ReadMeThisBook

Tag: fiction

  • Read Me This Book – “Cat”

    David loves pop-up books.
    David also loves cats.
    So, it is no surprise that David loves to have me read the pop-up book Cat…repeatedly.

    Summary:
    There is no “plot” to this pop-up book.
    Instead, there are photographs of over 20 breeds of cats. These personality portraits are labeled with clever names like “cool cat” or “alley cat” or “scaredy-cat”.
    Young readers (and old) can play with multiple interactive pull-tabs and flaps that have cats “dipping” their paws in fishbowls, “pushing” balls of yarn or “peeking” out of rainboots.
    The final pages feature the entire cast of cats, and one dog, with each of their names and breed.

    Audience:
    Two truths:
    1. Toddlers love pop-up books, however,
    2. Pop-up books break.
    My David is a toddler and an expert destroyer of a pop-up book.
    But Cat is a particularly well-designed pop-up book. The flaps and tabs are thick enough to survive the tugging and pulling of his toddler fingers.
    Cat lovers could be another target audience. The cat portraits are charming and often humorous. The third of American households that own a cat might enjoy the portrayal of the different breeds.

    Author/Illustrator
    Matthew Van Fleet is a creative artist with multiple pop-up books to his credit. Several of his pop-ups feature other animals: Dog, Pet, Moo.
    He is a best-selling author with over 9.6 million copies of his books sold.

    Van Fleet’s collaborator Brian Stanton is a commercial photographer with a stellar ability to capture an animal’s personality.

    Reading Opportunities:
    Question: Can a two-year-old get a joke?
    Answer: One of the interactive puns delights David.


    A vase is pictured on a flap.
    David lifts the flap.
    A mortified cat is pictured beside broken pieces of the vase.
    I read and exclaim, “Catastrophe!”
    David chortles at the cat and points to the broken vase.
    He lifts the flap again and again and giggles each time.
    Proof that the pop-up book Cat is both artfully designed and that, yes, toddlers get the joke.

  • Read Me This One- “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”

    This past fall (2025), National Public Radio celebrated the 35th Anniversary of Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury’s picture book “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”. My own 35 year old copy is well-worn, so I bought one of the anniversary copies to read to Sloane and David.

    The picture book was very well-received!

    SUMMARY:
    The story of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt is based on a camp song, a call and response musical dialogue between the reader and a chorus.
    The leader sings each line (the call) which is then repeated by the chorus (the response) in a chant:

    LEADER: We’re going on a bear hunt!
    CHORUS: We’re going on a bear hunt!
    LEADER: We’re gonna catch a big one!
    CHORUS: We’re gonna catch a big one!
    TOGETHER: What a beautiful day!
    We’re not scared…    .

    Now, in addition to the song, there are hand motions:

    LEADER: Oh no!
    Grass! Tall, wavy grass! (wave hands)
    TOGETHER: Can’t go over it!
    Can’t go under it!
    Gotta go through it!
    Swishy swashy, swishy swashy, swishy swashy, swishy swashy
    (hand motions separate imaginary high grass)

    The bear hunt goes through the mud (squishy-squish), a river (splish-splash), and a forest (stumble-trip) until the participants enter a deep-dark cave with (you guessed it!) A BEAR!

    AUDIENCE:
    Children ages two (2) years and older LOVE participating in reading a book and singing verses that include hand gestures. Older children, and most adults, may already be familiar with this bear hunt song.

    AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR:
    Michael Rosen (79) and Helen Oxenbury (89) are neighbors and during the NPR interview, they discussed how they combined their different ideas in creating the original picture book. Rosen had thought the story should be “a bit like Carnival” whereas the soft-spoken Oxenbury saw the story as a family adventure of older and younger siblings.

    Their collaboration 35 years ago reflects Oxenbury’s watercolor artistry across different landscapes because, as she noted, “it’s a very English way of painting.”

    Rosen and Oxenbury released their latest collaboration “Oh Dear, Look What I Got”-a storytime comedy of misunderstandings- in September 2025. This picture book has also received high praise, “from a team whose talents haven’t aged a day.” (Kirkus Reviews)

    OTHER:
    Sloane was an enthusiastic participant in the bear hunt from the start. She quickly understood how to respond and when to use hand motions. But she also was very solemn in her advice after reading, “Grandma, we should not try to wake up a real bear, OK?”

  • Read Me This One-“Wolf in the Snow”

    Winter is here, and Sloane is looking forward to snow.
    She has also developed a serious interest in wolves (or “wolfs” as she calls them).
    So, what better way to capture both of her interests than in a picture book titled Wolf in the Snow ?

    SUMMARY
    Wolf in the Snow recounts the adventure of a young girl who encounters a lost wolf pup during a swirling snowstorm.
    The young girl comes upon the wolf pup on her way home from school. The drifting snow makes travel difficult, but the young girl carries the wolf pup even as the snow accumulates. The young girl is determined but the growing mounds of snow make travel difficult. Travel is also difficult for the wolfpack that is hunting for their lost pup. Eventually, the wolfpack and the young girl come face to face…and the tension is real!
    Of course, the story brings to mind the fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood (EX: the girl wears a red coat, the girl is on her way to a house).
    The ending, however, is not Grimm Brothers gruesome, but wholly satisfying to wolf lovers of all ages.

    AUDIENCE:
    Wolf in the Snow is an almost totally wordless picture book, ideal for readers of all ages (2 years and up). As the text is in the pictures, there are multiple ways readers may choose to “tell” this story.
    There are children who will want to linger over the details embedded on each page. And for toddlers who may have a short attention span, this book can be a fast read.
    Note: There is no dialogue, but be prepared to give a few “howls” or “barks”.

    AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR:
    Wolf in the Snow was released in 2017 by author/illustrator Matthew Cordell. The book was favorably received by critics and was awarded the 2017 Boston Globe-Horn Book honor award and the 2018 Caldecott Medal for illustrations.

    All of the pages have illustrations that feature the falling snow. The lightly falling flakes at the beginning soon give way to swirling whiteout conditions.
    This is very dramatic snow!

    Cordell has written and illustrated other picture books, including Trouble Gum, King Alice, Another Brother, and Hello! Hello!

    READING OPPORTUNITIES:
    A word of caution when choosing a wordless picture book for a three-year old. There will be MANY questions. most beginning with “WHY?” For example:

    • “Why does the girl go to school in the woods?”
    • “Why is she walking by herself?”
    • “Why is the wolf cub alone?”
    • “Why is she tired?”
    • “Why does the wolf pack howl?”

    All good questions.
    Wolf in the Snow answers “why” and more.

  • Read Me This Book: Pinkalicious

    “I want pink…pink…Pinkalicious!” exclaims Sloane.
    This picture book is a frequent choice for her.
    I can also appreciate this genius idea of selling the color pink to little girls.

    SUMMARY:

    In the beginning, Pinkalicious (and yes, that is her name) makes delicious pink cupcakes with her mother. But, she eats so many of these mouthwatering pinky sweets that eventually her parents say “NO MORE”!

    However, her enthusiasm for pink cupcakes does not stop. Soon her skin turns pink, a medical condition known as “pinkititus ” according to her doctor:

    “The next morning when I woke up, I was pink!
    My face was pink, my hands were pink and my belly was pink!”

    So her doctor prescribes a remedy of green foods.
    Even then, Pinkalicious will not be stopped from dining on pink cupcakes until she wakes up and discovers that eating all that pink has left her RED!

    The cure for such disobedience?
    Pinkalicious must feed on “icky green relish,” artichokes, brussel sprouts, spinach or any other green vegetable in order to return to her pre-pink state.

    AUDIENCE:

    The book is recommended for readers 4 to 8 years, but pink-loving toddlers will enjoy many of details in the illustrations. For example, Pinkalicious’ princess/ fairy ensemble, a pink chiffon dress accessorized with wand and tiara, is a fashion statement admired -and sometimes duplicated- by Sloane.

    AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR:

    Pinkalicious was co-written by sisters Victoria and Elizabeth Kann with Victoria doing the illustrations. Apparently the plot of the book began as an April Fool’s joke when Victoria sent the story to friends and family explaining that her daughter turned pink after eating too many pink cupcakes. 

    The book was first published in 2006, and was followed by Purplicious (2007), Goldilicious (2009) and Silverlicious (2011).
    Victoria has continued writing and illustrating with 64 books in the Pinkalicious series.

    READING OPPORTUNITIES:

    Pinkalicious is an entry level start to young reader picture book schadenfreude, better known as the state of taking joy in the misfortune of others.

    As evidence, Sloane stares intently at the illustration of Pinkalicious stamping her feet.
    “She’s being bad!” she will tell me happily.

    Sloane understands that if you disobey your parents, then bad things will happen. She clearly enjoys the misfortunes of Pinkalicious and is delighted to explain to me, “See? She got red.”
    Then, she will laugh.

    Oddly enough, Pinkalicious has been banned in schools in at least one state when parents raised concerns about the main character eating too many sweets.

    I am confident that Sloane could happily explain the book to those parents.

  • Read Me This Book: Good Dog, Carl

    When it is David’s turn to choose a book, he does not want me to “read” to him. He wants to show me a book.

    So what book does he choose to show Grandma?
    Good Dog, Carl.
    Even better, Good Dog, Carl as a board book!

    Summary
    At the book’s opening, there is a woman next to a baby in a crib. The woman leans down and gives instructions to a large dog:

    “Look after the baby, Carl.
    I’ll be back shortly.”

    What follows is a wordless story of the dog’s day as he cares for the baby: playing, dressing, feeding, cleaning, and finally, tucking the baby back into her crib for a nap.

    Carl is a Rottweiler, a large dog breed noted for its intelligence and its protective nature. As he “looks after the baby”, Carl is also unintentionally hilarious.

    So, adult readers, please put off your concern as Carl entertains the baby by playing with Mom’s makeup or as he pushes the baby down the laundry chute. Don’t flinch when Carl teaches the baby to swim in the fish tank.
    All will be well in the end.

    Audience
    The board book is ideal for children 1-3 years old.
    NOTE: David’s father also loved Good Dog, Carl which came out the year he was born.
    Perhaps it is genetic? But dogs are generally considered responsible caregivers (remember Lassie? Balto? Dug? Toto?)
    That universal belief makes this a picture book that can be enjoyed by all ages.

    Author/Illustrator
    Good Dog, Carl was written and illustrated by Alexandra Day  (aka: Sandra Louise Woodward Darling) in 1985. Carl was based on her own dog, Toby; the baby was based on her daughter, Madeleine. There are 36 pages with detailed illustrations.
    She has written 14 more Carl titles since then.

    Reading Opportunities
    The sequence of events in this picture book does not matter to David. Instead, he finds the individual illustrations that he likes. He will pause at Carl opening the refrigerator to feed the baby. He will chuckle at the mess Carl makes dropping milk on the floor. He’ll turn several pages to point and explain to me that Carl is using the “bath”. Then, he will return to the pictures with food on the floor. He will chuckle again.

    For David, Carl’s action are entirely believable. He will sit, focused on turning the thick pages for several minutes. The board book withstands the constant back and forth of his small fingers.
    That quiet interaction is a bit of a miracle, and a testament to the power of this picture book to entertain one very active toddler!

    Good dog, Carl!