Wonderstruck

I loved Brian Selznick's first novel - The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  The illustrations and story are both amazing.  So you can imagine my excitement when I saw a review for his upcoming book - Wonderstruck -  at the blog Chocolate Air.  Read the review and you too will be excited for the September 13th release date . . .

Now we are six

Now We are Six is a charming book of poetry by A.A. Milne. It is a fun book of poetry in its own right - however, it is the perfect gift for a six-year-old.  My daughter is six today and this is the book she received, because it contains this poem:

When I was One,

I had just begun.

When I was Two,

I was nearly new.

When I was Three,

I was hardly Me.

When I was Four,

I was not much more.

When I was Five,

I was just alive.

But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever.

So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

I love this poem.  I also found a fun printable and idea for rolling quarters that you could give with the book for a fun gift at giverslog.com.  It is the perfect six-year-old gift.  Here is to hoping that my clever as clever daughter will stay six forever . . . .

RRRalph

Lois Ehlert's picture book RRRalph is about a talking dog.  The narrator's voice is that of a young child who is very proud of her dog.  When the narrator asks the dog what his name is he responds, "RRRalph."  Ralph likes to chase birds.  When asked what is on the tree, Ralph says, "Bark, Bark, Bark."  The book goes through a series of questions which Ralph always answers with one of his various barks. This book is very simple and humorous. The brightly colored and textured collages are a fun compliment to the text.

If your child likes dogs they will love this funny book about a "talking" dog.

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle

Last summer we went on a vacation that involved a lot of driving. We brought various diversions for our children but by far the favorite was Betty MacDonald's Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.  Originally published in 1947 this book tells the story of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle who lives in an upside-down house and whose husband, now deceased, was a pirate.  What child would not want to live by Mrs. Piggle Wiggle?  Her home is open to everyone and soon all the children find themselves playing at Mrs. Piggle Wiggles.  Word spreads around the neighborhood that Mrs. Piggle Wiggles everything about children and soon parents begin calling her to help them solve problems with their children.

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle soon finds herself giving the parents cures for a variety of illnesses, for example, The Slow-Eater-Tiny-Bite-Taker Cure, The Answer-Backer Cure, and the Radish Cure among others.  Each chapter has a very familiar problem to most parents and a very humorous pathway to a cure.  We found this book very funny and my husband and I and our kids all enjoyed it - perhaps finding humor from different parts.

Because Mrs. Piggle Wiggle was written in 1947 some parts are a little dated but all of us still enjoyed it.  Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is the first book in a series about Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and her many adventures.