Day 43: The Giving Tree

I'm not usually aware of when it's Arbor Day, but today was one of those magical springtime days when all of a sudden, I look around and realize that pop!  All the leaves are suddenly out on the trees.  I just love that.  Quite fitting for Arbor Day, I think.  When thinking about what book to feature today, the first one that came to mind was the Giving Tree.  I'll be honest, though.  I wasn't sure whether to write about this book or not.  I remember my mom reading this to me as a child, and also remember that it sometimes would make her cry.  At the time, I think I liked it, but I until I saw it on the library shelf the other week, I couldn't recall much about the story itself.  As soon as I picked it up and read it again, though, it all came rushing back.  The innocent boy, playing in the tree's shade, who grows older and more self-absorbed as the book goes on.  The magnificent tree, who gives and gives and gives until she can give no more to her beloved boy.  Of course, I get teary when I read it now, too.  It's touching and tragic and moving all at once; a story about unconditional love, selfishness, and acceptance.  On the jacket cover, the book is said to be a "story of unforgettable perception;" a perfect descriptor, in my opinion.  There are so many ways one could interpret this book, and the many lessons to be learned vary greatly, I think.  It could be about human relationships, a parent's love for his child, a metaphor for how we treat our planet and environment, or simply a story of give and take.  I read this to my son the other day, and while he seemed to like it okay, I'm sure the overarching message of the story went right over his head.  I think he really was more amused by the simple illustrations than anything else.  In a way, though, I think I'm glad he didn't get what the story was really about.  I wouldn't want my three year old feeling the extreme sadness I feel when I read it.  It's a beautiful sadness, in many ways, but sadness, nonetheless.  Then again, maybe that is the beauty of Silverstein's work in this classic story.  Children and adults will read this book differently, and it will no doubt have a different meaning to people of different ages and experiences.  I do think this is truly a great children's book -- and a great book for adults, too -- but I don't necessarily think it is the perfect book for young children. I'll read it again to my kids someday down the road, for sure.  In the meantime, I'll keep doing my best to ensure that they always feel my unconditional love.

Day 42: Snuggle Puppy

Time to feature my daughter's favorite book at the moment, Snuggle Puppy.  We have many of Boynton's classic board books, and both my son and daughter love her fun rhymes and silly illustrations.  I'll admit that Snuggle Puppy was not an instant favorite of mine, mostly because I couldn't quite figure out how the song was supposed to go and the rhyming meter seemed a bit off, but eventually I just made up my own tune and the story grew on me.  (I have since heard how the song is supposed to go -- it's on Boynton's Philadelphia Chickens cd and can also be found on youtube.  I think it's much more fun to sing the story than just read it aloud!)  My son likes it, but my daughter LOVES it.  Next to Brown Bear, Brown Bear, it is her favorite book to read at bedtime, and she even gives the puppies wet, slobbery kisses on just about every page.  The message is undoubtedly adorable:  "Oooh snuggle puppy of mine, everything about you is especially fine.  I love what you are, I love what you do.  Fuzzy little snuggle puppy, I love you!"  I also love how throughout the course of the song, the mother and her little puppy make chocolate chip cookies together.  Reading stories, singing, and baking cookies are three of our favorite things to do!  My daughter loves the delightful, colorful illustrations and I know it's one story she is always happy to read over and over.  We hope you and your snuggle puppies love it, too!

Day 41: Jamberry

If my son could turn himself into any children's book character, he would probably want to be the boy (or the bear) in Jamberry.  Berryland might just be his perfect place:  it has rivers of blueberries, shortbread cookie lily pads, marshmallow cat-tails, jelly bean bushes, meadows of strawberry jam, and trains full of blackberries.  The adorable animals who call Berryland home certainly know how to have a good time, with their berryband jamboree and berry-filled fireworks.  We had borrowed this fabulous story from the library several times, so decided that we needed our own copy.  (This is really becoming quite a dangerous trend... thankfully, this was the book the Easter Bunny left in our daughter's basket.)  Without a doubt, this is a positively brilliant children's book.  The rhythm and alliteration make it as fun to listen to as it is to read ("Quickberry!  Quackberry!  Pick me a blackberry!  Trainberry, trackberry, clickety-clackberry!") and the illustrations are whimsically wonderful.  It's easy to miss some of the finer details of the pictures, so be sure to look at them closely.  My favorite is the sign around the raspberry jam skating rink that says, "Please do not pick the jellyrolls."  I also love Degen's story-behind-the-story that is featured at the end of the book.  It reminds me of picking boxes of Maine blueberries in my grandmother's field, and I can only imagine the glory my son will be in when he can do the same this summer and eat them to his heart's content.  And then there will be the blueberry pies... yum!!  This is another story that is loved by kids of all ages -- both my son and daughter adore it -- and I am so happy to finally have a copy of our own.  Enjoy the jam jamboree!

Day 40: The Monster at the End of This Book

We were reintroduced to this classic Sesame Street tale when my brother-in-law brought it over for my son in ipad app form.  He had remembered that it had been one of my husband's favorite stories when he was little, so he went looking for it to share with our little monster.  There is an adorably amusing and interactive app available for download that features Grover reading this story aloud, and my son couldn't stop laughing each time he turned the page.  As soon as we saw it, my husband and I both said, "Oh I remember this book!!" and we read it over and over with our son, giggling right along with him.  Of course, we needed to get it in actual book form, so we passed the hint along to the Easter Bunny, who left it next to the marshmallow peeps in my son's Easter basket.  Perfect.  This is definitely a story that many parents will remember from their own childhood, and for good reason.  The Monster at the End of This Book stars lovable, furry old Grover, who reads the title and is immediately scared.  "On the cover, what did that say?  Did that say there will be a MONSTER at the end of this book???  IT DID?  Oh, I am so scared of monsters!!!"  He begs and pleads and tries every trick he can think of to keep us from turning the pages and getting closer to the monster at the end of the book -- tying the book up, nailing the pages together, building a brick wall -- but of course, what child (or parent) can resist?!  My son loves the fact that he is part of the story -- Grover is speaking directly to him, after all -- and laughs hysterically each time we read it.  If you can read it in your best Grover voice, it will be even funnier.  The suspense builds until we finally meet the dreaded monster on the last page... and you can guess who that is.  The Golden Book version is only $3.99 and the board book is $4.99 -- an absolute bargain for one of the silliest books you will ever read.  This is truly a classic favorite that will never get old!

Day 39: My Garden

I think it's finally safe to say that winter is gone here in New England (although it did snow at my grandmother's house in Maine the other day), and we're excited to enjoy the few days of lovely warm weather (and mud!) that spring brings before we're right into the heat of summer.  The buds are out on the trees, our azalea and daffodils are blooming, and it's time to start thinking about our garden!  We found this fabulous book on the "Spring" shelf the last time we were at the library and absolutely love it!  A little girl loves helping her mother in the garden, watering, weeding, and chasing away rabbits so that they don't eat all the lettuce.  Most of all, though, she loves to dream about what she would have in her own garden... flowers that bloomed forever, tomatoes as big as beach balls, seashells that grew out of the ground, and even a jelly bean bush.  "In my garden, the rabbits wouldn't eat the lettuce because the rabbits would be chocolate and I would eat them," and "the carrots would be invisible because I don't like carrots."  Her garden is even special at night, with morning glories that stay open, shining like stars, and strawberries that glow like lanterns. I love the sense of wonder and imagination that we feel when reading this lovely story, and Kevin Henkes' illustrations are, once again, beautiful.  We highly recommend this book and know it is another that we'll have to own ourselves someday.  What would you grow in your garden?

Day 38: Guess How Much I Love You

I suppose this classic book falls into the category of one that everyone already knows about, but I think it is still worth sharing, nonetheless.  I knew this book would make our list from the beginning, but thought of it again today when looking at all the cute, plush Easter bunnies in the store.  (I know hares and bunnies are different and it's not an Easter book at all, but there you go.)  Sam McBratney's adorable story about Little Nutbrown Hare and his father has been a favorite of parents and children since it was first published in 1994. I remember reading this to my brothers when they were little, and was so happy to receive it as a baby gift when my son was about to be born.  There are many books dedicated to the boundless love between parent and child, but this story is one of my favorites.  Little Nutbrown Hare is trying to think of a way to show Big Nutbrown Hare just how much he loves him:  as high as he can reach, as wide as his arms can stretch, as high as he can hop.  Of course, Big Nutbrown Hare can always reach farther and wider and hop higher, but Little Nutbrown Hare is determined to find the perfect expression of his love.  I always make it a point to tell my little ones every day that I love them more than anything in the whole wide world, or as my son likes to say, "in the whole wide car," since to him, that is really the ultimate in love.  If you haven't discovered this delightful story yet, definitely check it out.  Seeing your little one stretch his arms out so far that he almost falls over while saying, "I love you THIS much" is bound to bring a smile to your face.

Day 37: The Little Mouse, the Red, Ripe Strawberry, and the Big, Hungry Bear

When I first set out on my mission to discover lots of great new books, I posted a status on facebook that asked my friends which children's book was their favorite.  A friend from high school, Brita Mess Nordin, suggested the Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear.  At first, I thought these were three separate titles, but I eventually figured out that its just one book with a rather long name (which made it much easier to find at the library.)  On the very first page, we meet the charming little mouse, who is just leaving his house with a long ladder in tow to pick a delectable strawberry.  He is obviously quite proud of and excited about his prize, until he hears about the big, hungry Bear.  "The big, hungry Bear can smell a red, ripe strawberry a mile away... Especially one that has just been picked."  The poor little mouse starts to fret about the safety of his delicious berry, until the cunning narrator offers the perfect solution.  The text is brief, overall -- some pages have as few as four words -- so the majority of the story is really told in Donald Wood's wonderful illustrations. To me, it is the pictures alone that make this book great and worthy of our list.  Wood captures the little mouse's emotions perfectly, from the pride our furry friend shows at going to pick his strawberry to the panic he feels when he realizes he won't be able to bury and hide it.  I heard my son reciting parts of this story to himself the other day as he was playing; a sure sign that there is something about this book that little ones just love.  So what is the only way in the whole wide world to save a red, ripe strawberry from a big, hungry Bear?  You'll have to read this book to find out. 

P.S.  We have a library copy, but I have heard that the board book version is slightly abridged.  I don't know if this is true since I have not compared the two side by side, but thought I would pass the message along anyway.  Enjoy!