My last segment on WBTV’s Noon Show had a fallish Halloweeny theme, but don’t you fret and think you can skip past this post of recommendations. You cannot! The books I recommended on the show were great to read to children at any time. Why? Because reading to children is always always always important.
A child’s imagination continues to grow as we adults expose them to bigger and broader worlds. Plus, we form incredible bonds with children when we take the time to sit and read with them. Yes, sometimes you think you’re too busy, but really… who’s too busy to read a monster book? No one!
Watch my segment here and check out the books from your local book store or library.
First up was Albert’s Halloween: The Case of the Stolen Pumpkins by Leslie Tryon. In it we see Chief Inspector Albert the duck and his three detective assistants follow a series of clues to find the batch of pumpkins stolen from the town pumpkin patch. This book is great for counting and memory development.
Next up was Judy Sierra’s and Edward Koren’s Thelonius Monster’s Sky-High Fly Pie. In this funny read-aloud romp presents a monster that children will love as he makes a goo-filled crust, lures hundreds and thousands of succulent flies into it, and invites his friends and relations to a gala fly-pie party. (And apparently I say “fly” real Suthern like…)
Lastly, we had Applesauce Season by Eden Ross Lipson and Mordicai Gerstein. When the first apples of the season–Ida Red and Paula Red, Twenty Ounce, McIntosh, and Ginger Gold–show up in the city markets, it’s time to take out the big pot and make applesauce. Eden Lispon’s lovingly recounted description of a family’s applesauce-making ritual describes the buying, peeling, cooking and stirring; the wait for the sauce to cool and the first taste. Mordicai Gerstein’s paintings are full of the colors and flavors of the season: red apples, orange leaves, blue skies. Here’s a lovely picture book celebrating an American family tradition.
arden's book club 