Friday's Five: Donaldson and Scheffler

One easy way to find great children's books is to pick a library book that you really like and then look for other titles by the same author. One of our favorite discoveries started because Junius likes the word "spiffy" -- our first pick quickly became a favorite, leading us to add more books to our collection.

Here are five great children's titles by author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler. All have great rhymes and interesting, detailed illustrations.

1. The Spiffiest Giant in Town: In addition to letting you repeatedly use the word "spiffiest," this book also lets you sing along as George becomes the sweetest, kindest, most helpful giant in town.
2. The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child: These two books tell a funny tale about the relationship between the mouse and the gruffalo. What? You've never heard of a gruffalo? Hmmm, better get the book and find out.
3. Charlie Cook's Favorite Book: This clever story winds through book after book after book to bring you right back where you started.
4. Room on the Broom: Highly recommended by a friend, this book tells the tale of a witch and the friends she makes as she rides on her broom -- and about what happens when they crash.
5. The Snail and the Whale: This is next on my list -- so fun to have another one to discover! Sounds like it will have all the fun and rhyme of the other books, with an important lesson about how little people can be strong, too.

I Knew Them When

I'm a big believer in being nice to people along the way because you just never know who they're going to turn out to be. Like the neighbor who used to tease me on the bus in 6th grade and pick on me at junior high? We ended up friends in college -- now he's an international celebrity and business mogul, posting Facebook pictures of himself posing with beautiful models and seated next to Will Smith on a recent flight. I get to live vicariously through him (from the safety of my laptop), while enjoying the image of that little 6th-grade kid turned glamorous grown-up.

Another great example is John Bemis -- we were classmates and friends in college, both studying to become teachers. Now, in addition to having a successful career in education, he's also a published author. Head on over to Triangle Mamas to read my post about his new book, The Nine-Pound Hammer. The book is great and makes a nice holiday gift, too.

Friday's Five: Pippi's Reading List

I've written a lot about favorite books to read with Junius, but haven't written much about what Pippi likes to read. That's partly because she doesn't sit still for books the way he always has, which is probably (partly) because she's been so much easier to put to bed than he ever was.

So, in my continuing effort not to leave out the Pip, here are five of her favorite books these days -- as she gets older, she's finally starting to request certain stories when we sit in her rocking chair before bedtime, which makes me really happy:

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle: A classic and lovely book -- I'm assuming you've all read it. I think she mostly likes turning the little pages and sticking her finger in the little caterpillar hole-punches.
   
   
2. Ten Wishing Stars by Treesha Runnells and Sarah Dillard: This counting book about sheep wishing on stars at night has ten raised stars with star-shaped cutouts -- and the stars glow in the dark. Again, I think her favorite part is touching the stars.
   
   
3. Baby Faces by Margaret Miller: We like to pretend she can read this one because she's memorized each baby's expression, saying "stinky" and "boo-hoo" and so on. It's way cute.
   
   
4. Corduroy by Don Freeman: Another classic and sweet story. It's probably the longest book she'll sit still-ish for.
   
   
5. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr, John Archambault and Lois Ehlert: This alphabet story involves letters racing up and then crashing down from a coconut tree. I don't know why, but "chicka chicka boom boom" is just plain fun to say.

When Junius Grows Up...

One of my favorite books to read with Junius is I Want to Go to UNC by Ripley Rand and Jorin Garguilo. Although I didn't grow up wanting to go to Carolina (in fact, it was my last choice -- but that's another story), it's never too early to get Juni on board with the Heels -- particularly given his track record of supporting, ahem, other ACC schools. I like the book because it introduces him to important places in Chapel Hill; he likes it because it rhymes, has fun illustrations and references lots of career and college options.

Tonight while we were reading, he kept pausing on each page (a ploy, no doubt, to put off the inevitable and impending bedtime) to discuss what he might want to be when he grows up. It was the first time I'd heard him discuss what's on his list, so I was curious to know what he was thinking about. Keep in mind that the options were inspired by the careers in the story, but I just wanted to take a moment to capture them now in case he actually becomes one of them later on:

• jet pilot
• dentist
• pediatric nurse
  
• car mechanic
• tuba player ("For when I'm bery, bery growed up, Mommy.")

I think it's a great list -- surprisingly technical and medical, two areas in which I was never interested. My guess is he's probably thinking more about having cool tools than about solid career paths. Can't fault the kid for liking the accessories

Friday's Five: Musical Kids Books

You've missed me, haven't you? I know you have -- I can hear you calling for me. Or maybe that's my children begging for some attention. Hard to say.

For the past two weeks, while I haven't been blogging, I've been furiously writing my next (paying) project -- one that usually takes about two months, but is on the fast track this year. Between that deadline and some IT difficulties, the blog has been seriously neglected. For what it's worth, I've missed you, too.

My list of topics to post about is quite long, so it might take some time to get caught up and clear my head -- hoping to be back to regular posting next week. In the meantime, here are five good music-related books Junius and I have been enjoying this week:

1. Olivia Forms a Band by Ian Falconer
2. Dooby Dooby Moo by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
3. Pecorino's First Concert by Alan Madison and AnnaLaura Cantone
   
4. Tap-Dance Fever by Pat Brisson and Nancy Cote
   
5. Ella Elephant Scats Like That by Andy Blackman Hurwitz and Andrew Cunningham
   

Friday's Five: Girl Reads

My paying job took me to an elementary school media center yesterday, which gave me an opportunity to wander around the shelves remembering all the books I loved when I was a young reader. It's funny how just the book cover can bring back so much of each story, probably because I read them all again and again.

Here are five books I loved when I was a girl, before I graduated to the Sweet Valley High series (admit it, you loved Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, too) -- maybe boys read them all, too, but I think of them as being "girl reads." Hopefully one day Pippi will enjoy them, giving me an excuse to read them again.

1. Anastasia Again by Lois Lowry: Of the series of novels about Anastasia, this was my favorite -- and the one that made me want to live in an old house with a turret. I adored Anastasia and her little brother Sam as if I had known them in real life.
   
   
2. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery: Another great series with another mischievous girl, I had the box set with the first three novels in it. I think I liked these more than the Little House books, but not sure.
   
   
3. Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt: I had forgotten the title of this book (the first in a series that includes Dicey's Song) until I ran into it again on the shelf -- but I hadn't forgotten how amazing and brave I thought Dicey was.
   
   
4. Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume: Is there a girl in America who grew up in the 80s and didn't read this book? How else would I have known about training bras and menstruation?
   
   
5. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories: I don't have a favorite one, but I still have four Nancy Drew books in my collection (two of which were my mother's, now on Pippi's shelves). Always just the right amount of scary, with a matching sweater set.

Did you love these, too? Or were there other favorites on your shelf in 5th grade?

Friday's Five: Classic Children's Books

I love that there are so many wonderful new children's books that Junius and I get to discover together. But I also enjoy sharing the classics with him, particularly ones that I read as a child. He's still a little young for the original seven Chronicles of Narnia (although we have read the Chick-Fil-A versions) or my weathered copy of The Trumpet of the Swan, but I'm looking forward to breaking those out in years to come.

In the meantime, here are five children's books he and I both like that have survived the decades in my library:

• The Story of Ferndinand: Written by Munro Leaf and illustrated by Robert Lawson (1936). This sweet tale of a young bull who likes to sit in the shade and smell the flowers always makes me smile. My old copy has a gray cloth cover that reminds of a suit jacket, making it feel even more like a classic.
  
  
• A Fish Out of Water: Written by Helen Palmer and illustrated by P.D. Eastman (1961). My tattered copy of this cute story came from my cousin Dereck, inscribed to him from someone I don't know. Read it to find out what happens when a little boy feeds his fish Otto too much -- Mr. Carp to the rescue!
  
  
• Frog and Toad Together: By Arnold Loebel (1979). The series of shorts about two friends are sometimes melancholy and sometimes comical, but always lovely in their simplicity.
  
  
• Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile: By Bernard Waber (1973). If you don't know Lyle, you should start by reading The House on East 88th Street to find out why Hector P. Valenti, star of stage and screen, left his crocodile in the Primms' bathtub. There are additional Lyle books, but the sequel, where Lyle gets separated from Mrs. Primm at the department store and later becomes a neighborhood hero, is my favorite of the series.
  
  
• Harry By the Sea: Written by Gene Zion and illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham (1965). All of the Harry books are fun, but I like this one best. I always enjoy a good beach story, and who can resist adorable little Harry looking like a monster covered in seaweed.
  

What are your childhood favorites that stand the test of time?

Friday's Five: American Lit 101

It's back-to-school time. I know because all the stores are stocked with pens, notebooks, blue jeans and sweaters -- because nothing says back-to-school when it's 95 degrees in August like a nice sweater. But this post isn't about what to wear on your first day back in the classroom. Instead, it's about five books you should have read in high school English class (or at least your college American Lit class).

If you haven't read these, go straight to your local library or independent bookseller and find them. If you read them in high school, but haven't looked at them since then, they deserve another try. If nothing else, you need to have read them to understand all those literary allusions in high-brow things like ads for The Gap and episodes of The Simpsons.

All five are books that I taught as a high school teacher, and I'm certain I didn't fully appreciate them until I read them as an adult. Whether or not my former students liked them is something about which I will refrain from speculating -- but I can only hope they found their way back to these books a second time.

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Drama, intrigue, suspense and censorship in a futuristic world that parallels real life today in strange ways. With flame-throwers. The 1966 film version is just bad, so don't bother.
   
   
2. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: One of the sweetest, saddest stories of friendship ever. Makes me cry just thinking about it. The John Malkovich/Gary Sinise movie version of this book is actually really good, but you should still read the book.
   
   
3. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: The tale of a surprisingly strong female character who is inexplicably in love with a very weak man. At one point, she tells him, "Preach! Write! Act! Do anything, save to lie down and die." That's my favorite line (loosely translated to modern English: "Dude. Get over yourself, grow a pair, and live your life, preferably with me in it.") Watching the Demi Moore film version does NOT count.
   
   
4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Secrets, opulence, jazz and heat. So glamorous and tawdry at the same time -- what's not to love? The Robert Redford/Mia Farrow movie version is unintentionally funny to watch (lots of fuzzy lighting and stiff dialogue), but not a particularly good film.
   
   
5. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Another strong woman with a tough story, this novel wraps you up in Janie's life and loves in the early 1900s. The book is ritten in dialect and beautifully descriptive. Haven't seen Oprah's film version with Halle Berry, so I can't comment on that.
   

Note: As always, the links take you to purchasing info about the books at Quail Ridge Books & Music, which neither offered nor sent any compensation in return for this post. Also, the authors in no way bribed me to get their books on the list, given that they're all deceased, except for Bradbury, who doesn't know I exist.

Image from wikipeida.

Friday's Five: Children's Books for the Stage

In college, I took a very fun course called "Performance of Children’s Literature" with an amazing professor named Paul Ferguson -- he still teaches the class and I recommend him highly to anyone at UNC who is interested in performance or just wants to try it out.

As a class, we performed excerpts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, then we did small group performances from children's books that we selected -- I used a couple of stories from The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. I'm sorry to say I didn't turn out to be much of an actress, but I loved the class anyway and enjoyed reading children's books with performance in mind.

The first five children's books I wrote about this spring would all be good in performance, but here are five more books that Junius likes -- and every time I read them, I can picture in my head how they would look and sound on a small stage. Maybe I should send Paul a nudge and see if we can get a show started...

1. Mercy Watson Fights Crime: Written by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen, this is the third title in a chapter-book series about a pig named Mercy who lives with Mr. and Mrs. Watson and loves to eat hot buttered toast. The illustrations and characters are hilarious, and I find that I am incapable of reading this series aloud without adopting a series of very Southern accents. Book 3 continues the characters from the first two, plus a comical little thief/wannabe-cowboy whose robbery attempt is foiled by a certain porcine wonder.
   
   
2. Skippyjon Jones: This is the first in the series by Judy Schachner about a Siamese cat who likes to pretend he's a chihuahua. It's great for reading aloud because of the funny things Skippyjon says (in his best Spanish accent) as he turns into El Skippito Friskito, the great sword fighter, and tackles Alfredo Buzzito, the bad Bumblebeeto (who may or may not actually be the pinata in Skippyjon's closet where he's playing during time-out).
   
   
3. Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!: Words and pictures by Mo Willems make up this series about a funny little pigeon who likes to drive a bus, eat hot dogs and stay up past his bedtime. We particularly like this one because Junius is always trying to stay awake, too, and the interactive style of the main character would work well in a show.
   
   
4. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type: Written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin, this is one of many very funny books about the clever animals on Farmer Brown's farm who use a typewriter to get what they need. The sound effects would be fun to do in a performance, plus the story is a riot.
   
   
5. The Grouchy Ladybug: Probably everyone knows Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but this book is another one of his his that I just recently discovered (apparently Juni had been reading it at preschool and found it at the library). It includes lessons in telling time and relative size, but it's also a funny tale of a tough-talking ladybug who is continually looking for someone bigger to fight. Would be interesting to try to do this as a two-woman (or two-man) show with one person as the bug and one person as everyone else.
   

Note: As usual, I have received no compensation from Quail Ridge Books & Music or any of the authors or illustrators of these books. But if you live in Raleigh, you should go to Quail Ridge for all your book purchases. Trust me. And if you don't live in Raleigh and don't have a local independent bookseller, you should buy your books online from QRB -- it's the right thing to do.

Friday's Five: Beach Time

I'm on beach time, where the days and hours blend and melt one into the other. Where you have to check the paper to know what day it is, except that you don't remember the last time you looked at the news. So I'm pretending it's still Friday, even though it's Saturday night now and might be Sunday by the time I get this posted.

We've been at the beach since Wednesday, visiting with my long-time friend, Shannon, and her family. It's our first time here with four children (her two and my two), plus both husbands over the weekend. The definition of crazy fun -- sometimes just crazy and sometimes just fun, but always worthwhile.

Here are five things I love about spending time at the beach with a friend who's known me since my single days and continues to be my friend after all these years:

1. Watching our kids turn themselves into little shake-n-bake babies, coating every inch of their sweet bodies with sand and loving every minute of it (see photo). Then bathing all four of them together in the shower outside the beach house, soaping and re-soaping until their tiny white tushies are all clean.
   


2. Reading a book, an actual, wonderful, honest-to-goodness novel. Shannon finished it on Wednesday and I burned through the 400+ pages by Saturday night. Not only was The Help a great book, I finally made the time to read. Of course, it helps that Shannon and our husbands were there to entertain the kids so that I could read uninterrupted for more than 15 minutes.
   


3. Staying up too late, talking about everything from Michael Jackson to forgotten friends to Punxsutawney Phil to our families to saving turtles to where we want to buried (or not) when we die. We might not have solved the world's problems, but it's way more fun than chatting on Facebook.
   


4. Wearing a bikini on the beach, because it makes my husband happy to see me in one and I don't feel self-conscious around Shannon because she loves me in spite of myself. And she has probably had as many body-image issues as I have over the years (although hers are different ones than mine and she looks fantastic).
   


5. Having a schedule, which sounds counter-intuitive for the beach -- but only if you don't know Shannon. She's a planner, in the most high-maintenance way, and I love it. We always know what we're going to do and when we're going to do it -- when the schedule is filled with nap times, snack times, trips to the pool and the beach, you can sign me up for that plan any day of the week.
   
   

What's best of all is knowing that we'll get to do this again next year and the next year and the year after that. We've been friends too long, know too much, survived too many tales to stop now. And I can't wait to hear her stories next year about her plan to become a figure skater performing at intermission during the Penguin's games despite the fact that she currently doesn't know how to skate. It's going to be brilliant.

Friday's Five: Short Good Reads

"Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life."

That's one of my favorite StoryPeople quotes by Brian Andreas. I have it posted on my white board in the kitchen to remind me, in the midst of the craziness, that I can choose how to spend my time. Lately, I'm not sure if reading just isn't as important as other things or if I simply haven't made the time for it. Either way, the only "literature" I've been getting lately has been the newspaper, my blog-reader and children's books.

So, given that a lot of us don't have sufficient free time to sit down and read long, juicy novels, here are five more from my list of good reads -- all collections of short stories or essays:

1. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris:If you live in Raleigh, I think you're required to read David Sedaris. Not only is he hilarious, but he grew up in the neighborhood next to the one I live in now.
   
   
2. Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood: I discovered Atwood's novels first, starting with The Handmaid's Tale -- her short stories are just as good.
   
   
3. Cowboys Are My Weakness by Pam Houston: Smart women looking for wild men to love. Need I say more?
   
   
4. Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott: I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but Lamott's essays are irreverant and witty and clever and biting and hilarious and intelligent. Highly recommended.
   
   
5. Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott: Okay, so maybe this is cheating, but it's essentially "part 2" of Traveling Mercies so I thought it made a good #5. Same recommendation applies.
   

What are your favorite short(er) books to share with the time-challenged?

Friday's Five: Good Reads

As a kid, I spent summers at the library with a big cardboard box. Fill the box, read the books, return the books, repeat. I don't know for sure how often we went, but in my memory it was a weekly trip. I loved the summer reader programs because I could fill the chart after chart with stickers representing all the books I'd read.

As a teen-ager, college student and then high school English teacher, summer reading went nearly the same way. Different books, same process (only without the sticker charts). I loved the freedom to devour whatever caught my attention, from classics to trash.

Now that most of my reading involves Curious George and Sandra Boynton's hippos, I like to think back on some of my favorite selections and imagine the things I'll read when I manage to carve out the time. Here's the first five on my recommended reading list (in no particular order) -- more to come on future Fridays:

1. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Read for a comparative literature class in college. Nearly fell off the bed when I got to the end of the book, it was just that good.
   
   
2. Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons: Any book that starts this way is bound to catch your attention: "When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy. I would figure out this or that way and run it down through my head until it got easy." Taught this as a first-year teacher and still wonder how I got away with it.
   
   
3. Old Dogs and Children by Robert Inman: Really wanted to name my future daughter "Bright" after reading this sweet and lovely book. Plus Inman was a newscaster in Charlotte, where I was living when I found his novels.
   
   
4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: My first high school glimpse into the idea of feminism, this story was both terrifying and empowering. The first of many Atwood novels and short stories for me.
   
   
5. The Cider House Rules by John Irving: Another high school discovery and the first of several Irving reads to make me think about things outside the safety of my own world.
   

Friday's Favorite Five

Partly because lists of favorite things are so much fun to make and partly because it seems like a lot of bloggers have some regular items they post on specific days, I've decided to make Fridays the day to post five favorites around a particular topic.

For our inaugural Friday's Fave Five, here are five children's books that Junius loves to read -- and so do I. As parents, we often get tired of reading the same parade of Curious George, Dr. Seuss and Thomas the Train -- or maybe that's just me. Meanwhile, there are so many wonderful books out there that haven't had time to become classics (yet), but are fun bedtime reading for all involved. The links for each title will take you to Quail Ridge Books & Music (my most favorite bookstore) -- if you're not within driving distance, you can order online from their store (and feel good about supporting an independent bookseller, which is a rare breed these days).

In no particular order...

1. Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride: Written by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen, this is the second title in a chapter-book series about a pig named Mercy who lives with Mr. and Mrs. Watson and eats lots of hot buttered toast (which became a breakfast staple after we started reading these books). Junius likes this one because it involves the "porcine wonder" in a madcap outing in the family convertible.
   
   
2. How I Became a Pirate: Written by Melinda Long and illustrated by David Shannon, this picture book follows little Jeremy Jacob as he joins with Captain Braid Beard and his crew on their quest to bury the pirates' treasure. With pirate-speak written into the story, it's a great read-aloud. Our favorite line is, "ARGH! Soccer!" The sequel, called Pirates Don't Change Diapers, is also hilarious.
   
   
3. Albert: Written by Donna Jo Napoli and illustrated by Jim LaMarche, is a beautiful picture book about a man who can't seem to find the right day to go outside. Then one morning when he puts his hand out the window to check the weather, a bird begins building a nest in his outstretched palm. The sweet story describes how Albert helps the birds and learns something about himself in the process.
   
   
4. When Dinosaurs Came with Everything: Written by Elise Broach and illustrated by David Small, this funny picture book shows what happens when a boy goes on errands with his mom and discovers that everyone -- the doctor, the barber, the baker -- is giving away a free dinosaur with each purchase. Where will all the dinos go and how will they all get along? Trust mom to make it all work out for the best.
   
   
5. This Jazz Man: Written by Karen Ehrhardt and illustrated by R. G. Roth, this finger-snapping, toe-tapping picture book spins the traditional rhyme "This Old Man" into a history lesson about great jazz musicians. Learn about counting, musical instruments and famous artists all in one terrific package.
   
   

Note: I have received no compensation from Quail Ridge Books & Music or any of the authors or illustrators of these books. However, if any of them wanted to send me some freebies, I wouldn't say no.