Piggie Pie! by Margie Palatini

I just finished reading "Piggie Pie" by Margie Palatini to my young children! It was such a fun story and my children's reactions were hysterical.

The story is about Glitch the Witch who decides she is totally craving Piggie Pie. She has all the ingredients... including on eye of a fly, but is missing a key ingredient... 8 plump piggies!!

So, off to Old MacDonald's farm flies Glitch!

The story continues with Glitch asking all of the farm animals if they have seen the pigs. The 'farm animals' look an awful lot like some plump piggies...

The artwork is incredible and is such an integral part of the story. Look carefully at each page... the pictures add so much with subtle (and not so subtle) hints to the emotions of the characters!!

My 4-year old kept saying "I just don't like that witch!!!" and would shake his head in disgust!

Any story that engages my children will remain on my 'keep-this-book' list!!

Where the Wild Things Are

The movie "Where the Wild Things Are" is coming to a theater near you!!! Yea!!! I am so excited for this release and am so hoping they do the book justice. There has been a lot of buzz about this movie... Spike Jonze is the director and is rumored to have held up the release date to make some changes! Oh, how I hope it was worth the wait!

Tikki Tikki Tembo

This is one of my very favorite books from my childhood. I love it!!

The story is set in China and was written in 1968 by Arlene Mosel. It is about a boy named Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo. (I have never forgotten his name... ) He falls into a well and his little brother, Chang, runs to get help, but is delayed because it takes so long to say the very long name of his brother. Finally, he is able to get his mother, and the Old Man with the Ladder to get Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo out of the well.

I love saying Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo!

I read the story tonight to my seven year old daughter. I think she loves it too.

In 1997, the book was selected by The New York Times as one of the 50 best children's books of the previous 50 years.

Jan Brett's Christmas Books

Oh, our Christmas eve choices... which one should we choose?

Probably all of them... and a few other old favorites thrown in for fun!

I love Jan Brett... I love all of her books! But the Christmas ones will always be my favorites!

"Mr. Finnegan's Giving Chest" Giveaway

I love Christmas. I love children's stories. I love books!

Combine the three and I'm hooked.

Add Dick Van Dyke and I think I'm in heaven!

"Mr. Finnegan's Giving Chest" is a wonderful Christmas story that teaches about the spirit of Christmas... the giving and serving others part that is such a wonderful tradition of the Christmas season.

The artwork in "Mr. Finnegan's Giving Chest" is remarkable. It was created with state-of-the-art 3D imagery. Dick Van Dyke's likeness is the title character - Mr. Finnegan. It is such a close likeness it almost looks like a photo.
Who would like a hardbound copy of this wonderful book? Leave a comment here by midnight, Tuesday, November 25 for a chance to win this for your library... or to use as a great Christmas gift for someone special in your life.

Did I mention the book includes a CD recording of Dick Van Dyke reading the story?? So fun!

Click here for more information about the book.

Good luck!!

Kisses

This is the sequel to the book, "The Kissing Hand," one of our favorites. "A Pocket Full of Kisses" is all about coping and adjusting to the arrival of a new baby in the family. We have certainly done our fair share of adding new babies... however, I think the message of the book is great for just dealing with day-to-day sibling rivalry! Chester, the older brother, asks his mom... "If you give both of us Kissing Hands, won't you run out?" Mother's answer is perfect, tender and a great way to explain to kids how our love for our kids is endless.

"Kisses" is a silly book about all sorts of kisses. The birthday kiss, a grandma's kiss, a circus kiss... etc., all leading up to a bedtime kiss. Cute, easy easy read!!

Who wants to win both of these books? Paperback editions. Leave a comment here by Tuesday night, September 30 and I will randomly select a winner on Wednesday, October 1! (Yikes... October is next week?)

I See Me!

My youngest child received this darling book for his first birthday! It is so adorable and absolutely a treasure!

Here is what the I See Me website says about their books!

My Very Own Name is a very high quality personalized storybook that helps children learn to recognize letters and spell their names. In this 8 1/2" x 11" hardcover, professionally bound book, animals bring letters one by one to create the child's first and last names in rhyme. A jackal brings a J, an ostrich brings an O, and so on. At the end, the animals celebrate because they've created the perfect name. As an added personal touch, this award-winning book includes the child's birthdate, a printed dedication from the sender, and an illustrated encyclopedia of 61 animals. This storybook is made in the USA.

Here is a sample of a page from the book!

There is also a book titled "My Very Own Fairy Tale" created in the same fashion, but using fairies, instead of animals. Books are $29.95 a piece.

That's Good! That's Bad!

This is one our family's favorite books! The rhythm of the book is perfect as the reader is taken through a series of events that at first seem good... but you soon learn are bad (and vice-versa). For example, the story starts with a boy being lifted by a red balloon... "Oh, that's good. No, that's bad." It's bad because the balloon pops when it hits a tree deep in the jungle. "Oh, that's bad. No, that's good." Good events turn out to be negative... and vice-versa!

We love this book. It is so fun to read out-loud and when you read it often enough, you learn to help your child(ren) see both sides to a situation. So when someone loses their favorite stuffed animal, you can say..."Oh, that's bad! NO, that's good. Now your lonely little panda bear can be your favorite animal and he won't be so lonely anymore!"

This book is available on Amazon.com for $7.95.