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Monday, May 12, 2014

Monday Discussion: Book Alive Day [More Pics Added]

Today is the start of Children's Book Week.  The first day is also known as Book Alive Day!  At the BPL we encourage staff to dress up as a character from a children's book on this day.  Today I am The Queen of Hearts.



 






For more photos, click here.

But whether you dressed up or not today, in honor of Children's Book Week the Monday Discussion is all about kid's books.  Let me know your favs.

I'll go first.  Two years ago, in honor of this day, I wrote about these favorites:
I loved Shel Silverstein as a kid.  Heck, I still do. But, today I wanted to point out a few books that I read to my kids and now buy for all the new parents I know.  Here is a small list of the childrens' books I have learned to love as a parent.
  • The Red Lemon by Bob Staake: such a great message and the rhymes written as an homage to Dr. Seuss makes it fun to read aloud.
  • Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox: A great book for young children.  A more perfect book to read right from birth through age 3 I have had yet to find.  I think I could still recite it by heart if pressed to do so.
  • Any Harold and the Purple Crayon books: old I know, but I was not as in to them when I was a kid.
  • Any Mo Willems book, but I am especially fond of Leonardo, the Terrible Monster because it is so fun to read out loud.  A close second is Today I Will Fly! only because I am an eternal optimist like Piggie, and it is nice to see his dreams of the impossible coming true.
To this I will add anything Kate DiCamillo writes.  They are a joy for parents and kids.  I will never forget reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane with my son or The Tale of Despereaux with my daughter. 

And, over the years, my children and I have created a rule of thumb for picture books-- If it has a chicken in it, it will be funny.  We have yet to be let down.

Now it's your turn. Get in the spirit of Children's Book Week.  [It's the only guaranteed time that this blog will talk about kid's books.]  And share your favorite.

For past Monday Discussions, click here.


4 comments:

Jose said...

where the wild things are by Maurice Sendak, and most recently Creepy Carrots it is a fun out loud read.

John BPL RA said...

I had always loved the multitude of Zorro books and films and always had it in mind to make a Zorro costume for Halloween but for some reason never did. I'm glad Book Alive Day afforded me the opportunity. Zorro, for me, represented the cavalier spirit of the now-forgotten children's book hero. He was the Lone Ranger, Robin Hood, and the Phantom of the Opera all rolled into one.

Deb Bolda said...

Two of my all-time children's favorites:
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood.
The illustrations are fantastic and the mouse is such an expressively drawn character!! Its a quick read with colorful pages that will keep the attention of even the youngest. My grandson must have his "hungry stuffed bear" read the book with him every time!! Very cute story!!

Next is Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree bevery time!! Very cute story!!

Next is Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry
I loved this book as a child. Mr. Willowby's Christmas tree is too tall, so he cuts off the top and passes to his upstairs friend...and so on and so on. This story is so entertaining but it teaches recyclying on a young childs level. A must read!!

Tara BPLteen said...

I am dressed as Pete the Cat from the picture book series by Eric Litwin and Kimberly and James Dean. (No, not that James Dean.) Pete is a very laid-back, groovy kind of cat. My favorite of his sories is "I Love My White Shoes." It has enough repetition, silliness, and rhythm to keep the interest of even very young listeners. Plus, it offers ample opportunities for jazz hands.
For slightly oder readers, one of my all0time favorites is Eric Carle's "Dragons, Dragons, and Other Creatures That Never Were" and Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree."