Day 241: Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed?

Navigating the library can sometimes feel overwhelming. I have written before about how we make the most of our library visits, but referring to my list of favorite authors is always one of my most helpful and reliable strategies. As fabulous as they are, let's face it: library visits with young children aren't always conducive to leisurely book browsing! Having a list of go-to authors, then, gives me a place to start (or fall back on) while keeping an eye on kids and looking for great new reads. After recently falling in love with Beautiful Oops, we decided to check out a few other Barney Saltzburg stories at our last library visit. Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed? is my daughter's latest favorite.

If your house is like mine, the half an hour before bedtime can be one of the most hectic and trying times of the entire day. If you can relate (and I'm sure you can), you will certainly get a kick out of this charming little story. Mama Pig is trying to get young Cornelius ready for bed, asking him all of the usual questions:  Have you put your toys away? Have you used the bathroom? Have you brushed your teeth? Have you put on your pajamas? Each time, Cornelius gives a resounding YES!, though his actual antics suggest something different. My daughter loves to read the part of Cornelius, and is always delighted by the illustrations. (We especially enjoy Cornelius' pajamas, complete with a snorkel mask, bat wings, and dragon inner tube! Be sure to check out the clever titles that make up his bedtime story selections, too.) Of course, at the end, he really is ready for bed... but not before he gets a great, big goodnight hug. 

The bright illustrations and large text make the story engaging for little readers, and the relatively short length of the story itself makes it a great book for toddlers or young ones who prefer stories that are paced to keep up with their frequent page turning. (It makes for a great "just one more story?" read, too.) If your child loves this book as much as mine does, you might just find this sweet, silly bedtime tale in your nightly reading pile. 

Day 121: John Pig's Halloween

Halloween has come and gone, and with all of the festive excitement here in our house, I wasn't able to get this post out in time for the big day.  I know I'm a day late now, but I still thought I'd share what has been our favorite Halloween book of the season.  My friend and co-worker, Julie, recommended this book to me, saying that she and her boys (the eldest of whom is in middle school) still make it a point to read this every year.  That's a ringing endorsement to me, so I just had to check it out.  Not many libraries around here have John Pig's Halloween, but I was able to borrow it through our inter-library loan system.  What a cute, fun, entertaining story!  We just love it!  Little John Pig is too nervous and scared to go out trick or treating with his housemates, so decides to spend the evening alone at home.  He thinks he's in for a long, lonely night... until a witch and her cat crash into his door and show him how to celebrate Halloween in style!  Jan L. Waldron's rhyme and meter make this book wonderfully fun to read aloud, and we are always left wanting to join in the fun (especially the baking part!):  "John and the witch began sifting and stirring.  She cracked the eggs as the blender was whirring.  He scooped out pumpkin and mashed it all up.  She mixed heaps of sugar and cream in a cup.  He rolled out the dough for the tarts and the pies, While the witch made witch cookies with raisins for eyes.  "Now we are cookin'," she said with a grin.  "Open the oven, we've got food to put in."  Soon more trick-or-treaters began to stop by.  They seen the lit pumpkin and smelled the warm pie..."  John Pig's evening grows more festive by the minute, and when his friends finally return home from their own night of fun, they can't believe their eyes!  I love the clever rhymes and the ease with which they flow from one page to the next, and there is some fabulous vocabulary in this book, as well.  How often do we see words like chic, chapeau, boisterous, gussied-up, and wavering all in the same book?  My son loves the illustrations, too, and is always looking for silly details, especially in the characters' costumes.  I have a feeling that he will keep wanting to read this even though Halloween is over, and I've already decided I want to get this story for my kids for Halloween next year... If I can wait that long, that is.  I hope you and your little pumpkins all had a wonderful Halloween!