The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything (Author: Linda Williams / Illustrator: Megan Lloyd)

Here is the other Halloween/Fall book I forgot to post about.  Even though it is December, it is still technically Fall, so I had to hurry and get this one on here! :)

As the little old lady is walking home through the woods, she has a rather unusual journey.  It starts with meeting some boots that go "CLOMP, CLOMP."  She is very brave, but as she meets more and more pieces of noisy, moving clothing, she wants to get home faster and faster.  And unfortunately, the clothes follow her!  Whatever will she do with them?  Of course, there is a clever answer that our brave little old lady finds, but you'll have to read the story to find out what it is.

This is a FANTASTIC read aloud story!  Your child will love getting in on the action by making all the noises with you.

Big Pumpkin (Author: Erica Silverman / Illustrator: S. D. Schindler)

Eeek!  I forgot to post about the Halloween books we read and enjoyed this year.  Now that is truly frightening!

In "Big Pumpkin," a witch has grown a ginormous pumpkin to make pumpkin pie.  But because she has grown such a big pumpkin, she has a real problem: try as she might, she can't get that pumpkin off the vine!  A fun cast of Halloween characters come by to try their hand at moving the pumpkin, too.  No one seems big or strong enough to budge that pumpkin.  But when a clever little bat has a clever little idea...well, let's just say that there is something yummy in store for them all by the end of the story.

This is a very fun one for practicing your Halloween voices.  Enjoy!

Extra Yarn (Author: Mac Barnett / Illustrator: Jon Klassen)

In a town where everything is "either the white of snow or the black of soot from chimneys," a little girl named Annabelle makes a most curious discovery: "a box filled with yarn of every color."  Well, you can definitely imagine the possibilities there.  Annabelle knits herself a sweater, but when she's done, there is still extra yarn.  And so you, as the reader, get to follow all the fabulous things Annabelle does with that extra yarn and the interesting changes some colorful yarn can make.  And there is even a really fantastically nasty archduke who comes along, but I don't want to spoil the surprise of what happens there!

OK, and the pictures of the knitting!  I can't even adequately put into words how the combination of the simple, monochromatic illustration style and the colorful knitted elements tickles my fancy.  It is just sooooooo delightful!

My Many Colored Days (Author: Dr. Seuss / Illustrators: Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher)

I just love the idea of our moods being colors.  Sometimes we say we are feeling blue.  But is your blue my kind of blue, too?  And how does yellow feel, the yellow like a lemon peel?  What kind of day would be a yellow day?  Or green, or pink, or brown, or gray?

OK, just had to wax a little poetic in honor of Dr. Seuss, one of my all-time favorite children's authors.  I know this is probably the case for 90% of the English speaking world, too.  And although the Dr. didn't illustrate this one himself, the paintings are really lovely, capturing the color "moods" beautifully.  This book opens the door to talking about feelings in a whole new and colorful way.

Piggie Pie! (Author: Margie Palatini / Illustrator: Howard Fine)

Gritch the Witch is hungry, and she knows just what she wants: PIGGIE PIE!  However, the piggies needed for the piggie pie have other ideas about things and are very clever, indeed.  They keep old Gritch hopping and hopping mad right up until Gritch meets someone--a character truly worthy of her.  How does the story end?  Well, only the BBW (as I'll call him to not completely give things away) and Gritch the Witch could tell you.

This story does have an undefined ending, so just be aware that if you have a child who that bothers a lot (like my oldest), you may need to make up your own ending. :)

Drummer Hoff (Adapted By: Barbara Emberley / Illustrator: Ed Emberley)

Do you know the parts of a cannon?  Well, neither did I until the boys and I read this folk verse book.  The rhymes are very fun and a bit tongue-twisting in rapid succession, which makes them even more enjoyable.  And the illustrations are simply gorgeous!  I love stained glass windows, and the pictures reminded me of those: intricate and beautifully colored.  And remember that in the end, "Drummer Hoff fired it off." :)

Mouse was Mad (Author: Linda Urban / Illustrator: Henry Cole)

Mouse is really mad.  The other animals try to give him suggestions on how to express his anger, but as Mouse tries them, he inevitably ends up in a mud puddle.  That is until he finds his own perfect way to be mad that no one else can match.

This book is a fun way to talk about anger and the many ways that people (or animals, as the case may be) can express it.  Since my 4 year-old son is working on this very thing right now, it was a timely read for us. :)