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. :)

Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China (Illustrator / Translator: Ed Young)

Would you like to read a Red-Riding Hood story in which the child wins?  Although the 3 children in Lon Po Po get tricked by the wolf at first, they prove that they have some tricks up their sleeves for the wolf, too.  I ended up liking this Chinese version of the tale much better than our traditional Western version.

And the illustrations!  Oh, they were haunting!  And I absolutely loved them!  There was even one time that I turned the page and gasped.  OK, yes, I have an extremely overactive imagination.  But these pictures were just scary enough to really get the imagination going.

For You are a Kenyan Child (Author: Kelly Cunnane / Illustrator: Ana Juan)

A little boy in Kenya is supposed to be watching his grandfather’s cows. But luckily for us, he decides to ramble about his village instead, giving us the chance to meet everyone and see African village life. This is a delightful story with illustrations that somehow manage to perfectly cross a bit of African artistic style with childish whimsy. And it gives you a chance to practice your Swahili. Um, yeah, I’m pretty sure I didn’t get all that right. But I had lots of fun giving it a go! “Hodi!” “Karibu!”

The Kissing Hand (Author: Audrey Penn / Illustrators: Ruth Harper and Nancy Leak)

Chester Raccoon is very nervous about his first night at school. (You remember how raccoons are nocturnal, right?) Mrs. Raccoon tells him she knows a secret that her mother taught her that will help Chester feel loved, even when he is away.

This is a great story for a first day at school or first day of anything new. It is also just a great reminder for kids about how loved they are, no matter where they are at. My boys both wanted kissing hands just because it made them feel good, even though we were part way through an elementary and preschool year at the time of the reading. And, of course, just like Chester in the book, they gave me a kissing hand back so that I would be able to feel their love while they are away at school.

All in all, this is a very sweet story with sweet illustrations that will make you and your child feel wonderful!

The Quiltmaker’s Gift (Author: Jeff Brumbeau / Illustrator: Gail de Marcken)

In this modern fable, a woman lives up in the mountains of a kingdom making beautiful, magical quilts that she only gives to those in need. When the greedy king of this land, who literally has just about everything else, hears of the quiltmaker’s amazing gifts, he immediately sets out to obtain his own quilt. However, the quiltmaker is not about to give a quilt to a man who so obviously does not need one, even though the king is determined. To find out whether or not the king will ever get a quilt of his own, read “The Quiltmaker’s Gift.”

This fable is an enjoyable read, but the illustrations really set this book apart. The illustrator’s incredibly vibrant use of color and quilting patterns is an unusual and refreshing visual treat.

The Toy Farmer (Author: Andrew T. Pelletier / Illustrator: Scott Nash)

When Jed is rummaging around in the attic and finds an old wooden box with a toy farmer and tractor inside, he has no idea that the little toy farmer will soon turn his bedroom into a field to grow a prize-winning pumpkin. The author’s clever and ambiguous mixing of reality and imagination is reflected in a delightful way by the illustrator, who uses different artistic styles to represent the real and imagined, even on the same page. Find out what happens with the prize pumpkin and what Jed learns about gratitude in “The Toy Farmer.”

The Red Book (Author / Illustrator: Barbara Lehman)

For a book without any words, this one tells its story beautifully. A little city girl finds a red book in the snow on her way to school. Some very magical things begin to happen as she looks inside the book, only to find a little boy on a beach in a faraway land looking through a red book back at her. Pick up “The Red Book” to find out how things end up. I share the illustrator’s love of maps, and therefore found this picture story enchanting.

Soup for Supper (Author: Phyllis Root / Illustrator: Sue Truesdell)

A wee small woman has a lovely garden. That is until the giant Rumbleton comes along to pick everything in it for himself. Find out how the wee small woman outsmarts the giant to get her vegetables back and what she discovers about friendship in “Soup for Supper.” You might even want to learn the giant Rumbleton’s soup song in the back of the book.