Dear Zoo & It's Mine by Rod Campbell

E and I had were fortunate to attend a special birthday party recently to celebrate 30 years of Rod Campbell's classic children's book, Dear Zoo. E's favorite things from the afternoon were the special edition Dear Zoo m&m's and the generous goody bag from Macmillan Publishers (thanks again!).  I was thrilled to meet the man of the hour and hear him speak a bit about his experiences as an author/illustrator. 

Rod Campbell Q & A

My burning question for him was about the importance of repetition in his books. His sound response was that it was vital for building confidence. He sees repetition as an important learning tool and I took that to mean not just individual words but repeated concepts and phrases.  In Dear Zoo the narrator asks the zoo to send them a pet - a series of unsuitable pets arrive and each is in turn sent back to the zoo until finally a puppy arrives and is deemed 'perfect.' There is a pattern to the action repeated throughout the book and many children learn to recite the words within a few reads. If there is a young child in your life then Dear Zoo is a must - the app is great for slightly older kids too.  
 

Dear Zoo is a faultless title though E is equally fond of another board book by Rod Campbell, It's Mine. It's Mine introduces the reader to a series of jungle animals and comes with a roaring surprise at the end. In each picture there's a clue to the animal hiding on the next page: a green bit of tail is actually a large crocodile lounging in the river, a big furry paw poking out from behind the tree reveals a bear on the next page. It's great for encouraging children to notice the detail, it begs you to ask them questions and it allows them to build up suspense before the fantastic pop-up surprise at the end. This one is still going strong in our house and our copy is a much loved rag tag version of the original ... and it now has a special signature on the inside page from a very special author.  

Happy Birthday Dear Zoo and many thanks to Rod Campbell!

Trains, Trains, Trains and more Trains

Trains are big business in our house. E pretty much woke up one morning and decided that trains were the center of his universe and there was no going back. I've embraced it for the most part and the result is a bumper selection of train books on his shelf. Here is a round up of four of our favorites (scroll down to see each title):

Trains by Byron Barton

This little board book is the ultimate starter train book and perhaps the very source of E's devotion to the rails.  The drawings are modern, simple and clear and the text is very short and precise.  'On the track' is the opening line and that's all it takes for E to be instantly hooked.  He's been looking at it since he was about 12 months old and still finds it interesting over a year later. Barton highlights a variety of trains doing all the wonderful things that trains do - going in and out of tunnels, stopping at stations, driving at night and ultimately speeding away.

The Little Red Caboose
The is one of my very favorite vintage children's books (first published in 1953). It tells the story of the little red caboose at the back of train who saves the day by keeping the giant steam train from sliding backwards down the mountain. Up until this point the caboose has spent its days unnoticed while the children lavish their attention on all the larger (read more important) cars at the front of the train.  Much like the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, the caboose finds itself an instant hero and proves to everyone that it's deserving of their attention despite its size and despite coming last. We spend a lot of time talking about the 'boose' at our house and I still hold out hope that in time we can discuss the moral of the story. 

The Little Engine That Could
This is another classic train book that is a must for your little reader - train lover or not. It again tells the triumphant story of the underdog saving the day. A train full of toys and candy is stranded on the track and trying desperately to reach the anxious children on the other side of the mountain.  Various engines pass by but they're either too important, too busy or too feeble to help.  Finally a little blue engine appears and agrees to give it a try.  She's the most unlikely candidate to pull this big train but by believing in herself and repeating that legendary mantra, 'I think I can, I think I can', she manages the unthinkable and pulls the train safely over the mountain.

Riding the Rails from A to Z
This is a beautiful title from Chronicle Books and I was pleasantly surprised that E choose it. It's an ABC book that uses a combination of bright illustrations and archive photographs to teach the alphabet through train lingo and vocabulary.  A is for all aboard, E is for Engineer, U is for underground and so on. I've found it to be a great book for keeping the train obsession fed and E's interest piqued, while also challenging him to engage with different types of pictures and to learn new words and phrases. It's not a story book but it still manages get him talking and I've learned a few new facts as well.

Please leave me a comment if you have favorite train books to recommend!

The Girl Who Loved Wellies by Zehra Hicks

It's been a flip flop and wellies sort of summer for E and me between the American heatwave and the sodden playgrounds of London.  With that in mind there was only ever going to be one book to talk about this week, The Girl Who Loved Wellies by Zehra Hicks (aka the wellie book).

True to the title, this story is about a girl named Molly who loves her wellies.  She loves them so much that she won't take them off for love nor money, and that includes wearing them to bed and to ballet class.  She gets away with it until she has an itch, an itch between her toes that just won't go away.  But there's just one problem - Molly's worn her wellies for so long that they're stuck to her feet! After a herculean effort by friends, family and dog the wellies finally come off and Molly is reunited with her toes.  It's after this 'a ha' moment that she decides she'll only wear flip flops ... even in the snow.

There's so much for kids to engage with in this book.  I've found it to be ideal for the 2-4 year old range.  It will appeal to kids who love wellies, kids who love jumping in puddles, kids who might enjoy being that little bit mischievous and kids with their own ideas.  That pretty much covers every kid I've ever met.

The illustrations give us a second chance to enjoy Hicks' line drawings and fun colours (she's also the author of The Boy Who Hated Toothbrushes). It takes a whole village to get Molly's wellies off her feet and there's a joyful two page spread where everyone pulls together in one long conga line to remove said wellies. E loves this moment and recites the line 'everybody pulled' over and over again.

He also loves the two page spread where Molly greets her toes.  He insists on taking off his socks at this moment and placing his feet over the brightly colored illustration of Molly's bare feet. It's a nightly ritual that we've all come to look forward to.

Earlier in the year I wrote a post about her debut book, The Boy Who Hated Toothbrushes.  If you liked Billy then I have a hunch you'll be fond of Molly too.  Zehra Hicks has a wonderful website http://www.zehrahicks.com/home. The Girl Who Loved Wellies is out now.

Wild Rumpus, Minneapolis MN, USA

I've spent part of the summer catching up with friends and family in America. Anyone travelling with me knows that a road trip is incomplete without an exploration of the local indie children's book store. This dream of a bookstore, Wild Rumpus, is tucked away in a residential neighbourhood in Minneapolis, MN and was worth the entire trip.

The entrance is a passage to an enchanting world with a small purple door for smaller people built within the larger one for grown ups. Inside not one but four lazy cats drape themselves across shelves, counters and comfy chairs. There's an iguana named Spike, several ferrets and a free range chicken who peeks out at you from behind the stacks. And all of this excitement is before you even have a chance to marvel at the stock of children's book titles.

I've never seen so many Maurice Sendak and Leo Lionni titles in one place except maybe online. Oh the joy to peruse them in the flesh! The vintage picture book collection was incredibly impressive and the range of current titles and new authors was equally exciting. Some of the authors I hope to feature in upcoming posts include David Mackintosh, Alison McGhee and Eva Muggenthaler.

A trip to Wild Rumpus is like getting a big hug from a book. The set up of the whole shop encourages you to browse, pet the animals and bounce a little to the music. I particularly like the books set aside for visitors. Instead of the throw away basket of forgotten titles they have entire shelves of books designated just for reading in store. The new books for sale are grouped by author in some sections and by an endless list of subjects in others.  How inviting so see a shelf full of 'cars', 'trains', 'cats', 'dragons' and so on.

If you find yourself anywhere near the Twin Cities then make sure to save some time for a visit to Wild Rumpus. And for the rest of you at least check it out online www.wildrumpusbooks.com.

Be back soon! Mrs B.

Frederick by Leo Lionni

Step aside modern picture book writer/illustrators and pay homage to one of the masters, Leo Lionni. Lionni was an ad man (pre Mad Men era) who in 1959 gave up his New York City career and turned his hand to creating children's books.  He's quoted about this move saying, I reached the conviction that all human acts have social and political consequences....You must feel responsible for every line you draw, for every decision you make.  His strong conviction is a clue to the nature of the characters he created and the gentle, wildly imaginative and abstract books that he wrote for children. One of my favorites has always been 'Frederick' and I'm happy that this title is now known as the second mouse book in our house. 

Frederick lives in a large family of field mice who make their home in an abandoned farm and granary.  They are busy storing food for the winter and we meet Frederick in the midst of this activity.  While the rest of the family is working to gather nuts, grain and corn, Frederick can be found sitting on his own - still, quiet and pensive. The other mice are working their little tails off and naturally question Frederick about his idleness. Frederick responds by saying, 'I do work ... I gather sun rays for the cold dark winter days.'  His family remains unconvinced and ask again what he's doing sitting on his own.  Frederick replies with one of the most beautifully simple lines I've read in a children's book, 'I gather colors.' This response is wholly unsatisfactory and his family continue to press him to explain himself.

When winter comes the mice eat through their stores of food and it's only when resources are depleted that they remember Frederick's contribution.  They ask him to recall the things that he had gathered and he talks them through an imaginative process to feel the warmth of the sun and visualize all the colors of spring.  Lastly, he recites a poem to relieve their minds of the winter boredom and finally he receives the approval he'd been denied but never sought.

To accompany the tale is a collection of marvellous illustrations and collages from Lionni. They feel almost storyboard style in how they capture the action across each two page spread. The shapes are simple yet effective and the use of color captures the essence of each season.

Frederick is a story about being different, being yourself and being accepted for who you are.  It's about nature, imagination and looking at the word that little bit differently from the rest of the crowd.  I'd like to find Frederick a patron or an Arts Council grant and let him get on with following his passions.  He's a very loveable little mouse.

I could go on and on about the merits of Leo Lionni but instead I'll direct you to the Random House website that's packed with information and discoveries http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/lionni/index.php. Go now!  

'Frederick' was first published in 1967 and is a Caldecott Honor Book.

Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray

I give credit to the Book Nook in Hove for turning me on to Apple Pie ABC and the ever so lovely creations of Alison Murray. Murray has adapted a traditional ABC verse for the story and the result is a modern picture book with a vintage feel. She uses a natural color palette and a clever narrative to make this title stand out from the crowd of more obvious alphabet books available.

A young girl and her canine sidekick are baking an apple pie.  An apple pie so tempting and tantalizing that the pup risks some serious scolding as he sniffs, tastes and finally gobbles the whole thing. We follow him through each menacing moment until, exhausted, he collapses in his bed providing the necessary 'zzzs' to conclude the story.

Part of the real success of this book is the integration of the alphabet lesson and the story.  Each letter of the alphabet drives the story forward without overpowering it.  Some letters are linked to just one word, such as 'M' for 'miserable' when the pup is scolded, and other letters are linked to complete phrases such as 'F' for 'find a crumb of it.' By varying the patten the story has a rhythm of its own and stands up well alongside the alphabet lesson.

There is plenty of space within the pages to pause and talk to your reader about what's happening in the pictures.  It's also very successful in its pacing.  First time around I wondered if E would actually sit through the whole alphabet.  Thanks to Alison Murray the answer was a resounding yes.

Apple Pie ABC is published by Orchard Books in the UK.  Alison Murray has a fantastic website for this book http://www.applepieabc.com/ and another great website for her other creations http://alisonmurray.net/.

The Aminal by Lorna & Lecia Balian

Originally published in 1972, The Aminal is a much loved title from my childhood. I think the copy in our house actually belonged to my older sisters but I remember it distinctively because of the funny title.  Oddly, the twist at the end (we'll come that later) is not the part that stuck with me.  It was the build up that I can recall most and I think that's really the key to this book.

Patrick is having a picnic alone in a field when he befriends a creature to keep him company.  There are no illustrations of his friend so we can only guess what Patrick has found.  He calls it an 'Aminal' and decides to take it home in his lunch sack.  On his way home Patrick runs into his friend Molly and tells her that he's caught an Aminal. It's 'round and green and blinky-eyed with lots of pricky toenails' he tells her. And so begins the rumor mill that makes up the crux of this story.

Molly then runs into another friend, who in turn runs into another friend and another until the story of Patrick's Animal has been retold several times over. Each child has their own idea of what the creature looks like and the Aminal grows bigger and scarier with each page. By the time the rumor has made its rounds the unidentified creature is thought to be over 100 feet long with green fur and snakes on its tail!

Patrick's friends convince themselves that he's in real danger as clearly a little boy shouldn't be left on his own with a giant, hungry, green monster. They run to rescue him and at first the Aminal is nowhere to be seen. The collective panic rises as the children wonder where it's escaped to.  Patrick, however, remains calm and crawls under his porch to find the Aminal and show it to everyone else.  I won't spoil the end completely but it turns out he's brought something home that indeed is green with pricky toenails...only it's not scary at all.

The target reading age for this title is indicated as 4 years and older.  E was happy to flip through the pages with me and enjoyed looking at all the different pictures, but the story is too long for this 2 year old's attention span.  I found a great suggested reading exercise online to accompany this story: describe an unnamed object or an event with a limited amount of detail and ask each child to draw their impression of it.  It will prompt them to listen and use their imaginations whilst also learning about differences.

One note, if you can find a copy of the original edition then it's well worth the money.  The illustrations in the re-issue (2005) have been colored in and it looks and feels less mysterious than the original.