Apple Pie ABC

Title: Apple Pie ABC
Author: Alison Murray
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Publication Date: May 31, 2011


Although I am not generally a fan of ABC books, this one caught my eye because of my love for apple pie.

When an apple pie is hot and fresh out of the oven, one little pup is determined to:

Find a crumb of it,

Get a taste of it and 

Have a lick of it.

Progessing through the alphabet, author Alison Murray tells a story that makes you hungry, too.  Can this puppy get his paws on that wonderful smell?

The two letters that might require a little more explanation are O and P.  The pup Ogles and Pines for the apple pie.  These words are not typically a part of the vocabulary of a child who is learning their alphabet.  Q and X, two often-stretched letters in books like this one, were handled nicely. However, Z uses sleep as it's example, and I did personally dislike this.  

Other than these small issues, Apple Pie ABC is a delicious introduction to the alphabet.

Who makes your favorite apple pie?

A Ball for Daisy

Title: A Ball for Daisy
Author: Chris Raschka
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Press
Release date: May 10, 2011

Ever since I read and reviewed Octopus Soup a few weeks ago, I have fallen in love with wordless picture books.  It's not because I dislike words; as a writing major, words are some of my favorite things.  But I love the fact that wordless picture books reach beyond individual languages and create a universal story.

Today at Barnes and Noble, I read A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka with a four-year-old Korean boy.  He probably knew less that a hundred words of English, and I can't even say "hello" in Korean.  But he could answer my question, "What is the dog doing?" by rattling off in his own tongue and throwing English words in here and there: "dog," "ball," "blue," "sad," "happy."  The experience was so incredible to me in that we could both read a story and giggle together while knowing so little about each other's world.

A Ball for Daisy tells the story of a little dog that has a red ball until she shares it and her friend accidentally pops it.  At first she's sad, but then her friend brings her a new blue ball to replace what she broke. 

The comic-book-style illustrations speak of the value of friendship and the importance of making amends, whether you meant to hurt someone or not.  I recommend this story for toddlers through early readers.  A Ball for Daisy will allow your children to play with language and write creatively before they can decipher the combination of letters that spell words and express thought. 

What do you love best about wordless picture books?

Octopus Soup

Apparently Mercer Mayer truly believes that "a picture is worth a thousand words."  Released on April 1, 2011 by Marshall Cavendish, Octopus Soup has no text, although a few words are placed throughout the pictures (on signs, etc.).  Not only is this a creative way to get younger writers to imagine their own storyline, but it creates a perfect book to read to little ones who are still more content flipping pages at their own pace rather the the story's pace.

In Octopus Soup, a young octopus leaves home and climbs up into a boat.  Then his real adventures begin.  Along the way, he learns that the law is the law, and truth will win. But he goes through some crazy experiences! Will he be able to get back in the ocean and back to his family before he gets turned into Octopus Soup?

The only negative element was minor, but I thought some parents might want to know about it.  A blimp floats by with the words "got gas?" I'm not a fan of potty humor and felt that this was poor choice on the part of the illustrator as there really was no connection to the blimp in the rest of the picture.  This one element could have just as easily been left out.

Otherwise, Octopus Soup is a unique book filled with humorous illustrations to spark your and your child's imagination (which is what this blog is all about!).

How will you tell the story of Octopus Soup?

Miss Suzy

Miss Suzy was a little gray squirrel who lived all by herself in the tip, tip, top of a tall oak tree.  She liked to cook, she liked to clean, and she liked to sing while she worked.

Every once in a while on this blog I have to include a review of an old release or a classic that is still in print.  And how could I possibly forget Miss Suzy by Miriam Young?

Miss Suzy was among the top five books for me as a child.  The author's name enthralled me because it was the same as my own; I decided that I would one day be a children's author, too, and I am writing all the time with that goal still in mind. I also loved the story of the little gray squirrel who was happy until the mean red squirrels chased her out.  She seeks refuge in a dollhouse hidden away in a nearby attic, where she meets and shows caring hospitality to a band of toy soldiers through the winter.  The way the toy soldiers choose to repay Miss Suzy in the spring is a great example of kindness, compassion, and bravery.  One of the morals is that some things are just worth fighting for!

The book is such a wonderful one that on Amazon.com the 40th Anniversary Edition of Miss Suzy (Purple House Publishers) has received 135 five star reviews, 1 four star review, and no review under four stars.  Arnold Lobel's illustrations are some of my favorite of all time and compliment the text excellently.

To this day, I pretty much have Miss Suzy memorized.  I can still hear it the way my mom read it to me over and over, including the melodies she made up to go with the snippets of Miss Suzy's songs that appear in several places throughout the text.  Without a doubt, Miss Suzy is sure to delight your children. 

That night when she went to bed, she was very tired.  But she looked through the branches and she could see a million stars.  The wind blew gently and rocked the tree like a cradle.  It was very peaceful, and Miss Suzy was happy once more.

Put Me in the Zoo

Put Me in the Zoo is a classic "I Can Read It By Myself" book, orginally published in 1960 by Random House.  On March 16, 2011, it was released in Kindle Edition.  Written and illustrated by Robert Lopshire, the book has a lovable Dr. Seuss style; read this book to your pre-school children or give it to your beginning readers and watch them smile as the main character brags about the reasons he should be put in the zoo.  He can put his spots on trees and then back on himself.  He can put the spot on the wall and then make them tall.  He can even make his spots change different colors on his body!  This cute children's story has a unique ending that children will not expect with all of the talk of the zoo. The illustrations are simple but brightly colored and keep children turning the page.  While is not the best "I Can Read" book that I've read (who can beat Dr. Seuss or P.D. Eastman?), Put Me in the Zoo is definitely a book that your young child will want to read more than once.

Hello!

Welcome to The Twenty-Six Letter Imagination! As a children's book lover and a writer for children, I hope that you and your child will find many enjoyable books to discover together through my blog. I plan to cover fiction and nonfiction: new releases, old reprints, and classics. Along the way, I plan on have some giveaways. My focus will be children's books ages 2-12, but I may include some board books, teen books, or books that the whole family can enjoy together from time to time. Come and join the fun of exploring what the twenty-six letters can do to your imagination!