there's a bear on my chair by ross collins

Hi there Booktomato family!  How is your week going?  We are in full lunch box packing-homework writing-teacher meeting-it's a school night so you need to get in bed now mode over here.  What about you?  

Today's book, There's a Bear on My Chair, is written by super-talented and super-prolific children's author, Ross Collins.  A full list of his works would be way too long for this post, so if you want to read more of his books (and there are some really, really good ones!) check out his website here. 

So what is a mouse to do when a bear comes and sits in his chair and he just will not move?  He begs.  He pleads.  He bribes, but the bear will not budge.  The solution?  Go get in the bear's bed!  This story is so cute, and my three year old loved it.  It has the simplicity and humor that I feel so many of the classic picture books have.  Also, any book that says the word "underwear"  is the height of comedy for my kids.  This is sure to be a classic!

books we love: seven silly eaters by mary ann hoberman

We received this book as a gift many years ago and read its pages over and over again!  This is one of those that kids instantly fall in love with.  It has playful poetics, funny antics, and delightfully busy illustrations that engage readers of all ages.  This is the story of the Peters family: Mr. Peters, Mrs. Peters, and their seven children.  Unfortunately for Mrs. Peters, all seven of her darling children are very picky eaters.  (I wish I couldn't relate.) Only, with these kiddos, there is a catch.  None of the kids like to eat the same thing.  Each child likes to eat something completely different - one child will only eat freshly baked bread, one only applesauce made from the apples in their front yard tree.  Poor Mrs. Peters is left to scramble around the kitchen making seven individual breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. As the story goes on, Mrs. Peters gets pretty tired, to say the least.  Her children decide to make her a special birthday meal, and their mom is pleasantly surprised.  

The Seven Silly Eaters is written by children's poet laureate, Mary Ann Hoberman.  The illustrations by Marla Freeze just crack me up, and I think any parent that has struggled to get their kids to eat their dinner will get a laugh too.  Mrs. Peter's facial expressions are just so easy to relate to!  I love when picture books are written in poetry lines and rhymes.  Rhyming lines not only engage younger readers but also have shown in studies to aid in early literacy ability.  

what we read today: homeplace by anne shelby

Hi there!  Today I'm featuring a sweet picture book that I found at my local library's book sale last month, and I've never seen it before but am so glad that I came across it.  

Do you know anything about your family's ancestors?  Do you ever talk to your kids about where they come from or who their great-great, and great-great-great, and great-great-great-great grandparents were?  My family never knew much about our ancestors until a couple of years ago.  I got really interested in genealogy a few years ago and was able to find my great-greats through research.  It was really fun, and it gave me a new sense of self.  It also gave me the ability to tell my kids what I found.  (My great-great-great grandfather journeyed from the Black Forest in Germany all the way to New Orleans to find work and start a family.)

In this book, a grandmother is sitting in the house that has been in her family for generations, and she is talking to her grandchild about their family history.  Her history isn't fancy just like most of our histories aren't.  It is the story of fathers and mothers who worked hard and built a home and a family through generations.  

I loved the detailed illustrations that show life in different time periods.  I love how the progression of the family builds one on top of the other.  It's a great way to show younger readers what the concept of ancestors means and why they are so special to each family.  

So, read this book and talk to your kids about who they are and where they come from.  And if you are like me and don't know who your ancestors are, I highly recommend a little internet research.  The information I have found has been a treasure to me.  Cheers!  Have a great day! 

the talking eggs by robert d. san souci and jerry pinkney

I love it when I read a story that is unpredictable.  Most movies/tv shows/books fit in to one of a few formulas, and after reading a few pages or watching a few minutes of it, you can usually tell where the narrative is heading.  

When I read The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci with my older son (age 9), we got a few pages in, and he exclaims, "Oh I can tell where this is going!  It's going to be like Cinderella."  He was right.  The beginning of this story has all of the makings of a Cinderella adaptation - a young girl who works night and day to please her mean and selfish mother and sibling.  That, however, is where the similarities between this story and a fairy tale formula stop! 

When her mother sends her on an errand to fetch water at the well in the woods, Blanche meets an old woman who is terribly thirsty.  Blanche shows kindness and gives the old woman water.  When the old woman meets Blanche at the well a second time, she brings the girl to her unique home.  There Blanche sees a two headed cow, chickens of every color of the rainbow, and other crazy things.  Because she is polite and doesn't laugh at any of the old woman's crazy possessions, the old woman rewards her with magic eggs that produce riches and jewels!  When Blanche's mean sister, Rose, visits the old woman, she is not as polite, and her behavior gets her in trouble. 

storytime conversation starters: 

• what was the craziest thing blanche saw at the old woman's farm? would you be able to go there and not laugh?
• why was blanche rewarded and rose was not?
• what would you want to be hidden in your magic eggs?

have a great weekend!

We have made it to the weekend!  It is really feeling like summer over here.  Shirtless kids playing in the water hose in the front yard?  Check.  House and lawn covered with water guns, scooters, bike helmets, and Nutella hand prints?  Check.  My only afternoon goal is to sit on my porch with something cold to drink!  

Do you have a great book that you just discovered and want to share?  I love getting recommendations from readers and friends!  

What are your plans this weekend?  Whatever your plans are, make time to read a good book! 

have a brave weekend! if you were a pioneer on the prairie by anna kamma

What are your plans this weekend?  Our city park has an annual festival called the "day of merry-making", and its taking place this weekend.  My kids and I really look forward to it.  Our favorite part is the hot air balloon that gives rides to all the kids! Both my kids and I are not the biggest fan of heights, but none of us want to miss out on the opportunity for such adventure so close to our own backyard so the word I chose for this weekend is brave. 

Brave is also how I would describe today's book pick.  The pioneers who left the comforts of home to travel west had to be some of the bravest people in American history!  Reading this fund and informative book will surely make any reader agree.  

We have a lot of this "if you were . . ." historical series, and I love the way they are set up.  Firstly, they put the reader in the shoes of the real people in the specific time period, so reading this will truly teach you what your life would be like on the Western prairie.  Secondly, I like the way the text is broken up into questions and answers, so the material is digestable and not too lengthy.  Some of the questions they answer are really unusual and interesting like the one below.  Why were pioneers afraid of grasshoppers? 

If you enjoy this selection, we have others in the series like one about the underground railroad, the civil war, women's rights, and the Sioux Indian tribe. 

Whatever you do this weekend, take some time to read a good book!