One Cool Friend

Miss Bonnie at The Storybook Shoppe recently introduced our family to a real treat in children's literature. One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeco with pictures by David Small is a hilarious and quick-witted adventure of a boy who takes a penguin home from the aquarium. My 5 year old daughter, Molly, thought the quirky and eccentric father was a fun character (he is!) and we adored the illustrations, truly worthy of a Caldecott Honor. 

What fun would it be to have your own exotic pet? A penguin would be fun for a little one, wouldn't it? Ice skating, bathing, hanging out in the freezer... Molly seemed to think this all sounded like a funny idea. Read it to your children and ask -- what animal would you like to bring home from the zoo or aquarium? Let their imaginations go! 

We loved how this book stretched the imagination.  The author has taken the concept of taking a penguin from the aquarium all the way through -- from how the boy got there one day, how the boy arranged to sneak him out, how he fed the penguin, entertained it and kept it comfortable.  It has a hilarious ending that further solidifies that quirky Dad! 

The staff at The Storybook Shoppe highly recommends this one for our young readers with imaginations. It's perfect for boys or girls and makes a wonderful addition to any home library.  You can buy it now, right here on our blog, for 10% OFF! 

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If An Armadillo Went To A Restaurant

If an armadillo went to a restaurant, what would she order? Would it be spaghetti and meatballs or a plate of ants and worms with beetles, too? In this book, If An Armadillo Went To A Restaurant by Ellen Fischer and Lauren Wood, children get to find out what an armadillo might eat -- and what plenty of other animals might eat, too! 

This adorable book came highly recommended to our family this afternoon by both Miss Wendy and Miss Bonnie at The Storybook Shoppe.  We took the book home and dove right in.  We learned what a sea turtle, rattlesnake, butterfly, giraffe, wallaby, hedgehog, giraffe and a few others eat. It's a clever book, really! As children learn about the animals, where they live and what they eat, it's also funny, a bit sassy, and entertaining. It's perfectly illustrated to keep things fun, dynamic and interesting for children to follow along. 

The O'Regan children especially enjoyed the last page with a menu and this message: "What would you order?" As I read off the items (chocolate chip pancakes, PB&J Sandwich, Spaghetti and Meatballs, and other kid friendly foods), my daughter, Molly, and son, Connor, rattled off which they would choose. (I was only a bit disappointed that less cliche and more varied foods weren't included. Certainly there are plenty of children who go beyond this menu! Chicken vindaloo? Indian curry? Pad Thai? It could happen!)  But the menu idea was a fun and interactive end to the book! 

Do you know a child interested in animals? Move beyond the farm and barnyard animals and introduce them to a wallaby, octopus, and others in this adorable book.  You can buy it now, right here on our blog for 10% OFF. Just check out below using Paypal and it will be shipped straight to your door within days. Thank you for supporting The Storybook Shoppe, Bluffton, South Carolina's independent children's bookstore. 

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Lindbergh - A Tale of a Flying Mouse

I often go into The Storybook Shoppe several times a week. Sometimes I go to take photos for our Facebook page, sometimes I go to shop for a birthday party gift, other times I go to take Molly and Connor after school or daycare to shop.  Last week was one that I had the pleasure of visiting three times in a week. On each occasion, three different staff members all recommended Lindberg, The Tale of the Flying Mouse. 

With not one glowing recommendations but THREE, I had to get this one home. Only one problem. Molly took one look at the cover and said she didn't want to read it. To my horror, I was unable to do my assignment! (And talk about judging a book by it's cover!) So I sat down by myself and read this book that Molly proclaimed "scary" and "dark." 

What's the problem? I thought. Cute book about a mouse running from cats that learns to fly. And such beautiful illustrations! 

When a  new, mechanical mousetrap is invented, all the mice flee to America, the land of the free. But how will they flee with large cats guarding the ships? This mouse must learn to fly. He must be the courageous and daring mouse who defies all odds and triumphs the dangers of the cats, owls, other mice, and of course, the plane!  What a great message about being courageous and perseverance. 

When I returned the following week, Miss Bonnie asked what I thought of Lindbergh, The Tale of The Flying Mouse. I told her that my 5 year old daughter, Molly, thought it looked to scary and it was dark. At that time, she let me in on the lesser known fact of this book. It's a World War II analogy, one that parallels Nazi Germany. 

Hiding from cats, escaping torture devices like mouse traps, sneakily planning an escape to a distant land, this mouse does everything a Jewish person running from Nazi's had to do.  I had the chills. How could I have missed it? How did Molly subconsciously get creeped out by it? I read it again and again. Each time, I picked up something new.  And yet, if you didn't know this fact -- you would just have guessed it was about aviation and a mouse's determination to build the best flying machine ever!  This is one of my favorite things about children's literature. There are just so many layers. 

The Storybook Shoppe and our staff recommends this book for students just learning about World War II and Nazi Germany, perhaps in 3rd or 4th grade, or little ones that are interested in aviation.  It's appropriate and interesting for a wide range of ages and makes a fabulous addition to your library! 

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Three Bears in a Boat

Are you a fan of David Soman's series Ladybug Girl? In the O'Regan household, we love the bold heroine in the series. We were introduced to his latest, Three Bears in a Boat, which is entirely different and in my opinion, even better.  My 5-year old daughter, Molly, loved it too. 

Three siblings go on an adventure of a lifetime in search of replacing their mother's broken sea shell. (The naughty bears broke it trying to get forbidden honey from the jar!)  The three bears sail on a boat to distant islands searching under water, in caves, and high and low for the perfect replacement. 

When things get rough and they start to blame each other, a terrible storm threatens their boat. And just as soon as they work together, cooperate and support one another, the storm clears and they are safe. It was a metaphor that was understood by my 5 year old.  It's smooth sailing when you work together. Rough seas when you don't. 

We loved the matriarch in this book, too. She's soft, caring and understanding when they return and admit what they have done. But in typical mom fashion, they still have some punishment and they don't get any dessert.  This brought a lovely reality to the book and showed consequences for their wrong actions. 

All in all, I loved everything about this book.  The illustrations are phenomenal, the story is well told, and the message is clear. I highly recommend this one to all of our Storybook Shoppe readers.  You can buy it here, right now on our blog by checking out with PayPal below.  Save 10% OFF and support a local independent bookstore, The Storybook Shoppe! 

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Emily's Balloon

There's is something magical about balloons for a youngster. Children love flying a balloon, sending it into the air, batting it around, tying it on their wrist and carrying it around with them.  There seems to be so much joy with this round, colorful "thing" floating in the air! I know my kids love them which is why I knew that Emily's Balloon by Komako Sakai would be a big hit when the staff at The Storybook Shoppe recommended it to me. It's a classic read in our house. We read it almost nightly to my 2-year old son, Connor. 

A little girl, Emily, loves her balloon so much that it comes outside with her to play house. She makes a crown for it. She takes that beloved balloon everywhere.  Which is why she's dreadfully sad when the wind takes the balloon and it gets stuck in a tree.  Emily can't eat, sleep, or play with the balloon anymore. But her reassuring mother promises to help fix the problem.  

The illustrations in this book are marvelous. The characters are done in charcoal lines and there is a muted color palate of black, white, grey, and hues of yellow.  The language reflects the simplicity of the illustrations making it very relevant to toddlers. 

I highly recommend this beautifully illustrated book about a child's love affair for balloons and a mother's promise to her child. Toddlers will love reading it over and over again, like Connor does.  And as your little ones start to read, this makes a great book for a beginner reader! It's available at The Storybook Shoppe in Bluffton, South Carolina or available buy checking out with Paypal right here on our blog. 

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On a side note, thank you for being a reader of our blog! Today we are celebrating our 50th blog post! 

Digger Man

I had such idealistic aspirations for raising my children. I wanted to defy stereotypes and gender biases yet no matter what, my daughter likes princesses and dolls and my son likes trucks and construction.  Yesterday we went to Kroger and took advantage of their "free balloon."  Molly requested a pink one and Connor requested a blue one. Does it get anymore stereotypical?  Despite my best efforts to push dolls on my son, he tosses them aside (or throws them violently!) for a giant truck that makes obnoxious noises. Molly will barely play with trucks.  What am I doing wrong? 

The truth is, probably nothing. Some studies show that we are genetically wired and predispositioned  to conform to these gender stereotypes; it's built into our genes.  In typical "boy" fashion, Connor is completely enthralled with Digger Man by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemsha.  We must have read it 1,000 times. We've read it so many times that he has it memorized and if I leave out the last word, he'll finish the sentence for me.  It's adorable! 

This story in particular is a great one because it's also about a relationship between siblings. A little boy who loves diggers is going to buy a digger one day, and teach is younger brother to use a digger too! My favorite part is them cuddling in bed together at the end of the book. Perhaps that's the female in me, bringing relationships and love into a book about diggers. Perhaps that's what makes this book great -- it plays to both genders beautifully. 

Do you know a little boy who loves trucks, construction and diggers like my son? This one is for you! Buy it now here on our blog for 10% OFF or come into The Storybook Shoppe in Bluffton, South Carolina to get it and many others like it.  We have a "construction" shelf that little boys go crazy for.  Happy reading to your little boy or girl! 

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The Troublemaker

My two year old son, Connor, has become a real challenge. Extremely energetic, curious, daring, and bold, Connor is into everything he shouldn't be and keeps us on our toes.  I recently had a break down in our pediatrician's office.  "I'm tired!" I told him.  "He's so hard! He doesn't slow down!" My daughter, Molly, was incredibly easy by comparison.  She'd sit and play quietly with her babies, blocks, and "read" books at this age. Thankfully, our doctor gave some great advice about discipline and raising boys, and I feel like we are on the right track.

There's one time of day that I really cherish with this energetic wild man of mine. Two or three times a day, when Connor himself has gotten tired, we sit down for "buddy and milk."  Buddy is his treasured blanket and he likes to sit on my lap, drink milk, and read books. It's the best part of my day.

I've said it more than once, but I feel so blessed to get incredible book recommendations from Miss Nancy and her wonderful staff at The Storybook Shoppe.  It's clear that they read all the reviews, read the books when they come in, and know just what to recommend.  I was in the other day and Miss Bonnie recommended "The Troublemaker" by Lauren Costillo.

In this simple but beautifully illustrated hardcover book, a little boy is bored so he steals his sister's treasured rabbit.  When his mother makes him return it, his favorite toys start to disappear. Who is making all the mischief?  You'll have to find out! It's incredibly cute and teaches a quick lesson on not taking what isn't yours.  (Without being overly preachy!)  Taking toys from his sister is something that Connor does (though don't all two year olds?) and I liked this message.

Would you like this book in your home? You can buy it here on the blog, without having to leave your computer! We will ship it to your door. Check out below using Paypal or major credit card.  Enjoy this one!

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