I'm in the Christmas spirit and just wanting to give books to kids (and enjoy a little light reading in these hectic days before Christmas). So...I've read another book and donated to We Give Books. This time it's The Spy-Catcher Gang a historical graphic novel by John Kelly which works as a great way to tell kids about World War II. It focuses on Tucker, a London boy who is living through the Blitz and who stumbles across a suitcase that seems to belong to a spy. Kelly uses the story to drop in all kinds of background information about the War--in a nice and low-key way.
And...I've added Goodnight iPad by Ann Droid (hee!)--a parody of the children's classic Goodnight Moon. And, oh my, yes! Goodnight gadgets--one and all. This is definitely a tale for the modern age. The light of all those glowing screens--from tvs to computer to Kindles and iPads--is definitely enough to block out the moon. Let's say goodnight and turn off the glow (and the modems and electronics that go beep in the night...).
Added on Christmas Day: The Hat by Jan Brett. This is another beautifully illustrated story by Jan Brett. Hedgie the hedgehog manages to get himself stuck in a woolen sock blown from a wash line. The other animals make fun of his new hat....but then they wind up wanting one of their own. A very cute story.
Karen & Gerard from Grab a Book From Our Stack just donated a book in my name to We Give Books. We Give Books is an online site that supports literacy. For every book you read online, they will donate a book to a child in Florida, Asia or Mexico--your choice. I decided to pay it forward and have already read my first book--Corduroy Lost & Found by Don Freeman. I love Corduroy--and didn't discover him until I had my son. The first Corduroy book was written in 1969--the year, *cough, cough* that I was born--but somehow I missed out on the cute little bear when I was growing up.
In this outing, Corduroy gets lost while on a search for a birthday present for his friend Lisa. He sets out to try and grab the "big yellow balloon" in the night sky and winds up being able to give her a big yellow lollipop that looks just like the "balloon" he lost.
A very cute little book.
And then I jumped back on the site and read, for old time's sake, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. This was one of the first books that I got through the Weekly Reader's Club way back in the Dark Ages when I was in elementary school. I loved this book. Probably because I love snow. And I loved the pictures of Peter in his little red, hooded snowsuit out in the white snow having his adventures. My favorite picture is when he makes a snow angel. I still love this book.