Bonjour, Butterfly

Bonjour Butterfly
Written by Jane O'Conner
Illustrated by: Robin Preiss Glasser

As I have mentioned before, the girls in my house really love Fancy Nancy. Some other people do too. In this situation, it sometimes gets frustrating when additional books are released, as they seem to be of lesser quality. I am thrilled to say, I have read no books starring Fancy Nancy that I have not thought darling! (What a relief, I must say). We love them all, including this one.

In Bonjour Butterfly, Nancy is anticipating the arrival of a splendid birthday party, featuring butterflies, thrown by a best friend. Then her plans are crashed and she has to miss the party for her grandparent's fiftieth wedding anniversary! Nancy is quite disappointed. She is not exactly a sweetheart about it all. As it turns out, the anniversary party is quite fancy, and Nancy quite enjoys herself. The following day Nancy is even lucky enough to attend a butterfly zoo with her grandparents!

Does Nancy decide to perk up because she is having a grand time at the party, or does attitude really make a difference? Ask your child as you read this book, as I think this is an important distinction (even if it's not made perfectly clear in the book). As is the case with all the books, Nancy teaches splendidly fancy vocabulary, and deals with typical, and perhaps familiar-to-your-child situations. Enjoy!

Princess Peepers

Written by:Pam Culvert
Illustrated by: Tuesday Mourning

Oh the princess rage! My daughter has fallen victim to the princess storm. Has yours?

Princess Peepers is a darling book about princesses, suitable for all princess lovers, spectacle-wearing or not. Princess Peepers is a sweet princess who has some very stunning glasses, and she is quite okay with that, until other princesses aren't. Because of this she decided to get rid of them, and she falls into some trouble. Fortunately she also falls into something else, which of course turns out happily ever after (and she's back to wearing glasses of course)!

The pictures in this book are darling and very worthy for your little princess to study. I love the glasses and the gowns (I admit to being half-princess myself!) Illustrator Tuesday Mourning, besides having the coolest name, also has an etsy shop! It is fun to note that author Pam Culvert has had plenty of experience with peepers, as she wore glasses as a child herself and inspired her story.

We enjoy this as a very girlie read at our house and I hope you do too!

Octopus' Den

Octopus' Den (Smithsonian Oceanic Collection)
Written by Deirdre Langeland
Illustrated by Steven James Petruccio

During a trip to the tide pools in California my family and I were lucky enough to see our first octopus, and we were all quite enchanted by the experience. So when I noticed this book at the library I decided to take a chance, afterall there had to be something useful in it. There is! This book is unlike other books I have read in that the author manages to weave a realistic but interesting story about an octopus with useful details and information so relevant to the story you can't miss them. I think children learn well this way, and well, so do I! I appreciate the fact that the octopus in the book is simply an octopus and not humanized any more than any octopus should be. He isn't named Fred or Joe, but suitably: Octopus. While reading this book I found myself intrigued with octopus life, and so were my children. The text in this book amazed me because although the storyline is quite simple the author uses awesome descriptive language as well as relevant oceanic vocabulary. My children found this book so interesting that they wanted to act out some octopus adventures of their own after reading it.

It is tempting to think that this book is more special to us because of our personal recent experience with an octopus. But I don't think that this would be fair. I am confident I would love this book nearly as much had I never seen an octopus and only wished I had. I am anxious to find out if my library has any more books from the Smithsonian Institution's Oceanic Collection, the collection this book belongs too. I have high expectations for the other books, and plan to use them with my children this summer in some of our own learning endeavors. This is the kind of book that is so well done that I am motivated to search out other great ones and pay the (gasp!) one dollar to get them via interlibrary loan! I am also seriously considering purchasing a few more as gifts for my children's birthdays because I liked this one so much. Stories are important to children, but so are facts and learning about our world. That is important to everyone. When the two can intertwine so gracefully it is a good thing!

If your children have enjoyed reading the Magic Treehouse Series, this book would be a great companion to #39 Dark Day in the Deep Sea.We love the Magic Treehouse series at our house, but with the magic and fantasy the author often uses, it doesn't hurt to add a little interesting reality at the same time. I think this book would be great for that purpose.

Fancy Nancy

Fancy Nancy
Written by Jane O'Conner
Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser

Perhaps you have a little girl who likes pink and purple, or better yet fuschia. Perhaps your little girl likes dressing up, or doing all things with a little bit of flair. Sometimes I take it for granted that everyone knows and loves certain books. Fancy Nancy is one of these books.My goodness, what if you have one of these chic little girls and you haven't yet met Fancy Nancy?! Well, you simply must (darling)!

Although Nancy likes all things fancy, she otherwise comes from a very plain family. One day she decides to place an add on the fridge to see if she can spice things up a little with Fancy Lessons (by Nancy of course). Fortunately, her family signs up for lessons! Nancy can hardly wait to get started, and with a little bit here and a little bit there, her family shows some real potential. They really can be fancy! In celebration, Nancy's Dad takes them all to The Kings Crown (a not so fancy hamburger joint). After a little mishap, Fancy Nancy learns that some things are truly best just the way they are. The illustrations in this book are charming, and the fancy vocabulary is sure to be enjoyed and absorbed. Enjoy!!!

Elizabeti's Doll

Written by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen
Illustrated by Christy Hale

Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen has created a story about a little girl with a brand new brother. Elizabeti watches her mother care for her new baby, and then, since she has no doll of her own, she finds a rock instead. She names her rock Eva, and cares for it just as her mother cares for her son.

This short picture book is one that clearly relates a way of life different from my own, without ever purposefully contrasting to it. The author of Elizabeti's Doll, Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, spent time in Tanzania in the Peace Corps, where she met the little girl who is Elizabeti's inspiration. Elizabeti and Eva, and their way of life, are worth getting to know in this sweet book.

Here's a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry

Similar to my venture for the perfect nursery rhyme book , I went on a venture for the perfect first poetry book. This wasn't the book I ended up with, but if it would have been around then, it would have been perfect! I'm not going to say I'm a poetry expert, or even that I've seen a huge number of early poetry books, but this book is different from what I have seen, and perfect for little ones.

Here's A Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry contains little poems for little people with little attention spans. Perfect. There is almost always only one or two poems per page. The words are large, making it easy to read, as well as making the words a visual feature for little eyes. The illustrations are large and simple, colorful, and of course adorable. You can tell that by looking at the cover, can't you?

Our local library has this book, and we have checked it out and enjoyed it more than once. All of my children enjoy it, and we all seem to have chosen our favorite poems. As much as I would love too, I don't buy all the books I love. But if I did, I would most certainly own this one. If I ever venture to find a first poetry collection again --and I might--this will be my first choice.

When do you go on your first poetry book expedition? Well, that depends on who you ask. My opinion is that you can't start poetry too early. I think the rhymes and illustrations in this book would easily please a baby if read in short intervals. Depending of course on temperament, and how accustomed to being read to a child is, I think this would also make a great one or two year-old birthday gift. I know my children would have loved it. Beyond that certainly the three to five year old set would enjoy it. It's wonderful to find books that grow with a child! Rhyming is an important literacy skill, and hearing rhymes over and over has got to be one of the most enjoyable ways to acquire it. Babies love rhyming, and so do young children. And when it's this well done --so do I.

I'm not the only one who appreciates this book. It is currently up for the Beehive Award for 2009!

To hear another book-lover succinctly discuss the importance of rhyme, and her perfect nursery rhyme book, click here.

Emma Kate

In Emma Kate, a little girl and an elephant are the best of friends. They go to school together, eat lunch together, and most importantly reads books together. Then, at the end of the day, the two say a sweet goodnight to Mom and Dad.

Does anyone else like Patricia Polacco? I do. Patricia has a very original style of illustrating, and once you are familiar with one or two of her books, they are easy to pick out as well as fun. I have not read all of Polacco's many books, but so far, this is my favorite. Elephants are heavy, and wrinkly, and they have long eyelashes --all fun things to notice with your child when viewing these excellent illustrations.

My three year old daughter and I really enjoy reading Emma Kate together. I began wondering if this story might have her thinking a little, when after a few reads she began asking what the little girl's name was. We know that the mom calls her daughter sweet pea at bedtime, just the same as my daughter. But the elephant is of course Emma Kate. Or is it? It might take a while for a child to catch this! This book is worth rereading to find new details in the pictures, but Emma Kate is still short, sweet, and one to smile through together.

To enjoy some Emma Kate printables, see Patricia Polacco's website here.

Little Red Riding Hood

This is my favorite version of Little Red Riding Hood, which is retold and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Honestly my love of this book has everything to do with the pictures! I never tire of them. I find Tricia an enchanting illustrator, drawing a world with beautiful people and illustrations that have a very magical feel, rich in detail and color.

The Little Red Riding Hood in this book is as sweet and innocent as can be, and the wolf is everything a wily wolf should be. Riding Hood is lured off the path to pick a bouquet for Grandmother, while the wolf runs to Grandmother's house to take care of business. Be warned that this retelling is closer to the original story than some others, including Grandmother and Red Riding Hood getting swallowed hungrily, only to come out well and whole again when cut out by the huntsman. This is the version that I grew up with, but some may prefer the less horrific hiding-in-the-closet version, in which case they must look elsewhere.

There is a very clear moral for the little girl in this story, which is that she should have done just what her mother asked her to do--stay on the path. If you chance to meet this book, sit a spell and be drawn into Little Red Riding Hood's richly drawn world. You won't regret it.

In a Blue Room

At my library, they entice picture book readers by standing books up on top of the low bookshelves. This is one of my favorite places to search for great books, because the children's librarian here has such great taste. Because this book still had a clean and intact cover as it stood on top of the shelf, I could tell it was new, and the beautiful cover illustration drew me in immediately. I have not come back! In a Blue Roomis my current number one favorite when it comes to picture books.

In a very yellow room, a mother brings sleep-encouraging items to her little one. Consistently, the little girl demands each to be blue. None are, but her mother manages to convince her sleepy daughter to settle in for bedtime. Finally, as the little girl can withstand sleep no longer, she finally (and wonderfully) gets her wish for blue.

The text and pictures in this book are a match made in heaven. Tricia Tusa does great illustrations, and I have seen some, but after seeing this book, I would like to see more. They are perfect! Each illustration is done at a beautiful and creative angle, with details that give a lot of feeling to the home and atmosphere, and the relationship between mother and daughter. (I wish I could live in the adorable house!) Tusa also has a way of making magic known in her pictures, as she does in this book.

Jim Averbeck is an author I am not familiar with, but I hope this is not his last children's book. One thing I appreciate about a children's book author, is when it's obvious that they are truly familiar with children. This appears to be true with Averbeck. The little girl's insistence rings very true to me during the reading. The mother is as sweet and patient as all mothers wish to be, but also as inventive. This is a simple but clever story, one that can be read and appreciated at different levels by various ages, making it a book that allows much revisiting.

To see an interview with artist Tricia Tusa, click here.

Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chavos-Irvine

Have you noticed how girls clothes can be a little tricky to put together? Unlike boys clothes, which all seem to match each other, girls clothes all seem to need to be kept with their matching pieces. Pants can be pink and polka-dotted, socks can be blue and purple striped, and dresses can have orange and green flowers. Should you really put those together?

My daughter has a strong will, and also a strong opinion about what she wears. She also believes if mom picks it out, it is not a good choice. To my dismay, other little girls walk around wearing matching clothes, and I wonder how their mothers talked them into it.

Ella Sarah is a girl after my own daughter's heart. She knows just what she wants to wear, no matter who else has an opinion. Margaret Chodos-Irvine illustrates her own story, and perfectly captures the true look of a determined toddler in tantrum mode! This book is a must-read for any opinionated daughter, and her mother.