Mouse's Corner: Library Favorites

Fire Engine for Ruthie by Lesléa Newman, Illustrated by Cyd Moore

Clarion Books, 2004

Fiction (Children's); 32 pgs

I think I loved this book more than my daughter did, although she did enjoy the story.  It's just that my daughter is very much a girl who loves dolls and dress up and tea parties.  She also enjoys playing with fire engines and trains too though, so she does not quite understand why anyone would not want to play with them ALL.  

Fire Engine for Ruthie is about a little girl who is visiting her grandmother.  Her grandmother has such wonderful plans for the two of them, only Ruthie, on a walk with her grandmother, sees a neighbor boy, Brian, playing with a fire truck. She plays at home with her grandmother, only she'd much rather be playing with the fire truck.  On and on it goes until one day the grandmother asks Ruthie what she wants to do. Ruthie asks if she can play with Brian--and off they go.   

What I liked about this story most is that it shows a girl who doesn't necessarily like to play designated girl games or with girl oriented toys. It's okay for a girl to want to play with trucks and motorcycles and trains!  And some do. I like that Ruthie doesn't fit into that stereotype of a girly girl--and I think a lot of other girls (and boys) would be able to relate to Ruthie's character.

I especially loved the way Ruthie turned her grandmother's games of dress up and dolls and the tea party into a game she could enjoy--even if it wasn't what the grandmother had envisioned.  It showed imagination and outside the box thinking.

I admit I wish the book ended sooner than it did.  At the risk of spoiling the book, the grandmother at the end takes Ruthie to the store to buy the toys Ruthie wants.  I would rather the book have ended a couple pages earlier--with the grandmother playing with Ruthie and the neighbor boy.  I think the message would have been just as powerful.

The illustrations are eye catching, not to mention well done.  Mouse loved picking out various details on the pages.

Fire Engine for Ruthie is a fun story, one I think will especially appeal to young children who don't always (or at all) fit into stereotypical behavior when it comes to play.

To learn more about author Lesléa Newman and her work, please visit her website. 
To learn more about illustrator Cyd Moore and his work, please visit his website. 

Source: We read this book at the public library.

Chalk by Bill Thomson

Two Lions, 2010

Fiction; 40 pgs

Mouse and I are of the same mind when it comes to Bill Thomson's Chalk.  It's is one of our favorites.  After the first couple readings of this one at the library, Mouse begged her dad and I to buy it for her.  We haven't yet, but we did check it out of the library.

The illustrations are amazing.  They are very detailed and realistic.  I like that the children are of different races.  Most of all, I love the story this book tells--all without words.  It's the story of three children who are walking in the rain.  They come across a gift bag full of chalk, hanging from the mouth of a dinosaur at the park.  Each of the children takes a piece of chalk and draws a different picture.  The first girl draws the sun--and magically, the sun raises from the ground and into the sky, chasing away the rain clouds.  The second girl draws butterflies and soon the children are surrounded by the beautiful butterflies.  The boy decide to draw a dinosaur who comes to life--and scares them, forcing them to hide in the park.  

It's a beautiful story about the magic of our imaginations and problem solving. Mouse enjoys telling her dad and I the story just as much as we enjoy telling it to her. I can't recommend this book enough.

To learn more about author Bill Thomson and his work, please visit his website. 

Source: We checked this book out from our local public library (after reading it a few times at the actual library)

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Mouse's Corner: Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss

Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss writing as Theo LeSieg and illustrated by George Booth (Random House, 1974; 48 pgs) is basically about a young girl who wakes up one morning to find that things around her are not quite right.  A door has two knobs, there is a shoe on the wall, and a candy cane acts as a table leg, just to name a few of the crazy things she sees.  No one else around her seems to notice.

My daughter loves her books, and one of her favorite stories right now is Wacky Wednesday. It's one of my favorite books too.  The word repetition and rhymes are fun for a young child, not to mention the enjoyment my daughter gets from pointing out what is wrong in each picture.

Mouse has taken the book one step further and likes to create her own wacky scenes around the house. Mouse was quite proud of her work in the tub the other night:

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Mouse's Corner: Cloth Books

My mother asked early on in Mouse's life if I thought she would like a few cloth books.  My mother likes to sew and found patterns at her local fabric store for books for young children.  Of course, I said yes.  Books that are easy to wash and that you can't rip?  Perfect!  

Mouse has loved those books, whether it's to use them as pillows or flip through the pages.  Two of her current favorites include The Three Little Pigs and The Rainbow Zebra.  Both of the books are colorful and playful in their illustrations and fit with the story perfectly.

The Three Little Pigs is a familiar story: three pigs build houses, each one out of different materials.  A hungry wolf threatens to blow each house down unless the resident pig lets him in.   Knowing they'll likely get eaten if they do, they refuse.  It's a story children love, and many adults too.  Mouse really likes to retell this story, changing it up as she goes. 

I especially like how the illustrator captured the wolf peeking in the window.  

When Mouse took The Rainbow Zebra to school for show and tell, I received nothing but praise about the book.  The story is not only one that appeals to children, one full of various types of animals, but it is also a book about trying to fit in and valuing the differences of others, including oneself.  I confess it's one of my favorites too.

What do you think of cloth books?  Have you ever had one?  Did/Do you have a favorite?

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 © 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Mouse's Corner: The Circus, a Movie, and a Book About Monsters

February was a relatively laid back month for Mouse.  She is busy learning to identify her letters by sight and her games of pretend are becoming more elaborate.  Mama and Daddy have to play along, just not at the same time.  When she throws me out of her pink castle tent in favor of bringing her dad in, she always says reassuringly, "It'll be your turn again soon, Mama.  It's daddy's turn now."  We still hide and run from the "monster" or "bear", but also enjoy a pretend picnic, sometimes play doctor and often go on make believe trips.  We even have pretend birthday parties with presents and all.  

Three weeks ago, we were invited by Mouse's best friend to attend the circus which was in a nearby town.  Mouse was so excited--she still talks about it.  It was a lot of fun for both the girls, although it was next to impossible to keep Mouse in her seat.  She was not loud or out of control, but rather just wandered from her dad to me to her own seat which she shared with her friend and then sometimes to the aisle just in front of us. Thank goodness it was a family circus and so Mouse wasn't the only restless child.  There was only one ring, but so much was going on.

Something I hadn't thought of, but fortunately the other girl's mother had, was to take the girls aside before we went into the tent and explain to them that we adults would not be buying them anything sold inside.  So, despite the annoying tactics of the circus vendors of shoving items for sale in the children's faces while looking at the parents, neither girl asked for anything.  Whew.

I had my doubts after that afternoon about taking Mouse to see a movie in a movie theater, but I had talked it up so much, she was not happy when I mentioned to her dad that I didn't know if she was ready.  Of course she was ready! She wanted to see the movie about the two princesses and the snowman!  So, after everyone was back in good health again, this past Sunday, we went to see Frozen in the theater.  Her dad got her a giant tub of popcorn, which we all shared.    I had been warned it might be too scary for Mouse.  The abominable snowman was a fright, and Mouse had to step out for a few minutes until he was gone.  She enjoyed the experience of being in the movie theater overall though, and sat still through the entire production (except when we had to step out).    We followed the movie up with a late lunch at The Spaghetti Factory before heading home for an afternoon of make believe birthday parties.  

We are enjoying a quiet weekend before the whirlwind that will be next week.  Both Marty and I are sick again with colds, wouldn't you know it?  Next week Mouse has a dentist's appointment on Monday (her third--she's an old pro at this now), Disneyland later in the week (a birthday trip with just the three of us), and then two birthday parties (one with her friends and the other with family).  As a result, I will be scarce this next week around the blogosphere.   I am sure you understand.

Maggie and the Monster by Elizabeth Winthrop, illustrated by Tomie dePaola

Putnam Juvenile, 2007
Fiction (Children's); 32 pgs

I could not help but buy a copy of this book for my daughter for Christmas.  I wish I could remember which one of you blogged about this book--but it was thanks to you I found it.  For those who do not know, Mouse's name is Maggie.  She was quite adamant the first time I read her this book that the main character was not Maggie, couldn't be, because she is Maggie.  She pointed out that Maggie's bedroom was not her bedroom.  Immediately after finishing the book the first time, I was told to read it again. During the second reading, suddenly Mouse had decided she was in fact Maggie and the book was about her.

Maggie and the Monster has become one of Mouse's favorite books, and we read it quite often, usually right before bath time.  It's a cute story, about a little girl monster who disturbs Maggie in the night.  Maggie is frustrated, and tries to get the monster to go away.  When the monster won't leave, Maggie finally asks her what she wants.  And then Maggie tries to help the little monster find what she's looking for.  The illustrations are fun and I love the way the artist plays with the shadows and coloring.

We haven't yet looked for any of the other Maggie books, but I imagine I will be soon!

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Mouse's Corner: Birthday Planning, Shoes & Mr. Peabody's Apples by Madonna

What Mouse is Doing Today:  We get to sleep in just a little on Saturdays, but even Mouse is not too excited about waking up to the alarm on Saturdays.  Mention that it's a soccer day though, and she's immediately wide awake.  Most of the time.  Today was not one of those days.  It took a little coaxing to get her up, and ready for the day.

What Mouse Needs: New shoes.  Her feet have grown yet again.  So, another activity to add to the list of things to do today.  Shoe shopping.  

What Mouse is Talking About: Mostly she is into telling stories right now.  It's so fun to witness her imagination take flight.  She may not have many life experiences to build on, but she can be quite creative when she wants to be.

She is also talking a lot about her birthday.  She even has it all planned out.  Who she is inviting.  What her theme will be.  Who will bring and do what.  I think the talk stems from the fact that so many other children in her school have birthdays this coming month.  She even can tell you the order of their birthdays before it's her turn.

She goes through phases where she sometimes calls me Mommy, Mom or Mama.  We are going through a Mama phase right now.  

What Mouse is Playing:  

What Mouse is Listening to:  "Not talk music, Mommy."  I do not generally listen to an audio book or talk radio when Mouse is in the car, but occasionally it's on when I turn the car on.  At the moment we are listening to the third CD of a children's song set.  The Wheels on the Bus is her favorite from this particular CD.  She also has been singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider song quite often lately as well as making up her own songs.

What Mouse is Watching:  All week it has been all about Caillou.  Yesterday she was in the mood for Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  While there are several shows she likes to watch, she often fixates on one at a time.  

What Mouse is Reading: 

Mr. Peabody's Apples by Madonna, illustrated by Loren Long

Callaway, 2003

Children's; 40 pgs

My daughter has an extensive book collection, but, true to her age, she often has a favorite she likes us to read to her over and over.  The favored book changes frequently, which is nice in a way.  Just when my husband and I are ready to hide a book because we just can't read it one more time, she fixates on another book.

One of her most recent favorites came as a surprise.  A surprise because I had forgotten it was on her shelf. My aunt and uncle had gotten it for her the year before last.  The other reason I find it surprising my daughter likes this book is because of its length.  I am not sure she fully grasps what the story is about just yet, but it's a lesson well worth learning.  Madonna admits the story is not a new one, based on one that has been told in one version or another for over 300 years.

Mr. Peabody is a well liked teacher who is witnessed taking an apple from a fruit stand without paying for it. Soon everyone in town thinks Mr. Peabody is a thief.  This is the story of what happens when a person spreads a rumor instead of first seeking out the truth.  

This book has an overall good message, and the author does a good job of getting her point across in a way children will understand.  I think the biggest draw for both my daughter and I though are the illustrations, which complement the story very well.  The book is set in 1949, and the pictures have a late 1940 feel to them in terms of details and characterizations.

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Mouse's Final Thoughts: Have a Happy Saturday!  And don't play with the light switch.

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Mouse's Corner: Dinosaurs Love Underpants by Claire Freedman & Ben Cort

Dinosaurs Love Underpants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort

Aladdin, 2009

Fiction (Children's); 32 pgs

If you have ever wondered why dinosaurs disappeared, here's the book for you.  It offers one version of their demise, anyway.  Dinosaurs Love Underpants is my daughter's new favorite book.  She has the most fun picking out which underwear should go to mommy and daddy and grandma (saving all the pink ones for herself) at the end of the book.  

The illustrations are colorful and fun.  I love the details in each drawing.  The writing is creative and lyrical, rhyming and flowing.  It's a cute story, even if a little sad (only to me, I'm sure, who thinks the end of the dinosaurs isn't really a happy occasion).  I like that each page has much in the way to see--Mouse can count the cavemen or dinosaurs on a page or can show me which children are sad and which are happy.  Plus, all the colorful underpants are cool.

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© 2013, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Kid Konnection: Mouse's Favorite Downstairs Books (Part 3)

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It isn't just the little board books that have won Mouse over. Seeing her coming with Olivia the Magnificent by Sheila Higginson (Simon Spotlight, 2009), a rather large book, is a sight to see! Olivia the Magnificent was a birthday gift from a friend and her twins and it became a fast favorite.

I admit there is a part of me that cringes every time Mouse brings me Olivia the Magnificent to read to her. Olivia the Magnificent is a flip flap book. While it's a board book, there are flip pages, hiding parts of the story behind them on each page--and those pages are easy to bend and rip.   She's already ripped one flip page off, resulting in some doctoring of the book. I know, I know. Children will be children--and it's just a book. As I try to teach Mouse to be gentle with her books, she isn't quite there yet--and so it's a bit of a balancing act on my part--keeping it fun for her without keeping her away from her favorite books. And keeping the book in one piece.

While Mouse is mesmerized by the flip pages, I like the story. Olivia and Ian's grandmother comes to visit one day and performs a magic trick. Olivia is determined to become a magician herself and so practices on her brother. She makes herself disappear. I believe the story is also a Nickelodeon show. I especially like the artwork--it tells the story well on its own, although it's nice to have the narrative as well.

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© 2012, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Kid Konnection: Mouse's Favorite Downstairs Books (Part 2)

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Mouse's interest in books has grown over the past few months, and it is fun to see which books she is most drawn to. Here I highlight another couple of books which have gained her affection, evidenced by the number of times she brings me the book to read to her.

One of my aunts is a strong believer in giving books as gifts to children. She'll get no argument from me! For Easter, she and my uncle gave Mouse a set of animal books, one called Kitty Kitty and the other Farm Friends. Both are board books that Mouse has grown quite attached to. Farm Friends teaches children the various sounds that farm animals make. Mouse loves it when I make the donkey sound--probably because I get a little too into it. The Kitty Kitty book discusses a kitty's behavior, using real life pictures of cats. I try to engage Mouse as we read, asking her if her cats do the same as the cats on the pages.  Both books are more instructional than entertaining story wise, but they are perfect reading for a toddler learning about the sights and sounds around her.

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© 2012, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Kid Konnection: Mouse's Favorite Downstairs Books (Part 1)

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Mouse loves to bring me books, climb into my lap and sit for a minute or two as I begin to read. Rarely does she stay long enough for me to get through an entire book, no matter how short or how much I abbreviate the story. Sometimes she'll join in the page turning and other times not. It depends on what she has on her agenda at the time. The books that do have her sticking around tend to be the more interactive books: ones with squeaky buttons to push or different textures to feel. And then I or my husband can expect to have her wanting us to read the book to her over and over again. It's fun to see her so animated about reading, especially after worrying she would never sit still long enough to enjoy it.

One of her current favorites is Squeak Squeak (written by Gabby Goldsack, illustrated by Marie Allen, concept by Fiona Hayes) about a puppy who is trying to figure out where the squeaky noise is coming from. He asks all his friends, including a snake and a bear if they are the ones squeaking. It's a fun board book, encouraging the reader (or child being read to) to push the black nose to make the squeaky nose. Mouse loves pushing the nose.

Perhaps more than Squeak Squeak, Mouse loves Quack! Quack!, a baby touch and feel book. Each animal inside the pages sports a different texture for the reader to touch. Mouse particularly likes to poke the pig in the nose. I can't tell you how many times Mouse has brought me Quack! Quack! to read, sometimes multiple times during the same sitting. Besides getting to know the feel and sounds of the different animals via the book, I have also been working on teaching her "nice touch", a lesson we've been going over for months in an effort to teach her to be gentle with the real animals (humans included) in the house. She's pretty good at it, although sometimes her enthusiasm gets the better of her--and now that she's bigger her slaps can carry quite a sting.

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© 2012, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Kid Konnection: Guess How Much I Love You

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Guess How Much I Love You

by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram (Candlewick Press)

Among the boxes in the garage (and there are still quite a few), I found a box full of my wedding stuff. The sign in book, the serving set, various cards of congratulations, and dozens upon dozens of photos. Packed in the box was also a copy of the board book Guess How Much I Love You along with a little stuffed bunny. Mouse was intent on helping me as I went through the box and in an effort to distract her from running off and eating any of the photos, I handed her the children's book. I wasn't sure how it ended up in the box--but that wasn't important. It's another book for her collection.

When my husband came home that night, he picked the book up off the floor where Mouse had dropped it. As he thumbed through it, he asked if I'd noticed there was a long note written on the last page of the book. I hadn't. Evidently the book had been a wedding gift from a college friend and former roommate of mine. She had watched our own "fairy tale" romance unfold and wanted to share one of her favorites with us as well.

I love this little book--not just because of the sentimental value either. It's a sweet story about a Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare. Little Nutbrown Hare is trying to show Big Nutbrown Hare just how much he loves him. "'I love you right up to the moon,' he said . . . " What could be better than that? It's the type of game I can see myself playing with Mouse.

Even as I think of this book and my daughter, I can't help but think of my husband too. This book is a symbol of our relationship too after all.

P.S. Although Mouse has only supervised visits with the book, I did let her keep the stuffed rabbit.


Source: This book was a wedding gift from a friend.

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© 2012, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Kid Konnection: The Best-Loved Doll by Rebecca Caudill

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The Best-Loved Doll by Rebecca Caudill, Pictures by Elliott Gilbert
Scholastic Books, 1962

A few months ago, I opened a random box in the garage and discovered a treasure trove. I thought I had found and unpacked all my old children's books only to find I must have missed a box. And not just any box. I hadn't realized I had saved any of the books inside, many of them old favorites.

One book that jumped out at me immediately was The Best-Loved Doll. My heart just about melted on the spot! I've already read it to Mouse, although I have to say her attention and interest in books has never been great. She played around me, mostly, as I read to her. I imagine this particular book is a little too old for her anyway. At least right now. It's got a place among her books, however, just waiting its turn.

Betsy is invited to a party in which she is instructed to bring one doll. Prizes will be given for dolls in a variety of categories--whether it be for the oldest, best dressed, or the doll that can do the most things. Betsy considers each of her dolls, trying to decide which one she wants to take. She has a doll that fits just about any category imaginable--including a doll that most of us would think has seen better days.

It is the sweetest story and the illustrations are beautiful in their simplicity. I remember reading it over and over again as a child, knowing that I would make the same decision Betsy made each time. Although on the surface the story is about a girl and her dolls, underneath it is about so much more. And that ending . . . So perfect!

Source: I am not sure where this book came from. It was most likely a gift. It has been in my possession for over thirty years.

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© 2012, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.