Aliens Love Underpants (Claire Freedman)

Cute story. We read a book a while ago where people hung their clothes out on the line. This is a totally foreign concept to children around here! It's funny that it keeps coming up.

Apparently, there are a bunch more about underpants. Will have to check them out. :)

We enjoyed the rhyming in this book.


Goodreads says:

This humorous tale describes how aliens, rather than visiting Earth to take over the planet, really visit to steal your pants.

The Straight Line Wonder (Mem Fox)

I love this story. The play on words are hilarious. It is a simple story that beautifully expresses how important it is to just be you. I love the repeated responses from his friends who are aghast that he dare step out and not be a straight line. I also love stories like this that get my kids talking about big topics.

I wondered if Marc Rosenthal is related to Amy Rosenthal. What a story. Amy Rosenthal is the author of great books like Exclamation Mark and Little Pea. She died just this year and wrote an amazing essay called, You Might Want to Marry My Husband. It appears Marc isn't her husband though.

Goodreads says:

Stay straight, silly! People will stare!Three straight lines are the best of friends. But when one of them gets tired of being straight all of the time, his friends are embarrassed and run off, leaving him alone. What happens next will enchant and delight all who read this tale about the value of being true to yourself.

Working with bold exuberance, artist Marc Rosenthal captures perfectly the quirkiness of Mem Fox's joyful story. 

Lost and Found (Oliver Jeffers)

I thought the illustrations in this book were beautiful. It's a lovely story about friendship and caring and reunions. The penguin is adorable. I love the idea that fate seemed to bring them together. One of my students said that she has lots of "those" books. Oliver Jeffers books are lovely and creative and even though they're silly, totally logical, it seems!

I didn't realize he wrote The Day The Crayons Quit. I have now put every one of his picture books on hold. Can't wait to read more!


Goodreads says:

From the illustrator of the #1 smash hit The Day The Crayons Quit comes a humorously warm tale of friendship. Now also an animated TV special!

What is a boy to do when a lost penguin shows up at his door? Find out where it comes from, of course, and return it. But the journey to the South Pole is long and difficult in the boy’s rowboat. There are storms to brave and deep, dark nights.To pass the time, the boy tells the penguin stories. Finally, they arrive. Yet instead of being happy, both are sad. That’s when the boy realizes: The penguin hadn’t been lost, it had merely been lonely.

A poignant, funny, and child-friendly story about friendship lost . . . and then found again. 

The Wonderful Towers of Watts (Patricia Zelver)

Kids love REAL stories. This one is a true story of a man with an interesting hobby (fettish?) for building towers. It turns out there really was a Simon Rodia and he built so many amazing things there is now a center called The Watts Towers Arts Center. I want to visit it the next time I'm in LA!

Goodreads summary:

One man's monument to his neighborhood.

Mitchell Goes Bowling (Hallie Durand)

Topics:
Persistence
Learning

There are great illustrations this book. The illustrator captured bowling and its ups and downs perfectly.


Battle on! Head to the lanes for another hilarious, high-energy story as four-year-old Mitchell and his obliging dad strike a winning deal.

Mitchell liked to knock things down.
That’s just how he rolled.

One Saturday, when Mitchell almost knocks down his dad, his dad catches him and puts him in the car. And when they step into the bowling alley, Mitchell feels right at home. Pizza! Giant crashing noises! Special shoes! But as Mitchell picks up the biggest ball and quickly learns the word gutter, and when Dad does a little kick with his leg and earns a big X on the scoreboard, Mitchell starts to get peevish. How can Mitchell get a chance to do a steamin’-hot-potato-dance too? With wit, warmth, and comedic charm, Hallie Durand and Tony Fucile roll another strike with this tale of a lovably rambunctious child and his doting dad. 

The Bears We Know (Brenda Silsbe)

This might be a good friendship story. We could talk about how we need to get to know people rather than make assumptions.

I think we all actually wish we were the bears. However, the narrator seems to be like an old grandma clucking her tongue and shaking her head at these bad neighbors...and she doesn't even know them.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book.

Goodreads says:
Does anyone really know the bears next door?

Every neighborhood has its black sheep... but this one has bears. Well, nobody has actually seen the inhabitants of the house at the end of the road, but that doesn't stop the gossip about The Bears We Know.

In colorfully mischievous illustrations, readers are invited to see for themselves these ursine neighbors living life as they see fit. They sleep late every day, and their house is a mess. They eat bagfuls of chips, and they jump on the furniture. They sing songs that make them cry, and they stay up way too late. Also, they growl if anyone gets too close, so nobody visits. But you don't need to visit to know all about these bears... right?

Originally published as a mini-book, The Bears We Know is back in a full-sized format with new illustrations that highlight the hijinks of these unsavory neighbors. This playful story promises to charm even as it challenges with the question "Does anybody really know their next-door neighbors?"

The Pigeon Needs a Bath (Mo Willems)

The pigeon saga continues. Kids love these books!

I have to read this to my class and see if we can start using "purely coincidental" and "that is a matter of opinion" to our repertoire.  


This is from Storytime with Ryan and Craig



Goodreads says:

The Pigeon really needs a bath! Except, the Pigeon's not so sure about that. Besides, he took a bath last month! Maybe. It's going to take some serious convincing to try and get the Pigeon to take the plunge.