What We're Reading for Halloween

  
 "Eek!" Mouse squeaked. What could it be?

I love the cadence and rhythm of those words because I've heard them out of the mouth of my preschooler for a couple of years now, and I never tire of reading them myself. They are from Mouse's First Halloween by Lauren Thompson. This book should not appeal to me. It's part of the "Mouse's First..." Series, a collection of books that seems to seize every holiday and every season as yet another opportunity to sell a book, to turn a profit - Mouse's First Christmas, Mouse's First Spring, and so on. Yet, I adore this one. The illustrations by Buket Erdogan are insanely beautiful to me. They are simply acrylic on canvas, but they are vibrant, saturated colors, and I love the way the eerie blue almost glows from behind each page. Plus... the language. I really do think the sentences are well-crafted and pleasing to the ear. I know this because all of my kids have repeated the reassuring rhymes over and over and over again for years now... and I will still happily read this book to them anytime they ask. That says a lot. Perfect, perfect, perfect for the wee little ones in your life!

And Then Comes Halloween by Tom Brenner is undoubtedly a poem written by a grown-up in remembrance of Halloweens past. It's beautiful; it's rife with literary devices, and the watercolor and collage art work is lovely to look at. Your kids will like it... and you'll get to let them feast on alliteration and personification like this: "When autumn spiders weave silver webs from pillar to post, and the wind whispers winter and the bones of trees begin to show..."

The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin has been a favorite of ours for years, and we read it as a family tradition before we carve our pumpkin. It's weird.  I mean really. It's really weird but charming. Margaret Wise Brown (of Goodnight Moon fame) is just some kind of a genius because she writes these books that hardly make sense to me but that my children are just captivated by. My kids love the idea of this fierce yellow pumpkin who longs to be ferocious enough to scare all the field mice away. And it truly is fun for adults to read. If you're an insane person, you might just giggle at the grocery store produce section thinking of Brown's words: "He grew so fat and full of himself that he began to think he was a very fierce vegetable, as fierce as the sun that warmed his fat round sides."

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything  by Linda Williams is my brand-new favorite. It was published nearly 30 years ago, but I just discovered it! A little old lady finds herself out on a walk later than she expected and is followed home by a host of characters (who make delightful sound effects). Fortunately for us, she is not afraid of anything, so we aren't either. Instead, we just get to join in on the fun. The story demands everyone's participation and the ending resolves itself beautifully. Depending on the age of your audience you could read this with a bit of suspense and spookiness or simply giggle and laugh the whole way through. I highly recommend it.

The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis is on this list because my children demand it. But please know that I object. I find the rhyme to be clunky and the rhythm totally elusive. However, I do actually read to delight my children... and this book delights them. They love the idea of this giant pumpkin rolling down the hill causing one disaster after another. I suppose there is some sense of justice in it all since it is finally tamed (maimed?) into pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin pie by Granny Baxter.

On My Love of Corduroy

In our home, everyone loves Corduroy. Published in 1968, he is just a few years shy of his 50th birthday. He's an original, not to be confused with the plethora of modern Corduroy books available "based on the character created by Don Freeman." Well... it isn't likely that you would actually confuse them. Here's a hint: Corduroy doesn't wear a bunny suit and isn't likely to pose for the cover of a "Home Alone" movie anytime soon. But I digress.

I am no artist, but do you see those water colors! It's striking yet subtle all at the same time. Freeman, himself a white male, is noted for choosing to portray a black heroine who, during the course of the book, is helped and waited upon by a white sales clerk. This hardly seems like a social justice statement, but this was also 1968. It was only 6 years prior, in 1962, that Ezra Jack Keats shook up the picture book world with the success of The Snowy Day, and that book didn't even touch upon the social interactions of different races. It merely featured a loveable black hero adventuring outdoors on a wintry day.

The action that takes place in this story is absolutely unremarkable. A toy bear in a department store discovers his button is missing after a little girl's mother remarks on it.

“Oh, Mommy!” she said. “Look! There’s the very bear I’ve always wanted.”

“Not today, dear.” Her mother sighed. “I’ve spent too much already. Besides, he doesn’t look new. He’s lost the button on one of his shoulder straps.”

Corduroy searches for the his button after the store has closed for the night. Unable to recover the lost item, he resigns himself to once again sit on the shelf alongside his fellow toys. In the morning, the little girl returns and buys the toy bear. When she brings him back to her apartment, she reassures Corduroy:

“I like you the way you are,” she said, “but you will be more comfortable with your shoulder strap fastened.”

“You must be a friend,” said Corduroy. “I’ve always wanted a friend.” 

“Me too!” said Lisa, and gave him a big hug.

 I am thankful for Corduroy because it can endure dozens and dozens of readings. At one point, this was Elinor's "read me every hour of the day" book. The text isn't just particularly charming. Freeman was, after all, an artist not a wordsmith, and Corduroy benefited from some careful editing following its initial rejection by publishers.  But the soul of the story came straight from Freeman and the sparse text is pleasing and polished.  In a lecture delivered to those interested in making picture books, Freeman noted "Simplicity is the essence of children’s book stories, not simple mindedness," and I think he accomplished this in Corduroy. The book may be simple, but beautiful themes abound - themes of friendship, of redemption, of restoration. If you're going to read a book over and over and over and over again, let it be a book that speaks those realities into the heart of your 2 year old.

On My Love of Moongame

The moon is probably referenced more often in children's picture books than astronomy textbooks. Off the top of my head I can think of at least a half dozen lines from books sitting right here on one of our bookshelves.

"Chicka chicka boom boom; look there's a full moon" - Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
"While the moon sailed high in the dark night sky" - The Big Red Barn
"Moon in my bed and dreams in my head. That's what I'll wear tonight" - Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?
"Harold needed a moon for a walk in the moonlight." Harold and the Purple Crayon
"In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf." - The Very Hungry Caterpillar
"I love you right up to the moon and back." - Guess How Much I Love You
"Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon." - Goodnight Moon

 While I love these "moon" books, and most of them are probably well known to you, not one of them has earned a spot on the coveted bookshelf above Elinor's bed. That honor goes to Moongame by Frank Asch. First published in 1984, the year of my birth, this is a book I fondly remember from my own childhood.  Moongame is actually one in a series of books about a naive little bear who wants so badly to interact with the moon. Other (more popular) books in the series include Happy Birthday, Moon, Moon Bear, and Mooncake. But for some reason, we love Moongame most of all.

The plot is simple enough. Bear decides to play a game of hide-and-seek with the moon, and the action of the story is moved forward as Bear tries to uncover moon's hiding spot. He searches behind rocks and in house windows, not realizing that a passing cloud has merely covered the moon for the time being. Both Asch's text and illustrations are simple and charming. The color palette he uses is actually quite beautiful. It's a book that just feels gentle and cozy which makes it a great bedtime read. It's also a book that ages well with your child. As a toddler, they identify and empathize with Bear, hoping he'll find moon at long last. As a preschooler, they are in on the joke and can giggle as Bear mistakes a big wedge of cheese or a large yellow balloon for the moon.

On My Love of Molly Lou Melon

Molly Lou Melon had a voice that sounded like a bullfrog being squeezed by a boa constrictor. She didn’t mind. Her grandma had told her, “Sing out clear and strong and the world will cry tears of joy.” …

So she did.

If reading that little excerpt hasn’t already stirred up in you a desire to own this book, I am sure something is very wrong with you.  My 2 year old daughter has seven precious picture books near her bed. They sit atop little wooden spice racks and every day I read her at least one of them (sometimes all of them).  Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon is her particular favorite, and I am so glad it is.  You see, picture books are a minefield. They are not as forgiving as chapter books.  Your child is going to request his or her favorite picture book over and over again, and most books simply can’t stand up to multiple readings.  One poor word choice on page 7 that you didn’t give a second thought to on the first read through is enough to make you want to track down every known copy to fuel an enormous bonfire on the 135^th reading. 

“Molly Lou Melon” is a gem.  Every word is perfectly chosen.  There are no wasted sentences.  And the story is so rich.  Molly Lou Melon is a little girl who, as we’ve already seen, lacks a beautiful singing voice (among other shortcomings) … but she doesn’t mind.  I love that. She just doesn’t mind, and all the anxieties and insecurities you might expect from a little girl who is impossibly short, clumsy, and buck-toothed to boot are simply not to be found because Molly is patterning her life after her grandma’s sage advice – to confidently be herself. 

And Ronald Durkin.  Can’t you just tell by that name that he’s arrogant and ill-mannered? My husband has actually described someone as a “real Ronald Durkin” and I cringed knowing exactly what he meant.  Well Ronald Durkin does his level best to make sure that Molly Lou Melon is put in her place, but to no avail.  In fact, by the book’s end, both my daughter and I rejoice as good triumphs over evil, and more than that, grace abounds for dear old Ronald. 

If the text of the story wasn’t enough, the art is perfect (which I didn’t realize until about the 35^th read through). Like Molly herself, the watercolor and pencil illustrations are a bit eccentric, but in a loveable way. One full page spread in particular shows Molly Lou Melon in all her glory, (but not to her advantage) as she shows off her buck-toothed smile. But that’s kind of the point. Molly is winsome and charming because she’s Molly, not because she has a perfect smile.  There is something new to see or appreciate each time I turn a page, a veritable feast for the eyes. 

You should own Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon.  It may not be the Jesus Storybook Bible, but it has got its share of truth, goodness, and beauty.