Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
Ted is a really cute book by Tony DiTerlizzi, the fabulous co-author/illustrator of the Spiderwick Chronicles. In this story, a young boy who feels neglected by his father finds solace in an “imaginary” friend, a large raspberry-colored, rabbit-like creature named Ted. Ted has a lot of ideas of ways to have fun, starting with a harmless game called Monopoly-Twister, but soon evolving to more destructive activities like giving each other haircuts, or turning dad’s study into an indoor swimming pool. Finally the boy’s father forbids him to play with Ted ever again! Ted lets us in on a little secret though: when Father was little, he had an imaginary friend named “Ned” who his father forbid him to play with… If your child has an imaginary friend, they will probably relate to Ted, which I think is loosely based on DiTerlizzi’s own childhood! See this book listed in our catalog
Monsters
The Monster at the End of this Book
Submitted by Jill from Leonardtown!
The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone. Grover, the blue Sesame Street monster, is eager to read this classic Little Golden Book with you, until he reads the title page–and realizes that there will be a MONSTER at the end of this book! And Grover is so SCARED of monsters! Our furry blue friend will spend the next 18 pages trying to prevent you from turning any more pages, and therefore bringing us closer to the end of the book (and the MONSTER)! He tries securing the pages with tape, string, and strong brick walls, but when you reach the next-to-last page, poor Grover is reduced to begging and pleading. Will you turn the final page and face the MONSTER at the end of this book?
How to Potty Train Your Monster
Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
Is your monster too big for diapers? Then you need How to Potty Train Your Monster by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Mike Moon, which offers this 10-step regiment: 1. Make sure your monster’s ready (300 is a good age), 2. Get him a potty chair (most monsters need a giant one), 3. Dress comfortably (no tutus please), 4. Make frequent bathroom trips, 5. Give lots of praise (perhaps throw a monster potty party), 6. Make sure he washes his paws, 7. Don’t let him drink before bedtime, 8. Be patient, 9. Remember accidents will happen, and 10. Reward your monster (they enjoy stinky socks). And what’s the best part of about potty training your monster? Great big monster underwear (but don’t let him wear them on his head)!
Leonardo the Terrible Monster
Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
Your pal Mo Willems presents Leonardo the Terrible Monster, a fantastic tale of a truly terrible monster. However, Leonardo isn’t terrible in the traditional sense–he doesn’t strike terror into anyone actually. He’s more terrible in the way it might mean “lousy.” He’s pretty ashamed of himself, for the fact he isn’t big, or weird, or scary. He’s doesn’t have 1,642 teeth. He’s actually kind of cute. But Leo has a plan: “He would find the most scaredy-cat kid in the whole world… and scare the tuna salad out of him!” After thorough research, Leonardo pinpoints his victim–a little boy named Sam, seemingly always on the verge of tears. But he’s not scared of Leonardo either! Perhaps Leonardo might be a terrible monster, but he could be a wonderful friend to Sam.
The Gruffalo
Submitted by Jill from Leonardtown!
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. When Mouse goes walking in the Deep Dark Woods, he runs into Fox, Owl, and Snake… and they all want to eat him! Clever Mouse scares them off by warning them about the terrible Grufflalo, a monster who has “terrible tusks, and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws.” When they hear that a Gruffalo’s favorite foods are “roasted fox,” “owl ice cream,” and “scrambled snake,” the predators scamper away. Mouse laughs at their foolishness: “Silly old snake! Doesn’t he know? There’s no such thing as a Gruffalo!”…Or is there? How will Mouse save himself when a Gruffalo really does appear, complete with purple spikes, a warty nose , and an appetite for mouse on bread?
Korgi: Volume 1
Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
Korgi is a delight of worldless graphic novel for children, brought to us by former Disney animator Christian Slade. In it, we are introduced to a colorful cast of characters–all sorts of magical specimens–awaiting us in Korgi Hollow. There’s the mollies, small woodland folk, like Ivy, our diminuative heroine, and the Korgis (which uncoincidentally resemble our Pembroke Welsh Corgis), like Sprout, Ivy’s constant companion. One day Sprout chases a winged insect out of the Hollow and Ivy of course follows. They’re happy to explore the unfamiliar territory until they’re abducted by a gang of decidedly unpleasant creatures. How will this seemingly normal girl and her dog escape? Well it turns out Ivy and Sprout has a few tricks hidden up they’re sleeves… The best part: this book is just the beginning of more adventures to come!