October 13 | Currently Reading

I hope everyone is having a lovely October so far. We are supposed to get cooler weather this week so hopefully it will start feeling like fall here soon!

This past week we read Frankie Stein by Lola M. Schaefer. It was a cute book for October, and I loved the illustrations by Kevan Atteberry. You can read my review of Frankie Stein here.

I also posted the books that made it onto our wishlist.

We are continuing our journey with Magic Tree House this week with Buffalo Before Breakfast. I'm enjoying the details in this one.

Other books we read this week:

I'd love to hear what you are reading this week. Let me know in the comments or leave me a link!

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This post is being shared as part of Teach Mentor Text's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA.

Book Review | Frankie Stein by Lola M. Schaefer

Frankie Stein is a picture book written by Lola M. Schaefer and illustrated by Kevan Atteberry.

Book Description

Frankie Stein comes into the world on a bright, sunny day. He’s not at all like his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank N. Stein. They’re scary looking. He’s cute. They try to make him look like them. They can’t. But he does end up being scary—just in his own way! Kevan Atteberry’s digital illustrations lend a hand to this family-friendly story perfect for a Halloween read aloud.

Frankie Stein was my son's library pick this past week. It turned out to be a really cute Halloween read.

Frankie Stein was born into a family with a long history of being scary. Cute little Frankie Stein didn't look scary at all so Mr. and Mrs. Stein set out to help Frankie fit in.

In the end, Frankie turned out to be the scariest Stein of all just by being himself. (As it turns out, hugs and kisses and cuteness will stop a monster right in his tracks!)

The illustrations in Frankie Stein were awesome. I think I'm going to be obsessed with hunting down more Kevan Atteberry books. We are going to have to add this book and Frankie Stein Starts School to our personal Halloween library.

If you are looking for a wonderfully illustrated Halloween book full of monsters, ghosts, and all things spooky without the book actually being spooky (so cute!), Frankie Stein is a perfect fit.

8/10: Great Read

On Our Wishlist {3}

These are the books that made it on to our wishlist this week. I'm surprised I haven't loaded the wishlist with all the spooky books yet!

Found by Salina Yoon

One day, Bear found something in the forest.

When Bear finds a lost stuffed toy bunny in the forest, he begins to worry. After all, the stuffed bunny must feel lonely and want to return safely to its owner and home! But as Bear diligently searches for the bunny’s owner, posting notices high and low, he begins to grow attached to his newfound friend. What will happen when the bunny’s owner finally comes forward? Was Bear meant to find Bunny all along? Prolific author/illustrator Salina Yoon's spare text and bright, energetic illustrations bring to life this endearing story celebrating love and friendship in many forms, reminding us that nothing is lost that is not meant to be found.

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Little Green Peas: A Big Book of Colors by Keith Baker

The New York Times bestselling stars of LMNO Peas and 1-2-3 Peas are back for a romp through a rainbow of colors!

A passel of playful peas keeps it green as they experience the colorful world around them, from red kites to yellow buses to purple mountains and more! Bright and bold illustrations fill the pages of this delightful exploration of color.

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Flight of the Honey Bee by Raymond Huber
Illustrated by Brian Lovelock

Follow the flight of a honey bee as she searches for nectar to sustain her hive and, along the way, pollinates flowers to produce seeds and fruits.

A tiny honey bee emerges from the hive for the first time. Using sunlight, landmarks, and scents to remember the path, she goes in search of pollen and nectar to share with the thousands of other bees in her hive. She uses her powerful sense of smell to locate the flowers that sustain her, avoids birds that might eat her, and returns home to share her finds with her many sisters. Nature lovers and scientists-to-be are invited to explore the fascinating life of a honey bee.

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My Pet Book by Bob Staake

Award-winning author-illustrator Bob Staake has created a rollicking picture book about a boy and his most unusual pet!

Most pets are cats and dogs, but what happens when a boy wants a different kind of pet, one that doesn’t meow or bark? Bob Staake’s exuberant tale of a little boy and the pet of his dreams will appeal to anyone whose best friends are . . . books! Books make the perfect pets, the boy decides, and chooses a bright red one. When it goes missing, a lively adventure is in store for readers who love a happy ending. Soon kids everywhere will wish for a pet book of their very own.

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This Is a Moose by Richard T. Morris
Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

Lights! Camera! Moose!

MOOSE? Yes, Moose! When a movie director tries to capture the life of a moose on film, he's in for a big surprise. It turns out the moose has a dream bigger then just being a moose--he wants to be an astronaut and go to the moon.

His forest friends step in to help him, and action ensues. Lots of action. Like a lacrosse-playing grandma, a gigantic slingshot into space, and a flying, superhero chipmunk.

In this hilarious romp, Richard T. Morris and bestselling illustrator Tom Lichtenheld remind us to dream big and, when we do, to aim for the moon.

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Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble by Nick Bruel

In this seventh installment of the New York Times–bestselling series, Kitty encounters what may be her most formidable foe yet: her creator! Kitty soon learns that feline manipulation works both ways—especially when you're at the wrong end of your author's pencil. Along the way, Nick shows kids how a book is created, despite the frequent interruptions from you-know-who.

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Locomotive by Brian Floca

The Caldecott Medal Winner, Sibert Honor Book, and New York Times bestseller Locomotive is a rich and detailed sensory exploration of America's early railroads, from the creator of the "stunning" (Booklist) Moonshot.

It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding America's brand-new transcontinental railroad. These pages come alive with the details of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean.

Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails, come cross the young country!

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Are any of the books on your wishlist? Have you read any of them? I'd love to hear your thoughts and/or recommendations!

October 6 | Currently Reading

It's October! It's time to break out all the spooky books.

Last week I posted some notable new releases as well as the books that made it on to our wishlist. I also posted a review of Mister Dog - a book I missed out on when I was younger!

We are still making our way through Pippi Longstocking. Our progress was slowed once we hit October because I've been introducing my kids to Grimm's Fairy Tales. The stories have been great for October. My kids are obsessed with holiday books. My oldest brought home When Santa Lost His Ho! Ho! Ho! from the library. We also finished reading Tonight on the Titanic.

This week we will probably finish up Pippi Longstocking and start on the next Magic Tree House book. We also have lots of Halloween books to get through this month!

I'd love to hear what you are reading this week. Let me know in the comments or leave me a link!

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This post is being shared as part of Teach Mentor Text's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA.

Book Review | Mister Dog by Margaret Wise Brown

Margaret Wise Brown wrote my favorite childhood book Home For a Bunny. She also wrote Goodnight Moon which is one of my favorite books to read to my kids. Surely I would love a book about Mister Dog the pipe smoking dog who belongs to himself!

It turns out Mister Dog is not his name. His name is actually Crispin's Crispian.

His name was Crispin's Crispian because he belonged to himself.

Sure. That makes perfect sense.

This is one odd little book.

He was a funny old dog. He liked Strawberries.

It seems there are people who are against this book due to the pipe smoking and the fact that a little boy goes home with the dog, etc., etc. It's a 1950's Golden Book with a pipe smoking dog. I'm not sure what folks really expect, but I do know that I expected a nice story at the heart of Mister Dog. Unfortunately, this book was a weird mess with one odd event after another.

This evening he made a bone soup with lots of meat in it. He gave some to the boy, and the boy liked it. The boy didn't give Caspian his chop bone, but he put some of his bright green vegetable in the soup.

The writing style changed several times throughout the book which added to the overall strangeness. Here's another odd page for you:

The only way I would recommend Mister Dog is in the "Hey, you want to see a really strange book?" kind of way. I haven't read this to my kids, and I don't plan to. I remember their reaction to But No Elephants. I'm not bringing them down that road again.

2/10: Not Recommended

All I can say is I'm a glutton for punishment. After writing this review I decided I'd try reading Mister Dog to my kids after all. My oldest declared: "That doesn't make any sense." I knew better. I really did.

On Our Wishlist {2}

On Our Wishlist features all of the books we added to our wishlist in the past week.

Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin-Picking Plan by Rob Scotton

Join Splat the Cat in New York Times bestselling author-artist Rob Scotton's Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin-Picking Plan. Splat goes to a pumpkin patch with Seymour, and he is determined to find the biggest pumpkin ever. But when he finally does, Splat finds out the real challenge isn't the pumpkin picking—it's how to get the pumpkin home!

Complete with stickers, this storybook is perfect for fans of the Splat the Cat picture book series. Young readers will love laughing along with their favorite furry cat as he thinks up the perfect plan in this hilarious new Splat the Cat adventure!

My kids love Splat the Cat. Scaredy-Cat, Splat was one of my son's favorite library picks last year so another Splat Halloween book would go over well with him.

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The Night Parade by Lily Roscoe, David Walker

A bedtime book in the vein of Everywhere Babies, Harold and Purple Crayon, and In the Night Kitchen, THE NIGHT PARADE is a dreamworthy story.

Have you ever wondered what happens at night
while mothers and fathers lie sleeping?

Children wake up. They climb out of their beds
some crawling, some running, some leaping.

As the moon shines down they escape into town
To the Night Parade they go sneaking...

THE NIGHT PARADE is a goodnight book filled with the whimsical wilderness of children's imaginations just before they fall asleep. Written by first time author, Lily Roscoe, and illustrated by bestselling illustrator, David Walker, THE NIGHT PARADE is a truly dreamworthy read-aloud.

I have a thing for bedtime books. I think it has something to do with how much I long for sleep now that I'm a parent.

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Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle

Having mastered ballet in Flora and the Flamingo, Flora takes to the ice and forms an unexpected friendship with a penguin. Twirling, leaping, spinning, and gliding, on skates and flippers, the duo mirror each other's graceful dance above and below the ice. But when Flora gives the penguin the cold shoulder, the pair must figure out a way to work together for uplifting results. Artist Molly Idle creates an innovative, wordless picture book with clever flaps that reveal Flora and the penguin coming together, spiraling apart, and coming back together as only true friends do.

I'm new to Flora which basically means Flora and the Flamingo is on our wishlist, too!

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Are any of the books on your wishlist? Have you read any of them? I'd love to hear your thoughts and/or recommendations!