The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce

It is true that reading takes you places. But have you ever seen books fly?? In this imaginative picture book, Morris Lessmore meets and cares for a library filled with fantastical flying books. The story is creative, and the pictures bring the book to life. In one illustration, Morris becomes "lost in a good book" and the letters appear to jump off the page!! This book is highly recommended for both younger and older children.

Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan

Book Information

Yolen, Jane and Adams, Steve. Lost Boy: the Story of the Man who Created Peter Pan. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2010.

My Review

Jane Yolen, the award-winning author of Owl Moon  and the How Do Dinosaurs series, has written yet another bewitching picture book. Readers who enjoy Peter Pan and Finding Neverland should open Lost Boy, a biography of James M. Barrie.  Lost Boy illustrates how James M. Barrie was inspired to become an author, his early writings, and his source of ideas for Peter Pan. It also addresses difficult subject themes, including the death of his brother and the end of his marriage, quite sensitively.

The illustrations are elegant. They often appear to be old-fashioned and as "wooden" as the stage props that appear to have been used for the original staging of Peter Pan. Combined with the many Peter Pan-related quotations, the illustrations give an added dimension to the book.

This book is a wonderful way to introduce children to biographies!

Picture Books that Adults Will Enjoy

Book Information
Smith, Lane. It's a Book. New York: Roaring Brook, 2010.

Book Review
The latest bestseller from the award-winning artist, Lane Smith. Smith's explanation of a "book" involves a lot of smart humour that is targeted to a more mature reader. Clearly, the donkey is only too familiar with the concept of "e-books"! What would the donkey do with a Kobo? An enjoyable read for older children and adults.

Older readers might also enjoy picture book biographies, including Lost Boy by Jane Yolen, as well as the funny ways in which a boy "shows" his dad to do ordinary activities in Oh Daddy by Bob Shea.

The Sunshine On My Face by Lydia Burdick

Book Information

Burdick, Lydia. The Sunshine on My Face: a Read-Aloud Book for Memory-Challenged Adults. Baltimore, MD: Health Professions Press, 2005.

My Review/Summary

This rare little gem is a picture book that invites conversations with older adults who face memory challenges, including Alzheimer's and dementia. Sentences are simple, and they highlight enjoyable aspects of daily life. There are helpful instructions and accompanying questions that stimulate conversation and involve the adult being cared for in the reading process. This book creates the opportunity for many warm, loving (even if short!) conversations.

The author, Lydia Burdick, holds a master's degree in Clinical Practices (psychology), and wrote the book while caring for her mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

My Notes
My grandmother, at the age of 97, enjoyed reading this book to me. She and I enjoyed the page "I love to be hugged by someone I love" , which always led to at least one big hug. We generally read only a few pages at a sitting, and we always saved the "hugs" page for the happy ending.

Oh, Daddy! by Bob Shea

What an enjoyable, bright, bouncy picture book! This book gives Dad chances to act incredibly funny, and to ask a lot of questions in funny voices too! The lucky listener also develops storytelling skills by saying the way things should go.

SPOILER ALERT! Lots of laughs and hugging to come!

Stand Straight, Ella Kate : The True Story of An American Giant by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise

My Summary
When you think of a giant, what comes to mind? Jack and his beanstalk? Fables? Fairy tales?

Ella Ewing (1872-1913) was a real American giant! By the age of thirteen, she was almost six feet tall. At seventeen, she was 8 feet tall. Being bigger wasn't always better, though, as many people were mean to Ella.

Take a walk in Ella's large shoes, and learn how she used her height to become famous, to travel, and to accomplish what many "normal" people from her time could not dream of.

My review
Through the illustrations, readers get a good sense of Ella's size, especially on the title page, where her head bends at the top beside a lamp shade so that her body can fit on the page. Also quite interesting are Ella's size-related facts on the inner cover pages of the book. Imagine having size 24 feet! An excellent beginner biography.

Princess Pigtoria and the Pea by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Summary
Princess Pigtoria visits Prince Proudfoot to decide if they should marry. But, after the Princess orders a pizza party…


My Review
A positively perfect new picture book! It playfully updates the classic story. The plot twist will please preschoolers! A fun opportunity to practice “p” words and expand vocabulary.


My Notes
I recently taught programs for preschoolers about farms and farm animals. I highly recommend this book to read aloud, and to make a construction paper pig with the story.


Need to pair this with another good book? Try Dooby Dooby Moo by Doreen Cronin.

The Very Fairy Princess by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton

Book Summary

Geraldine is a very fairy princess, from her royal pink dress to her scabby knees. Another hit from the authors of the Dumpy the Dumptruck series.

My Review

This simple story is engaging for all young princesses. The ink-and-colour pencil illustrations are lively and FUNNY.

My Notes

A four year old recently asked me for help with finding princess books that she could read "all by her very self." If I had only had this on hand...

14 Cows for America

by Carmen Agra Deedy, Thomas Gonzalez and Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah. 2009. Peachtree: Atlanta.

Summary
A young man named Kimeli returns from the United States to his African home. among the Maasai, shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As a show of support, Kimeli wishes to send his only cow as a gift to the devastated Americans. But the elders decide that this is not enough, and they send for an American diplomat to receive their gift...

My Review
A beautiful, complex tale is told here in simple language, with lush illustrations. Parental guidance is advised with younger readers.

Book Information
14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy, Thomas Gonzalez and Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah. 2009. Peachtree: Atlanta.

Notes
This book caught my eye in my public library. The illustrations inside are a feast for the eyes, while the story (based on Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah's experiences) shows real generosity.