The BFG by Roald Dahl

★★★★

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

★★★★

Daniel and I listened to this when he was a few months old before bedtime.  I had never read this as a child and it was a bit different then I remember from the popular Disney movie!!

Emily of New Moon

★★★★

A different series from the author of "Anne of Green Gables."  Emily is very much like Anne and has a love of writing.  Isabelle and I listened to this when she was 2 years old.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two by J. K. Rowling

★★★★

"Those we love never truly leave us, Harry.  There are things that death cannot touch."

After growing up with Harry Potter and reading the novels more time that I'd like to admit, I had mixed feelings about a "new" Harry Potter book coming out after all these years.  While it wasn't the same as reading the original books, I did enjoy this one.  I think the aspect that I missed the most was the descriptive characters and magical world that J. K. Rowling created.  This was a screen play and a different format entirely, and I felt like some of the magic that I have grown to love from the books didn't come across.  It was really interesting to see Harry and his friends grown up and having children of their own and I loved the scenes from the original books that were revisited.  And, of course, I would love to see this brought to live on stage!!

Herbie's Big Adventure by Jennie Poh

★★★★

Herbie is a little hedgehog who is more than fine just staying home, but one day his mother tells him he can go on his first forging trip by himself.  Herbie is a little worried, but soon finds himself liking the freedom of being able to explore the world outside of his home.  He travels farther and farther away, he suddenly finds himself in a snow covered area.  Will Herbie be able to make it home to him mom?

This is a great story about a very cute little hedgehog.  It teaches about the four season, exploring nature, and love between a mother and her baby.  The story was good, but my favorite aspect about this book was the beautifully colored illustrations and changed throughout the story.  I loved how Herbie and his surroundings really stood out on the page due to the color schemes that were used and the details were wonderful!!!

Thank you to netgally, Capstone, and Jennie Poh for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Storybook Knight by Helen Docherty

★★★★★

"Leo was a gentle knight in thought and word and deed.While other knights liked fighting, Leo liked to sit and read."

Leo is a young mouse from a family of knights - his parents expect him to grow up to fight dragons but Leo has other ideas.  He wants nothing more than to sit home and read book.  When a ferocious dragon is starts causing destruction to the town, Leo is sent off to save the day.  He meets a handful of creatures before finally facing the dragon.  He brings a sword and a shield, but his most helpful weapon is an arm-full of books! 

This is very cute story about a mouse who is a little different than everyone else.  Instead of knighthood, he wants to read books - and his reading ends up being what saves the town from the dragon.  'The Storybook Knight' has everything that makes a great picture books - bright illustrations, fun text, and a wonderful story.

Thank you to Netgalley. Jabberwocky, and Helen Docherty for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ellen Tebbits by Beverly Cleary

★★★★

I loved reading Beverly Cleary's books when I was growing up and read this one to my daughter for the Kindred Spirits goodreads book group.  And it was during Beverly Cleary's 100th birthday celebration.  I love these books and how the author is accurately able to portray children in their daily lives.  I remember these characters being so easy to relate to and can't wait to read more of these books with Isabelle.

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

★★★★★

This is the story of a little girl and her best friend, her dog.  They do everything together and one day, the girl decides that she is going to make “the most magnificent thing.”  Her dog becomes her assistant, plans are made, and everything seems to fall into place.  After a lot of hard work, she the “thing” is finally finished!  But there’s a problem.  It just doesn’t look right to her.  Or seem to work right.  And it certainly isn’t magnificent.  The girl and her dog go to work again and again, but nothing she makes works.  There is a lot of anger.  And frustration.  And a walk.  And then she realizes that maybe all of her hard work isn’t a disaster after all. 

This is a lovely book with a wonderful message.  It shows something that nearly all young children  - and adults - can relate to: trying and trying and never getting something right.  Things don’t always work out as planned.  But that’s ok.  And it’s ok not to be perfect all the time.  What’s important is the creativity and the process that goes into completing a project.  A concept that I can definitely relate to and a valuable lesson for children of all ages.

The girl’s emotions were realistically portrayed in the story - and her dog was adorable.  The writing was simple and had a perfect pace throughout the book.  I loved the unique illustrations and how the girl and her dog stood out on each black-and-white lined or blue page.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kids Can Press, and Ashley Spires.

Our Favorite Easter Board Books of 2016

Isabelle and I - now almost 14 months old - have busy reading all sorts of Easter books together. Here is a list of some of our favorite Easter board books that we have read this year:

#7 Ollie's Easter Egg by Olivier Dunrea
Ollie's friends are all dying Easter eggs and he comes up with a plan on how to get them.  After going through a range of pre-school type feelings, Ollie comes up with a plan to have the best Easter egg hunt they've ever had.

#6 Easter Parade: Funny Faces by Roger Priddy
We loved reading this super simple and cute Easter book!  Isabelle spend almost an hour with her Grandma Carla entertained by the "googly-eyes" and eye holes.  Each page features a different Easter animals with big and bright illustrations.  Plus the sheep's name was "Belle" - to that's always a plus for us!

#5 Happy Easter Mouse! by Laura Joffe Numeroff
From the creator of the popular If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" series comes this wonderful board book in which Mouse tries to find out who is leaving the Easter eggs all over his house. Each page features different colored eggs and readers can help Mouse find and count the eggs.

#4 Llama Llama Easter Egg by Anna Dewdney
Just like the popular Llama Llama picture books, the board books by the same author introduce babies and toddlers to simple concepts with simple phrases and cute illustrations.  In this book, Llama Llama and his friend find all sorts of Easter treats to put in their baskets.

#3 Duck & Goose Here Comes the Easter Bunny by Tad Hills
In this fun and colorful board book, Duck & Goose are in a search for the Easter bunny.  Filled with will lots of laughter and, of course, Easter eggs!

#2 Here Comes Easter! by Caroline Jayne Church
One of our favorite books to read this Easter!!  This is a super cute and simple story about a little girl going on an Easter egg hunt.  The pictures are bright and colorful and there is a "touch and feel" part on every page.  Little can have fun looking for the Easter eggs and counting them as well!

#1 Owen's Marshmallow Chick by Kevin Henkes
This book features Owen (from the Mouse books) as he opens his Easter basket and discovers all sorts of candy and a toy chick.  The story is cute and simple and the famous "fuzzy yellow blanket" also makes an appearance.  We are looking for forward to read the other four books in the series as well!


Let us know some of your favorites - we are always looking for suggestions!  Happy Easter!!!

No Flying in the House by Betty Brock

 ★★★★

This charming little book was written in 1970 by Betty Brock.  It tells the story of Annabel Tippens - who seems like an ordinary girl, except for her tiny talking dog Gloria who has looked after her since she was a baby.  But then Annabel meets a cat named Belinda and she learns that she may not be as ordinary as she thought.  In fact, she may be a fairy whose parents were vanished years ago to mysterious island.  And she may be able to fly!

Filled with love, adventure, and all the wonderful things that magical stories are made of this is a cute story of a six-year-old girl whose life changes in a mere instant when she learns who she is.  I loved the characters (especially Gloria) and the beautiful illustrations through out the book.  I wish I would have read this story as a child, but it was just as charming reading it as an adult.  I also read it to my one-year-old daughter before bedtime.  We tried to read a chapter a night - which was fun for both of us - and makes going to bed a little easier for her.  I found this book through a group on goodreads called Kindred Spirits - a group devoted to discovering and rediscovering middle-grade and young adult classics.  I have the complete list on my blog here or it can be found on the Kindred Spirits home page.  Looking forward to reading more classic books in the future!!

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

★★★★

"Open your heart.  Someone will come.  Someone will come for you.  But first you must open your heard."

Isabelle and I read this together over the last couple of months and it was a wonderful little book!  This is the story of Edward Tulane, a china rabbit who goes an a very long journey from owner to owner over the timespan of many decades.  The chapters were short and simple and I loved the additional of colored pictures throughout.  It reminded me a lot of a fairy tale, but I've heard it compared to a fable as well.  I loved the last page where the entire book was compiled into a short tale and the author has a really neat website featuring Edward and his journey.  The story was a bit sad in places, but ultimately had a satisfying ending!

The Marvels by Brian Selznick

★★★★★

"But there are other stories waiting to be told, and they will be lost one day, too.  Whatever the case, it's all beneath your feet, right now."

After reading Selznick's two previous books, The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck last year, I was all set to read this the week it came out.  But, of course, my life got busy and then I had to wait awhile since the holds list was pretty long at the library.  So worth the wait and so glad I got a chance to read this!!

Like the previous novels, the is a story told through both words and pictures.  In Hugo, illustrations (and series of illustrations) were spread throughout the text.  In Wonderstruck, there were larger chunks of illustrations and text.  In this book, the sections are mostly seperate.  Over the first half of the story is told exclusively through illustrations followed by the remainder with mostly text expect for one larger section of pictures and the ending.  I wasn't too sure how this was going to work, but the Selznick is able to add in enough writing in the pictures for readers to understand what was going on in the story.

I loved everything about this book - the magical story, the wonderful illustrations, and the unique method of storytelling.  I won't give much away because this book is meant to be enjoyed as the story unravels page by page and picture by pictures.  An enchanting story that spans five generations that is as unique as it is powerful.

Our Favorite Christmas Board Books of 2015

This year, my daughter Isabelle and I - now ten months old - have been busy reading all sorts of Christmas books together.  I've always loved holiday picture books and it has been so much fun re-reading some of the classics and finding new authors to enjoy.  Isabelle loves to be on the move and doesn't have a very long attention span, so we have been reading a lot of board books.  Board books have been great for us - they are a lot sturdier then traditional picture books, usually have short phrases or words and lots of bring pictures, and they are the perfect size for her to hold and help turn the pages.

There are so many great books to choose from, but here are some of our favorite Christmas board books that we have read this year:

#5 Fa La La by Leslie Patricelli
A cute and simple book about baby's first Christmas.  The story follows baby as he gets ready for all the fun of Christmas including decorating the Christmas tree, making presents, and singing carols.  The book uses simple words and phrases and is full of holiday spirit.


#4 A Christmas Carol: A BabyLit Colors Primer by Jennifer Adams & Alison Oliver (illustrator)
I loved the BabyLit Primers series because it introduces classic literature in board book format - and also teaches basic concepts like colors, shapes, and numbers.  This one focuses on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and is filled with bright colors.


#3 Christmas in the Manger by Nola Buck & Felicia Bond (illustrator)
This is the perfect book to introduce little ones to the story of Jesus's birth and the first Christmas.  The book uses simple rhymes to show how each of the animals - and a few important people as well! - were part of the first Christmas.



#2 Llama Llama Jingle Bells by Anna Dewdney
Ever since reading Llama Llama Red Pajama, we have loved reading the Llama books!  They have short and simple text that has a wonderful rhythm and the board book versions are perfect for little ones.  Plus there is always a subtle lesson to be learned!  We also read the Llama Christmas picture book Llama Llama Holiday Drama.

#1 Where is Baby's Christmas Present?: A Life-the-Flap Book by Karen Katz
There books are perfect for babies and toddlers and includes sturdy flaps on each page!  In this one, baby is looking for his Christmas present and finds all sorts of holiday surprises along the way.  Other holiday board books by Karen Katz include Baby Loves Snow and Counting Christmas.


Happy Holidays!!!

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

★★★★★

"Ben wished the world was organized by the Dewey decimal system.  That way you'd be able to find whatever you were looking for."

I picked this one up after I read Hugo for the second time.  I read it to Isabelle when she was about six-months old - back when she wasn't crawling yet and could sit still for me to read her pages at a time.  We have since moved on to primarily board books and short pictures books except on the rare occasion that she wants to cuddle in the morning!

First of all, I just need to point out that Brian Selznick is an amazing storyteller and illustrator.  His books are pure genious.  I think I've said this before, but I've read a lot of books (both children and adult) and it's a rare treat when I find an author that is able to do something completely new and different that I haven't seen before.  And to top it off, Selznick manages to do it extremely well while still creating an captivating story.

The book is similar to Hugo where the story it told through both pictures and words except that Wonderstruck tells two different (but connected) stories - one through only words and the other through only pictures.  

Here is a brief description: Ben and Rose secretly wish for better lives. Ben longs for his unknown father. Rose scrapbooks a famous silent actress. When Ben finds clues and Rose reads enticing news, the children independently run to New York for what they are missing. Ben's story in words, Rose's in pictures, come together in deafness.

Amazing. Moving. Wonderful. Pure genius.  I perfect mix of history, self-discovery, and mystery told through words and pictures.  I CANNOT wait until The Marvels comes out in less than a week!!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

★★★★★

"If you've ever wondered where your dreams come from when you go to sleep at night, just look around.  This is where they are made."

2.10.2015 - When Hugo Cabret’s father is killed in a tragic accident in the early 1930s, Hugo is sent to live with his uncle who works in a Paris train station.  His uncle teaches him to monitor the clocks in the station, but Hugo is left to take care of himself after his uncle disappears.  With his uncle gone, Hugo focuses on fixing automation machine that was left by his father and steals from the train toy shop to complete the work.  Hugo is caught by the shop’s own named Georges and becomes friends with his goddaughter, Isabelle.  The two work together to fix the machine that Hugo believes will give him a message that will save his life.  Along the way, Hugo and Isabelle learn that her godfather is really Georges Melies, a pioneer filmmaker, a discovery that leads to secrets of the past that they hope will unlock a key to the future.

The novel is a combination of text and images that creates a truly unique and magical story.  The intriguing plot draws readings in from the very first page and the author reveals small details to allow for thrilling journey through Hugo’s adventures and the history of film.  Each element of the story seems careful planted to allow for a beautifully written narrative. 

In an interview with amazon, Brian Selznick states that he enjoyed books where the “very act of turning the pages play a pivotal role in telling the story” and tried to produce this in the book.  This was exemplified stunningly through the almost the over 250 black and white illustrations.  The pictures were extremely detailed and focused on details of the story.  They not only complimented the text, but were used to tell aspects of the plot as well. 

I absolutely loved this book and it is now one of my favorite children’s and young adult books that I have read.  I brought it while my husband and I were staying in the hospital after our daughter was born and read it in one sitting.  I was fascinated by the exceptional storytelling and the unique format that included elements of a novel, picture book, and graphic novel.  I thought all of the illustrations were extremely well done and did a wonderful job of complementing the text.  I would recommend this book to everyone I know who is looking for a truly unique reading experience.

 7.30.2015 - Reread this to Isabelle when she was about 6 months old and loved it the second time around as well.  Amazing combination of works and pictures to tell a fascinating story!

This book was #10 on my top ten list of 2015.