Cock-a-Doodle...Oops!

by Lori Degman, illustrated by Deborah Zemke.

What happens on a farm when the barnyard rooster decides to take a week long vacation at the beach?  Chaos! 

If you've got a 3-9 year old child, I know you'll want to run out and find this book.  

It's got just what this age group likes:  cute illustrations, clever humor, rhyme, cadence, and a twist at the end!

Each animal left on the farm tries lending his voice for the "wake up call" without success.  Farmer McPeeper (a very deep sleeper) just keeps on snoring.

Things go from bad to worse when the Rooster returns with a sniffle and sneeze (from the damp ocean breeze!)  What are they to do now??

You'll have to get Cock-a-Doodle Oops! to find out - the ending is hilarious.  A fun summer read, with a guaranteed laugh for preschoolers or independent readers!

Available on Amazon.

A Poet, An Artist, and a Stinky Cheese Man

September 8th marks the birthdays of three significant contributors to the world of children's books - Poet Jack Pretlutsky, Artist Michael Hague, and Writer Jon Sciezska.

These three men's books were favorites of my oldest son when he was between the ages of 8 and 12; and I think their books were very influential in my son's chosen vocation as a stop motion animator, contributing to his sense of rhythmic timing, art, and humor in his projects.  

Take a look at some of our family favorites...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, "H". LAUREN CHILD POST #5...

Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent

Lauren Child delivers everything I've come to expect from her in this hilarious, rather offbeat picture book: an incredibly original plot line - told through her witty, deadpan text that travels across the page - accompanied by her wonderful cartoon-like illustrations (can you tell that two of her influences are Quentin Blake and Edward Gorey?)...

"Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent’s parents were extravagant socialisers.

Unfortunately, one of the drawbacks of extravagant socialising is that it tends to be very expensive. They hadn’t noticed that the bills were piling up because they didn’t know what a bill was. As far as they were concerned, a brown-paper envelope was very useful for writing Scrabble scores on.


It was left to their one and only child-genius son, Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent, to sort out – for he was the only one in the family aware that money did not, after all, grow on trees."

"There turned out to be no more than a paper clip and a slightly hairy cough drop.
It dawned on Hubert that the Bobton-Trent fortune was in a very bad way.
i.e. , There was none."

As their dear companion, Hubert is right beside his parents - at their lavish parties, playing Monopoly, drinking hot cocoa (well, it gets cold because Hubert's journey, across their huge mansion to his parents' room to say goodnight, results in it cooling off!)  Responsible Hubert and his fellow prodigy friend (Stanton Harcourt III) devise a plan to save the Bobton-Trent estate, but the solution is not what they expect!

You and your child will equally love this unexpected riches to rags story.  It is a charming reminder about the value of things that money can't buy!

Best for ages Kindergarten and up. (The dry humor and lengthy text might make it hard for children under 6 to enjoy.  But a younger child with a quick wit and sophisticated sense of humor will appreciate this book.)
"The key to life is to stop getting so anxious about things," - Lauren Child.

MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE AND OTHER FUN CHARACTERS

To kids, summer means F-U-N and freedom from school. Look no farther, if you want some FUN chapter books the whole family can enjoy this summer.  (listening level, ages 6 and up.  Reading level, ages 8 and up).

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm were our family's two favorites from the series, written by Betty MacDonald.  Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is a small lady, the widow of a pirate. She lives in an upside-down house (always filled with the scent of freshly baked cookies) in a lively neighborhood inhabited mostly by children who have bad habits. She happens to have a storehouse of highly amusing "cures" for common childhood diseases including the Won't-Pick-Up-Toys cure, the Answer-Backer cure, the Never-Want-to-Go-to-Bedders cure, the Slow-Eater-Tiny-Bite-Taker cure, and several others.  These books have been around for over 50 years, but Betty MacDonald's genius parenting concept of natural, logical consequences for misbehavior, was ahead of it's time!

In this book, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle leaves her upside-down house and has moved to a farm in the country. With the help of her cows and pigs and horses, she's still curing girls and boys of their bad habits.  So whatever the problem -- from Pet-Forgetter-Itis to Fraidy-Cat-Ness -- the parents all exclaim, "Better call Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle!"

MORE CHAPTER BOOKS WITH FUN CHARACTERS:
The Mouse and the Motorcycle books, by Beverly Cleary.
    

Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgen. (Read my previous post HERE)


Paddington Bear books, by Michael Bond. (Click HERE for a list of all the books on the P.B. website)
  

APRIL FOOLISHNESS: POETRY & A PRANK DINNER FOR YOUR FAMILY!

Need some fun reading for April Fool's Day? Try anything from Mo Willems or Dr. Suess. And don't forget about the poetry of Jack Prelutsky...

It's raining pigs and noodles,
it's pouring frogs and hats,
chrysanthemums and poodles,
bananas, brooms, and cats.
Assorted prunes and parrots
are dropping from the sky,
here comes a bunch of carrots,
some hippopotami.


It's raining pens and pickles,
and eggs and silverware.
A flood of figs and nickels
is falling through the air.
I see a swan, a sweater,
a clock, a model train -
I like this so much better
than when it's raining rain.

I mention FAMILY FUN MAGAZINE fairly often on my blog. When my kids were young, it was my go-to resource for fun ideas and activities.  They have some hilarious ideas for April Fool's Day.  I remember the year I served fish sticks (Zagnut Bars) and ketchup(strawberry jam), mashed potatoes and gravy (vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce) and green peas(sour apple Nerds or Jelly Belly candy peas & carrots) to my husband and children for dinner one year! 

Here are some more "pranky" foods from their website:

DESSERT that looks life meatloaf!

MEATLOAF that looks like dessert!

HOW MO WILLEMS MAKES US LAUGH

photo credit:  Marty Umans

Mo Willem's wildly popular picture books about pigeons, piggies, elephants and kunffle bunnies have kids laughing, and reading.  The books - with simple illustrations and word bubbles - are perfect as family read alouds and also as first readers for young learners.  Perhaps it's his past writing and animating for Sesame Street that make his short (sometimes only one-word) sentences fit so perfectly with his simple pictures.

Parents and kids alike will get the quick wit.  And new readers will feel the satisfaction of reading a whole book from start to finish by themselves.  I fondly witnessed this last week when I brought my friend's kids WE ARE IN A BOOK!

(I knew I had to get it into the hands of her middle child Jonah, who is a new reader, after I stood - laughing out loud - in the middle of the bookstore!)

and when another friend's daughter, Sophie, delighted in ELEPHANTS CANNOT DANCE!  all by herself.

The PIGEON books are just as hilarious...  

I was introduced to DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS

at a family camp during "Skit Night".  

THE PIGEON FINDS A HOTDOG

In fact, several of Mo's stories have been turned into plays and musicals!  I think the appeal of these books is the humorous, yet simple, way that Mo deals with kids' emotions and challenges (such as learning to share and not being jealous). That and his funny characters help his stories translate perfectly to the stage.

From "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late" Musical

Mo's KNUFFLE BUNNY books are also adorable and endearing, with his simple illustrations and signature word bubbles, this time against a photographic background.  In the first story, KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE,
a little toddler named Trixie accompanies her dad to the neighborhood laundromat and loses her stuffed bunny.  Panicking, she tries communicating this to him, as he unsuccessfully tries to interpret her "flabble-babbling" on their way back home...

Click HERE to read about KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY MUSICAL and watch a video interview with Mo Willems (at the end of the post).

And have fun perusing Mo Willem's website with your child.