Lightning McQueen books

As you read the title of this post, which category did you fall into?

Category 1: Parent or grandparent of a boy between the ages of 2-5. Your first thoughts were probably along the lines of: "there are BOOKS about Lightning McQueen? Really? Where can I get them? Is rush shipping available?"

Category 2: Everyone else. You probably asked yourself: "who is Lightning McQueen?"

For those of you who fall into the first category, yes, there are books about Lightning McQueen. See the specifics below. And for those of you in the second category, he's the main character in the Pixar movie Cars. Here's a picture of him:


I've done some informal observation and have found that just about every little boy I've met is obsessed with this movie. I think it's for two reasons. One, it's about cars. (I guess that's rather obvious from the title). Two, it doesn't have any scary parts. (If you think that's also obvious because it's a movie for kids, then you probably haven't watched a lot of kids' movies lately. Almost all of them have inexplicably scary parts).

Please keep in mind that I'm recommending the books below only for Cars-crazed kids. I'm not endorsing them as good literature, but here are some resources if you're looking for them. I usually hate this kind of commercial stuff, but I also recognize that sometimes a kid just wants to read about something they're interested in. And, the important thing is that they're reading.

Disclaimers aside, here are the (relatively) good books I've found on the subject. And, yes, I'm the parent of a Cars addict.

Old, New, Red, Blue! This is a basic opposites book using the Cars characters, and it's a good choice for the 2-3 year old crowd. There are only a few words per page, which is just right for that age range. It's a small paperback so it travels well. I highly recommend it.

Cars Little Golden Book: This book retells the movie. The paragraphs are a bit too long, but the illustrations of the various cars (which is really all my son is interested in) are pretty good. My main quibble with this book is that it cuts off the story well before the ending and doesn't include the all important final race.

Cars Ultimate Sticker Book: DK has tons of sticker books, and this one is fairly typical. I think it has way too much text and it's a little advanced for the 2-3 year old age range. But, it has 60 stickers of Lightning McQueen and friends, and works well as a travel activity.

Cars Resuable Sticker Book: I like this sticker book better than the DK sticker book, because it has a lot more stickers. Plus, there are tons of activities. My main issue with it is that it's oversized and it's difficult to fit into a diaper bag, purse or backpack. Also, we found the stickers to be reusable only a few times each... after that they stopped working.

The Fast Lane: A basic coloring book featuring Cars characters. The pictures are large and easy to color. It's 64 pages, which is a good size for a coloring book.

Have you come across any other Cars books that you'd recommend or that your kids liked?

Have I lost all my credibility as a reviewer by writing this post?

Sing a book

One of my favorite songs from Sesame Street is "Sing," written by Joe Raposo.

"Sing.
Sing a song.
Sing out loud.
Sing out strong."

You have that song in your head now, don't you?

I sing songs with my son all the time, and I also sing books. Just about any picture book can easily be turned into a song. I find it to be a great read aloud technique, and we both enjoy the experience. The tune is completely irrelevant, I make up something new every time I sing.

Books that have worked well as songs (for us, at least) include:

• Freight Train by Donald Crews
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
  
• Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Big Dog Little Dog by P.D. Eastman
  

...and too many others to count.

Singing was particularly effective when my son was a baby, and I used to sing all of his longer board books to him. It also worked well when he was an antsy toddler. He still likes it now, even though he's older, and every night he'll tell me which books he wants me to sing.

I think I have a terrible voice, and I'm quite shy about using it normally, but my son doesn't mind no matter how off key I am. I tried singing my made-up musical version of Freight Train in a storytime last week, and to my surprise, it actually worked quite well. I'll have to try it again.

If there's a small child in your life, try singing them a book. Just remember, as the wise people at Sesame Street would tell you:

"Don't worry that it's not good enough
For anyone else to hear.
Sing
Sing a song."

Book Reviews

Looking for reviews of children's books? Look no further than the Children's Book Review wiki. It was created by the indefatigable Kelly Herold of Big A little a, who may be one of the most busy and productive people I've ever met. The wiki contains a wonderful and rich variety of blog reviews from all over the kidlitosphere.

I just put up all the reviews I've ever posted on Wizards Wireless on the wiki. There aren't that many... because I tend to make lists and general comments about books instead of writing formal reviews. But, I was surprised to see that I've written 15 reviews so far... I thought it was far fewer than that.

One of the most rewarding parts of reviewing for me has been connecting with authors. If the book has been published relatively recently and I can find an e-mail address, I will frequently send authors links to my blog reviews. And, every one of them has written back, which I find amazing. I have to admit, I felt like a rock star when I got return e-mails from Susan Patron and Mordecai Gerstein only a few weeks after I started blogging.

I'm in awe of bloggers who write reviews regularly (and sometimes even every day!), such as Betsy at A Fuse #8 Production, Jen at Jen Robinson's Book Page, Tasha at Kids Lit, Jules and Eisha at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, Abby at Abby (the) Librarian, Laura at Library & Literary Miscellany... and, ummm... everybody but me.

I've rounded up all the reviews I've written thus far (see the list below). Looking at the list, I notice that I seem to favor titles that contain exclamation points!

Books for Babies and Toddlers

• Freight Train by Donald Crews
• Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy! by Sandra Boynton
• Orange Pear Apple Bear, by Emily Gravett
• Tickle the Duck! by Ethan Long
• The Toolbox by Anne and Harlow Rockwell

Picture Books

• The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury edited by Janet Schulman
• The Baby Beebee Bird by Diane Redfield Massie, illustrated by Steven Kellogg
• Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
• How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman
• Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
• The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordecai Gerstein
• Shhhhh! Everybody's Sleeping by Julie Markes, illustrated by David Parkins
• When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach, illustrated by David Small
  

Juvenile Fiction

• The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
• Rules by Cynthia Lord

Want to contribute your reviews to the Children's Book Review wiki? Take a look at this post on Big A Little a to see how to do it.

In Training?

Do you have a little boy (or girl) in your life obsessed with trains? Here are a few of my favorite books about trains... keep in mind these are all pretty basic and recommended for babies and toddlers.

I Love Trains! by Philemon Sturges and Shari Halpern: this is a very simple, very colorful book. It has a good rhythm and is easy to read aloud. This pair has collaborated on several other books including I Love Trucks and I Love Planes.... but I Love Trains is my personal favorite.

Trains by Byron Barton: even simpler than I Love Trains! and it's been issued both in paperback and as a board book. If you like this book... check out Barton's other wonderful books including Trucks, Boats, and My Car.

Freight Train by Donald Crews: one of my very favorites. I wrote more about it in this post.

Trains by Anne Rockwell: more of a non-fiction book than the ones mentioned above, but it still works well for young kids. Probably more of a toddler book than a book for babies.

The Little Engine That Could by Wally Piper: you're reading right over this one, aren't you? Of course you know about this book, you don't need me to tell you about it. Well, maybe you don't know about a wonderful new version with illustrations by Loren Long. I think it's absolutely beautiful- and really enhances the story. Some people fall in love with it at first sight (like I did) and some people don't like it because it's not the one they grew up with. Give it a try... see what you think. And if you do like it... check out this wonderful page on Loren Long's website that features several sketches for the book along with the finished artwork.

Got any other good train book recommendations? (There are an enormous number of books published on this subject.) Let me know.... write them in the comments section of this post. I'm always looking for new easy books about trains (at least, my son is).

Tickle the Duck!

This is one of my favorite touch and feel books for babies and toddlers. It's also one of the only ones I know that has an actual page-turning plot (which can be summed up as- the duck doesn't want to be tickled, but you're going to tickle him anyway). It's a great excuse for you to tickle your baby (or for them to tickle you)... but it's also wonderful to see a book in this genre that is more than "Feel the fuzzy bunnies."

My only word of caution is that it isn't a board book (the pages are made out of durable paper) so it might get destroyed by babies. I think it's good for one year olds and up.

Kudos to Ethan Long for creating such a funny and accessible book, for taking this age group seriously and for drawing an utterly irresistible duck. He has a new book featuring the duck called Stop Kissing Me! coming out in August 2007.

Be sure to read Tickle the Duck with a two year old. It's a whole different experience than reading it to yourself.

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

Warning: This Caldecott Honor book may cause obsession among small children. Be prepared to read it aloud many many many times.

Ah... Knuffle Bunny. What a wonderful book. It has a pretty simple premise... a little girl (Trixie) loses her stuffed bunny at the laundromat. Doesn't sound like amazing drama, does it?

That's because you haven't read the book. (Or maybe you have.) Mo Willems manages to turn this basic story into a riveting page turner that children can't wait to read again and again and again (and again).

What makes this book so good? So many reasons. First, it's realistic and easy to relate to (ask any parent who has lost their child's favorite stuffed animal). The sentence structure is fairly simple with only one sentence per page (a crucial element in a book for young children). The pacing is excellent and moments of drama are inserted at just the right times. The writing and illustrations are funny, and both adults and children get the jokes. (Every child or adult I've shown this book to has known exactly what going boneless means). I also love how Willems uses every available space to tell his story... the endpapers, the copyright page and the back cover all advance the plot.

I think the real genius is in the illustrations. Vibrant colorful characters are layered over black and white photographs of Brooklyn, New York. My favorite picture (although it's hard to chose just one) would have to be the one accompanying the words "So Trixie's daddy decided to look harder." I love the look on Trixie's daddy's face as he rolls up his sleeves.

This book was recently turned into a short film by Weston Woods Studios. And the movie is as wonderful as the book... and definitely worth checking out at your local library. The real Trixie (Mo Willems' daughter) narrates it along with her parents. It's a perfect combination of still photography and animation... and stays reverently close to the book. The video won the 2007
Andrew Carnegie Medal. Read the bottom of this post for my son's reaction to the movie (and how I felt about watching it again at the Caldecott/Newbery banquet.)

I attended this year's ALSC awards ceremony (where the Carnegie medal was presented). Mo brought his daughter Trixie up to accept it (to huge applause and lots of exclamations of "she's so cute!") He said in his acceptance speech that the book and video are completely true... except for the parts he made up. He did mention that he doctored the background photos (to remove things like overflowing dumpsters.)

Want more knuffle bunny? (Who doesn't?) Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity is coming out in September 2007. Need your own personal knuffle bunny? Check out Yottoy- where you can also get an irascible plush pigeon. Want more Mo Willems? Check out his website and his funny and creative blog, Mo Willems Doodles.

Note for fans of other Mo Willems books: when Trixie, her mommy and her daddy run through the park... they pass a man wearing a white t-shirt. The pigeon from Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is on the shirt.

Note for pronunciation perfectionists: the title character is pronounced Kuh-nuff-el Bun-ee. The K is not silent because it's a Dutch word.

Read it again?

Update: Check the comments for a few interesting points about the bunny's name.

Shhhhh! Everybody's Sleeping

This is a new book (published in 2005) that feels like a classic. It's a perfect last book before bedtime. It shows people in a variety of professions sleeping (much more interesting than it sounds)... with the hint that if everyone else is sleeping, shouldn't you be?

Julie Markes' text is simple and rhythmic, yet not over-

complicated or overdone... and it works really well for babies and toddlers.

David Parkins' illustrations are so creative and inventive... as well as warm, bright and inviting. Also, the pictures make me laugh... the grocer is sleeping on a "bed" on lettuce, the farmer's pillow is a sheep, the librarian has a lamp made out of books, etc. I see something new every time I read it.

This book makes a fantastic baby gift.

The Toolbox

This wonderfully simple book by Anne and Harlow Rockwell captures the joy children feel when discovering their father's toolbox. Each tool is rendered in loving detail with an engaging and easily understandable text. Published in 1971, the original (and the reprint) are both unfortunately out of print. However, the book was recently released as a board book, which I think is a terrific idea.

Typically when hardcover books are reformatted into board books, there are abridgements and changes to the original text and layout. The Toolbox is one of the few books that I think is an excellent adaptation. It preserves the spirit of the original, and the content is appropriate for toddlers between one and two years old (when they're still shredding and ripping up books- so the board book format is necessary.) Also, because the original book is filled with white space, the borders aren't sacrificed by shrinking it to a smaller size.

The only slight disappointment is that the handmade paper illustrations that Harlow Rockwell created for the book reproduce much better in the original book. In the board book the tools aren't nearly as beautiful as they are in the hardcover version. But this is a minor issue, and it is great to see this book in print in any format.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

This book is pretty well known now, but I thought I'd mention it because I love it so completely. This was author/illustrator/animator Mo Willems debut book. It came out only a few short years ago (2003) but now Mo and his pigeons and knuffle bunnies seem to be everywhere (which is fine with me).

I have to admit, at first glance, it appears to be relatively unsophisticated, but deeper examination reveals its complexity. Illustrated in an extremely straightforward fashion with flat colors and a black crayon, the artistic style is not beautiful or breathtaking but it expertly conveys the story and character with just a few lines. The immaturity of the pigeon is well suited to this child-like style of illustration. Willems uses every inch of space to tell his story, including endpapers, title page and even the covers. He also employs subtle changes in background color and excellent use of white space. Through these techniques and a hysterical and simple text, the conflict slowly and expertly builds to a very clear and humorous climax. The flawless unity of illustration and story make this book so compelling... and makes my three year old laugh every single time he reads it (which is a LOT).