YOU'RE ALL MY FAVORITES by Sam McBratney

YOU'RE ALL MY FAVORITES written by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram is the sweet story of a mother bear, a father bear and three baby bears not unlike any loving family of five... not unlike my own.  It shows that no matter if the baby is a boy or a girl, big or small or has different features each is loved unconditionally.  I always felt I did a good job of making our three sons know this.  No mater which on you might ask, he will tell you he has always been my favorite!

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Bonnie R

MR AND MRS PIG'S EVENING OUT by Mary Rayner

MR AND MRS PIG'S EVENING OUT by Mary Rayner is a delightfully illustrated story, not so much about the joys of an evening away from their ten darling little piglets as it is about the wit and resourcefulness of the piglets to deal with what was suppose to be a very nice lady from "the agency".  Unnoticed by the parents, anxious to get out the door after tucking their little ones into bed, they left them with one who turned out to be a very untrustworthy babysitter by the name of Mrs. Wolf.  Parents returning to a babysitter in restraints is not usually the happy ending of a night out, but in this case, it was. 

 

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Bonnie R 

A NECKLACE OF RAINDROPS/ by Joan Aiken

A NECKLACE OF RAINDROPS is a collection of eight stories written by Joan Aiken and illustrated by Jan Pienkowski.  These delightfully fanciful stories kept Myra and I entertained during eight of our visits there at the nursing home.  We enjoyed each one, packed with whimsical scenarios and fun moments and kept bits of them stuck in our heads in between our visits.  Unforgettable!  Of course there is the necklace of raindrops, each with a special power, the girl who had to be washed with her dress on and hung out on the line to dry so it wouldn't shrink past her and her wishing mat, an old woman who accidentally baked a bit of sky in her pie, the three travelers who attended to the train station in the desert, the cat who ate the yeast, the patchwork quilt and the camels and the traffic lights from Beirut. What fun!

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Bonnie R 

A POCKET FOR CORDUROY by Don Freeman

A POCKET FOR CORDUROY by Don Freeman is a book is filled with optimistic, caring, considerate human values expressed through the story, a sequel to "CORDUROY".   Lisa has turned into a very responsible and caring not-so-little girl helping her mom with the laundry but not too big to unabashedly take her beloved little Corduroy wherever she goes. She is reluctant to leave without him but encourage by the certainty of her mom that they will find him when they return. The adults in her world from her mother to the artist, to the laundromat owner are good role models, demonstrating compassion and responsibility at every opportunity.  Reunited with Corduroy it,s Lisa who has the connection to understand his need and provide the perfect solution. She has learned the skill of sewing now and is able to add "a pocket for Corduroy".

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Bonnie R

LEO THE LATE BLOOMER by Robert Kraus

LEO THE LATE BLOOMER by Robert Kraus with brilliant illustrations that bring the tale to life by Jose Aruego is an enjoyable read for any age child and a great way to explain that it's OK to be different.  Leo the young tiger doesn't lead a "normal" child's life and his father is constantly worried that something is wrong with his son. Leo experiences many of the childhood frustrations that we are all too familiar with.  e doesn't do anything particularly well. But, over time Leo absorbs what the his peers have been doing and eventually blossoms with a new-found love for life. This book brilliantly conveys the revelation of a child discovering his or her place in the big world.

Bonnie R

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JOHN BROWN, ROSE AND THE MIDNIGHT CAT/ by Jenny Wagner

JOHN BROWN, ROSE AND THE MIDNIGHT CAT, story by Jenny Wagner and illustrations by Ron Brooks is a beautiful book that can be shared together with children and adults as I did with my friend, Myra.  We related to the sweet story of longtime companionship between the elderly woman Rose and her large, shaggy, loving dog John Brown. Both were content with their close-knit friendship but while Rose was ready to open her heart and home to the the Midnight Cat, John Brown was reluctant to allow the addition of this black cat needing food and love.  He was not sure he wanted to share his beloved Rose.  By the book's end, John Brown has overcome his difficult and complicated emotion: jealousy. This is the perfect book to help children get ready for a baby brother or sister.

I remembered when a black cat adopted us one day.  Cats choose their own home.  I named him Snuggles.

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Bonnie R

Come away from the water, Shirley/ by John Buningham

COME AWAY FROM THE WATER, SHIRLEY by John Burningham tells the same story from two different perspectives.   The pictures and dialog on one side of each turn of the page tells of a perfectly ordinary trip to the beach from Shirley's parents perspective but the enchanting pictures with no text on the opposite pages tells what goes on in this young girl's imagination during that same perfectly ordinary trip to the beach with her parents.  A delightful book! 

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Bonnie R