Pig Pig Meets the Lion by David McPhail

David McPhail is a prolific writer and illustrator with over 150 books to his credit. Pig Pig Meets the Lion is the latest in his Pig Pig series. McPhail's illustrations are so luscious, it's no wonder he has been a popular illustrator for many other authors besides his own.

Pig Pig Meets the Lion starts on the inside cover of the book, where we see the lion jumping over the zoo's fence while the other animals sleep. On the next page the lion is running down the road toward a lonely house in the middle of the countryside. Then we see Mother Pig bending down on her front porch for the milk and newspaper, the headlines read, "Lion Escapes". Turn the page and we're finally at the title page. Mother Pig is going inside the house, looking at the paper while lion is climbing the tree up to Pig Pig's bedroom window.

Throughout the book Pig Pig and Lion are playing all over the house, chasing each other, while Mother Pig is your typical busy mom, cooking breakfast and talking on her cell phone. Kids will recognize this mom who is chatting with her child but really not paying attention. She's stirring the pot while telling Pig Pig that a lion has escaped from the zoo. Pig Pig says, "I know" while he and Lion are diving under the kitchen table. Kids will squeal with delight while mother is oblivious until the very end of the book; the inside back cover, where she is surprised to see two zoo employees at her front door. We see Lion leaving Pig Pig's bedroom window to climb down the tree.

On the back jacket flap, the fun doesn't stop. "David lives in Rye, New Hampshire, and would very much like to meet a friendly lion over breakfast."

Pre-school age children and up will love the adventures of Pig Pig!

a bus called heaven by Bob Graham

Bob Graham is an author and illustrator from Australia. I don't know why, but I've yet to come across an Aussie author that wasn't unique...even quirky, in some way. This is no exception. An abandoned bus shows up one day in front of the house of a small, pale little girl named Stella. A hand-painted sign, held down with packing tape reads "Heaven". Books with illustrations that beg to be looked at over and over...those that reveal something new each time your eyes meet the page, are an indicator for me, of a great children's book. The first sentence reads, "The bus brought change to Stella's street". On this page, the people are curious about the bus and from every walk of life: young, old, different backgrounds, and Stella, gently pushing the door of the bus open. On a post is a no parking and a towing sign. The community comes together and makes it a place for everyone to gather, which makes it sound formulaic and preachy. Please, please don't assume here, the story is still Stella's, a young girl just doing what her heart tells her. Graham's book is so original and lovely that you don't want to miss what happens when the men come to tow Heaven away. The illustrations wonderfully provide the story with gentle humor. This will be my read aloud to end my school year...I feel it's that kind of story. One that reminds us that each night we are all looking up at the same stars...we are all in this together.

CLOCKWORK ANGEL & CLOCKWORK PRINCE by Cassandra Clare-Young Adult

If you like young adult books, fantasy with a hint of romance, and set in Victorian England, check out Cassandra Clare's series, The Infernal Devices.

Starting with the second series, The Infernal Devices, before reading The Mortal Instruments series, had me thinking this could have been a mistake. In my defense, I saw a review of Clockwork Angel not knowing about the first series, and liked the premise. Needing something in audio, I was delighted to see it was read by the wonderful Jennifer Ehle. She may be best known as the actress who was Elizabeth in the 1995 mini-series of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth (which I may be just a tad bit obsessed with). She also played Myrtle Logue, the speech therapist's wife in The King's Speech. Ehle is spot on with the different character's voices and I loved the book. Now I am onto the second one, Clockwork Prince. To say that I was duly disappointed that Ehle was not the narrator quickly turned into delight when I heard the amazing male voice of Ed Westwick.  Heather Lind is also good as the female counterparts.

This introduction to the series is taken from Cassandra Clare's website:

"Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own."

One of the things I love about this series, besides being set in England, is the author's obvious love of books, poetry, and reading. Each chapter starts with a quote from a book or a poem. Her main character, Tessa, constantly has a book in her hands. Will, the main male character, often spouts from books and poetry. It is this common interest that draws Tessa to Will, not to mention he's gorgeous and charming. But Will has a past and just when Tessa thinks he feels the same for her, he hurts her to the core. And then there is Jem, Will's best and closest friend. He's so unlike Will, but they are fiercely loyal to each other. These two Shadow Hunters' lives are fraught in mystery. Does Tessa dare get close enough to either of them to find out their secrets?  


The Mortal Instruments, Starting with City of Bones, takes place in modern time New York (and is being made into a movie). So that makes me feel a little bit better about reading them out of "order". Her newest series, The Dark Artifices, will come out in 2015. Los Angeles is the setting. I know I will be devouring the rest of these...will you?

WONDER by R.J. Palacio

WONDER by R.J. Palacio

R.J. Palacio, thank you, for writing Wonder. I read to p. 46, stopped, and wrote this.

When I'm reading a book,
A book I know that
Has been read by friends,
It's like we are all looking up
At the same bright star in the sky
At exactly the same time.


The publisher's description:

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

It took some time to talk myself into reading this book. I don't go easily into some subjects. I didn't think I could get through it, but so many people raved about the humanity contained within its pages, that I gave it a try. Then I stopped. Then I started again and had it finished within a few days. I have been raving about it ever since.

Everyone knows that I cry at...well, just about anything. So for me to cry wouldn't exactly be newsworthy. But it was when in the book that surprised me...the English class with the amazing teacher...it was the precepts that got to me. I had actually flipped to the back to see her picture when I noticed the appendix...and breaking my rule of  'never read ahead', I read them...ALL of them. Then I asked my husband to please read up to p. 46. He did and said, "I'll read the rest of it after you do. But you should have read the next page, especially the last sentence." Then he started to read it out loud and I quickly yelled at him to stop. So I just grabbed it from him and read p. 47. And that's where I was as of 2:52 p.m. April 22, Earth Day, 2012.

Monday night we had a visit from our grandson so I had to stop reading and didn't finish the book before bedtime. Woke up at 3:30, tried to get back to sleep and then realized I could get up and finish Wonder. So, of course, I did. Sobbed, and sobbed...and sobbed some more. But it was a good cry. I was glad that I had time to recover before school started, though. Fantastic. Touching. Funny. Sad. Real. Simply amazing!

It's now one of my favorite books I've ever read. To take a subject like this, where few of us have encountered someone like Auggie, it's hard not to think, "how is she going to pull this off?" But she does...and with such grace. Another one of those books where I think everyone on earth should read.

Hurray for Wonder, may it continue getting its well deserved praise! 5 Stars!

New Books Make Me Smile!

Ordering books is so much fun because eventually they do make it to my house. It's a great feeling when I see the boxes because I forgot that I ordered them but immediately know what they are. And for someone as old as I am, I forget WHICH books I ordered so it's like Christmas when I rip them open. Each time I pulled out a book, I gasped!

Now, how do I decide which one to read first? Well, I can actually start reading all of them, which I am often known to do. But I'm smack in the middle of a really good second in a series and I think I'll stick with that tonight.  But who knows...once I get finished with this, it's open season.

I've heard SO MUCH about Wonder by R. J. Palacio that I thought maybe I had to start there. BUT...I have a teacher at school that I know will love it and then she'll talk me into reading it. And Wonder is one of those books that I might have to be talked to a LOT. Sensitive material is hard for me...I'm a big baby and a big chicken. Said teacher kept telling me to read Hunger Games but I would grimace and shiver. It took a couple years. I then read the trilogy in a few days. Now it's taken off like wild fire through my fifth graders, especially because the movie is coming out soon. Wonder is also the type of book that I won't start at night. It's a "light of day" type of book for me. Yes...I have a LOT of reading quirks.

Wonder is about a boy about to start middle school after being home schooled all his life. He decides it's time to go to a public school. He's just like every other middle schooler there. Except for one thing...his face is horribly deformed.

But The Mighty Miss Malone, by the amazing Christopher Paul Curtis, is begging me to pick it up, too. It takes place during the Great Depression, which my mother used to say, "you should have had to live through the depression, you'd appreciate things more". My young brain would think, "WHY would you wish that on anyone?" but never voice out loud. Now I want to read anything I can during the time my mother lived her young life.  

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly was one of those books. I just finished it on audio and the reader was superb. A lighter book and probably the reason it only got an Honor recognition by Newbery voters, but it is Newbery worthy. Calpurnia is an 11 year old girl from a well-to-do family in Texas in the year 1898. Wearing corsets and "coming out" doesn't appeal to her in the least. She'd rather be with her grandfather and reading about Darwin's Origin of Species, or being with her six brothers. I laughed out loud every single day driving to work and back as I listened to Calpurnia and her adventures.  

Trail of the Spellmans by the hilarious Lisa Lutz is a book that wasn't supposed to happen. At least that's what I had heard...that the Spellmans series was over. Was I ever delighted to hear that it was out and I could order it. The Spellmans are one of the most dysfunctional families in America but one of the funniest, too. They are all private investigators, with major issues of their own. The minor characters in this book are as delightful as the main!

The picture books are the desserts to the main meal of my group. Who knows when I'll get to them? Desserts are to be savored.

I Broke My Trunk by Mo Willems

Mo Willems' simple illustrations are genius! Every line is important. We, as the readers, know exactly how Elephant, Piggie, Pigeon, and Trixie are feeling. Kids get this. Kids love Mo Willems! Adults love Mo Willems! Librarians adore and idolize him! We know his secret. Making children laugh while they are learning to read. I Broke My Trunk is now my favorite E & P book. The story, the expressions on their faces, the hippos, everything is perfect! Mark my words, Mo Willems is going to go down in history as one of America's all time best children's authors and illustrators EVER!

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

From Harper Collins: Katherine was inspired to write The One and Only Ivan after reading about the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, the Shopping Mall Gorilla. The real Ivan lived alone in a tiny cage for twenty-seven years at a shopping mall before being moved to Zoo Atlanta after a public outcry. He is now a beloved celebrity at the zoo, which houses the nation’s largest collection of western lowland gorillas. Ivan is well known for his paintings, which he “signs” with a thumb-print.


I had heard so much about this book and just knew I'd never be able to read it. It's about animals...I can't read books about animals, no way. Then, people just kept talking about it. Words like "life changing" & "people will be talking about this book for years to come". Well...I will add my own...everyone on earth should read this book. It's gut wrenching and wonderful all at the same time. I sobbed, and sobbed, and sobbed. In a good way. Please, please, please read this book and tell other people to read it. You won't regret it.