picture book babble

Max and I read a couple more "cat" books for Becky's Young Readers Challenge. If you've read any of the previous posts we've done for this challenge, you've probably reached the conclusion that these reviews are not particularly discriminating. And on this point, you would be correct. There's just no two ways about it--if a book has a cat in it, it's going to get rave reviews from little Maxidoodle. Well, unless a cat gets hurt...that would definitely not go over well.

So, which two books got the Maxi seal of approval this month?




The Scaredy Cats by Barbara Bottner and Victoria Chess.

A story about a family of cats who talk themselves into being afraid of everything, and thus have no fun. (They remind me a bit of Aunt Josephine from The Wide Window.)


Me: So, a winner?

Max: Yes.

Me: What did you think of it?

Max: It was silly. But those cats sure weren't very smart! Who would ever be too scared to go out to breakfast?!! I'd never pass that up!

Me: Me neither. So, do you think the cats wised up and will be braver tomorrow?

Max: I sure hope so, or they're going to starve to death.

The Cat Who Walked Across France by Kate Banks and Georg Hallensleben.

The story of a cat who lives with and is adored by an old woman. They live in France in a house by the sea. But the old woman dies, and all her possessions, including the cat, are shipped to the north of France and forgotten. The book shows the cat's journey back to the house by the sea, as he walks across France becoming weaker and scragglier as he goes. It has a happy ending as he reaches the familiar house by the sea.

Me: Did you enjoy this book?

Max: Yes. But it was sad.

Me: It did have a very sad feel to it, didn't it? And yet at the end, the cat found new people to love him. Do you think he's going to be happy living in the house by the sea again?

Max: Yeah. I wonder if he likes kids.

Me: I don't know, but that's a good question. I bet if these kids take care of him, he'll like them just fine, don't you?

Max: Yeah. But they better be gentle.

Of the two books, this one was definitely my favorite. It definitely did have a melancholy, and very tender, feel to it. And the artwork fit it perfectly, with impressionist style paintings. (Shhh...don't tell Max, but I really didn't like The Scaredy Cats all that much.)

a mommy post with some book stuff thrown in, or vice versa

First of all, let me tell you all how very lucky you are that I was "on blog break" last week when I read this book. Seriously, it's just one of those books that you want to talk about something on darn near every page. Since I already gushed away once, I'll skip it this time around. Instead, like Nymeth and Chris, I'll share the damage this damn book (and I mean that in only the nicest way) did to my wish list:



*How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer
*George and Sam: Autism in the Family by Charlotte Moore
*How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World by Francis Wheen
*True Notebooks by Mark Salzman
*Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
*What Narcissism Means To Me by Tony Hoagland
*This is Serbia Calling by Matthew Collin
*We're in Trouble by Chris Coake
*Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman
*Early Bird by Rodney Rothman
*How to Be Lost by Amanda Eyre Ward
*A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews
*Citizen Vince by Jess Walter
*Pure Pleasure by John Carey
*What Good Are the Arts by John Carey
*Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov
*Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje

Yeah, isn't that pathetic?!! He also had me wanting with greater intensity books already on my wish list, had me wanting to pull books I already owned immediately off my shelf, and had me wanting to reread books I'd already read! He's a menace, I tell you. A menace. ;)

*****

***Many thanks to our lovely hostesses, Eva and Alessandra.***










George and Sam: Two Boys, One Family, and Autism by Charlotte Moore. See above for blame on this one. :)










Fax from Sarajevo by Joe Kubert. Whim. Looks really good.











Circle of Cats by Charles de Lint and Charles Vess. Chris, you've not only earned yourself another point, but you've earned an enormous thank you from me! Oh my gosh, this book is so wonderful! And beautiful, oh so beautiful! Both to look at and to listen to. Basically, it's the story of a little girl who is bitten by a venomous snake and how she is saved by a group of cats who use magic to save her.

As if the book itself weren't special enough, the experience of reading it to Max was one of those truly cherished moments of motherhood. He's gotten so big that he rarely crawls right into my lap anymore, but he snuggled right in for this one. He was completed enchanted by this story. And after it was over, we had one of those melt-your-heart mommy moments. In fact, when he went running off right afterward, I immediately had to write down our conversation:

Max: If I was her, I'd tell Aunt that I was that kitten.

Me: Do you think Aunt would believe her?

Max: I don't know. She probably doesn't believe in magic.

Me: Do you think people stop believing in magic when they grow up?

Max: Do you believe in magic?

Me: I don't know. I think I do. Do you?

Max: Yes. And that means we both have magic in our hearts. 'Cause that's where magic lives.

*****

And I had a couple more "great mommy" moments in the last few days, too. Yesterday we received an invitation in the mail. An invitation to "the opening" of the 2009 Youth Art Month Show. Each year the school district puts on a show of student art. The art teachers from each of the eight schools in the district choose a handful of art work done by students in their particular school to be featured in the show. And the art teacher at Gray's school chose one of his pieces. I can't tell you how teary-eyed this makes me, because if ever there were a little boy who could use some self-confidence, it's Gray. Even he didn't know about it until we received this official invitation yesterday. I'm not sure if I can stand waiting these few weeks until "the exhibit" opens. :)

*****

And then there's Annie. I know I talked before about how she took her first college course last semester, and she did very well. But I'm not sure if I mentioned that she was taking another one this semester. Spanish 101. And I admit, I worried about her a little bit. It's a much bigger class, and it's not in her normal comfort zone of writing. Turns out I needn't have worried though. She just got back her first test...not only did she get an A, but the professor said she was the only one in either of his two sections of this course that did. Needless to say, she was very happy. Ummm, and yeah, I was pretty proud of her. :)

mini book babble

Max and I definitely enjoyed our latest cat reads for the Young Readers Challenge. Frankly, it's quite a treat for me to watch Max delight in these simple stories. We read chapter books together, and even on his own, he reads books at a much higher difficulty level than these simple picture books, but there is something so completely comforting, for both of us I believe, in sitting down and sharing these little treasures. I know I will certainly miss the day when he finally says, "Mom, these books are for babies." My fingers are crossed that that day is still a long way off.

Kitten's First Full Moon, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes. Sweet little story about a kitten who sees her first full moon and mistakes it for a big bowl of milk. She tries one thing after another in an effort to reach that "bowl of milk" but of course, she fails. She eventually returns home to find a real bowl of milk waiting for her on the porch. The story is sweet, as is the artwork. In fact, this book won the 2005 Caldecott Medal.


Cat and Fish, written by Joan Grant and illustrated by Neil Curtis. Simple, amusing story of a cat and fish who meet and become friends, doing "normal" friend things and learning about the worlds they each live in. While the above book won the Caldecott Medal, I have to admit that it was the artwork in this book that really blew me away! I searched for other images to share, but unfortunately couldn't find any. Each layout contained a full-page bold, beautiful drawing, like the one seen on the cover. They are quite reminiscent of engravings. I can't count how many times I've picked up this book to look through the drawings. In fact, I think I'm going to try to find a copy of this book, just so I can frame a few of the drawings to hang in our bathroom. (Please don't hurt me for talking about cutting up a book, okay?)

The Comic Adventures of Boots...random thoughts

The Comic Adventures of Boots by Satoshi Kitamura.

Clothed in cozy pjs, snuggled up in a fuzzy blanket, reading a cat book with my favorite little cat lover. Could there possibly be a better way to spend a half hour? No, I didn't think so.

The Comic Adventures of Boots actually contains three separate stories. "Operation Fish Biscuit" tells the story of how Boots lost his favorite sleeping spot in the sun and his clever plan to get it back. In "Pleased to Meet You, Madam Quark," Boots is saved by a duck who then teaches him how to swim. (They have a little less luck with the flying lessons.) And finally, "Let's Play a Guessing Game" is a look at a game of cat charades.

I found the stories to be fun, but really not the most creative I've ever read. But the art...oh my, I absolutely cannot resist these little cats! Seriously, they're just too stinkin' cute for words!

And what does the resident expert on cat books have to say about it all? When asked what he thought of the book overall, he answered, "It was a good book. Really good." And when I asked which story was his favorite, he said, "Uh Mom, they were all the same good." (The pure exasperation with which this was said caused me to read between the lines. What he was too kind to say aloud, but was undoubtedly thinking was, "Don't you know anything, Mom?!!")

babbling about picture books

I know I seldom do the book babbling about the picture books we sneak in. You know, it's actually kind of sad...we don't read them by the truckload anymore. We manage to fit in a few here and there, but mostly we stick to bigger kid chapter books now. I really need to make a conscious effort to include more picture books though, as I know Maxidoodle really does enjoy them. And that is one of the main reasons I joined Becky's Young Readers Challenge. (Oh okay, there's also the fact that I just love them myself.)

Anyway, since this is a challenge and all, I thought I should probably say a few words about the books we've read...


Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones by Judy Schachner. What can I say...Max absolutely adores these books! But that's hardly surprising, when our little hero is a Siamese cat who thinks himself a chihuahua. And honestly, I think I love these books as much as Max does. Funny. Adorable. Lyrical. Just plain fun to read aloud, especially with sprinkling of Spanish thrown in. Oh, and there's the fact that I get sing, something the kids groan at any other time I do it. (Don't worry, if you heard me sing, you definitely wouldn't hold their groaning against them.) But back to Skippito. In this book, we find Skippyjon raiding Darwin's, the neighborhood dog, bone stash. He's stealing the bones to build himself a dinosaur skeleton. Yes, Skippyjon now wants to be a paleontologist. And when he heads off into his closet this time for adventure, he and the Chimichangos (his chihuahua pals) find real live dancing dinosaurs. Yep, these books are a pure delight!


Have You Got My Purr? by Judy West. This is a sweet little story about a kitten who desperately wants to find her purr. She searches the barnyard, asking all the animals if they have her purr. Each animal that she asks sends her on to another, until she finally asks the wise owl. He sends her home to her mom, where she learns that her purr has been inside her all along. Max thoroughly enjoyed the story (we are talking cats here), though in actuality, it is a book aimed at a slightly younger audience. One reason I hate those age labels...had I told Max it was a book for preschoolers, he would never have let me read it to him and thus would have missed out on a story that made him smile. Oh, and I must add here, that the illustrations for this book, done by Tim Warnes, are simply charming! It's really what led me to pick up this book to start with.


Toots the Cat by Karla Kuskin. What a fun book! It's the story of Toots, but it's told in a series of poems. There's a poem for many an occasion included. We learn about how Toots showed up a stray on the doorstep, and about how Toots spends her nights, and about how Toots acts in the snow. Let me share one of my favorites:

In or Out?

When she's in
she meows to be out.
When she's out
she prefers to be in.
Whatever wherever whichever
however forever moreover
from cover to cover
from housemat to clover
she makes it quite clear
she would rather be here
if she's there.

She would like to there
if she's here.
She would rather be far
if she's near
and near
if she's anywhere far.
Her preference is whimsical,
wide and far-ranging...
well, what's a mind for
if it isn't for changing?

And I was not the only one who enjoyed this book...no, Max was entranced! Poetry books are generally not at the top of his favorites list, but he really liked this one. Of course, there's the whole, "Well, of course, it's about a cat" thing. But I think in addition to that, he really enjoyed the variety. While the poem I shared uses rhyme very effectively, the poems contained in this book are not all just the simple rhyming poems that so many poetry books for young children contain. I feel like the author respected a child's ability to appreciate the sounds of language in many forms. Then again, maybe I'm totally off base, and that really has nothing to do with why Max enjoyed it so much. (I didn't want to ask him a bunch of questions about it, like I usually do when we read together. I'd like him to become more comfortable with poetry in general first, so I don't do anything to scare him off.) Anyway, whatever the reason, this book was a definitely hit for both of us.