Construction sites, Trucks and More.

For months, my daughter has been slightly obsessed with Truck Party! by Tammi Salzano.  A sweet little truck is celebrating his birthday (another of her obsessions - birthday parties) and is surprised with a fun party.  This would be a GREAT gift-book.

So I've started paying more attention to truck theme books while out and about, and one that is consistently recommended by mothers of truck-lovers is Good Night, Good Night Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker.  It did not disappoint.  Just informative enough that the truck-obsessed will appreciate the vocabulary, but also with a good, relaxing tone and a nice cadence while reading.  Adding this to my wish list!

Maudie, Olivia, and other feisty young ladies.

This week, we have been reading Maudie and Bear by Jan Ormerod and Freya Blackwood.

Maudie is a spirited young lady with grand emotions and great ideas.  Bear is the archetypal, anthropomorphized parent figure.  If Maudie is fire, Bear is cool earth.  Their interactions are delightful.  And the illustrations are layered, complex, and interesting for all ages.

I also quite like the formal tone of the language used.  We have been reading it before bed, when that type of deliberate, slow speech and tone are exactly right for calming and centering before our bedtime routine.  My daughter loves to mimic my tone.  "One moment, please" she has been saying throughout the day - because in one of the chapters of this book, Maudie must prepare herself properly before their outing.

Even though Maudie is a tough cookie, the tone of the book makes her behavior more palatable for me.  I chafe a bit at Olivia's attitude in Ian Falconer's books, perhaps because his books are a more dramatic read. Ian Falconer is to a roller-coaster what Jan Ormerod is to a nice walk in the forest.

Jan Ormerod is new to me, but is a well-published, Australian author.  I'll check out some more of her work in the next few weeks - she may be an upcoming author alert!  Stay tuned!

The other book we have been enjoying this week is Lizette's Green Sock by Catharina Valckx.  A totally different book, but quite fun and funny.  We were on a sock-theme.  We also read New Socks by Bob Shea.  What a funny guy that Bob Shea is!