Friday, April 1, 2022

Be Brave, Bud (SpringFling 2022)


“Open up, Bud!” Daisy called.

“I’m good, thanks,” Bud muttered.

“But it’s a beautiful day!”

“I’d rather stay inside.”

“But you need sunshine to grow!”

“Sunshine smunshine. I’m going back to sleep.”

Bud missed his soft dirt bed.

It was so dark and quiet and cozy.

Why did he have to grow up and become a flower?

Just then, Bud heard a loud “BZZZZ!”

What could it be?

“Be brave, Bud,” he told himself.

He opened his petals just a smidge.

“Hello. May I please have some of your nectar?”

“My nectar?”

“Yes, I need it to make honey. In return, I’ll spread your pollen so you can make seeds.”

“Seeds? Well…okay.”

He stretched a bit wider.

“Hee-hee-hee! That tickles!”

Bud looked around.

He saw streams of golden sunshine.

Fluffy white clouds.

And flowers of every color.

It was…beautiful.

And Bud bloomed to be part of it.


Saturday, March 5, 2022

Fifty Precious Words 2022

Missing Match

By Sarah Lontine

WC: 49


Sock can’t find Match.

Her better half—

the yin to her yang—

is missing!

Sock checks the dryer.

The hamper.

The shoes.

No Match!

Sock feels lonely.

Incomplete.

Completely lost.

Well, actually, Match is lost!

Where could Match be?

Sock thinks hard.

Then she turns herself inside out.

“Match!”


Thursday, April 1, 2021

SpringFling Kidlit Contest 2021

Bee Careful!

Elliot ran out into the sunshine. It was finally spring!

He jumped on the trampoline.

He dug in the sandbox.

He started climbing the apple tree when he heard it.

“Buzzzz!”

Elliot ran back inside.

He rubbed the spot above his elbow where a bee had stung him last September.

It had hurt. A lot!

Elliot knew bees only stung when they felt scared.

But Elliot felt scared, too.

He decided he had better stay in.

He played with his marbles.

He did a puzzle.

But Elliot could hear kids laughing outside.

He wanted to join them.

Elliot thought hard.

Suddenly, he remembered…beekeepers!

Elliot found his dad’s fishing hat. He cut the lining out of his old swimsuit and taped it all around the hat.

He put on his raincoat.

And his mom’s gardening gloves.

No bees could get him now!

Elliot was ready to play outside!


*I couldn't figure out how to embed the Gif so here's a link!

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Our Favorite Back to School Picture Books

My 2nd grader had her first day of school yesterday! She was beyond excited and so ready to be back. Even with all the new safety measures with masks and physical distancing, she had a great first day! (She is also one of the most optimistic and outgoing kids I've ever met, so I wasn't surprised!) My 5-year-old doesn't start Kindergarten until next week, and I'm a little more anxious about how his first day will go since everything will be new to him! In preparation, we've been reading some of our favorite back to school picture books! 

School's First Day of School by Adam Rex and Christian Robinson. What would the first day of school be like for a brand new school building? For kids who are nervous for the first day of school, this book is especially delightful, leading kids to imagine if the school itself feels nervous! Read my full review here.

The Day You Begin by Jaqueline Woodson and Rafael Lopez. It's hard to be different, especially on the first day of school. This beautiful book reminds us that whether we speak a different language, wear different clothes, or eat different foods, we all can make room for each other.

We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins. Penelope Rex is excited to start school, but is surprised when all of her classmates are children! So she eats them. (Because children are delicious.) This laugh-out-loud story is one of our very favorites!

The King of Kindergarten by Derek Barnes and Vanessa Brantley-Newton. The enthusiasm this little protagonist feels on his first day of school is contagious! This is a great one to get kids pumped up for school!

The Pigeon Has To Go To School! by Mo Willems. We love all the Pigeon books, and this one is yet another winner. My kids love all of Pigeon's ridiculous reasons for not wanting to go to school, and can't help giggling when he realizes school is the very place he wants to be!

The Cool Bean by Jory John and Pete Oswald. The Cool Bean tells the story of a bean who wants to be like the gang of "cool beans" at school. He tries cool clothes and hair styles before realizing that what makes the cool beans so cool is their kindness. Such an important message for kids--it's cool to be kind!

Maple and Willow Apart When Maple goes to school, Willow feels sad to be left behind. But even though they are each having new adventures apart, the sisters learn they will always have special times to share together. This is a great one for younger siblings!

Truman by Jean Reidy and Lucy Ruth Cummins. This is an adorable story about a little girl and her pet tortoise who both have to be brave on her first day of school.

Be Kind! by Pat Zietlow Miller and Jen Hill. While not specifically about back-to-school, this is my favorite book for teaching kids about kindness! Whether it's as simple as saying hi or as difficult as standing up to a bully, one kind act can inspire others, spreading kindness throughout the world!

Speak Up! by Miranda Paul and Ebony Glen. Published just this year, this book has such a powerful message for kids, especially in a school setting! Written in rhyming verse, the story teaches kids when it is important to speak up--whether it's to include someone new, stop an unkind rumor, or to tell an adult about an unsafe situation. I especially love the end pages that include examples of real life kids who have spoken up to make a difference. It also has a checklist to help kids recognize when they should "be quiet, let it go" or "speak up, let others know!"and a list of ways to speak up without saying a word!

What books do you like to read to your kids at the beginning of the school year?

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Top Ten Books About Trains!

I don't know exactly why, but trains are magical things to kids. Maybe it's the sound effects. Maybe it's the novelty. (My kids have only ridden on a real train maybe twice in their lives.) Maybe it's how looonnngg they can be how you wonder when the end will come as you watch car after car rumble through a train crossing. Whatever the reason, kids love trains! And they love books about trains! So without further ado, her are our top ten favorite books about trains!

1. Train! by Judi Abbot. When his parents take him for a ride on a real train, Little Elephant is so excited...until he meets a cat who prefers planes and a penguin who only plays with cars. The familiar little-kid obsession with trains and things that go, combined with rhythmic text and bright illustrations make book a favorite of toddlers and preschoolers!

2. Freight Train by Donald Crews. The rainbow-colored train and simple text make this classic train book perfect for even the youngest readers. It's on my list of best board books for babies. 

3. Trains Go! by Steve Light. Going beyond "choo choo," this extra-wide board book features the sounds of every train from diesel to steam to speed trains! We love the bright primary colors and fun onomatopoeia in this and the rest of the "things that go" board book series!

4. The Little Engine That Could  Would any train book list be complete without it? This story of can-do attitude and perseverance is a classic for good reason! I love reading this one aloud using different voices for each of the trains.

5. Shark vs Train by Christ Barton and Tom Lichtenheld. In a head-to-head competition, who would win, a shark or a train? Well, that depends...are they selling lemonade, playing ping pong, or going off the high dive? This imaginative who-would-win book is plenty silly and tons of fun!

6. Trains Don't Sleep by Andria Rosenbaum and Deirdre Gill. This book takes you on a gentle train ride through day and night. The rhythmic rhymes and lovely illustration make this book a perfect bedtime read.

7. Train by Elisha Cooper. A bit lengthier than the standard picture book, this one is best for older readers with longer attention-spans. But if they love trains, they will love this book! Packed with information, this book takes you on a winding journey, hopping from commuter train, to passenger train, to freight train, to high-speed train. I love the beautiful water-color illustrations and the imagery of the text!

8. Locomotive by Brian Floca. Winner of the Caldecott medal and a Robert F. Sibert honor book, Locomotive is a cross-continental journey on the first American railway. Both lyrical and informative, this is a non-fiction, historical picture book masterpiece! Again, this one is a longer read and best for older kids and those who are genuinely fascinated by trains and history!

9. The Christmas Tree Who Loved Trains by Annie Silvestro and Paola Zakimi. A little pine trees lives by a train track and loves hearing the trains rumble past. When she is dug up and taken to live in a family's home, she misses hearing the trains...until she realizes that the little boy in her new home loves trains just as much as she does. We discovered this sweet little story last Christmas and instantly fell in love.

10. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Another timeless classic, The Polar Express captures the wonder and magic of both trains and the Christmas season. This one always gives me tingles at the end!

Did I miss any? What are your favorite books about trains?

Friday, May 1, 2020

Mrs. Peter's Birthday Cake

SEVEN SILLY EATERS by Mary Ann Hoberman and Marla Frazee is one of my all-time favorite picture books and one of the first books I reviewed on my blog. After re-reading the book last week, my five-year-old asked if we could make Mrs. Peter's birthday cake. I'm not much of a baker, but I found a recipe on Mary Ann Hoberman's website and we tried it out today! It didn't turn out quite as pink as we wanted so we made pink frosting (very lumpy pink frosting because we weren't patient enough to wait for the butter to soften 😉). But even though it didn't turn out too pretty, it was lots of fun to make and actually pretty tasty too!


Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Spring Fling Kidlit Contest

I am so excited to share my entry for the Spring Fling Kidlit Contest! The contest rules are to find a spring-related gif and use it as the inspiration to write a story for kids in under 150 words! The word count was a good challenge for me, as my writing tends to be too wordy. I am learning that with picture books, more is less! The first draft of my story was almost 400 words, and I didn't think there was any way I could cut it down to 150. But I managed to do it, and do you know what? I like it even better than the original. I hope you enjoy it too!




Made to Fly

I feel the breeze and quiver with excitement. Maya unwinds my string. “Ready?” she asks. I can’t wait. She starts running. Her dad throws me into the air. I fly up, up, up. Then I look down. Maya is so far away. I panic. And fall.

Maya picks me up and runs again, but I don’t even try. Run, throw…flop. Run, throw…flop. Maya picks me up and says, “Kite, listen to me. You don’t belong here on the ground. You belong in the sky. You were made to fly!”

Maya starts running. This time, I don’t look at the ground. I look up at the sky. I let the wind lift me higher and higher toward the clouds. I am flying! I hear Maya cheering, and I look down. She is tiny, but I am not scared now. I am where I belong. I was made to fly!

*Kite gif is from YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7yezRhh-F4

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Top Ten Picture Books About Trucks!

Is there a preschooler on the planet who doesn't run to the front window when a garbage truck comes rumbling down the street? Or who doesn't light up when a firetruck whizzes past? Or who doesn't yell "DIGGER!" when driving past a construction site? If there is, I have yet to meet one! Kids love trucks. They're big, loud, and should be scary, but little kids are fascinated by them! There are dozens of picture books out there about all different types of trucks, but here is a list of our very favorites.


1. Digger, Dozer, Dumper by Hope Vestergaard and David Slonim. I'm putting this one first because it's my very favorite and a lot of people have never heard of it! It came out just a couple years after the very popular Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, and while they are both rhyming books about trucks, I think Digger, Dozer, Dumper is even better.  The poems are so beautifully crafted and packed full of information about the function and mechanics of each truck. I also love the illustrations and how each truck has a distinct personality. For my full review, click here.

2. Supertruck by Steven Savage. The garbage truck has the least glamorous job of all the trucks...he just collects the trash. But when a big snow storm hits, the humble garbage truck dons a scoop and transforms into SUPERTRUCK, rescuing the other vehicles stuck in the snow. This brief and clever picture book is just super! (My favorite part is how the garbage truck wears glasses, but when he turns into SUPERTRUCK they mysteriously disappear, just like Clark Kent/Superman.)

3. Monster Trucks by Joy Keller and Misa Saburi. This rhyming picture book combines two things kids love...monsters and trucks. Each monster drives a different type of truck that suits it's personality...the werewolf mans the digger, the yeti drives a snowplow, and the witch rides a street sweeper! I also love how the ending tells kids not to worry about monsters hiding in their rooms at night because they're much too tired and have all gone to bed. This book is tons of fun and very kid-accessible.

4. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry. This book is immensely popular and for good reason. Its bouncy rhyming text, cheerful illustrations, and themes of kindness and teamwork make this book a favorite of both kids and parents.

5. Five Trucks by Brian Floca.  This book is a very quick read, but it's so genius because of the way it creates suspense, keeping the reader wondering about how the five trucks work together. (Spoiler alert: they all help an airplane get ready for take-off!)

6. Bulldozer Helps Out by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohman. Bulldozer just wants to help out at the construction site, but all the other trucks say he isn't big enough or tough enough. But when a special task needs to be done, Bulldozer just might be the perfect truck for the job! This is a super cute one and sends the important message that no one is too small to do big jobs!

7. Katy the Snowplow by Virginia Burton.  This one is a classic that is just as good today as it was 50 years ago. When a big blizzard buries the city of Geoppolis under a thick blanket of snow, Katy, the biggest tractor with the biggest plow, is the only one who can save the day. Like many older picture books, this one is a bit longer than most PBs published today, but the story and illustrations are engaging enough that my preschooler requests this one again and again.

8. Trucks Go by Steve Light. This board book is one of a series of vehicle books, which are all fantastic and on my list of best books for babies. The bright primary colors and onomatopoeia make these books tons of fun for the littlest readers.

9. Small Walt by Elizabeth Verdick and Marc Rosenthal. I seem to really love snowplow books, because this is the third one on the list! Walt is the smallest of all the snowplows and always gets picked last to scoop the snow from the streets. When he gets his chance to prove himself, Walt is determined not to give up no matter how deep the snow or how high the hill! This is a great story about the power of positive thinking, and I love the lyrical elements in the text. We also love the sequel, Small Walt and Mo the Tow.

10. Truck Stop by Anna Rockwell & Melissa Iwai. A little boy wakes up before dawn each day to help his parents and uncle open the truck stop they own. He watches for all the regulars, including a big 18-wheeler, a milk truck, and a tow truck. Each of the drivers come inside for their usual breakfasts which the boy knows by heart. But Green Gus, one of the regular trucks, is missing. Will the boy be able to help Green Gus and his driver make it to the truck stop? I love the collage-style illustrations, and the warm feeling of community that this story generates. It also makes me hungry for breakfast food! ;)




Thursday, October 10, 2019

Ten Monstrously Great Kid Books!

Halloween has never been my favorite holiday. I don't like creepy costumes, or haunted houses, or spooky stories or candy corn. But since becoming a parent, I'm starting to enjoy Halloween more and more. I've found that costumes can be cute instead of creepy and the decorations can be fun instead of spooky. And books! There are so many great cute-not scary Halloween picture books out there, too many for just one list. This is a list of our favorite picture books about monsters, which are great for Halloween or year-round!

1. The Monster's Monster by Patrick McDonald. Grouch, Grump and Gloom 'n Doom are three little monsters with attitude! They each want to be the biggest, baddest monster around. One day, they decide to combine their forces and create the biggest, baddest monster EVER! When their creation is complete, they can't wait for Monster to terrorize the village. But Monster doesn't care about being the biggest, baddest monster. He is just happy to be alive and teaches his little friends to have a little less attitude and a little more gratitude with two important words: "DANK YOU!"

2. Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberly. This classic peek-hole book has been delighting kids for almost three decades. Kids love watching the monster appear with each page turn...first his yellow eyes, then the bluish-greenish nose, then the sharp white teeth. But the best part is when they get to tell the monster to "go away!" one piece at a time. This a great book for empowering kids to face their fears.

3. Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems. My book lists just can't be complete without at least one Mo Willems book! Leonardo is a little monster who can't seem to scare anyone, no matter how hard he tries. He does some research and finds the most scaredy-cat kid in the world: Sam. Leonardo can't wait to scare the tuna salad out of him! But when he goes to scare Sam, Leonardo decides that maybe being a good friend is more important than being the scariest monster.

4. Fright Club by Ethan Long. Only the scariest monsters are allowed to join the Fright Club. So when a cute little bunny asks to join the club before Halloween, the monsters shut the door in his face. The monsters learn that you don't have to be big or have fangs to make good monster! This book has a great message of inclusion and I love illustrations with the cute big-eyed monsters!

5. Bedtime for Monsters by Ed Vere. "Do you ever wonder if somewhere, not too far away, there are monsters? Because just supposing there are monsters, do you think that this monster might be licking his lips and thinking about...you?" When my son was two, we checked this book out from the library and he kept looking at me nervously and saying, "He's not coming to our house, right mom? He's not really coming, right?" But when we got to the end and found out that the monster just wanted a bedtime kiss, he loved the book and wanted to read it over and over again. This book has just the right touch of scary mixed with a heavy dose of silly!

6. Love Monster by Rachel Bright. All the other creatures in Cutesville are cute and cuddly, and everyone loves cute and cuddly things. No one loves a strange-looking, googly-eyed monster. Will Monster find someone who loves him just as he is? This is another monster book that is more sweet than scary, and I love the bold ink-print illustrations!

7. Crankenstein by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Dan Santat. Beware of Crankenstein! You might find him on wet, rainy days or when it's way too hot, even for popsicles. You'll definitely see him when it's time for bed. But will Crankenstein stay cranky forever? This book is tons of fun to read aloud with all the monster "mehhhr" noises, and I absolutely love Dan Santat's distinctive illustrations.

8. The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone. No monster book list would be complete without this classic! This was one of my childhood favorites, and now I love reading it to my kids. They can't help but giggle with delight when Grover explicitly tells them to "stop turning pages!" and they keep doing it anyway...even knocking down a brick wall. This is one monster book that will never get old!

9. Nibbles: The Book Monster by Emma Yarlett. Nibbles the monster loves to chomp everything but especially books! When he chews his way out of his own book and into other stories, hilarity ensues! Emma Yarlett's detailed illustrations are stellar and the flaps and peek-holes in this book make it extra fun!

10. Ginny Goblin Is Not Allowed to Open this Box by David Goodner, illustrated by Louis Thomas. Ginny Goblin has a box, but she is not allowed to open it until dinnertime. But she is determined to open that box, even if it's on the highest shelf in the tallest tower. Nothing will stop Ginny Goblin! This adorable story about persistence will pique kids' curiosity and hold their attention until the very end as they wonder, "What is in that box?!"

What are your favorite Halloween picture books?

Friday, September 13, 2019

Our Favorite Dinosaur Picture Books

I always encourage my kids to help choose books when we go to the library. I want them to feel some ownership in picking out their own books, and I also want them to get familiar with how the books are organized. Juvenile fiction is traditionally organized in alphabetical order by the author's last name, but at our library, the first two shelves are sorted by topic, which makes it so easy for my kids to find books they are interested in. My four-year-old makes a bee-line for the dinosaur books every. single. week. Consequently, we have read pretty much every dino book on the shelf. If you are looking for great picture books about dinosaurs, I've gotcha covered. Here are our favorites broken down into age groups and fiction/non-fiction.

For the toddler/preschool crowd:

1. Tyrannosaurus Wrecks! by Sudipta Bardan-Qualan, illustrated by Zachariah O'Hora. All the little dinosaurs are happily playing and learning...until Tyrannosaurus wrecks! Can the other dinosaurs help teach him Tyrannosaurus to play nicely? I love a good play on words, and the clever title together with the the snappy rhymes and bold colors made me instantly fall in love with this book!

2. Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein. A newly hatched T-Rex wants to try out every new thing she sees. She tries a stomp, then a whomp, and then she sees a kiss and wants to try that next! But it turns out little T-Rexes aren't very good kissers and she accidentally stomps and whomps everything she tries to kiss. The spare text, simple illustrations, and slapstick humor give this book tons of little-kid appeal! (This one had my four-year-old absolutely ROLLING.)

3. Dinosaur vs Bedtime by Bob Shea. Little dinosaur conquers every foe he meets, from a big pile of leaves to talking grownups. But can he defeat bedtime? Little kids can't resist this one, especially with all the "Roar, Roar, ROAR!"

4. Roar! A Dinosaur Tour by Michael Paul. This book is a great non-fiction introduction to dinosaurs for young readers. The text is informative yet brief and the colorful illustrations are eye-catching. It's hard to find non-fiction books that are simple enough for young kids but not mind-numbing for parents to read over and over. Roar! A Dinosaur Tour finds that perfect balance. Highly recommend!

5. Bigger Than You! by Hyewon Kyung. As little dinosaurs of different sizes play on a see-saw, each one taunts the smaller one saying, "I'm bigger than you!" No one is having much fun until they find a better way to all play together. I loved how this simple story gets kids thinking about problem solving. I also love the ink-print illustrations and the informational pages at the end that teach the names of the dinosaurs as well as the different types of simple machines.

6. How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. All the books in this series are great, but this one is my favorite. It captures toddler's manners (or lack of) perfectly and will have both kids and parents smiling!

For older kids: Fiction

1. Tea Rex by Molly Idle. Yes, the title is another dinosaur pun, and I love it for that reason alone. But Tea Rex is a gem of a book in every possible way. It's adorable, clever, and funny. And the illustrations are full of detail and are really what tell the story. If you just read the text without the pictures, the book would simply be a step-by-step guide to hosting the perfect tea party. No mention of dinosaurs at all. Which is why it's so dang funny! For example, the text says simply, "Lead your guest through to the parlor" while the illustration shows a little girl and her brother tugging with all their might to pull a bow-tie wearing T-Rex through the too-small doorway. Tea Rex is one of those beautifully crafted picture books that will never get old and never fail to make me smile!

2. We Don't Eat our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins. Penelope Rex is nervous about starting school and wonders what her classmates will be like. She is more than a little surprised when she gets to school and all her classmates are children! So she eats them. (Because children are delicious.) This book is an absolute RIOT. It's a great one to read with kids before the first day of school. Not only will it get them laughing but they can feel comforted knowing that whatever happens on the first day, at least no one will eat each other! ;) And even though it's wildly funny, We Don't Eat Our Classmates, is a great way to start a discussion about making friends and treating others the way we want to be treated. Also, Penelope is the most adorable T-Rex I've ever seen.

3. Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems. Mo Willems plus dinosaurs equals mixed-up fairy tale magic. I think it may be my favorite book of Mo's, and that's saying something! (Click here for a list of my favorite fractured fairy tales.)

4. The Three Triceratops Tough by Steve Shasken. Another fabulous fairy tale featuring a cast of dinos! Shaskan's illustrations are simple yet engaging and I love how he gives each of the Triceratops brothers a distinct personality. I love reading this one aloud and and giving each character a different voice, especially the deep, menacing growl of the Tyrannosaurus Rex!

5. Stegothesaurus by Bridget Heos, illustrated by T. L. McBeth. Stegothesaurus is a bit different than his two brothers. When they see a mountain, his brothers say "Big." Stegothesaurus says, "Gargantuan, gigantic, Goliath!" When they eat some shrubs his brothers say, "Yummy." Stegothesaurus says, "Savory, succulent, scrumptious!" When they meet an Allosaurus, his brothers say, "Scary!" and run away. But what will Stegothesaurus do? Stegothesaurus is smart and funny and the surprise ending is just great. I also loved the duo-chromatic illustrations. Be sure to check this one out. It's superb/stellar/stupendous! (See what I did there??) ;)

For older kids: Non-fiction

1. National Geographic's Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs by Catherine D. Hughes and illustrated by Franco Tepesta. I love these National Geographic "Big Books." The pictures are vivid and colorful, the headings are big and bold, they are organized in a way that makes sense, and they are packed with information. I especially love this one for two other reasons. One, it has all the dinosaur pronunciations (Can you pronounce micropachcephalosaurus? Because I can thanks to this book.) It has the dinosaurs listed by size with the categories being small, big, giant, and GIGANTIC) and each page has a sillouhette of a kid standing next to the dinosaur, which I think is a great way for kids to visualize how big the dinosaurs actually were. This book is waaayy too long for a typical read-aloud, but I'll tell you my secret for non-fiction books like this with an excess of information: just read the headings and one or maybe two captions per each page. And just skip all the rest. Your kid will never know! Until they become an independent reader in which case, you can tell them to read it themselves. ;)

2. Who Would Win? Tyrannosaurus vs Velociraptor by Jerry Pallotta and Rob Bolster. This is another awesome non-fiction series. Even though they are geared towards the 8-12-year-old crowd, my four-year-old is obsessed with these books! In this one, the author matches a Tyrannosaurus Rex against a Velociraptor, comparing each of their strength and weaknesses and asking the reader to predict who would win. It ends with an imaginary battle and kids love seeing if their prediction was correct!

3. Did Dinosaurs Eat People? And Other Questions Kids Have About Dinosaurs by Donna H. Bowman. This book take questions submitted by actual kids and gives them a simple, succinct answer. Any questions kids have about dinosaurs, silly or serious, are likely to be answered in this book!

4. You Can be a Paleontologist! Discovering Dinosaurs with Dr. Scott. If you've ever seen Dinosaur Train on PBS, Dr. Scott is the paleontologist from the show. In this book, he tells kids everything they need to do to become a paleontologist when they grow up...and what they can start doing now!

What are your favorite dino-stories?

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Author Highlight: Ame Dykeman

Ame Dyckman is one of my very favorite children's book authors. I love her fresh ideas, crisp writing style, and quirky sense of humor...not one of her books has failed to make me smile! Here is a list of our favorites.


1. Boy + Bot illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. Boy + Bot was the first book I read by Dyckman, and it is still one of my all-time favorite picture books. It's about a boy who meets a robot and they play together...until the robot's switch turns off. The boy thinks Bot must be sick and tries everything he can think of to help him feel better including feeding him applesauce, reading him a story, and tucking him in. Then the boy falls asleep. When Bot's switch gets bumped back on, Bot sees the boy sleeping and thinks he must be malfunctioning! So Bot takes Boy to his house and tries to "fix" him by giving him some oil, reading him an instruction manual, and getting him a spare battery. :) It's such a short and sweet story, but it teaches a powerful lesson about true friendship and treating others the way we want to be treated.

2. Wolfie the Bunny, illustrated by Zachariah Ohora. Mama and Papa Bunny are delighted when a baby wolf shows up on their front porch. "He's adorable" they say. But big sister Dot isn't so sure a wolf in the family is such a good idea. In fact, Dot is convinced Wolfie is "going to eat us all up!" Wolfie the Bunny is a wonderfully funny story with a sweet message about loving and accepting those who are different.

3. Horrible Bear, illustrated by Zachariah Ohora. A girl is flying her kite when the string snaps and the kite lands sleeping bear's cave. When the girl goes to retrieve it, the bear rolls over and crunches her kite. "Horrible Bear!" the girl shouts! She stomps home where she grumbles and rages and blames...until she breaks one of her toys. Then the girl suddenly realizes that accidents happen. And that maybe the bear wasn't so horrible. And that maybe she owes him an apology. Horrible Bear has such a great message about forgiveness and not being quick to judge others.

4. Read the Book Lemmings! again illustrated by Zachariah Ohora. It turns out lemmings don't jump off cliffs. It says so right in Foxy's book. But the lemmings can't read, so... "Geronimo!" This one is quirky and silly and just pure fun. And I really love Ohora's distinct illustrations.

5. You Don't Want a Unicorn! illustrated by Liz Climo. Sure, a unicorn SOUNDS like an awesome pet. But you probably didn't know that unicorns shed. And scratch. And are impossible to house-train. And worst of all, unicorns never come alone. You have been warned. You Don't Want a Unicorn! is sure to make unicorn-loving kids laugh out loud!

6. Misunderstood Shark! illustrated by Scott Magoon. Bob the Jellyfish is the host of the live TV show "Underwater World" and today's guest is Shark! Shark insists he is just misunderstood...he wasn't going to eat the fish, he was just showing off his new tooth! And he wasn't going to eat the baby seal, he was just helping her find her parents! And he definitely won't eat any people...right? Filled with fun shark facts and packed with humor, Misunderstood Shark is currently one of my four-year-old's favorite books.

7. Dandy illustrated by Charles Santoso. When Daddy Lion wages ward on the dandelion in his perfect yard, he's ready with every weapon in his arsenal. But the dandelion has the one defense Daddy isn't prepared for---his daughter, Sweetie. Will Daddy be able to rid his lawn of the yellow weed flower without Sweetie noticing? Dandy is equal parts hilarious and heartwarming, and my whole family loves this one!

Be Brave, Bud (SpringFling 2022)

“Open up, Bud!” Daisy called. “I’m good, thanks,” Bud muttered. “But it’s a beautiful day!” “I’d rather stay inside.” “But you need ...