The Best Summer Project Ever.

Have you ever wanted to run away from your town and just create a brand new world only for you?

Weslandia is just the story for you then!  Written by Paul Flesichman and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, this book is one of the most creative ones I've ever read.  Wes is a child unlike the rest at his school and has very few friends.  His parents are concerned that he isn't "normal," but when school gets out for the summer, Wes has his own plans!

He decides he is going to build his own civilization, starting with a staple food crop.  These beautiful red flowers sprout in his backyard over night and Weslandia has begun! At first he just finds ways to use the flowers as a food source, but quickly learns that he can use the stalks to create clothes and a sundial to tell time.  

Because there are eight petals on every flower in his giant garden, Wes decides to create a new counting system based off of the number eight.  By the end of the summer he even creates a whole new language with an 80 letter alphabet.  

The neighborhood kids and the kids from school notice his civilization coming to life over the summer and become increasingly curious.  Wes allows them to help out in different ways, such as using his mortal and pestle to squish the flowers' fruit into a mosquito repellant and participating in his own sport.  

By the time school starts again Wes has no shortage of friends!  You can hear a reading of Weslandia and enjoy the magic of a new civilization coming to life here.  A perfect book for anyone with a powerful imagination!

If you were to create your own "Weslandia" what would your civilization look like? 

Franklin Could Count by Twos and Tie His Shoes.

Franklin the Turtle was one of my favorite series as a child.  Written by Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Brenda Clark, Franklin goes through a new life experience or an adventure in every single book.  For example, some titles in the series are called Franklin Goes to the Hospital and Franklin Meets a New Friend.  

At this point there are more than 50 books in the series, not including Franklin Collections.  Bourgeois never planned on writing Franklin in the Dark into an entire series, but Kids Can Press asked her to write a second book.  Her inspiration came from situations her own children were going through.  Sharon Jennings took over writing the series after Bourgeois and Clark had written around 30 of the books and wanted to tackle new projects.

Franklin the Turtle has 2 loving parents, a baby sister (introduced much later in the series), a stuffed dog named Sam who he continually communicates with and a goldfish named Goldie.  He loves to play soccer, baseball, learn new things and play with all of his friends.

Bear is his best friend throughout the series.  But frequently you will see him with Goose, Snail, Beaver, Fox and Rabbit.  Originally Bourgeois wanted to make sure everyone understood that Franklin was the main character, this is why no one else has a "real" name.

Franklin has also graced the television screen twice as an animated series.  Once in 1997 and the other, most recently in 2011 with Franklin and Friends.  The series that was shown on television in 1997 is the one that I fell in love with.  The series from 2011 was a CGI-animated series, seen in the picture above, and I didn't like it particularly.  You can see what the 1997 Franklin the Turtle looked like in the video of his theme song!

If you're looking for a book that will relate to what kids are going through in everyday life, look no further.  I loved reading these as a kid, solely for that reason.  If Franklin could figure out how to sleep in the dark, then so could I.  While it may seem "outdated" for some children these days, it is a wonderful series to introduce to any younger children in your life. 

Do you remember reading these books or seeing the show on television as you were growing up?  Did you have a favorite book or episode? 

I am Eloise. I am Six.

This rambunctious little girl lives in a "room on the tippy-top floor" at the Plaza Hotel in New York City with her Nanny, her pug Weenie and her turtle Skipperdee.  Kay Thompson's delightful tales follow Eloise throughout her days as a city child, on her adventures and more.

The first book written, in what soon became a series, is Eloise at the Plaza (1955).  This introductory book allows the readers to see what it is like to have a 6-year-old live in a hotel.  Eloise loves riding the hotel elevator for fun, sending pitchers of water down the mail chute and ordering room service.  What little kid isn't in awe of spending the night in a hotel?  Thompson then creates this wonderful experience into a lifestyle with Eloise.

Hilary Knight follows Eloise as well around New York City with his beautiful illustrations.  Knight has illustrated more than 50 books, but he still claims to be in love with Eloise!  He grew up in New York so he can relate to being a city child.

While Eloise can be a bit temperamental, but it isn't difficult to fall in love with Thompson's beloved little girl.  Her wit and sass are absolutely charming!

In fact, it was so charming that in addition to 4 other books about Eloise, there were two live-action movies made starring Eloise (Sofia Vassilieva) in 2003.  Both Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime were great adaptations to the big screen.  You can view Eloise coming to life here.

In addition to her movie roles, Eloise has also left quite the impression on the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Fully embracing Eloise, the hotel opened up Eloise's "bedroom" for visitors to see, bicycles and tricycles are able to be rented from the hotel and taken through Central Park and a painting by Hilary Knight is hanging in the Palm Court at the hotel.

I love, love, love, love Eloise. I absolutely do!  Do you love her too?  What is your favorite scene from the books?  Did you ever want to live in a hotel as a child?   

The Perfect Book for a Rainy Day - Alexander and the Magic Mouse

Whenever a rainy day came along and it was absolutely pouring when I was a little girl, my Mom would read me one of her favorite books when she was growing up.  It is called Alexander and the Magic Mouse by Martha Sanders.  It was published in 1969 and is not one of the most popular books still on the shelves at the book stores.

However, this book is filled with beautiful illustrations by Philippe Fix and a wonderful story about an old woman who lives on top of a hill with a magic mouse, a Brindle London Squatting Cat, a Yak and Alexander the alligator.  Even though they are an odd combination of creatures, they all lived peacefully on top of the hill.  Then one day it began to rain and wasn't supposed to stop for over thirty days.

When the river next to the town, that the old woman's house looked over, began to flood the old woman sent Alexander down to town in hopes to warn the townspeople.  With a happy ending, this whimsical and darling story can make any rainy day better.  If you haven't had the chance to read Sanders' charming book, start scouring your local library for it!  It is beyond worth it.

Did you have any special books that your parents used to read to you that they used to love as children?  Have you had the chance to read this book?  What was your favorite part?

The Adventures of The Tub People

Originally published in 1989, Pam Conrad wrote the cute and witty children's book, The Tub People. The story is beautifully illustrated by famous children's illustrator, Richard Egielski. Written around a family of plastic tub toys, the tub people are introduced and sent through a whirlwind of emotions as the Tub child gets lost one day.

Their favorite game to play was Sea Captain, where the Tub Father pretends to be the Sea Captain as the other Tub family members stand on the bar of soap floating through the water.  The Tub Child likes to purposefully fall off the soap and land in the water so the Father can rescue him. 

But one day the Tub Family is still in the water when the tub begins to drain and the Tub Child is lost down the pipes.  For many days the Tub Family would float on the water desperately hoping to find the child.  

A plumber eventually comes and saves the day as the Tub Family is finally reunited by the end of the story.  As a child I would refuse to take a bath unless all of my bath toys were coming with me.  This sweet story brought to life a favorite childhood memory for me as it also brought to life these lovable bath toys.  For those of you who still have not read this clever story feel free to listen to this reading of The Tub People. 

One of the most fun ways to write a children's story that will be intriguing to children is by finding a way to combine fantastical elements and imagination into something that children regular interact with.  Conrad brilliantly weaves together this combination into The Tub People.  What do you think?

Wish Bubbles Galore At The Bubble Factory

Tomie dePaola is one of the most acclaimed children's authors.  With more than 250 children's books published in the past 40 years, his books are cherished by both kids and adults alike.  One of the most memorable dePaola books of my childhood was The Bubble Factory.

With a set of mischievous twins as the two main characters, we follow them to the bubble factory in their hometown where their grandfather used to work.  In order to keep them busy and out of trouble, Grandpa takes Molly and Sam on a tour.  Unfortunately, these two still manage to find ways to cause trouble and create a huge mess in one of the bubble experiment rooms.

By mixing two bottles of bubbles together at random, the twins surprisingly create what the factory calls "wish bubbles."  Magical bubbles that turn into whatever you wish.  Filled with men riding unicycles, musical notes and ice skaters, the wish bubbles are a sight to see!

The Bubble Factory was always a book I would reach for night after night for my parents to read to me.  I couldn't resist the beautiful images that dePaola created.  You truly can't go wrong with any of dePaola's children's books since he has been awarded a Caldecott Honors Book, a Newbery and the Lauran Ingalls Wilder Award (2011) for his contribution to children's literature.   

What's your favorite dePaola book?  Do you remember reading The Bubble Factory when you were younger? Tell me your favorite part about it!

Amelia Bedelia, Causing Havoc for over 50 Years!

Amelia Bedelia is a classic children's story, a part of a larger series, about a housekeeper who takes all of her household instructions literally. Hired by the Rogers Family, Amelia is told to "take out the lights" and "dress the turkey.  While this is her first time on the job, Amelia believes that these instructions should be taken quite literally and hangs the lightbulbs out on the clothesline, as well as dresses the turkey in a pair of overalls and ribbons for dinner.

Written by author and teacher, Peggy Parish, the inspiration for Amelia Bedelia came from her own classroom of third-grade students.  Often times she would find that they would comically mix up vocabulary words and meanings, and thought it would be a funny personality of a protagonist.

It only recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a reprint of the original Amelia Bedelia and a section that shows how Amelia has changed over the years with different illustrators.  In addition to the reprint, there is also a new Amelia Bedelia in the "I Can Read" series and two more books have been published starting a new chapter book series written by Parish's nephew, Herman Parish. 

While Amelia may still find her household chores to be a bit confusing, she has brought laughter and joy into the hearts of many for over 50 years, and she continues to do so.  I find this book to be a great introductory book for children, especially if they aren't too keen on reading yet.  A book filled with giggles and chuckles is sure to make a great impression on little ones around the world.

Have you had the joy of reading Amelia Bedelia?  What was your favorite part of this hilarious housekeeper?