Giant Pants and Moving Pillows

TIMES TWO!!

Supreme silliness is afoot.  In my case afoot, afoot, afoot and afoot.  All four of my feet were twitching with amusement when I read these two books.The first one has a dog in it.  And a cat, but nothing can be perfect.  Laura Gehl wrote the words and Christopher Weyant made the pictures in "My Pillow Keeps Moving!"  A dog and a cat have no home and are shivering in the cold outside a store called The Pillow Place, which advertises that their pillows are guaranteed soft & fluffy.  A leg approaches on the right - that is just masterful, this illustrator really knows how to increase anticipation and silliness.

This is the setup for a very funny pattern - dog sneaks in to store, hides amongst merchandise on sale.  Goofy old man buys dog, thinking it is sale item.  At home his new product does not behave as expected, he takes it back to store.  Salesman (think used car salesman) assures him the product meets all guaranteed qualities (soft & fluffy!) and sends him on his way. This pattern is repeated with pillows, footstools, and jackets until we reach the inevitable very happy ending.
Make sure you look for the cat throughout the book, and don't forget to enjoy the stinky and embarrassing trip to the grocery store!

Next you might want to open up the giant-sized book "Giant Pants".  Ye Olde Mark Fearing wrote and illustrated this silly book, which seems to take place in the magical Middle Ages, with a touch of cyclops thrown in.  Belbum the giant has lost his one pair of pants, which were specially made for him by the tailor in town.  After unsuccessfully searching his whole house and flinging things about, Belbum must venture forth in his very large and polka-dotted boxers to try to find some pants.  He visits each of his friends - Polyphemus the cyclops (enjoy the picture of Belbum in a very small toga), Old Grint the wise gnome,  and Lucy the unicorn.  No pants!  Watch as Belbum cringingly walks in his boxers to find the tailor in town.  Enjoy his generosity with his friends, and then nod knowingly as he returns home with his fancy new pants, opens a drawer to put them away, and finds his old pants.

I was reminded of one of my other favorite books about a giant, "The Spiffiest Giant in Town".  That would make a great companion read.  Another favorite, "Lost Cat", could pair delightfully with "My Pillow is Moving".  So grab your dog biscuits and a big bowl of water, climb up on the couch and circle around about ten times, then settle down on top of the remote and the one good blanket and have yourself an afternoon of cozy reading.

 

Werewolves and Broccoli - Are They Really So Different?

Me, not a Werewolf or a Ghost!!

Two recently-published books came home in a bag last week.  Here's what I noticed right away:  Smiling mushrooms and a wolf on one cover, and a penguin and pajamas on the other.  The penguin wasn't wearing the pajamas, and the wolf wasn't laughing along with the mushrooms, but the juxtaposition of those images sure caught my attention.

So what did I do?  I grabbed a biscuit (or two), and lay on the couch I'm not supposed to by lying on, and started reading.  I was so engrossed I hardly had time to get off the couch and jump crazily at the door when my family got home.

Later that night, as I lay at the foot of the bed worshiping my Dad I started to think about those two books and what they had in common.  If I could have drawn a Venn diagram I would have.  Without opposable thumbs it's almost impossible!

The Astounding Broccoli Boy (Frank Cottrell Boyce) and Return to Augie Hobble (Lane Smith) both tell the stories of two underdogs, if I may use that expression.  They get thrown into unusual circumstances, one because he inexplicably turns bright green and the other because he has a close encounter with a werewolf. 

Rory, the broccoli-colored one, has to join forces with his enemy, who also turned green!  They decide they must be green for a reason, so they set out to do astounding things.  Astounding things do happen, but not quite in the way they expected.  However, they both grow and change - their lives will never be the same.  Would yours be, if you had turned bright green?

Now let's discuss werewolves.  Furry, drooly, badly behaved...  I've never liked them.  Augie Hobble is spending the summer working at Fairy Tale Place, the run down amusement park his dad manages.  He also has to go to summer school, since he failed his Creative Arts final project.  He's being bullied and his best friend is going away all summer.  Then the worst thing happens - his best friend dies while away!  And another really bad thing - Augie has a run-in with what he thinks is a werewolf, and soon his journal entries become very scary.  Is he turning into a werewolf?  The truth is even stranger, and let's just say it's possible for best friends to always be with you, no matter where they've gone.

These stories have humor, adventure, mystery, weirdness... but their power is friends, both new and old!  Now it's time for me to go pee on a bush, and for you to pick up a good book.

Pinterest Stole My Brain!!

I have been a bad dog!  I became so excited about discovering Pinterest that I neglected my reading.  Who knew you could just paw in "squirrels" and hundreds of pictures would come up that you could then add to a board for your drooling pleasure at any time?  There were also lots of DIY ideas for dog toys, and sweaters, and homemade biscuits...  You get the idea. 

Finally I had to stop and pull myself away.  I picked up a few small books to ease my way back into the dog-that-reads mode.  It turned out they were quite good!  First, lets examine Alexander McCall Smith's series about his heroine named Precious.  I felt an immediate kinship with her, as my name is equally ridiculous.  Don't tell the author I said that!  I started with The Great Cake Mystery, which appealed to my love of all things edible.  Then I went on to The Mystery of Meerkat Hill, which also appealed to my love of all things edible.  What I soon noticed about this series is that it is beautifully written.  The tone is gentle and melodic, with a hint of Rudyard Kipling.  The characters are likable, and the setting is exotic buy homey.  Precious uses her very good brain to think carefully about the mystery that presents itself and she saves the day in very satisfying ways.      

Link to book in SAILS Network
Link to book in Amazon

I also have discovered that I have a good brain for mysteries.  I kept wondering, what is it that smells so good in that big white bin?  One day I used my snout to flip the top and there were delicious things!  I spread them all over the family room so that I could better separate the smells and taste the delicacies!  My next mystery to solve is why my mystery-solving caused my family to make tooth-gnashing noises.  I was quite delighted by their reaction, but I didn't fully understand it.

Not me, but I wish it were!!!!!!!

The other little book I read was Lulu and the Cat in the Bag by Hilary McKay.  I love a cat in a bag as much as the next person.  This was an especially big cat, too.  The cat caused mixed reactions during the book.  The grandma was unhappy, then happy.  Lulu and her friend kept worrying about the cat and doing crazy things, like taking a wheelbarrow to lunch.  There seemed to be a lot of animals roaming around.  Hilary McKay is a really fun author, there is always chaos and excitement, and then a happy ending.  I know you'll enjoy this book.

Oh, I forgot to tell you what the Alexander McCall Smith books were about!  The first one was about a cake and the second one was about a meerkat.

Tom Angleberger Has Become Part of Our Bedtime Routine

Link to book in SAILS Network

You may know Tom Angleberger as the author of the Origami Yoda books, but I know him as the famous author of Crankee Doodle, by far the best book that I have ever found under the bed with all the dust bunnies.  You need to read this, but before you read it make sure you remember the song, which is extremely silly in my opinion.  It turns out that this book is even sillier, but dare I say also brilliant!  The very toothy Pony is trying to get Crankee Doodle to go to town, and Crankee will have none of it.  You have never heard anyone complain so much over a simple request!  At the suggestion of buying a feather for his hat he is positively waving his arms around in consternation, and that is where our bedtime routine comes in.  The Little One yells down the stairs, "Daddy, be Crankee Doodle!"  and Daddy waves his arms around like spaghetti and yells things like, "You want a glass of water?  Why would you want a glass of water, you'll just have to pee!  Water just goes right through you, and you can't possibly expect me to go get you a glass and then turn on the faucet and run the water into it and then carry it upstairs..."  Anyway, you get the idea.  I'll just say that both the Pony and the Little One get what they want through tears, but first there is a lot of hilarity and arm-waving.  Don't miss this one, it will make you laugh outright, and make sure you read the Pony's version of the song's history on the last page.

Link to book in SAILS Network

If you happen to be a little older, and a girl, you will love this other book I found under the bed, right next to a piece of popcorn.  First I ate the popcorn (stale) and then I opened up this book with my tongue.  It is called Heaven Is Paved with Oreos and it is written by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, who happens to be the sister of Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote Eat, Pray, Love which I have never read, but I would if it were called  Eat, Pee, Love.
So first there were some books about cows and football, the Dairy Queen trilogy, which Mom says are great.  The characters of those books are in this one, too, but the most important person here is Sarah.  She is best friends with Curtis, but maybe he is more than a friend.  Or maybe he isn't.  It is so confusing, for her and for me.  Luckily her somewhat flaky but lovely Grandma wants to take her to Rome, and that seems like a really great idea since everything at home has gotten so awkward.  The trip is full of surprises, some good and some bad, sort of like discovering a mouse in the house and then realizing the cats have already removed its tail.  Sarah learns a lot and also eats a lot, which I especially liked, although I can't really eat Oreos.  They look yummy, though.

Even better than Oreos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This book made my heart swell because the most important thing Sarah learns is that love is amazing in all its forms, which I already knew.  I don't even have to go to Rome to understand the power of love because I'm a dog, the embodiment of love!  If I do say so myself.

Me giving love and getting it in return

What the Schnoodlewacket Is a Cupcake?

So many books are about cupcakes these days.  What happened, did everyone decide to write about them at the same time?  I don't even know what they are, and since no one seems to cook around here I can't find out.  They look like fat toadstools with fluffy tops.  I wonder if they come in chicken or beef flavor...

The cat keeps walking across the keyboard.  It's hard enough to type without thumbs, let alone when  an annoying cat is in front of your nose.  This is what he is typing:  &%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%*GGG.  I am grumpy now.

Back to cupcakes.  I found "Just Grace and the Trouble with Cupcakes" under Mom's side of the bed.  It is written by Charise Mericle Harper.  When I nosed through it I noticed pictures of a dog, so I decided to keep  reading.  It is like a diary with pictures.  That makes it a little easier for a dog to read, because the words are further apart and the drawings help me to keep my place when my whiskers get in the way.  Yes, I have whiskers, but they are not like cat whiskers.  They are better.
There's a girl dog in the book who came with the name Mr. Scruffers.  That is silly, but it did remind me of my own situation.  I came with the name Princess.  Mom seems to keep telling people, "I didn't name her".  What, is she embarrassed by my name?  She seems to really love me so I try not to let it bother me.  Oops, back to the book!

Just Grace has two exciting things going on - the Spring Fair and a visit from Grandma.  She can't wait for Grandma to meet Mr. Scruffers!  There is a disastrous picnic which leads somehow to delicious cupcakes.  Then Grace and her best friend have a fight over candy and cupcakes and the Spring Fair.  Owen 1 turns out to not be so bad and the Cupcake Mascot turns out to be someone Grace loves.  That's all I'm going to tell you because if you are a girl, even if your name is Mr. Scruffers, you should read this book.  Especially if you like books like "Ivy and Bean" and "Clementine" and "Not-So-Weird Emma".  After you read it please tell me what a cupcake is!

You might think cupcake books are only for girls, but you would be wrong.  I found another book on the couch and it was "Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets" by Eric Luper. First Jeremy does something horrible to his dad's boat.   He has to fix it before his dad finds out, so he needs money fast!  He and his best friend see an ad for a model sailboat race and if you win you get prize money, maybe enough to fix a real boat.  But you have to be a Cupcake Cadet, and a girl, in order to race and win.  You'll never guess who dress up as girls!  Lots of funny situations, and cupcakes too!  I still don't know what cupcakes are but I really enjoyed the book.

I Laughed My Tail Off!

After finding the dead mouse under the couch I needed to calm myself.  I snuggled up on the family's best chair with a book I found between the cushion and the arm, also I found some delicious old popcorn!  To be honest, this book did not look too relaxing or calming, it had a crazy cover , and the title was "The Great Cat Conspiracy", by Katie Davies.  The cat had a snaggly tooth, which made me nervous.

I started to read it anyway, since I was too lazy to get up and choose another book, and it made me laugh so hard drool shot out of one of my nostrils.  I was glad no one was home to see that.
Anna and Suzanne are best friends, and they live next door to each other, in one of those houses that's connected but with a wall between.  There's a little brother Tom who is always eating cookies, and some very silly neighbors, and a Dad who is always yelling, and a New Cat.  The New Cat has replaced the Old Cat, who died, and the New Cat likes to attack feet and anything else that moves, and one day it disappears.  No one notices but Tom, and even cookies can't make him feel better.  So Anna and Suzanne and Tom try to find the New Cat, and their search leads them into all sorts of trouble and also some amazing discoveries.  But what you need to know is that this book will make you laugh and laugh, and you will want to then read:
"The Great Dog Disaster" - which features a dog named Beatrice who "smelled like Graham Roberts's PE bag with a dead vole at her back end.  And at the front she smelled like Mrs. Constantine's pond, the time it went green with slime and all the fish floated to the top."  Find out how the girls and Tom save Beatrice, and how Beatrice saves Tom from the ducks and the river, and becomes a dog hero.  Also, find out about Mrs.Rotherham's huge underwear and why Beatrice is wearing them, and why the Ark got flattened at Sunday  School, and why Tom is wearing an inflatable dinghy and a furry black rug.  You won't be disappointed, and you will definitely laugh your tail off!

Chaos Ensues in 3 Books for Young Readers

These three books were in a pile under some dirty socks, so of course I knew they would be good!  Here's the titles:
Captain Awesome Vs. Nacho Cheese Man - by  Stan Kirby
Escape From Silver Street Farm - by Nicola Davies
Ghost Buddy: How to Scare the Pants Off Your Pets - by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

I was instantly attracted to the hamster on the cover.  Can you see him?  He is wearing a cape and sunglasses, and is quite plump!  Plus there's the whole nacho cheese thing.  This book is pretty easy to read and has lots of fun pictures inside.  Turns out that Captain Awesome and Nacho Cheese Man are best friends, also known as Eugene and Charlie.  They have a big fight - will evil take over because the Sunnyview Superhero Squad can't get along?  There is also a baby called Queen Stinkypants and a dog called Mr. Drools.  Read it if you dare!

 

Chaos on the cover!!  Sheep running rampant in a market make it hard not to grab this book by the upper corner, being careful not to leave tooth marks,  and shake your head so that it falls open in front of you.  First there's a map with pictures of yummy chickens and turkeys, then the story starts with a literal "bang" as Kenny the ram head-butts his stall door.  Pretty soon you've met the three children, Flora the farmer, the yummy chickens and turkeys, and the silly sheep.  Also two dogs!!  Then crazy things happen that involve a messy market, the sheep and the turkeys, a rescued baby, a blow-up castle, turkey thieves and some policemen.  There's lots of food at the end.  This is not too hard to read and the pictures are fun.

Yikes, a ghost!!  I was a little scared, but when I actually read this the ghost turned out to be silly and spoiled, not scary - except to a fish and a cat (of course!). He's in "time out" for bad behavior, like when I pee on the rug.  He shares a room with a modern boy, Billy, who happens to have moved into the house he is haunting.  They're friends, and Billy tries to help him get out of time out. Every thing Billy does to help goes wrong, especially with the goats!  The goats cause the chaos in this book, I wish I had been there for that scene. Will this have a happy ending?  I'm not going to tell you, but a very fat cat has something to do with it.  This book was a little more challenging for me to read, with more words and chapters.

The best part is that all of these books are part of a series, so if you like them you can read more about the characters.  Mom says she thinks the one by Nicola Davies is the best, because she loves the writing of  authors from the United Kingdom (whatever that is), but that kids will like any of these when they are just looking for a fun read.

Hamsters review Humphrey!

Hi, we're the new Library hamsters, but we're visiting with Princess until we go there.  First she tried to eat us, but then she said we could review a book!  We can't wait.  We don't have names yet, so I'll be H1.  And I'll be H2 (I'm the cute one).

H1 - I'll start.  We are going to review "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney.
H2 - We know, you've probably already read it.  But it's perfect for us!
H1 - Humphrey is a hamster who goes from a pet store to a school and then
H2 - Just like us!
H1 - Hey, I wasn't done.  Then he meets all the kids in the classroom and they all
H2 -Just like we're going to!
H1 - I wasn't done!  They all have funny names, and they all love
H2 - Us!  They all will love us!
H1 - Stop it!!  Stop interrupting, I'm talking about the book, not you!  You're driving me crazy!
H2 - Oops, sorry.
H1 - Princess says we're getting sidetracked, and she's thinking about how tasty we look.
H2 - We'd better finish up fast.  I'll take it from here.  So Humphrey loves living in the classroom.
H1 - Back to me!  And he gets to go home on weekends until a different teacher takes over, and she does not like rodents!
H2 - Can you believe it?  So Humphrey has to get used to nights at the school, but he meets a nice janitor, and then the Principal takes him home to meet his kids.
H1 - The Principal has no control over his own kids!
H2 - Just like Miss Kitty!  Don't tell her I said that.
H1 - And that's as far as we got.  We're not very fast readers.  But it's so funny, and we just know Humphrey is going to have all sorts of adventures.
H2 - Just like us!
H1 - Soon we'll have names, but until then
H2 - Remember that I'm the cute one!

Hilary McKay, English writer and crumpet eater

Do you like English humour?  I do, and I also like English food, like Shepherd's Pie!  Yum, the soft potato topping. Mmmmm, the delicious shepherds inside.  Oh, mom says it's just beef.
Anyway, I have recently discovered Hilary McKay, but I guess mom and her non-furry friend Susan discovered her a long time ago, when they first read "The Exiles".  They laughed and laughed, and have been reading her books ever since.  That's what she told me, and I believe her because she's a librarian and they never lie.
So, there are a few picture books, one about a pirate adventure in the backyard and another about a dragon downstairs.  I was scared about the dragon one because it takes place at night, but guess what!  The dragon is really just a three letter word beginning with "c" and ending with "t".  I don't want to spoil it for the children.
Then there's the first book of the Exiles series, about four sisters who get sent off to spend the summer with their eccentric grandmother.  Their stay is like a visit to the dog park when the wind is blowing and the dogs are feisty and snappish, and keep running into each other.  Then they are all tired out and find special friends and rest happily against their humans' legs.  Except it's a lot funnier.
"Saffy's Angel" is the first book in the Casson family series, and that Casson family is something else!  I would like to live with them because they're the kind of family who would always be dropping food on the floor.  The oldest daughter loves rodents, although not in the same way I love rodents. Everyone is named after paint colors, which I don't really get, but with a name like "Princess" I can't really complain.
"Dog Friday" is the first in another series about two families that live next to each other, and there's a dog in it, in case you couldn't tell from the title.  Also, there's one of the funniest scenes in a children's book ever, and it involves a turkey. 
Her new series is for younger children, and the first book ("Lulu and the Dog from the Sea') also has a dog in it!  It's about a girl, and a dog who needs a family, just like I needed a family!  You can tell from the cover that it ends happily, but I haven't gotten that far because my dad told me it was time for bed and took the book away.  I'll finish it tomorrow.

Time for lights out!

Gerald and Piggie are the best!

If you are just learning to read, or just like funny pictures, you will love the "Elephant and Piggie" books by Mo Willems!  I just discovered them while I was trying to retrieve a big piece of pita bread from a book bag on the floor.