January 2010

If you’re looking for a lighthearted, whimsical tale to help teach your children about basic manners, A Cold Winter’s Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas might just do the trick. Of all the books we recently checked out this month, it has been my daughter’s favorite—largely due to the antics of three small dragons.

Unlike the fearsome dragons of legend, these are three tiny dragons that like to make snow dragons and igloos. One even has a little monkey doll. Dressed in fleece blankets and caps, they shiver together outside on a cold winter’s night. A kindly good knight hears their teeth chattering and invites them back to the castle, where it is warm and toasty—and where a party is about to ensue. Naturally, the dragons cause a bit of chaos at the king’s big ball.

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Sarah Wilson’s The Day We Danced in Underpants is an incredibly charming, uproarious picture book. On the very first page, the protagonist, a young girl, and her family are all invited to have a picnic with the king of France—as well as his cows, cat, and plants. From that silly rhyme on (and its silly picture of a crown-wearing cat and cow drinking tea), you know you’re in for a real treat.

Each page’s rhyme is simply a joy to read—even though many are tongue twisters. The girl, her father (in his very smart trousers), and her three aunts embark to the King’s castle, where he, along with the queen and dozens of courtiers, are having a large, fancy picnic in the hot sun outside. All of the overdressed attendants are feeling miserable in the heat, but still maintaining their composure until the girl’s father’s underpants tear and fall as he tries to sit at the table.

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Alan Zweibel is a comedic genius. A former writer for the original Saturday Night Live, he has won tons of Emmy awards for writing on various TV shows and comedy specials. He also happens to be a fantastic children’s book writer.

In his book Our Tree Named Steve, Zweibel writes a letter, as a father, to his three children. (The names of the children are actually the names of Zweibel’s children, making me wonder if this could be an autobiographical story.) He reminisces about the family tree—a tree they spared from being cut down when they built their house, which got its name from the youngest child dubbing it “Steve” when she couldn’t pronounce “tree.”

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John Scieszka’s books are laugh-out-loud funny, perfect for any reluctant reader to quickly become absorbed in. His The True Story of the Three Little Pigs is a hilarious take on the traditional tale, featuring a poor misunderstood wolf and his version of what happened to the title characters. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales is even more uproariously funny, with Jack (of “Jack and the Beanstalk”) as the annoyed narrator who has to deal with all of the characters in the book.

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Helen Oxenbury’s delightful drawings make a wonderful teaching tool in her 1985 book, I Hear, I See, I Touch. Whether you’re addressing a child’s sensory needs, teaching about the senses, or simply describing colors, actions, or even nouns to older children, it’s a very simple yet effective set of pictures to use that are also enjoyable to read.

The book isn’t a story in the traditional sense; there’s really no plot or anything like that. Instead, there are sets of cells displayed in chart form, depicting a young boy and his adventures using his senses. The first set of six cells portrays the boy hearing various things, from birds to dogs to rain and a watch. The author does a great job showing that hearing is useful both indoors and outdoors, and for both natural things like animals and babies as well as manmade things like watches and telephones.

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Published in 1978, Donald Crews’s Freight Train is a classic picture book that most children—particularly lovers of trains—are sure to love. The story is very simple, with very few words and simple illustrations. However, the words that are used teach train vocabulary and colors, creating an easygoing reading experience that both educates and entertains.

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Who could ever forget the loveable, curious little girl Madeline, Miss Clavel, and the other eleven little girls who lived in two straight rows? Madeline was always so appealing because she was a brave girl. Even though she was the smallest, she was not afraid of anything, from mice to tigers.

Remember when Madeline had to have her appendix removed? It was so sweet and funny—how the other girls cried and worried over her (for she was certainly worried, too) but how, rather than focusing on the operation itself, the book told of the wonderful toys and gifts she received, the funny rabbit crack patterns on the ceiling, and especially of Madeline’s new interesting scar? The book ended so memorably with all of the other girls crying about how they, too, wished to have their appendixes removed!

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