You Read to Me, I'll Read to You Meme

Hook by Ed Youg
How Robin Saved Spring by Debbie Ouellet, illus. by Nicoletta Ceccoli

Here are a couple of visually striking picture books which touched NMD and I differently. I'll start with Ed Young's Hook, which is an Ugly Duckling tale of sorts. It tells the story of an eaglet which is raised by chickens after his abandoned egg is mistakenly given into their care. It becomes clear to the chickens that Hook is not meant for Earth, and they enlist the aid of a Native American boy to help Hook find his wings. The narrative is told in short, economical sentences which say just enough to move the story along. The illustrations have a sketchy, almost hurried look to them, and like the text seem to portray so much with so little detail. It's a completely different style from what Young used in last year's Wabi Sabi, which was a complex story richly illustrated. I loved this one. It reminded me of Molly Bang's Goose.

How Robin Saved Spring is a great example of judging a book by it's cover. It's hard to resist such a beautifuly delicate image. Nicoletta Ceccoli's illustrations have an other-worldly quality about them which support this original fairy tale quite well. The story tells of Lady Winter and Sister Spring who take turns rising and sleeping over the course of a year. One year, Lady Winter decides that she would like the world to be in winter all year. So she makes a magic blanket which keeps Sister Spring asleep past her regular time. If you can get past this slightly evil premise--sleep and death are too closely associated here for my comfort--then you will enjoy the attempts of various animals to wake up Sister Spring and the punishments which Lady Winter bestows upon them. It takes clever little Robin to save the day, as the title implies. In a perfect example that adults are overly squeamish, NMD liked this very much and felt that Lady Winter was simply "mean". No hidden undertones for her!

Don't forget to visit The Well-Read Child, which is hosting this meme.

You read to me, I'll read to you Meme

This week NMD and I have combined older titles with newer. While she makes her way through Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater, I have been on picture book duty. Here's the current list, some of which I have already commented on.

I read to NMD:
1000 Times No, as told by Mr. Warburton
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Funny Farm by Mark Teague
Grumpy Grandpa by Heather Henson, illus. by Ross McDonald
Marley Goes to School by John Grogan, illus. by Richard Cowdrey
One by Kathryn Otoshi
Sea of Tranquility by Mark Haddon, illus. by Christian Birmingham
Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens by Cindy Neuschwander, illus. by Wayne Geehan
Snoring Beauty by Bruce Hale, illus. by Howard Fine
Vunce Upon a Time by J. Otto Seibold and Siobhan Vivian

This week's highlights include Sea of Tranquility, which is a personal favorite. If you think you've heard the author's name before, well you probably have. Before Mark Haddon became internationally famous for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, he wrote this gentle, fond picture book about his own love affair with the moon. The book has been re-released for the fortieth anniversary of the lunar landings as Footprints on the Moon.

No surprise that NMD liked 1000 Times No--she is eight after all! It is an amusing and straightforward story of a toddler who wants to make himself absolutely understood by declaring "no" not once, not twice, but 1000 times in 1000 different ways. Fun to pore over with your own strong-willed child.

This weeks' most interesting concept book is Kathryn Otoshi's One. It is essentially an anti-bullying story. But the way that she combines colors and numbers--everyday teaching tools for young children--with word play for the grown-up reader is a novel approach to a subject which is not always successfully tackled.

Don't forget to visit The Well-Read Child, which is hosting this meme.

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You Meme week5

What I Read to NMD:

• The Fortune Tellers by Lloyd Alexander, illus. by Trina Schart Hyman
• Little Red Bird by Nick Bruel
• One Giant Leap by Robert Burleigh; paintings by Mike Wimmer
• Pegasus as told by Marianna Mayer, illus. by K.Y. Craft

It's a rather short list this week, and all my own reading; NMD was too busy with her private reading to contribute much to bedtime sharing. Still, it was a chance to revisit some classics as well as discover some newer titles. My thoughts on One Giant Leap have already been posted on this blog. And I mentioned The Fortune Tellers in Week 2, in comparison to Doctor All-Knowing. Having revisited the older title, I still see a similarity between the two stories, although it is not as pronounced as it was in my memory.

In terms of revisiting classics, I thought it was time to share some mythology with NMD, since she has not gravitated towards it herself. I went through a distinct mythology stage as a young reader, which I eventually read my way through until 1) there were no new myths to read and 2) the gods and goddesses were too annoying to reread. I thought the story of Pegasus was a good place to start, since NMD is as fond of horses as the next eight year old girl. With illustrations done in a pre-Raphaelite style, this is an attractive if unembellished version of the original myth. She liked it well enough.

Now Nick Bruel happens to be a favorite in our house, and I had high expectations for Little Red Bird. The rhyming text is easy to read, particularly as there is the repeated refrain of "What would YOU do" which the reader can toss out to great effect. And I liked how the story of a bird who must decide whether to return to the comforts of his cage or enjoy the uncertainty of freedom is left open ended--left blatantly in the hands of the reader, in fact. But it lacked the spark of Bad Kitty and the meta-fiction fun of Who is Melvin Bubble. Like its winged protagonist, this book isn't quite settled.

See what other bloggers are reading at the Well-Read Child, which is hosting the meme.

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You Meme

NMD Read to Me

Elephants Cannot Dance! by Mo Willems

I Read to NMD
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett, illus. by Ron Barrett
Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin; illus. by Harry Bliss
Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery, illus. by Jean Cassels

Wombat Walkabout by Carol Diggory Shields, illus. by Sophie Blackall

We Read Together

There was a Man who Loved a Rat and other vile little poems by Gerda Rovetch, illus. by Lissa Rovetch (you can see what I've said about this book prevously here.)

We revisited some classic titles this week, just because :) Diary of a Worm is a particular favorite because illustrator Harry Bliss visited my daughter's school this year, and her copy is autographed! The diary format of the book prompted the discussion, "how does a worm write?" The answer was easily answered by a glance at the front cover, but when you apply the question to the premise of worms having noteworthy lives, as opposed to their physical limitations when trying to hold a pencil, it becomes a more interesting debate. "Two Bobbies" also generated much discussion, since the events of Hurricane Katrina are contemporary to my daughter's life, but she doesn't remember having lived through it (as a newsworthy event, not as an actual experience, since we do not reside in New Orleans.) Plus, as a fan of non-fiction, she has a soft spot for anything based on a true story.

My personal favorite this week was Wombat Walkabout, which takes the format of a counting book and uses it to introduce readers to the wildlife and fauna of Australia. The counting is almost incidental, for the teaching moments come not during the counting, which never advances beyond six, but as the reader is introduced to new and wonderful creatures, charmingly illustrated by Sophia Blackwell (known to us previously via the Ivy and Bean series of books by Annie Barrows.) "Wombat" also has elements of the trickster tale as the wily marsupials outsmart the hungry fox. Lots of fun!

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Week 1

So the first week of participation in the Well-Read Child's reading meme breaks down as such:


You Read to Me:
* Alice the Fairy by David Shannon
* Sam Starts School by Barbara Taylor Cork, illus. by Nicola Smee
I Read to You:
* Alfie and the Big Boys by Shirley Hughes
* Beckoning Cat by Koko Nishizuka, illus by Rosanne Litzinger
* Chicken Cheeks by Micahel Ian Black; illus by Kevin Hawkes
* Cow That Was the Best Moo-ther By Andy Cutbill, illus by Russell Ayto
* Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau by Jon Agee
* My Red Balloon by Eve Bunting, illus. by Kay Life
* Put it on the List! by Kristen Darbyshire
* Retired Kid by Jon Agee
* Tough Chicks by Cece Meng, illus. by Melissa Suber

Looks like I did most of the reading this week! The breakdown didn't seem so unbalanced at the time, but never mind! My daughter and I are unapologetic picture book fans, so even though she has moved on to chapter books for her personal reading, bedtime is still picture book time. This week's star read was Touch Chicks, with its story of three newly hatched chicks not content to simply loaf around the farm and be cute, as chicks are supposed to do. Honorable mention goes to Alfie and the Big Boys. This long-running series continues to charm with its quiet wisdom and "every-child" protagonist. It seems that Alfie, like Charlie Brown, will never age but stay a winsome preschooler for eternity. And that's okay with us!

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You

An interesting Meme is taking shape over at The Well-Read Child; starting next Thursday, bloggers from across the kidlitosphere will link up to list what they have been reading over the course of the week. The parameters are pretty broad: a personal reading list, a child's reading list, recommended favorites. The only stipulation is that the meme must relate to kids reading. Well, never wanting to Miss out on something cool, I've signed on! So this coming Thursday I will link up with the books that my daughter and I have read to each other over the week. You can see the current week's running tally in the right-hand sidebar. As unapologetic picture book fans you can expect a lot of PB titles. But you never know--there may be a random chapter or Doctor Who comic making an appearance.