The Apple Pie Tree

by Zoe Hall

illustrated by Shari Halpern

The book begins, "My sister and I have a tree that grows the best part of an apple pie. Can you guess what that is?" This is my favorite book about seasons (ok, to date...my favorites are always changing). You follow a girl and her sister through the seasons, watching their apple tree (and the robin's nest inside the tree) go through the progression that occurs with the seasons.

The pictures were made with bold colored cut paper, adding dimension to the pages. That paper technique makes the large pictures both simple and intricate at the same time.

This book comes complete with a simple illustrated explanation of bee pollination at the end, and a recipe for apple pie!

Have a little fun:  (like you couldn't see this one coming...) Visit an orchard and make an apple pie!

A little more fun:  No orchard nearby, or it isn't apple-picking season? Teach your child a memorized poem with actions (progress down to 0 apples in the apple tree). Could be sung to the tune of "This Old Man"

Way up High in the Apple Tree

(hands up)

Five little apples smiled at me

(5 fingers, followed by pointer fingers twisting at the cheeks)

I shook the tree as hard as I could

(like you're shaking a tree)

Down came the apples

(lower hands)

Mmm, were they good

(pat tummy)

-Author unknown

image via bankstreetbooks.com

How I Became a Pirate

by Melinda Long

illustrated by David Shannon

Jeremy Jacob is building a sand castle at the beach when Braid Beard and his pirates row ashore. They immediately admire Jeremy's digging skills and decide to bring him on board to help bury their treasure.

Jeremy has a great time being a pirate. No one tells him how or what to eat, no one tells him to go to bed...it's paradise!...until nightfall. Jeremy Jacob learns that sometimes it's nice to have someone around to take care of him.

The pictures are great, but I love, love, love the text! You absolutelycannot read this book without a pirate accent. Don't even bother reading it if you aren't willing to pirate-speak, "Aye, treasure!"

Have a little fun: Make new traditions! Start celebrating International Talk Like A Pirate Day on September 19th, and make a whole pirate theme for the day. Start the day reading this book! Since you know about it now, you've got months to make yer map, build up yer pirate booty, and brush up on yer "arr!"

image via smallfoz.typepad.com

Gallop!

by Rufus Butler Seder

Prepare to be amazed by this picture book. I guess I shouldn't call it that, because it's unlike any other picture book I've seen. My son, Luke, calls it the "movie book." That seems very appropriate. Prepare to be amazed by this movie book.

The picture below is not featured in the book. It's actually a "kineticard"(greeting card) also by Rufus Seder. Really, this is how the animals move as you turn the page. I guess he has patented it, and calls it "Scanimation." Alright, slightly better than "movie book." My guess is, this is the first of many Scanimation books.  Check out this YouTube video to give you an idea of what to expect from the actual book.

The text follows a predictable pattern, starting with "Can you gallop like a horse?" It then moves on to other animals and changes the action word. "Can you strut like a rooster?" and so on (dog, cat, eagle, "chimp," butterfly, and turtle). Simple text, but in this case, you really aren't purchasing the book to read the text.

Have a little fun with it: I always thought it was "persistence of vision" that made possible the illusion of movement in still pictures. Many places on the Internet will talk about it as well, but according to Wikipedia.com, it isn't. Oh well. Regardless of whatever it is in our brains that makes this happen, it's neat. If your child is truly fascinated by this book, instead of taking it apart (as I am SO tempted to do!), go to this neato site featuring old fashioned moving picture machines. Download the free pdf to make your own optical toys like the zoetrope or thaumatrope. And check out the phenakistoscope while you're there.

image via pemshop.com

Where's the Dragon?

by Jonas Hook

illustrated by Richard Hook

After years of telling George tales of dragons, his grandfather decides to take George on a dragon hunt (even though his grandfather hasn't actually seen a dragon himself). You can also go on a dragon hunt as you search for all 76 dragons hidden throughout the book. The illustrations are beautiful, but what really makes them stand out, is that they stand out! The embossed pages allow you to "feel" the dragons, and spot laminations add another dimension as well. What I really like about this book is that it doesn't entirely rely on clever illustrations. The book actually has an entertaining story to go along with the entertaining pictures.

The end of the book gives you a clue as to how to find out how many dragons are hidden in the book (I've cheated and told you here). Identify the dragons you can readily see as you read through the first time, but then go back and try to find them all!

I'd Really Like to Eat a Child

by Sylviane Donnio

illustrated by Dorothee de Monfreid

You want to go out and buy this book just from the title alone, don't you?

Achilles is a crocodile whose parents usually serve bananas for breakfast. One morning, Achilles decides he would prefer to eat a child. Being concerned parents, they try to deter Achilles from eating a child by offering him a sausage, and even chocolate cake. They finally sit down and cry because their child won't eat what they have put before him (sound familiar, anyone?).

Achilles starts to feel weak because he hasn't eaten breakfast, so he decides a swim would help. At the riverbank he spots a girl and says, "Finally, I'm going to eat a child." I'm not one for spoiling a book, so I'll just say this is a good book for teaching your children to eat the healthy things mom and dad provide. Also, some goals are accomplished with time and effort.

I got a good laugh from a review of this book that was concerned about frightening those children who read this book in crocodile infested areas. I think I would be more concerned about teaching children that crocodiles eat bananas for breakfast, but I think someone missed the point that this book is supposed to be silly. Enjoy a good laugh!

Have a healthy snack when you're finished reading. This would be a good time to find out if your child even knows what a healthy snack is. How about a banana?

image via withrow.vcworks.org