Cool Book Four: The Black Book of Colors

The Black Book of Colors
Author:  Menena Cottin
Illustrator:   Rosana Faria
Translator:  Elisa Amado
Groundwood Books (2006)

For Mirette's third birthday her half-sister Lily baked her an orange birthday cake.   It tasted orange, so orange, that I mentioned to Lily that eating a piece of her cake would be a good way to explain orange to a blind person.

The Black Book of Colors does just that.  In this book, the blind person can imagine what the colors look like through the evocative words like black is the king of all the colors.  It is as soft as silk when his mother hugs him and her hair falls in his face.   Likewise, the sighted person can imagine what it feels like to use his/her sense of touch to experience a book.  

Menena and Rosana are both Venezuelan.   There are no English language websites on these two.

Wow--four reviews in one night.  All of the four books are award winners and each appeared on several best of lists.   I am seriously wowed by each of these books.  Happy reading.

Cool Book Three: Mirror

Mirror
Jeannie Baker
Candlewick Press (2010)

Another increbilly gorgeous, unique book that will potentially amaze you!   The pages of this book open out, so that each page is actually the equivalent of four pages.  One half is the story of a day in the life of an Australian family.  The other half is a day in the life of a Moroccan family.   One half is written in English, the other in Arabic.   The theme of the book is that "the inner person of a "stranger" may not be a stranger at all."  

Besides the cool idea (which would be cool in and of itself), the illustrations are breathtaking.   Jeannie Baker uses collage-- a mix of natural and artificial materials such as "sand, earth, clay, paints, vegetation, paper, fabric, wool, tin, and plastic."


Oh, I so want to read all her books!
http://www.jeanniebaker.com/index.htm

http://www.walker.co.uk/contributors/Jeannie-Baker-3387.aspx

Cool Book Number Two: Along a Long Road

Along a Long Road
Frank Viva
Little Brown and Company (2011)

This is a very super-cool book.  It's actually a 35 foot long painting and features a continuous road.  It was created on a computer using only five colors.  Viva is a graphic designer and often illustrates the cover of The New Yorker magazine.  Mirette has used her finger to follow along the road and has been talking about this one lots.

Watch it in action!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwL7gNrUA7Q


His website for the book with links to a teaching guide:
http://alongalongroad.com/

Cool Book One: There's Going to be a Baby

There's Going to be a Baby
Author:  John Burningham
Illustrator:  Helen Oxenbury
Candlewick Press (2010)

There's not (going to be a baby that is) in this family.   But this is the best book I have ever read on the subject of welcoming new brothers and sisters!   

The pictures are so endearing---yummy round heads and images of the baby doing all this funny stuff--like working in a bank and making pancakes.   Mirette thought it was hilarious even though there's no baby on the way, but it would also be a good one for pregnant moms to read to the brothers/sisters to be.  


John Burningham and Helen Oxenbury are a husband/wife team.  
Two interesting videos:
http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/oxenbury/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/audioslideshow/2011/may/03/helen-oxenbury-audio-slideshow

This is an article about them writing the book together (their first collaboration).  In it, they talk about how the mom in the book is dressed very stylishly (a reminder to not ignore ourselves) and also how this book would be a great gift for an expectant mom.   

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/44746-q--a-with-helen-oxenbury-and-john-burningham.html

Book of the Day: The Paper Bag Princess

The Paper Bag Princess
Author: Robert N. Munsch
Illustrator:  Micheal Martchenko
Annick Press (1992)

Is your child princessed out?   Mine isn't, at least not yet, but she HAS declared that her favorite color is pink.  

Peggy Orenstein who is famous for her classic book School Girls, wrote a book called Cinderella Ate My Daughter:Dispatches From the Frontlines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture.   I found this book hilarious, interesting, and informative.   As a famous feminist, the author is happily keeping her child away from the girlie-girl culture, but her daughter goes there anyway.   She explains many things like how pink came to be the "girl" color (it used to be light blue) and how the marketers took off on the princess fantasy to make millions of dollars.   

The thing that has really stuck with me is her idea that there is nothing wrong at all with our children playing princess, but limiting their play to only one type of fantasy is, well, limiting.   My daughter can play princess all she wants, but I do want her to play builder, and vet, and train conductor, and butterfly too.  

By the way,   she has a super fantastic fun book list on her website.  Here's the link:  http://peggyorenstein.com/resources.html (and really her whole website is great).

On to the book of the day--The Paper Bag Princess!  This is a classic feminist tale.   It couldn't be less subtle.    But Mirette totally adores this book.   She likes seeing the dragon's fiery breath and asks to read it again and again.  Her eyes lit up when I took it along on a car trip the other day.   Spoiler alert:  After saving the Prince, the prince rudely tells Elizabeth (the heroine) that she should clean herself up and change out of her paper bag before taking him away from the dragon.  Elizabeth says that he is a bum (in the English version it was Toad)  and decides not to marry him, skipping off happily by herself.

Interestingly, the book is written and illustrated by men.  

Robert Munsch is quite a guy.   I have to admit I started crying when I read his bio.   http://robertmunsch.com/whats-new.   He does speaking engagements at schools for free and sometimes just shows up unannounced (Can you imagine).   He prefers to stay with families and many of his stories are based on children he's met (Princess Elizabeth was based on a girl at his preschool who would throw her jacket on the ground like a princess).  He develops his stories from telling them first (in fact, that's how he got discovered).  He has a a wild and manic way of spinning a yarn and sounds like quite a character.   Robert battles addiction and mental illness.   He also writes poems.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/conditions/how-robert-munsch-grabbed-a-lifeline/article4268136/


Here's a great bio on the illustrator Mark Martchenko:  http://www.annickpress.com/authors/martchenko.asp?author=251&author2=380

Sex Ed for Three Year Olds: It's Not the Stork

It's Not the Stork:  A Book about Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends
Author:   Robie H. Harris
Illustrator:  Michael Emberley
Candlewick Press (2006)

I prescribe to the school of thought that it's a good idea to educate your kids about their bodies early on.    I've heard Amy Lang of Birds + Bees + Kids talks many times (both professionally and as a mom) and I really like her ideas.   http://birdsandbeesandkids.com/  

One day, Mirette was playing with some red and yellow play dough.  She tucked the yellow ball in the red ball and said,  "The yellow is in the mommy's uterus."   I was dumbfounded and kind-of proud too, but realized that I do often tell her the story of how she was born.  It's clearly interesting to her to think about how the body works.

It has recently come to the attention of our community that there is a level three sex offender residing here and also, even more disturbing to me, a man's iphone was found on a local playing field with child pornography on it.   That's made the moms around here start talking about teaching safe touch to our kids.  

So I bought the book mentioned on Amy's site even though it says 4 and up.   It's pretty wordy, but Mirette was captivated.  I kept saying, "should we put in a book mark and read more later?"  She'd reply,  "No mommy, read the whole thing."    

I thought it was extremely well done.   It doesn't avoid anything or mince any words (so some families may not like it for that reason), but it really is a very cute way of explaining with little cartoon pictures and a bird and a bee making funny comments along the way.

There is also Okay Touches, Not Okay Touches.

Before buying this book,  read this review to see if it's right for your family:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/its-not-stork

Here's a great interview with the author:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFWQsZGwXyo

Book of the Day: My Woodland Wish

My Woodland Wish
Author:  Casper Babypants
Illustrator:  Kate Endle
Sasquatch Books (2011)

Hey y'all.  I haven't forgotten my blog, but here's the deal:   Whenever I have any of my very limited free time, I always think I will write AFTER I clean the house.   I want to write on a crisp, fresh table--sunlight streaming unto my sparkling dining room.  But, um, I have a three year old--one who takes great joy in messing up whatever I have just cleaned.  Sigh.

Suffice it to say, it's time to buck up and write regardless of the other things going to the wayside.

Here in the Northwest we have a star in the kid's music world--Casper Babypants.  We finally took Mirette to see him and I have to admit, he's kind-of spectacular.   The book My Woodland Wish is also, of course, a song.   The illustration and the idea for the story came from his wife Kate.   It's a very sweet book about the forest with engaging collage illustrations.  The song is soft and gentle, perfect for before bed.

Here's the link to the song and their website (the song can be downloaded for free):   http://www.babypantsmusic.com/fr_home.cfm

Casper Babypants was the lead singer and songwriter for The Presidents of the United States of America.  

The two of them have two other books, all with free downloadable music.

Kate Endle's illustrations are also found in magazines, greeting cards etc.  Look for her works at www.KateEndle.com.

Book of the Day: I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew

I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew
Dr. Seuss
Random House (1965)


Way back when, in my post entitled Zizzer, Zazzer, Zuzz http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8749317886050281919#editor/target=post;postID=388418645757093I3580, I talked about all our favorite Dr. Seuss books.  Sadly, we completely missed out on Solla Sollew.  In fact, I had never really heard of it before until Mirette got a copy for her birthday.

It now ranks as my number one all time Dr. Seuss favorite!!!  In fact, I kind-of beg Mirette to let me read it to her.

Why?  Well for one thing, it's super fun to read.   I jumped up behind him. Then all through that day The Wubble wubbedon in a wubble-some way.  The road got more bumpy, more rocky more tricky.  By midnight, I tell you, my stomach felt icky.

The other reason is that it's yet another book that includes a wonderful reminder to stay in the present and appreciate what we have.   We are not going to find what we are looking for in Solla Sollew On the banks of the beautiful River Wah-Hoo, Where they never have troubles! At least, very few.

Hope you have as much fun with this book as we have.