"Orangutangled" - Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

First, please forgive the "monkeys" tag for orangutans, I figure it's close enough.

Second, Fun! This has bright, bold illustrations, great rhyme scheme, fun story (made me want to eat mangoes) and is full of silly animals and words.

Read Also:

Jan Thomas'... Yeah, anything written/illustrated by Jan Thomas. Similar illustrations and silly characters/story.

Andy Runton's Owly and Wormy: bright lights and starry nights.

For the new reader, Carole Lexa Schaefer's "Monkey and Elephant" is a good series.

"ABC Dream" - Kim Krans

This was so much fun! Each page is filled with items that begin with the letter, almost a guessing game. But what really sold me on this book was there are also adjectives and verbs depicted on each page.

T: tigers, two (tigers), and tired.

It was clever, fabulous! My husband and I got all intense trying to guess them all. No worries, there's a cheat sheet at the end.

Read Also:

Michael Arndt's Cat Says Meow and other Animalopoeia where each letter is incorporated into the picture. A "w" makes whiskers on the cat!

Alphablocks by Christopher Francescelli has a cut-out letter for illustrations.

Andrew Zuckerman's Creature Numbers and Creature Colors have similarly rich illustrations.

"Johnny Tremain" - Esther Forbes

I've always wanted to read this since seeing the Disney film. It's a decent read (the movie is better), I felt it was an engaging story with a slow writing style.

I guess the selling point is what it teaches about liberty and the cost of said liberty. Things like comfort, friendship, pride, are all sacrificed by everyone from the young Tremain to old Mr. Otis.

Johnny is a silversmith apprentice in Boston, 1773, until he burns his hand on hot silver. No longer having a future in the trade, he roams around Boston until he comes across the Sons of Liberty and joins them. A witness to many historical incidences leading up to the Revolutionary War, Johnny grows from a punk to a man as he throws tea into Boston Harbor, tells the squire of Christ Church to hang 2 lanterns in the belfry tower, and mourns the aftermath of Lexington and Concord.

Read Also:

The Revolutionary War: an interactive history by Elizabeth Raum lets you choose your own path through the war. Each path is a historically documented choice made by somebody.

Ben and Me by Robert Lawson. Benjamin Franklin has a pet mouse.

"The Magic Treehouse" series by Mary Pope Osbourne has Revolutionary War on Wednesday.

"Tales for Very Picky Eaters" - Josh Schneider

My 100th Post!!! It only took 1,080 days.

I'm not sure I agree with this father's method of getting his son to eat, but it's quite enjoyable to read about. Quite the creative father.

My sympathies to the troll in the basement who slaves over a hot stove all day.


Read Also:

Gregory, the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat. A goat eats all the wrong stuff!

How to Drive Your Sister Crazy by Diane Shore. More outlandish ideas.

Too Pickley! by Jean Reidy where there's always something to find wrong with the food.

"The Milkman" - Carol Foskett Cordsen

Ah, too cute. So cute. Makes you want to live in a small town. Also kinda makes me want a milkman that delivers milk, ice cream, cheese, eggs, and cream!

Told completely in rhyme, this book follows a milkman's daily route from early rise to getting home for breakfast.


Read Also:

Lois Lenski's "Small" series which include Cowboy Small, Policeman Small, and Papa Small.

Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier was a funny story of a mailman's run-in with a cow every morning.

Dear Garbage Man by Gene Zion. An 80's oldie.

"The Underdog and Other Stories" - Agatha Christie

Who doesn't love a good mystery? And Agatha Christie is the Dame!

Nine of Christie's famous detective's stories, Hercule Poirot learns something about what appears mundane, can turn into cases he can't let go.

I am always amazed by the techniques Christie uses in her mysteries. These were some of the simpler ones (they are short stories) so I wasn't blown away. However, they were interesting for what can be learned about British society. My favorite might be "The Adventures of the Clapham Cook."

Read Also:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Red-Headed League" had some similar elements to the Clapham Cook story.

Susan Elia MacNeal's "Maggie Hope" series are British WWII mysteries.

Ashley Gardner's "Captain Lacey" series are Regency England mysteries. (I didn't like these ones that much, dark and all, but the detailed backgrounds are fascinating).