Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen

Copyright © 2000 by Chris W. Van Dusen

When I began my blog last year, I immediately knew which of our favorite books to recommend first: If I Built a Car  by Chris Van Dusen.  My kids and I both so love that imaginative story, especially Van Dusen's signature, bright 1950's cartoonish illustrations.  We are huge fans of all things Van Dusen in this house and we own every one of his books.

Well, back to the story at hand ... Mr. Magee decides to take a boat ride. He packs a lunch and sets out with his adorable little dog Dee.

Things go awry pretty quickly, when a bored and playful baby whale spies the boat and uses his blow hole to push the boat into the air.

The situation goes from bad to worse when a gust of wind sends the boat, with its inhabitants, sailing through the sky where it becomes lodged in a spruce tree.

The baby whale hightails it outta there, but thankfully Mr. Magee and Dee are eventually dislodged from the tree by a pod of very clever whales.

Like all of Van Dusen's books, the illustrations are a delight to view, and the story will definitely elicit giggles. The rhyme is upbeat and just fun to read.  Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee is the first in a trio of books with Mr. Magee -A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee and Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee being the second and third books respectively. For existing  fans of Van Dusen, if you have sharp eyes you will have spotted Magee and Dee make a cameo in If I Built a Car.

Messenger, Messenger by Robert Burleigh illustrated by Barry Root

Text copyright © 2000 by Robert Burleigh, Illustrations copyright © 2000 by Barry Root

Over the last almost 7 years, I have read a couple thousand different books to my 3 kids. After reading so many stories, I admit I began to get a little cocky and believed that that there was no topic that we had not read about.  Messenger, Messenger caused me to realize that I was wrong - My kids had never heard of  a bicycle messenger.

Messenger, Messenger depicts a day in the life of a big city  bike messenger named Calvin Curbhopper (is that not the coolest name?). "Snow, wind, sun rain,/ Morning's come around again./Sun wind, rain snow,/ Messenger, messenger, gotta go./ Calvin Curbhopper rides into the day:/ "Messenger comin', outta my way."" The reader gets to experience the fast paced day of the messenger-  riding up elevators and escalators to deliver urgent packages, talking on his walkie talkie, eating lunch on the go, even delivering packages to a seedy neighborhood.

I particularly love the illustrations of Barry Root. He perfectly captures the energy and diversity of a big city, those same atrributes being what I have always loved about big city life.  Root makes me nostalgic for the days when I actually worked in downtown Chicago, before having children.

My kids could not believe that people are paid to ride their bikes and deliver packages. It is the first profession that made my building-obsessed boys ever waver in their steadfast desire to be architect/engineers/builders. I didn't have the heart to tell them that bicycle messengers, if they still exist, will undoubtedly be obsolete by the time they are old enough to work, due to the internet and email. My  kids like to ride their bikes in a straight line with my 6 yr. old first,, then my 4 year old with training wheels, and bringing up the rear, my 3 year old on a tricyle, all shouting "I'm messenger, messenger, messenger man."

To a kid, a bicycle messenger has to be the ultimate cooooooooool job! Robert Burleigh's words combined with Barry Root's illustrations demonstrate that, oh so well.

Favorite Alphabet Books - Superhero ABC by Bob McLeod

Copyright © 2006 by Bob McLeod

Superhero ABC is an alphabet book with an original superhero showcasing each letter.  I have mentioned previously that I am not a big fan of ABC books and rarely read or purchase them - I always desire a plot in the stories I read to my kids. Superhero ABC, however, is one of three exceptions to my rule.  I bought it, and I am always eager to read it. It is a fun way for kids to learn their ABCs because what child does not love superheros. The illustrations are  large, slick, vivid and zany. The descriptions following the introduction of each superhero has great vocabulary words that your child will incorporate into their everyday speech.

There are also two personal reasons that this book appeals to me.  First, there are several female superheros included, which is important for me as the mother of two sons AND a daughter.  Second, one of the superheros, Astro-Man,  has asthma, as does my eldest child.  My son feels different because he is the only one in the family with the condition, so it is always great to see someone with asthma doing cool things! 

Superhero ABC travels in the car with us because my 6, 4 and 3 year old are very fond of it and pass the book back and forth.  If you are searching for a book that is both fun to read and educational, Superhero ABC just might be it.

I'M BACK!!!

Hello All,

I know I seemed to disappear off the face of the earth and I apologize. After much soul searching my husband and I decided to place our home on the market a few months back.  That was the easy part, decluttering and cleaning all the junk we have acquired over the last decade was the hard part.  Actually that is an understatement. It was nighmarish and extremely time-consuming.  My Blog was put on the backburner. We have now cleaned and staged the house and listed it. I hope we will sell it soon and find a new home to begin making memories. I will post a new book tomorrow but from now on instead of 3 posts a week, I will probably only have time to post 1 or 2 a week. Thanks for the kind emails from followers inquiring about me.

Favorite Alphabet Books Week - Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel

Text and Illustrations copyright © 2005 by Nick Bruel

Kitty was not always naughty; however, when her owner runs out of Kitty's cat food and offers her an assortment of healthy fruits and vegetables from A to Z, Kitty is not happy.

The finicky feline demonstrates her displeasure by wreacking havoc in the house.

Kitty's owner then runs an errand to the grocery store to purchase more of Kitty's favorite foods - a wacky assortment of foods from A to Z.

Kitty again becomes a well-behaved pet and attempts to make amends for her atrocious behavior.

Will tempermental Kitty stay good?.....

Bad Kitty is another one of  our favorite Alphabet books. Nick Bruel's illustrations of Kitty's antics are very comical to all three of the kids and to this parent! The kids like to point out that a fang protrudes from Kitty's mouth as she becomes irate. As a proud cat family, we can totally relate to extremely finicky feline behavior. If you are searching for an entertaining way for your kids to learn their ABCs, look no further than Bad Kitty.

Favorite Alphabet Books Week - Agent A to Agent Z by Andy Rash

Text and Illustrations copyright © 2004 by Andy Rash

There are 26 spies with names from A to Z. One of the 26 is thought to be a fake spy that has infiltrated the ranks. Agent A has been given a mission -  find out who it is.  How will this mission be accomplished? Agent A will spy on each agent. Each true agent, in the course of being observed, will engage in some action that has a word beginning with the letter of his name. "Huh?" you say. Well, read the following opening lines and it will make perfect sense.

Calling Secret Agent A.
Here's your mission for today:
Every spy who is official
uses words with his initial.
But one spy is out of line.
I need to know his name by nine.
That is all and best of luck,
and now this page will self-destruct!

Agent A, list in hand, sets off and notices the following:

Agent B correctly chooses
Blue, and so the Bomb defuses.

Agent E did not Expect
what happened when he pressed Eject.

Agent J decides he must
adjust his Jet pack's upward thrust.

Agent S subdues a Spy
by letting her Stiletto fly.

Agent A spies on all the agents before he discovers, in a surprising twist, the identity of  the "fake" agent.

I have a confession, ABC books usually do not appeal to me. As a general rule, I do not purchase them or even read them to my kids. I have such a strong preference for a plot, that a book with a list of words beginning with the 26 letters of the alphabet, no matter how beautifully illustrated, usually does nothing for me. There are simply too many great stories to read to my kids during their all too brief picture book stage for me to spend time on ABC books. Over the years, I have made a few exceptions to my rule and I am featuring 3 of the titles this week. These are great ABC books that my kids love and that I, surprisingly, really enjoy reading to them, repeatedly.

Agent A to Agent Z is unlike most alphabet books - it has a plot and a good one. My boys were unfamiliar with spies, so I provided background before the first reading. Throughout the first read, I found myself explaining "tranquilizing darts", "microfiche," "defuse," "incognito", "decode," "suction cups" etc. Those are pretty exciting words, so my boys were riveted. I am always pleased when a book introduces my children to a subject matter that is completely foreign to them. Immediately after the first read, the boys requested a second read, with my previous explanations making it easy to follow. The boys quickly began putting their newly gained knowledge and vocabulary to use.  They now spy on everyone and go on "missions" while "incognito" wearing Star Wars costumes.  These kids are like ninjas - they move without a sound. They carry binoculars; they stealthily track me through the house; they contact each other using walkie talkies and refer to themselves as Agent D and Agent E.

I asked the boys what words I should use in my review to describe Agent A to Agent Z and they said, "Supercool and Awesome."  I have to agree with them! At the time I purchased Agent A to Agent Z, my then 3 year old son did not yet recognize most of the uppercase letters. He quickly learned them all because he has read Agent A to Agent Z so frequently on his own. This  is a fun and unique story and a hit with young boys.  My little girl is also beginning to enjoy the story. As her mother, I thank Andy Rash for including a few female spies. Why should boys have all the adventures?

Note: At first glance, the male spies all appear identical with black trench coats and fedoras. My boys initially were confused as to which agent was which. After several reads you will notice that Andy Rash has made all the agents slightly different with distinct noses and eyes. The kids can now readily identify each of them. Agent A to Agent Z gets better with each read!

Mystery on the Dock by Thacher Hurd

Copyright 1983 by Thacher Hurd

Ralph is a short-order cook at a diner at  the dock. He loves to sing, play the accordion and listen to opera music. One evening, a large ship drops anchor outside the diner. Two thuggish rats slink in and demand food.

When Ralph attempts to make small talk, they brusquely tell him to mind his own business.  As the rats eat their food, Ralph skims the newspaper. The headlines reports that his favorite opera star, Eduardo Bombasto, has mysteriously disappeared. Ralph hears the diner door slam - the two rats have skipped out on the bill. Ralph stealthily trails them to the dock.

Once there, he observes a rat called Big Al ordering that a large sack be heaved out of a car trunk.  Unfortunately, Ralph is caught snooping and is thrown into the cargo hold. The large sack, also placed in the hold, begins to move - out pops his favorite opera star, Eduardo Bombasto.  He explains that he was kidnapped by Big Al for ransom. When Ralph and Eduardo attempt to escape, they are spotted.  The two dart up to the ship's crows nest. There they think of way to alert the authorities. Ralph sends up distress flares. Eduardo Bombasto sings for help in his loud operatic voice. Moments later they are relieved to hear the sound of police sirens.

The kidnappers, however, will not surrender without a fight. The daring duo aid the police by swinging down on ropes from the crow's nest and knocking the scoundrels overboard. Big Al and his henchmen are then fished out in a large net by the authorities.

Ralph is  hailed as a hero in the newspaper and even gets to sing for his idol, Eduardo Bombasto!

If you need a good short book with action and suspense to read to an older child, Mystery On the Docks is for you. Thacher Hurd is also the author of the wonderful Art Dog.