Black and White

Black and White by David Macaulay
1991 Caldecott Medal

This is one of those rare books that actually redefines "book" for me. I would put The Invention of Hugo Cabret in this category, and this one.

It starts with a WARNING "This book appears to contain a number or stories that do not neccessarily occur at the same time. Then again, it may contain only one story. In any event, careful inspection of both words and pictures is recommended."

Then, each two page spread is devided into four sections.  And in each section a story is told in pictures and a few words.  The top left hand corner . . . the story is about a train and a boy riding on the train. The lower left hand corner is a story about a family--- two parents, two kids and a dog. The top right hand corner there are a bunch of people waiting at a train station. The lower right hand corner the story is about an escaped convict and some cows.

These four stories move forward each in their own frame with no particular need for one another.  BUT. . . . like the warning says. . . invite CAREFUL inspection.

I read this to Makayla and we over spent our reading time by a good 30 minutes with out even being the slightest bit aware of it. The experience of this book is wonderfully absorbing and fun. We finished it and immediately tried to sell it to everyone else in the house!

Grandaddy's Place

Grandaddy's Place by Helen V. Griffith, pictures by James Stevenson
no awards that I am aware of

I liked this book a lot. It is an illustrated chapter book. I read all four chapters in one sitting to my daughter this evening. It actually feels more like a picture book, but it does have four "epsisodes". It's a story about a girl visiting her grandaddy for the first time,  along with her mom. The conversations between Janetta and her grandaddy are pretty perfect somehow. The author has those voices "down" and it completely charmed both Makayla (age 7) and I.

I actually tell the story this author tells in her book Georgia Music. And so it was fun to find this "prequel" to that. I love the connectedness depicted so well between grandaddy and Janetta. And we laughed pretty much on every page. But the kind of laughing that comes from  just enjoying the people rather than from hearing a joke.

Here's an example:
After dark Momma and Grandaddy and Janetta sat out on the steps. The mean-looking cat wasn't anywhere around. Janetta hoped the wasps were asleep. She was beginning to feel sleepy herself. Then a terrible sound from the woods brought her wide awake.
     "Was that the mule?" she asked.
     "That was just an old hoot owl singing his song," said Grandaddy.
     "It didn't sound like singing to me," said Janetta.
     " If you were an owl, you'd be tapping your feet," said Grandaddy.

*****
Anyhow, I'd recommend this one! Enjoy!

Our Gracie Aunt

Our Gracie Aunt by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Jon J Muth
no awards that I know about, but the Author has received LOTS of awards for other books, including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King and Newbery.

I'm writing about this book because my daughter Makayla LOVES this book and has had me read it over and over again. It's a picture book about two kids who's mom has left them alone for days and a social worker comes and takes them with their Aunt. It's told from the point of view of the younger child, the little brother.

My kids are adopted and I think it gave Makayla a place to wonder about her own story. I appreciate picture book stories about "real life" situations that kids find themselves in, and books that help my kids sort out various pieces of their own life story. Even though my children were both adopted as infants it still provided a good open welcome for lots of questions and discussion!

All The Things I Love About You

All the Things I Love About You by LeUyen Pham
copyright 2010
no awards that I'm aware of, but it's award winning at our house!

My daughter Makayla loves this book!

It is both loving and silly. The pictures are fun. It is a happy book! A great one to share with your little ones. A lot of the "I love you" books for kids are a little sappy (I actually like the sappy ones too), but this one has a little SPUNK to it as well. It's dedicated to mama's who love their little BOYS, but I'm pleased to report that Makayla (despite all her princess inclinations) seems to be spunky enough to relate just fine!

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
2004 Caldecott  Honor

Also:
Don't let the Pigeon Stay Up Late
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy


I have to admit, I think Mo Willems is brilliant. He has a way of getting in the brains of young people like few others. My daughter age 7 LOVES his books, particularly the Knuffle Bunny series and the Pigeon series, both of which seem to be based on his "hands on" experiences with his own daughter.

He has a couple of websites worth checking out. He has one: Mo Willems
and the Pigeon (and other characters) have their own! : Pigeon Presents! Starring Mo Willems' Pigeon!

Anyhow, back to the book report. The pigeon books are funny. Based on a one sided conversation full of all the things kids say. "Hey, can I drive the bus?" "Please?" "I'll be careful."

In a cartoony style with "talk bubbles".

At my house our favorite hands down, is Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late.  I have read that one to my 7 year old daughter at least once or twice a day since it arrived from the library. And I'm afraid there are reasons she finds it funny (but I won't go into the bedtime issues at our house at this time!)

I've just about memorized it, in fact if I'm not getting these quotes exactly right it's because the book is downstairs beside the bed, and I"m quoting from memory, but I think you'll get the idea!

 "But I'm not tired! In fact, I'm in the mood for a hot dog party! What do you say? . . . NO?! . . . humpf."

"How about five more minutes? . . . What's FIVE MINUTES IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS?"

"YAWN . . . That was NOT a yawn! I was stretching!"

"It's the middle of the day in China!"

etc.

Hilarious. I recommend Mo Willems in general and Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late in particular!

The Hello Goodbye Window; Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie

The Hello,  Goodbye Window by Norton Juster, illustrated by Chris Raschka
2006 Caldecott Medal

Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie by Norton Juster, illustrated by Chris Raschka

Both of these books feature a girl and her visits to her Grandpa and Nanna. The Hello, Goodbye Window got the award, but at our house we LOVE Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie  even more! Sourpuss and Sweetie pie discusses the very relevant topic of rapid mood changes in young people!  My seven year old daughter has asked us to read it multiple times each day for the past couple of weeks!

Both feature these wonderful loose colorful illustrations by Chris Raschka. And a really fun connected loving relationship between the grandparents and kid. There is humor and wisdom which is a combination I favor. I'd recommend both books, but especially Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie! 

Knuffle Bunny

Knuffle Bunny; A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

2005 Caldecott Honor Book

Knuffle Bunny Too; a Case of Mistaken Identity  by Mo Willems
2008 Caldecott Honor Book


Knuffle Bunny Free; An Unexpected Diversion by Mo Willems

I love the Knuffle Bunny books and so does everyone in my family. They are worth reading again and again. They are hilarious and deal with the stuff real kids care about!

The series begins with Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale where in our hero Trixie is a pre-verbal toddler and on a trip to the laundry mat with her dad, her beloved Knuffle Bunny gets thrown in with the wash. After a frantic race through the neighborhood back to the laundry mat, the bunny is recovered.

The pictures in these books are extra cool. They have black and white PHOTOS of real places with cartoon characters "playing" in these photographed "sets." So, there is, for example a photo of a city block with cartoon people walking down the real sidewalk and Trixie's mom standing on the front steps waving. There is something really fun about this juxtaposition of real and imaginary. I love the luscious art work of many other picture books. These illustrations are not that. They are silly. Profoundly, wonderfully, silly.

I viewed an interview with Mo Willems on you tube and he said that he purposely tried to draw his main characters so SIMPLY that a small child could make a reasonably good drawing of Knuffle Bunny or Trixie themselves, and thus extend their adventures into their own imaginative play.

In Knuffle Bunny Too Trixie is a little older and she and Dad are walking throught the neighborhood on the way to Pre-K at the local school. Trixie is excited to be taking her one-of-a-kind Knuffle Bunny to meet all her friends at school.  When she gets there another girl Sonja has Knuffle Bunny too! "Suddenly, Trixie's one-of-a-kind Knuffle Bunny wasn't so one-of-a-kind anymore."

So many conflicts arise that the teacher takes the bunnies! And returns them at the end of the day. In the middle of the night Trixie realizes "That is not my bunny!" at which point Trixies daddy tried to exaplain what "2:30 a.m." means. Another race through the neighborhood in the middle of the night returns the bunnies to their rightful owners.  And a new friendship is forged!

Knuffle Bunny Free concludes the saga. When Knuffle Bunny is left in an airplane after an international flight. And then miraculously FOUND on the way home. And then even more amazingly, then given to a small baby who was crying on the plane.

The books acknowledgements refer to "The real Trixie and her mommy" and I very much WANT these to be true stories. I searched for the answer to my question (Did this really happen? Is Trixie your little girl? Are YOU the Dad?) In his FAQ someone asks "Are the Knuffle Bunny stories true?" and he replies "They are completely true, except for the parts I make up."