The Magician's Elephant - Kate DiCamillo

Kate DiCamillo is a best selling, award winning children's author who pens the most wonderful books. One of those awesome books is The Magician's Elephant.

"At the end of the century before last, in the market square of the city of Baltese there stood a boy with a hat on his head and a coin in his hand."

But rather than buying the food his guardian has asked him to purchase, ten year old Peter instead spends the coin at the fortuneteller's tent. He needs an answer - where is his younger sister? And the answer? It involves an elephant...

The Magician's Elephant reads like a fairy tale, with all the right ingredients. Once upon a time, magic, problems, journeys, morals and more, all on the way to happily ever after. There's a wonderful otherworldly feel to DiCamillo's prose. The reader can't help be drawn into the tale. There are also some wonderful illustrations from YoKo Tanaka that match the feel and tone of the book. 

While the book is listed as for ages 8-12, I know that adults would enjoy it as well. After all, who doesn't wonder if there's a bit of magic in our world? The Magicians Elephant would also be a great family read and watch!

Read an excerpt here and/or check out the trailer below. Netflix is releasing the animated film on Friday, March 17th. I'll be watching. 

The True Adventures of Esther the Wonder Pig - Steve Jenkins, Derek Walter and Caprice Crane

I first wrote about Esther the Wonder Pig back in 2016 when Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter inadvertently ended up living with a full sized pig instead of the mini-pig they thought they were raising. Esther changed their lives - and the lives of many others. (my review)

The True Adventures of Esther the Wonder Pig, written by Steve and Derek with Caprice Crane, is a retelling of Esther's story in a children's picture book format. It was perfect for Gramma and Little Guy storytime.

We had to stop at the forward for awhile as there is an actual photograph of Esther in a bathtub that fascinated him. I had to promise that we would go on the computer after we read the book to look at more pictures of Esther.

The first read through had us guessing how big the pig was going to get. And where would she sleep as she keeps outgrowing her beds? What will they do next? There are many themes and ideas to explore with subsequent readings. Love, animal rescue, pets and families of all shapes and sizes. Having read the adult version, I wondered if the picture would touch on veganism, but did not - that's a much heavier topic for a young one.

Cori Doerrfeld's illustrations are playful. She gives Esther expressions that can be 'read' by a child - most of then being happy. Steve and Derek's expressions are also easy to interpret. The colour palette used is bright and appealing, as are the illustrations. Doerrfeld has captured Esther's story with her illustrations.

Little Guy was quite taken with Esther and I am sure this is one book we'll be reading again. And the burning question that we had to investigate after reading? Can a pig really smile? What do you think!?

You can keep up with Esther, Steve and Derek and learn more on : || Website || Esther the Wonder Pig's Facebook Page || Esther's Community Kitchen Facebook Page || Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary || Twitter || Instagram || Fan Club ||

Elmore - Holly Hobbie

Holly Hobbie has just released a new picture book called Elmore.

Elmore is a porcupine, looking to make some friends. But when his quills fly off, the other animals don't want to be close to him. Elmore feels rejected, but the animals figure out a way to work around the quills and friends are made by the final pages.

This was the perfect time for Little Guy and Gramma to read this book. There are lots of discussion points that are quite pertinent to his age in Elmore, as he has just started nursery school. It is sometimes hard to make friends - how can we do that? How do you feel when someone doesn't want to be friends? Elmore has those quills which is a great way to illustrate 'differences'. Working together with others to find answers. Kindness and love.

The illustrations are sweet and so appealing. The facial expressions and body language of Elmore are relatable and 'readable', mirroring the words on the page. The colors and tones of the illustrations are warm, soft and inviting.

Little Guy enjoys reading the same story many times. With each telling, the opportunity arose to ask one of those questions and talk about his thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences.

Elmore is a wonderful picture book, lovely to look at and a joy to read. Thumbs up from Gramma and Little Guy. Read an excerpt of Elmore.

Good Night, Baby Moon - DK Canada

DK Canada has some wonderful new books coming out this fall for both adults and children. Here's one that Little Guy and I enjoyed - Good Night, Baby Moon.

The cover is beautiful - gold lettering and stars on an indigo background. A  cutout silhouette of rabbits is framed by the title. But here's the fun part - simply press the button in the upper right hand corner to 'light up' the moon in the frame. (Yes, it is battery operated. The battery cover is securely attached with a screw).

The inside pages are 'board book' thickness are of a rich, glossy stock. They too have a lovely nighttime background with rabbit silhouettes. Little guy had to count how many rabbits were on each page. The moon is full on one page, then half, then crescent, gone and back again on subsequent pages. This book is a good introduction for toddlers as to how the moon changes shape.

The text is in a rhyming format which I always enjoy reading. It seems to flow very easily and the cadence for each page becomes almost sing song. This is a 'gentle' read. The tones suggest night and sleep. It is fairly short at four double pages. Little Guy was fascinated by the light up button. We had to flip to the front cover many, many times to press the button yet again. I do wish there was some way that the inner pictures of the changing moon could have been highlighted by the light as well.

There's a Good Night Baby Moon 'toddler time' activity kit here that you can download as well.

Good Night, Baby Moon is a beautifully illustrated book, with that little extra (the light) that had Little Guy asking to read it many, many nights in a row. And he learned something too! See below for a peek inside.

The Twelve Days of Christmas: A Peek-Through Picture Book - Britta Teckentrup

It's that time of the year! Christmas is around the corner!

Britta Teckentrup has a taken the classic Yuletide song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, and written and illustrated a peek-through picture book for the younger crowd.

Teckentrup's elves have engaging, welcoming faces, sure to draw a child in. The cover's snowflakes and holly are in silver foil, giving the book a definite festive feel and look.

Most of us know the song, with the number of gifts increasing on each day. Teckentrup starts with a small cutout for day one of just the partridge in the pear tree. My little guy was immediately drawn to the cut out on the right hand page, wanting to know what was on the next page, and the next and the next. With each turned page, the cut-out increases in size to accommodate the growing number of gifts. (Trivia fact - if you received all the gifts you would have 364!)

There are many ways to enjoy this book - we sang the song, pointed to the right gifts/pictures and did some counting as well. By the time we reached the last page, it was full of presents. For these eyes, they were a bit small (necessary to fit them all in) but little guy has sharp eyes and enjoyed pointing out the details to me. The illustrations are quite detailed and have a vintage feel to them.

The left hand page is paler than the more vibrant cut-out page - which certainly directs your attention the main area. But, I thought that perhaps providing more to look at on the opposite page - elves to find or elves engaged in some activity - would have provided even more reading/viewing opportunities.

This book is geared for preschool to grade 2 - perfect for little guy and Gramma. We quite enjoyed Britta Teckentrup's interpretation of this classic holiday favorite. The book been added to their holiday bookshelf and will be part of future Christmastime traditions.