All Aboard the DinoTrain

Dino Boo Hoo.

There are books you know were conceived in a marketing department. All Aboard the DinoTrain by Deb Lund and illustrated by Howard Fine is one of these books. Because, seriously, what 2-year old doesn’t want to read a book that is about dinosaurs and trains? Both.

None. I know.

Of course, Hiram loved this book. I used to get mad reading this book to Hiram because a) he wanted to read it all the time, b) the story is boring and c) the  author is a cheater (whenever the meter was off, she’d add or subtract a “dino” to make it all even out.)

Although firm in their embrace, they still found dino dreams to chase.

We’ll never take another train, but how about a dino plane?

Not to mention the story had a pretty weak moral– in the end we all learn that if something doesn’t go as you planned, don’t try again. Don’t look on the bright side. Just pout and go back home to your mom. Actually, even the weak moral stems back to the initial rhyming problem– the whole plot was whipped around by the need to dino-rhyme at all costs.

But. As I’ve said. Hiram loved this book. He loved the illustrations and he loved the part where he got to say, “All Aboard!” He also seemed to think the story was more exciting than I give it credit for. So, there you go. If you want to be a good mom and make your kid happy, get this book for him (from the library).

The Monster at the End of This Book

Twice now, my reading of this book has reduced Hiram to tears.

It starts out harmlessly enough. Hiram picks “Monster at the End of This Book” from his stack and asks me to read it to him. I start to read and Hiram starts laughing and mischievously turning the pages against Grover’s wishes.

And then. Somewhere between Grover tying the pages together with rope and Grover building a large brick wall in front of the next page, something happens. Hiram turns sad. He starts to whimper. He gives in to Grover and refuses to turn even one more page.

We never get to the monster at the end of the book.

We never find out that it’s just lovable, furry old Grover.

The first time this happened, I wondered if I had started deviating from the text a bit too much. I wondered if maybe by personalizing it with Hiram’s own name, it started to feel a bit too much like he was breaking the rules. I also talked to Brad about it, since I know he and Hiram always had a good time reading the book together.

Brad said he personalizes the book too and even tried it out with Hiram again the next day. The two of them got through from beginning to end without any trouble.

Even so, the next time I read it to Hiram, I was very careful to keep things light. I didn’t use his name. I laughed a bunch. Easy, breezy, silly little book.

Nope.

Grover: 2. Hiram: 0.

At this point, I started trying too hard. I was determined to get to the end of that dang book. Even if it meant turning the pages myself.

So there I sat. Turning the pages after just having told myself not to do it. Surprising myself at my own strength. Realizing, in the end, that I had been unnecessarily scared all along. The whole time Hiram stood there with tears in his eyes, looking at me like I was the crazy person I am.

I am going to go hide that book. Right now.

Pajama Time

In honor of all the lounging I am hoping to do over the holiday weekend, I thought now might be an appropriate time for this Pajama Time! post. Hiram and I like to read this book (by Sandra Boynton) before bed and Hiram has recently started identifying his friends and family on a page that seems to be his favorite. I thought you might enjoy.

Here’s the page(s):

Here are his assignments:

• Red bear: Daddy
• Moose: Daddy (too) and Josh
• Pig: Hiram
• Pink Elephant: Grandma Barrows, Naomi, Aunt Linda and Mommy
• Purple Rabbit: Grandma Barrows (also) and Megan
• Yellow Hippo: Bumpa, Grandpa Barrows and David
• Brown Mouse: Giki
• Rooster: Nobody
• Blue bunny: Nobody

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

The Snowy Day

I’m sure all of you are familiar with this awesome book by Ezra Jack Keats. It’s one I remember reading as a little girl. Now, thanks to a gift for Hiram from my good friend, it’s one he will remember reading too.

Hiram loves snow. He’s one of the few people I know (OK, the only person I know) who actually felt our last winter was snatched away from him prematurely. Which is why I think he likes reading this story about a little boy and his big snow adventure. He likes to point out the snow. He likes to listen to the words. He is intrigued by the slightly abstract-looking pictures.

My favorite part of reading this story is getting to the last page. I like the last page more than I ever did as a kid because on the last page, the little boy asks his friend to come along with him for a second day of playing in the snow. Here they are heading out.

The first time we read this story, Hiram and I had this conversation about this page:

Hiram (pointing to the boy on the right): “What’s that?”

Me: “That’s Peter’s friend.”

Hiram: “Josh?” (Josh is Daddy’s friend)

Me: “Yes, a friend like Josh”

Hiram (pointing to the boy on the left): “Daddy?”

Me: “Yes, we can say that’s Daddy.”

Now when we read this story, Hiram never misses identifying Josh and Daddy on the last page. That is dang cute, don’t you agree?

Facts about Hippos

I’m doing a little research for a new story I’m writing and thought you might find these to be interesting facts about hippos.

• Hippos can open their mouths up to be 4 feet wide. This is why they look like they are always smiling (and why it is possible for them to swallow a man whole.)  
• Hippos have an oil in their skin that turns them pink and acts like sunscreen. It also has antibiotic properties which is handy because sometimes Hippos bite each other’s tails off to show dominance.
• Hippos can listen/communicate above and below water at the same time.
• Hippos have no natural predators (other than man) and they are endangered.
• Hippos conceal their nostrils when they go underwater (like a blowhole). This is one of the clues that helped scientists confirm that they are related to whales and not pigs.

Just One Bite

Oh man, I am in love with the book Just One Bite by Lola Schafer. I am in love with it for three reasons:

First, it’s HUGE. This appeals to Hiram who gets excited just holding this book in his hands. As his mama, it appeals to me because I get to see him with his arms stretched out at an angle wider than shoulder width apart and an even wider grin on his face. 

Second, the size is not superfluous. You see, the book has to be this big, because the bites are all illustrated at life-size. When the huge book still isn’t big enough to hold the actual gulping capacity of a sperm whale, the pages fold out.

Third, the life-size illustrations are gorgeous. Yep. I’m about to buy two copies of this book. One for Hiram. One for me to cut up and frame.

And one for every kid I know.

OK, maybe that’s more than two copies.

Minnesota Book Awards

Each month, I make an effort to find and attend some event that will help me connect with the writer’s network in Minnesota. This month I decided to read and vote on the children’s books up for a Minnesota Book Award.

Naturally, this activity lended itself well to April’s Children’s Book Review post.

My Heart is Like a Zoo, by Michael Hall: Ordinarily, I would be a fan of this book. But its status as “one of the top four Minnesota Children’s Books” has me feeling a little critical. The colors are fun. The illustrations are neat (all the animals are made completely of heart shapes) but the heart concept was a little lost on Hiram. The story rhymes a bit, which feels kind of forced. Overall, I’d give this one an “eh.”

Emma’s Poem, by Linda Glaser: This is the one I pre-judged to be the boring loser. But it ended up being the one I voted for. It’s the story of Emma Lazarus, who wrote the poem, Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free and chronicles how these words became associated with the Statue of Liberty. The story is geared towards ages 4-6 and conveys, simply, how awesome it is to be an American. Goose Bump Factor of 10.

1+1=5, by David LaRochelle: I don’t like children’s books that make me feel dense. I loved the premise—math for people who think outside the box. But in actuality, I could never figure out how the numbers added up by myself (1 set of triplets plus 1 set of twins = 5!) I thought it was too obscure, but probably, I’m just not smarter than a 5th grader.

A Night on the Range, by Chris Sheban: This one was the underdog because it wasn’t available at the library, and as a result, I didn’t have time to read it before the voting deadline. What’s worse, despite requesting it from the library almost a month ago, its status remains “on order” in all twin cities libraries. Now, I’m no expert, but this can’t be good for business.

The winner is announced at the Awards Gala on Saturday night, which I will not be attending (what would I wear?) But it will be fun to see who wins.

When Wendell Went Walking What Did He See?

I am long overdue in my March update on the children’s book movers and shakers. My tardiness turned out to be fortuitous though because Hiram received an extra special addition to his library last week– a book written, illustrated and assembled by his very own Grandpa B. 

When Wendell Went Walking What Did He See, by Dave Barrows, has quickly become a favorite of Hike’s. He loves identifying all the pictures (Cat! Hat!) and is even doubly fascinated by the cat hiding under the hat.

He also loves the page with his picture and sometimes skips ahead to see himself and exclaim, “Hiram!”

On a more personal note, I appreciate the way Grandpa Barrows took his idea and saw it right through. He had a thought, wrote it out, illustrated it and then sealed the deal with a neat, strong binding. No writing group red tape or editor road blocks for Wendell. Just the pure joy of a great idea realized.

Thanks Grandpa Barrows! We love Wendell around here!

PRESS HERE

I’ve been working on a children’s book about buttons for about 6 months now. You know, buttons. Buttons you push. Because raise your hand if you didn’t like to push buttons when you were a kid…

I didn’t think so.

But anyway, I hate my button book so far. I hate it because it’s complicated and not really that clever. In fact, if we had a copy of my button book in our house right now, it’s likely I would be writing this book review about how it’s an annoying book. 

Now I see, there’s a new button book in town. A book called “PRESS HERE” by Herve Tullet. 

Instead of feeling upset about missing my button book chance, I feel completely relieved. This button book is based on a simple concept that is, in my opinion, perfect. Seeing this solution to “kids like buttons” is like working on the same annoying math problem for 6 months and finally having some smartie (named Herve) show you the proof.

Band Concert

 

I’ve been doing a little work on my children’s book manuscript the past few weeks and have this sinking feeling that my latest (greatest!) story idea does not actually need words. As a writer, this is a little disheartening. However, as a picture book writer, maybe I will be OK. After all, Alexandra Knight wrote a children’s book called The Band Concert and here is an excerpt from the tuba page (with a bird cameo):

Oompah! Doompah! Pah! Pah! Oompah!

Chirp chirp chirp.

What is even more reassuring  is that Hiram picks this one out quite often. He likes it. He likes the sounds and he loves the pictures, done by Phil Wilson. What sold this book for me though, was when we stopped reading every single sound on every single page (exhausting!) and started making up our own plots instead. This keeps it interesting for us and Hiram doesn’t seem to mind.

Just waiting for the day Hiram starts telling us what happens on each page. Man, I can’t wait to hear more of what he’s thinking.