Family Reads

The Seven Silly Eaters

Seven Silly Eaters

by Mary Ann Hoberman
© 1997, 40 pages Level 2 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

 

If you're one of those parents who has taken the right classes, introduced the right foods first, and never made more than one dinner, this might not be the book for you. But for the rest of us who have unwittingly ended up raising picky eaters, we can delight in Mary Ann Hoberman's hilarious tale of children who are finicky beyond reason.

The Peters family begins with Mr. and Mrs. and a sweet little son named Peter. His demand for milk that is warmed to the perfect temperature seems innocent enough. After all he is so small and it's not that much trouble. But with each addition to the Peters family, Mrs. Peters has one more culinary task on her mealtime to-do list: fresh-squeezed pink lemonade, homemade bread, oatmeal without any lumps, and on and on. What began as an innocent indulgence has turned into a full-time occupation for Mrs. Peters, mother of seven, who looks more bedraggled with every page.

Finally, the night before her birthday, Mrs. Peters trudges wearily up to bed and her children  conspire on the perfect present for their mother. Together, they cook up a one-of-a-kind gift, which becomes the solution for their mealtime woes.

By taking the children's choosiness to such crazy extremes, The Seven Silly Eaters is not only a fun read, but also a gentle way to point out the silliness of pickiness.

Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Castle

by Diana Wynne Jones © 1986, 212 pages Level 5 (all about levels) Read Amazon Reviews

 

Ben and I have watched the animated Japanese classic Howl's Moving Castle twice and enjoyed it immensely. The movies of Hayao Miyazaki are unlike any other animated films, featuring very strong and interesting characters (particularly females) and out-of-this-world moments. When we came across the book in our library, we were very curious to see how it would compare to the film, and what questions it would answer. While we were reading it together, our family was actually reading three books by Diana Wynne Jones at the same time! Here is our first father/son co-review.

Brian

Howl's Moving Castle is such a unique book that I would actually recommend seeing the movie first if possible. The two are actually very different, but the movie gives some context and imagery that can make it easier to grasp the story, particularly the moving castle itself.

The book tells the story of Sophie, the oldest of three sisters, who works in a hat shop until she is placed under a spell by the Witch of the Waste. The spell turns Sophie into an old woman and causes her to flee her home. She eventually comes to live in the moving castle with the infamous young wizard Howl and an interesting cast of characters. It seems nearly everyone is under a spell of some sort, and the book tells the story of each character's attempt to be free.

As in the movie, there are any number of odd things going on, but the characters shrug their shoulders and accept the strangeness, without investing a lot of energy in trying to understand it all. There are many delightful moments in the book, but to truly enjoy Howl's Moving Castle, I recommend you do the same.

Ben

This was a good book. Although there are some very strange parts in this novel, it is still fairly easy to understand. You should not read this book to a younger child, because it does have a few scary parts. If you want to read this book, you need a large attention span, as the writing is very complex, and sometimes takes a while to digest.

This book is quite different from the Dianna Wynne Jones books we've read so far, but still has all of her charm and wit.

The Hundred Dresses

The Hundred Dresses

by Eleanor Estes
© 1944, 81 pages Level 3 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

 

Let me start by emphasizing that this book is not too girly for boys! I skipped over this title for years while picking out books for Ben and once I finished it, I instantly regretted it.

The Hundred Dresses is a beautiful book about prejudice. Though written in 1944, this story could easily take place today (and does, just wearing different clothes). Peggy, the most popular girl in school, and Maddy, her friend, have a sidewalk encounter one day with an immigrant student named Wanda Petronski. As girls tend to do, they are discussing clothes and they begin to one-up each other about the style and magnitude of their wardrobes. Wanda, who wears the same threadbare dress every day, finally asserts that she has a hundred dresses, all lined up in her closet. This statement becomes an invitation for ridicule from the other girls. It was one thing for Wanda to sit in the back of the classroom quietly and rarely speak in her stilted English. But it was quite another to  come forth boldly with what was so obviously a lie. Peggy, Maddy, and their friends latch on to Wanda’s claim and snidely ask her about it each chance they get, walking away afterwards snickering and whispering.

Maddy feels guilty about the teasing and hesitates to join in, but her fear of being the next target (since she is plainly dressed herself) pushes her to participate in the mocking. One day, Wanda doesn’t show up at school and Maddy is seized with regret about the way they treated Wanda.

The events that follow are a powerful illustration of the true price to be paid for bullying – what happens when we grab the dignity of another person and carelessly toss it about for our own pleasure. The author gets down to a child’s perspective when telling the story, so it never feels preachy. And the ending shows us that the tragedy of the way the girls treated Wanda lies not only in how it made her feel, but in that they missed out on knowing an incredible human being.

The Fog Mound: Faradawn

Faradawn (The Fog Mound)

by Susan Schade
Illustrated by Jon Buller© 2007, 208 pages Level 4 (all about levels)Read Amazon Reviews 

 

Faradawn is the second book in a humorous adventure series called Fog Mound (you may want to start with the first book, Travels of Thelonius, which is also great). What's unique about this trilogy is that every chapter rotates its content style. Chapter One starts off in a comic format, with wonderful illustrations, and then Chapter Two's story is told in an ordinary text form. The comic chapters are, of course, easy to read, and the text chapters are full of smaller illustrations. The words are double-spaced, making it even quicker to fly through the pages.

This novel is told from the point of view of Thelonious, a chipmunk. At the beginning of the book, Thelonious and a shrunken human named Bill, along with some animals, set off toward a mysterious island called Faradawn. On their way there, they encounter many dangers, including a rat-mink attack and a terrible storm. Eventually they get to the island, to discover that the island is being ruled by evil mechanical crabs. Thelonious and the other animals, including the Birds of Faradawn Island, defeat the small crabs, but afterwards they encounter an even bigger foe.

With a great beginning, middle, and end, I recommend Faradawn to anyone who enjoys a charming adventure story.

Sunday Rest: The Tale of Despereaux

Being the story of a mouse, a princess, a spool of thread and some soup, The Tale of Despereaux is a captivating adventure with an unlikely hero. Author Kate DiCamillo won the Newbery Medal in 2004 for this book, which features a sympathetic narrator, beautiful language and memorable characters. A film based on The Tale of Despereaux is scheduled to be released this December, and you can bet the Baileys will be in the theater for that one!

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"Why would you save me?" Despereaux asked. "Have you saved any of the other mice?"

"Never," said Gregory, "not one."

"Why would you save me, then?"

"Because you, mouse, can tell Gregory a story. Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make some light."

And because Despereaux wanted very much to live, he said, "Once upon a time..."

Library Love

If we're raising readers with voracious literary appetites, we're going to have to make friends with the local library. Whether you live in an area where the libraries rival major bookstores or have more modest collections at your disposal, here are three basic tips for getting the most out of your visits:

• Be a list maker and taker. There are a number of great sites and tools to help you collect and organize things like book lists, but sometimes low-tech is the easiest. I punch holes in the corner of a small stack of index cards and insert a small binder ring to keep them together. Then, when I come across a book for one of us to read, I just jot it down on the list so that the next time I'm at the library (or computer) I have something to guide my selection efforts. (There's also a card for the pesky info I can never seem to remember, like what kind of ink our printer needs.)
• Don't limit your choices to what you see on the shelf. Learning how to place books on hold can unlock a secret stash of popular titles that may take months to trickle into normal circulation. So let's say you make a list as recommended above and take it to your library only to discover that all these exciting prospects are checked out. Don't give up there. Take a number, library style! Since our library offers the ability to place holds online, I love to come home from the bookstore with a juicy list of new books and search for them on our library website. Frequently, I'll find that the book is on order and we can be the first one in line to place a hold. A few weeks later, we have a fresh and shiny book in our hands for free!
• Get a good reminder system in place for renewals. It's no fun being the prodigal son of the library, and it won't do you much good if you're avoiding it because of astronomical fines. Even though our library doesn't charge fines, we can't renew books online once they are overdue, and we can't pick up books on hold either. Write the renewal date in your calendar as soon as you get home, or better yet, set yourself a reminder in an online calendar and you can get a handy message when it's time to renew.

These ideas are by no means super slick library hacks (just google library hacks and you'll see what I mean). But, our goal with Family Reads is to both enrich and simplify your family's life, and adopting these easy habits has made a big difference in our library experience!

Little One Step

Little One Step

by Simon James
© 2003, 32 pages Level 1 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

 

In the hands of another author/illustrator, Little One Step could have become a trite tribute to self-help cliches, especially considering the quote on the back cover, "Every journey begins with Little One Step." But one glance at the subtly expressive watercolor illustrations (all in warm shades of yellow) washed away any cynicism that was lurking within me.

When three duckling brothers are lost in the forest, the youngest of them gets scared and begins to wonder if he can go on. "My legs feel all wobbly." That's when his oldest brother shows him the One Step. By concentrating on lifting one foot, putting it down, and then starting again with the next foot, the little duckling masters this new skill so well that his brother dubs him "Little One Step." Each time he gets distracted by the tallness of the trees or the distance they must travel, his brother reminds him about the One Step. And he learns that keeping his focus on the very small thing he feels confident doing allows him to accomplish more than he ever thought he could.

Yes, this is another picture book about a lost duck. But while Come Along, Daisy and Little One Step are both charming and warm, they are distinctly unique. If you are reading to older and younger children at the same time, it might be fun to read the books back-to-back and chat with the older child about the similarities and differences. (It's never too early to compare and contrast, right?) Meanwhile, the younger child can take this opportunity to waddle around the house practicing his quacking skills.

The Number Devil

The Number Devil

by Lane Smith
© 2000, 264 pages Level 5 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

 

The Number Devil is an incredibly unique, smart and creative book. It tells the story of a young boy named Robert who finds math both frustrating and boring. He suffers from a difficult, intimidating instructor, so much so that he begins to have very odd dreams.

In the dreams, he is visited by the Number Devil, a teacher of sorts who is determined to educate this young man in the most important mathematical concepts. The Number Devil, unsurprisingly, thinks very highly of math and wants Robert to not only learn it, but appreciate its beauty and power. Each chapter is a different night's dream and lesson.

You may think that convincing your children to read such a book would be a hard sell, but The Number Devil is very funny as well as interesting and is filled with inventive illustrations. The book does teach concepts along the way, but it is far from a text book. The words used to represent and explain the concepts are of another world.

As Robert grows more and more confident, so will your child. By the time you finish The Number Devil, numbers have become things to play with, explore, and master. It's a challenging and fun read, and an especially good choice to read aloud with your son or daughter.

Flabby Tabby

Flabby Tabby

by Penny McKinlay
© 2005, 32 pages Level 2 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

 

"The trouble started the day Tabby couldn't fit through the cat-flap. She thought about miaowing, but decided it was too much effort."

Oh, Tabby, it happens to the best of us. We get older, maybe a little lazy, and then the next thing we know, we aren't fitting into things the way we used to.

Tabby's family notices her growing problem and takes her to the vet, where they get a surprising prescription to help Tabby shed a few pounds: a kitten! Tabby is not pleased with her live-in weight loss solution who is not only emptying the food dish before Tabby can make it there, but is soaking up way too much of the attention that rightfully belongs to Tabby. Something must be done to stop this fit kit!

Never crossing the line of being mean-spirited, this book is a fun and funny read, particularly if you're like us and living with a flabby tabby of your own!

Toys Go Out

Toys Go Out

by Emily Jenkins
© 2006, 117 pages Level 3 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

 

What is it really like to take a ride in the washing machine? How come all the toys don't get to sleep on the bed? And what does it mean to be a Plastic? Being the adventures of a knowledgeable stingray, a toughy little buffalo, and someone called Plastic, as the subtitle of Toys Go Out suggests, this book chronicles the adventures of three toys who belong to a six-year-old girl.

These unusual playthings come to life in the off-hours of the day and seek to figure out the mysteries of the universe, well, at least their universe, based on what they know of it. So, for example, when you are eight years old, you are all grown up and you can drive a limousine, and you brush your teeth without being told, and you have lots of money to buy all the chocolate you want, amongst other privileges. These characters become more and more lovable throughout the book and their personalities are revealed through the witty, and sometimes wise, dialogue.

Living with a six-year-old is rarely uneventful, and the toys find themselves in one situation after another where they grapple with insecurities as they face the unknown together. And if we step back, we can see that's a fair description of life for little ones. When you've only lived a few short years, new experiences wait around every curve. While it can be a little scary sometimes, you sort it all out according to what you've learned, taking great comfort in the friends you make along the way.