It was a couple of weeks before Halloween, and I was still working my way through my tons of lovely Halloween and monster books. This time around I focused on fears of Halloween (either parental or kid-centric) and picked a trio of reassuring monster mashes.
Me and My Dragon: Scared of Halloween
David Biedrzycki
ISBN: 9781580896597
The cute duo from Me and My Dragon handle big Halloween fears.
This one is more fun if you're familiar with the Me and My Dragon book, but even so, it's pretty obvious that the dragon isn't really the one who's apprehensive about Halloween. Friends and family are reassuring, and the boy uses psychologically-appropriate positive self-talk to encourage himsel-SCUSE ME, his dragon, and everything turns out to be fun and enjoyable.
Where's My Mummy?
Carolyn Crimi, illustrated by John Manders
ISBN: 9780763631963
A baby mummy starts to play hide-and-shriek with his Mommy mummy, but gets lost.
I think I'll probably be reading (or suggesting) this book for my whole career. Baby mummy is playing hide-and-shriek before bed, but now he can't find Mommy mummy anywhere. He wanders the graveyard, swamp, and woods searching for her, and finding creepy (but helpful and caring) grownup neighbors instead, all prepping their own selves for bed in various ways, and eventually ends up in the woods, scared by something truly terrifying - a mouse! Mommy mummy is instantly there to save the day and provide reassurance and a return to the bedtime routine. Really really really cute.
Not Very Scary
Carol Brendler, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
ISBN:97803743551470
Melly counts up scary creatures on her walk over to a Halloween party, where she meets them again.
Melly is headed to her cousin's Halloween party, and she's a little bit nervous that it will be too scary for her. As she heads down the street, the ever-increasing numbers of creepy Halloween creatures in this cumulative counting book make her more and more nervous, until she gets to the party and is reassured to realize they're not very scary after all.
Showing posts with label Where's My Mummy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Where's My Mummy. Show all posts
Friday, December 16, 2016
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Tuesday Storytime: Monster Families
I love October. Halloween for weeks on end. We have spooky books up on display, and I get to read about monsters and mummies and zombies to impressionable kids from now til November.
Zombelina
Kristyn Crow, illustrated by Molly Idle (Flora and the Flamingo)
ISBN: 9780802728036
Way too sweet to be scary. A zombie girl learns to be a ballerina, and tackles stage fright.
Previously reviewed here. Still love it, still the sweetest story, but this time around the theme hit more solidly on the family support of her passion.
Where's My Mummy?
Carolyn Crimi (Rock n' Roll Mole), illustrated by John Manders
ISBN: 9780763643379
Woefully undersized hardcover edition has a cute little mummy meeting traditional "monsters."
Despite using and loving this book, I've somehow managed to not review it yet! This is a cute little "reversal of expectations" book. Little mummy is playing hide-and-shriek (which really, with small kids, is roughly the truth) with his mommy mummy, but she's either too busy or really incompetent at the game, so he's off searching in various scary environments for her. First the graveyard, where he meets Bones, then the swamp where he meets the Blob, then a dark cave where he finds Drac. The pint-sized roly-poly mummy child is totally unimpressed with seeing these friends or neighbors, who are all prepping for bed themselves (brushing teeth, washing faces and ears) but warn the little tyke of "things" that lurk in the darkness. Pooped, with still no mommy mummy, he rests at the base of a tree until a mouse appears. THAT's the scare-jump all the parents were waiting for, and mommy mummy is immediately there to rescue, comfort, and take to bed. ADORABLE.
Goodnight, Little Monster
Helen Ketteman, illustrated by Bonnie Leick
ISBN: 9780761456834
Sweet lush soft-edged watercolor-looking illustrations of an adorable baby monster at bedtime.
This is such a sweet book, but I have a hard time reading it because the endpapers are COVERED in giant nasty spiders. I "screwed my courage to the sticking place" as best I could, because it really is a sweet story, and because I more often read the slightly sillier and more upbeat My Monster Mama Loves Me So, but I did that one too recently to repeat. So, I braved the spiders, and had two mamas ask me if they could have the book afterwards. Courage is rewarded! In the story, mama is putting baby to bed, and it's just as traditional and standard as you could ask: from bathtime to bedtime snack to toothbrushing to the under-bed-monsters (er, children) check, and the temporary forgetting of the nightlight. The pictures really are sweet, once you get past all the spiders.
Zombelina
Kristyn Crow, illustrated by Molly Idle (Flora and the Flamingo)
ISBN: 9780802728036
Way too sweet to be scary. A zombie girl learns to be a ballerina, and tackles stage fright.
Previously reviewed here. Still love it, still the sweetest story, but this time around the theme hit more solidly on the family support of her passion.
Where's My Mummy?
Carolyn Crimi (Rock n' Roll Mole), illustrated by John Manders
ISBN: 9780763643379
Woefully undersized hardcover edition has a cute little mummy meeting traditional "monsters."
Despite using and loving this book, I've somehow managed to not review it yet! This is a cute little "reversal of expectations" book. Little mummy is playing hide-and-shriek (which really, with small kids, is roughly the truth) with his mommy mummy, but she's either too busy or really incompetent at the game, so he's off searching in various scary environments for her. First the graveyard, where he meets Bones, then the swamp where he meets the Blob, then a dark cave where he finds Drac. The pint-sized roly-poly mummy child is totally unimpressed with seeing these friends or neighbors, who are all prepping for bed themselves (brushing teeth, washing faces and ears) but warn the little tyke of "things" that lurk in the darkness. Pooped, with still no mommy mummy, he rests at the base of a tree until a mouse appears. THAT's the scare-jump all the parents were waiting for, and mommy mummy is immediately there to rescue, comfort, and take to bed. ADORABLE.
Goodnight, Little Monster
Helen Ketteman, illustrated by Bonnie Leick
ISBN: 9780761456834
Sweet lush soft-edged watercolor-looking illustrations of an adorable baby monster at bedtime.
This is such a sweet book, but I have a hard time reading it because the endpapers are COVERED in giant nasty spiders. I "screwed my courage to the sticking place" as best I could, because it really is a sweet story, and because I more often read the slightly sillier and more upbeat My Monster Mama Loves Me So, but I did that one too recently to repeat. So, I braved the spiders, and had two mamas ask me if they could have the book afterwards. Courage is rewarded! In the story, mama is putting baby to bed, and it's just as traditional and standard as you could ask: from bathtime to bedtime snack to toothbrushing to the under-bed-monsters (er, children) check, and the temporary forgetting of the nightlight. The pictures really are sweet, once you get past all the spiders.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Summer Reading Theme: Mummies!
I'm running my branch's summer reading program this year, and our overall theme is "Dig into Reading." There are 4 sub-themes involved (essentially one per week) : Mummies, Carrots, Dinosaurs, and Gardens
I'm picking titles for the programs now, based on what I've read before and what I'm finding now, and I may as well review them!
Mummies.
Only got two titles so far for this theme.
First up is
Where's My Mummy?
Author: Carolyn Crimi
Illustrator: John Manders
ISBN: 9780763631963 (full-size hardcover)
ISBN: 9780763643379 (miniature hardcover)
One look at the inquiring little rotund mummy on the cover of this book should be all you need to know there's some great illustration inside.
Baby mummy isn't done playing Hide and Shriek, but Big Mummy is busy. So when Mummy gets tired of hiding in the graveyard, he goes in search of Big Mummy. Various "monsters" pop up in various stages of their own bedtime preparations (the slime monster is washing it's face, Drac is washing his ears) to gently chide Mummy and encourage him to go to bed, and when Mummy gets scared (of a mouse!) Big Mummy is of course right there. Too cute for words, and perfect because it's not scary at all.
Next is
Working Mummies
Author: Joan Horton
Illustrator: Drazen Kozjan
ISBN: 9780374385248 (hardcover)
I'm not so sure about this one. I don't know that I will use it. The rhyming commentary is mostly ok "Hilda's mum's a teacher / Her smile becomes a frown / Whenever screaming goblins / Refuse to quiet down." but is often a little too punny "A doctor mummy / Checks the throats / of spooks with raspy moans. / Then doses them with coffin syrup / to soothe their frightful groans" or the language gets too advanced "A writer mummy works at home / she isn't a commuter. / She conjures spells for witches / on her personal computer."
Likewise, I like most of the illustrations - they're garish and vibrant and loose, but still have nice details to them. However, some bits are on the too-creepy side (vats of Frankenstein's Monster's spare parts, a freaky ghost rising up out of a creek, a witch conjuring a giant multi-eyed monster (less creepy and more touchy because of witches vs the Bible Belt...)) I just don't know whether toddler parents would freak. (Please note I'm not worried about the KIDS freaking out - I'm worried about their parents. Kids are tough. :)
So... a solid maybe. We'll see how I feel closer to the summer.
I'm picking titles for the programs now, based on what I've read before and what I'm finding now, and I may as well review them!
Mummies.
Only got two titles so far for this theme.
First up is
Where's My Mummy?
Author: Carolyn Crimi
Illustrator: John Manders
ISBN: 9780763631963 (full-size hardcover)
ISBN: 9780763643379 (miniature hardcover)
One look at the inquiring little rotund mummy on the cover of this book should be all you need to know there's some great illustration inside.
Baby mummy isn't done playing Hide and Shriek, but Big Mummy is busy. So when Mummy gets tired of hiding in the graveyard, he goes in search of Big Mummy. Various "monsters" pop up in various stages of their own bedtime preparations (the slime monster is washing it's face, Drac is washing his ears) to gently chide Mummy and encourage him to go to bed, and when Mummy gets scared (of a mouse!) Big Mummy is of course right there. Too cute for words, and perfect because it's not scary at all.
Next is
Working Mummies
Author: Joan Horton
Illustrator: Drazen Kozjan
ISBN: 9780374385248 (hardcover)
I'm not so sure about this one. I don't know that I will use it. The rhyming commentary is mostly ok "Hilda's mum's a teacher / Her smile becomes a frown / Whenever screaming goblins / Refuse to quiet down." but is often a little too punny "A doctor mummy / Checks the throats / of spooks with raspy moans. / Then doses them with coffin syrup / to soothe their frightful groans" or the language gets too advanced "A writer mummy works at home / she isn't a commuter. / She conjures spells for witches / on her personal computer."
Likewise, I like most of the illustrations - they're garish and vibrant and loose, but still have nice details to them. However, some bits are on the too-creepy side (vats of Frankenstein's Monster's spare parts, a freaky ghost rising up out of a creek, a witch conjuring a giant multi-eyed monster (less creepy and more touchy because of witches vs the Bible Belt...)) I just don't know whether toddler parents would freak. (Please note I'm not worried about the KIDS freaking out - I'm worried about their parents. Kids are tough. :)
So... a solid maybe. We'll see how I feel closer to the summer.
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