Day 211: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is one of those childhood classics that somehow has not yet made it into our home library (or on to this blog) until now.  I brought it home from the library once when my son was 2 or 3, but at the time, it was too long to sufficiently hold his interest.  Not anymore!  My mom recently gave us the copy that had been my brothers' when they were little, and my son (now 5) has requested it at bedtime every night for almost a week now.

If you are unfamiliar with this fantastical story, it's about the unique, faraway town of Chewandswallow.  It's a town like any other, for the most part, with lovely stores along its main street, houses with gardens and trees, a school.  "The only thing that was really different about Chewandswallow was its weather.  It came three times a day, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Everything that everyone ate came from the sky."  Imagine a world where you could wake up one morning and, "after a brief shower of orange juice, low clouds of sunny-side up eggs moved in, followed by pieces of toast.  Butter and jelly sprinkled down for the toast.  And most of the time it rained milk afterwards."  Hot dogs blown in from the northwest, mustard clouds, Jell-O sunsets.  Wouldn't that just be amazing?

Life went along happily in Chewandswallow, until one day, the weather took a turn for the worse.  A giant pancake fell on the school and couldn't be removed, and the maple syrup that rained down nearly flooded the town.  Other days saw only gorgonzola cheese, or overcooked broccoli, or pea soup fog so thick that no one could see anything.  Eventually, things got so bad that everyone had to abandon Chewandswallow and leave it behind forever.

It's a story that is as delightful as it is clever, with illustrations that are bound to captivate you read after read after read.  I personally find the coloring of the illustrations a little strange (maybe it's just our version), but the detail of the drawings is simply fantastic and we find something new and creative every time we read it.  One of my favorite pictures is that of the boat made of stale bread and peanut butter, with pizza and swiss cheese for sails and a bacon flag.  Ralph's Roofless Restaurant is pretty clever, too.

Perhaps my favorite thing about this story, though, is that it is presented in the form of a bedtime story told by a grandfather to his grandchildren at bedtime; or rather, a child's recollection of a story her grandfather told her at bedtime.  My favorite lines in the whole book are "Henry and I were awake until the very end of Grandpa's story.  I remember his goodnight kiss." This line always reminds me of the incredible significance of simple moments like these.  Moments that, in and of themselves, might not seem like anything particularly noteworthy or unique, but that can linger in our children's memories long after we've forgotten them.  Moments that I remind myself to take time to savor and appreciate while they are happening.  It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:  "Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."  I guess we should never underestimate the wonderful power of stories and goodnight kisses.

Day 204: Andrew Henry's Meadow

Before I go on and on about how amazingly fabulous this book is, I have to give a big thank you shout out to my fellow picture book lover and blogger, Read Aloud Dad, who first introduced me to this book a month or two ago when I read his review of it here.  As soon as I read his glowing review, I logged on to my library system's website and set out to find a copy that we could borrow.  Surprisingly, there were only 3 copies of Andrew Henry's Meadow in the whole system.  Only 3!  Why every library in the world doesn't own this book, I have no idea.  It is truly one of the most wonderful stories I have read in a long time, and I'm so happy to have discovered it. Thank you, Read Aloud Dad!

Andrew Henry Thatcher lives with his family in the small town of Stubbsville.  He has two younger brothers who are always playing with each other, and two older sisters who are always with each other, leaving Andrew Henry alone most of the time.  Fortunately, he doesn't much seem to mind, happily passing the time creating clever new inventions.  He makes a helicopter in the kitchen, an eagle cage in the living room, and a merry-go-round from his sisters' sewing machine.  Unfortunately, though, Andrew Henry's inventions aren't exactly appreciate by his family.  

One day, after thinking about it for some time, Andrew Henry packs up his tools and runs away, setting off through the woods to build a house of his own.  He soon finds the perfect place for his house -- a lovely meadow, complete with a stream and a tall, strong fir tree.  "He set to work, and before long the house was finished.  The walls were made of clay and rocks and poles.  The roof was made of fir boughs, and outside one window there was a fine landing field for dragonflies.  But Andrew Henry wasn't alone long..."  

Soon, other children from the town, with unique qualities and interests of their own, are eager to join him.  Andrew Henry sets to work building the children their own customized houses, perfectly suited to their tastes and talents.  Alice Burdock's house was just right for a person who loved birds, high up in a tree with birdbaths, feeding stations, and "even a hand rest for Alice's binoculars when she wasn't using them."  George Turner's house is perfect for fishing, Joe Polasky's underground quarters are ideal for him and his many pets, and Margot LaPorte's house is well-suited for her music rehearsals.  The children all live quite happily in their meadow for a few days and nights, but back home, their families are frantically searching for them.  Where could they have gone?  Finally, of course, everyone is reunited, and the families are more accepting of their children in the end.  It's sad, in a way, that it took the children running away for this to be the case, but without doing so, we'd have missed out on all of the wonderful magic of that meadow.  

The little details throughout this book are simply perfect, in both the illustrations and the story, itself.  I love Doris Burn's descriptions of the houses, and her black and white sketches are even more wonderful and clever.  My son gets such a kick out of the different houses Andrew Henry builds for the other kids in the meadow, and it's always fun to brainstorm what type of house we would want to live in there.  I love the way this story inspires creativity and imagination, for Andrew Henry's inventions and houses are truly fantastic.  More than anything, though, I love the way this story reminds us all to appreciate our children's unique gifts and talents and love them exactly for who they are. 

Andrew Henry's Meadow was first published in 1965, with its most recent edition coming out last year in 2012.  It's a longer than your average picture book -- more like a chapter book, but without the chapters -- so probably better suited for children ages 4 and up.  That said, though, my 2 1/2 year old is quite content to sit and read this with me and my 5 year old.  This is one book that has certainly made itself on to our "must own" list, and is one that I'm sure we will treasure for years to come.  If you can manage to get your hands on a copy of this amazing book, please do.  I promise you won't be disappointed.

Day 192: Jack and the Beanstalk

We all remember some of the classic fairy tales from our childhood:  Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Ugly Duckling, Jack and the Beanstalk.  It's funny, though, because for some reason, I don't remember how I actually learned these stories.  Did my mom sit and read them to me?  I don't think we had them as actual books, but maybe I'm just forgetting.  Or maybe she just told them to me.  Did my teachers read them to me in school?  I honestly can't remember.  Somehow, though, I grew up knowing all of these traditional tales.  In a way, it's essential childhood knowledge, don't you think?  Growing up not knowing these classics would be like growing up not knowing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star or Mary Had a Little Lamb.  It's part of our childhood vernacular.  When I began reading to my children, I knew these tales would be on our reading list someday.  The trick was going to be finding versions of some of them that were slightly less graphic than the originals.  Call me over-protective, but some of these stories are really kind of horrifying.  I mean, I'm okay with the wolf swallowing Granny whole and all, but the woodcutter slashing him open with an axe?  That seems a bit gory for three year old, if you ask me.  I know some people would disagree, but if I can minimize the violence, tragedy, and death a bit for now by reading a slightly less graphic version, I will.   But I digress...  

What I really want to talk about here is how much I love this version of Jack and the Beanstalk!  If you've followed this blog for a while, you know how much I love the publishing company Barefoot Books.  Their stories are always beautiful, both in message and illustration.  More than anything, I love the comfort of knowing that I can pick up any book from this publisher and know that it's going to be of the highest quality.  They feature many original stories, as well as traditional fables and fairy tales from cultures around the world.  I was thrilled to add their rendition of Jack and the Beanstalk to our home library, particularly because it also came with a fabulous audio version that quickly took up residence in our permanent car rotation.  My kids and I both adore this story, and while we do read it aloud ourselves from time to time, I find we listen to the audio version more.  (Mostly, this is because they love reading along with the cd so much, the book is always in the car.)  The classic elements of the tale are all here, with just the right amount of humor mixed in to keep things from being too violent or scary.  Rather than being killed in the end, for example, the giant gets flung far off into space, never to be seen again.  (The "BOING!!!" that happens then is always my kids' favorite part of the story.)  There's no talk about the giant having Jack's bones to grind his bread, which I find kind of nice, and while he still says the famed, "Fee, fi, fo fum!," it is followed by, "I smell the blood of a stinky man!" (which my daughter finds particularly hilarious.)  If you're looking to introduce your little one to this traditional fairy tale, we highly recommend this version.  Thanks, Barefoot Books, for bringing us another great childhood classic!  

Day 188: Storytime

Books on CD are positively brilliant.  I have fond memories of falling asleep each night to the Velveteen Rabbit when I was a child, and I listened to the Fox and the Hound on tape so many times that my mom could probably still recite the whole story if you asked her to.  They make road trips with children infinitely more enjoyable for everyone, are great for entertaining an older sibling while a younger one goes down for a nap, and are a perfect way to end the day at bedtime.  Each night when we put our son to bed, my husband or I read him a few stories, shut off the light and either tell him another story (daddy's specialty) or sing songs (my specialty), and then turn on one of his favorite books on CD so that he can listen to more stories as he drifts off to sleep.  Storytime has been on heavy rotation in our house lately, both in the car and at bedtime.  My son has also been asking me to read it to him during our afternoon story time, as well, and I have to say, it is a fabulous book all around!

Storytime is a collection of traditional folk tales containing some of the most well-known classics in children's literature:  The Gingerbread Man, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, and The Ugly Duckling.  Also included in this awesome anthology are The Cock, the Mouse, and the Little Red Hen, The Timid Hare (perhaps our favorite of all), and Stone Soup.  As a child, I don't remember reading these stories, specifically, but somehow I grew up knowing most of them.  This book is the perfect way to introduce these traditional tales to young children.  The pictures are colorful and entertaining, narrator Jim Broadbent's voice is fantastic, and the stories are told in a way that is very appealing and accessible to young children.  Some versions of these stories seem kind of violent to me -- the Three Little Pigs being eaten by the big, bad, wolf, for example, can be a bit traumatic --  but in this book, they are not at all scary or disturbing.  They're not too long, either.  As Goldilocks would say, they're just right.  If you're looking for a way to introduce your little one to these classics, you're bound to love Storytime.

Day 128: The Night Before Christmas

We have many favorite stories here in our house, but the list of those we read most often changes throughout the year.  All of our winter and Christmas books live together on my son's bookshelf, but once December rolls around, they take their place in a big pile on his bedside table.  One my children's favorites that we read every night at this time of year is Clement Clarke Moore's classic, The Night Before Christmas.   Originally entitled "A Visit from St. Nicholas," Moore's poem was written as a Christmas gift for his wife and six children in 1822.  My son received a lift the flap hardcover board book edition of this poem for his very first Christmas when he was only nine days old, and I have loved reading it to him ever since.  I actually saw our version (shown above) on the bargain bookshelf at Barnes and Noble the other day for only $7.98, in case you're interested.  There are many different versions of this book, some of which are simply gorgeous, but with two eager young ones who love peeking under the flaps, I'm glad we have the one we do.  The board book pages are incredibly sturdy, and we love the advent-style of of the lift the flap feature.   My son particularly loves seeing what is inside some of the presents, and the snowball-making bunnies are pretty cute, as well.  We have read this story so many times that I have the whole thing memorized, and my son loves when I turn out the light and tell it to him again as he is falling asleep.  (And I'll admit, I love curling up next to him and reciting it to him, too.)  "Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.  The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there..."  I considered waiting to post this story until the actual night before Christmas, but decided to share it now since we actually read it all month long.  This poem has already created so many wonderful memories for me of reading with my children, especially at this magical time of year.  As winter draws nearer, I wish you and your children many cozy evenings spent with a great book!

Day 100: Where the Wild Things Are

Our 100th book!  Hooray!  It feels like quite a milestone, even though we have many more great books to read and share before having a whole year's worth.  For our 100th book, I wanted to feature one of our all-time favorites and a must-have in any child's collection:  Where the Wild Things Are.  I doubt there are many people out there who have not heard of this book, and there are many reasons why it has been a classic since its publication in 1963.  Maurice Sendak's story about the fiercely independent and mischievous Max is a fabulous tribute to imagination, adventure, and love.  If you are unfamiliar with the story, young Max gets sent to his room without any supper one night, only to have his imagination take him on a wonderful journey to a faraway land.  "That very night in Max's room a forest grew and grew -- and grew until his ceiling hung with vines and the walls became the world all around and an ocean tumbled by with a private boat for Max and he sailed off through night and day and in and out of weeks and almost over a year to where the wild things are."  Max soon becomes their king, proclaiming what has become perhaps the book's most famous line, "Let the wild rumpus start!"  He and his fellow wild things romp and roar and play and dance the nights away, but soon Max finds himself longing for the comforts of home.  I never get tired of reading this book with my little wild thing and love everything about it.  The illustrations are beautiful, the story is a joy to read, and I like that the wild things don't look too scary (despite roaring their terrible roars and gnashing their terrible teeth.)  In fact, I find they usually look rather silly and impish rather than fierce and frightening.  Some of our favorite pages are the three in the middle without any words, and my son loves to say, "What does that wild thing say?  What does that wild thing say?" as he points to the different beasts and we make up more of the story in the middle.  I can't help but smile when we read the line about Max being lonely and wanting to be "where someone loved him best of all" and my little monster says, "That's his Mum Mum."  As Max sails back over a year and in and out of weeks and through a day, he arrives back at his room to find his dinner waiting for him... "and it was still hot."  Where the Wild Things Are captures everything that is fun and wonderful and challenging about childhood for both parents and children.  The feelings and emotions Max experiences throughout the book are universal for children -- who hasn't, at one time or another, wanted to escape from household rules and be king for a day? -- and Sendak portrays this desire for independence wonderfully.  Most of all, I love the message that no matter how much trouble our wild things might get into, as parents, we will always love them.  If you haven't shared this classic with your own wild thing, please do!  This is one book that no child or parent should go without. 

Day 28: Make Way for Ducklings

What kind of Bostonian would I be if I didn't feature Robert McCloskey's classic, Make Way for Ducklings?  This wonderful story was a baby gift for my son, given to us by one of my students and his family.  Thank you, Kriers!  I love this book -- and other McCloskey titles, too -- but I think they tend to be for a slightly older age group and I didn't think it would capture my son's attention much until now.   I read it to him a few times when he was very little, but he didn't show much interest.  When I got it down from his bookshelf the other night to read before bed, he fell in love with it!  We have read it multiple times since then, and he pretended to be the last of the eight little ducklings, Quack, all day yesterday.  (I was Mrs. Mallard, of course.)  First published in 1941, Make Way for Ducklings was based on a real duck family that made its way through the streets of Boston, stopping traffic along the way.  Mr. and Mrs. Mallard are searching for the perfect place to raise their ducklings, and McCloskey's beautiful brown pencil illustrations capture both the time and place beautifully.  Among other things, my son loves looking at the old-fashioned cars, and I love seeing the many classic Boston landmarks featured in the story, as well:  Charles Street, the Swan Boats in the Public Garden, the Longfellow Bridge, the State House.  And of course we all love the charming family of ducklings:  Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack.   What child won't love saying all of those names?!   You needn't be from Boston to appreciate this book, though if you ever visit, stop by the bronze statues of the ducklings right inside the gates of the Garden.  The story is endearing, the illustrations are wonderful (it's a Caldecott winner), and it's no wonder it has been a favorite on bookshelves for 70 years.

Day 21: Harold and the Purple Crayon

We got a hand-me-down  copy of this book when my son was one, but, as I didn't think he was quite ready for it yet, I put it away in his closet to be revisited later.  Last week, a new friend of the blog, Rose, mentioned this as one of her favorites and I remembered that we had it somewhere.  I wish I had remembered to look for it earlier.  What a wonderful book!  My son and I instantly fell in love with this fabulous story of imagination.  "One night, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight."  So off he goes, armed with only his purple crayon, to create a marvelous adventure for himself.  The illustrations are perfectly simple, and I love the way Harold meanders along and decides what he should do and draw next.  And following him the whole way, of course, is the moon that started everything.  My favorite part of the story might be the very end, when he remembers where he can find his bedroom window:  right around the moon, of course!  Most of all, I absolutely love the fact that this is a book about the beauty of creativity and the power of one's imagination.  If you are like me and love watching your child's imagination take flight, this is an absolute must-read.  Have your little ones guess what Harold might do next, or ask what they would draw.  Create your own Harold-like story together and see where their imagination takes you.  It can be easy to forget, but sometimes all we really need to have a great adventure is as simple as a purple crayon.

Day 14: The Story of Ferdinand

Sweet, gentle Ferdinand.  I just love him.  We checked this great book out of the library a few weeks ago at the suggestion of my friend Leonie and it quickly became a favorite in our house.  This charming classic tells the story of Ferdinand, a Spanish bull who would rather sit under his favorite cork tree and smell the flowers than fight like all of his friends.  Robert Lawson's black and white illustrations are simple and clever, and the story line is wonderfully endearing.  I love the underlying message about being an individual and doing what makes you happy, regardless of what everyone else is doing or expects of you because of your outward appearance.  Of course, I'm sure my son completely misses that part, but I like it, anyway.  He still asks to read Ferdinand at least once a day, so there is something about the pictures or the story line that greatly appeals to his three year old self.  I have a feeling this one will be checked out of the library several times until we eventually get our own copy.

Day 8: Cars and Trucks and Things That Go

This might be my son's favorite book of all time.  He has loved it so much, in fact, that we are actually on our second copy.  The first one was given to us as a hand-me-down and was in near-perfect condition, but the poor book was soon loved to shreds.  Literally.  Even mass amounts of heavy duty clear packing tape couldn't save it.  Granted, we probably shouldn't have given my son a non-board book when he was still only one, but he was so obsessed with cars and trucks that we couldn't resist reading it to him.  Needless to say, it was an instant hit.   It features drawings of every kind of vehicle you could possibly imagine and then some (would you rather drive a carrot car or a banana mobile?) and a rather silly story line about the Pig family's day trip to the beach.  It's long -- almost 70 pages -- but jam-packed with vehicular delight.  We love following that naughty Dingo Dog, too.  If you have a child in your life who is like mine and is obsessed with all things wheeled, this is bound to be a favorite.  Don't forget to find Goldbug on every page!