2 Mother's Day picks from Mrs Brown's shelf

It will soon be Mother's Day in the UK so I've picked two books that feature Moms.  There are lots of lovely tender books about Moms and kids out there, but E and I tend to favor the ones with a little discord.  I've selected two from our shelf that aren't new but are well loved and well read.

 

Llama, Llama Mad at Mama is another popular title by Anna Dewdney.  Little Llama accompanies Mama Llama on a shopping trip (at the shop-o-rama of course), and he just about manages to hold it together while she runs errands.  Somewhere between the cereal aisle and the bread aisle, however, he loses complete control in one of the best meltdowns I've seen in a picture book.  Once his tantrum subsides Mama Llama helps him to understand his anger. Llama llama then calms down and helps clean up the mess he's created.  E loves Llama's break down and thinks it's hilarious.  I just wish I had Mama Llama's magic touch.

 

Five Minutes' Peace by Jill Murphy features The Large Family of elephants.  Mrs Large just wants five minutes to sit in her bath and drink a cup of tea.  Is that too much to ask?  Apparently so according to her three little elephants. One by one they make excuses to come into the bathroom and by the end all of them join her in the tub! She responds by quietly retreating to the kitchen where she manages forty-five seconds of peace before the sopping wet elephant kids find her again. E loves the baby elephant who gets in the bath fully clothed and I love the honesty in the title. We've had a lot of fun reading it together.

For anyone celebrating Mother's Day next week ... enjoy!

Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain by Edward Ardizzone

Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain is the first in the Tim series of books from the legendary artist and children's book creator, Edward Ardizzone. It's also a crackin' good adventure to borrow a British phrase!

I left this book on a table for E to discover on his own, and within minutes he was quietly turning the pages, fully engrossed in this adventure of a little boy, a brave captain and the high seas. It was a little bit of a test, I admit, because the drawings are a mix of incredible water colors and black and white drawings. He took to it immediately and demanded it be read again as soon as we'd finished it ... high praise!

photo credit: http://www.edwardardizzone.org.uk/

Tim is a little boy desperate to go to sea.  He manages to stow away on a steamer and after working for his passage becomes almost one of the crew. A fierce storm threatens his adventure after the steamer crashes into some rocks, but Tim and the captain are saved just in time. After some hot cocoa and a good night's sleep Tim returns home to his parents with his new friend, the brave captain, in tow.

First published in 1936, there are few facets to this adventure that might not get passed by the censors today (one of the things I like about it).  It was Tim's running away from home that confused E the most but we got around that with a little conversation.  I'm just waiting for him to ask what 'Davy Jones' locker' means any day now.

Our whole house loves this book and we'll devour the rest of the Tim series as soon as they're safely back on our local library's shelf.  Edward Ardizzone had an incredible life and career. He was the first ever winner of the Kate Greenaway medal and he was appointed Official War Artist in Britain in 1940.  He was a prolific author and illustrator and I found it fascinating to read about him.

Hello ladybird! by Chloë Inkpen and Mick Inkpen

Zoe and her dog Beans are searching for a little lost ladybird (that's a ladybug for the Americans), in this new title from father and daughter team, Chloë Inkpen and Mick Inkpen. Hello ladybird! lends itself to the board book format; it's a simple little story with marvelous illustrations of Zoe, Beans and the hodgepodge of treasures they collect in effort to find the runaway ladybird.

This story begs you to ask questions of even the smallest child as Zoe finds a snail, a pencil, a coin and a party popper as part of her hunt for the ladybird. Finally, she spots the elusive ladybird on Beans' nose and in a lovely sequence it alights from her finger, opens its wings and flies away...a perfect ending.

Zoe and Beans are a charming team and luckily for us there are loads more books about them just waiting to be read.  Their new website is also full of free activities and colouring pages so do check it out zoeandbeans.com.

Many thanks to Macmillan children's books for the review copy of Zoe and Beans.

A Possum's Tail by Gabby Dawnay & Alex Barrow

Hello sunny London and hello to a brand new offering from Tate Publishing: A Possum's Tail. I got carried away with the weather today and splurged on this richly illustrated rhyming tale about a boy called Samuel Drew and his little dog. I'm a sucker for books that include a walk with city landscapes and A Possum's Tale is all that and more.

 Samuel Drew takes his dog (who is actually a pull toy but I don't dare spoil Samuel's fun) for a walk through London town and all the way to the zoo. While at the zoo he inadvertently picks up a little family of possums who tag along behind Simon's dog, out the zoo gates and all the way back through the city streets. Only when he stops for a picnic does Samuel discover that he and his little dog have company. Samuel quickly makes a place for them on the picnic blanket, but they can't resist his bunch of balloons and before he can pour a cup of tea the possum family has taken to the air. I won't spoil the end for you but rest assured, no one goes hungry.

This book is lovely to behold and lovely to read.  E's not yet even seen it but I think he's going to be quickly swept away by Samuel Drew, the cheeky possums and the vibrant scenes from London town.

Visit the Tate's website for more on the book and the amazing team behind the story and illustrations.

All images: Tate Shop online

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

I'll start by saying there's surely a bit of Mr Tiger in all of us.  Peter Brown, known for another great book Creepy Carrots, has brought together a wicked little story and stunning illustrations to create the fun and infectious, Mr Tiger Goes Wild. 

Mr Tiger is stuck in a world of proper animals who all act as 'they should'.  He bores of this existence over time and in a fantastic display of pure abandon he slowly gives in to his wild side and returns to the jungle.  The grass is not always greener, however, and he realises that he misses a lot about his old life.  He returns to the city determined to navigate it as a new Tiger, one who knows what it's like to go wild and one who won't ever really be the same again. He adopts a new perspective that quickly spreads and liberates the animals around him.

I'm loving this story and E requested that it be read again immediately when I first showed it to him. I've actually had my eye on it for some time and my local library only just managed to get their copy this week... which I snagged straight away (apologies to anyone who has to share my local with me).

Happy Valentine's Day all. For something to love give Mr Tiger Goes Wild a try!

If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin. E. Stead

Happy belated new year readers! It's been a busy time at our house with grandparents visiting from North Carolina, a side project of mine that just launched and master E's 4th birthday which seems to have come out of blue this year. Though it's been a time for reading lots of old favorites, there is one new title in the basket that we've both kind of fallen in love with: If You Want to See a Whale.

The narrative is much like a thought, a poem or a conversation depending on how you read it.  All three approaches work well! The story is driven by a little boy with just a hound and a little grey bird for company as he searches for a glimpse of a whale. Like a young child retelling something they've learned firsthand, he speaks directly to the reader as he dispenses his wisdom. Above all you must not get distracted if you want to see a whale.  Things that might divert your attention such as a pirate ship, a field of roses or a pelican must all be ignored. You must wait, quiet and alert, and you might, you just might see a whale.

The illustrations are drawn with a deft hand and the blues and greens of the sea are endlessly dreamy against the bright yellows. Without being didactic, the story is a lesson in perception and patience. E is really big on whales at the moment so this one went down a treat at our house. His interest in the subject matter, coupled with the incredible illustrations, opened the door for a revealing bit of quiet conversation... just as a good book should.

Five of my favorite books from 2013

In the spirit of lists, here's five of my favorite books published in 2013 (in no particular order):

Molly O'Doon ties a message to a balloon and sets it loose in the sky. The balloon rises higher and higher until the fields look like patchwork and then it crosses the sea.  It eventually comes to rest on the porch of another little girl who happens to be right next door.  They are instant friends. Beautiful illustrations with a magical rendering of perspectives.

 

A young boy lives by the beach with his father who works long hours and days as a fisherman.  One day, after a storm, the boy is alone on the beach and finds a whale. He brings it home and tries to care for it.  His father discovers the whale and together they return him to the sea. The boy learns a difficult lesson as does his father. Stunning illustrations and a gentle story. 

The life of a loaf of bread, slice by slice, is charmingly captured here. The story unfolds as each slice disappears in the tummies of the baker, the ducks the birds and the dogs. This one left E shouting 'Hooray for bread' for weeks on end.

Sammy and Paul, the plumbing toucan brothers, enjoy veritable celebrity status in our house. We read this book so much that the other day E overheard a woman on the bus talking about 'two cans' of beer and he asked me why they were talking about Sammy and Paul. 

I'm sneaking in a vintage one here because 2013 has been a year of Lyle for us. Lyle is the oh so lovable crocodile who moves in to the Primm's house on East 88th Street. Mayhem, then order, then tears, then laughter, all follow in due course.  They don't make many book characters like Lyle.  He's not to be missed.

And here are two books on my list that are currently unavailable in the UK (!).  I'd hope to give them to E for Christmas but clearly many others out there had the same idea.

Maps by Aleksandra Mizielinska/Daniel Mizielinska

Under the Ocean by Anouck Boisrobert and Louis Rigaud

 Happy holidays everyone!