Submitted by Ms. Catherine!
A few months after my parents brought my new baby brother home from the hospital, I asked when he’d be going back. And while I might not have thought so at the time, I now know that my life would have been much less exciting without my younger brother. In Cooking with Henry and Elliebelly, written by Carolyn Parkhurst, and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino, we meet an older brother who is experiencing just how interesting life can be when a little sister tags along. Henry is determined to make a good pretend cooking show that will be just right. He will have chef hats, and the right ingredients, and the right directions. Anyone who has a little brother or sister knows that things might not go quite right for Henry. With pirate hats instead of chef hats, and a certainty that pizza is a key ingredient in waffles, Henry’s little sister drives him up the wall! But by the end of the book, Henry has decided that playing with his little sister isn’t all that bad. This is a great book if you have an older sibling at home that is sometimes frustrated with the new addition in the house, or if you just think that cooking shows can be improved with pirate hats. If you do, come back next week for Pirate Cooking with Henry and Elliebelly! See this book listed in our catalog
Food
Zoopa
Zoopa: An Animal Alphabet by Gianna Marino. A bowl of tomato soup becomes much more, as letters of the alphabet start to appear in the soup, along with animals that start with each letter. As you turn to the first page, the first two letters of the alphabet appear, A and B, along with an ant and a butterfly. Children will be excited as they turn each page to discover what new letters have been added to the soup and what new animals have appeared on the two page spread. What a wonderful way to learn your alphabet and discover some familiar, and perhaps unfamiliar, animals, like the quail, xenops, and even a yak! Not to worry–if you get stuck on a letter, you can turn to the final pages, where each animal appears with the first letter in bold print to help identify which of the animals goes with each letter. See this book listed in our catalog
Pip & Squeak
Submitted by Ms. Carol!
Pip & Squeak by Ian Schoenherr is a cute winter story about two mice named Pip and Squeak. Their friend Gus is having a birthday party and they are running late. In all the rush they forget Gus’s birthday gift of cheese! Now they have to find Gus a present on their way to the party. They find flamingos, and a bird house, but decide that neither one would be good gifts for Gus since, of course, they are not cheese. Then they spot something big and orange right in the middle of a snowman face. They think it is cheese, so they scramble to get it, only to discover it is not cheese at all! They are out of time so they decide to give it to Gus anyway, even though he probably won’t like it. But Gus, being a rabbit, thinks their carrot present is just perfect! See this book listed in our catalog
A Soup Opera
Submitted by Ms. Sue!
An orchestra tunes their instruments, and the audience readies themselves for the reading, or should I say singing, of this “opera” style book. A Soup Opera by Jim Gill, illustrated by David Moose, is a story about a man who comes into a fine restaurant to enjoy a bowl of soup. Unfortunately, there is a problem he must overcome before he can eat. Read, and sing, this story “opera” style, and enjoy the accompanying CD. A symphony of instruments enhance the story as the man, the waiter, the chef, a policeman, the mayor, and finally the president sing a part in this dramatic and enchanting tale, and the vibrant illustrations make for a rich and lavish depiction! See this book listed in our catalog