We're There

I read hundreds of new picture books every year. Some are dreadful. Most are good. A few are great. And occasionally, a very special book makes you want to grab people on the street and tell them about the amazing new book you just read.

Like this one.

Are We There Yet? by Dan Santat accomplishes so much between the covers of a picture book.

It's daring, dynamic and filled with a multitude of meanings. The art blends several styles simultaneously. The colors are bold, brilliant and constantly surprising. It's beautiful, fun, silly, and touching all at the same time.

The constant change from gorgeous full page spreads to small graphic novel panels is arresting. The devices used to keep the reader going in the right direction are creative and well-employed. It's very fun to hand this book to other people and watch the book turn around and around as they figure out how to read it for the first time.

And the details! How I love all the tiny, little creative details hidden in nearly every page. The color contrasts. The facial expressions. The endpapers. The outfits the parents wear. What is hidden underneath the dust jacket. On and on and on. Every time I read it, I find so many more fantastic details.

Try reading this one aloud. There's so much brilliance in the text. The overarching words about the road and where life may lead you could almost be taken out and read separately from the pictures and still be poignant. And the speech bubbles are in the language that children speak and are funny on another level.

I don't want to call it a follow-up to Beekle, because I don't want to compare the two books at all. It feels like every time a successful author has a new book, it is inevitably compared to their past achievements. I thought it might be refreshing to talk about the new book without the comparisons.

Disclaimer: I've probably read and studied Beekle far more than the average bear (or human) since I was a member of the committee that awarded Beekle the Caldecott Medal, so truly, this isn't about a lack of familiarity with Beekle.

Give this book a try. Take your time.

Coming to a shelf near you: Blueberries for Sal!

I mentioned in this post how sad I was that Blueberries for Sal seemed to be going quietly out of print.

Today, I was thrilled to see this article in this week's Publisher Weekly's Children's Bookshelf. Blueberries for Sal will be back in print again (in a slightly modified edition) with 50,000 copies available in late May or early June.

The article also goes into detail about why Penguin wasn't able to sell the book for about a year.

Welcome back, Sal! We're so happy to see you again.

Is Blueberries for Sal out of print?

Have you tried recently to buy a new copy of Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey? Have you succeeded? I'm pretty sure the answer is no.

What's going on with Blueberries for Sal? It's not possible that it would go out of print, right? It's a beloved classic and a Caldecott Honor book.

Here's the answer: Blueberries for Sal is sort of, kind of out of print.

I had re-ordered it for my bookstore a few times when I was working as a book buyer. The orders kept being canceled and the reason on the invoice was "out of stock." Since this happened more than once, I asked our store's publishing rep from Penguin what was going on. Here's what I recall of the conversation.

(Note: Since I don't like posting anything unconfirmed and without details, I've been trying for a while to find confirmation for this. But I've scoured the internet and used all my librarian tricks- and can't find any official information at all. If you have a link to a news story, or better yet, if you have direct information, please post it here. I'm sure there's more to the story than what I've heard.)

Our rep said there was a lawsuit involving the book. An injunction has been issued to Penguin forbidding them to sell the book. That means they can't sell it in any form: paperback, hardcover, in a collection, with a CD, etc. So, not only is it not possible to buy the book itself, you also can't buy collections of Robert McCloskey books that contain Blueberries for Sal. If you go to Penguin's website, Blueberries for Sal is listed... but if you try to put it in your cart, you'll get a note that the publisher is out of stock.

Penguin isn't actually out of stock... they have a warehouse full of the books, but they can't sell them. There wasn't any warning, so they couldn't offload them before the injunction hit. My (unconfirmed) understanding is that relatives of the McCloskey family sued Penguin.

Also, it seems to be a permanent thing. The injunction has no end date.

It's breaking my heart to remove copies that are falling apart from our library's collection, because at the moment, it seems doubtful they'll ever be replaced.

If you're desperate to find a copy, you'll have to look for one used. The prices of the used copies on Amazon have skyrocketed recently, so at least the used book dealers know that the supply is scarce. I'd recommend library book sales and used book stores as good places to look.

The strange thing is, nobody seems to know what's going on. I haven't seen any publicity at all. The extremely well informed and savvy buyer at my library didn't know why her orders weren't be filled until I told her. If this is a permanent thing, I'd love to see a little more ruckus raised and more people made aware of the situation.

UPDATE: Blueberries for Sal is coming back! See this post for more information.

New Books by Mo Willems

I was flipping through the Hyperion 2009 spring children's catalog today and noticed this:

Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: Coming January 6, 2009.

It's about a naked mole rat named Wilbur who likes to wear clothes. I saw a sample page in the catalog... it was pure Mo. I'm hoping to get my hands on an advance copy in the near future.

Also, two new Elephant and Piggie books are being published soon.

Are You Ready to Play Outside? Coming October 28, 2008.

Watch Me Throw the Ball!: Coming March 17, 2009.

As I've mentioned before on this blog, I'm a big Mo Willems fan. (For a goofy picture of me standing next to Mo, see this post). And I've noticed that I get two kinds of reactions to Mo at the toy/book store where I work. About half the customers are huge fans of Mo, and the other half haven't heard of him.

Why are so many people not aware of him? Because he's so new to the children's book scene.

His first book: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus was published in March, 2003. That was only five years ago. Take a quick look at his complete bibliography, and see what he's published since.

2003

• Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (2004 Caldecott Honor book)
• Time to Pee!
  

2004

• Knuffle Bunny (2005 Caldecott Honor book)
• The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!
  

2005

• Leonardo the Terrible Monster
• Time to Say Please!
• The Pigeon Loves Things That Go! board book
• The Pigeon Has Feelings Too! board book
  

2006

• Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct
• Don't Let the Pigeon Stay up Late!
• Knuffle Bunny video (2007 Carnegie Medal Winner)
• You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons (illustrated travel journal for adults)
  

2007

• Knuffle Bunny Too (2008 Caldecott Honor book)
• Elephant and Piggie: Today I Will Fly!
• Elephant and Piggie: My Friend is Sad!
• Elephant and Piggie: There is a Bird on Your Head! (2008 Geisel Award winner)
• Elephant and Piggie: I Am Invited to a Party!
  

2008

• The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!
• Elephant and Piggie: I Will Surprise My Friend!
• Elephant and Piggie: I Love My New Toy!
• Elephant and Piggie: Are You Ready to Play Outside?

2009 (through March 2009)

• Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed
• Elephant and Piggie: Watch Me Throw the Ball!

Mo loves to use exclamation points! 14 of the books listed above (or nearly 3/4) have exclamation points in the titles!!!

By the spring of 2009, Mo will have published twenty one books. And, he's won five major awards along the way: 3 Caldecott honors, 1 Gesiel, and 1 Carnegie. Plus, the majority of his books are bestsellers. It takes many writers and illustrators a lifetime to do what he's done in five years. And let's not dismiss the six Emmys he won as an animator for Sesame Street.

Pretty unbelievable, isn't it?

Which of his books do you like? See the poll in the sidebar.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers Documentary

I was thrilled to discover this morning that a documentary has been made about Phillipe Petit's amazing tightrope walk between the towers of the World Trade Center on August 7, 1974.

You may know Petit's name from Mordecai Gerstein's Caldecott winning picture book The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. And if you don't know the book, give it a try. It sums up Pettit's incredible feat perfectly and succinctly and it's my favorite picture book.

For more about the documentary and Phillipe Petit, see David Segal's article "Traversing the Towers In a Moment of Joy" in today's Washington Post. The film is currently playing at the Tribeca Film Festival. I can't wait until it comes to a theater near me.

My favorite books to read aloud

This weekend I volunteered to do a storytime for kids at a huge outdoor festival. It was quite a challenge because people were constantly coming and going. The kids ranged from babies to ten year olds. There was loud music playing in the background and there were tons of other events going on in the immediate vicinity. I had to shout to make myself heard.

Plus, I was right near an enormous tent where 50,000 free cupcakes were being handed out.


So, I had some competition.

What to do? I decided to use my all time favorite books, the ones that always work as read alouds, no matter what. I did some old classics, which was very effective because it drew in an audience, and I mixed it up with a couple of new favorites. Here are the magic books I used, and they attracted a crowd despite the strong allure of the cupcakes.

• Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
• Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
• Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberly
• Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
• Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett (the British edition)
  
• The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone
• The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
  

I've got a much longer list of books I use for storytimes at the store I work at, but that's a much quieter and calmer environment. I've got the books above memorized, and they've never failed me yet.

I'm not sure if this list would work for everyone, because each storyteller has their own style. My style works best with books that are funny and have audience participation.

I'm curious, if you do storytimes or read to kids (your kids or anyone else's), what books always work for you?

You want to know more about the cupcakes, don't you? There's more about them here and here and fabulous pictures here.

What the Pigeon Wants

Mo Willems has written a new Pigeon book, that's being released today. In a brilliant marketing move, the publishers have kept part of the title a secret. In all the publicity material, the book is called "The Pigeon Wants a..."

What exactly, the pigeon wants, has been a matter of guesswork and the subject of a contest. And, I've got to applaud Hyperion for keeping it under wraps. The title wasn't in the spring 2008 catalog. There were no early samples available. Heck, the name of the book wasn't even on the packing list, and the books were turned upside down inside the box.

But, now the big moment has arrived, and after keeping the secret for 18 hours (since the box arrived at my store), I can tell you that the Pigeon wants a..... Puppy.

And I can also tell you that it's a lovely, funny book. Mo Willems uses the standard pigeon formula, but deviates a little, which works really well. This looks like a great read aloud book that doesn't require as much screaming as previous Pigeon books. Plus, in a surprise plot twist, the pigeon actually gets what he wants for once. I'm curious to hear what other people think about it.

Monkey and Me: Multiple editions

About a month and a half ago, I made a list of new books that I'm looking forward to. One of the books on my list was Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett.

I saw the book in October very briefly during a meeting with a publisher rep and loved it instantly. It has great rhythm, bounce, repetition and is perfect for little kids. Hopefully, one day soon it will be released as a board book.

A few months later, I was lucky enough to visit Powells, the legendary independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon. And, as I walked into the children's section, what did I see but Monkey and Me? I knew wasn't being published by Simon and Schuster until March so I did a little checking. I found out that what Powells had for sale was the British edition of the book, which had already been published by Macmillan. I was thrilled to see it so early, and I snapped it right up. I've been reading it to my son since and he loves it.

It's March now, and the American edition has finally been released. I eagerly took it out of the box when it arrived at the store I work at, and went to show it to my colleagues. And you know what? When I got to the last page, I found that it was different than the British edition I've been reading with my son. There's a very small change, but it's a change nonetheless.

The British edition ends like this:
"Monkey...and...me,
We went... (turn the page)
...home for tea."

The American edition ends like this:
"Monkey...and...me,
We went... (turn the page)
...ZZZZZ."

The illustration on the last page is the same, and it shows the protagonist (a cute little girl) fast asleep in front of her snack. But the "ZZZZZ" changes the rhythm of the original, and doesn't work as well when you're reading it aloud.

I don't know why this bugs me, but it does. I think American kids could figure it out... and books are precisely where you learn about customs from other countries. Mr. Gumpy's Outing, a wonderful classic by John Burmingham (a British author) mentions tea at the end, and I've never heard of anyone being confused by it.

Regardless, if you have little kids, definitely check out Monkey and Me. It's a great storytime and read aloud book for ages 1-4.

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.

The dog days of January

My son is obsessed with dogs these days and we've been reading every picture book we can find that contains canines of any kind. And, here's what I've discovered... books about dogs basically have two plots.

Plot 1:

• Dog is bored/irritated with something happening in their house. They run away, get lost and miss their safe, comfortable home. When they return, they are delighted to see whatever made them bored/irritated in the first place.

Plot 2:

• Dog is happy until cat comes into dog's life. Dog hates cat. (Dog sometimes leaves home because of cat- see plot 1). In the end, dog becomes good friends with said cat.

Think I'm kidding? I've made a list of books (and these are just ones we've read in the past week) that follow the plots mentioned above. I recommend all of them, though. Just because I've read something similar doesn't mean it isn't a great book. And plot variation certainly isn't an issue for my son. To read plot 1 or 2, see these books:

• Angus and the Cat by Marjorie lack
• Angus Lost by Marjorie Flack
• Buster by Denise Fleming (plots 1 and 2)
• The Great Gracie Chase: Stop That Dog! by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Mark Teague
• Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham
  
• Nugget & Darling by Barbara M. Joose, illustrated by Sue Truesdell
• Stanley's Wild Ride by Linda Bailey, illustrated by Bill Slavin
  

As wonderful as these books are, if you're writing a picture book about dogs... please, oh, please come up with a new plot.

See the following books for creative and intriguing treatments:

• Grumpy Gloria by Anna Dewdney
• My Father the Dog by Elizabeth Bluemle, illustrated by Randy Cecil
• Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
  
• Widget by Lyn Rossiter McFarland, illustrated by Jim McFarland
  

For picture books that depict multiple breeds of dogs, may I suggest:

• Have I Got Dogs! by William Cole, illustrated by Margot Apple
• Puppies! Puppies! Puppies! by Susan Meyers, illustrated by David Walker
  

I also recommend this book for any child. It's an excellent guide to basic dog safety.

• May I Pet Your Dog?: The How-to Guide for Kids Meeting Dogs (and Dogs Meeting Kids) by Stephanie Calmenson, illustrated by Jan Ormerod

And for a great board game for dog-obsessed chidren ages 3 and up, try:

• Diggety Dog, manufactured by International Playthings, Inc.

Got any suggestions for good dog picture books? (I already have the Martha books by Susan Meddaugh and "Let's Get a Pup!" Said Kate and "The Trouble with Dogs..." Said Dad by Bob Graham on my list). We're off to the library today to pick up another healthy stack of books.

The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury

In the comments of this post about Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Anamaria of Books Together mentioned The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury: Celebrated Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud, edited and compiled by Janet Schulman.

It's one of my favorite books. I can't believe I left it out of my post about books to give to babies, because I give it as a baby gift all the time.

It's a compilation of picture books, which doesn't seem very extraordinary. After all, there are a lot of compilations. But what makes this one so special is the books that are included. Just about every classic picture book is in this book, including: Good Night Moon, Where the Wild Things Are, Curious George, Madeline, The Story of Ferdinand, The Snowy Day and Make Way for Ducklings. And the more recent books are in there too, like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and The Stinky Cheese Man. Plus, the book includes early readers like Frog and Toad and Amelia Bedelia, and books for babies such as Freight Train, and Ten, Nine, Eight. All together, there are forty four books in one (relatively small) volume. It's just terrific.

Why does this particular collection contain so many crown jewels of children's literature? Well, I have a theory about that... and it has to do with the editor. The name of the woman who put this book together is Janet Schulman. She's a giant in the children's publishing industry and was the Editor in Chief at Random House for a number of years. Plus, she was Dr. Seuss' last editor. I think that she had the muscle and the connections to pull a book like this together and to get the rights to all the classics in a way that no one else could. Or at least, that's my theory.

Now, if you check out the reviews on Amazon's page for this book, you'll find that lots of people love it, while others don't care for it. The main complaint is that the book compresses too much. And that's true. None of the text is abridged, but pictures are jammed in next to each other to conserve space. For example, the entire text and the illustrations of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day appear on two pages. That's it. Just two pages.

So, purists may not enjoy it. But, I think the book is great for other reasons and that's why I give it as a gift. It's a terrific resource to help parents remember classics from when they were little.... and to introduce them and their kids to new books they may not know. If there's a book you or your kids fall in love with, you can always purchase the original, un-edited version.

Also, it's wonderful to travel with. Think about it... you can pack forty four individual picture books, or just one book that contains them all. One more advantage to this book: it contains an age index. There are recommendations for all age levels, which makes it easy to select an appropriate story. And, there are terrific bios of all the authors and illustrators in the back of the book.

For more about the book and to see samples, head over to Random House's website about The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury.

And, if you're curious, here's a list of all the picture books (listed alphabetical by title) contained in this fantastic compilation:

• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good,Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Ray Cruz
• Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish, illustrated by Fritz Siebel
• Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Garth Williams
• The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstain
• A Boy, a Dog and a Frog by Mercer Mayer
• "The Cat Club" by Esther Averill
• A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr., and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert
• Curious George by H. A. Rey
• D.W. the Picky Eater by Marc Brown
• "The Elves in the Shelves" by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Jan Pienkowski
• First Tomato by Rosemary Wells
• Freight Train by Donald Crews
• Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd
• Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram
• Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham
• I Am a Bunny by Ole Risom, illustrated by Richard Scarry
• I Hear, I See, and I Touch by Helen Oxenbury
• "In Which Pooh Goes Visiting..." by A. A. Milne, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard
• "The Letter" by Arnold Lobel
• Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
• A Million Fish...More or Less by Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by Dena Schutzer
• Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág
• Miss Nelson Is Missing! by Harry Allard, illustrated by James Marshall
• Owen by Kevin Henkes
• Petunia by Roger Duvoisin
• "The Sneetches" by Dr. Seuss
• The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, illustrated by Robert Lawson
• The Story of Little Babaji by Helen Bannerman, illustrated by Fred Marcellino
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
• Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
• Stevie by John Steptoe
• "The Stinky Cheese Man" by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith
• The Story of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff
• Swimmy by Leo Lionni
• Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
• Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang
• Titch by Pat Hutchins
• The Tub People by Pam Conrad, illustrated by Richard Egielski
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• Whose Mouse Are You? by Robert Kraus, illustrated by Jose Aruego

Go check it out. And give it a look the next time you need a book for a baby (or for yourself).

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World

Wizards Wireless is proud to feature its very first guest review. This one comes from my dad, who listened in as a book was being read to his grandson, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think this is the first time my dad has ever given me his opinion about a book, so I felt the occasion was special enough to blog about it.

Here's his review of How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman:

This imaginative book shows children that if one door is closed, they can explore different options. It allows a kid to imagine what it would be like to travel the world. It lets them take a trip on an ocean liner, learn how to speak another language, see how cultures function around the world... all by gathering the necessary ingredients to make a pie. It has a tongue in cheek approach throughout the book, especially at the end.

I agree with my dad. This is a humorous, creative and beautifully illustrated picture book... and the end always makes me laugh. I'd recommend it for ages 3 and up. Give it a try if you don't know it.

Give credit where credit is due

One of my favorite books when I was growing up was Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton. Recently, I've been reading the book with my son... and I have to say it's an incredible joy to watch him revel in the same story I love.

If you've read Burton's classic story (and chances are you have)... you may remember that Mary Anne (the steam shovel) gets stuck in the cellar and can't get out. I've always thought that the resolution to the problem is the most memorable aspect of the book.

Take a look at the paragraph where the idea is suggested by the (unnamed) little boy:

"Why couldn't we leave Mary Anne in the cellar and build the new town hall above her? Let her be the furnace for the new town hall* and let Mike Mulligan be the janitor. Then you wouldn't have to buy a new furnace, and we could pay Mike Mulligan for digging the cellar in just one day."

*Acknowledgments to Dickie Birkenbush.

Go check your copy, you'll see the asterisk. It's included in every edition of the book ever published.

Who is Dickie Birkenbush, you ask? When Burton was working on the book in 1938, she had literally written herself into a corner and didn't know how to get Mary Anne out of the Popperville town cellar. She shared her dilemma during dinner with family friends. Dick, then a child of twelve, suggested the ingenious solution of turning Mary Anne into a furnace.

In gratitude, Burton credited her young collaborator. What I think is so impressive about it, is that she did it right in the actual text, not in the acknowledgments. What an amazing way to say thank you and to give credit where it was due. (Unfortunately, she misspelled his name... the correct spelling is actually Berkenbush.)

So, in an age where plagiarism is rampant and and children's ideas aren't always taken seriously... I find what Virginia Lee Burton did to be inspiring.

To read more about Dick Berkenbush, now in his eighties, see this article from 2006 in the Boston Globe. There was also a great article about Virginia Lee Burton published in 2002 in School Library Journal. And, Houghton Mifflin, the publisher of Mike Mulligan, has a website dedicated to this classic book.

And if you haven't read Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel recently, go pick it up again. It's just as good as the first time you read it.

Great books to re-read

My friend Jody at By the Nightlight wrote a post about books that you always enjoy, no matter how many times you read them.

I started to answer her in the comments section of her blog, but then it got so long that I had to write a separate post about it. I've listed a few recent favorites below... most of them are ones that have been published in the last ten years. For my favorite picture books when I was growing up, see this post.

Here's a short list of books that never get old:
Peggy Rathmann's books: Goodnight Gorilla, Ten Minutes till Bedtime, and of course... Officer Buckle and Gloria.

Sandra Boynton's and Michael Ford's musical books/albums: Dog Train, Blue Moo and Philadelphia Chickens.

David Wiesner's books, particularly Flotsam, The Three Pigs, Tuesday, Sector Seven, Free Fall, June 29, 1999.... okay... all of David Wiesner's books.

Mordecai Gerstein's The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. It moves me every time I read it. For more about it, see my review.

Mo Willems' books, including: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, and Knuffle Bunny. I wrote a Pigeon review here, and a Knuffle Bunny review here.

Jon Muth's Zen Shorts. I'm crazy about this book.

Oh, there are so many more... but at least this is a start!

Let me take this opportunity to say how incredibly adorable Jody's son is... and how lucky he is to have such a great mom. And I'm very sympathetic to constant re-readings of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Goodnight Moon. I have them memorized too. =)

100 Books Your Child Should Listen to Before Starting School

Emily at Whimsy linked to a very intriguing list on the webpage of the Westland, Michigan public library. (Thanks to Jen Robinson for linking to Whimsy).

It’s a list of 100 books that your child should listen to before starting school. I could argue about which books are on the list and which were left off… but I'm more interested in taking the suggestions at face value, and seeing which books I’ve read with my son. He’s three now, so there are still a few years until he starts school.

It was a pretty illuminating experience to see which books my son has read. I felt like my he’s read an enormous number of books, but as I was going through this list I saw so many books I love that we haven’t read together yet. Now that he can sit still for longer picture books, I can’t wait to try some of these with him.

Here’s the list… I divided the 100 books into eight subcategories and alphabetized them by the author's last name. (I couldn't help it).

Books that I loved when I was little and that my son loves now:

• Madeline by Bemelmans, Ludwig
• Clifford, the Big Red Dog by Bridwell, Norman
• Goodnight, Moon by Brown, Margaret Wise
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Carle, Eric
• Are You My Mother? By Eastman, P. D.
• The Little Engine That Could by Piper, Watty
• Curious George by Rey, H. A.
• Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Scarry, Richard
• Caps for Sale by Slobodkina, Esphyr
• Harry, the Dirty Dog by Zion, Gen

Books that my son and I discovered together how wonderful they are:

• Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by Burningham, John
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Christelow, Eileen
• Freight Train by Crews, Donald
• Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Cronin, Doreen
• Go Away, Big Green Monster! By Emberley, Ed
• Lunch by Fleming, Denise
• Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom by Martin, Bill
• Good Night, Gorilla by Rathmann, Peggy
• We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Rosen, Michael
• Knuffle Bunny by Willems, Mo

Books that my son loved when he was younger:

• Ten, Nine, Eight by Bang, Molly
• Where’s Spot? By Hill, Eric
• Is it Red? Is it Yellow? Is it Blue? An Adventure in Color by Hoban, Tana

Books I loved when I was little that we haven’t read together yet:

• Miss Nelson is Missing by Allard, Harry
• Stone Soup by Brown, Marcia
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Burton, Virginia Lee
• Strega Nona by De Paola, Tomie
• Corduroy by Freeman, Don
• The Snowy Day by Keats, Ezra Jack
• Leo the Late Bloomer by Kraus, Robert
• The Carrot Seed by Krauss, Ruth
• Frog and Toad are Friends by Lobel, Arnold
• All By Myself by Mayer, Mercer
• Amelia Bedelia by Parish, Peggy
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Potter, Beatrix
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Viorst, Judith

Books I discovered later in life and haven’t read with my son yet. I’m curious to see his reactions to them.

• The Mitten by Brett, Jan
• Miss Rumphius by Cooney, Barbara
• Olivia by Falconer, Ian
• Millions of Cats by Gag, Wanda
• The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Galdone, Paul
• Is Your Mama a Llama? By Guarino, Deborah
• Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Henkes, Kevin
• Bread and Jam for Frances by Hoban, Russell
• Miss Mary Mack by Hoberman, Mary Ann
• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Johnson, Crockett
• Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock by Kimmel, Eric
• The Story of Ferdinand by Leaf, Munro
• Make Way for Ducklings by McCloskey, Robert
• Grandfather’s Journey by Say, Allen
• Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by Steig, William
• Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Taback, Simms
• Lyle, Lyle Crocodile by Waber, Bernard
• The Napping House by Wood, Audrey
• Polar Express by Van Allsburg, Chris
• Owl Moon by Yolen, Jane

Books that my son has listened to but hasn’t fallen in love with yet:

• Guess How Much I Love You by McBratney, Sam
  
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Numeroff, Laura
• Where the Wild Things Are by Sendak, Maurice
• The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
• Farmer Duck by Waddell, Martin
• Mouse Paint by Walsh, Ellen Stoll
• Seven Blind Mice by Young, Ed

Books I have read but don’t know that well:

• Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Barrett, Judi
• The Three Bears by Barton, Byron
• The Caterpillar and the Polliwog by Kent, Jack
• Over in the Meadow by Langstaff, John
• Tacky the Penguin by Lester, Helen
• A Color of His Own by Lionni, Leo
• Froggy Gets Dressed by London, Jonathan
• Martha Speaks by Meddaugh, Susan
• The Rainbow Fish by Pfister, Marcus
• A Chair for My Mother by Williams, Vera B.

I recognize the titles and authors of these books, but I’m not familiar with them:

• Where’s My Teddy? By Alborough, Jez
• Happy Birthday, Moon by Asch, Frank
• I Like Myself by Beaumont, Karen
• Today I Feel Silly by Curtis, Jamie Lee
• Bed Hogs by DiPucchio, Kelly
• Feathers For Lunch by Ehlert, Lois
• The Magic Hat by Fox, Mem
• Barnyard Song by Greene, Rhonda
• A First Picture Book of Nursery Rhymes by Harbour, Elizabeth (Illustrator)
• Rosie’s Walk by Hutchins, Pat
• Splash! By Jonas, Ann
• Jump, Frog, Jump! By Kalan, Robert
• The Wolf’s Chicken Stew by Kasza, Keiko
• Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! By McPhail, David
• The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Neitzel, Shirley
• The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash by Noble, Trinka
• The Relatives Came by Rylant, Cynthia
• The Kissing Hand by Penn, Audrey
• Duck on a Bike by Shannon, David
• Gregory, the Terrible Eater by Sharmat, Mitchell
• It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Shaw, Charles
• Imogene’s Antlers by Small, David
• And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon by Stevens, Janet
• Who’s Counting by Tafuri, Nancy
• Pigsty by Teague, Mark
• Noisy Nora by Wells, Rosemary
• I Went Walking by Williams, Sue

We have so much wonderful reading to do! I need to pull these books off my bookshelves and check them out of the library- and give them a try.

Were there any of your favorites on this list? Were there any books that are favorites of kids in your life? (children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, godchildren, neighbors, students, library patrons, etc.) Do you think this is a good list?