Photo Friday: Wild Thing

Lorie Ann Grover, 2010

Happy Photo Friday, parents and wild things!

September: Community Service

Can your totz help make lunch for an older sibling headed back to school? How about a Bento Box. :~) Thanks again, Joan, for showing us Bento and thanks, bohaute, for the photo. Adorable!

Pirate Potty by Samantha Berger

As promised, here's Pirate Potty!



The perfect companion for Princess Potty, pick this novelty book up for your pirate, mateys. Instead of forest creatures and sparkles, there's a black potty flying three Jolly Rogers, cannon balls, and a big x to mark the spot!



Of course, every pirate has a special sea shanty, keeps his toilet paper in his treasure chest, and announces, "Anchors away!" Right?

Author Samantha Berger just nails this presentation. Your pirate totz are going to love potty training with this book as an aid. Again, Amy Cartwright's imagery is clean and adorable whether it's a page full of little symbols or a full spread. I particularly love the mother's eye patch in the shape of a heart. And the pirate's proportions are as cute as can be.

Enjoy Pirate Potty, with your crew. Punch out the included hat and decorate it with the gold doubloon stickers for a job well done!

Pirate Potty
by Samantha Berger
illustrated by Amy Cartwright
Scholastic, 2010

Photo Friday: Are you happy?

Lorie Ann Grover, 2010

Here's one of my recent compositions. Thought it was perfect for totz as well. Happy Photo Friday!

Happy Birthday to Lorie Ann Grover!

Sending Happy Birthday wishes

to readertotz' own fabulous

Lorie Ann Grover!

Lunch with personality: Have you heard about Japanese Bento Boxes?

Instead of a board book this time on readertotz, we've got food for thought. I found Bento boxes for the first time recently and loved these cool food critters. I hope you will too!



'O-bento' is what the Japanese call these lovingly created and packed lunches. These adorable tributes are made by parents and sent off with their children to school, to a game, etc. Some of these goodies are works of art! I would almost hate to eat them, wouldn't you? They're not only a hit in Japan, they're a big hit here in the USA these days. I have to admit I find the idea of making these elaborate-yet-simple lunches a bit overwhelming. My mom barely had enough time to put anything in our school lunch boxes when I was a girl. Still, I love the idea of creating nutritious snacks and meals that are so incredibly cute!

Just had to share. Here are some book and site links:

Books:
Cute Yummy Time
Funky Lunch
Yum Yum Bento Box (photo below)


Sites:
Lunch in a box
Bento Box

Photo Friday: Seniors Heart Novelty Books!

I shared Princess Potty at my mom's b-day, and it was a huge success! We giggled over text and image.

Do you heart board/novelty books? Send me a pic, and I'll post it for our community! http://readertotzdotclearwiredotnet

September Pick for the Older Sibling: Zelda and Ivy, Keeping Secrets

If you don't know Zelda and Ivy, run out right now and read everyone of these fox sister adventures. Laura McGee Kvasnosky brilliantly captures the antics and intrigues of the older and younger sibling.

First published as picture books, Zelda and Ivy's short chapters are now featured in the reader format. Brava! Perfect! Think James Marshall. Exactly.

In Zelda and Ivy, Keeping Secrets, the duo, along with their neighbor Eugene, woozy-weasel promise to keep secrets, while younger sister Ivy gets the upper hand on April Fool's day, and all three perform a most elegant opera. It's the subtle truths that Laura weaves into her stories which ring of the best in life and bring smiles to readers. Whether how it's so hard not to tell a secret, or be a diva and steal the opera, you and your younger reader will nod and giggle over the revelations.

Painted in gouache resist, the compositions, colors, layouts, and characters will keep you turning pages for more. I definitely need the fox sisters' style. I want Zelda's leggings! Be sure to stop and appreciate the endpapers. Beautiful turquoise butterflies flutter you into and out of the story.

Enjoy Zelda and Ivy, Keeping Secrets from the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winning author. Read it and smile. And then share it with the older sibling of your totz!

Zelda and Ivy, Keeping Secrets
by Laura McGee Kvasnosky
Candlewick Press, 2009

Princess Potty by Samantha Berger

Okay, so all our totz need this skill, and it can't be soon enough! Princess Potty by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Amy Cartwright, is new, adorable, and fun.

"Psst! Do you want to hear a secret? Even princesses use the potty!" says a little mouse. He goes on to share the peculiarities of a princess, like how she rides the royal pony to the royal throne. Of course, the toilet has sparkles, glitter, and diamonds. It smells like rose petals, for a time.

Little blue birds bring the princess soft tissue, and forest animals help her wash her hands with warm water and strawberry soap. She gets a sticker for her crown, just like your princess can with the included tiara and sticker sheet.

Amy's illustrations are pink and fun and clean, clean, clean! She makes me want to punch out the tiara for myself.

Have a little giggle and read Princess Potty with your totz. Up soon at readertotz...Pirate Potty!

Princess Potty
by Samantha Berger
illustrated by Amy Cartwright
Scholastic, 2010

Photo Friday: Just a Little Alice

Lorie Ann Grover, 2010

Anyone ready to introduce Alice to your totz? Isn't it just a joy to think of all the characters in literature awaiting your wee one?

Happy Photo Friday!

Totz Newsflash: ReaderKidZ

So excited to share another site with you with information for the older sibling of your totz: ReaderKidZ! For 3 years, the readergirlz divas have been asking someone to come forward and spearhead a site with the middle grade reader in mind. These ladies have done just that. In fact they are focusing on picture books to grade 5.

Here's their Mission Statement:
Providing teachers, librarians, and parents with the resources and inspiration to foster a love of reading in kids, K-5.

So check them out and spread the news. There are several great features to explore like the Author in Residence and Tool Box. The layout is inviting and accessible. You are going to love it!

Here's to the authors/educators for running the work: Debbie Gonzales, Dianne White, Nancy Bo Flood, and Stephanie Green. Thanks, ladies, for contributing to literacy!

Note: ReaderKidZ operates independently from readergirlz and readertotz.

Outreach for Andrea Ross

I know everyone remembers the beloved podcasts over at Just One More Book! Mark and Andrea gave us wonderful years filled with their picture book passion. Here's my interview with Mark about readergirlz. We had a lovely time chatting.

The blog was suspended shortly before Andrea was diagnosed with breast cancer in October, 2009. Now in October, 2010, she'll be running to raise money. Here's what Mark says:

"Andrea is currently the number three fundraiser for the Ottawa Run for the Cure, taking place on October 3. Of course, when she first decided to run in support of breast cancer research, she never considered that our amazing communities (online and off) would band together to help her raise $4120 in six weeks."

If you'd like to help, you can join her effort to raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation by clicking here.

Run, Andrea! We are cheering!

Love to you, Lorie Ann and Joan

August: Community Service

After swimming, encourage your totz to use the water in their blowup pool to water your flowers!

Diane Muldrow: Somewhere So Sleepy

Do you know that somewhere, in a leafy tree, a little koala has just finished her supper?
(lift flap) Cuddle Up, Little Koala.

And thus begins this sweet lift-the-flap board book. I like books that slip in a little nonfiction information along with the fiction, and this book does that effortlessly. Each spread begins in the same way: Do you know that somewhere...

And then totz are lead to a cozy nest, a squishy swamp, a warm little house, etc. What will they find there? Lift the large flaps to find out. The book is sturdy board and the flaps are big, almost full page size. I enjoyed the surprise of the pull-down window shade on the last spread.

Artist Jui Ishida's site is really simple, but hints at wonderful art! I'd love to see more.

Very cute book!

Somewhere So Sleepy
Author: Diane Muldrow
Artist: Jui Ishida
Golden Books (Random House), 2010

Poetry Friday: The Children's Hour, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Isn't this so dear? Love it. Happy Poetry Friday!

The Birthday Box: Leslie Patricelli

When our family rounds the middle of August, we are in for a flurry of birthdays. Leslie Patricelli's classic, The Birthday Box, is a classic pick for celebrating totz.

Baby begins with a song to himself and then introduces you to his present. The joy only begins when under the wrapping paper he discovers a big brown box. We learn all the things he can do with his box before he opens the gift fully and finds a stuffed dog, Oscar. Now with the box open, the two of them can have adventures at sea or on the slopes. Of course, the box is the perfect place for a nap.

I saw this work, pre-publication in our critique group and loved it just as much then. There's a simple charm to Baby and his simplicity. The colorful painted spreads with thick black line and hand lettering will win your heart. If you weren't an avid Baby fan before, you will be after reading The Birthday Box with your readertotz!

The Birthday Box
by Leslie Patricelli
Candlewick Press, 2007

Poetry Friday: Cry Baby

Cry, Baby

Cry, baby, cry,
Put your finger in your eye,
And tell your mother it wasn’t I...!

Okay, this is a strange one, right? I wonder where it came from? May your Poetry Friday be tearless with your totz!

Older Sibling Pick: LMNO peas by Keith Baker

Just when you think all the wonderful ABC books that could possibly have been done, have been done, along comes Keith Baker with LMNO peas.

We are peas--alphabet peas!
We work and play in the ABCs.

Each colorful page or spread in this charming picture book presents a large letter. Lots of industrious little peas are busy under, over, around, and atop them. If you enjoy the wonderful, zany energy of Richard Scarry like I do, you'll find a similar energy here. For the letters E and F:

We're eaters, electricians, and explorers searching land.
We're farmers, flaggers, and best friends in a band.

After all the peas have had their say, they ask us: Who Are You?

Keith's humor extends to the flap copy, in which he proclaims that he hails from the NW city of Peattle!

This book leaves me wanted more, more, more peas...please!

LMNOpeas
Author-illustrator: Keith Baker
Publisher: Beach Lane Books (Simon and Schuster), 2010

BOB Winners Announced

We have our winners! Anne and AEKZ2 will receive the boxed sets of new BOB books and a lunch box! Congratulations, ladies! Watch your inbox for my note. :~)

Thank you, Scholastic!

Robert Crowther: The Most Amazing Hide-and-Seek Numbers Book

Totz can pull tabs and lift flaps for a variety of counting experiences in this intriguing book by Robert Crowther. I like the unexpectedness of this book. Pulling the tab on the number 3 brought forth 3 caterpillars curling around the curves of the number 3. And 7 field mice come running down the long slope of number 7. 10 butterflies are just adorable. And when we get to 100, there are 5--count 'em--5 tabs to pull and a myriad of tiny creatures to count. Are there 100? I confess, I didn't count. But I think your totz will.

Companion to The Most Amazing Hide-and-Seek Alphabet Book.

The Most Amazing Hide-and-Seek Numbers Book

Author-illustrator: Robert Crowther

Candlewick Press, 1999