December 5th is the King of Thailand's birthday and also Father's Day. Our family has a tradition of giving books to Daddy on Father's Day, starting with Pumpkin Soup on Eris's first. This year, I had to rely on online book lists and ratings to choose books that were available from an online company in the UK with free shipping to Thailand. It is difficult to pick excellent books without actually flipping through them. After spending too much time on the internet, I picked a handful of books for the girls to choose from and hoped for the best. Even bookstores in the States can have a paucity of really great picture books, so I thought today I'd review the books we gave for Father's Day this year and then a few of our favorites from previous years. I've learned that when relying on others' reviews, it's hard to truly get an idea of the book. The books we got this year all had rave reviews, and, as you will see, they are not as wonderful as they were portrayed. I find it helpful to hear from people I actually know, as I already have an idea of their tastes and points of reference. So hopefully, this will be helpful for some.
Warning: these reviews contain mild spoilers, so if you are the kind who likes to be surprised, you may want to skip this post.
Eris knows that Philip likes books with great pictures. He does enjoy books without words, especially, but she wasn't quite ready to go that far in her choice. She picked Salamander Room by Anne Mazer which was reported to have excellent illustrations and be a sweet story about a boy turning his room into a home for a salamander. It does live up to this description but lacks depth in the story. For an avid reader, the storyline is too brief without enough description in the text. Also, the back cover reports that the theme of the book is "nature and conservation," but then Philip was confused by the seemingly pointless blank green pages, two in the front and two in the back. Overall, it's not a bad book but because of a small budget and lack of a large English library, we are pickier that most in our selection. Meriel did ask me to read it at bedtime; we'll see how this weathers over time.
Meriel chose a sequel to one of our favorite books. When I was pregnant with Eris, Philip and I read about how tiny children seem to best enjoy books that were read to them while in the womb. Books with good rhyme and meter seemed to be preferred. We headed off to the bookstore and searched the tiny children's English book section (we were living in Beersheva, Israel), and amazingly, discovered The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. Complete with spectacular rhythm, engaging storyline, and lovely ending, we have read this book so many times that we all (with the exception of Simeon) have it memorized. With this in mind, I was happy to disregard negative reviews for The Gruffalo's Child. I would say owning this book is worth it to enjoy a continuation of the story of a little mouse's innovation in outsmarting the scary gruffaloes. But beware, the rhythm and rhyme are abysmal compared with the first, and the storyline lacking in fresh ideas. It seems that, award of the success of the first book, the authors and publishers were content with a decidedly sub par book because they knew it would make money. I hesitate to support it if this is the case, and hope that it is not, so just beware if you buy this book.
Hollis is at the age where she enjoys repetition and silliness, so she chose a book titled Don't Forget the Bacon! by Pat Hutchins. The reviews reported children laughing aloud and repeating "Don't forget the bacon!" enthusiastically. None of that happened on our first read. The illustrations lack detail and add little to the story, which is a pity since the storyline could use some help. The boy is given a verbal grocery list by his mother: "Six farm eggs, a cake for tea, a pound of pears, and don't forget the bacon!" The boy proceeds to think of "six fat legs which turns into six clothes pegs." So when he arrives at the store, he gets six clothes pegs, a rake for leaves, and a pile of chairs. The items he actually gets are not that funny and it is a bit difficult for a small child to remember the comparison with what he was asked to get. Hollis was so excited about this book and it's silly title, but she did not giggle during the whole reading of the book, which is unusual for her. There are so many books with similar themes out there; take the time to find Bedemolena by Jan Slepian and Ann Sleider which is out of print but worth the search.
When it came to choosing a book for Simeon to give, I wanted a board book so that he could actually enjoy it. He cares more about pictures than words, so it as an excellent opportunity to cater to Philip's penchant for books with few words. Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann proved to be just right. The pictures portray a funny, engaging story that can be "read" again and again. Hollis looked at it on her own four times in a row, laughing and talking to herself. This is one I would certainly recommend if you have children age five or under.
So now here's a short list of our Father's Day favorites:
Pumpkin Soup was another fortuitous find in a Beersheva bookstore. and its companions A Pipkin of Pepper and Delicious by Helen Cooper boast wonderfully bright and captivating illustrations accompanying witty, lyrical prose. All three stories feature the same characters and revolve around pumpkin soup yet are different enough to make it enjoyable to read all in a row or stand alone. These books are certainly worth owning; if you are looking for a gift for a child this Christmas, pick up one or all of these.
For a book written in a unique style where the combination of words and pictures are necessary to the story, look no further than The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood. This interactive read is a surprise the first time and a delight every time thereafter. This is another one that I would recommend owning versus just checking out at the library. The sequel Merry Christmas Big Hungry Bear is fun during this season and a fine addition to your Christmas collection but not nearly as wonderful.
The last books I'll write about today begin with Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy E. Shaw. This books in fun and silly with easy rhymes. Great for a quick read or some afternoon silliness. The rest of the books are similarly enjoyable, but once we had four, it seemed enough. We have Sheep in a Shop, Sheep on a Ship, and, my favorite, Ship Out to Eat.
I'll try to do some more book reviews at a later date, but hopefully this can get you started with some great reading soon. Let me know your favorite books or if your family love any of these books.
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