FOOD PLAY

By Joost Elffers & Saxton Freyman
2006
320 pages

This is a compact collection of over 300 images from a decade spent playing with food (and then photographing the results). If you haven't already seen some of the authors' books, you've probably stumbled across their images at some point over the last ten years. The author/artists simple carvings of fruits and vegetables create some of the funniest, most beautiful, and thought-provoking images you'll see. This book, which has no words, will generate many laughs and conversations between you and your children as you look at the pictures. It's great for exploring one's own feelings, and learning how to read the feelings of other 'people'. I found it very interesting to hear what my three-year-old daughter thought the different produce were thinking and doing - she will often come up with little stories describing the relationships between one piece of fruit and another.

DOREEN CRONIN CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Author Doreen Cronin is a very funny children's author who seems to understand that she is writing for two audiences - the child listening and the adult reading. And she is adept at writing stories for all ages of children, from babies to grade schoolers. If you haven't yet discovered any of her books, pick any one of them and you can't go wrong - they're all excellent, fun reads that you and your kids will enjoy. Below are a few that my daughter and I highly recommend!

"Bounce" and "Wiggle" are a great pair of picture books for any age - babies to preschoolers. Cronin's trademark humor is here in simple rhymes that follow the same wiggling, bouncing dog in each book.

"If you bounce into a puddle, it's best to bounce in boots.

If you must bounce in the market, it's best not to bounce in fruits."

And from the "Wiggle" book:

"Do you wake up with a wiggle? Do you wiggle out of bed?

If you wiggle with your breakfast, it might wind up on your head."

The illustrations are a colorful combination of pen and ink, watercolor and collage. You'll have fun bouncing and wiggling with your kids while reading this book!

"Click, Clack, Moo, Cows That Type", "Giggle, Giggle, Quack", and "Dooby, Dooby, Moo" are three of Cronin's books that all take place on the farm of Farmer Brown, who seems to have some very advanced farm animals living in his barn. The first story begins when the cows find a typewriter and type out a note to Farmer Brown demanding electric blankets to keep them warm in the cold, drafty barn. When he refuses, they go on strike - no blankets, no milk. Typewritten notes are exchanged until a deal is negotiated that all involved are happy with. But Farmer Brown's troubles are just beginning, because now the ducks have gotten their hands (wings?) on that typewriter and send a new note to Farmer Brown:

"Dear Farmer Brown, The pond is quite boring.

We'd like a diving board. Sincerely, The Ducks"

"Diary of a Worm", "Diary of a Spider", and "Diary of a Fly", are another series of books by Cronin that are again very amusing in a variety of ways depending on how old you are. In the first, a young worm chronicles his life at home, school, and play. You will get a worm's-eye view of the best and worst things about being a young worm - never getting in trouble for tracking mud into the house, never having to take a bath are great, but having no arms and watching out for people digging for bait can be difficult. There are also many entries that human kids will relate to:

"My older sister thinks she's so pretty. I told her that no matter how much time she spends looking in the mirror, her face will always look just like her rear end. Spider thought that was really funny. Mom did not."

The illustrations bring you right down into the world of worms and are full of funny details that you will discover on multiple readings. Spider and Fly, friends of Worms, share their lives in the other two books.

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE AMBASSADOR ANNOUNCED

The U.S. Library of Congress and the Children's Book Council has selected John Scieszka as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. The position has been created to "help promote literacy and the joy of reading in young people."

"Scieszka will travel the nation speaking to parents, teachers, and the media, as well as attend events at book fairs, publishing houses, libraries and nonprofit centers. But his main job as ambassador will be to engage the children..."

Scieszka, the author of "The Stinky Cheese Man", and "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs", says, "What I'm going to try and do is bring back that real excitement about reading to counteract all this testing stuff that is going on because I see that everywhere and it's just sucking the life out of reading," he added. "Kids see books as an assignment."

Read more here: http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-01-03-voa73.cfm

Sounds like a great idea to me!

WE LOVE OLIVIA

Yes, we do, and so do a lot of other people according to the New York Times Bestseller list. It's just too much fun to watch what kind of fun havoc Olivia creates - and seems to pretty much get away with. My 3-year-old daughter loves books about other 'kids' being somewhat naughty, and Olivia really delivers in that area, with her gleeful, self-centered adventures. The author/illustrator, Ian Falconer's spare drawings, and simply-worded, but very amusing stories, are a nice change from a typical busy, bright, bouncy, children's picture book. We've read them all, and I think our current favorite is "Olivia and the Missing Toy". Although we have not seen "Olivia Helps With Christmas", which is Falconer's latest. The Olivia books website is also very well done, and worth checking out with young Olivia fans. The 'Fun With Olivia' section has some nice downloads, and a great painting game you can do online, and then print out. Take a look for yourself here.