Day 122: Room on the Broom

There have been several times where I have tried to borrow this book from the library, but every time I have tried, it has been out.   I suppose that's always a good sign that a story is worth reading!  We've enjoyed several of Julia Donaldson's other books, but I have to say this one might be our favorite so far.  The first time we read it, my son immediately asked to read it again... and again... and again.  I suppose many people think of Room on the Broom as a Halloween story given the whole witch-and-her-cat-on-a-broom thing, but I think it is great reading for any time of year.  A witch and her cat fly about on her broom, losing her hat, bow, and wand along the way.  Each time the witch drops something, an animal friend finds it and returns it to her, then asks to come along for the ride.  Of course there is always room on the broom for a helpful friend!  When the broom suddenly breaks and the witch is captured by a hungry dragon, the friends come to her rescue once again, this time, together.   The magical ending will leave you and your child smiling with delight and wishing there was room on the broom for you, too!   The story line is as clever as it is fun, with fabulous, easy-flowing rhymes and a great combination of repetitive verses and curious moments of anticipation; perfect for young readers.  And of course, what parent won't love the story's underlying message about the value of friendship, sharing, and cooperation?  Axel Scheffler's bold, colorful illustrations bring the characters to life in a lively, happy fashion, making this book an all-around great read.

Day 119: Where's My Mom?

We first checked this delightful story out of the library several months ago after we fell in love with Julia Donaldson's The Gruffalo.  Given that I had just featured one of her books, though, I decided to wait and come back to Where's My Mom? another time.   My son happened to notice this book again the last time we were at the library, so we brought it home and have read it several times since.  I am happy to report that he loves it just as much now as he did a few months ago, and I'm glad to have been reminded to feature this adorable story here on our blog.  A little monkey is lost in the jungle and unable to find his mom.  A friendly butterfly eagerly sets out to help him, asking questions about his mom's appearance along the way.  "Hush, little monkey, don't you cry.  I'll help you find her," said butterfly. "Let's have a think.  How big is she?"  "She's big!" said the monkey.  "Bigger than me."  "Bigger than you?  Then I've seen your mom.  Come, little monkey, come, come, come."  Excitedly, we turn the page, only to find that the butterfly has led the little monkey to... an elephant!  Each time the monkey describes some other feature of his mother -- her tail that coils around trees, or the fact that she leaps and springs and lives high in the treetops -- the butterfly is convinced she knows where to find her.  And each time, the poor monkey is brought to the wrong animal mother.  We love anticipating what animal the butterfly might take us to next, and my son finds the whole series of mistaken identities to be incredibly silly.  When the monkey is brought back to the elephant again, we can't help but laugh and feel sorry for him, not to mention wonder why on earth the butterfly keeps leading him so astray!  Donaldson has a clever reason why, of course, and once we find out what it is, the story becomes even more charming.  Finally, our little monkey friend is happily reunited with his parents, at which point my son usually requests to go back and read the story again.  The illustrations are cute and colorful, and the verse flows easily and well, overall.  At first I wondered, though, why some of the rhyme schemes seemed a bit off ("Come little monkey, come, come, come.  It's time I took you home to mom.")  "Come" and "mom" clearly don't rhyme...  But then I learned that the American version of the book has been changed ("Mum" is the original word in the British version, which flows much better), as has the title.  In the U.S., this book is called "Where's My Mom?", but in the U.K., it is called "Monkey Puzzle."  I'm not sure why publishers felt the need to change the title and some of the words, but there you go.  My little guy calls me "Mum Mum" anyway, so I just change "Mom" to "Mum" as we read so it sounds nicer.  Either way, we both thoroughly enjoy this book and think that you will, too.

Day 33: The Gruffalo

In honor of National Library Week and Drop Everything And Read day, we decided to visit one of our favorite local libraries this afternoon to find some great new books.  We had to get a few new Henry and Mudge, of course, but this book took home the prize for favorite story of the day.  The Gruffalo was recommended to me by Rose, a friend of the blog, and we are so happy that she shared this with us.  Thanks, Rose! 

The Gruffalo tells the story of a clever, quick-witted mouse who is taking a stroll through the deep dark wood.  He encounters several hungry predators along the way who try to lure him in -- ironically, a sly fox, wise owl, and slippery snake -- but each time he manages to scare them away with tales of his imaginary friend, the Gruffalo.  "He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws."  (The Gruffalo is rather reminiscent of a Wild Thing, to me.)  The Gruffalo doesn't really exist... or so mouse thinks!  When a Gruffalo actually appears in the woods and wants to eat mouse for lunch, our furry little friend once again succeeds in out-cunning his much larger foe.  I won't tell you much more, since it's fun to discover how this story plays out.  Donaldson's rhymes are clever, making this a fun book to read aloud, and Axel Scheffler's illustrations are equally as appealing.  We've already read this one four times since checking it out of the library today, so it must be good!  We've read a few other Donaldson books that will make our list at some point, so if you haven't yet discovered her works, look for them the next time you visit the library.   The Gruffalo was her first children's book.  Enjoy!