The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home

These are two of my favorite picture books, and were so popular with the elementary kids at my school. I think everyone loves the idea of crayons having their own personalities that go along with (or clash with!) their color.

I've shared booklove for these before: I read both books at a storytime for adults with disabilities, and The Day the Crayons Came Home was one of my favorite picture books of 2015.

When I saw these cute finger puppets from MerryMakers, I knew it was time to revisit these books! I love how innovative the storytelling is - the crayons speak out about being misused, neglected, and overused in The Day the Crayons Quit, and in The Day the Crayons Came Home, misplaced and forgotten crayons send funny "Wish You Were Here"-type postcards to their owner, inspiring him to find them under the rug, in the couch, and more.

In addition to the two classic (it's not too soon for them to be classics, right?) picture books, there are board books starring these famous crayons sounding off on colors and numbers. We love the number book because my son is starting to identify written numbers, and this book allows us to explore them in different ways. The number is written at the bottom of each page, next to crayons your kid can count. As each crayon is found, the number is spelled out. I love that it is written both ways, so your child can keep track of the crayons as you turn pages, and/or count the crayons at the bottom of each page.

I even found an instructional book that is a wonderful resource for expanding these books into a lesson. There are vocabulary lists and reading response pages for older children, and pages that help children identify emotions (theirs and the crayons!) and animal colors for younger kids. That's not even scratching the surface of what this book offers - I highly recommend it if you're interested in exploring this book with your kids, students, or plan to adapt some activities for a storytime audience.


Have you read these engaging books? Do you have a favorite book? Do you have a favorite crayon?! Share your thoughts and activity ideas in the comments!

Code 7: Cracking the Code for an Epic Life

Code 7: Cracking the Code for an Epic Life by Bryan R. Johnson

I initially thought this was a book of short stories for middle graders... and it kind of is. The chapters can be read as stand alone stories, but the characters all go to the same school, and work together in the last story. It reminds me a lot of Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar - each chapter can be read as a complete short story, but all the characters go to the same school and interact with each other. Like Sachar's book, there is humor is the Code 7 stories, though it is more subtle and tongue-in-cheek than Wayside. 

These stories have a positive spin, with the students taking action for an idea they're passionate about. This shows the kids reading that they have the power to change the world around them, just like the characters they're meeting in Code 7.

Code 7 is a great book for parents and teachers to read aloud to, or read along with, their middle grade kids. These engaging, quick stories are sure to inspire the readers to take action.

Disclaimer: I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tundra Turns 50!

Tundra Books is celebrating its 50th year! They have Instagram reps sharing in the fun, and I was lucky enough to be one for spring!

Check out my short reviews of some of Tundra's amazing books:
If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur by Linda Bailey and Colin Jack
Sam Sorts by Marthe Jocelyn
It's Great Being a Dad by Dan Bar-el, illustrated by Gina Perry
Little Blue Chair by Cary Fagan, illustrated by Madeline Kloepper
Count Your Chickens by Jo Ellen Bogart and Lori Joy Smith
Wolfie & Fly by Cary Fagan, illustrated by Zoe Si

Harry and Clare's Amazing Staycation

Harry and Clare's Amazing Staycation

by Ted Staunton, illustrated by Mika Song

This beautiful picture book came just in time for spring break! Their family is not going out of town for vacation, so Harry and Clare have to find their own fun. When the rain keeps them indoors, they rely on their imaginations even more.

Clare, being older, takes the lead on these imaginary trips, leaving Harry to do the grunt work. She bosses Harry around all week, until he decides to take the matter into his own hands and show Clare that he's more than just her sidekick!

I love the realism the book is framed on - that not all families can or will go out of town on school breaks. Instead of whining about this fact, Harry and Clare set themselves up for adventure. I think this will inspire a lot of children to find fun in what's around them.

Petrifying Parodies

Last year I reviewed Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex as one of my three favorite Halloween books (see the video HERE). This year I was browsing the library shelves when I found The Runaway Mummy, also by Michael Rex! These books were published in 2008 and 2009 resepctively, so I'm a bit late to the party, but they're such fun reads! My son and I had a good time reading the original stories first (as we do a few times throughout the year), and then read the petrifying parodies in October.

Goodnight Goon is a parody of Goodnight Moon, with a little monster boy saying goodnight to various creepy things around his tomb. I'm not a big fan of the original Goodnight Moon (I know, gasp! What kind of mother am I, etc) but I do like this version with monsters and creepy crawlies added in. I really like that Michael Rex has made the illustrations look classic, like they could have been the original illustrations.

The Runaway Mummy is by far my favorite. I love The Runaway Bunny in its original form, so I was really looking forward to the spooky adaptation. A boy mummy is trying to leave his mummy behind by changing into a sea serpent, gargoyle, and more, but his mummy always changes into something else to be near him. This one has a really great twist ending that made me chuckle, making it my favorite of the parodies.

These are fun books to read for Halloween because kids can compare them to the originals, if they already know them. If not - read them aloud and then compare and contrast! Activities like saying goodnight to everything in your child's room can be easily adapted to go along with Goodnight Goon, and thinking of spooky things to turn into with your child is a fun way to continue the story of The Runaway Mummy.

Great Books for Halloween

Halloween is just a week away! Have you started reading Halloween books yet? We've been reading them for a couple of weeks now, and wanted to share short reviews of some of our favorites. At the end of the post, you'll see a video for the three Halloween books we just can't put down!


Trick Arrr Treat: a Pirate Halloween. 2015. Leslie Kimmelman, pictures by Jorge Monlongo.
I’ve heard some people say that pirates are a trend in children’s literature that’s gone on a little too long, but they haven’t worn out their welcome with me! This book is especially enjoyable because it’s a realistic depiction of children going trick or treating on Halloween night. Picture books have the freedom of being far-fetched and imaginative, but that makes it all the more interesting to read a realistic Halloween book for kids. The rhymes in this book make it great to read aloud, and the illustrations are gorgeous.

It’s Raining Bats and Frogs. 2015. Written by Rebecca Colby, illustrated by Steven Henry.
A young witch is trying to make sure the Halloween parade runs smoothly by casting spells to change the raindrops into other things. This is a silly story that you can make more engaging by letting the kids guess and identify the different items that start raining down on the parade.

Hedgehug’s Halloween. 2013. Created and illustrated by Dan Pinto, written by Benn Sutton.
Hedgehug and his friends are going to a Halloween party, but Hedgehug can’t find a costume that fits his quills! This is a cute story of costume trials and errors. It’s fun to let your kids identify what costume Hedgehug tried and ruined, as well as ask them to guess what costumes would work well for a hedgehog!

Welcome to Monster Town. 2010. By Ryan Heshka.
This book is better for older readers who can compare Monster Town’s “day” (which is night) to how we live. It’s also good for parents, with some clever jokes that might be over little kids’ heads. The illustrations are gorgeous, colorful, and enjoyable for all ages! It’s not too spooky, because though various ghouls, goblins, and monsters are depicted, they’re inviting and friendly, not gory or creepy.


Check out three additional recommendations in this Halloween video:

And three more recommendations in last year’s Halloween video!