Finally a new Rainbow Book: How I Became a Pirate

"Tell me 'bout Jeremy Jay-tub 'gain, Mama!"
That's what Blaine begs from the backseat every day in the car. And happily I comply. "Well, there was this boy named Jeremy Jacob and he was very good at building sandcastles..."

My rendition is not nearly as clever as Melinda Long's. She wrote this endearing tale which is brilliantly illustrated by David Shannon (you know his stuff. Think Duck on a Bike, Alice the Fairy, etc. More on him later. Love him!)

Blaine received this book from his beautiful "auntie" Lisa and has loved it ever since he would sit still long enough to look at the pictures with me. Now that he is even older, he gets it more and loves it more.

The story is told from Jeremy Jacob's perspective and takes you on an adventure with Braid Beard the pirate and his crew. With Jeremy Jacob we learn pirate jargon ("shiver me timbers," "scurvy dog,"), pirate manners (none), pirate cuisine (meat on the bone, no vegetables in sight), and pirate bedtime stories (none--the only thing to read on board the ship is a treasure map). Jeremy Jacob thinks being a pirate is the greatest ever until he realizes he misses the comforts of home and family. And then a storm hits with lightening that breaks the mast of the ship. Will they survive the storm? What will they do with the treasure? Will Jeremy Jacob make it home in time for soccer practice?

You MUST get this book and read it with your children. It is so cleverly written and colorfully illustrated. Blaine adores it at 2, but I would recommend it up to 7 or 8 because, of course, the older they get, the more of the humor they get.

Hope you love it!

Martin's Big Words

I have a great many books about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They are all wonderful. This, however, is my absolute favorite--Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport, illlustrated by Bryan Collier.

Here's why I love it so:

1. Rappaport has ingeniously juxtaposed her original text with direct quotes from Dr. King's life. For example, after listening to his father preach when he was a young boy, Martin said, "When I grow up, I'm going to get big words, too." I love the way she uses his words and how it makes me feel more connected to him.

2. Collier's art is perfect. I suppose I'm biased because collage happens to be my very favorite medium. Here, Collier has used watercolor and collage to put lifelike images of Dr. King against a background of various textures and images. Like his life and the Civil Rights Movement itself, the illustrations are bold, complex, and multi-layered. I think Collier has captured the feeling of that time beautifully.

If you're looking for great books about Dr. King to read with your child, start with this one. It is geared for young children (I'd say Kindergarten-3rd grade), but it is an inspiring book for all ages.

Christmas is coming!

It's time to get Christmasy. Today's holiday Rainbow Book is an obvious classic. So widely known that I considered not posting it. But then Mr. Cropper told me he has never read it, which led me to wonder if there are others of you out there who haven't read this greatie, or don't own it? (Because you should. It needs to be in your Christmas stack, just under The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and just on top of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.)

Today's book is The Polar Express, written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. (He did Jumanji and Zathura as well, if that helps you get your author-bearings.) Of course there has been a movie since, as with Jumanji and Zathura. Movies are visually amazing of course, but in this case I prefer Van Allsburg's illustrations. The Polar Express, in fact, won the Caldecott medal in 1986. The paintings are large and exquisite; rich in color and detail. They make me want to cozy up by a fire and watch the snow fall down outside. Hot cocoa is involved in that wish, too. That's how good Van Allsburg is at eliciting that wintery, Christmasy feeling.

The story is a gem. In it, a boy boards the Polar Express one winter's night, and rides to the North Pole with scads of other children, clad in their jammies. They sing Christmas carols and drink hot chocolate. The train climbs mountains, crosses the Great Polar Ice Cap, and eventually reaches the North Pole, the streets of which are crowded with Santa's helpers. The boy is chosen to receive the first gift of Christmas and humbly asks for one bell from a reindeer's harness. He slips the bell into his pocket, but when he reaches for it back on the home-bound train, he feels nothing but a hole in his pocket. Devastated, he returns home. But don't you worry. This story has the most happy, magical ending of any story you've ever read. It makes me tear up every year! Please read this book! Please own this book! Please give this book to someone who doesn't! You will love it.

A Rainbow Book With Morals

My fun co-worker, CJ, recently introduced me to a fabulous picture book called Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners. In this creative, funny book by Laurie Keller, we learn that Mr. Rabbit is about to get new neigbors--and they're otters! As Mr. Rabbit wonders if these otters will be good neighbors, he explains what "he would have otters do unto him" and realizes that he could also "do unto otters" these same things. He goes through all sorts of manners from saying excuse me after a burp to asking permission to borrow something.

Here's what makes this book fantastic instead of just one more moralistic book about manners: Laurie Keller is hysterical! Her little asides and clever illustrations will make you giggle, and will make your kids CRACK UP! It's wonderfully creative and smart, and I highly recomment it. So does CJ.

A Peachy Rainbow Book

Today's Rainbow Book is Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. It is a greatie. An all-time classic. One of my fave authors, Mem Fox, has it on her Top 20 list, which is really saying something. Not that my opinion rates quite like hers, but I am with Mem. It's one of the best books for the lil' ones. Our version is a board book, which makes it great for babes like Blaine.

Each Peach Pear Plum is simple, yet clever. It is based on several nursery rhymes, and is a bit of an "I Spy" book. Here is how it works: "Tom Thumb in the cupboard/I spy Mother Hubbard." In the illustration we see Tom Thumb sitting, in fact, in the cupboard, and then we have to look for Mother Hubbard. Oh! There she is! I see the back of her yellow polka-dotted dress in the corner of the picture! "Mother Hubbard down the cellar/I spy Cinderella." Well I can clearly see Mother Hubbard now, but where is that Cinderella? Oh! There, behind that cabinet I see her arm and her featherduster!

Get it? Isn't that fun?!

And Blaine--at only 18 months--loves it. Here's why: it is simple, it is colorful, it rhymes, and it is full of pictures of animals and objects that are familiar to him. He will love it even more when he is a couple years older. Here's why: by 3 or 4 he will recognize those fun nursery rhymes, and will love playing "I spy" to find those familiar characters.

So whether a babe, toddler, or pre-schooler, I think your child will love this book!

An Autumn-time Rainbow Book

It's Autumn! It's almost time for Halloween! It's pumpkin time! It's time to read fun holiday books! Today's Rainbow Book is Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White (illustrated by Megan Lloyd).

Rebecca Estelle hates pumpkins. Growing up poor, she had little but pumpkins to eat. No matter how you boil, steam, bake, or mash them, Rebecca Estelle wants nothing to do with them. As she grows up, she lives peacefully in her home with absolutely no pumpkins until one day a pumpkin falls off a truck driving by her house and lands, or rather SPLATS in her yard. Disgusted, Rebecca Estelle cleans up and buries the mess. Oops. As you might guess, Rebecca Estelle ends up growing a ridiculously successful crop of pumpkins. Though she loathes them at first, Rebecca Estelle learns to conquer her distaste as she uses her pumpkins to benefit her whole community.

This story is so much fun and the illustrations are bold, detailed, and fabulous. My second-graders adored this story, and you and your children will too!

Another Fancy Rainbow Book

This weekend I had the privilege of attending a baby shower lunch for my friend, Heidi. First I met up with my friend, Kate, to carpool to Mimi's Cafe, and-as Kate pulled her basket of baby presents out of her car-I realized that I had forgotten Heidi's present! No, that makes it sound like I had a present for her and forgot to bring it. The actual fact is that I had forgotten to get her a present! What was wrong with me? There is nothing I love to shop for more than a baby shower! What was I thinking (not thinking)?! I lamented my embarrassment and stupidity to Kate all the way to Mimi's. But don't you worry, because as we pulled into the parking lot to Mimi's (7 minutes early), there stood Barnes and Noble, like a shining star in my darkness! (Cheesy metaphor--maybe that's why I'm not a published author myself.) I dropped Kate off at Mimi's, threw Blaine on my hip, and jogged over to B&N for some baby gift salvation. (Note: I am a big fan of Barnes and Nobles' children's department. I like the way it's organized soooo much better than Borders.) As Blaine and I walked in I decided immediately what I would do. See, our darling Heidi is about to birth her 3rd child. And I decided that her older 2 children deserved to be showered with gifts, too. So I picked up a wonderful book for Cole (which I will write about soon) and a gorgeous, lavender, sparkly greatie for Halle. And it's our Rainbow Book this week. It's...

Remember this utterly fabulous protagonist, as created by Jane O' Conner? (If you want a refresher, click here.) In this second installment, Nancy wants a posh puppy. "Posh," Nancy teaches us, is a fancy word for "fancy." Unfortunately, Nancy's family wants a different kind of dog than she does--and it's not nearly as glamorous. But, as you might guess, Nancy learns that being fancy is about much more than looks. You will love Nancy all over again!

This Week's Rainbow Book--The Flower Man

(Can't remember what a Rainbow Book is? Click here.)

In the past I wasn't a big wordless picture book fan. But I have come to appreciate them for both their entertainment and educational value. Think of it--a young child can infer a story from pictures long before he can read. And when the child is the one telling the story, think of how much he can use his imagination to add more details to the tale.

And so, I give you one of my most favorite wordless picture books--The Flower Man by Mark Ludy. It is the story of an elderly man that moves to a new town that is desperately dark and dreary. Throughout the story, we begin to see the impact one person can have in a community. As the Flower Man shares his talents and his light, the town is transformed.

What is particularly fun about this story is that you can really tell a different story each time you read it, as you follow each particular character throughout the course of the book. Also, I cannot say enough about the phenomenal use of color and detail in Ludy's illustrations. You simply must get your hands on this book!

This Week's Rainbow Book--Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

Introducing-my favorite children's author: Kevin Henkes. I know! A favorite? What? How can I pick one favorite? But alas, it's true! I think Kevin Henkes is absolutely the man. Everything he does is magic. I love his unique little rodent-characters and all their nuances. I love his simple, perfect-for-his-stories artwork, and I love how he loves what he does. Here's what he says: "I used to live with my parents and brothers and sister and work at a card table in my bedroom. Now I live with my wife and son and daughter in our own house and work at a drawing table in my own studio. I never thought I'd be lucky enough to be a real author and illustrator. I wouldn't trade it for anything." Do you not love him already?

I will feature many of his books in the near future, but today I start with my favorite (using that word again?!) of his characters and the first of his titles I discovered.
Meet Lilly. She is the snazziest rodent you ever did see. She wears red cowboy boots and everything! She is excited, she is loud, and sometimes she is sassy. SASSY. I actually like this about her because she gets in trouble for it (and has to sit in the uncooperative chair). And as a result, she learns. Without cheesiness (well, actually, there usually is cheese involved, as a lot of Henkes' stories are about mice...but it's actual cheese, not the sentimental stuff) or hitting you over the head with it, Kevin Henkes brilliantly teaches morals-even to the sassiest of mice and children.

But we're getting off track. Lilly stars or co-stars in several of Henkes' books, but I think Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse is her best. In it, we read the story of how dearly Lilly loves school, particularly because of her teacher, Mr. Slinger. "Mr. Slinger was as sharp as a tack. He wore artistic shirts...Instead of 'Greetings, students' or 'Good morning, pupils,' Mr. Slinger winked and said, 'Howdy!'" Lilly loves Mr. Slinger so much that she decides to be a teacher when she grows up (instead of a surgeon or an ambulance driver or a diva--her prior ambitions). But then one day Lilly comes to school with some new treasures from her Grammy. "Lilly had a new pair of movie star sunglasses, complete with glittery diamonds and a chain like Mr. Slinger's. She had three shiny quarters. And, best of all, she had a brand new purple plastic purse that played a jaunty tune when it opened." As you can imagine, Lilly becomes quite disruptive with all her new wares, and Mr. Slinger takes them from her for the day. In her sassy SASSY rage, Lilly draws a terrible picture about Mr. Slinger and slips it into his bag...

I will let you read it to find out how things turn out. (Don't worry! Kevin Henkes' stories have happy endings!) But promise me that you WILL read it! If you don't, you'll miss learning what the Lightbulb Lab is (I copied Mr. Slinger and set up one in my classroom--it was a hit!), you'll miss all of the clever dialogue, and you'll miss Lilly, Mr. Slinger, and all the other rodent-students doing interpretive dance. There--that seals the deal. I'm sure you'll read it now.
Enjoy Lilly and stay tuned for more Kevin Henkes Rainbow Books.

The Fanciest Rainbow Book Yet

The Easter Bunny brought me a real treat! Thanks to some hot tips (thanks Liz, via Martha Stewart and Katie, via Emily's blog) I learned recently of a book entitled Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Conner (illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser). I put it on my LONG "to read" list. Last week Taylor and I walked up to the bookstore to have a look around, and I (predictably) meandered, no-more like beelined-to the children's literature section. After perusing the sale bin for a few minutes I went to find Fancy Nancy. She is glorious. Here's what she looks like:

I know they say you can't judge a book by it's cover, but I couldn't help myself! There I was, standing in the bookstore, oogling over this fabulous girl! (What you can't see on this screen, is the very fancy glitter which adorns the title and title character.) I didn't care what was inside, I already loved this book. I read the first few hilarious pages (which were reminiscent of Eloise) to Taylor and said, "I have to have this book!" But, feeling very poor having just written a check to the IRS (oh, glorious tax season!), we decided to leave without Nancy. I didn't feel fancy. I felt glum.

Which takes us back to the dear Easter Bunny (AKA my dear husband). On Easter Sunday I discovered 2 things on my bed. The first was a basket filled with delicious chocolatey things and the second was a glittery, hardback book. "Fancy Nancy!" I squealed with delight. I read the story aloud to Taylor...

"I love being fancy. My favorite color is fuchsia. That's a fancy way of saying purple. I like to write my name with a pen that has a plume. That's a fancy way of saying feather. And I can't wait to learn French because everything in French sounds fancy." And so begins the delightful story. Feeling frustrated that her family is so totally plain, Nancy decides she will teach her family how to be fancy. She trains and tutors them on how to dress and talk more like her--more fancy! She takes them out to dinner and they do everything fancily. They even "eat with their pinkies up and call each other 'darling.'" But Nancy discovers that even the fanciest girls can lose their fancy. And that her family loves her even then.

OOOOHHHH you absolutely must read this book! You will love the ending, you will love the detailed illustrations, you will love the charm of this little girl who loves to think big. You will love Fancy Nancy.

A Very Fitting Rainbow Book

This week's Rainbow Book is my all-time favorite book about rainbows (I have several, of course!). It is The Rainbow Goblins by Ul de Rico. Interestingly enough, this rainbow baby had never been introduced to The Rainbow Goblins until my freshman year in high school. I grew up dancing (ballet, tap, jazz, you name it) under the direction of a very talented and incredibly creative teacher. She didn't just choreograph little dances to popular songs and costume us with what was available in dance catalogs. She put together enormous productions, and in addition to her choreography, designed elaborate sets and costumes. Now, I'm not claiming that our little dance studio put on shows to rival Broadway. But for a small studio, with a small budget, in a small town, I think what we did was pretty neat.

My teacher's 4 children grew up with The Rainbow Goblins. It was a classic in their family. And so in 1996 she created a ballet entitled The Rainbow Goblins. Set to the beautiful and stirring music of Edvard Grieg, it followed Ul de Rico's story perfectly. I was cast as the Red Goblin (appropriate, for those of you who know that "Ann(e) Likes Red.") Of course I fell in love with the story, and my mom gifted me with a hardback copy of it that I have since shared with my students and will read to my children. So now, as you imagine me dancing around the stage in a red unitard, a tight, red hood to cover my head (picture a bobsledder), red gloves, and red point shoes, I will share with you the beginning of the story...

"Once there was a land that lived in fear of seven goblins. They were called the Rainbow Goblins and each had his own colour, which was also his name: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. Yellow, being the craftiest, was their chief. The goblins lived on colour--they prowled the valleys and climbed the highest mountains looking for rainbows, and when they found one, they caught it in their lassoes, sucked the colours out of it and filled their bellies with its bright liquid. Only one place in the land had never known goblin-fear--the hidden valley called the Valley of the Rainbow, where the great arches of colour were born. There the animals still lived in paradise. But the Rainbow Goblins had heard tales of this Valley, and their mouths watered whevener they thought of the feast that awaited them there; and so they gathered up their lassoes and their pails and set off..."

What follows is a delightful story of goodness and beauty prevailing over selfishness and greed. The illustrations are oil paintings by the author and are absolutely exquisite. (It's worth reading the book just to see the gorgeous artwork.) So go find this gem and read it! You will love it!

Hooway for this Wainbow Book!

"Poor Wodney. Wodney Wat. His real name was Rodney Rat, but he couldn't pronounce his r's. To make matters worse, he was a rodent. A wodent."

So begins Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger's delightful story about a little rat with a speech impediment. Of course Wodney's classmates tease him so incessantly that he gnaws his cheesy lunch alone and hides his head in his jacket during recess. Then one day, big, mean, smart Camilla Capybara shows up and torments all the rodents in the class. But guess who saves the day not in spite of his speech impediment but because of it?

This book is funny and charming as can be. You will laugh out loud and your children will be giggling uncontrollably. And you will be oh, so proud of Wodney...

Oooooooo I Absolutely Love This Week's Rainbow Book!

Meet Eloise. She is 6. She is a city child. She lives at The Plaza.

This perfectly written character was created by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight back in 1955, but I have a feeling many of you have never heard of her. I have that hunch because even I, who grew up in a very literary family and made a career out of this stuff didn't get to know her until my husband Taylor gave me the book for my college graduation present 2 1/2 years ago. As Taylor read it out loud to me that night (just the way his mother had for years, as it was a classic Cropper book) I fell in love with Eloise. Then I shared her with my students and now they all adore her. (Actually, I love her so much that I dressed up like her for Halloween at school and all the kids died about it!) And now I share her with you.

Here's what we love about Eloise:

- It's written in first-person, from Eloise's perspective of course. So there are grammar errors ("She is my mostly companion") and made up words (Sometimes I sklonk him in the kneecap"). And she, like any good 6 year old, mimics all of the grownups in her life ("Our day maid's name is Johanna She has earrings with garnets and is going to take her Social Security to Bavaria on her birthday"). You may have noticed some punctuation errors in these quotes. That's yet another brilliant way Kay Thompson helps you hear Eloise's voice. (Can't you just hear a 6 year old you know rambling on and changing the topic every 9 seconds?)

-The supporting characters are perfect. Nanny the nurse "always says everything 3 times like Eloise you cawn't cawn't cawn't." Skiperdee is a pet turtle that "eats raisins and wears sneakers." Weenie is "a dog that looks like a cat." Not to mention all of the snooty adults Eloise interacts with at the Plaza.

-The Eloise-isms (referred to as "Eloisiana" by Kay Thompson) have become a part of the Cropper family language and became common phrases in my classroom as well. Things like: "Here's what I like," "Here's what I can do," "Charge it please," and of course, "Ooooooooo I absolutely love _____."

Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight also did Eloise in Paris, Eloise at Christmastime, and Eloise in Moscow. These are all wonderful, but the original is the best. There are also Eloise books by other authors (see my Valentine's Day post) that are clever but don't hold a candle to the genius of Thompson and Knight.

In my opinion, you simply must must must have Eloise in your family library. Make it a family tradition. Always read it aloud and do all the voices. So look it up on Amazon or rush out to Borders and "charge it please Thank you very much!"

This Week's Rainbow Book--George Washington's Teeth

February was my favorite month as a teacher. There's Chinese New Year, Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, the 100th day of the school year, Black History Month, and Presidents' Day. It was so fun to incorporate all of those events into our class discussions, reading, writing, art, etc. But, did you know that February is also National Children's Dental Health Month?! Oh yes, in our classroom we heard from special guest speakers (dental hygenists), celebrated how many teeth we'd lost, and read this week's rainbow book--George Washington's Teeth. I know what you're thinking, "A book about dental hygeine and George Washington? That's perfect for February!" Exactly. And this book is an absolute gem. The authors, Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora (with illustrator Brock Cole) present this absolutely true account of how and when George Washington lost all of his teeth--in verse--and it's hysterical! Kids laugh and laugh--and you will too! Here's a little teaser...

"Poor George had two teeth in his mouth the day the votes came in. The people had a President, but one afraid to grin."

Chandra and Comora include a timeline in the back of the book that tells more of the specific details of President Washington's dreadful dental woes. This comes in especially handy when the children ask, "Is this for real?!" Indeed...poor man. (By the way, the story that George Washington had wooden teeth is as much a legend as the story of him chopping down the cherry tree. His dentures were made of ivory.)

Make sure to read this book! And don't forget to brush your teeth!

This Week's Rainbow Book--Fanny's Dream

Today a friend reminded me of this marvelous book and I thought it perfect for our Rainbow Book this week. Why? Because this week we celebrate love. In this story, with echoes of a familiar fairy tale, Caralyn and Mark Buehner tell us about Fanny--a sturdy farm girl who dreams of marrying the Prince Charming type. Since her Fairy Godmother doesn't seem to be showing up, she accepts the proposal of Heber--a short, kind farmer (who doesn't exactly live in a palace). But Heber shows Fanny what real love is. He raises children with her, works hard for her, makes her laugh, and every night he soaks her tired feet in hot water. One night Fanny goes out to pick a melon and her Fairy Godmother shows up (just a little late!) and offers her the chance of a lifetime...

I'll let you read it to find out what Fanny decides. This story is a MUST READ! I'm practically tearing up just writing this post! Fanny and Heber remind us what REAL LOVE is.