The Wind in the Willows

So I pulled this book from the shelf for the first time in many years. In it I found my son Aldens homemade bookmark with a drawing of him, Zander, and I. Across the top was an open book with FROG written across it. That was 16 years ago. Well the truth is, Alden has become toad.
I decided to read it again front to back! What a fun book this is to read. Every chapter has some classic stuff in it. And toad actually becomes reformed into a more humble and slow toad in the end. Such a wonderful classic book! Jill

The Three Little fish and the Big Bad Shark

by Ken Geist and Julia Gorton


This is a kids book, but it was really funny and I liked it a LOT.  It is basically the Three Little Pigs story told oceanic style.. all the way down to,  "not by the skin of my finny fin fin! "

In the end the big bad shark attempting to get all three little fish at once, bites into the house made of rocks, breaks his teeth and spends the rest of his life eating kelp. 

I love it.

So tell your kids your own oceanic version, (since you do not have the book) and if they know the true tale, watch them have fin with this one.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus!

Have you met the pigeon yet?
My girls (Heather and Bethany and I are always looking for fun books. This one is one that Heather found at a garage sale and showed to us. If you love pigeons, like birds or even like humor, this is it. This book is too funny! Not only that, consider it rather amusing that it has won the prestigious Caldecott Award... given for... (look at the cover) ART!

That is kinda funny too.

Okay so there is a pigeon, a bus and bus driver and the bus driver says, "Whatever you do, do not let the pigeon drive the bus." The pigeon does everything possible to get the reader to let him drive the bus, but being obedient to the bus driver and knowing that pigeons cannot drive buses we cannot help but get him to do what the bus driver said, and we do not let him do it. Try as he might, ... and he does try, very hard.

Why this book won the art award I do not know. If the book is good for toddlers to read and learn how to be a nuisance or why their mommies and daddies do not give in when they behave like the pigeon.. I do not know, I just know it is rather amusing.... and so, I mention it here on this blog.

And, if you do have this book, or simply find it at some yard sale someday, whatever you do, do not give in...
"Do not let the naughty, whiny pigeon drive the bus!"

The Jolly Postman

The Jolly Postman (or Other People's Letters) by Janet and Allen Ahlberg

I saw this book on my book shelf and thought I would post about it because it is one of my most memorable reads and while it is secular in nature, it has some neat fatures I though you other moms and grandmas might be interested in. First of all it's historic, because it is an old book, written a long long time ago before there was even email. As you know, back it the olden days, in the days before email, when I was just a kid, I had to walk all the way out to my mailbox to get the mail!

This secular minded book is a book of letters that the reader gets to open and read, which if you are about eight is very fun. The letters are not addressed to the reader... they are letters received (once upon a time in a land far far away...) by some famous fairy tale characters, including the Three Bears, The Wicked Witch, (She gets "junk" er... a .. catalog advertisements for witchy stuff,) The Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella, and others.

Now, I have to say that I have not read between the lines in these sotries AND since the Ahlbergs are British, I was sort of wondering if this book was and inspiration, once upon a time for JK Rowlings.. (of Harry Potter Fame) I do not know for sure, but I can tell you that I personally found the endorsement or shall I say legitimizing of the Wicked Witches World (WWW..BTW) a bit painful for me personally as a Christian reading the book to my younger kids. I actually got the book before I was a Christian, before I had any personal conviction about presented fairytale witches any other way the "wicked and evil, except for maybe good white witches like in the Wizard of Oz.

(I mean, the dilemma for me was, do you instruct your kids that witches are not real otr that witchcraft is not a sin? Do you instruct them that they are real, and how do you really feel about Holloween? (or maybe that witches are "funny" instead of really "wicked"?)

At any rate, you may want to wrap your head around the right perspective there... especially before reading it to your youngsters. I can tell you we have read a few fairytales ourselves in life, or at least seen the Disney movies.. and I am sure that some people find what the Ahlbergs came up with, particularly for witches junk/catalogue mail, including "Little Boy Pie Mix" pretty funny. (I think she is the 'Hansel and Gretel' Witch of storybook lore, at least she lives at a Gingerbread Cottage.)

And did I mention that they are British? Oh well, that explains it all, I am sure!

It's a cool concept for a book. Some of the pages in the book serve as book pages, others as envelopes, addressed to the various characters... of course and complete with stamps. The reader must look inside each envelope, remove and read the contents. (It's just like the book says, reading other people's letters.)

Truth is, the fairytale motifs and characters are, as such, ingrained in my brain, and I have a brother who is a postal worker so I found this kid's book to be quite fun. I think it's quite imaginative too. It is definitely a book with secular appeal, but it is one I have kept on my books shelf for years. I am posting about it, mostly as an educator, because I think it presents a great premise for a kids' writing project... have them make their own book of letters....

Simply choose your own characters, maybe the animals you live with... favorite book characters... people in history... or write letters to the people in the future, (like a time capsule...write to them about the events of today) Simply imagine the mail they might receive or write to each of them. In fact you could skip spending the $20.00 for the book, and forgo the witch issue too... and make your own cool "other people's letter's" book for your own kids to read.

I say this simply because I think the letter reading is the best part of this book. But keep in mind however, that it's won't be as fancy as the Ahlberg's who took a number of years to actually formulate this one. I can only tell you that a book of letters was fun to read. The best part was the surprise of what could be inside an envelope to each!

The book is a little series too. There is also, The Jolly Pocket Postman.. (He gets shrunk and you need a magnifying glass ... included with the book) to "see" him. (actually not too small) ) and the Jolly Christmas Postman... (Post man through the now and Santa Story)