I fully recognize that I do indeed have this little problem with children's books in that I love them all so very much and want them all to reside on my book shelves. That being said, 13 Words by teamed up geniuses Lemony Snicket and artist Maira Kalman is such a special book! Here are thirteen reasons why:
- Lemony Snicket is synonymous with quirky, playful, and unique.
- Previous Lemony Snicket books were chapter books for upper level readers. This book brings that quirky playfulness to a younger audience.
- Artist Maira Kalman is such an amazing artist. You will want to frame pages of this book and display them.
- If you love Kalman's art in the book, check out her site for a listing of the other children's books she has illustrated through the years. There are more than I realized! http://www.mairakalman.com/books/children/
5. Most teach-a-word feature simple words like apple, cat, dog, sun. This book teaches more complex words like panache, and haberdashery, and despondent.
6. Once you read this with your preschooler, you can chuckle to yourself as you hear a four year old use words like panache, and haberdashery, and despondent.
7. Cake plays a big part in this book, and with Kalman's illustrations of beautifully frosted treats, you will have to drive to your closest bakery for a slice or two.
8. Reading this will inspire you to learn more about Lemony Snicket, and they have an amazing website. http://www.lemonysnicket.com/
9. There is a goat that wears a very smart suit and drives a convertible.
10. There is a bird who loves to paint and eat cake and wear outlandish hats.
11. There is a baby haberdasher that loves to make outlandish hats.
12. There is a mezzo-soprano opera singer who sings a delightful song at the end.
13. Wonderful artwork + new vocabulary + cake = happy!
Cheerio and read something fun today!