Tag: Reviews

Book Review: Hans and Peter

Hans and Peter are best friends with opposite problems. One hates living in the basement, one hates living on the top floor. They dream of building a beautiful house with no basement or top floor where their families can live together.

One day the boys take a walk and find an empty shack on an abandoned construction site. Who could it belong to? The boys have the perfect idea; they could fix up the shack to be their own little house.

With several amusing mishaps and the help of some encouraging friends, the boys spend their days making their dream happen. The shack may not be the house of their dreams, but they are so proud to show it off to their friends and families. Even the owner of the shack approves of their work and promises them a job building real houses when they grow up.

This book is such a delightful inspiration for children. Hans and Peter encourage young readers to work hard for what they want, to learn from their mistakes, and to ask for help when they need it. It also serves as a reminder that the imagination of childhood, when encouraged, forms the foundation of adult success. This is a favorite in our household and I hope it remains one for years to come.

Book Review: Through Grandpa’s Eyes

Until I read it to my children last night, I had never even seen this book, but it is definitely a new favorite. Patricia MacLachlan has a gift for describing the world through the eyes of a child, and this book is no exception. The story beautifully introduces to children the concepts of empathy and understanding the unique perspectives of others.

John’s Grandpa is blind, and experiences the world in a completely different way than John does. The sun wakes him with its warm rays instead of its light. He eats breakfast by turning his plate into the face of a clock. He sees faces with his fingers and identifies birds by the sound of their songs.

John doesn’t understand how Grandpa sees until he spends a summer day and night with his grandparents. Grandpa teaches him to close his eyes and listen for the little sounds around him, like Grandma clinking dishes in the kitchen. John learns to take deep breaths and identify every smell, like eggs and toast and marigolds. He learns that running his fingers like water over faces paints the same picture his eyes do.

There are some things that Grandpa can’t smell, hear, or touch, like color or light. While he learns about how Grandpa sees, John shares those special things that his eyes see with Grandpa. Together they experience the world around them in their own special way.

Book Review: On Mother’s Lap

My babies may be just a little too big for Mommy’s lap these days, but that doesn’t stop them from enjoying the magic of this book. On Mother’s Lap is about a little boy who wants all of his favorite things to share his favorite place.

Michael and Mother rock and rock on a cold Alaskan afternoon. One by one Michael adds his favorite toys and his snuggly fur blanket. Mother’s lap is cozy and perfect, but when baby sister wakes up will there be room for her too?

This is such a simple little story but one that sweetly captures the relationship between mother and child. The beautiful full page illustrations submerge the reader (and the listener) into Michael’s world and let us feel what Michael feels. As a side note, I love how the little details in the story place us inside a world that is very different from our own while demonstrating something that makes all people everywhere the same. In a world that seems determined to divide and hate, this type of subtle connection is so important for our children to experience and absorb.

Book Review: One Morning in Maine

Robert McCloskey has always been one of my favorite storytellers. I love his gift of capturing the all-important little moments of childhood. One Morning in Maine chronicles one such rite of passage.

Little Sal has a loose tooth, her first, and can think of nothing else. Losing a tooth means she’s a big girl and is growing up! While helping her daddy dig for clams, she wonders what else loses teeth. Maybe gulls or clams, or the seal she played with on the shore?

An accident threatens to spoil her excitement and stop her tooth wish from coming true. But a handy feather (lost just like her tooth) gives Sal a solution to her problem. Before long, with a few other hiccups along the way, Sal is enjoying a cool treat with her family and showing off her gap-toothed smile to the whole town.

It’s a timeless story with which every child can identify. The beautiful hand drawn illustrations only add to the charm, and as you can see, my own little one is entranced.

Book Review: Sarah, Plain and Tall

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I have loved this simple story since I was a child, and this week I was finally able to share it with my children. Sharing my childhood favorites tends to be somewhat risky with these superhero, cartoon, and video obsessed little people, but this story proved to be timeless. I read it aloud and reveled in every giggle and every delighted smile. I wanted to take a photo of our copy with them to share with you, but I’m fairly certain my four year old has secreted it somewhere she deems safe from sibling discovery.

You see, Anna and Caleb just want a mother who sings. And Sarah is the perfect fit, if only she doesn’t miss her beloved sea too much to stay. Like most children, they see what others do not, and as they watch Sarah try to adjust to prairie life they alternate between worrying and dancing with excitement. They fill Sarah’s days with little ordinary moments, like making waves in the cow pond or turning a haystack into a prairie dune.

No matter how many times I read this book, I wait with Anna and Caleb, almost holding my breath, to learn if their love is enough to hold Sarah’s heart and complete their family. I feel as if I am standing with them on the front porch, watching for a cloud of dust and a yellow bonnet. Sarah, Plain and Tall captures the essence of love and family, in simple yet poignant language that reaches young and old alike. I have a feeling it will continue to be a favorite in my family for many years to come.