Recommended Reading
To this end, I think I’ll try to provide some reviews of books our household has enjoyed. Of course, some of these books have been around the block -though they’re new to me (having had a several year lapse between my own childhood and my son’s during which time I read few children’s books) other more savvy parents may know how golden they truly are.
If you have a book you’re reading that you absolutely love, let me know since I’d love to review those as well. We’re always looking for a good new read.
The Mr. Men Series - by Roger Hargreaves
Last modified on 2008-01-23 00:02:15 GMT. 1 comment. Top.
Recommended Age : 3-6
Reading Time/book: Average 7 minutes, give or take
Lesson/Morale: Not really, though the books do try to teach good behaviour in general
I was first introduced to these books as a small child and still remember them vividly - they may have been some of my personal favourite storybooks. Though in time I collected quite a few my first memories are of the two books I must have read daily - Mr. Happy and Mr. Greedy. On trips to the grocery store, I would plead with my mom for a new Mister book as I called them and of course being the youngest in the family I usually won. Also, I remember very clearly how terrified I was of Mr. Greedy (there’s a giant in there!), and of course my older sister took special delight in reading me that book*.
When my husband and I moved to Hawaii with our own child, I rediscovered these old relics of my childhood still relatively intact (it hasn’t been that many years). My husband and I started reading them to my son at the age of about two and like his momma before him, my son fell in love with these books instantly. He’s always loved reading and has a good attention span for books so sometimes I think we start books when he’s a little on the young side, though having no real frame of reference I may be wrong. Overall, I would think three is a good age to start, but by all means try earlier. After all, I can nearly guarantee these series will have something to delight everyone.
The Mr. Men series of books - and later the Little Miss books - have become iconic it seems. Target sells Mr. Men T-shirts, as do a host of specialty shops and yet no one seems to know about the books themselves. I feel I owe it to you, my readers, to inform you that these delightful images of Mr. Bump or Mr. Mischief are more than just pretty faces! These books have wonderful stories each themed on a main character who is aptly named for him most prominent trait. For instance, Mr. Greedy is “greedy by name and greedy by nature” and learns a valuable lesson about moderation. Mr. Bump is the sort of clumsy fellow who just can’t hold down a job on account of how clumsy he is, bumping into this and that - and in the end find just the right sort of place for a fellow like himself to be happy. Sometimes the Misters visit each other, or help each other learn their lessons and sometimes there’s a magical wizard to help them along.
In addition to the stories, these books have wonderful 70s-esque artwork. The art is very simple, and colourful and I can say from personal experience that the pictures definitely have the ability to spark the imagination. Perhaps it is the nostalgia factor that draws me to these books so much, but both my husband and son love them as well. We went out almost immediately and bought the Mr. Men library series. It was very affordable, came with all 46 books, and my son still enjoys flipping through them all. In fact, he can look at the pictures of the Misters and identify who’s who.
One thing you may want to note - the books are written by a British author, and therefore some of the words are English expressions (such as lorry for truck). I just tend to either explain the difference to my son, or replace with our own words as necessary. Also, as I’ve said, there are 46 books in all, and I certainly recommend about 43 of them. The other 3 or so are not actually written by Roger Hargreaves, but rather by his son I believe. I personally don’t care for his messages or style and would suggest just skipping those books that say “Roger Hargreaves” in the by-line as opposed to “by Roger Hargreaves” (also, they are books 44,45 and 46 in the series). It’s not that these books are bad or send wrong messages, but they are certainly not as well written and lack the charm.
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* The book is not particularly scary. Mr Greedy is a happy jovial fellow who likes to eat - a lot. The giant is also not scary, and my son is certainly not afraid of any of these books.
The Wacky World Of Robert Munsch
Last modified on 2007-11-14 14:12:21 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Robert Munsch is a Canadian children’s author who’s been around the block a little - I first encountered his stories way back when I was a child of seven or so. I had the “The Paper Bag Princess”, and since I was a bit of an independent thinker (and tomboy) the story suited my sensibilities just fine. Well, a few years passed and I had all but outgrown the books when lo and behold my nieces started reading the books. I got to revisit “The Paper Bag Princess” as well as try out “Moira’s Birthday”. Needless to say, Robert Munsch is an author that my entire family has read a lot of over the years. Imagine my delight when surfing through the bookstore for my son when I saw a whole section of Robert Munsch!
It’s not hard to pinpoint exactly why children love his stories - Mr. Munsch tells stories that are just plain silly, in simple language and with very colourful illustrations. Even more, his stories discuss relevant topics to children - a bit of potty humour here, a lot of messy situations there and to ice the cake, he provides plenty of situations where children drive their parents absolutely batty. Finally, Munsch throws in a healthy dose of goofy sound effects that for me anyway I can’t help but read with the pizazz they deserve, and voila - a formula for success for over 25 years.
Surprisingly enough, these stories seem to be entertaining for the adults who read them as well - perhaps they can have a moment to get in touch with their inner child? Just yesterday, I was at the library with Jaden trying to pass some time, and pulled out “Munschworks 2: The Second Munsch Treasury”. There was a little girl also at the library with her sitter (a woman who told me in course of our conversation that she was a grandmother, though not to the little girl she was watching). When I sat Jaden down to read the story, the little girl asked to join and for the next 45 minutes I read to Jaden, the little girl and her sitter. During that time, I heard each of them laughing at various points, the sitter commented to me how much she was enjoying the stories, and the kids kept asking for more.
It’s nearly impossible for me to choose just one of his books to read - not only because there are so many, but also because they are so varied and you’ll need to select the books with subjects that will interest your child. At the moment in our household, that’s “Mud Puddle” - where a small child takes on a giant mud puddle and ends up dirty (several times). If you are looking for a good variety, I suggest trying out any of the “Munschwork” books, which typically have five stories. I promise you and your child will have a great time with any and all of them!
Happy Reading!
Wild Ducks Flying Backward - A Review of Tom Robbins
Last modified on 2007-11-30 18:15:28 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
I first discovered Tom Robbins a number of years ago, when on an adventure to a bookstore I randomly stumbled upon Skinny Legs and All. Incidentally, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. It was my habit at the time, unfettered by bills, loan payments, or college funds to start that I would wander a bookstore and select books by random authors. Oh the days of “excess” money! I found a great many new authors I’ve loved that way, and I immediately knew Tom Robbins would be one of those.
Tom Robbins is a quirky and witty author, with a dry humour that always appeals to me. His prose seems to frequently border on the absurd, and yet it always is very revealing and insightful regardless of how ridiculous it seems superficially. His ideas are so absurd and fantastical they almost make you giddy! And I have to say I am ever the pragmatist - I have never been one to read a book and savour sentences or words, nor do I tend to re-read passages simply because they are beautiful - Science major, not English Lit. That being said, I love Robbins style, and I can and do savour reading his texts.
I recently picked up a copy of Wild Ducks Flying Backward -a collection of short articles, poems, musings and even lyrics. Since having my son, short stories have become increasingly appealing to me - I’m almost guaranteed to finish in one sitting and enjoy a little quiet time for myself, perhaps even with a chuckle or two included. After all, I try not to take anything he writes too seriously. In truth, Robbins is probably not for those who don’t enjoy a little quirkiness injected into their day. On the other hand, for a thought-provoking read(or at least a hearty guffaw), Robbins is your man.
This book is difficult to summarize - to tell you it includes tribute articles to the Doors, or Joseph Campbell that are entertaining would be to tell you only one side of the story - but to say his other tributes are to Diane Keaton and redheads might skew your opinion in an entirely different direction. To say these articles are diverse is an understatement. This is just a book you’re going to have to go to the bookstore, walk amongst the stacks of books in search of and pull out, like a mystery to unravel. Just like I did so long ago with his other books. Perhaps part of his appeal to me is how I chanced upon him randomly, and found his book intriguing enough to always check out the “R” section of the bookstore and local library.