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Big Thinker, Big Story

p1010819Guest Reviewer Lynn McSheehy is a graphic designer and single mother from Ohio. When she is not helping her parents run the family business, she spends her free time playing with her two spectacularly cute little boys. Her interests include music, art and theology, and she hopes to some day write a children’s book or two of her own! We’ll certainly look forward to that, Lynn.

When I first saw the title of this book, Little Ant, Big Thinker:
 Or Where Does The Ocean End?  it made me smile because it reminded me of my 3 1/2 year-old son, Jack! He is a busy little guy who asks all sorts of questions! As soon as Jack saw the book, he wanted to hold it and read it right away. As we sat reading it together, he studied the pictures intently and made comments about all of the little details hidden in the illustrations. The illustrations seemed like something that Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle might come up with after spending a cloudy day on a beach. Jack and I both liked the page that was set “portrait style” so that you had to turn the book on its side to see the ant and the elephant stacked up on top of the palm tree to see farther out to find the end of the ocean!

 
little-ant-mediumMy preschooler, Jack, wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the book. His 17 month old little brother, Luke, squealed and pointed to the pictures of the ant, elephant and fish, and sat contentedly through the entire story.  After we were done reading it, I put the book away and started in on some housework. As I was working, I looked up to see Jack leafing through Little Ant, Big Thinker on his own! I asked if he wanted me to read it to him again, but he said, “No, mommy…I just want to look at it by myself!”  Hooray for independence!  Overall, it was a fun book to read, with interesting illustrations. I am thinking the philosophy of it all went a bit over Jack’s head, but that didn’t keep him from enjoying it, thoroughly!

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Bubble Homes, Fish Farts and Snapping Shrimp

bubblehomesCharlesbridge out of Watertown, Massachusetts publishes some really awesome books for kids. A particular favorite of mine was their recent title, Bubble Homes and Fish Farts by Fiona Bayrock with full-color illustrations by Carolyn Conahan.

While we all adore squishy, shimmery, floating bubbles, have you ever realized they make excellent homes for Water Spiders, are a fun place to hide for the Juniper Spittlebug (did you even know there was such a thing as a Juniper Spittlebug?) and make playtime fun for Bottlenose Dolphin? I especially enjoyed reading about Snapping Shrimp. Found in coral sneefs, these shrimp make a loud sound to scare animals away, communicate and also catch prey. The bubble they make by snapping their claws moves so quickly and with such great force that it produces a snapping sound as the bubble implodes upon itself. And we all thought we were so cool when we squirted water through our palms at our local swimming pool!

The charming illustrations help show exactly how bubbles work above and below the water when used by animals. Helpful, too, are more facts included on the endpages as well as a glossary and index. Oh, and if you noticed I left out the fart bit, it’s because you’ll just have to get the book to learn what that’s all about!

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Before Wonder Bra

The Guest Reviewer today is none other than my soon-to-be 8 year-old son, Coleman. He devoured (and so did I) Robert Crowther’s Pop-Up House of Inventions from Candlewick Press and then wrote a book report about it for his class homework assignment. When I saw 0763642533medwhat he wrote I knew I just had to include it here. Enjoy!

I just read this great pop-up book filled with facts of things around the house. Want to hear some? Then I’ll tell you some. The first brassiere was invented in Greece in 2500 B.C., the first DVD player was bought in 1996. Or maybe this will interest you: the first electric egg beater was sold in 1910. If you like learning wacky facts, I think this book would be right for you.

NOTE FROM RONNA: This book is filled with inventive room by room pop-ups such as clothing hanging in a closet, a sliding shower door, and a revolving train track. The trivia, too, is great fodder for some fun conversations! While recommended for ages 6-9, grades 1-4, consider sharing it with younger and older siblings as well and they will not be disappointed.

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Noah Knew A Thing or Two

Not only is TOTZ ONLY a fabulous toy store, it’s really a one-stop shopping, playing and learning venue for families with a warm and welcoming staff. Located in Burbank, TOTZ ONLY was featured in our Best of 2008 issue so I wanted to shout out about a SPECIAL AUTHOR EVENT they’ll be having tomorrow (immediately following Storytime with Jamey Hood). Make haste and head over to this fabulous shop at 3009 W. Magnolia, Burbank.

320310481Storytelling and Booksigning by author
Zachary Shapiro, (Rabbi of Temple Akiba
in Culver City)
We’re All In the Same Boat
Thursday, March 19, 2009
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
818-845-8689

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UP ALL NIGHT

im_really_not_tired-250x250 
Today’s Guest Reviewer is Kim Phillips from Boston, Massachusetts. She is the mother of Andrew, 6 (pictured below) and Lia, 4.

Andrew and I recently read  I’m Really Not Tired, a  children’s book written by Lori Sunshine and illustrated by Jeffery Ebbeler from Flashlight Press. During a time in his life when he is normally consumed by stories about Star Wars, Bakugan, robots and superheroes, my son welcomed this change in our nightly reading!

The story is about a little boy who does not want to go to bed because he is convinced that he misses out on tons of fun when he’s sleeping. He imagines his Mom and Dad attend a circus and zoo right there in his own house, he imagines there are toy trains and fish in his bathroom that come to life while he’s asleep and even a rocket in his front yard! He plans to stay awake one night so he can see for himself and catch his parents in the act of having fun without him.

It’s funny, because I remember thinking all these things when I was a kid. I was convinced that all the fun began after I hit the pillow and on more than one occasion my son has expressed similar feelings: “It’s not fair! Grown ups get to stay up late and do whatever they want!” “You and Daddy get to stay up late and have fun while I have to go to sleep!” “What do you and Daddy DO while I’m asleep anyway?” “But I’m NOT TIRED!”

andrew_book2-1My son was intrigued by this book because he could really identfy with the boy’s plight. Reading page after page he said, “hey, this is what I think” or “this is what I say!” He really saw himself in the story and felt some comraderie with this imaginary character. He wanted the boy to catch Mom and Dad, I think, to prove that we do throw parties without him every night. I admit, I was a little nervous he’d get some ideas from the story, but thankfully our explanations of what we do when he goes to bed seem to satisfy him. I mean, who wants to stay up late and clean the living room, right?

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Is Anybody Listening?

I knew I was going to love this book simply from the title. In fact I would not change a single word of Austrian writer i-have-a-little-problem-medHeinz Janisch‘s  “I Have a Little Problem,” said the bear, a two claws up read from North South Books;  nor could I ignore its gorgeous, whimsical illustrations by acclaimed artist, Silke Leffler.

The bear needs to discuss something, something which seems to be worrying him. However in his futile yet comical attempt to find someone to lend an ear, he finds everyone and everything but! Very patiently, our big brown protagonist carries on his quest to be heard, from a visit to the inventor and tailor all the way to the street vendor, eye doctor and shoemaker. HELLO!!  Is anybody listening? When eventually the frustrated bear climbs to the top of a hill to assess all his encounters, he meets a very understanding fly who not only listens to the bear, but befriends him as well. “I Have a Little Problem,” said the bear is not only a satisfying read, but a meaningful one, too.  What works so well in this story is the kind-of in your face (or in bear’s case, on his body) way the author drives home his message that as adults we are often too quick to offer a solution before really hearing the problem.  So tonight at dinner I am going to make a very conscious effort to open my listening ears and close my mouth except when taking a bite to eat.

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Barbie is 50!

images1It’s official, I am older than Barbie! Heard on NPR this morning that today was the day the Barbie doll was launched onto the toy scene in 1959.

What are your memories of Barbie? I remember trading in my old Barbie every year at our local toy store Big Top on Long Island and paying a few dollars to upgrade to the latest model. One day my older cousin Shelley gave me her old dolls which I have saved to this day. That stash included the original Barbie with all separate fingers,
pristine styled blond hairdo (now minus the cut bangs courtesy of my daughter, Gemma) and pearl earring studs. And speaking of studs, the Ken I was given had real fuzz for hair and his clothing resembles that of a college fraternity brother. While perhaps no longer valuable in the eyes of a collector, both dolls remain priceless to me especially since I was able to pass them along to my daughter. I will never part with the first pieces of Barbie furniture and outfits which also accompanied that treasured gift from Shelley. While my daughter has long since outgrown playing with dolls, I will save these precious remnants of my childhood for my grandchildren to enjoy.

catalog_cover_1001I also have fond memories of having to buy everything Barbie for several years once my daughter turned 3 years-old. We had to have all the accoutrements including Barbie stories, coloring books, and more. If you’re looking for the latest in the Barbie book collection, check out your local bookshop. To see what is in print in today’s current Barbie collection of books, definitely visit publisher Random House for inspiration.

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Comics to Go!

9781934706381_normDo you have a child, like mine, who loves to draw, invent wild and wacky characters and create little hand made books? Then I have the ideal book for you. It’s called Comics To Go! by Mike Herrod from Blue Apple Books, a wonderful publishing house with lots of unique books out of Maplewood, New Jersey.

Here’s a sample of what my son Coleman did when he discovered the book last week. This design is the last cell for a comic strip called Rodrigo The Magnificent. The book contains 19 ronna-book2stories for children (or adults if you are so inclined) to complete and then color in. What is even more exciting is that at their web site more comic panels can be downloaded! Kids will love Super Squirrel, The Dog Walker, Duck Amok and so many others. When all the strips have been completed, kids will find some blank comics at the book’s end so they can flex some more creative muscle. I suggest keeping the book in your car so that when you go out for a meal you have something with which to entertain the kids which in turn will surely entertain you! The clever, colorful book will appeal to many age groups and would make a most welcome gift for any occasion.

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Henry’s Pitch for Sandy Koufax

Today’s guest reviewer is my brother-in-law, Henry Grossman. Henry is a retired science teacher from New York who has been a lifelong Dodger fan from the early 50s. He remembers with great fondness the great L.A. championship teams of the 60s led by the immortal #32, Sandy Koufax. He writes enthusiastically about a book introducing a new generation of ballplayers to “the man with the golden arm.”

1You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax by Jonah Winter is a beautifully written and illustrated biography of a great Dodger hero of mine. Narrated in a folksy “Brooklynese” vernacular, the young reader is given a thoroughly entertaining account of how a struggling hard-throwing southpaw matured into a great superstar and role model. The book also captures the character of a man who had to make difficult choices in his life such as refusing to play in the first game of the 1965 World Series because it was the Jewish High Holy Day.

He was a Brooklyn kid, a rookie when the Brooklyn Dodgers won its only World Series in 1955. Throughout the book, there are many interesting and revealing stats that underscore how remarkable and dominant a pitcher he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 60s. The exhilaration and anticipation of a new strikeout record or a no-hitter each time the great lefty took the mound was to baseball fans what Tiger Woods winning championships is to golf.

During World Series time, many games were broadcast from L.A. to New York audiences in the early afternoon on a school day. Practically everyone brought transistor radios and teachers had a TV in the faculty lounge. When Koufax pitched, we were all rivoted to the broadcast. If you were late to class, everyone understood. Yeah, Koufax was that big a deal!

The story concludes when Sandy Koufax, the youngest inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame, retires from the game when he was in his prime with records yet to break and championships to win. This book will spark interest to learn more about this legendary athlete and about Major League Baseball of that era.

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Get Crafty

Crafting Fun: 101 Things to Make and Do with Kids by Rae Grant is a hands-on, hands-down winner and the perfect book for National Craft Month. The binding makes holding your place as you prepare to craft a breeze. Projects are simple and straightforward, and will entertain your children for hours.

craftingfun
Organized by season, crafts such as a Pumpkin-Seed Necklace, a Snow Globe, Glitter Pinecones, Sponge-Painted Eggs, Mother’s Day Potato Print Cards and a Fourth of July Confetti Blower will keep your kids crafting through the months. The book’s Animal Track Casting craft has me inspired for my next family hike. A lot of these crafts aren’t new, but it’s handy to have them all together with useful step-by-step instructions in one beautifully designed book. If you like the format, check out the companion book, Cooking Fun: 121 Simple Recipes to Make with Kids, also by Rae Grant.

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Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

cathat22How fortunate that my son’s second grade teacher, Mrs. Carol Wawrychuk sent home a notice last week reminding parents that March 2 was America’s Read to Kids Day and Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Did you know that 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Seuss’ Happy Birthday to You! which has sold over 650,000 copies?

Imagine my surprise when in the mail today two beautiful, shiny books arrived from Random House just in time for this special day. I cannot wait to read the limited edition Happy Birthday To You! and will also check out the new Happy catalog_cover_100-12Birthday, Baby! To honor this great occasion, I went around the office at L.A. Parent and asked staff to tell me their favorite Dr. Seuss book, or their child’s favorite. And as an added bonus, graphic artist and frequent guest reviewer, Terresa Burgess, supplied me with a photo of none other than the beloved Cat in The Hat about to hi-5 young Teagan!

Here are some of the responses I got back from my colleagues:

2The only two books I remember having of his (Dr. Seuss) when I was growing up that were my favorites were: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and Green Eggs and Ham. – Dean Gojobori

Green Eggs and Ham!…Of course! – Lillian Doshay

My daughter’s favorite was One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. – Helene Chemel

I like Green Eggs And Ham and Fox In Socks, because they are so fun to try to read fast out loud. – Michael Berick

3I love Horton Hears A Who!!!!! It’s my favorite. What a great moral. We all really have a voice, no matter how big or small we are. It’s so important for all of us as individuals to be heard. – Michele Weiss

My very favorite Dr. Seuss book has to be Horton Hears a Who! When my daughter Lauren was a baby, we read it so often that I actually knew it by heart. This came in handy one very stormy day when Lauren and I were stuck in freeway traffic, me in the front seat and her in her carseat in back. She started to fuss, and to quiet her down I “read” her the story from memory. It worked!
“On the 15th of May, In the jungle of Nool …” – Christina Elston

I love it when the tweetle beetles battle on a noodle-eating poodle!
My vote is for Fox in Sox! – Carolyn Graham

catalog_cover_100As for me, I have such fond memories of reading Go, Dog. Go! I loved how my son and I would recite it together while snuggling close. He’d be the friendly dog and I’d be the poodle. We were always so happy that the two rode off together into the sunset, but while it was part     of the Dr. Seuss ‘I Can Read’ series, it was actually by a wonderful author called P.D. Eastman.  He also wrote Are You My Mother? Does anyone recall that other terrific story, A Fly Went By by Mike McClintock? Another couple of faves are Oh, The Thinks You Can Think! and Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? both by Dr. Seuss.  I must mention, too, that my daughter adored The Foot Book.

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A Princess, A Castle and a Mouse …

juliareading1Guest Reviewer, Jessica Smith from Dracut, MA is back, this time with her older daughter, Julia.

“Ooh, a princess one!” squealed my 6-year-old daughter as she picked up Mary Balfaz’s Princess Emily and the Secret Library. Illustrated by Stan Gorman, the cute, clear drawings make a wonderful backdrop for this story about a pigtailed princess’s many adventures in her home, Castle Clarion. Ever the girly type, my daughter was delighted by Princess Emily’s brightly colored poufy dress, crown and her interaction with the castle mice. After all, what little girl doesn’t love an imaginative, magical fairy tale?

After stumbling upon a tiny door, Princess Emily discovers a world within in
her own world—Mouseville. Magically created years ago by a wizard, the
kindly man used an amulet to keep the secret of the magical talking mice
library hidden within the library. But when the amulet’s power begins to
wear off, curious Princess Emily uncovers quite a treasure! We were
especially delighted with the miniature town the mice had set up, complete
with streets, tiny buildings and neatly planted gardens. In the story, we
are introduced to a mayor, a school principal and even the town jester!

After discovering that the mice need Princess Emily’s help to save
Mouseville from her mother’s intended castle renovation, they realize that
Emily is in the possession of the amulet that keeps the mice safely hidden
within their world—a treasure she had found days before on one of her many
castle adventures. She quickly returns the magical amulet, and Mouseville
is safe once again. My daughter easily identified with the bouncy, curious
heroine of the story, having starred in countless of her own imagined,
dress-up fairy tale adventures.

A surefire hit for the for the daydreamers in the 5 years and over set,
Princess Emily and the Secret Library is fuel for the imagination and a fun,
wholesome tale for the princess in your family.

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Frequency Hopping With Ignatius McFarland

dsc_0026Editor Carolyn Graham’s 8 year-old daughter, Kate, read Paul Feig’s new book called Ignatius McFarland: Frequenaut! and had this to say about it:

I like the fact that it is about aliens and one of the bullies is based on one that bothered the author in his childhood. To have that connection and feeling is both happy and sad. On top of that, it was really fun and exciting, too. I also liked a part in the beginning when one of the first female characters arrives on the scene and how she was described like this:

ignatiusmacfarland2“I saw a shadow about 10 feet away from me. It looked like it was from a big bird in the sky above the field. I looked up to see if it was going to be something as weird as the trees and plants I was seeing and quickly realized it was even weirder than I could have imagined. Because it wasn’t a bird. It was a girl.” So I hope you like the book. Bye.

For more about Paul Feig, please check out the  exclusive extended web interview and also see our Chat Room on page 70 in the March edition.

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Letting Some Cute Cats Out of The Bag

Cat Cover 7x10.5 wrk DOkay, so I’m on a cat bend right now, but for good reason. Cat, by Matthew Van Fleet with photography by Brian Stanton is fancatstic! The cover alone drew me in with its little grey cat pawing at an unsuspecting goldfish swimming contentedly in a bowl (push the arrow tab and watch what happens) and the in-your-face Siamese with the soft, touchable tail. And what’s not to love about Mo, the Exotic Shorthair? I learned this big orange cat’s name along with all the others from the back inside cover where all the felines featured are pictured in frames with their best face forward. Little ones will not be able to put this book down with its clever push/pull, open/close mechanics and tactile pages. They’ll meet furry cat, bald cat, and a toy that goes squeak, a scary cat, a cute cat , a hide one and a seek. The pictures may also help you decide which breed of cat interests you if you haven’t yet chosen a little kitten for your family. I’m partial to Raja, the Bengal, whose pleading eyes shout “cuddle me now, please.” Who is your favorite?

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Crazy Cattitudes

My 16 year-old cat, Nikky, would love local author Steve Fisher’s book The World Is Your Litter Box since it’s actually a how-to manual written for cats, not humans, which she could have written had she opposable thumbs. But for those of you still getting to know me, allow me to digress.1402752962m

I wasn’t always a cat person. I grew up devoted to my Standard Poodle, Bridgette, and vowed to have dogs my entire life. Back in 1969, an eventful year with the Moon Landing and such, my brother found a stray cat which our parents allowed us to keep with the proviso it remained outdoors so as not to upset Bridgette. Well, our interest in that cat, which we’d imaginatively named Frisky, lasted about as long as the first moon walk. Soon after, Frisky began spending more and more time in our neighbor’s backyard and was aptly renamed Apollo.  The rest, good readers, is history.

Fast forward 20 years to 1989. My then future husband, Dan, had a cat named Tiger and so sparked my newfound fondness for all things feline and finicky. Tiger happily lived to a hearty old age of 19 and since then with our travel-filled lives, we’ve always only had cats as pets.

quasi-bio2Now back to this delectable, delightful read as told to readers by Quasi, Fisher’s cat affectionately known as Big White Guy or Quaz. This is a seriously laugh-out-loud book which I have already read with tears in my eyes (yes I laughed that hard) to my husband, my son and L.A. Parent’s managing editor, Christina Elston. One of my favorite chapters is Humans’ Questions About Cats which includes these classics (and even these two were hard to choose since they are all so very, very funny. In fact  I am laughing as I type, but must remind you that the full impact does come when the list is read in its entirety!):

Late at night, do cats levitate themselves toward the ceiling and hover over their sleeping humans? Yes.

While sniffing catnip and kicking their back legs, do cats sing Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane songs to themselves? Yes.

Reading Amusing Tricks and Games is bound to bring a grin to your face, in particular, the Psycho Kitty entry and its accompanying warning  that playing this game will make your human extremely upset, to say the least. And frankly, if 20 Good Places to Throw Up doesn’t break you up, I don’t know what will! Fisher’s sense of humor and insight into a cat’s psyche is unparalleled, and the categories he’s covered are so on the mark (or should I say so in the litter box?). Even when he covers a visit to the vet, he’s got it down! However, he never met Ellis, my Tabby who died in 2005. In her prime, Ellis, though mush in my hands, could only be removed safely from her cage by vets wearing heavy duty gardening gloves!

At this point I’d be remiss if I didn’t add that I usually do not read these types of books, but now am so glad that I have. I’ve been told to expect a new book later this year and I simply cannot wait.

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