Out of the 60-something library books we are returning today, these are the few that rose to the top as the favs...

All of us enjoyed...

One Ted Falls Out of Bed by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Anna Currey


The Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney


The Gruffalo's Child by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Azel Sheffler (don't miss the first-The Gruffalo)


The Night is Singing by Jacqueline Davies, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker


My brand new reader has also been reading lots of the little blue Phonics Readers books...A Cat Nap, Pen Pals, and Pat's Jam.

Here are our favorite library picks...


Baby Bear's Books by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Melissa Sweet 


Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie


Hey, Pancakes! by Tamson Weston, illustrated by Stephen Gammell


Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beithf


And here are the latest picture books we've bought and loved...


Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard


Go to Bed, Monster! by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz


Muncha Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming, illustrated by G. Brian Karas


How about you? What are your current favorites? I've love to check them out when we go back to the library tomorrow. Thanks.

Wow. This has got to be about the longest I've gone without blogging here at Whimsy. And I've been slacking a bit at Clean Reads as well, although not nearly as bad as here.

I've been meaning to blog about a picture book I received for review. So, I'll start with that. 

Tara's Flight by Ruth Eitzen is a unique story about a very familiar subject...Noah and the Great Flood. 

Aram is Noah's grandson. His best friend is Tara, the dove from the Bible story. Aram doesn't play with the other kids much anymore because they are too busy taunting his grandfather.

"At last, one day, Grandfather Noah blows a long, loud blast on his horn. ALL ABOARD! Still now water, but Aram and Tara answer the call." Finally, the rains begin. There isn't much room in the arc to play. For forty days and nights, the rain comes down.

The waters begin to recede. Noah sends Tara out to find land. When he comes back with an olive twig, the family knows they can go home.

"No one knows how it came about, but even today when the white dove is seen flying across the world like a prayer, peace is on the way."


The illustrations by Allan Eitzen are beautiful and unique. They look like a combination of paint and paper cut-outs...but I'm not an artist, by any means.

I liked this book the first time through. However, I liked the book a whole lot better after a personal experience....

The kids were squabbling. My big boy stopped ubruptly and began an art project. I thought he was just removing himself from the situation, until I saw what he was making. He made a flag with a dove and olive branch on it, saying, "We aren't going to fight anymore. I made a peace flag."

So, now if someone starts arguing, we wave our peace flag, thanks to Tara's Flight...You can see why I had to review this one. I owed the author at least that much.



I'll be back sooner this time. I promise. I want to tell you some things I learned this weekend at LDStorymakers.

• There's the clock with hands that move
• A maze to navigate
• A spin wheel for learning the alphabet and numbers
• A special pen to draw on the write-on, wipe-off board
• Mommy's laptop, cell phone, and wallet with a removable credit card

I really missed seeing all the fiction picture book Cybil Nominees this year. Nonfiction was fun and enlightening, but fiction is where my passion is.

Many of the Cybil shortlists are in. I truly enjoyed working on the Nonfiction Picture Book Committee. Here is our shortlist...Visit the Cybils site for all the other categories.

Guess What is Growing Inside this Egg
Written and illustrated by Mia Posada
Millbrook Press
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Emily of Whimsy Books says: "Guess What is Growing Inside this Egg, by Mia Posada, is an interactive treat. Children will scour through the creative illustrations guessing at the animals hiding in each egg. Following each guessing game, readers will enjoy learning a few interesting facts about the animals."

Let's Go!: the Story of Getting from There to Here
Written by Lizann Flatt; illustrated by Scot Ritchie
Maple Tree Press
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Andrea of Just One More Book!! says: "Engaging, upbeat illustrations and a stirring current of action, alliteration and ever-changing gaits sweep us through the evolution of transportation from the ice age to modern day, providing vivid glimpses of North American life and insight into the impact of transportation technology on the human experience."

Lightship
Written and illustrated by Brian Floca
Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
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Fiona of Books and 'Rocks says: "The fog seems to waft off the page in this delightful look at the work and life aboard the lightship Ambrose -- a floating lighthouse anchored offshore. Floca's detailed watercolor illustrations and deceptively simple text sprinkled with sensory language have readers practically feeling the dampness, tasting the sea air, and tilting with the deck."

Living Color
Written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Houghton Mifflin
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Jennifer of Kiddosphere says: "Using his trademark cut-paper-collage illustrations and engaging text, Steve Jenkins introduces readers to the wild and wonderful world of color in the animal kingdom. Jenkins shares information, rather than lectures, and readers feel as if they are being included in delightful secrets. Perfect for children who enjoy 'browsable books,' but don't be surprised if an adult sneaks a read as well."

One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
Written and illustrated by Lita Judge
Hyperion
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Andrea of Just One More Book!! says: "Eye-opening scatterings of yellowed newspaper footprints, handwritten lists and aged, intimate photographs make vivid this beautifully told true story of hardship, and the pulling together of communities torn to opposite sides of war."

Vulture View
Written by April Pulley Sayre; illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Henry Holt & Co.
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Tricia of The Miss Rumphius Effect says: "We've all seen them, with their dark plumage, featherless heads and hooked beaks, circling, circling something in the distance. Road kill for breakfast? Don't mind if I do! Yes, I'm talking about vultures, and so is April Pulley Sayre in her informative and poetic book, gorgeously illustrated by Steve Jenkins." Read her review here.

Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged Creatures Concealed...and Revealed
Written by David Schwartz and Yael Schy; photographs by Dwight Kuhn
Tricycle Press
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Fiona of Books and 'Rocks says: "A refreshing selection of ten camouflaged animals beautifully photographed and presented as a "find-the-critter" challenge. Snappy titles and delicious poems cleverly hint at the animals' identities (form and meter match each animal!), and fold-out pages reveal the animals and cool information about them, clearly written in a kid-friendly style."

For playgroup recently, I had everyone over for Storytime. I chose the theme--Friendship--ahead of time, and picked out a few of my favorite books that fit the theme. We read Fox Makes Friends by Adam Rex, Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems (you'll never go wrong with Mo), Duck and Goose by Tad Hills, and Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend by Melanie Watt (as much as I love the Scaredy Squirrel books, I discovered that they are kind of difficult for Read-alouds). 

After the stories, we played Musical Pillows with a twist. Instead of having someone lose every time the song turned off, we'd take a pillow out, and the kids would have to share. By the end of the game, all-15-or-so kids were reaching in to get a hand on the last pillow. It was lots of fun, and fit the Friendship theme.

Lastly, we made turkeys as you see above. I found a similar turkey on a preschool crafts website (unfortunately I can't remember which one), but changed it up a bit to fit the theme. I also thought it would be fun to add balloon gobbles (we used water balloons blown up with a little air.)


About our playgroup in general...

Every six months or so, someone in the neighborhood puts together a schedule for Friday playgroups. We meet at a designated location every Friday at the same time, and then go to our scheduled location. I made the schedule this time around. Some of our favorite activities have been Apple Picking/Hay Ride, the Dinosaur Museum, the LDS Museum of Church History and Art, and Picnic at the Park days. I am also excited about a couple activities we have coming up, including the Fire Station tour and the Christmas Festival of Trees.

Everyone who wants to come is welcome to our group. We have children everywhere from 9 months to 4 years old...and the mommies have fun, too.

The schedule I made is coming to an end, so I'm starting to gather ideas for next year. I'm planning to include a farm and the zoo in the schedule.

Are you part of a playgroup? I'd LOVE to hear some of the things you have enjoyed doing in your group!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make contact with Jane Dyer, but I still have the opportunity to spotlight the truly wonderful snowflake she created for Robert's Snow: For Cancer's Cure entitled "Baby Snowflake". I wish I knew how to make the background of the post dark, so you could get a better view of this unique beauty. Jane Dyer's snowflake will be up for auction Nov 26th-30th.

According to Little, Brown and Company, "Jane Dyer always wanted to be a teacher...She wrote and illustrated lesson activities for teachers to accompany a new reading program being developed for Addison-Wesley. But it was Jane’s special gift for illustration that soon led to trade book work with numerous publishers."

Here are some of my favorite books she has made beautiful through her art.