Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies

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This book about-yes, microbes- was so beautiful and charming! I didn't think that noun and those adjectives would ever be placed side by side, but Nicola Davies book, Tiny Creatures, is just as fun to look at as informational to read. This non-fiction storybook is playful and colorful, and quite factual with a little bit of witticism thrown in. That's a darn fine combination for a topic that is of the science-y nature (and I have to admit, not my favorite topic to read about). My kids loved this book, and wanted me to read it multiple times. 

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I do not have the best memory for elementary science, but I am a big enthusiast of well-illustrated and concise children's books on the topic, and this book is just that. The pictures are quite pleasant and are deifnitely cut from a Victorian-yet-folksy stone, which brings out bright yet somewhat muted or matte colors, without drawing away from the well done writing. 

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Of course the best part about sharing this book with the kids was the learning, of which this picture and words share some of what amazed them--that microbes are on our food, in our stomachs, and in our water all the time. A beautiful book for the science-loving child in your life, and enjoyable for adults, as well. Now, I need to look up what other books this author and also the illustrator, Emily Sutton, have done and put them on hold lickety-split!

Summer Birds The Butterflies of Maria Merian

I loved this picture book that we found at the library, Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian by Margarita Engle. It is a true story, a picturebook biography about a woman who lived centuries ago and was one of the first true naturalists. She discovered that caterpillars turn into butterflies, as it was common belief at the time that butterflies and caterpillars were two separate types of insects.

The pictures are stunning, and have that a botany-for-kids feel (like if these posters were made for kids), and perfectly align with the narrative. I had never heard of Maria Merien before but when looking her up on Wikipedia, I found that she illustrated her first botany book at age 28; quite impressive for the 17th century and being female.

This is a wonderful companion book for science and nature lovers, studies in female scientists and game-changers, and just an all-around beautiful picture book. I see a butterfly project in your future!

The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life by Lois Ehlert

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This book is new to me, authored by Lois Ehlert, and it is beautiful! I know you know Lois Ehlert's work, because it's everywhere. Leaf Man, Chicka Chicka Boom Bom, and Eating the Alphabet are some of her most well-known books, followed closely by many others (and they're all excellent!) but this book, Scraps, is very different from the rest of her work in that it isn't a picture-book story, but a picture-book autobiography of Ehlert from the time she was a little girl and using all sorts of bits and bobs to create art, to present day as a children's author. 

This book is filled with Ehlert's recognizable collage art, and the 'notions' spill across each page followed by words and sentences all over the place. Since this book is still written for children, the autobiographical part is finely tuned to snippets, much like her pieces of cut paper. 

I thought this book was just lovely, and so interesting, since I didn't know much about one of my children's favorite author/illustrators. I find her collage illustrations to be very inspirational, and I might even buy this book for my kids to use to get their imaginations rolling. It's no secret collage illustration might be my favorite, so I am potentially biased, but I found my kids to be just as interested. Often while reading it aloud, Ani would touch the pieces on the page (from photography, natural and found items, cut or torn paper, etc.) to see if they had an actual texture. Scraps is a great book to introduce to young children who want to know a bit more of the artist behind some of their favorite childhood books!

Usborne's Big Book of Papercraft!

It's no surprise I love Usborne books (I even sold them for a time!), and this is one of the DIY books that they are so well known for. The Big Book of Papercraft is a book I found for Ani at the library. She loves doing any sort of craft, and Usborne's DIY books are so easy for quite a range of ages. There are pictures for each step, detailed notes for the readers, and a great example on each two page spread to give you an idea.

Ani looked through the entire book a few times before comitting to a few she really wanted to make. I didn't necessarily take photos of all of those, I took photos of some of the ones *I* would want to do. The crafts are really quite varied in this book, and I can really see this book being a part of an art library for many ages and stages for a family. Those types of books make great gifts. Wink!

A few of the projects involve weaving of some sort, and even give instruction for many different styles of weaving, as you can see above. I especially love the zig-zag look on the right-hand side, halfway down the page. I've never seen that before in a papercraft book!

This project is of course, of a cityscape, but it's also a project that could be so multifaceted, and all just with tearing paper to different shapes and sizes, and using your imagination to 'fill in the blanks'. You could easily do this project with any landscape, and fill in 'the missing pieces' of the picture. It's so open-ended. I also see this project as being really fun to make super-sized, and creating puppets (on a popsicle stick or wooden spoon?) and having a puppet show.

This craft is of a collage. It's hard to see by the photos, but aside from paper, there are all sorts of goodies in this collage including googly eyes, fur, beads, glue, string, feathers, etc. I see this project as a great first step in having kids create their own cards for family members and friends. Wouldn't this giraffe scene be fun on the front cover of a hand-written note? I loved collage as a kid and so maybe I'm a bit biased, but the college projects in this book are so well done, and really give great instructions for more if the child is older and wants to get a bit more detailed. 

Ani of course loving her craft time, this time focusing on weaving through a star of David. We renewed this book from the library for another three weeks, so I know we'll have another craft project or two to complete before we have to give it back.  The options really are endless with this DIY book and just give the child a place to start. Check it out!

Home by Carson Ellis

The book Home by Carson Ellis, is a beautifully illustrated picture book on realistic and imaginative types of homes for everyone and everything, all over the world. I saw the cover and my first thought was, "I want that as a print on my wall", though as far as I know, it is not currently being sold in that form. Study that front cover for awhile, and you're guaranteed to smile at the least, or like me, want it for your own space. I thought I recognized the style and when I went to her website I realized that she was also the illustrator for the covers of the infamous young adult novels The Mysterious Benedict Society, and also Wildwood.  Home is her first authored book. 

This is a view of a home above ground, and below. "Some are palaces. Or underground lairs." Some of the more imaginative illustrations and descriptions of homes were the Japanese businessman, the Moonian, the family in the shoe, and others. Ellis uses very muted undertones on her palette, giving this book an earthy feel and a great way to represent many types of homes throughout history and present day dwellings. 

I am being a little tricky with this book in showing you some of the beautiful illustrations, but there are so many creative spreads in this picture book, and I want you to explore them with your own family yourself. I can't give away all the goodies here!
"Clean houses. Messy houses. Tall houses. Short houses." We really are all different, and our homes are some of the best representations for what we value and enjoy. Home is a gem and I hope it expands your imagination about what home is, and what it can be.

The High Street by Alice Melvin

One of the wonderful things about living in a different country is getting to explore all the multicultural treasures found in the library. This author, Alice Melvin, is English. I have noticed a significant increase in European, Oceanic, and Asian books that have been coming home with us from our library trips, which was something I often had to scout out on my own and pray the library would accept my book-buying requests in the midwest. 

Canada is a commonwealth country, so the obvious ties with Australia and England are apparent. There are a lot of Chinese and Japanese people living in Canada, especially on the Pacific Coast where I'm at, and I see a lot of books coming from those two countries within the children's stacks. I love that! So many of the treasures I've found over the last 8 months of living 'abroad' (my American friends might laugh at that), is that the culture is very different--even down to which types of picture books get front and center in the local libraries. Books create and enhance a culture, and here it is markedly different than my American, midwestern experience. 

I picked this book up for two reasons. The first, being that I loved the modern-victorian(ish) illustrations throughout, and the second, because my daughter loves flap books. I figured even if the words weren't great, we'd still enjoy the book. I found upon our first read that yes, the story is lovely as well! It's a great book all-around. Both my children enjoyed this story and I thoroughly enjoyed the pictures of the outside of each building, along with the 'dollhouse-view' of the inside of each store. 

This story is about a little girl fetching different necessities for her basket on High Street, a main street where each little shop has what she needs...except when one doesn't!

This book is more in line with a repetitive poem, which can sometimes get unbearable to read aloud, though most children seem to like them. It's not quite the same, as the words of each item she buys are subtracted on each page until she comes to her last item. Do you know what I mean? It's not agonizing like reading aloud "We're Going on a Bear Hunt!", but there is some repetition throughout. 

On Alice's website you can peek inside and see quite a few more of the whimsical illustrations that grace the pages. This storybook is a feast for the eyes, and a fun book to read if you're a treasure-hunter, because there is so much going on visually. I've found there's even a fun paper-doll-like kit of the Emporium and a few of the characters for sale on her site. 

We had fun enjoying Melvin's story and already have a few more of her titles on hold at our local library. Cheers!

"Charlie & Lola" Picture Books by Lauren Child

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The first time I came in contact with the author/illustrator Lauren Child, my gut reaction said, "now this is someone who knows kids". Her illustrations of Charlie & Lola books, along with other stand-alone stories are perfectly scruffy, collaged pictures and spiral writing mixed together to form a child-like representation. I truly mean that in the best way. They are chalk full of whimsy.

You may recognize the video above as the popular British children's TV show, but let me tell you, they're books, too, with just as much charm, if not more. (I'll let you in on a little secret, too: if you read them with a British cockney accent, they are "terribly funner to read", as Lola might say.) 

Lauren child has plenty of books (even a Pippi Longstocking take!), but my favorites are the Charlie and Lola series. Charlie is usually seen figuring out a problem (or phobia) of Lola's, his little sister, and then near the end, her finding her confidence. That may be going to school for the first time, or trying to never eat a tomato. The way Lola speaks, and her cheeky invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, are quite a pair for patient Charlie. 

Here are the Charlie & Lola bunch: 

*I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato

*I Am Absolutely Too Small for School

*I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed

Of course, there are loads of episodes of Charlie & Lola cartoons that can be found at the library, on youtube, etc. I find the cartoons quite good, too. Although they are very colorful and bright, they aren't overly stimulating, fast, or obnoxious, and I find the relationship between Charlie and his little sister, Lola, sweet.

The Green Ember by S. D. Smith

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I picked The Green Ember up after requesting my library buy it, and there have been people ahead of me AND behind me waiting for it, which is a great sign for a new author like S. D. Smith.

I first heard about this 360+ paged novel by Sarah McKenzie from Amongst Lovely Things and the Read Aloud Revival podcast. She has an interview with Smith AND another interview (this week's!) that just went live with the illustrator, Zach Franzen. I loved the illustrations from the cover and the book (though I think I expected more throughout the book) and really enjoyed Franzen's interview on the podcast. 

The Green Ember is about two rabbits, Heather and Picket, and the adventure they go on when their family's home is burned and attacked by evil wolves and hawks. The siblings have to rely on each other, and the community they find themselves in, even though the secrets they will find out about their extended family loom large and black in the present day of preparing for war. 

The names are excellent in this book--they stuck out to me, and the story is full and quick-paced, even for a large 'children's' novel. I think adults would enjoy reading this book as well, though I see it as primarily a book for children. I found it a bit clunky to read aloud, often jumbling my words because the sentences were so meaty. That's not necessarily a bad thing, for a sentence to be quite full, but it did diminish my overall experience of the book because of the verbal toll. 

My kids loved this book. There has been a lot of hype on this book since it came out, and the kickstarter fund was well received. The action and the drama of the book kept my kids entertained, but I was thankful we only spent two weeks on it as our family read-aloud, because I wanted to move on. I would recommend this book not necessarily as a family read-aloud, but to an older child, perhaps 8 or 9 and above (with really high reading skills, otherwise maybe 11 years old), and let them have at it on their own. What kid wouldn't like rabbits with swords?

I Wish I Had A Pet by Maggie Rudy

I just found the sweetest gem of a stop-animation picture book! What a treasure of photos, and a great message to boot about selecting and caring for the right pet. 

Maggie Rudy's I Wish I Had A Pet follows a mouse family (community?) caring for various pets of shapes and sizes, and dreaming of the perfect one. Rudy's picture book has lots of tips for keeping your pet comfortable, fed, tidied, and loved. 

It's a sweet book for kids as young as 2 years old, up to ages 8 or 9. My son thought it was really cute, and my daughter loved looking into the small mouse scenes, each so very different and creative in their own right. 

I found out that Rudy's blog is a collection of wonderful little mouseling 'shorts' (or gifs), or photos of her Mouse Land. It's really quite adorable if you like the 'dollhouse' feel of textured layers for picture book illustrations. The reader gets to view the little mouse houses from inside the living room, along with the inhabitants. 

This book is very minimalist and has a lot of white space, too, which I enjoy. It's easy on the eyes, and it really lets the words of the story and the lovely stop-animation 'scenes' shine as the brightest star of the show. I'm already looking for my library to get the next one, The House that Mouse Built.  What a sweet book to encourage new pet owners, both big and small!

The Tooth Mouse by Susan Hood

The Tooth Mouse by Susan Hood was one of my favorite picture-book finds recently. I loved the watercolors by Janice Nadeau and the muted color palette of the book was so quaint, like a Parisian macaroon shop. I noticed that first, and second, found out once reading, that the story actually takes place in Paris! Well, they nailed that aesthetic.

This story is a very different take on the tooth fairy, and quite frankly, one I liked better than our American fairy tale. This story is about an aging 'tooth mouse', and a little mousling who is very determined to fill the important shoes as next in line for the job. She, with a few others, have to fulfill challenges that the Tooth Mouse provides, testing her skills in ingenuity, character, and wit.

I'll let you find out what happens to the main character, la petite souris, Sophie. Pick up this gorgeous and interesting book and you will enjoy it as much as your kids will, learning a few lessons about how children see 'the tooth fairy' around the world. Be prepared for the tooth scene above, which took me aback (I'm sorry, I have a thing with teeth, and that watercolor is well-done, but abrupt), and laugh along with Sophie and the other mice as they finish their challenges to see who will become the next Tooth Mouse!

The Man With the Violin by Kathy Stinson and Dusan Petricic

Perhaps some of you might remember when a very famous violinist participated in a social study for the Washington Post? Joshua Bell, one of the best violinists in the world performed one of the hardest violin pieces ever in a DC transit system entryway for a day, and barely anyone stopped to listen, except a handful of people. Most of them were kids! This picture book is a retelling of that story. 

A very short youtube clip can be seen HERE of Bell and his violin piece. Something fun to do after you read The Man With the Violin by Kathy Stinson and Dusan Petricic would be to listen to the piece and see how the illustrator interpreted the scratchy scales and melodramatic, flowing parts of the song. The illustrations caught my eye as I was browsing through this book at the library, and I didn't even know it was a true story until we read it in full.

I remember reading about this years ago in the news, and thought what a fun tribute to the sweet children who wanted to listen to this beautiful art coming from Bell's bow. The theme being that children, although can not articulately tell high art from play doh, they do know when art is inspiring them to keep looking, keep listening, or keep 'figuring'. This is a great title and one I think can be used well in the class or at home for exploring how art makes more art!

December Special: The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

For the month of December, I'll focus on mostly Christmas books to share since our family is entrenched in celebrating, decorating, and doing all things holiday. The first book I'm going to write about was actually a book first showed to me by The Well-Read Sleepyhead's own Maria! I had never heard of this book before perusing it at her house while our kids played, and I've loved it ever since. I need to get my own copy for our Christmas book collection, and this edition from our local library actually has an audio cd with it. 

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski is a beautiful story of a young family and a heartbroken man, coming together to share gifts, hospitality, and the joy of the Christmas season. Jonathan Toomey is a cranky woodcarver and has been commissioned by the widow McDowell and her son, Thomas, to create a nativity scene by Christmas Day. 

With painful memories barely held at bay, Jonathan works diligently on the items, with the young boy sneaking in to sit by him, even though he makes it clear he likes to be alone. Soon a friendship forges between the two, and Jonathan softens as he is touched by Thomas' and the widow's kindness. 

Without giving too much of this story away, I will say it's a story that if read aloud, will need a couple tissues handy. The pictures are gorgeous and are done in watercolor, though they resemble painted portraits with oil because of the thickness of the features. 

Author Love: Jon Agee

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An author whose work I've noticed and started following within the following year is one of Lukka's favorite picture book authors, Jon Agee. His quirky books and humorous word play is contagiously clever and fun to read aloud. The last book I picked up was The Retired Kid, about a kid who has literally had it with being a kid. He was sick of the piano lessons, if you will, and decided to head to a retirement community in Florida to live out his days in enjoyment. 

I can see you smirking across the computer screen, as well you should. This new retiree does everything a stereotypical 70 year old would do in Florida, including golf. Pretty soon he realizes he misses those mundane 'kid things', even the boredom. 

In another favorite Agee picture book, The Other Side of Town, a little space-like man gets a taxi drive to keep driving through the intricacies of what looks like New York City, to "the other side of town", a side that we humans have never seen, nor could have imagined existed under our very noses! 

Jon Agee's illustrations are very soft colored, and they seem simplistic at first, but I've come to realize that Agee is a master of edit. His pictures are simple, though quite often the backgrounds can be complex, full of imaginary characters, odd out-of-place items, and he moves the story along with undertone humor in the language and the drawings. 

My son loves his books, and whenever I pick up a new one at the library, he's eager to have me read it to him. Very often, he's laughing out loud throughout the story. These are not long stories, so they are great for bedtime. Wouldn't you want to read a story about who Santa was as a kid? Or how about a funny book called "Smart Feller Fart Smeller: and other Spoonerisms". I want to read a book about spoonerisms! Jon Agee's books have finger on the hilarity parents delight in from a picture

book, and the wacky and imagination that kids demand in the books they want to hear read. 

I Am Blop! by Herve Tullet

one of my favorite spreads

I knew from the font and the unique color and shape of the book I saw on the rack that it was Herve Tullet's newest book. The French author has such a recognizable artistic style and his books are ultra colorful, and quite clever. His last book "Press Here" was a huge hit with many kids, including my own. Needless to say, I'm a big fan. 

I Am Blop! is a picture book that is more art and action than traditional story. This shape called Blop takes on colors, ideas, changes, and even osmosis within the book and becomes a funny and smart peek at the acts of creativity, repetition, and boundaries. Alright, so that sounds a bit academic, but this few-worded book is so inventive that both my kids wanted to keep it in their bedrooms for going through night after night.

Blop is just an ordinary, four-sided shape that becomes special with each new idea layer. For example, what if Blop had dots? What if Blop was scribbled? Unfinished? 3-Dimensional and made of clay? It's the same shape, but it's different every time. Tullet has such a gift with his kid inspired art books because of the playful spirit his non-human art forms take on. This book is an excellent art and conversation starter, perfect for any age, old or young. 

The Mermaid's Shoes by Sanne te Loo

I can not for the life of me place the website where I found out about this beautiful book, but I'm so glad I quickly got on my library's website to see if they had it. I noticed the pictures, first, which really are the prize of this children's book. The Mermaid's Shoes is written and illustrated by Sanne te Loo, and is as I noted on instagram earlier in the week, possibly the most beautiful book I've seen of 2014.  

My photos don't do the book justice, and you really should just buy it. With a price tag like this one for a large (nearly oversize) hardback children's book, it's worth the real estate. I was so glad my library offered to buy this book once I put in a request.

The story is about a little girl named Mia who finds a pair of unclaimed flippers on her last day of her family's vacation by the sea. She recognizes them immediately as mermaid shoes. After that day she is only seen with her mermaid shoes, traipsing through town, creating fins and a mermaid's tale, and exploring the sea in other ways through play and place.

 She even inspires a couple other international friends to join her.

Although I do find the illustrations to be stronger than the story, it's a very sweet and quiet tale (see what I did there) about play, imagination, and ultimately, creativity and resourcefulness. I hope to see more books by Sanne te Loo in the future.

Zany Zoo by William Wise

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Zany Zoo is a clever and poetic romp of a picture book through the animal kingdom, illustrated by Tacky's friend, Lynn Munsinger. Her illustrations are a perfect mix of bright color, busyness, and humor, and they are the extra credit to William Wise's A+ poetry.

Interspersed with adult humor for the reader, the child will think these poems are engaging, rhythmic, and hilarious. The characters all have different quirks, and along with common animals like raccoons, horses, and skunks are the rare or endangered ones like tapirs, terns, and yaks. 

Often the poems will have a pun about the animal's name or personality, as you can see in the above poem, Daisy. I recommend reading this book while the kids munch on breakfast, or enjoy their after-school snack, because the laughter and movement of these poems will excite your children, not lull them to sleep. 

After checking out this book from the library because I first noticed Munsinger's illustrations with her distinct drawing style, I would definitely look for more of Wise's picture books. My kids were laughing and enjoying the little animal blurbs and rhymes, and I was thoroughly enjoying the puns and above-the-head humor. 

Fun YA Fiction and a Newberry to Book: Flora & Ulysses

Holy Bagumba!

The cover of Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo had been haunting me at the library. There were four or five copies of the Newberry winner with all types of stickers on the cover, and a few facing out on the shelf. I thought the illustrations were lovely in an oddball sort of way, but the first time I flipped through it I noticed it was part story, part comic book.

Eh. Comics. I read enough of them to the kids to know it's not my preferred style. I set it back down and we were on our way. I think I did this three times in three weeks before I just tossed it in my bag to see what would come of it.

When I started it, I couldn't believe how hilarious DiCamillo's characters were, and I realized, oh yeah, I have one of her other well-known books on my shelf, that I read when I was a kid, Because of Winn-Dixie. She also wrote the acclaimed Tale of Despereaux, which I had planned on reading to the kids this summer. Well, after the first 30 pages or so, that went lickety-split because of the 1-3 page chapters, I was hooked.

This story has a random plot-line and a rag-tag bunch of characters. First, a superhero squirrel who was sucked into a vacuum and lived to tell (write) about the tale in poetic form, a boy who became blind by trauma (maybe, maybe not), and Flora, the young cynic whose parents are separating. Kate DiCamillo marries laughter, wonder, observation, preparedness, comic boxes, and quirky humor into a great book.  I'm not sure how DiCamillo was able to take this lunchroom soup mix and write about divorce, hope, friendship, and love, but she did. Your kids will enjoy it, but you will, too.

Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg

I don't borrow or review too many board books these days because my kids are getting older. My youngest is 5 1/2 and my oldest just turned 7. If I come across a beautifully illustrated board book that is out-facing on a library bookshelf that piques my interest, I might pick it up, but more than likely, I'll place it back where it was because my kids don't want to read board books anymore. 

I saw Beautiful Oops! on the shelf, and I quickly dumped it in my bag, hoping I wasn't dashing a two-year-old's dreams by snatching it away before the colors grabbed their attention. This book is so fetching, that the librarian who was standing nearby the self-checkout we use, that she couldn't help but comment on how fun this book was, and how she had to stop what she was doing earlier in the week to go through it herself before returning to work. 

That is the mark of a wonderful book!

Saltzberg has created a little board book big on texture and surprise. Inside almost every two-page spread, he uses texture or a technique (ex. mixed media typography) to teach children that spots, stains, or 'oops!'(es) can start as messes, and end up as art. Each page has a clever surprise within it including rips, folds, holes, flaps, and crumpled paper. My daughter, who still loves her "That's Not My..." Usborne touchy-feely series baby books, loves this book. She is constantly going through Beautiful Oops! Here's a board book for all ages. View the entire book with vocals on youtube HERE.