Ox-Cart Man

Do you remember this book?  I think I first discovered it via Reading Rainbow as LeVar Burton read it to his audience.  Ox-Cart Man (c. 1979) by Donald Hall with Caldecott award winning illustrations by our beloved Barbara Cooney recalls the days of a 19th century New England family.  Take a journey back in time from the moment you open the first page:

                                           In October he backed his ox into his cart
                                           and he and his family filled it up
                                          with everything they made or grew all year long
                                          that was left over.

A beautiful depiction of early settler life throughout the seasons, Ox-Cart Man takes the ten day travel to town to trade his goods for the necessities for surviving the next year on his family farm.

Early reader chapter book list

I had a friend ask me today if there are any alternatives to Junie B. Jones books.  Actually, I'm asked this question frequently.  Yes, yes, and yes!  Don't let your child waste his or her time with the sass and attitude, not to mention poor grammar reinforcement, of Junie B. Jones when there are classic titles abounding.  In the future, I hope to feature more chapter books.  However, if you have a young reader especially, please don't overlook picture books.  Some of the best picture books are a challenge to read.  And they can provide quick satisfaction if your reader would like to complete a story over the course of 1-3 evenings.  In no particular order, here are some chapter book alternatives that line our shelves (or that we've checked out) here at Read Me A Story:

the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series by Betty MacDonald, illustrations by the brilliant Hilary Knight
books by A. A. Milne
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
the Mary Poppins series by P. L. Travers
The Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne
anything by Roald Dahl
books by E. B. White such as Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web
books by Beverly Cleary
The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong, illustrations by none other than Maurice Sendak
books by Lois Lenski
Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

The Middle Moffat and other books by Elanor Estes
Five Little Peppers by Margaret Sidney

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

The Borrowers by Mary Norton
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

books that boys especially enjoy:
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Homer Price by Robert McClosky
The Mouse on the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
Jo's Boys and Little Men by Louisa M. Alcott
the Redwall series by Brian Jacques
books by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (aka Samuel Clemens)
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
Arabian Nights
books by Jules Vernebooks by Jack London
books by H. G. Wells
books by Alexander Dumas

books that girls especially enjoy:

Betsy and Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace

The Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The American Girl books
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
Little Women and other books by Louisa May Alcott
Anne of Green Gables and other books by Lucy Maud Montgomery
The Secret Garden and The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglass Wiggin
Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Over in the Meadow

I have another folk-song turned into book for you today.  John Langstaff's retelling of Over in the Meadow (c. 1957) begs to be checked out due to Feodor Rojankovsky's gorgeous, lifelike illustrations.   In fact, I was going to scan more illustrations to share with you.  However, here's the problem: I can't decide which ones to share.  So you'll have to content yourself with the cover jacket until you're able to check this beauty out of your local library.

Since you're familiar with this old counting song, I'll only include the first stanza to jog your memory:
              Over in the meadow in the sand in the sun
              Lived an old mother turtle and her little turtle one.
              "Dig," said the mother, "I did," said the one;
              So he dug and was glad in the sand in the sun. 

Once you check out Over in the Meadow, you'll want to see more of Rojankovsky's illustrations.  I recommend the 1956 Caldecott Award Winning  Frog Went A-Courtin', a familiar Southern Appalachian ballad, originally written over four-hundred years ago in Scotland.

The Fox went out on a chilly night

A perfect read for this time of year especially, Peter Spier brings this folk song to life in his Caldecott Honor book THE FOX went out on a chilly night (c. 1961).  It's a circle of life song not at all for the fainthearted.

After the lively, amusing reading, I recommend listening to Nickel Creek's adaption.  You won't at all be disappointed!

Debra and Jessica, this one is especially dedicated to your families, with love!  I can't listen to this song (or read this book) without thinking of "Mimi" singing it to her children and then her grandchildren, as well as her Shanghai and Horizon audiences.

The fox went out on a chilly night,
And he prayed to the moon to give him light,
For he'd many a mile to go that night
Before he reached the town-o, town-o, town-o,
For he'd many a mile to go that night
Before he reached the town-o.

He ran 'til he came to the farmer's bin,
Where the ducks and the geese were kept therein
"A couple of you will grease my chin
Before I leave this town-o, town-o, town-o
A couple of you will grease my chin
Before I leave this town-o."

He grabbed a grey goose by the neck,
Then he swung a little one over his back
And he didn't mind their quack, quack, quack
Or their legs all dangling down-o, down-o, down-o
He didn't mind the quack, quack, quack
Or their legs all dangling down-o.

Old Mother Giggle-Gaggle jumped out of bed
Out of the window she popped her head
Crying, "John, John, the grey goose is gone
And the fox is on the town-o, town-o, town-o
Crying, "John, John the grey goose is gone
And the fox is on the town-o.

So John, he ran to the top of the hill,
Blew his horn both loud and shrill;
The fox, he said, "I better go on with my kill
Or they'll soon be on my tail-o, tail-o, tail-o."
The fox, he said, "I better go on with my kill
Or they'll soon be on my trail-o."

He ran till he came to his nice warm den
There were the little ones eight, nine, ten
Saying, "Daddy, Daddy, better go back again
For it must be a mighty fine town-o, town-o, town-o."
Saying, "Daddy, Daddy, better go back again for it
Must be a mighty fine town-o."

Then the fox and his wife, without any strife
Cut-up the goose with a fork and a knife
They never had such a supper in their life
And the little ones chewed on the bones-o, bones-o, bones-o.
They never had such a supper in their life
And the little ones chewed on the bones-o.

October

Find "October" in A Child's Calendar, a collection of twelve of John Updike's poems that describes a child's journey through the seasons from January through December  (c. 1965).  Caldecott award winning artist Trina Schart Hyman illustrated the collection (c. 1999).

Apples and Pumpkins

Wow!  Lizzy and Anne Rockwell's Apples and Pumpkins, one of our favorite fall books, received an update.  Take a look at the 1989  cover:

And compare it to the new 2011 cover:

Here's the publishers description:
In Apples and Pumpkins, a little girl spends a glorious fall day picking apples and searching for the perfect pumpkin. This classic story and perennial backlist favorite has delighted audiences for more than twenty-five years, and now it’s been revitalized to reach a new generation of readers. Featuring a new cover and an updated interior with rescanned artwork and reset text, this edition is both familiar and fresh—just like a fall day.

Yep, I knew we had good taste around here.  :)

Amelia Bedelia's First Apple Pie

 Amelia Bedelia is back!  And this time author Herman Parish (nephew of Peggy Parish, Ameia Bedelia's creator) and illustrator Lynne Avril revised Peggy Parish's classic character from an I Can Read book into a picture book.  Parish and Avril present Amelia Bedelia's beginnings as a young girl eager to experience life and intent to confuse word denotations, thus preserving the humor of Amelia Bedelia.  Jump into fall with Amelia Bedelia (Isn't that just a fun name to say?  I love reading it aloud, too!) in Amelia Bedelia's First Apple Pie (c. 2010).  You can imagine the catastrophic possibilites with Amelia Bedelia visiting a farmer's market . . . to purchase "Granny Smith" apples . . . to take back to Grandma . . . to bake a pie.  Typically Amelia Bedelia saves the day in spite of her unperceptive mishaps, see how Parish and Avril conclude this tale.

Note:  I personally prefer reading or hearing the original I Can Read mishaps of Amelia Bedelia.  However, the kids seemed to enjoy the update better.  To each their own!

Dappled Apples

 It's apple season!  Wahoo!  That's cause to do a celebration dance as autumn peeks its head around the corner.  The kids and I are mesmerized by the illustrations in Dappled Apples (c. 2001).  Jan Carr's simple, rhyming text tugs the attention of the tots.  But it's Dorothy Donohue illustrations that beg an encore.

Donohue crafts her illustrations by creating art collages from handmade, textured cut paper.  It has prompted me to attempt an art project with the kids modeled on Donohue's illustrations.  We shall see how it works out.

Mouse and Mole

(c. 1993)

We've made some new friends here at my house, friends whom the kids absolutely adore.  And if it was possible, they'd invite them over for a snack and play date.  Would you like to meet them too?  Think of Mouse as a phlegmatic personality: rational, steady, kind, laid-back, and content.  Now contrast him with Mole . . . ah, how to describe Mole.  Well, he needs coddling.  He's not the brightest bulb in the package.  But he's endearing.  And it's Mole's personality that drives the light humor in the Mouse and Mole tales, the delightful creation of author Joyce Dunbar and illustrator James Mayhew.

(c. 1996)

The illustrations first won over the Mister and the Missus, and now we find ourselves saying to each other "Hello, Daffodil!" or "Meet Humphrey Stick."  Yes, the illustrations made us stick around to hear the stories and to discover the illustrator: none other than James Mayhew, already a household favorite.  You see, we first stumbled on Mouse and Mole courtesy of our dear friends Rich and Lori and the DVD they gave us.  The only other time I've recommend that you check out or purchase a DVD was Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit series.  So that should tell you something about the quality of this set of vignettes.  Since each story is brief, you don't have to read (or watch) the entire book (or DVD) in one sitting, which makes for a wonderful bedtime collection and a wonderful collection for a maturing reader.  And, my personal favorite, each vignette depicts a particular season, so when you've completed the whole series, you've experienced a spring, summer, autumn, and winter Mouse and Mole.

(c. 1993)

I especially think that this review from Practical Parenting expresses the our affinity for Mouse and Mole: "Warm and witty illustrations . . . perfect to snuggle up with on a chilly afternoon."

(c. 1996)

I also like the subtle character development in the Mouse and Mole series.  Just read it!  And you'll find yourself chuckling not only with the storyline but with the images they create.  We all know a Mouse.  And we all know a Mole.  And we've experienced uncannily similar situations with each.  I guess the best way to explain the series is likening it to a British version of our American friends Frog and Toad.  In fact, the dedication of the first Mouse and Mole says "for dear old Frog and Toad" with the illustration of Mouse and Mole reading Frog and Toad books.

Note: I was grieved to discover that this wonderful series has fallen out of print.  However, do check your local library, as ours holds the DVD collection.  Also, I had no trouble acquiring the complete set from online bookstores.  But please don't confuse them with a more recent collection listed under the same title yet written and illustrated by a completely different person.

One Monday Morning

I can't tell you how thankful I am for all this rain!  Our lawn was beginning to look like we didn't care about it.  It's been so long since our last day of rain that the kids have delighted in this seemingly unusual occasion.  And you know how I feel about rainy days . . . they're the perfect excuse to enjoy pots of tea and snuggle down with some good books . . . oh, and the kids.

Today we're reading One Monday Morning by Uri Shulevitz.  If you haven't checked out a Uri Shulevitz book yet, here's your chance with the perfect rainy day read.  Shulevitz presents an enchanting, imaginative book that also teaches the days of the week and sequencing skills.  And, as in most of Shulevitz's books, his illustrations depict a broader, detailed story than his actual text.  So, really, why would you want to miss out on this enriching book?