Recommended Reading, Inspired by Apple Brains.

Be sure to read my interview with Apple Brains here.

But perhaps you are feeling inspired to help your children (of all ages) learn more about the food they eat, food preparation, and eating healthy.  Here are some books to help!

First, for adults, I highly recommend the book Apple Brains mention in the interview: The Fruit Hunters by Adam Leith Gollner is a fun and informative read.  I need to mention again, THIS IS FOR ADULTS ONLY.  Fruits, as it turns out, are quite sexy.

For the littlest babies, try:
Fruit by Sara Anderson
and of course the incomparable the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

For toddlers, try:
Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett
and Rah, Rah, Radishes! by April Pulley Sayre

For preschoolers and early-school aged children, try:
How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? By Chris Butterworth
and Apples, Cherries, Red Raspberries by  Brian P. Cleary

As I said at the end of the interview, Apple Brains Video coming soon.  Also, a video of my wee Brussel Sprout rocking out to the music.

Books to discuss feelings

I'm in a bad mood today.  I'm not feeling great.  My family visit just ended.  And I feel like the catch-up game of motherhood is a bit relentless right now.

So while you talk among yourselves, here are some books to read to your children that help get a handle on these precarious whims we call feelings.

Happy Hippo, Angry Duck by Sandra Boynton

 Duck and Goose, How Are You Feeling?  By Tad Hills

 Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

A Kenya Christmas

Let's compare and contrast: A Kenya Christmas by Tony Johnston and my very own Christmas in Kenya.

In the book, an eccentric aunt arrives in the village with her two pet cheetahs, gives elaborate gifts, and just happens to have a Santa suit with her.

During my Kenyan Christmas, no gifts were exchanged, the only exotic animals we saw were some monkeys along the side of the road, but eccentric aunts were plentiful, tipsy, and animated.

In Mr. Johnston's book, a fat man with a red suit magically appears and delights the family and the villagers.

On Christmas Day in Kenya, we went to a wonderful park, ate some freshly barbecued goat, sang songs, played games, and spent a delightful day with our family.

I think I win.

But if you cannot accommodate thousands of dollars in airfare, vaccinations, and weeks of leave, then A Kenya Christmas is a fun book, with good vocabulary words in Kiswahili, and although clearly a work of fiction, it will surely provide your child with some whimsy and some wonder about how Santa might operate in other lands.

Along a Long Road, by Frank Viva

My family and I are just back from an intense trip to Kenya.   While we were there our daughter struggled a bit with being out of her normal routine.  And by "a bit" I really mean "a great deal."   She would ask for the places she loves to go, the foods she loves to eat, and the people who are normally in our daily life.

People like our favorite librarian.

I was playing "Trot, Trot to Grandma's House" with her.

Wait.  Does everyone know that game?

You sing "Trot, trot to Grandma's house to get a little girl some cherries.  And when we got there, the tree was bare, so we trot back, trot back, trot back...Weeeeeeeeeee..."  All while bouncing your baby or toddler on your lap and leaning them back at the end.

We learned that sweet and fun little lap jog at the play group at our local library, but I was still a bit surprised when at the end of our fun, she asked.  "Trot, trot to Grandma's house with Miss Lori?" - See, she would often volunteer to go onto the Librarian's lap during that song, and I just think she was missing home.

So quickly (less than 24 hours) after our return stateside, we went off to the library.  We saw Miss Lori, she played with her favorite library toys, and I got a few new reads for us.

Enter Along A Long Road, by Frank Viva.




What a delightfully simple book.  The cyclist takes us on his tour through beautifully designed and illustrated scenes, highlighted by a long, shiny yellow road that traverses every page.

The promotional video above gives you a taste of the illustrations and the simplicity of the text.  My daughter has only read it three or four times, but was already asking me to recite it for her on the car ride to a friends house.  (I wonder sometimes if she is shocked that I cannot memorize her books quite as fast as she can!)

I am delighted she enjoys this book, because for me, it represents so much.  It reminds me of the sports enthusiasts in my life, who need to make time for their sport in the way that the rest of us need to breathe.  It reminds me of the love I have for libraries and the treasures we find in each visit.  But most of all, it reminds me that we have survived our first trip to Kenya as a family.  It was a long road and there were lots of bumps, but the beauty and memories we found along the way were worth it.  And the feeling of accomplishment is bolstering.

Expect I will write more about the trip in another format.  But forgive a few anecdotes here and there on this blog.  It was life-altering.

LOUD! ...............quiet..................

One of my fantastic aunts came to visit us recently.  Her gifts are always spot-on.

A monkey scarf.  Not just a regular-old flat scarf with a monkey image on it, this is a furry, stole-like monkey with arms, legs, and a cute little face.  And it happens to be the softest thing you've ever felt in your whole life.  (Not that I steal it to cuddle with during nap-time or anything, ahem.)

And two books: The Quiet Book and The Loud Book both written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Renata Liwska.  They are simple in format, but so clever and complex in both evocative emotion and illustration. I really love them.

My daughter is too young to love them, or so I thought after the first few attempts at reading them.  But then one day she asked for them.  Now she often asks for them.  She whispers while we read the quiet book and shouts while we read the loud book.  (Might I suggest that if you are using them near bedtime, start with the Loud Book and work your way quieter and quieter as you move through and to the quiet book.)

Each scene really captures a feeling and a sound.  I know they will take on more and more meaning for my daughter as she has more life experiences, so I imagine older children would still love these books.   And what a fun activity to try to come up with your own quiets and louds.

The book is good at avoiding the common, expected ones... so I really had to think hard to come up with some quiets and louds that are meaningful to us right now.  But so you get a feel for the book, here are a few quiets and louds from our lives:

-- Hugging your favorite stuffed animal quiet.

-- Buckle in and color quiet.  (That's what we call sitting in her highchair, "buckle in" but it also extends to car seats  shopping carts and strollers)

-- Dance to Zangalewa loud.  (Next time you need a dance party, grab some noisy shaker and go to that link)

-- Being loud just to practice being loud loud.

Beautiful Books

I love books.  I love art.

So whenever I find a book that effectively combines the two, I am so pleased.  When that book also has nice, soothing text, easily identifiable themes, and you have a recipe for a new favorite.

Enter: A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na

The illustrations are amazing.  Woven into each animal friend is this layered, lyrical texture.  Upon closer look, the animals are highly worked, beautiful images with flowers, shapes, and sophisticated patinas.   My daughter also loves this book.  She chooses it several times a day, naming each animal, describing its features, and mimicking its sleeping style.

We read this book all day long, but it would be a nice addition to a bedtime routine.  I want this book printed poster size, make that mural size, so I can lounge in its beauty as I lay my own head down on the pillow at night.  Truly a magnificent book.

Naked Mole Rats.

Okay, so this blog is not going to turn into a Mo Willems fanpage, I promise.

But, let's talk about one more wonderful Mo Willems book:
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed

Blame this post on the Washington Post and their wonderful column today about the amazing naked mole rat. So it turns out that there are a few discrepancies between actual naked mole rats and the ones in this delightful book.  Shocking, right?

Allow me to quote the article from today:
"Their social structure is the mammalian equivalent of an ant colony. There’s a queen who takes two or three male consorts and is the only female to reproduce. She lords over the rest of the realm — which can be as large as 200 animals — so that the other females cease ovulating and the males give up."  (Hopefully you are not reading this post aloud to your children.)


So after reading this book, if you are thinking it would be cool to be a naked mole rat, and you happen to be female, then it's only cool if you are the queen.  


Alright, now all I can think is "Don't be a drag, just be a queen." 


But this book doesn't talk about the queen, it talks about a young man named Wilbur that is different.  He likes clothes.  Drama ensues.  Resolution occurs.  Then there's a party.  Which seems quite likely now that I know more about the species from the WP article.  Since they live long lives and seem to have a complete resistance to cancer, why not party?


Prepare yourselves.  I'm about to turn from this ALL MO WILLEMS lovefest to another wonderful and prolific author: Leo Lionni.  Stay tuned.

Author Alert: Ian Falconer

Let me be clear: I bristle at stereotypes of girls.  I dislike all things Princess (with the exception that I accept my nieces to whom they mean the world).  I dislike words like "diva" being projected on normal and spirited young girls.  And I am wary of anything that stereotypes girls into a type.  I believe strongly that children should be allowed to be whomever they please, and they should be allowed to change that person regularly and with flourish.

So, I have a guilty pleasure.  My daughter has a guilty pleasure (although since she does not yet feel any guilt, it's just pure pleasure).  The Olivia series by Ian Falconer.  Olivia borders on a stereotype.  Her behavior is over the top.  She lies.  She is not nice to anyone.  She is selfish and boorish (pun intended).

But, they are so clever.  They are so fun to read.  They have little jokes and surprises that reveal themselves slowly after many reads.  I kind of like them.  Okay, I'll admit it, I kind of love them.

Well, two of them: Olivia and the Missing Toy and Olivia Saves the Circus.   I do not particularly care for the original Olivia and I really disliked the Olivia Goes to Venice book.

But the other two are quite magical.  My daughter loves the drama of them.  She reenacts several parts of them daily.  And it's hard to be mad at a book that creates so much joy in both parent and child.

Author Alert: Taro Gomi

Most people know about Taro Gomi, the famous and prolific Japanese children's book author.  Before I had children, I only knew one book: Everyone Poops.  Now I'm addicted and so is my daughter.

Everyone Poops has certainly been helpful as we begin to introduce potty training topics into our lives, but it is also a great source of laughter and embarrassment to our older nieces and nephews.  It was a hand-me-down book, and my husband loves to go to the bookshelf and bring it out in order to make the kids in our lives laugh.  It is very straightforward though, and I actually don't find it distasteful at all.

But all things Poop aside, Taro Gomi's other books are wonderful.  They range from very simple, like Spring is Here to a bit more complex like I Lost My Dad.

In Spring is Here, we follow a small calf through one whole season, with beautiful illustrations at each change in the season.  It is succinct in words, but clever, and has just enough emotion to be interesting.  We read it at bedtime, because it has a poetic quality that we both find relaxing.

I Lost My Dad is more of a cautionary tale for early elementary aged children.  Keep your hands on your parents, or you might have more of an adventure than you expect.  It's ending is a bit flat, but the clever flaps and adventure of the rest make it a worthwhile read.

By far my favorite Taro Gomi book is My Friends.  A small girl takes us through each of her friends and how they have contributed to her life.  It is sweet and touching, but also makes connections for how the things around us inform our lives and our personalities.  It's simple enough in language for toddlers and it comes in a board book version, but complex enough to be a sweet gift for a young elementary child in your life.