6-Year-Old Picks

Here are some of Johnny Boo's favorites from March and April:

Ricky Ricotta, Captain Underpants, The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby
Author: Dav Pilkey

Mr. Men, including...
Mr. Men: Favourite Stories and whatever other Mr. Men and Little Miss books Johnny Boo found at the library (there are about 49 in all)
Author: Roger Hargreaves

And there are new Mr. Men graphic novels!

The Franny K. Stein series
Author: Jim Benton

Balloon Toons: The Totally Awesome Epic Quest of the Brave Boy Knight
Author: Pranas T. Naujokaitis

Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School
Author: Nathan Hale

Toys Go Out, Toys Come Home, Toy Dance Party
Author/illustrator: Emily Jenkins/Paul Zelinsky

George Brown, Class Clown: Super Burp
Author/illustrator: Nancy Krulik/Aaron Blecha











And here's an example of the writing skills Johnny Boo's developed with the help of Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Astro-Activity Book O' Fun:

Phineas and Ferb and A Platypus' World

Some of us have a small obsession with Phineas and Ferb. At the most recent Scholastic book fair, each boy got a Phineas and Ferb book, as well as a Phineas and Ferb poster to share. Tintin also recently asked for a book on platypuses because he correctly assumed Perry the Platypus was not your average platypus and he wanted to see what they were really like. A couple of reviews:

The Phineas and Ferb Comic Reader #1: Nothing But Trouble
The Phineas and Ferb Comic Reader #2: The Chronicles of Meap
Author: John Green
Publisher: Disney Press (June 2010)
Category: Graphic Novel

The book we actually got from the book fair is two books in one, Nothing But Trouble on one side and The Chronicles of Meap on the other. (We also got Phineas and Ferb's Guide to Life but haven't delved into it enough to review it.) In Nothing But Trouble, Phineas and Ferb experiment with gelatin, but of course something goes wrong and out of a pool of gelatin emerges an enormous gelatin monster. The evil Dr. Doofenschmirtz gets involved and Perry steps in to save the day. In the second part of Nothing But Trouble, Phineas and Ferb and their family explore London. Candace uses Sherlock Holmes's method of deduction to bust her brothers (once and for all). There's a little bit of Big Ben and of course appearances from Dr. Doofenschmirtz and Perry the Platypus.

The Chronicles of Meap is about a cute little alien who has crash-landed in Phineas and Ferb's yard and needs help defeating his evil enemy. Phineas and Ferb (and Perry) come to the rescue and, with the help of the universal mustache translator, Meap can finally show his appreciation.

The boys liked this book so much that I had to hide it to stop them from fighting over it.

And a review by Tintin, age 9:

A Platypus' World

Author/illustrator: Caroline Arnold

Publisher: Picture Window Books (January 2008)

Categories: Picture Book/Nonfiction

In this story it tells about platypuses and their life. It tells about their habitats, prey, enemies, food, and how babies are made. I thought this book was great. I liked how there were little pink platypus babies. My favorite part is how they make the burrows. I would recommend this book to animal lovers.

Our 2011-2012 Bluebonnet Award Choice Is...

Last week Tintin and everyone else who read at least five Texas Bluebonnet books attended a special breakfast in the school library and voted on their favorite Bluebonnet book. Students all across Texas participated in the voting at their own schools. The author of the book receiving the most votes will be declared the winner of the 2011-2012 Texas Bluebonnet Award. Here's Tintin voting for Tom Angleberger's Origami Yoda:

For each book they read the children had to fill out a log describing a memorable moment from the book. Here's Tintin's collection:

Amazing Faces 9/26/11

I like "Which Way to Dreamland" because dreams are special and sometimes come true. My favorite was: How in the world do dreams get in your head? and: Do they hide with dust bunnies under the bed?

Wild Times at the Bed and Biscuit 9/26/11

I liked when Ernest and the other animals saved Sir Walter in the woods. Sir Walter was lost in the woods because he was helping the foxes dig a hole, but they got away.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda 10/8/11

I liked when they made a bet that if Tommy dances with Sara, Dwight wins, and if she doesn't then Harvey wins.

Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse 1/9/12

This book is about poems and fairy tales that are reversed. My favorite fairy tale is "Bears in the News." This book is reversed because it helps children like to read poems and fairy tales.

The Buddy Files: The Case of the Lost Boy 1/23/12

I liked when Connor ran away and Buddy tried to help his mom find him.

Imogene's Last Stand 1/23/12

I liked when Imogene said, "Heck no, I won't go!" and wouldn't leave the museum.






You can find a list of the 2011-2012 Bluebonnet Award nominees at the Texas Library Association website.

5-Year-Old Books of the Week: Bumblebee Boy, Awesome Man, Happy Pig Day!, Hocus Pocus, Super-Dragon

We're back to blogging after a little break! Here are Johnny Boo's favorite books this week (Tintin is in the middle of reading Vordak the Incomprehensible again).

The Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy
Author/illustrator: Jacky Davis/David Soman
Publisher: Dial (October 2011)
Source: Public library

Don't expect to see Ladybug Girl in this book--this time it's all about Bumblebee Boy. Oh, and some pirates, dragons and lions, too. Bumblebee Boy's little brother tries to get in on the action, but a superhero like Bumblebee Boy doesn't need an assistant--or does he? Even without Ladybug Girl, Johnny Boo thinks this is a winner.

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man
Author/illustrator: Michael Chabon/Jake Parker
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (September 2011)
Source: Public library

Awesome Man seems like your typical awesome superhero. He's super-strong and fights evil villains; he flies and shoots positronic rays out of his eyeballs. But what's he hiding? Maybe he's not so typical after all... Mixed reviews on Amazon, but Johnny Boo had me read it twice in a row, so that's all I care about.

Happy Pig Day!
Author/illustrator: Mo Willems
Publisher: Hyperion (October 2011)
Source: Public library

Another new Elephant & Piggie book! What's so great about Pig Day, and who are all those pigs? Gerald's feeling a little left out, until Piggie reveals a funny secret. Johnny Boo read this to himself and, as always, we took turns being Gerald and Piggie while we read together.

Hocus Pocus
Author/illustrator: Sylvie Desrosiers/Remy Simard
Publisher: Kids Can Press (August 2011)
Source: Public library

Hocus Pocus is a (nearly) wordless book about a rabbit and a dog who live with a magician, who is oblivious to the animals' Tom-and-Jerry-like relationship. When Hocus Pocus (the rabbit) spots a carrot on the counter, he must make his way to it without waking up Dog. Unfortunately for Hocus Pocus, Dog does wake up, and hilarity ensues.

Super-Dragon
Author/illustrator: Steven Kroll/Douglas Holgate
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Children's Books (February 2011)
Source: Public library

Drago's family is entering a flying contest, but Drago isn't allowed to enter because he doesn't know how to fly yet. He sits by as his family practices, but at night while everyone's asleep he takes flying lessons from a bird. At the contest two weeks later Drago surprises everyone with his Figure 8 skills and saves the day for his family.

A Kid's Review: Valentine the Porcupine Dances Funny

Review by Johnny Boo, age 5




















Valentine the Porcupine Dances Funny
Author/illustrator: Derrick Brown/Jenny Lewis
Publisher: Write Fuzzy
Source: The publisher

Valentine the Porcupine is about a radio with a porcupine who says, "Will someone dance with me?" Her momma says, "Strange is cool," and Valentine says, "I believe you, Momma." And then her momma says, "I love you because you're you." My favorite part is when she got a laser that would give homeless people homes and when the blowfish said, "Will someone dance with me?" The pictures are awesome. My favorite picture is when Valentine is holding the blowfish up. I would recommend this book to silly people.

Buy it: Amazon


It took illustrator Jenny Lewis 10 months to cut out, glue and paint every element of every page. Below she demonstrates how Valentine came to be:

Books of the Week: The Stories Julian Tells, Tales from the Odyssey, Ladybug Girl, Scaredy Squirrel

Here are our favorites from the past week:

Tintin, age 8

The Stories Julian Tells
Author/illustrator: Ann Cameron/Ann Strugnell
Publisher: Turtleback (January 1989)
Source: Public library

Julian's just a regular boy who has a knack for telling stories, some of which are not always true. He convinces his younger brother, Huey, that cats will jump out of their seed catalog and help them with their garden, and he talks himself into believing that eating the leaves from his fig tree will make him grow taller. Sometimes Julian's mischief gets him into trouble, like the time his father brings him downstairs for a whipping after he and his brother eat their mother's lemon pudding. To Julian's relief, his dad's idea of a whipping is much different from his own. I took this book out to read to Johnny Boo at bedtime, but Tintin grabbed it as soon as we were done and is now on More Stories Julian Tells.

Tintin's note: I liked when Julian's father tried to pull out his tooth by tying it to a string and then to a doorknob and then yanking it.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Tales from the Odyssey, Part One
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Publisher: Hyperion (May 2010)
Source: Scholastic book fair/home library

The first part of Tales from the Odyssey comprises three books: The One-Eyed Giant, The Land of the Dead, and Sirens and Sea Monsters. There are three more books in Part Two. As you might guess, both parts are a retelling of Odysseus's great journey, first told by Greek poet Homer. Osborne does a fantastic job making this tale accessible to young readers. It's an exciting adventure with giants, gods, witches, and sirens, and even though it's pretty long (250+ pages), the larger font makes it easy to read.

Tintin's note: It was a good book. It was a very good adventure. All the adventures in it were so wonderful. I feel free to read the next one.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Johnny Boo, age 5

Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad
Author/illustrator: David Soman & Jacky Davis
Publisher: Dial (March 2011)
Source: Public library

Ladybug Girl has invited her friends over for a Bug Squad play date. Besides Ladybug Girl, there's Bumblebee Boy, Butterfly Girl, and Dragonfly Girl, each with his or her own superpowers. They of course play Bug Squad but then make some art at Ladybug Girl's picnic table and eat cupcakes together. For Ladybug Girl, it starts out as the perfect play date, but trouble starts when things don't go exactly the way she imagined them. Luckily, she learns an important lesson about saying sorry and the day is saved.

Johnny Boo's note: Ladybug Girl is about a girl named Lulu and she had a ladybug costume. It was great and freakin' and awesome and rockin'. I liked when Bingo got wings.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party
Author/illustrator: Mélanie Watt
Publisher: Kids Can Press (February 2011)
Source: Public library

It's time for Scaredy's birthday party, but he's too scared to let anyone else come. He finally invites one thoughtful friend, but then that friend brings a bunch of other friends. Scaredy goes into panic mode and fears the worst. When he realizes he's still alive after fainting from all of the excitement, Scaredy deems his birthday party a success and starts planning for next year.

Johnny Boo's note: Scaredy Squirrel reminds me of Cat in the Hat because it has animals in it. I liked the confetti part at the end.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

We also reread some old favorites: Ladybug Girl, Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, the Daniel Boom AKA Loud Boy series, Sardine in Outer Space, and The Clouds Above.

5-Year-Old Boy's Review: Hot Hands and the Weirdo Winter

Review by Johnny Boo, age 5

Hot Hands and the Weirdo Winter
Author/illustrator: Derrick Brown/Matthew Carver
Publisher: Write Fuzzy (January 2010)
Source: The publisher

Hot Hands freaks everyone out because her gloves are made out of metal and her hands are fire. A little boy went to school and he fell in love with Margo. The boy made a snowman for Margo because when she builds one the snowman always burns out. I like this book because it's so awesome and great and rockin'. It teaches me that you should be a friend. My favorite part is when the boy met Margo. The art was so great that I freaked out. I would recommend this book to kids who have hot hands.

LitLass's note: Ralph is the new kid at school. Until he meets Margo, or Hot Hands as everyone calls her, he doesn't have any friends. Margo's hands are made out of fire and she's shunned by her classmates because of it. Ralph doesn't care that Margo is different. In fact, he thinks being weird is good (he'd like Johnny Boo). He finds lots of good things about Margo, and about her hot hands. He says to her, "I would never be afraid of the dark if I could carry around the sun!" Together Ralph and Margo learn what it means to be a true friend.

At the end of Hot Hands is a picture of Margo with a blank face. As soon as we finished reading the book the first time, Johnny Boo ran to the office with it and made two copies. Here are his drawings:

Ralph and Margo make a caramel popcorn snowman together. Tintin (8) made our popcorn, Johnny Boo helped make the caramel, and Tintin and I made the snowmen (our recipe). Johnny Boo would have helped with a snowman, but he was nursing his own hot hands after touching the stovetop. He was much better after having his snowman.

Thanks to Write Fuzzy for the book! We'll have a review of another Write Fuzzy book, also by Derrick Brown, up soon.

Find Hot Hands and the Weirdo Winter: Amazon, Write Fuzzy

Books of the Week: Magic Tree House, The Scrambled States of America, Jumanji, Zathura

Here are our favorites from the past week:

Tintin, age 8


Magic Tree House #29: Christmas in Camelot
Author/illustrator: Mary Pope Osborne/Sal Murdocca
Publisher: Random House (October 2001)
Source: Public library

In this Magic Tree House fantasy adventure, Jack and Annie go on a quest to save Camelot from being forgotten forever. They must solve the rhymes of the Christmas knight; rescue Lancelot, Percival, and Galahad from the Otherworld; and bring back the Water of Memory and Imagination. Of course, there are a couple of obstacles standing in their way, but Jack and Annie are experienced adventurers. Christmas in Camelot doesn't have a whole lot to do with Christmas, so it's a good read for Magic Tree House fans any time of the year.

Tintin's note: I like Christmas in Camelot because I like how they go on the adventure and see four dragons.

Find it: Amazon

Johnny Boo, age 5


The Scrambled States of America; The Scrambled States of America Talent Show
Author/illustrator: Laurie Keller
Publisher: Henry Holt (October 1998; August 2008)
Source: Home library; public library

It all begins when Kansas complains to Nebraska about how boring it is to stay in one place all the time. Nebraska agrees and they get some of their neighbors to help plan a party for all 50 states. The states soon decide to switch places with one another for a little while to see what it's like living somewhere else. Other than Nevada and Mississippi, who fall in love, the states realize they were better off before. In Talent Show, the states get together once again, but this time they wisely go home after some much needed laughter.

Johnny Boo's note: I liked it because there was a lot of freaking out in it.

Find them: Amazon (Scrambled States; Scrambled States Talent Show)

Tintin & Johnny Boo


Jumanji
Author/illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (April 1981)
Source: Public library

When two bored children find a board game in the park across the street, they have no idea just how un-boring their lives are about to become. Peter and Judy take turns rolling the dice, but with just about every move comes yet another scary situation. They finally finish the game and realize it's not so bad to be bored once in a while.

Johnny Boo's note: It was a great jungle adventure and I liked it so much that I freaked out.

Find it: Amazon



Zathura
Author/illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (October 2002)
Source: Public library

In this followup to Jumanji, Peter and Judy's neighbors find the board game after Peter and Judy drop it back off at the park. Brothers Walter and Danny are fighting but then see the game and bring it home. Instead of playing Jumanji, they find a space-themed board game hiding underneath. As in Jumanji, Zathura comes to life, and the boys face danger with every move. They stop their bickering and learn to work together, but will a black hole tear them apart forever?

Tintin's note: I liked when they were in the spaceship and the robot came alive and they were scared. I liked when the boy was in the black hole.

Find it: Amazon

8-Year-Old Boy's Review: The Diamond Tree & Margaret the Medusa

Reviews by Tintin, age 8

The Diamond Tree
Author: Michael Matson
Publisher: Untreed Reads Publishing (July 2010)
Source: The publisher

The Diamond Tree is about a prince [Prince Dall] who goes on a quest to find the diamond tree to break the spell and turn it back into a princess. Her tears turn into diamonds. He goes to a castle and the angry prince likes riddles, so he gave a riddle to him. And then he solves it and then the Prince of Rage said, "Don't say the name!" And then he ran and then he fell. I like the adventure that [Prince Dall] went on. My favorite part was when the Prince of Rage fell into the moat. My favorite character was the Prince of Rage because he was silly. I would recommend this book to people who like going on scary adventures.

LitLass's note: Prince Dall is the youngest of four brothers. When it comes time to prove himself and win honor, the prince finds out there's nothing left to accomplish. His three older brothers have already defeated the two-headed dragon, the giant, and the evil wizard. Dall soon receives some information from an old woman, however, that convinces him there might just be one more exciting quest left for him. The Diamond Tree has the perfect amount of adventure for an 8-year-old boy and makes for a great read-aloud.

Find it: Amazon (Kindle), The Untreed Reads Store (PDF, EPUB, Palm Reader)

Margaret the Medusa
Author/illustrator: Sunny C. Griffith/L. Aerin Collett
Publisher: Untreed Reads Publishing (February 2011)
Source: The publisher

Margaret the Medusa is about a medusa named Margaret who looks ugly and can't find any friends. I like when Margaret says to the boy, "I can't turn you into stone!" and the boy says, "I'm already in stone. I'm a gargoyle!" And then Margaret and the gargoyle became friends. I like how they made friends. I would recommend this book to people who like ancient monsters.

LitLass's note: Margaret just wants to fit in at school and have friends, but no one likes her. No matter how much she tries to be like everyone else, she's still a medusa, with snakes for hair and eyes that'll turn people into stone if she removes her glasses. Her classmates are scared of her, except for one boy who shows Margaret that it's okay to be herself. Tintin likes anything having to do with Greek mythology, so this one was a winner.

Find it: Amazon (Kindle), The Untreed Reads Store (PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Microsoft Reader)

Thank you to Untreed Reads Publishing for providing these books for review!

Books of the Week: Disney's Storybook Collection; The Companions; Fortunately, Unfortunately; Ricky Vargas: The Funniest Kid in the World

Here are our favorites from last week:

Tintin, age 8 & Johnny Boo, age 5

Disney's Storybook Collection
Editor/designer: Nancy Parent/Todd Taliaferro
Publisher: Disney Enterprises, Inc. (1998)
Source: Public library

Disney's Storybook Collection includes 23 Disney stories, starting with "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and ending with "Three Little Pigs." With colorful illustrations and gilded pages (a plus for Johnny Boo), the collection makes for a great read-aloud, although both boys insisted on reading it themselves.

Tintin's note: I like Disney's Storybook Collection because it has lots of good adventures and it's cartoony.

The Companions
Author/illustrator: Lygia Bojunga-Nunes
Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux (November 1989)
Source: Public library

Three animals meet and become fast friends. One has been abandoned and the other two have run away. The rabbit is afraid of being alone again and can hardly believe his luck when he finally finds others who want to be around him. But the animals' fun doesn't last long--the dog is found and brought back to her owner and the bear is caught and brought back to the zoo, where he falls in love with a selfish zebra. The Companions is a touching story of friendship that shows just how much these three friends will risk to stay together.

Tintin's note: I like how they became friends, and it shows a lot of friendship.


Johnny Boo, age 5

Fortunately, Unfortunately
Author/illustrator: Michael Foreman
Publisher: Andersen Press (January 2011)
Source: Public library

A monkey named Milo is asked by his mother to take an umbrella back to his grandmother. Unfortunately, several things go wrong along the way to Granny's house, such as when it begins to rain and when Milo falls off a cliff, gets swallowed by a whale, lands in a lost world atop a volcano, etc. But fortunately a lot of good things happen to Milo, too, and he finally ends up at Granny's house. The umbrella's a little beat up, but at least he gets to eat cake and enjoy it with some friends he made on his adventure. Johnny Boo had me read this over and over again. Fortunately, it was so good that I didn't mind.

Johnny Boo's note: I think the whole book was good and marvelous.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Ricky Vargas: The Funniest Kid in the World
Author/illustrator: Alan Katz/Stacy Curtis
Publisher: Scholastic (June 2011)
Source: Scholastic book fair/home library

Ricky Vargas is a funny kid. Funny enough to make kids snort milk out of their noses, even when they're not drinking milk. Ricky is funny at the spelling bee, during class picture time, and when he creates a new language, but he quickly learns that it's not always good to be funny. With three short stories and illustrations that take up much of each page, Ricky Vargas is perfect for readers who aren't quite ready for (or are sometimes intimidated by) longer chapter books.

Johnny Boo's note: I liked it so much that I laughed.

Word of the Week/Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is flabbergasted, an adjective meaning "shocked; surprised."

And we're reading Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist, in which Lester's family is flabbergasted when he wins a blue ribbon for his bubble-gum art.

Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist
Author/illustrator: Ruth Spiro/Thor Wickstrom
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (August 2008)
Source: Public library

Lester's family is full of artists: Winslow and Cornell, Vincent and Claude, and on and on. Lester's artwork pales in comparison to that of his talented cousins, aunts, and uncles. He wants to be an artist, too, but the only thing he's good at is blowing bubbles. When Uncle Edgar gives Lester some advice, Lester listens, and all of a sudden he realizes that he can turn his bubble-blowing into an art form. Lester practices his newfound art, but when his tooth falls out during his rendition of Rodin's The Thinker, his bubble bursts and his confidence goes with it. After a visit and some reassurance from the tooth fairy (Edgar Degas in a tutu), Lester is ready to face his family and impress them with his bubble-gum art.

Tintin's note: I liked how he blew all the bubbles. They were like artists' paintings.

Johnny Boo's note: It was good and I freaked out.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Books of the Week: Chicken Butt!, Chicken Butt's Back!, Kindergarten Rocks!

Both boys are still obsessed with Maurice Sendak's Nutshell Library books (see our review), and with the Carole King album that goes with them. Here are our other favorites from the past week:

Tintin, age 8, and Johnny Boo, age 5

Chicken Butt!; Chicken Butt's Back!
Author/illustrator: Erica S. Perl/Henry Cole
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers (April 2009; April 2011)
Source: Public library

These books are about one of the boys' favorite topics: butts (with a few other body parts and some underwear thrown in). In Chicken Butt!, a boy tells chicken jokes (starting with the classic "You know what? What? Chicken butt!") to get his dad's attention, pestering him until he practically loses his mind. In Chicken Butt's Back!, the same boy tries again at the grocery store with his mother, who is by now familiar with his jokes and is already annoyed with chicken butts. Fortunately for the boy, he finds a new way to trick his mom into listening to his jokes, and all sorts of animal butts are mentioned. Fortunately for me, my boys were happy enough to read the jokes in the books and not repeat them too often.

Tintin's note: I liked when his mom got confused about all the butts.

Find them: Amazon (Chicken Butt!, Chicken Butt's Back!), IndieBound (Chicken Butt!, Chicken Butt's Back!)

Johnny Boo, age 5

Kindergarten Rocks!
Author/illustrator: Katie Davis
Publisher: Scholastic (2011)
Source: Home library/gift from preschool teachers

Dexter is about to enter kindergarten, but his stuffed dog, Rufus, is a bit scared and nervous (of course, Dexter is completely calm). Rufus and Dexter are lucky, though, because Dexter's big sister, Jessie, has already been to kindergarten and tells them that kindergarten rocks. Whenever Dexter brings up something that Rufus is nervous about, Jessie is there to reassure them. Johnny Boo took this out of the library, and shortly after he received it from his teachers. He was so excited, he read it on the way home from school and a few other times that day. And the day after. And the day after that. He was so excited, he had to go to the library just to find more books by Katie Davis, and we ended up bringing home Who Hops? and Who Hoots?, which he read in the car on the way home. Also, this Kindergarten Rocks! video didn't hurt.

Johnny Boo's note: It was good and useful and great and fantastic.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Word of the Week/Squirrelly Gray

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is succulent, a verb meaning "juicy; moist and tasty."

And we're reading Squirrelly Gray, in which Hungry Fox says to Squirrelly Gray, "Are you in need of assistance, my succulent young fellow?" 

Squirrelly Gray
Author/illustrator: James Kochalka
Publisher: Random House Children's Books (August 2007)
Source: Public library

Squirrelly Gray lives in a boring, colorless world where his only entertainment is the static on his TV. He's so bored that he thinks wiggling his teeth is fun. When those teeth fall out, he hides them under his pillow and tries to go to sleep. But then he hears someone calling for help and finds the Tooth Fairy stuck in a spider web. Squirrelly rescues her, and in return she gives him a magic acorn. With no teeth to crack open the acorn, Squirrelly tries to think of a way to find out what makes this acorn so magical, but can he figure out just what to do before Hungry Fox eats him? Bonus: This book is by the author/illustrator of Johnny Boo, one of our favorite graphic novel series! 


Tintin's note: My favorite part is when the hungry fox cracked the magic acorn and there was a rainbow.

Johnny Boo's note: I liked it because it was great and awesome, and I liked it because there was freakin' out.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Books of the Week: Chocolate Fever, Bone, The Earth Book, Planets

Here are our favorites from the past week:

Tintin, age 8

Chocolate Fever
Author/illustrator: Robert Kimmel Smith/Gioia Fiammenghi
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons (1972)
Source: Public library

Henry Green eats a lot of chocolate, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When he notices brown spots spreading all over his body one day in school, he, his teacher, and the school nurse are baffled, until they notice the overpowering chocolate smell of Henry's spots. At the hospital, the doctor diagnoses Henry with Chocolate Fever, a never-before-seen disease caused by eating too much chocolate. Not wanting to undergo any treatment from a doctor he doesn't trust, Henry runs away and ends up going on an exciting adventure.

Tintin's note: I like when he feels better. My favorite part was when he ran away from all the doctors.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Bone 2: The Great Cow Race
Author/illustrator: Jeff Smith
Publisher: Graphix (August 2005)
Source: Half Price Books

Fone Bone and his cousins, Phoney and Smiley, visit Barrelhaven while planning to get back to Boneville. After Phoney and Smiley fix the village's cow race in an attempt to get rich quick, the villagers find out and chase the Bones out into the forest, but not before giant, evil rats try to kidnap Fone Bone.

Tintin's note: I liked when Rose won the cow race.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Johnny Boo, age 5

The Earth Book
Author/illustrator: Todd Parr
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (March 2010)
Source: ALA Convention 2011

Todd Parr teaches kids how to take care of the earth by offering simple suggestions, like using both sides of the paper and turning off the lights. At the end of the book is a go-green poster with 10 ways kids can help the earth. Number 10, "Put my underwear in the freezer when it's hot," is the favorite in this house, but now I have to keep checking the freezer to make sure my underwear isn't in there.

Johnny Boo's note: I like when it says I put my underwear in the freezer.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Various books about planets and the sun: Space! Jupiter; Space! Mars; Space! Neptune; Space! The Sun; Space! Uranus; Space! Venus; Mercury; Why Isn't Pluto a Planet?
Authors: George Capaccio; Josepha Sherman; Ruth Bjorklund; Christine Taylor-Butler; Steve Kortenkamp

Johnny Boo's been learning about planets in school and insisted on getting these books (and no others) about planets. The Mercury book is the easiest to read, followed by the one on Pluto; the Space! books are geared more toward upper elementary kids, but Johnny Boo liked them anyway. And any books that keep him entertained the whole time I'm taking a shower and getting dressed are winners over here. Plus, now Johnny Boo knows he can't sing on Mercury, so he'll have to find another planet to move to if he doesn't follow the tips in The Earth Book.

Johnny Boo's note: It was great as usual.