Milkshakes and Margaritas — a blog for the modern mom

The Velveteen Rabbit

Over the holiday weekend, we took our two boys to the ODC ballet production of The Velveteen Rabbit. I was concerned they would not be able to sit still, especially Dillon who is 3 — but there were completely captivated. Dillon was even singing the songs.  

I had forgotten about this classic fairy tale which I loved as a child. The book, the Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams will be on my gift list this year. There are several different illustrated versions to choose from...
 

From left to right: The original written by Margery Williams, illustrated by William Nicholson; illustrated by Robyn Officer; illustrated by Michael Hague; board book illustrated by Thea Kliros;  illustrated by Elizabeth Miles (comes with CD); adapted version by Steve Johnson & illustrated by Lou Fancher

 

Pair the book with the super soft JellyCat Bunny for a sweet holiday gift.

Alphabeasties

Being a graphic designer, I'm naturally drawn to this book, Alphabeasties: And Other Amazing Types, by Chronicle. I know there are hundreds, maybe thousands of alphabet books out there. But what I like about this one is that beyond the usual alphabet book, each animal is created with the letter it starts with in the alphabet. 

 

After reading this book, try finding a bunch of the same letters in a magazine, and cutting out and making your own Alphabeastie... or Alphabot...Alphamonster. You get the idea!

“Stand Back,” Said the Elephant “I'm Going to Sneeze!!”

“Stand Back”, said the Elephant, “I'm Going to Sneeze”, by Patricia Thomas is a great book for cold season. I first discovered this book on Vintage Books My Kid Loves, and I have to say, It is one of my favorites. Really fun to read. Now that the whole country has colds, I thought it was a good one to bring out again.

The book is a rhyming story and goes through a tale of last time the elephant sneezed... the zebra lost his stripes... monkey flew out of the trees. In the end they decide to make the elephant laugh instead... and the outcome is the same. My boys giggle the whole way through.

You can still find this book new , or get an vintage score on ebay or amazon.

Halloween Book Round Up

My son has been counting down the days to October. Why? Because October brings halloween of course! Costume discussions began in August. Trick or Treat strategy a few weeks ago. And I'm sure a blow by blow of who's wearing what will be coming up next.

One thing I've found to help my kids curb the anticipation is enjoying a halloween book a couple of nights a week. Dem Bones, by Bob Barner is a cute lyrical book stringing together different parts of the body while singing things like "Leg bone connects to da, knee bone". This will be a great one to read together with my little skeleton this year. 

Here are a few more of my favorites for halloween.

Bats at the Library, Where is Baby's Pumpkin?, Corduroy's Best Halloween Ever, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, Bone Soup, and By the Light of the Halloween Moon.

Hold onto Your Eyeballs!

My 6-year-old Cash first discovered the Gallop! Scanimation book by Rufus Butler Seder at Target when we were just hanging out looking at books. Then a few weeks later, my 9-month-old randomly pulled the same book out of the shelf when we were at a local bookstore. Both had the same reaction -- amazement.

The books nearly jump out at you from the shelf. Seder uses a technique with sliding paper and stripes to make the figures seem as if they are moving as you turn the pages. It is a little like a hologram but way cooler because they seem to continue moving. So the horse takes off galloping, the dog runs, and the turtle swims. In Seder's other books, "Swing" and "Waddle," there is a baseball player swinging a bat and penguins waddling, among others.

The text is simple with catchy sounds, "Can you gallop like a horse? Giddyup-a-loo!" that Cash enjoyed reading aloud to me and that made Catcher squeal.

I'm always on the lookout for books that engage both my kids and this did more than that, it left them with a sense of wonder.

Image from www.workman.com

An Early Lesson: You Don't Need All That Stuff, Just Love

I stopped in a book store this week to kill a few minutes before Catcher and I went to pick Cash up from school and we quickly found a book that is bound to become a classic baby book. Actually, it is part of a series of board books. The first one we read was "In My Pond," a story about a little goldfish by Sara Gillingham. The book is set up with a sequence of windows with a finger puppet of the goldfish sticking out. As you open each page, you see a little more of the fish's world.

Good Night Gavin Newsom

My oldest just started first grade today and as I watch him grow up, I am reminded of his baby days. One of my favorite memories is reading "Good Night Moon" and "Good Night Gorilla" to him every night, even when he had not idea what I was doing and was just squirming to grab and eat the book. Catcher is now doing the same but really loves our reading time. He smiles and giggles as we read.

One book I have just added into our nightly ritual is "Good Night San Francisco." It was given to me by a nice Golden Gate Mothers Group mom for free along with some other hand-me-down baby stuff and I love it. It is part of the "Good Night Our World" series that includes everything from Good Night New York City, to Good Night Hawaii, Good Night America and Good Night World. There is even a Good Night New Jersey. I'm envisioning a Tony Soprano type saying, "Good Night" as he throws a rival into the river with cement shoes. Ok, maybe not. Author Adam Gamble and illustrator Santiago Cohen, take readers through each city, state or area to the iconic attractions with a rhythmic verse that makes the book appealing to young children beyond just the taste of the board book.

 

Gotta Love That Wimpy Llama Llama

If you've ever read any of author Anna Dewdney's "Llama Llama" series, you know that little Llama Llama is a bit of a mama's boy. He's always scared and nervous and looking for reassurance from his Mama Llama. So when it is time for him to start school it is little surprise that the title of her newest book is "Llama Llama Misses Mama."

 

Despite the wimp factor, this book is a sweet read with a nice lesson for both moms and their little ones who may be facing separation for the first time as the school year approaches. Llama Llama is excited to begin school, which is sold to him as "time to learn and play." He goes through the steps to get ready for his first day, "Make the bed and find some clothes, brush the teeth and blow the nose, eat some breakfast...."  When he meets the teachers and the other kids and sees all the books and toys, he thinks it will be fun -- until he learns that Mama isn't going to stay. Then he gets nervous and shy. He doesn't want to make a castle or pretend to be on a train. He doesn't want to read a book or eat.

"Llama misses Mama so. Why did Mama Llama go?"

This reminded me of Cash's first few months in preschool. Every time we went, he waited excitedly at the door, racing in to find his name on a sheet of work to do while everyone settled in. But whenever I tried to say goodbye, he sobbed. Half the time I would leave with tears in my eyes too.

But like little Llama Llama, Cash slowly adapted, although he went through this same drama every day for about three months. In the book, the teacher reminds Llama that his Mama will come back. And finally he is lured into playing. He goes on the slide, jumps rope and plays tag and hide and seek.

Then just as he's forgotten his sorrow, his Mama shows up.

"Mama Llama, you came back!" he shouts and then proudly shows her around his school.

"Llama finds out something new, he loves Mama...and school too."

Reading and “Reading”

A few years ago, I sent out a holiday letter (yes, I've become one of those people) and mentioned that my son Cash, who was then about 3 1/2 years old, loved to "read" books on tape or CD for hours on end. My friend Ted made fun of me because it wasn't really reading. But we soon discovered that Cash wasn't just pretending to read, he really was reading. Even though he now consumes books voraciously, he still loves to listen to them read to him on CD or tape.

We don't let him leave his room in the morning until it is time for the whole family to wake up and if he wakes up early, he will often just put on a CD and lie in bed quietly listening. And although he clearly just has a special talent for reading and we read to him for 45 minutes to an hour a day, I can't help but think that following along with the Cd's helped him develop his sight reading. Regardless, it is a great alternative to television or video games in my mind.

I try to get Cd's and tapes of books from the local library and copy them. But when there is one that Cash really wants that isn't available, we go to Amazon or iTunes.

When he was younger and obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine, we got several of the CD and book combos, like Percy's Chocolate Crunch, A Cow on the Line and James and the Red Balloon. He also loved to listen to the Frog and Toad series, The Cat in the Hat and the Cat in the Hat Comes Back.

Now that he's older, he enjoys listening to a lot of the Roald Dahl stories. His favorite is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but there is also a great compilation CD with several stories including an abridged version of the Wonka story.

He's also discovered CDs of the Fudge series by Judy Blume, and is listening to Super Fudge as I write this. He's got many of the stories memorized but still enjoys hearing them. The Ramona series by Beverly Cleary.

Other favorites include the Magic Tree House series, and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is guaranteed to get your whole family giggling.

Let us know if you have any other beloved books on tape for kids.

If You Read This Book, You Are In For A Wild Ride

In our house, the concept of cause and effect is well established. If you sit with your butt in your seat and eat your entire dinner, you can have dessert; if you put on your pajamas for bed, I'll read you a story; if you put your foot under the stroller one more time while I'm pushing the baby, I'm going to slap you (just kidding on that last one although that's what I feel like doing sometimes!) So the "If You Give Series..." that is best known for "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" has always been a big hit in our house, and we were happy to see a new book, "If You Give a Cat a Cupcake," recently from author Laura Numeroff.

The latest book takes readers on another exciting roller coaster of events that start with what seems like a benign and generous move. A little girl offers an adorable little cat a cupcake.

"If you give a cat a cupcake, he'll ask for some sprinkles to go with it." And thus begins a wild ride that takes the little girl from sprinkles, to the beach (sprinkles make him think of sand, of course) to build a sand castle. From there, they end up collecting seashells. Then its off to the gym to workout and then rock climbing. Everything they do makes him think of something new that he just has to do that moment. When he climbs to the top of a pile of rocks, "He'll see the lake. He'll want you to take him rowing..." That eventually leads him to the science museum...And when they are finally back at the house, he empties the sand from his shoes, which of course reminds him of sprinkles and he wants another cupcake.

The fast pace and bright illustrations are engaging and make the book more than just a fun read. They make it an adventure.

Duck! Rabbit! It Depends on Your Perspective

It is hard to find a book that will hold the attention of both my 8-month-old baby and my six-year-old first grader, but Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld was a direct hit.

The book, which features a simple image that can look exactly like a duck or a rabbit depending on which way you look at it, captivated both of them -- for separate reasons. The baby, Catcher, liked the bold contrast between the image and the background and the cute drawing (OK, he appeared to like those things when he wasn't trying to eat the pages). And Cash was captivated by the optical illusion that has your mind doing a tennis volley between the two images. When you look at the image of the animal with the idea that it is a duck, you see a duck facing left. When you look at it with the idea that it is a rabbit, you see a rabbit facing right.

The book teaches about the value of different perspectives as two narrators argue whether the animal is a duck or a rabbit. According to publisher Chronicle Books, it was a 19th century psychological drawing "used to discuss issues of perception and reality (and the philosophy of Descartes)."It is a brain game where your eyes shift between clearly seeing the picture as each of the two animals as the argument is made.

A typical page goes like this:"See, there's his bill." "What are you talking about? Those are his ears, silly." 

In the end, each of the narrators comes around to the other's perspective. A good lesson in flexibility for children.

But look for a sequel to this book because at the end, the two narrators see another image and begin to argue about whether it is an anteater or a brachiosaurus.

You can see a video of the book being read aloud on You Tube

Book Review - It’s Mine by Leo Lionni

It’s Mine by Leo Lionni is such a simple and smart little story of 3 little frogs who are arguing over the lilly pad. Suddenly there is trouble and they are hanging on a tiny space for dear life — bringing them together and teaching them to share, happily. Both of my kids picked up on the lesson in this story, and it sparked great conversations around sharing. 

Holland born, Leo Lionni’s classic illustrations are fantastic and beautiful. Check out some of his other books which are favorites in our house: Swimmy, Tico and the Golden Wings, and Little Blue and Little Yellow.

Book Review — Batty lessons

I love when a book really hits home with something that is going on in your life. This year, for us that has been “Loose Tooth”, by Steven Kroll.

It is the story of twin bats, Fangs and Flapper, who were best friends until Flapper gets jealous at the attention that Fangs is getting over a loose tooth. Flapper’s teeth aren't wiggling a bit and he gets mad when everyone ignores him. He goes absolutely batty when he hears that the Tooth Fairy is coming. He ends up stealing Fangs’ tooth but he is found out after he accidentally drops it into the batter of muffins his mother is baking. She bites into it at breakfast when the family is sitting around puzzling over why the Tooth Fairy took Fangs’ tooth but didn’t leave him any money.  

In the end, Flapper admits that he took the tooth because he was jealous. His father was empathetic. But just as he is saying that he will give Fangs a quarter that the Tooth Fairy should have left and Flapper a quarter because he has been ignored in the excitement over Fangs’ tooth, Flapper realizes he has a loose tooth. All the drama is forgotten as the two bats fly off together to show their friends.

Book Review - The Three Robbers by Tomi Ungerer

OK, our goal is to post a book review each week. Do Wednesdays work for you?

I’ve been very, very into vintage children’s books lately. I mostly scour ebay, craigslist and amazon used for the titles I want. But I also have found many at the used book stores and flea markets. Tomi Ungerer is one of my favorite authors/illustrators, and I grab any book of his that I can. “The Three Robbers” is one my favorites — hands down.

 

 

The tale is of three fierce robbers that seek out victims in the dark of night. They use their blunderbust, pepper blower and a large red axe to terrify and plunder. 

Scared yet? 

One night, they happen upon an orphan girl named Tiffany, and carry her away. And then, just when you think maybe you chose the wrong book, the three robbers show the goodness in their hearts.

I won’t ruin the end for you. Both of my boys love the story. I also add a few sound effects to add to the excitement. I think the pepper blower makes a “whoosh” sound, and the blunderbust must sound somethink like...“bap bap bap”. Just my guess.

Also by Ungerer: Moon Man, The Mellops Strike Oil, Seeds and More Seeds

Ebay Find - Magic School Bus

My son Liam loves the Magic School Bus series. We check a couple out of the library every week or so. Yesterday he told me “Mom, if you want me to learn a bunch of stuff, you should get me magic school bus. Those books make me smart.” It’s true that he recites all kinds of facts that he gets from the books and shows. So why not?

If you are looking to add some to your library, you can find lots on ebay often for a pretty good price. Visit here for one I found today.