Read to Me: Amy Krouse Rosenthal + Books = Love

I discovered Amy Krouse Rosenthal's children's books a while ago and was instantly smitten.  Sweet, imaginative, and delightful with a quirky twist, the ones I've read have jumped quickly onto my "favorites" list.   I couldn't choose just one to review, so here are a couple!

The first one I read was Little Pea, a tale about a small pea whose life would be perfect if only his parents wouldn't make him eat all his candy before he can have his vegetables for dessert.  The boys giggled at the topsy-turvy situation, especially when Little Pea's favorite dessert was revealed.  Little Hoot (about an owl who wants to go to bed at night like his other animal friends but whose parents make him stay up and play) and Little Oink (a pig who loves being neat but whose parents strictly enforce "mess-up time") are in the same vein and are also not to be missed.

A recent favorite find is Rosenthal's This Plus That: Life's Little Equations.  It doesn't tell a story.  Rather, the book explores different "equations" involving ideas, people, actions, and objects. Page after page is filled with sweet, funny, and imaginative combinations; one of my favorites is, "somersault + somersault + somersault = dizzy."  Vibrant, playful illustrations by Jen Corace (who also illustrated Little Pea, Little Hoot, and Little Oink) perfectly capture the tone of the book.

Rosenthal's books are too good to be missed--if you haven't come across them already, be sure to check them  out!  You can find more books (including a few for grown-ups) and information at her website, whoisamy.com.

Read to Me: A Mama for Owen

I love children's books.  Well, I love just about any kind of book, but that's beside the point at the moment! *grin*  One of the things I've enjoyed most about being a mom (and a homeschooler, although I'm sure I'd be big on books with my kids even if I didn't homeschool) has been getting to share wonderful books with the boys.  Picture books, chapter books, new books, old books, books I loved as a child and want to share, books I missed somehow as a child . . .  we wallow in them.  Just check my library account!

Anyway, last year I was in charge of the newsletter for our MOPS (Mothers Of PreschoolerS) group, and I included a column of book recommendations.  I really enjoyed writing it, and I had several moms tell me that they appreciated and checked out the suggestions, so I thought I'd occasionally post some children's book reviews here as well.  So here goes!

A Mama for Owen

We're getting ready to study turtles for science this week, and I came across A Mama for Owen by Marion Dane Bauer, a heartwarming true story about the friendship between an orphaned hippopotamus baby and a giant tortoise.

Owen is a baby hippo who lost his mother in the 2004 tsunami.  He adopts Mzee, a 130-year old Aldabra tortoise as a surrogate mother, and Mzee "doesn't seem to mind one little bit."  Mamas might want to read with a kleenex handy--I got a little teary-eyed my first time through!  You might want to keep in mind that younger children or those who are sensitive might be upset at the idea of a baby losing its mother.

An unexpected benefit of doing a book review--I discovered while looking for the Amazon link that there are more books about Owen and Mzee and even a website, which I'm sure Connor and Brennan will love exploring!