on Petunia's Farm by Roger Duvoisin

When Veronica the hippo first arrives, all the other farm animals shun her. Soon she becomes lonely and depressed. Slowly the other animals check on her and nurse her back to health. Cool old timey pictures.

Pet of the Met by Lydia and Don Freeman

Don Freeman wrote the Cordoroy books which I loved as a child. A father mouse is the page turner for the Met. His three children Doe, Ray and Mee love acting out their own shows and one day they, along with the mother mouse, take in a performance for The Magic Flute. When father is caught up in the music of the moment, can he avoid the hungry opera cat?

The Potty Train by David Hochman

OK, this book is ridiculous! A little boy is encouraged to take a dump on a train. Best part: "Chugga chugga poooo-pooooooo!"

Amelia Makes a Movie by David Milgrim

Rhyming picture book about a girl who casts her brother in her film. This book does a great job of describing the processes that go into making a movie.

Gulliver Snip by Julia Kay

This book is adorable! Young Gulliver imagines the bathtub is a ship. The illustrations are fabulous, one side will show Gulliver as he imagines the ship, the other side will show Gulliver as he really is in his bathtub. This book really speaks to the power of a child's imagination.

2008-11-07T12:50:00.001-08:00

More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark retold by Alvin Schwartz

I read a couple of stories in this book: Something Was Wrong is about a ghost who doesn't realize he's a ghost. The Bride is about a woman who locks herself in a trunk and no one can find her. Creepy stuff.

It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach

Love this book. I read it when I was younger too. Anyway, a family man feels cramped in his one room hut that he shares with his wife, mother and children. He consults the Rabbi who advises him to bring chickens, a goat, a cow and a goose into the home. When he can bear it no longer, the Rabbi says to remove the animals and all of a sudden the family feels like they have tons of room :o)

2008-11-06T20:46:00.001-08:00

McFig & McFly: A Tale of Jealousy, Revenge, and Death (With a Happy Ending) by Henrik Drescher

The illustrations in this book are great! They almost remind me of Quentin Blake's. McFig and McFly are two neighbors who have identical houses, but they soon begin competing with each other by making additions to their homes. In the meantime, their kids are falling in love with each other. Weirdness: McFly appears to be a cyclops.

Ella Sets Sail by Carmela & Steven D'Amico

Another lovely Ella the Elephant book. This time Ella's friend loses her hat and Ella sets sail to find it. She's taken in by a very kind family with lots of little elephant kids. This is a really sweet book :o)

Seamore, the Very Forgetful Porpoise by Darcie Edgemon

Seamore can't remember anything and one day he swims off and finds another forgetful friend in Kevin the Killer Whale. The other porpoises are nervous when Kevin comes to play with them but they soon discover he's not going to eat them.

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

Fun rhyming book about a bunch of kids complaining that life isn't fair. There's fake legalese in the inside covers.

2008-11-04T13:18:00.001-08:00

Ella the Elegant Elephant by Carmela & Steven D'Amico

Sweet book :o) Ella is a shy young elephant with a short trunk and a big hat. When she arrives at the new school, the other kids make fun of her big orange grandma hat. On a dare, the bully elephant tosses a ball on the roof and asks Ella to bring it down. Ella refuses and Belinda the bully goes to get it herself but loses her footing and is soon hanging by the ledge. Ella goes to help but since Belinda is so much bigger, they both fall. The hat magically saves them both by turning into a freak parachute. The next day, everyone in class is wearing a weird hat. A very cute story.

The Know-Nothings Talk Turkey by Michele Sobel Spirn

Imagine an entire family of Amelia Bedelia and you have the Know-Nothings. They celebrate Thanksgiving by going into the woods to try to catch a turkey. The method they use is to act wild so one bucks like a horse, one flaps like a bird, etc. Eventually they come upon a turkey farm and bring home a turkey which they try to serve--as in, Hello Mr. Turkey, would you like some salad? This is a funny book for kids and a sure Thanksgiving winner.

Who is Melvin Bubble? by Nick Bruel

This is a fun book for any kid who ever wanted their own scrapbook. Basically the narrator goes around asking different characters about a boy named Melvin Bubble. Among the interviewees are parents, Santa, Melvin's dog, the tooth fairy, a zebra etc. This book is super random and funny.

Two Eggs, Please by Sarah Weeks and Betsy Lewin

Yeah, I didn't really get this book. A bunch of animals are at a diner and they order eggs in various styles. Pictures are nice though.

Badness for Beginners by Ian Whybrow & Tony Ross

A wolf family teaches two young wolves how to be bad. One wolf barfs in the restaurant which makes for a rather gross picture. My favorite part of the book was the naughty nursery rhyme. This book is OK if you're trying to encourage badness . . .

Beetle Boy by Lawrence David

This book is about a boy who wakes up to find he's turned into a beetle. But that's not even the worst part. The worst part is how no one seems to notice he's turned into a bug. When he's at school, at least his best friend sees that he's not human anymore. This weird story was inspired by "The Metamorphosis."

2008-11-04T12:00:00.001-08:00

Beware of the Frog by William Bee

I LOVE THE PICTURES IN THIS BOOK! This little old lady lives in the woods with a green frog that protects her from ogres, goblins and trolls. When they open up her gate, the frog swallows them. In the end, the frog asks for a kiss and then the old lady turns into a pink frog. And then . . . she EATS the green frog! Ha ha ha ha ha! I love William Bee :o)

2008-11-01T16:21:00.001-07:00

Our California by Pam Munoz Ryan

The pictures in this book are wonderful! This book talks about the different parts of California--how the Central Valley has plentiful orchards, how Eureka is both the state motto AND the name of a town and how the Channel Islands are home to ghost ships. And did you know that our state mineral is gold? Makes sense, huh?

My Heart Glow by Emily Arnold McCully

This is a lovely nonfiction picture book about Alice Cogswell, a little girl who became deaf at age 2 due to Spotted Fever. Her family befriends a preacher named Thomas Gallaudet and he teaches her to read. Gallaudet travels to Durope to learn about sign language and comes back with Laurent Clerc, a teacher for the deaf and they open a school for the deaf in America.

The New Bear at School by Tim Warnes

Super cute book here! A great big new bear named Boris arrives as a student at school where there are only cute little animals. All the little animals freak out and no one wants to play with Boris until he inadvertently scares off some mean rat bullies.

My Friend Jamal by Anna McQuinn

Awwwww, this book is really sweet :o) It's about a white boy Joseph and a Somali American kid named Jamal who are best friends. Joseph talks about how when Jamal visits, he can't have sausage because it's pork and they're Muslim. And he can't have milk because he has eczema--I never knew you couldn't drink milk because of eczema! Jamal's family escaped Somalia because of all the fighting. My favorite part of the story is when Joseph is at Jamal's house and they have pasta with bananas! Then Joseph asks his mom if they can have bananas with pasta at their home and she says she'll think about it :o)

Hooray for Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold

The simplest chapter book for little kids, seriously. Fly Guy is a fly who joins a football team with his human friend Buzz. He wins the game by flying up an opposing team player's nose.

Sarah Laughs by Jacqueline Jules

Bible story about Sarah and Abraham and how she doesn't get knocked up until she's really old. Isaac means laughter.

2008-11-01T15:18:00.001-07:00

Underwear: What We Wear Under There by Ruth Freeman Swain

Fun picture book dedicated to UNDERWEAR! I learned that astronauts wear diapers, hooped petticoats could be 6 feet wide and that in the middle ages men's leggings couldn't stretch and that's probably why in paintings, the men are pictured standing up. Very interesting book. And in the future, there might be underwear with ceramic particles to keep you feeling cool.

2008-10-30T20:05:00.001-07:00

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Can't believe I've never read this story as a teen. It's awesome! I was pretty hooked in the first chapter. It's about some boys in a private high school and the main character is named Jerry Renault. He's a football player and his mom's dead. There's a secret group in school called The Vigils and they pull pranks in school. For funding at the school, the boys are going to need to sell fifty boxes of chocolates and I'm not to the point where it's a "war."

2008-10-25T12:44:00.001-07:00

More Bread or I'll Appear by Emer Martin

I checked out this book based on the author's name. Emer sounds like such a great name! Almost like Elmer, but so much better. The cover of a headless young girl was also appealing. Reading the back of the book, it seemed like an interesting story. It's supposed to be about this girl who goes and tries to find her big sis. I'm not in love with the story, it hasn't sucked me in.

Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School by Philip Delves Broughton

Just started reading this book recently. The author comes from a journalism background. It's totally interesting so far! The inside flap talks about how a lot of business school students go and buy $50,000 BMW's before getting to school because a car isn't listed as an asset. They hope to get that $50,000 in financial aid and it's like Harvard is buying them a new car. Fascinating! I love reading about stuff like that :o)

2008-10-24T16:32:00.001-07:00

A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker and illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

Bear is a loner and has a big sign on his front door saying "No visitors allowed." One day a mouse arrives and bear can't get rid of him. He appears in the cupboard, in the bread drawer, in the fridge, etc. Finally bear is worn out and invites the mouse in for a visit. They soon become friends and bear rips up the sign on his door. My favorite part of the book is when bear randomly says that he can do a handstand.

Donald Has a Difficulty by Peter F. Neumeyer and Edward Gorey

This book reminds me of emo-ness for some reason. Donald is a kid who gets a splinter in his leg and his mom uses tweezers to pull it out. She tells him to think of other things like markets and battles. As she is removing the splinter, Donald is fine. Then she uses a cotton ball to wipe his wound and he freaks out in pain. They both laugh at how it didn't hurt when she pulled the splinter out but Donald starts screaming when she wipes the wound. I would have liked to meet Gorey. I imagine a solemn artist drawing weird black and white pics. I'm sure we would have been great friends.

In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck

This book is alright. A little girl wants everything to be blue colored and her mom keeps bringing in things that aren't. Eventually the lights go out and her room looks blue in the light. This book felt poetic. I hate poetry, unless of course it's funny and rhymes.

Big and Bad by Etienne Delessert

This guy has won a bunch of illustrating awards but I don't quite understand why. I thought they were just OK. Anyway, about the story. This one is a take on The Three Little Pigs, only a bunch of different animals help the pigs build their homes. And for some reason some of the text are different colors. I didn't really get why.

Tin Lizzie by Allan Drummond

Grandpa takes his grandkids for a ride in his old Model T and they philosophise about the cause and effect of so many motor vehicles. This is a good "green" book with nice pictures.

Bebe Goes to the Beach by Susan Middleton Elya

Bilingual English Spanish book about a baby at the beach. Sadly I didn't know all the words. This is a very cute book and I'd love to see something like this in Chinese. The pictures are very nice and bright too.

2008-10-23T20:25:00.001-07:00

Go To Bed, Monster! by Natasha Wing

What a fun book :o) A little girl named Lucy draws a monster who comes to life and they play together. Soon Lucy wants to go to bed but the monster wants to keep playing. Lucy draws a nice bed and blanket and some pink pajamas. My favorite picture is when the monster is hungry and Lucy draws a pile of meatballs. Author's semilocal, she lives in Arcata.

Harriet Dancing by Ruth Symes

Harriet is an overly friendly hedgehog who loves to dance. One day she spies hundreds of butterflies dancing and wants to join in the fun but they're all snobby and say she can't dance with them. Upset, Harriet runs off crying and rolls down a hill, covering herself with flowers. She finds a friend who rolls himself in flowers too and they start dancing together. Soon the other animals join in and because it looks like so much fun, the butterflies eventually join in too.

Farmer Cap by Jill Kalz and illustrated by Sahin Erkocak

This book is awesome! Farmer Cap is a freak farmer who doesn't grow beans and peas. He grows popsicles and marshmallows. The pictures in this book are as whimsical as you'd imagine. Great fun!

2008-10-23T19:54:00.001-07:00

Tailypo! retold by Jan Wahl

This is a folktale about a lonely old man who cuts the tail off a creature and the creature comes back at night in search of its tail which the old man has eaten. Good pictures with a creepy story.

Octavius Bloom and the House of Doom by Erik Brooks

Charming rhyming picture book about a boy detective who tries to uncover the mystery of Ms. O'Moore's creepy house. Turns out it was all just shadows from cacti she was growing in her shed.

Can You Do This, Old Badger? by Eve Bunting and illustrated by LeUyen Pham

This is probably my favorite Eve Bunting book because it's so sweet. An old badger and a little badger spend the day together and the little badger keeps asking the old badger if he can do all these youthful things like climb trees and roll down hills. The old badger then teaches the little badger things like where to find honey and how to catch fish. I love this book that teaches kids the importance and wisdom of the older generation.

Who's Been Eating My Porridge? by M. Christina Butler

This book is OK, the pictures are really cute though. There's a little bear who refuses to eat his porridge so his parents put it on a tree stump and somehow it mysteriously disappears each day. Looking at the cover you'd think there was some tie-in with Goldilocks but that's not the case. It turns out the other forest animals have been eating it.

The Rickety Barn Show by Jemma Beeke

This story is adorable :o) A cat decides to put on a talent show so he makes a nice poster and starts practicing his singing. Soon a pig asks why the cat is singing and hears about the talent show. Well of course now the pig wants to be in it too! So he's going to be a one-pig band and starts practicing. Then the hens join up along with all the other farm animals. When it's time for the show, no audience shows up because they're all part of the show!

Roar of a Snore by Marsha Diane Arnold

Fun book about a boy who jolts awake when he hears a loud snore. He wakes up each member of his household and barn and forms a search train to look for the source which ends up being a tiny kitten.

Magnus at the Fire by Jennifer Armstrong

This is an amazing story about a firehorse named Magnus who is replaced by a firetruck. During a fire, the firetruck can no longer run and Magnus is there to save the day. I absolutely love the idea of noble horses that pull fire engines.

Never Take a Shark to the Dentist (and Other Things Not to Do) by Judi Barrett

Judi Barrett is clever and this book is wonderful! This is a really simple book where each sentence is accompanied with a picture. My favorite is "Never knit a hat for a moose" and there's a picture of a frog trying to knit a beaenie for a moose over its huge antlers. Cute pictures, wonderful book.

How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz

Uri is a Caldecott medalist for The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship. OK this book, is awesome! Uri writes about how when he was little and poor, his dad bought a map instead of some bread. Uri would study the map and soon became fascinated by it and would imagine being in different countries around the world. This book speaks to the power of a child's imagination.

2008-10-22T17:36:00.001-07:00

Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus

This book is basically tadpole parallel to t-rex. This tadpole kind of thinks he's a dinosaur. Awesome pictures. The most interesting part of the book was the author's note talking about how frogs were around during the time of the dinosaurs.

2008-10-17T13:24:00.001-07:00

The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs by Alexander McCall Smith

Short and funny book here. Dr. von Igelfeld is a language prof who is mistaken for a world famous, deceased vet specializing in dachsunds. He performs drastic surgery on a sausage dog by amputating 3 of its legs and it turns out the dog belongs to his colleague. This book is a fun intro into the hilarious world of academia.

2008-10-16T20:23:00.001-07:00

Halloween Hats by Elizabeth Winthrop

Fun book that promotes head lice! Just kidding. This rhyming book talks about different types of hats and honestly, I never realized how many different types of headgear we've got in the world! There are helmets for football, miners, costume hats, peekaboo hats for babies, etc. My lame-o comment about the lice is because the end of the book, they all toss their hats up and a different person gets your hat.

Moonlight the Halloween Cat by Cynthia Rylant

Super duper simple book about a black cat and how she loves all the elements of Halloween like the smiling pumpkins, the scarecrow's lap, and of course the candy.

Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler

Random--a hiccuping skeleton?! A skeleton has the hiccups and tries various methods to try to get rid of them. He eats sugar, drinks water upside down and holds his breath. Eventually his ghost friend helps the skeleton get rid of them by having him look in a mirror.

2008-10-15T17:37:00.001-07:00

Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic

Funny story about a duck who decides to make some soup. He steps out to grab some herbs and 3 animal friends come in and think that he's fallen into the soup pot so they start pouring the soup out, looking for the duck!

Ms. McCaw Learns to Draw by Kaethe Zemach

Here is a nice book about a boy named Dudley who has a learning disability. His teacher is really patient and asks to other kids to stop picking on him when he doesn't understand something. One day the teacher is standing at the whiteboard and she needs to draw a profile of a face but she can't do it! Dudley comes up and saves the day!

Hello! Is This Grandma? by Ian Whybrow

One of those lift the flap books. A kid named Logan calls his grandma but keeps dialing the number to different farm animals.

2008-10-10T22:17:00.001-07:00

Pat the Husband: A Parody by Kate Merrow Nelligan

Ah, I never wrote about reading this book which I did several weeks ago. This is a parody of a treasured touch and feel book, Pat the Bunny. It's really funny, there's a husband and you can watch him interchange pants with the wife. There's a page where you can make him nod his head. A very funny, clever parody indeed!

2008-10-10T16:53:00.001-07:00

Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts and illustrated by Noah Z. Jones

Hey, here's another book about a poor kid. Jeremy has a tattered pair of shoes and he used to be the fastest runner. Now all the kids have these awesome black high-tops with two white stripes and they are all the rage on the playground. When Jeremy's shoes finally fall apart, the school counselor gives him a pair of velcro buckle shoes with a cartoon character no one's ever heard of. He tells his grandma that he really really wants the shoes but his grandma says they can only buy things they need, not what they just want. Jeremy and grandma see the shoes at a thrift store and even though the shoes are too small, they buy them anyway. In the meantime grandma buys him some necessary black snow boots. Of course Jeremy wishes his toes would just fall off so he can wear the shoes, but that doesn't happen so he continues to wear the counselor shoes as before. One day he notices that Antonio, another poor kid, has bad shoes and Jeremy decides to surprise his friend with the shoes. Isn't that a super sweet story?

Giant Meatball by Robert Weinstock

Here is one seriously silly book! Imagine, if you will, a gigantic pink meatball with tiny arms and legs. The Giant Meatball is a big boor, he bounces his way around town and irritates all the citizens. Eventually they eat him. Ha ha ha!

Blue Goose by Nancy Tafuri

Holy colors, Batman! This is a very nice story about a bunch of farm birds who decide to paint Farmer Gray's barnyard while he is away. There is the title character, a Blue Goose, also a Red Hen, a Yellow Chick and a White Duck. Each animal has a pail of paint that is their own color. White Duck paints the fence white, Yellow Chick paints the flowers yellow and soon the birds are mixing colors. Blue Goose and Red Hen pour their paints together and paint the door purple, etc.

2008-10-10T14:54:00.001-07:00

Danny's Drawing Book by Sue Heap

The special thing about this book is that it looks kind of like a notebook. Danny and Ettie go to the zoo and decide to draw an elephant and an aardvark. Once they draw themselves in the story, they fly to Africain a plane. It looks like Aardvark is flying and Elephant is sitting on a wing with Ettie. This is a very cute and imaginative book.

Buster Goes to Cowboy Camp by Denise Fleming

The funniest thing about this book is how Buster the dog names the humans by their shoes. His owner is Brown Shoes, who goes away for the weekend. Mrs. Pink Slippers takes care of Buster's friend Betty, a cat, but she doesn't like dogs too much. And so Buster is sent to Cowboy Camp where he is looked after by Red Boots. At first he doesn't think he'll like camp but soon learns he's really good at catch and can't wait for the next day when he'll be digging for gold. He falls asleep next to Snarkle (a wonderful name for a kind hearted bulldog), drooling right along beside him.

The Fish Who Cried Wolf by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

The pictures in this book are stunning. As I was reading, I could hear Sebastian singing "Under the Sea." Tiddler is a little fish who tells tall tales when he is late for school. "I was riding on a seahorse . . . I was flying with a ray . . . I was diving with a dolphin." One classmate, a fish named Little Johnny Dory, tells the stories to his grandma who tells it to a crab who tells it to . . . As you can imagine, soon all manner of sealife have been exposed to the Tiddler tales. While Tiddler is thinking up another story one morning, he is captured in a net and then released in the middle of the ocean--lost. As he hears his own story told to a shoal (!!!) of anchovies, he asks where they heard it and soon he's off on a scavenger hunt for home.

You Were Loved Before You Were Born by Eve Bunting & Karen Barbour

First let me say that Eve Bunting has written waaaaaay too many books. She's got to secretly be like 5 people. The illustrations are very Oilily-esque which was just fine with me since I think Oilily's designs are very pretty and colorful. This is kind of a sappy book, you know the ones that kind of make you say, "Awww." It's a mom telling a baby about how everyone loved herm and prepared for herm's coming before herm was born. Herm because I'm not sure if the baby is a boy or a girl. The sweetest part of the book is when a little cousin sends his 4 favorite baseball cards to the unborn child.

2008-10-10T12:01:00.001-07:00

Bravo, Tavo! by Brian Meunier

In a Mexican village, young Gustavo, nicknamed Tavo, has some busted up shoes that he's been taping together. I was reminded of my friend Carolyn and her talking canvas shoes years ago. He asks his dad for some new shoes so he can play basketball but his dad is focused on bringing water to the community. There has not been rain and one day they dig irrigation ditches and find a spring in the earth. One of the digs yields water for a supposed witch and soon Tavo has some shoes made of the witch's quilt. I really liked this book mostly because it's about a poor kid. This year I haven't read too many picture books about poor kids.

Little Rabbit and the Night Mare by Kate & M. Sarah Klise

Sarah's local, she lives in Berk. All right, Night Mare--as in two words. This rabbit has trouble sleeping because he imagines a horse made of his pillow and blanket. He's freaked out and can't concentrate on his school report. Most WTF picture: When the other animals are getting ready to do their reports, the giraffe is going to talk about tall buildings and there's a picture of Sears Tower. Um, what about Taipei 101?! Wouldn't that have been cool?

The Blabber Report by True Kelley

LOVED IT! Blabber is a talkative mouse who freezes up when he's asked to give an oral book report. With the help of his mousey classmates who hold up cue cards that say things like "Why did you pick it?" and "Tell me something I don't know" he's able to complete his report and the class can have a cheesy-chip cookie party. This picture book is a super introduction to simple book reports.

Grump Groan Growl by Bell Hooks and illustrated by Chris Raschka

A kid is in a grumpy mood and groans and growls. watercolor pictures are pretty interesting to look at. Raschka won the Caldecott for The Hello, Goodbye Window. The book is super simple and reassures kids that it's OK to feel growly sometimes and eventually those feelings will pass.

Oodles of Noodles by Diana Hendry and Sarah Massini

I thought of a couple of authors as I read this story: Tomi de Paola and Shel Silverstein. Weirdest picture: The mom has square boobs. Ben and Ava's mom gets a pasta maker (that looks humanlike) and soon she's cranking out oodles of noodles but the machine won't stop. The maker starts off looking innocent enough, but as the story progresses, it looks panicked, then psychotic and finally when they figure out how to stop it--it looks dead. One would think that with the massive amount of noodles cranked out, they'd have noodles for lunch right? Well no, they have burgers and fries instead :o)

2008-10-09T20:32:00.001-07:00

Camille and the Sunflowers: A Story About Vincent van Gogh by Laurence Anholt

Well on the inside flap it says the book's based on an actual encounter. Camille's (a boy) dad is a postman and sometimes Camille helps him unload the mailbags. One day an artist named Vincent van Gogh comes to town. Soon he and Camille becomes friends but people don't understand his art and torment him. A few of van Gogh's paintings are featured in this picture book. My favorite illustration is of van Gogh packing up because the townsfolk are running him out of town--he's got a bandaged ear. A bit morbid, I like it!

The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

I read this book and rolled my eyes, but honestly I liked it! All the other creatures in the ocean try to get the pouting fish to smile, but all they get is "Blub, bluuuuuub, bluuuuuuuuub." Then one day a hot silver fish plants a kiss on the Pout-Pout and all of a sudden he's a kiss-kiss fish!

The Book Book by Sophie Benini Pietromarchi

I've never seen a book quite like this one before. It gives tons of ideas for creating a book. My favorite is to tear pieces of scratch paper and staple the pieces together in the shape of a monster! This book is awesome for skimming.

2008-10-08T16:50:00.001-07:00

Too Many Toys by David Shannon

Spencer has way too many toys, so much that his dad steps on his Legos and his mom trips on his race cars. People give Spencer toys for birthdays and holidays--even 4th of July and his whole house is crammed from top to bottom with toys. One day Spencer's mom makes him pick some toys to get rid of and asks him to put them in a box. But then the box becomes a toy too!

Potato Joe by Keith Baker

Simple rhyming book a la one two buckle my shoe. I've never been so enamored with illustrated potatoes before. The potatoes in this book look a little like thumbprints :o)

Melrose and Croc: An Adventure to Remember by Emma Chichester Clark

It's Croc's birthday and Melrose, a yellow dog, wants to catch a fish as a surprise present. While out at sea, there is a storm and men with a lifeboat go to save Melrose. When they return the whole town is there to cheer Croc. I liked this story, it felt kind of old school.

Rabbit & Squirrel: A Tale of War & Peas by Kara LaReau

Loved it! A Rabbit and a Squirrel are across the street neighbors but don't know each other. They've both got lovely gardens and when a mysterious human hand plucks their vegetables, they immediately blame each other for ruining the other's garden. Oh and they're mean too! Squirrel floods Rabbit's house and flushes him right out! This book is pretty fun.

2008-10-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

Otto Runs for President by Rosemary Wells

Three dogs run for president at a kindergarten. There are a lot of false accusations and bickering between Tiffany the poodle, Otto and Charles the bulldog. I don't think there are a lot of election type picture books.

Super Guinea Pig to the Rescue by Udo Weigelt

With a title like that, how can you lose? Cast of characters: a guinea pig, canary, goldfish and hound dog. They like to watch TV and one day the guinea pig pretends to be a caped crusader but when he falls into the goldfish bowl, his efforts turn out to be less than heroic. Cool pictures, fun story.

Everywhere the Cow Says "Moo!" by Ellen Slusky Weinstein

This is a funny book that shows animal onomatopoeia for different countries. English, French, Spanish and Japanese are highlighted. For all countries, animals make different noises--except of course for the cow. Fun book.

2008-10-07T13:00:00.001-07:00

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross

Yay for this book! Finally I've found another book that I can get sucked into. The reason I decided to check this book out is because on the front cover, Fannie Flagg said she loved it. Fannie Flagg, as you may or may not know, is one of my fave authors but devastatingly, she hasn't published anything in half of forever. OK, OK, guess you want to know about the story, huh? Miss Julia is a recent widow who just finds out her upstanding citizen/banker/church elder/community leader (not to mention deceased) husband had an illegitimate lovechild. And how does she find this out, you may ask? Well, after the husband is dead, the baby mama just drops her 9 year old son on Miss Julia's doorstep and takes off for beauty school. What is this strong, proud, moral southern woman to do but parade Little Lloyd around town so everyone will know what her hub was doing all those "late nights" at the office. She's getting a lot of flack from the church who wants her husband's money to expand the church. Everyone is gossiping about her and it turns out the whole town had been suspecting her husband of cheating all along. Great book, I love it. And I'm really excited to read the other Miss Julia book as well.

2008-10-04T17:03:00.001-07:00

My Travelin' Eye by Jenny Sue

The author had a Dannielyn eye as a kid and this is her story! At first she's bummed about having to wear a patch but then she and her mom get creative and soon they create a "fashion-patch." All of a sudden all the kids in school want one too, but not without a note from your ophthalmologist. Fave pic: "three bananas+three apples does NOT equal six oranges."

I Lost My Kisses by Trudie Trewin

At first I thought the main character was a koala, but then she kind of looks a bit like a cow. Anyway, she loses her kisses, looks everywhere and asks people if they've seen them. She's super bummed because her dad is coming home soon and he always asks for a big smoocheroo. Cute pics--guess the animal is a cow-ala. I wouldn't buy this one for a personal collection, but it's fine as a library read.

Come Fly With Me by Satomi Ichikawa

Author was born in Japan but has been living in Paris for 30 years. Her pictures don't feel Japanese--guess she's pretty westernized now. Anyway, this book is about a stuffed dog and toy plane who are best friends. One day they decide to have an adventure and fly to the big white dome. I thought it was ridiculous to be friends with a plane, but what do I know--I'm just a grownup.

The Dog Who Loved the Moon by Cristina Garcia

Oh my gosh, I loved this book :o) It's super duper cute! A Cuban girl named Pilar has a white dog named Paco and a pair of pink dance slippers. She loves to dance and even wears the shoes to bed just in case she has to dance in her dreams :o) Her uncle is a real character. He plays conga drums and has girlfriends who wear shiny, saucy dresses. When they discover Paco loves the moon, Pilar's uncle serenades the moon on the dog's behalf. "BabaLUUUUU-NA!" I was crackin' up.

Close to You: How Animals Bond by Kimiko Kajikawa

This kids book has photographs that show how animals show affection! I loved it! In the back there's more info about each animal pair.

Pop Art: Adventures in Art by Christian Demilly

Mostly just skimmed this book. It's a book that describes pop art to kids. Apparently a lot of pop artists had backgrounds in design, advertising and graphic art. I never knew that! The book also talks about how pop art was really inspired by European artists 40 years ago.

Monkey With a Tool Belt by Chris Monroe

Yes, this book is AWESOME! Chico Bon Bon is a monkey with one amazine Batman-like toolbelt. There's even a picture diagram of all his tools. One day he gets trapped by an organ-grinder whose old monkey ran away and is now surfing. It's up to Chico and his amazing tool belt to escape the clutches of the evil organ-grinder. Wheeee!

2008-10-04T13:56:00.001-07:00

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne

Huh, did you know Jacques Cousteau made films as a kid? He'd paint a mustache on his face and play the villain :o) He also invented the aqualung!

The Dangerous Alphabet by Neil Gaimus

Super cool, Japanese style horror pictures. This is an ABC book for toddling goths and future emos.

Keep Your Eye On the Kid: The Early Years of Buster Keaton by Catherine Brighton

From Vaudeville to film, this book follows Buster's rise to fame. Did you know it was Harry Houdini who named him Buster? His real name was Joe Keaton. As a child he was expelled from school when his teacher asked for a sentence using the word "delight." Buster said, "It's dark, turn on delight."

Alistair and Kip's Great Adventure! by John Segal

Alistair is a cat and Kip is a dog. One day they build a boat and float out to sea where they see all kinds of oceanlife and are rescued by a whale. This book is very cute.

2008-10-02T20:27:00.001-07:00

Stray Sock Sewing: Making One of a Kind Creatures From Socks by Daniel

Yup, just Daniel--no last name. OK this book is super cute! Daniel lives in Taipei and used to do advertising. These sock creatures are super adorable and he poses them in such cute pictures! I love the pig socks best!

The Librarian From the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler and Jared Lee

Kid with one wild imagination! The Librarian laminates kids who talk in the library. Hysterical! We should start doing that :o)

The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown

Nice pics, it won the Caldecott. Follows an island as the seasons change. There's a weird cat that talks to the island.

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown

This book has been around since before I was a kid! I remember Care's nephew Alex mailed her a Flat Stanley for her to take pictures. When I was a kid, I never read this book. Anyway, here's the story: A bulletin board falls on Stanley and he gets flattened. The benefits of being flat is that his parents can just mail him when they go on vacation, he can slip under doors and he can catch bad guys by pretending to be part of a painting. Eventually his big brother uses a bike pump to inflate Stanley :o) Super cute story with lots of imagination.

Bats at the Library by Brian Lies

Rhyming picture book about a bunch of bats who fly into a library after closing. They read and imagine themselves as storybook characters.

Little Smudge by Lionel Le Neouanic

Random artsy book. There's a black smudge who wants to make friends with all these color shapes. At first they shun the smudge but then he teaches them how to be supercool and soon they're forming neat pictures together.

Little Miss Chatterbox by Roger Hargreaves

Ha ha ha ha! I read this book when I was a kid over at Manor Library. Those books are a bit bigger now but still super fun. Little Miss Chatterbox finds a job at the bank but talks so much her boss doesn't get anything done so she gets fired. Then she works as a waitress but the same thing happens, etc. Finally she finds a job as the operator who says, "At the tone, the time will be 9:00."

2008-09-30T13:26:00.001-07:00

The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant

This book is a bit sad and sweet at the same time. There is an old woman who has outlived all her friends and has no more. She names inanimate objects that will "live" longer than her. There's Betsy the car, Fred the chair, Roxanne the bed and Franklin her house. One day a brown puppy sits by her gate, which she hasn't named because it's broken, and she feeds it and tells it to go away. Every day the dog comes but the woman refuses to name it because she might outlive it. But one day the dog doesn't come and the old lady flips out.

The OK Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld

Here is a super cool book! First write out the letters OK. See how the O looks like a head, and the K looks like a body? Think stick figure. That's the main character of the book! It's just a bunch of pictures of OK doing random kid things like flying a kite, juggling, fishing, etc. Super duper creative and clever!

The Great Show-and-Tell Disaster by Mike Reiss

Holy cow, this book is awesome and especially fun for a semi-wordfreak like myself! First off it's a rhyming picture book. Ned has show and tell and invents a device that transforms objects to their anagrams. He turns his AUNT into a TUNA fish, a classmate named BRIAN into a giant BRAIN, PICTURES in a museum into PIE CRUST . . . Mike Reiss went to Harvard and worked on The Simpsons. I can't wait to read more of his books!

While Mama Had a Quick Little Chat by Amy Reichert

This is another super fun book. Rose's mom asks her to get ready for bed as she takes a phone call from Uncle Fred. Dude, with a mom who always said, "I'll be really quick" I can totally relate to this book. Check it out--as mom is on the phone, the doorbell rings and soon there's a full blown party with a magician, band and plenty of fabulous guests. Every time Rose calls out for help, mom dismisses her. The pictures are awesome here, I love how Rose has curly read hair.

Lucia and the Light by Phyllis Root

Lucia lives with her mom, a white cat, her little bro and a cow. Yeah, the cow lives in the house--weird. I started thinking about how it would smell. Anyway, the sun disappears and Lucia goes to find it. Eventually she and her cat come across a bunch of trolls who have captured the sun and wrapped it in a long rag. The book is pretty interesting--maybe a little bit sappy at times though. The pictures are kind of dark which is very fitting since there's no sun.

2008-09-30T11:40:00.001-07:00

Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite

This controversial book about a boy whose newly divorced dad turns out to be gay was originally published in 1990. I read the 10th Anniversary Edition and in the afterword the author mentions how he thought the book would just fade into oblivion but instead, with all the shocked parents and religious folk, the book gained widespread media attention. Basically the book talks about the very healthy relationship between Dad and Frank. They hang out, fight sometimes, but always make up. My fave pic is the one where the two men are fighting: Frank is holding a white long sleeve shirt burned by an unattended iron and Dad is sitting at a desk with a talk-to-the-hand pose.

Ask Me by Antje Damm

This is a great little book, geared towards kids but I think it'd be cool for two adults too. Each page asks a question, then has a picture on the facing page. A random sampling of questions and their pics: "Did you ever give an animal a name?" The picture is of goldfish, rabbits and mice. "What's your favorite place to play?" Picture is a kid climbing a tree. "Where would you like to sleep tonight?" This comes with a photo of a little baby sleeping in a banana box lined with blankets (my fave!).

2008-09-30T10:59:00.001-07:00

Randolph in Oakland by Erika Mailman

Our protagonist is a stuffed pony who travels around Oakland to places that would appeal to kids. There's simple text for kids, and more substantial text for big people. My fave photo is of Randolph visiting the library with the caption "He can get lost in a good book." You can see his stuffed pony butt emerging from a stack of books on the bookcart.

2008-09-25T16:57:00.001-07:00

How to Hold a Crocodile by The Diagram Group

I love this how-to book, especially since it's got pictures! This book teaches you how to identify different flags on ships. Did you know there is a flag that means quarantine? Or that this ship has mutinied? Fascinating! I've also learned that you can grow a pear in a bottle by putting the bottle around the blossom before it grows to a full fledged pear. Other publishers should take note of the power of pictures in how-to books. Seriously.

An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn't by Judy Jones

This book feels a little Mental Floss-y since it's got that tongue in cheek vibe to it. It's a hodge podge-y collection of snippets about all sorts of subjects like architecture, artists, economics, etc. Sometimes I'm hesitant to read some of the articles because I know I'll never remember them . . . If I had a super power I'd want to be a speed reader and be able to understand, remember and apply everything that I read. Wouldn't that be awesome?

2008-09-23T13:49:00.001-07:00

I'll Fix Anthony by Judith Viorst

Big bro is mean to little bro and little bro decides that when he turns six years old, he's going to be better than his brother at EVERYTHING. Cute story that I'm sure a lot of younger sibs can relate to.

2008-09-23T12:23:00.001-07:00

Ben's Dream by Chris Van Allsburg

I love Van Allsburg! His pictures are superb. Young Ben falls asleep while studying for a geography exam. In his dream, the world floods and a collection of monuments float by his house.

2008-09-22T16:25:00.001-07:00

Anne Hutchinson's Way by Jeannine Atkins

This picture book is about an outspoken English woman who holds meetings in her home. The lawmakers want her to stop having her meetings but she refuses. The people in the book are dressed all Pilgrim style, something you don't see very much in today's children's books.

2008-09-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

One Dark Night by Edna Mitchell Preston
This book is old, it looks like it's been around since I was a kid. And yeah, it's from 1969. The format is just like There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly, only it's about kids in Halloween costumes. Very cool black, white and blue illustrations. I like the old school pictures, especially of this variety.

Meg and Mog by Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski
Really simple book about what Meg the witch and her cat Mog do one Halloween. Cute story, nice pics.

A Halloween Mask for Monster by Virginia Mueller
A little monster tries on all kinds of different masks--a dog mask, a girl mask, etc.--but they're all too scary. This is a very cute book.

2008-09-18T17:33:00.001-07:00

The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum by Kate Bernheimer & Nicoletta Ceccoli

The text is kinda meh but the pictures are awesome! I love the illustrations, they kind of remind me of Japanese style. Super whimsical. Honestly the text is forgettable, it didn't draw me in at all--but maybe that's because I was too mesmerized by the illustrations.

Poop: A Natural History of the Unmentionable by Nicola Davies

This book is . . . AWESOME! Did you know that rabbits eat their own poo? Or that a blue whale's poo is 10 inches wide and SEVERAL yards long? Betcha didn't! Did you know that hippos make a trail of poo to follow back to the river, kind of like Hansel and Gretel.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

SO MUCH FUN! I really loved this book as a kid, especially the funny ones. And the pictures are so scary too.

Way Up in the Arctic by Jennifer Ward

Counting book with lots of Arctic animals. The end of the book gives lots of facts about the Arctic like Polar bears have black skin. And there's also a song.

Detective Small in the Amazing Banana Caper by Wong Herbert Yee

Cute rhyming picture book about a fox detective who tries to find who stole all the bananas. Is it the ape, nah, that'd be too easy! Fave pic is of a couple of panda grocery store owners looking aghast at a pile of empty banana crates in the middle of their store.

2008-09-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

Goodnight Bush by Erich Origen & Gan Golan
Parody of Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Next to Bush's bed is a small nightstand and in the beginning of the book, there are 5 lines of coke. As the story progresses, there are fewer and fewer lines, until the last page when it's just a shiny mirror and a razor blade. Then there's the Constitution page where Bush has scratched out certain pars with some crayons and there's a doodle of a drunken person setting the important document on fire.

The Week-End Book edited by Francis Meynell
This book was originally published in England and was some fancy pants book that people would take with them when they went to the country over the weekend. It's a book with collections of poetry, random info on birds, astronomy, how to recognize different architectural styles, and other hodgepodgery. I skimmed this one.

2008-09-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

Scary, Scary Halloween by Eve Bunting
Green eyes peek out of the shadows and watch Halloween come to life in this rhyming picture book. My fave costume of all is the bandaged werewolf mummy.

Jungle Halloween by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Another rhyming Halloween picture book, this one about a plethora of different jungle animals celebrating the holiday. Cute pictures and good rhythm. Fave pic is the giraffe wearing a pink tutu, yellow angel wings and using her tail to shake a tambourine with red streamers. Crazy.

2008-09-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

How to Do Just About Everything by Courtney Rosen
She's the boss lady at eHow.com. Short descriptions of how to accomplish tons o' stuff. This book is pretty useful. One of the first things is how to teach your kids how to make friends. They mention having practice conversations with your kids--you know, your kid is your kid, and you pretend to be a potential new friend. Hm, I never would have thought of that! What else . . . You learn how to take notes for college. I was very happy to learn that I used to do what they suggested.

The Californios by Louis L'Amour
You know how I tried forcing myself to read scifi? Well, now I'm trying to force myself to read a western. Louis L'Amour is Mr. Western. Once again, I am not enamored. His sentences seem kinda . . . short. I think I'll quit this one too. Recently I just feel like reading nonfic.

2008-09-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Three white mice get mixed up in some paint and discover their secondary colors. Cute book for kindy kids to learn about colors.

The Gunniwolf by Wilhelmina Harper
This wolf talks pidgin. So it's kind of like Little Red Riding Hood. Mom tells the girl to be careful and the girl doesn't listen and goes romping through the forest. Weird thing is this wolf isn't mean or anything. He just wants the girl to sing and when she does, he falls asleep. This is definitely another of those weird children's books. Harper used to be a librarian at Redwood City because she kicked the bucket in 73. I felt kind of meh about it.

2008-09-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

The Bones of Fred McFee by Eve Bunting
Eve Bunting has written way too many books. This is a rhyming one suitable for Halloween.

The Hallo-Wiener by Dav Pilkey
Don't you love how it's Dav without an "e?" This picture book is about a dachshund who is tormented by the other dogs because of how he looks. For Halloween his mom gets him a hotdog costume and he wears it so his mom's feelings aren't hurt. Yada yada yada, Oscar the weiner dog ends up saving the day when all the other dogs are stranded in the pond.

The Soup Bone by Tony Johnston
OK, this book is crazy. A lonely old woman wearing a white bonnet (WTF?) makes some soup and decides she needs to put in a bone because the soup's too thin. So she digs under a tree and eventually digs up a skeleton that comes alive and they become friends.

2008-09-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks From Japan by Lisa Katayama
Read this gem in Barnes & Noble today. After finishing this book, you have to just say that, "Wow, Japanese people are HELLA smart!" Who knew that putting the white part of a scallion up your nostrils would clear a stuffed up nose? Well, Lisa did! And did you know that pouring beer on a dry patch of a lawn will revive it? Magic! I would hella recommend this book. It's genius.

2008-09-09T17:13:00.001-07:00

I'm giving up on The Other Wind. I can't stomach reading that sci fi, fantasy stuff. Watching the movies are fine, I can take it. But when I read about other worlds and mages, and the power of names, well, my eyes kind of just slowly glaze over. I gave it about 20 pages though, that's pretty fair.

The new book I'm reading now is called . . .

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. Heard about it a while ago from Jen R. This one is hysterical! I love it. One of the first scenes of the book is of Jesus, who's also called Joshua, biting the head off a lizard and then bringing it back to life.

2008-09-08T12:13:00.001-07:00

Insight Guides Taiwan edited by Bernd Hans-Gerd Helms

Got this book about 10 years ago right before I started living out there. This time, I was mainly looking at the pictures and rereading the portions I had highlighted when I was younger.

The Other Wind by Ursula Le Guin

You know that movie, The Jane Austen Book Club? There's one guy in the club who's hot for an older woman--also in the club. Anyway, he recommends some Ursula Le Guin books to her. While The Other Wind isn't one of the ones he recommended, I chose it because it was thinnish. I'm totally not a sci fi person but I decided to try it out. So far I'm not enamored, but I'm only on page 17 or so.

2008-09-05T12:21:00.001-07:00

When Duct Tape Just Isn't Enough: Quick Fixes for Everyday Disasters by CJ Petersen

There are a lot of great home fixing tips in this book. I'm mostly just browsing since I won't remember all the tips if I don't use them right away. The format is really accessible, the book is structured like a question answer column of a newspaper.

2008-08-29T16:24:00.001-07:00

Only in Dreams by Parker Jacobs

This is a Paul Frank book. Did you, like me, just go, "WTF?!" The main character is Julius the monkey with the Satan mouth. He has psychedelic dreams about strawberry milk rivers and having a potato body. The pictures are whimsical, typical of Paul Frank products.

2008-08-29T15:50:00.001-07:00

Quiet Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian by Scott Douglas

Picked this one up from the home library. He's about my age and a librarian out in Anaheim near Disney. I'm about 4 chapters in and it's a good read. What I really love are the honest portrayals of the library staff at his branch. Plus he peppers his book with lots of library facts like how Carnegie didn't let the libraries he funded put his portrait up. He went to San Jo for library school and his descriptions of some of the profs are awesome. One prof would give you an A for your paper if you cited his works. That TOTALLY sounds like library school! Sh-sh-sh-shady. Everyone knows that a big handful of the instructors don't even bother reading what you turn in.

2008-08-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

Esquire The Rules: A Man's Guide to Life by editors of Esquire mag
I read this in one sitting at the new library. Let's see if I can pass on any new wisdom. These are not verbatim . . . Don't wear white belt with white shoes. Um, wait until the dog is out of the room before having sex. If you're grocery shopping with your gf and she says you need chocolate syrup, don't ask why, just go get it. Adding bacon makes everything taste better. Dude, don't say "dude." Don't cook with anything labeled "cooking wine." It's a quick, entertaining read.

2008-08-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

The Secret Life of Food by Clare Crespo
This is a truly amazing recipe book where you make food that looks like something else. There's this recipe for spaghetti where you put olives in the two giant meatballs and it's called spaghetti with eyeballs! There are cupcakes that look like sushi, gingerbread skeletons, mutant chicken (two extra drumsticks attached to a roasted bird) and more! I can't believe how incredibly creative this book is!

2008-08-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club by Virginia Ironside
This novel is about a 60 year old, long divorced woman who's about to turn 60. She's accepting about being "old" and isn't buying into the whole "sixty years YOUNG" idea that her other friends are spouting. The story is set in England and when I read it, I imagine the accents--quite fun! This is an adorable book and perfect for Dayni who's terrified of getting older . . .

I'm almost done reading now and the character has given up sex, is obsessed with her adorable grandson and has a close, sarcastic gay friend who's dying of lung cancer. In my head she's got the voice of Judy Dench.

2008-08-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Book Lust by Nancy Pearl
I merely skimmed this book trying to find my next read. Nancy Pearl is a Seattle librarian who's got her very own action figure. She categorizes books that she's recommending to people. There's also More Book Lust, her "sequel." I was happy she made mention of Fannie Flagg, one of my very favorite authors. But I didn't choose one of the books she mentioned. I'll write about the new book I'm reading soon . . .

2008-08-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

The Cow That Laid an Egg by andy Cutbill
A cow feels merely ordinary compared to the other bovine that can do handstands and ride bicycles. One day a bunch of chickens decide to help her out by placing a spotted egg under her, soon everyone thinks that the cow has laid an egg!

Jeepers Creepers by Laura Leuck
This is a rhyming ABC book that features all sorts of strange monsters. Great fun!

My Creature Teacher by Laura Leuck
Another rhyming book about monsters. The main character is a furry faced little boy with neatly parted hair. The pictures are really fun and the rhymes are very gross and appealing to kids.

2008-08-13T17:53:00.001-07:00

What Pet to Get? by Emma Dodd
Cool picks, ridiculous concept. A kid wants a pet and goes through a roster of insane potentials: elephant, lion, t-rex, giraffe, etc. Finally he decides on a "lovely little puppy" dog who turns out to be anything but!

2008-08-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

The Subway Chronicles: Scenes From Life in New York edited by Jaquelin Cangro
Some of the short stories in this collection are pretty interesting. One of my favorites is about a man who finds his doppelganger, then there's the story about the subway groper and the pornography flasher. The stores are almost like libraryville :o) A couple of the stories, the writing didn't really grab me so I just skipped them.

2008-07-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

All About Me by Philipp Keel
This book is one big, long survey. One of the interesting questions asks something along the lines of: If you believe in reincarnation, what would you like to come back as in your next life?

2008-07-30T11:19:00.001-07:00

The Scrubbly-Bubbly Car Wash by Irene O'Garden
Rhyming picture book about a car wash with lots of onomatopoeia.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff
Same format as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. The moose will want jam, he'll want more muffins, you'll have to go get some muffin mix at the store and he'll want to borrow a sweater . . . The best picture is of the moose holding a sock puppet on each hoof.

Little Bitty Mousie by Jim Aylesworth
This is a rhyming alphabet book about a mouse who goes exploring around the house. The art is quite nice.

2008-07-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

The Sign Painter by Allen Say
The pictures in the book are typical Allen Say watercolor--beautiful. The story, however, made me go, "What the--." A kid is hired as a sign painter and is commissioned to paint billboards in the desert. One day he sees a giant roller coaster and an abandoned housing complex.

Stranger in the Mirror by Allen Say
One morning a kid wakes up and looks in the mirror to discover he's turned into a wrinkly old man. At school the other students tease and torment him. He still feels young though and decides to go skateboarding. Everyone is shocked to see an old man being so active.

Home of the Brave by Allen Say
On a rafting trip, a man ends up in the past at his grandfather's Japanese internment camp. The children he meets in camp long to go "home" but are instead stuck in the desert.

2008-07-27T14:37:00.001-07:00

The Culture Code by Clotaire Rapaille
This book is definitely one of the most interesting books I've read so far this year. The author is a cultural anthropologist who consults for several major corporations on how to sell products to different peoples. He talks about how when hired by Jeep in the 90's, the luxury SUV trend was just starting. In his research, he discovered that Americans think of Jeeps as horses: Riding in a Jeep the wind is in your hair, you can travel on new terrain and make discoveries . . . They changed the look of Jeep from having square headlights to having round ones because a horse has round eyes. Then he talks about how in France and Germany, the people there see the Jeep as the "liberator." During WWII, Americans rode on Jeeps to rescue France from Germany; and Germans view the Jeep as America liberating Germany from its own darkness. This is a fascinating book about what makes an American, an American, and what makes a Japanese person Japanese. Not to be confused with stereotyping, this book simply reveals the cultural codes that people in certain cultures are exposed to in their own country. I would strongly recommend this book, it is a wonderful read.

2008-07-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

Smitten by David Gordon
A stranded pink mitten and a single forgotten blue sock soon become fast friends as they work to find their other halves. This is an adorable little love story where the most touching moment is when sock knits mitten back together after she's completely unraveled. They sneak into a yarn store and sock reads a how-to book on knitting. Awwww . . .

Stay Awake, Sally by Mitra Modarressi
Reverse psychology indeed! In this rhyming picture book, mom and dad raccoons try to convince their little raccoon to stay up, tempting her with cake, games and books.

Maisy Makes Lemonade by Lucy Cousins
Maisy is a mouse who makes lemonade with her good friend Eddie the elephant. The Maisy books are really cute :o)

2008-07-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

Timothy and the Strong Pajamas by Viviane Schwarz
A little mouse named Timothy has an old set of pajamas but when his mom patches it and sews on new buttons, Timothy has newfound super powers! He and his toy monkey use the pajamas to help many colorful characters in this fun story.

Smash! Crash! by Jon Scieszka
This book is for really little boys (or girls I guess) who are crazy about trucks. Two trucks, Dan and Jack love to smash and well, crash. The pictures are pretty cool, with three different illustrators working together. Scieszka is a legend--he wrote True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! and he's got a fancy pants gig as some sort of bookish liaison. This particular book doesn't really feeeeeeel like Scieszka though, you know. After True Story, I'm looking for something brilliant. But I guess toddler books and brilliant don't really go hand in hand.

Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett
This is another super easy book. Here's the basic pattern: Monkey and me, Monkey and me, Monkey and me, We went to see . . . [a penguin, elephants, etc.]. The pictures are cool though, they fairly leap off the page.

2008-07-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Confessions of Emergency Room Doctors by Rocky Lang and Dr. Erick Montero
Started skimming this one at a big box bookstore. There are some GREAT stories in here, my favorite is the fetus in fetu tale about a man who was complaining about pain and it turns out his twin brother had been growing inside of him all these years.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
You've undoubtedly seen or at least heard about Dr. Pausch, a lecturer at Carnegie Mellon diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (just like Patrick Swayze!). The book is great, I feel sorry for his kids who will be missing a wonderful father. His lecture focuses on achieving your childhood dreams and how because he's been able to do so, he's led a fulfilled life. He is an inspirational speaker who obviously loves life and wants to leave a legacy of optimism.

Lilly's Big Day by Kevin Henkes
Lilly's a mouse who assumes that when her teacher gets married, she'll be the flower girl. Unfortunately for Lilly, Mr. Slinger has asked his niece to act as the flower girl. When he sees how much Lilly wants the job, he assigns her to be the flower girl's assistant. See how Lilly ends up saving the day in this cute book by Caldecott winner Henkes.

2008-07-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
This book is repetitious, which is great for kids. The animals are a little obscure though: macaroni penguin, whooping crane, etc. The artwork is Eric Carle and he's very popular.

How Do You Make a Baby Smile? by Philemon Sturges
This book talks about all kinds of animals and how their Mama or Papa makes them smile. The pictures are cute, almost clipart like.

Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown
She wrote Goodnight Moon, another children's classic. This is an interesting story that compares a real train with a toy train in facing pages. When the real train is getting rained on, the toy train moves underneath a showerhead.

2008-07-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm
I started reading this particular tome years ago, prior to starting library school, in fact. Recently I picked it up again and I love the stories! There's definitely a special kind of magic in fairy tales. Plus I love how the brave are rewarded and the evil are punished.

2008-07-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Down the Back of the Chair by Margaret Mahy
This is a fun book about all the things you could possibly lose down the back of your chair: "A string of pearls, a lion with curls" etc. The pictures are dynamic and the rhymes are almost too much fun.

Kitty's Cuddles by Jane Cabrera
This is a really simple book about a kitty who hugs different animals to find the best cuddler. My favorite is the octopus (with eyelashes!) "with his snug, squeezy cuddle."

Truck Driver Tom by Monica Wellington
Here is a book that follows Tom on his route driving from the farm to the deli to deliver his fresh fruits and vegetables. The pictures in this book are unique to children's books because they combine real photos with illustrations.

2008-07-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

Scrambled Eggs Super! by Dr. Seuss
Tired of regular scrambled eggs from a hen, young Peter T. Hooper decides to make an exotic scramble made of eggs from such creatures as the Ham-ikka-Schnim-ikka-Scham-ikka Schnopp, Single-File Zummzian Zuks and Grickily Gractus. This is another of Dr. Seuss's creative works with psychedelic pictures and tons of rhymes.

Mom and Mum Are Getting Married! by Ken Setterington
A little girl wants to be the flower girl in her two moms' same sex marriage. The pictures are alright. One of her moms has short, boyish hair. They don't make a big deal about the fact that it's two women getting married. It's more about the little girl's role in the ceremony.

Worse Than Rotten, Ralph by Jack Gantos
Ralph is a mean red cat who gets in all sorts of mischief. In this book he knocks over trash cans with a group of alley cats and terrorizes a bunch of poodles as well as starting a food fight in a bakery! I've always loved the pictures for Rotten Ralph, ever since I was a kid.

2008-07-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

Read All About It by Laura and Jenna Bush
This is a cool story about a young reluctant reader and how he gets sucked into the world of books. As his teachers reads to the class, the boy begins to imagine the characters in the stories take shape. Considering the author, I think that every single library in America will have this book on its shelves.

2008-07-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Look-Alikes by Joan Steiner
Coolest book ever!! You know what I Spy books are? This is kind of the same thing. Everyday objects are taken and made to resemble other objects. For instance, pistachios are attached to stems to look like tulips. I LOVE IT! This is one of the most creative books I've ever come across.