What We Found At The Library, #4

Lauren's Favorite: We've All Got Bellybuttons! by David Martin & Randy Cecil (Illustrator)

A bedtime story, this was not. A fun, interactive playtime story, this was. The animals in this short book all say a simple rhyme about something they can do with their bodies - pull their ears, kick their feet, open their mouths - followed by a challenge to the reader: Can You? Lauren had the best time acting out the prompts of the animals (Mia did too!) and surprised me with the cuteness of one action in particular. When the cheetahs said "We've got eyes, and you do too. We can close them. Can you?" Lauren slapped her hands over her eyes, effectively 'closing' them. Such a sweet little book reader she is.

Mia's Favorite: Ella, Of Course! by Sarah Weeks & Doug Cushman (Illustrator)

If you haven't noticed by now, Mia's got a thing for Ballerinas. Costumes, books, YouTube videos, dolls -- if it's got a ballerina on it, she's game. This book was extra fun because not only is Ella a fledgling ballerina, but there's also a troublesome umbrella running through the storyline. Ella has gotten a very satisfying umbrella for her birthday, and it goes everywhere with her, but it also messes up everything in it's path. Poor Ella figures out a way to take it with her to a ballet recital, while ensuring that she's not creating pandemonium with the inconvenient umbrella. Mia giggled and questioned her way through this cute story. And mama liked the positive message it sent about thinking your way creatively through a problem.

This Heavenly Mama's Favorite: Delicious: A Pumpkin Soup Story by Helen Cooper

My favorite would be a cooking story. Duck is quite the picky eater in this book, refusing Cat and Squirrel's many attempts at a Pumpkin soup substitute. They shop and chop and season, trying to please Duck's pumpkin-loving palette when there are clearly NO pumpkins to be found. But Duck finds something insulting about each new soup -- too pink! too smelly! -- until finally the friends mix up a batch of pumpkin colored soup they're hoping will slip in under the radar. It doesn't. BUT! Duck discovers that it's even better than his favorite pumpkin blend; it's the most delicious soup he's ever tasted! This was such a good book for lots of reasons -- beautiful illustrations, silly moments, teachable moments -- but I was super-hopeful about the teachable moments part. I sincerely hoped Mia would take something from the This-isn't-what-I-Usually-Like-But-I'll-Try-It-Because-Maybe-It's-Delicious category. I'm afraid not even a wonderful children's story is up to that task, though. Still, Mia and I both enjoyed this book.

This Heavenly Daddy's Favorite: Come Fly With Me by Satomi Ichikawa

Does this look like a 'Justin' book, or what? In this story, a toy plane and raggedy, stuffed dog take off on an adventure to fly SOMEWHERE. They just want an adventure outside the toybox. Cloud monsters and rain storms threaten to halt their plans, but they keep working and make it to their destination, convinced that the best part of all was that they did it together. They're BFF's, if you will. The illustrations are detailed and imaginative, evoking both the freedom and worry of unknown adventures. Mia was drawn in from the first lines, following Cosmos the plane and Woggy the dog in their climbing, spiraling, exciting journey. And daddy? Daddy likes planes. Brave, bold, courageous planes. A perfect match.

Have you stumbled upon any share-worthy library books recently?