Day 239: All By Myself

Recently, we have been revisiting some of our favorite classics. My daughter, now four and a half, is old enough to enjoy most of the books my son (7) loves to read. While this has always been true to an extent, there have been times where the level of books my kids wanted to read varied such that it was difficult for me to read them the same book at the same time. Once my daughter had the attention span to read longer stories, however, this got easier. As a result, though, I found that I had inadvertently neglected to read her some of the stories that were my son's favorites at that age. It wasn't that he didn't like those stories anymore, but rather, they often were overlooked in favor of other stories. (The fact that those thin little paperbacks are so easily lost on the shelf or in the bottom of the book bin doesn't help, either.) Fortunately, my daughter recently found our collection of Mercer Mayer's Little Critter stories, and she has been hooked ever since.

I wrote about my favorite, Just Go To Bed, way back on Day 32. I can say with 100% certainty that anyone who has ever tried to rein an energetic little one into bed will both adore and relate to this story (perhaps all too well!) As you can probably guess by the picture above, All By Myself rings equally true to parents and children, alike. Little Critter can do so many things by himself: get dressed, brush his fur, tie his shoes, color a picture. And of course, there are some things he says he can do which could really use a little more practice. There is one thing, though, that he can't do on his own -- and that is go to sleep without a story. Sweet and fun, this is one of my daughter's new favorites, and I was surprised to realize that I had not yet featured it here on this blog. If you have a preschooler and have not yet discovered these gems, we highly recommend them! 

Day 114: The Pigeon Wants a Puppy

If you have a preschooler and have not yet discovered Mo Willems' Pigeon books (or any books by him, really), you must go to your local library immediately and find one!  Seriously, you are missing out and need to read one of his fabulous stories as soon as possible.  You won't be disappointed, I promise.  We LOVE Mo Willems here in our house, and he is one of the few authors for whom I feel the need to own every single one of his books.  We featured one of all time favorites Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus back on Day 64, but felt we just had to share one of the equally hilarious sequels, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy.  If you're familiar with the Pigeon, you know that he pretty much is a preschooler in bird form:  he is funny, independent, charming, cute, clever, and wants what he wants when he wants it (which is usually NOW!)  He can go from endearingly sweet to tantrum mode in about .5 seconds, and doesn't like taking "No" for an answer.  The story begins in Willems' classic conversational form, with the Pigeon greeting us with a friendly, "Oh, hello.  How are you?  I'm fine.  Thanks for asking."  And then, as would any three year old intent on getting something he wants, he gets right to his point.  "By the way, do you know what I want?  What I've wanted forever...? [and then, in more of a secret whisper] At least since last Tuesday...?  A PUPPY!!"   He promises to take care of it and water it once a month (insert fits of child giggles here), only to then get mopey and defensive that we don't seem to be buying it. "Oh... I get it.  You don't want me to be happy, do you?  You don't want me to take a piggyback ride on my puppy!  Or play tennis with it!"  Just as his fit reaches its peak, we hear a "Woof!" off in the distance... and the pigeon gets his wish!  The comedy ensues as the pigeon meets the puppy (who is much bigger and slobbery than expected) and ultimately decides that he has changed his mind:  what he really wants is a walrus!  I'm always amazed at how much emotion Willems can convey in such simple drawings, and love the way he uses the text to emphasize the Pigeon's mood.  The font gets smaller when the pigeon is feeling sad, and bigger as his intensity and volume increase.  Be sure to read the pigeon's list of "Things I Want" on the title page; it is positively hilarious!  I know the day will come when my children are begging and pleading for a puppy in their own pigeon-style, but until then, I can simply sit back and enjoy reading this delightfully silly and engaging story.  Enjoy! 

Day 101: Wemberly Worried

It's Labor Day weekend, which sadly marks the end of summer as we know it.  School has already started up again around here, and my little guy will be off to preschool in less than two weeks.  I can't believe it!  He seems to be excited about his new school, but I have a feeling we'll definitely experience a few tears on those first few days.  We've been talking about how fun it will be to play and make new friends, and have been reading some good books about starting school to get ready, as well.  I've already featured one of our favorites, The Kissing Hand, back on Day 48, but we found another great story at our last visit to the library by the always fabulous Kevin Henkes.  Wemberly Worried is an adorable tale that is one of my son's favorite books to read at the moment.  Wemberly, the sweet little lovable mouse, is a worrier.  She worries, and worries and worries, about big things, little things, and everything in between:  the crack in the wall, the noise of the radiators, her doll Petal, even that there wouldn't be enough cake for her friends at her birthday party.  Her mother, father, and flower-child, rollerblade-wearing grandmother try to help ease her worries, but Wemberly manages to find things to be nervous about anyway.  As Wemberly gets ready to start at her new nursery school, she is faced with her biggest worry of all!  I'll admit that I worried this book might make my son nervous about things he otherwise wouldn't have thought of, but fortunately he reacted the way I hoped he would and found Wemberly's worries to be silly.  "What if no one else has spots?  What if no one else wears stripes?  What if no one else brings a doll?  What if the teacher is mean?  What if the room smells bad?  What if they make fun of my name?  What if I can't find the bathroom?" and my son's favorite of all, "What if I hate the snack?"  Fortunately for Wemberly, her understanding teacher Mrs. Peachum introduces her to a new friend, and by day's end, Wemberly realizes that perhaps there isn't as much to worry about as she thought.  Henkes' delightful mouse characters are charming (look for Lilly of Purple Plastic Purse fame to make an appearance) and I think the story does a great job of addressing children's fears and feelings about starting school in a way that is both realistic and reassuring.   Henkes' illustrations are wonderfully expressive, as usual, and we love looking for fun, silly details on each page.  We highly recommend this book, especially if you have a worried Wemberly of your own.  Wishing you all a smooth transition back to school and a year full of new and wonderful things!

Day 88: Potty Animals

Now that my son is successfully potty trained, I can breathe a big sigh of relief.  I was really hoping he would be comfortable and confident about using the potty before beginning preschool this fall, but there is another whole element to potty training that I never thought of before finding this great book on the library shelf:  public potty etiquette.  Sure, we've got him pretty well trained to wash his hands and turn off the bathroom light when he is done, but what about all of the other potty manners he'll be expected to practice at school and elsewhere?  There's an awful lot to remember!  Knock first, shut the door, be sure to flush, know that others might be waiting for their turn... Fortunately, there's a great book to help with all of this.  Potty Animals:  What to Know When You've Gotta Go! is a fun, informative, age appropriate way to teach and reinforce proper potty etiquette to young children.  Hope Vestergaard was brilliant to write this kind of story, and I would imagine it is a favorite of preschools everywhere.  Her rhyming, rolling lyrics and Valeria Petrone's cute illustrations combine to create a charming, practical potty book.  My son loves all the of the animals at Sycamore Preschool, and more importantly, has learned a lot about their all-too-common potty mistakes.  Freddy is afraid to flush.   Helga lollygags.  Ziggy forgets to do up his zipper.  Farley doesn't close the door.  Arnold's aim could use a little work.  Benji is a barger.  The characters' forgetfulness offers friendly reminders about the right thing to do in a way that is cute and informative, not punitive or accusatory.  The many lessons taught throughout are all reviewed at the end of the book: "Plan ahead.  Don't wait too long.  Go potty before you sleep.  Excuse yourself.  Knock first.  Be sure to lift up the seat.  Close the door.  Don't lollygag. Never forget to wipe.  Wash your hands.  Zip and flush.  Always turn out the light!"  If you're looking for a fun way to teach these manners that will really resonate with your child, we highly recommend Potty Animals.  There's a lot to know when you've got to go, and this book definitely helps!

Day 56: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

I'm so happy our friend Melinda introduced us to Kevin Henkes.  We just love his books!  My son has asked to read this story several times a day since we took it out of the library last week and it has quickly become a favorite.  There are so many things I love about this book that I'm not sure where to start.  Lilly is a sassy, precocious, red-cowboy-boot-wearing free-spirit of a mouse.  She loves school, especially her teacher Mr. Slinger, and wants to be a teacher just like him when she grows up.  Lilly writes stories and draws pictures of Mr. Slinger, and even stays after school to help him clap out erasers.  You could say she's your classic wannabe teacher's pet.  But when Lilly can't wait to show off her new purple plastic purse and her movie-star sunglasses to everyone in the class, she sees a different side of Mr. Slinger:  the firm teacher (aka "big, fat, mean, Mr. Stealing teacher!")  The tale that unfolds from here is one that I think everyone can relate to.  Who hasn't, at some time in his or her life, acted upon impulse, only to deeply regret it later?  There are so many great lessons to be learned from Lilly's decisions in this book (both good and bad), and I just love the way this story plays out.  The illustrations are fantastic, too, especially Lilly's expressions.  Be sure read the captions within the pictures, as well!  Children of all ages will relate to Lilly and her feelings, and this must be a favorite book of elementary and preschool teachers everywhere.  I find this particularly relevant to my son at the moment, who, at nearly three and a half, is definitely starting to push his limits with us a bit more.  I wonder if part of the reason he loves this book so much right now is that he sees a bit of himself in Lilly.  As parents, we're trying to help him see the importance of patience, forgiveness, good manners, and following rules, even when he doesn't want to.  And, just like Lilly, he sometimes learns the hard way that he has to accept responsibility for his actions. (One of his favorite parts of the story is when Lilly tells Mr. Slinger she is "really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really sorry."  He gets a big smile on his face every time we read it.)  These are important lessons for all children, I think, and I just love the way Henkes expresses them within such a delightfully fun story.  Definitely add this one to your must-read list.  Like Lilly's movie-star sunglasses, this book is simply fabulous!

Day 48: The Kissing Hand

I hope all you moms out there had a wonderful day yesterday!  It's been fun reading about people's favorite "mothering" books; I'm sure there will be many featured throughout the year ahead.  Even though Mother's Day is over, I wanted to feature one last mother and child themed book this week.  I considered waiting to write about The Kissing Hand until my son heads off to preschool for the first time, but I thought this book's message of motherly love made it a perfect post for today. 

Oh how we love The Kissing Hand!  Little Chester raccoon is getting ready to head off to school for the first time, but he doesn't want to go.  He's nervous and scared, and would rather stay home and read his books, swing on his swing, and be with his mother.  "Sometimes we all have to do things that we don't want to do," his mommy tells him gently.  "Even if they seem strange and scary at first."  Fortunately for sweet little Chester, Mother Raccoon has a very special secret -- one that was passed down to her from her mother and grandmother -- that will make his nights away at school feel as cozy as his days at home:  the Kissing Hand.  She takes his paw in hers, spreads his tiny fingers, and plants a kiss right in the middle of his palm.  "Whenever you feel lonely and need a little loving from home, just press your hand to your cheek and think, 'Mommy loves you. Mommy loves you.' And that very kiss will jump to your face and fill you with toasty warm thoughts." 

The Kissing Hand is a perfect reminder to children that a parent's love will always be with them, even if they are apart, and is a perfect book for any little one about to head off to school or daycare for the first time.  It is sweet and heartwarming, and, of course, makes me cry at the the end.  It also reminds me of a cross-stitched saying that my grandmother has hanging in her house:  "A mother holds her children's hands for awhile, their hearts forever."  When we read this before bed, my son and I give each other kissing hands of our own, and I love seeing the little smile on his face as he holds his palm to his cheek.  I smile, too, for I know that someday, I will be the one needing his kissing hand as he ventures off on his own.

Day 34: Library Lion

As another tribute to National Library Week, I thought it only appropriate to feature our favorite book about libraries, Library Lion.  We discovered this wonderful story at our library, of course, and my son and I both love reading it.  It has everything that, to me, makes a book perfect:  beautiful illustrations that tell the story in and of themselves, endearing characters, a good moral, and a warm, happy ending.  There is a sort of timeless feel to this story, as well.  I don't know if it is the subtle, soft illustrations, or the fact that the lion sniffs at a card catalog, but whatever it is, I love it.  "One day, a lion came to the library.  He walked right past the circulation desk and up into the stacks...  No one was sure what to do.  There weren't any rules about lions in the library," but he was allowed to stay so long as he followed the rules.  No running, and most importantly, no roaring.  At first, the lion came just for story hour, but soon, he became librarian Miss Meriweather's helper, dusting shelves with his tail and licking envelopes for the overdue notices.  It is not long before everyone in the library comes to love the gentle lion; everyone, that is, except the grouchy library assistant, Mr. McBee.  "Lions, he thought, could not understand rules.  The did not belong in the library."  In a charmingly poignant series of events, we all come to learn an important lesson, even Mr. McBee.  "Sometimes, there are reasons for breaking the rules.  Even in the library."  I love the way we get to know Knudsen's characters so quickly and well, and Kevin Hawkes' illustrations do a marvelous job of depicting their moods and emotions.  Library Lion is a touching story that is simply a joy to read, and a wonderful ode to the magic of libraries everywhere.