Lulu and the Brontosaurus By: Judith Viorst Illustrated by: Lane Smith

This is a tale of a girl who can throw one wicked tantrum whenever her parents attempt to tell her "no". Her parents always give into Lulu but when she asks for a Brontosaurus as a birthday present her parents just won't say yes.  This leaves Lulu no other choice but to head out into the forest on her own to find a pet Brontosaurus herself.  (Leaving her parents sipping tea, eating cookies quite relieved to have some quiet time.)  The fact that her parents forget about her cracks me up!  Most kids think they are always the center of our universes but when they go acting a fool it is good for them to find their own way sometimes!

Go on Lulu's journey with her and see if she can find her birthday present and if she can find herself a set of good manners.  This is a clever tale that will have your kids wanting you to read it from start to finish.  It is also a great book for young readers to read solo.  The author includes several endings letting you choose which you like best.  The pencil drawings of the animals and of Lulu are alive with movement and personality.


This book is a great way to show a child how very silly they look when they go bananas (and they all do at some point).  It is also a great way to mirror to a child the power of good and bad manners and how it can make a big difference on the outcome of any situation.

You will find a lot of humor and wit spread throughout the story much like any of Judith Viorst books.   Pick up this great read and if the kids love it there is sequel to check out: Lulu Walks the Dog.

 

Ponyella By: Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans Pictures by: Lynn Munsinger

 Ponyella is an adorable twist on the tale of Cinderella.  My girls absolutely love this book.  What little girl doesn't love a fancy pony, a princess, a fairy godmare and a happy ending?  In this version of the classic tale Ponyella gets bought by a new owner who brings along two horses Bun Bun and Plumpkin.  Bun Bun and Plumpkin are not nice to Ponyella and Ponyella is made to do all the hard labor around the farm.  One day Princess Penelope shows up and she is going to pick the winner of the "Tippington 25th Annual Grand Royal Pony Championship".  Sounds pretty fancy right?!  Plumpkin and Bun Bun tell Ponyella she is too dirty to participate and she begins to cry.  As the story goes she is visited by a godmare who makes Ponyella spectacular and fancy not to leave out a pair of diamond horseshoes.

"Now remember, you must be home by the stroke of noon."  Ponyella ends up impressing the princess but has to retreat before the spell turns her back.  Princess Penelope doesn't give up and tries the diamond horseshoe left behind on every horse she finds until she comes across Ponyella.  She buys Ponyella with all the money in her piggy bank and treats her like a pony fit for a princess.

The book ends  "As for Plumpkin and Bun Bun, they were sold to a new owner.  But that's another story."

Any little girl will have fun with this story and want to read it again and again!

If You Take A Mouse To The Movies By: Laura Numeroff Illustrated by: Felicia Bond

You'll see in this book if you take a mouse to the movies it will lead you on a very exciting and tiring journey. The mouse leads the boy on a sequence of activities that will have you laughing all the way!  It just so happens with everything he asks for it will in the end have him asking for the same thing he did at the beginning leading right back to where he started!

The book set around Christmas time has lots of winter fun sprinkled throughout the pages. The illustrations will capture little readers attention with all the sparkle and detail paid to every page! My girls love when the mouse makes Christmas ornaments, many, many, Christmas ornaments!  They especially love the angel mouse he makes.

This is one of three books about this adorable mouse. All written in the familiar fun way watching the little mouse going in a circle of activities to find himself back where he started!

If your children enjoy this book take a trip to your local library and bring home the series of these books :

1.  IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE
2.  IF YOU GIVE A MOOSE A MUFFIN
3.  IF YOU GIVE A PIG A PANCAKE
4.  IF YOU GIVE A CAT A CUPCAKE
5.  IF YOU TAKE A MOUSE TO SCHOOL
6.  IF YOU TAKE A MOUSE TO THE MOVIES
7.  IF YOU GIVE A PIG A PARTY 

Also check out the author here: http://www.lauranumeroff.com/index.htm  

She has a lot of excellent reads and also some activities for the kiddos!

A Pussycat's Christmas By: Margaret Wise Brown Illustrated by: Anne Mortimer

What child doesn't like a cute cat and a great Christmas story? Well this book has got both.  Go on a journey with a pussycat who loves snow and get a vivid description about how she perceives the holiday of Christmas.  The illustrations are adorable and lovely and the verses are melodic.

The picture of the pussycat getting into the gift wrapping and playing with the Christmas ornaments is spot on.  Anyone with a cat can picture theirs doing the same with their big black eyes ready to pounce on anything that moves or rustles.  My little Emy thinks it is so neat that the cat eats snow just like her!  Pussycat even catches a glimpse of Santa in his sleigh way up in the night sky. The story ends with her sleeping all curled up with a present left by Santa waiting for her when she wakes.

 "For if there was anything that this little cat loved, it was the cold, dry, fresh, white, wild, and feathery, powdery snow. She went pouncing around in it, bouncing with joy. And she at some of it. And she rolled in it and dug in it and played with it."

By the author of Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny.

Morris's Disappearing Bag A Christmas Story by: Rosemary Wells

One of the funniest Christmas stories that is a favorite in this house is Morris's Disappearing Bag.  By the author of Max & Ruby this book is a funny look at how siblings get along and share their gifts on Christmas. 



Morris is the youngest and none of his older three siblings want to share their presents with him and they aren't in the least bit interested in his teddy bear he got.  So while they use each others gifts Max becomes more and more depressed.  He sits under the tree while his family is eating and he sees one last gift left unopened. It was a disappearing bag and in he went.  His siblings start searching for him and when he reappears they can't wait to try the bag out.  So Morris opens the bag and in they disappeared while Morris gets to use all of their gifts without anyone else around!

 "Bedtime.!" said Morris.  "May I use the bag tomorrow?" asked Rose "I want to sleep in it tonight," said Betty. "Morris," said Victor, "I hope you remember where you put the bag."  But Morris was already fast asleep.  Now don't we all wish we had a bag like that for holidays and birthdays?  Imagine using your brothers or sisters gifts while they disappeared!


Here is to a Merry Christmas in this wonderful season of giving and sharing!  

The Mitten By: Jan Brett

The Mitten is a Ukrainian folktale.  It is about a boy who asks his Baba (grandmother) to knit him white mittens.  She warns him that if dropped in the snow they will be hard to find. But he still wants them and she makes them for him.  While out playing he drops one of his white mittens.  He continues to play without noticing one of his mittens is gone, but the animals notice and one by one go inside the cozy mitten.  Each animal bigger than the one before goes into the mitten until the biggest of all a bear fits himself in the mitten. By this time the mitten is quite big and very stretched out.  Then a tiny mouse perches herself on the bears nose causing the bear to sneeze and all the animals get shot out of the mitten!  The boy sees the mitten flying up in the air and runs for it. "From the window, Baba watched Nicki catch the mitten.  "See, Baba!" he called to her.  " I have both my mittens." And Baba smiled.

Each page has two mittens drawn on each side that act as a window.  From one you see what the boy is doing and from the other you can see what animal is coming next.  My youngest daughter Emma also likes the flowers and hearts that adorn each page and likes to tell me her favorite one as we read this book together.  This is a fun book that any child will get a good laugh out of!  Share with them the magic of this great folktale and see if they believe that this indeed could happen to one of their mittens!  What a great read for a cold winter day!  Follow the story up by trying to see how many things they can stuff into a mitten or how many stuffed animals they can get to fit.  If they are like my children they have plenty of mini sized stuffed animals just waiting for them to use.

I love the last picture in this book of Baba looking at the stretch out mitten!

                                                  

The Lion and the Little Red Bird Story & Pictures by: Elisa Kleven

In honor of my oldest daughter Isabela's birthday this month I share with you the Lion and the Little Red Bird. I remember pushing Isabela in her stroller from our home to our library one hot summer day.  I can vividly picture Isabela at 7 months old holding onto this book tightly against her chest the whole stroll home. (The book almost half her size)  I should have seen it then that her love of books was real even at this young age.  Isabela turns five on the last day of this month and as I have seen these first five years fly past I really can't wait to see what this amazing girl will do with all the years of her life!

This story is a beautiful tale of an odd friendship forged between a lion and a little red bird.  The bird wonders why the Lion's tale changes every night after he enters his cave.  She tries to ask him but the lion can not understand her but enjoys her chirping.  The lion has busy days filled with chasing butterflies, splashing in the water, and picking red berries.  His days our filled with color and his tale changes each night.  One night a storm comes and the lion runs out to bring the Little Red Bird into his cave to protect her.  She then sees why his tale changes colors.  He paints beautiful scenes every night on the walls with his tale.   

 "The bird sang while the lion painted.  She sang a song without any questions, full of color and joy.  The lion had never heard anything so unusual and so pretty.  Just listening made him happy." 

 This book has beautiful illustrations and a great message.  Teach your children about colors and animals with this book and teach them one of the most important lessons of life; friendships without prejudices.  A lesson worth learning.

Happy Birthday Month Reading!

First Snow By: Emily Arnold McCully

First Snow is such a delightful read.  The illustrations are adorable and nostalgic.  The text is as simple as it comes with one word sentences adorning most pages.  This allows the illustrations to really speak for themselves and allows parents to become an active participant in the descriptions.



I really love the simplicity of this book and look forward to reading it every year to my little girls. My girls like most children can't wait for the white stuff to start piling up outside and this year they are ready to try out their own sleds!  Like the little character Bitty my girls will have to climb a steep hill and see if they too have the courage to slide down.  Will they be like Bitty and find the nerve to do it?  Will they want to do it over and over and make us drag them home?!  I can't wait to find out!  I will post pictures as a follow up of the girls sledding and I hope like Bitty they have such a magical time that when they get home they end up falling asleep in front of their hot chocolates.

The author of First Snow Emily Arnold McCully is a Caldecott Medal winner.  Here is to a brilliant read and to many snowy days this winter. 

Our first sledding adventure was some of the most fun I have ever had with my girls!  It was a really steep hill and they were both not afraid and went up and down probably 15 times!  Great winter fun just like Bitty had!