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Reprinting my post from National Picture Book Month for those of you who missed it.

Have you ever seen kids with picture books they love? They carry them around like security blankets. They chew on them. They sleep with them. They wake with them. And in turn, those beloved books awaken in children a love of reading.

The first book my oldest son Patrick loved was Big Wheels by Anne Rockwell. We always had to have a copy checked out at one of the many branches of our library, so that there would always be one in the house. Finally, Santa got smart and brought Pat Big Wheels. Pat chose it over all the other gifts under the tree to take to bed on Christmas night. A reader was born.

Reading aloud conjures the magic of picture books. And a large part of that magic is what happens off the page… the cuddling, chatting, discovery, and discussion. And if you think the child is the only one who benefits, think again.

I remember — when I was very, very young — cracking up on the couch as my Italian grandmother read me The Cat in the Hat Beginner Book Dictionary. I know what you’re thinking – a dictionary? Really? But, believe me, no one writes a dictionary like Dr. Seuss. And no one read it like Nonna. Nonna barely spoke English, yet she narrated page after page in the funniest voices. I then filled in my own words … and voices. We were on our reading journey together.

When kids learn to love reading, they can explore worlds, both real and imaginary, beyond their experience. But for the very young, those first picture books help them understand themselves and their own world, whether it’s their universe, their town, their timeout corner, their closet of clothes or even their cozy bed.


I encourage you to read through all the month's posts from celebrated authors and illustrators and then join us again next year.

Happy Reading!

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A sweet mom was kind enough to share her little reader with me



"Too Matchy! That's so sad."

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Hi friends,
I'm getting so excited for my October 11th release of LIGHT UP THE NIGHT. And over the next few weeks, I'll be chatting with some awesome folks online. I hope you can join me at one or more of my blog tour stops.

October 11 - Sharing Our Notebooks  http://www.sharingournotebooks.amylv.com/ Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

October 12 - Tamson Weston Books  http://tamsonweston.com/blog/  Tamson Weston

November 4 - Writing for Kids While Raising Them http://taralazar.wordpress.com/  Tara Lazar

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Well, you can read it ...










... and so much more!












What are your favorite board books???

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Swooning!

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT [KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW!]
By Jean Reidy; illus. by Margaret Chodos-Irvine

The coziest of quilts becomes a rocket ship in this gorgeous, mesmerizingly rhythmic read-aloud that explores a boy’s small place in a vast world. Sporting star-spangled pajamas, the not-too-sleepy astronaut wraps his red-and-white quilt around his shoulders and zooms off into outer space. The slow-building rhyme echoes the cumulative structure of “The House That Jack Built”: “These are the planets that circle the sun, / which hides its face when the day is done, / while stars glow bright / and light up the night, / in my own little piece of the universe.” The soothing rhythms and comforting refrain are just right for very young ears, and the geographical terms will stretch young minds. During the boy’s fanciful flight, his aerial view of Earth includes hemispheres, continents and countries—eventually zeroing in on his own town, house, street and bed. Caldecott Honor–winner Chodos-Irvine’s colorful illustrations are fun and friendly, from the retro linocut spot art of the boy in his bedroom (“This is me”)—to dramatic full-bleed spreads that capture the expansive galaxies, complete with a smiling moon, animal constellations, planets and four-eyed aliens. The richly textured mixed-media artwork—incorporating various printmaking techniques and what looks like cut-paper collage—offers many clever self-referential moments and something new to discover with each reading. A dreamy-yet-instructive ode to the universe. (Picture book. 2-6)

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT [HORN BOOK REVIEW]

by Jean Reidy; illus. by Margaret Chodos-Irvine

Before bedtime, a young boy plays with his toys—vehicles of all kinds, from a truck to a spaceship. He quietly identifies himself by saying, “This is me,” captioning a small spot art illustration surrounded by white space. Why so small? Because, as listeners soon discover, he’s part of something big. His mother tucks him in, but he doesn’t go straight to sleep. Instead, he takes his blanket, transforms it into a rocket ship, and soars off into the vastness of the heavens. Thus begins a cumulative tale that takes him out of this world (“These are my galaxy stars so bright— / they light up the heavens late at night”) and back again to his “own little piece of the universe”: “This is my room, with my name on the door, and my dinosaur lamp, and my rug on the floor.” Soft assonant sounds soothe the cumulative rhyme that parallels nighttime routines through its repetition and structure. Visually, the most important object in the book is the boy’s best bedtime companion: his blanket. Reproduced on the endpapers, the blanket first swaddles the book and then the boy as pieces of it morph into the vehicles that transport him. Double-page spreads of bright but not overpowering collages depict his journey, while the opening and closing actions (of going to bed and going to sleep) are shown in smaller wordless panels, bringing the story full circle. Betty Carter

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And it's oh so pink.

TOO PRINCESSY! comes out in January 2012 from Bloomsbury and you can preorder it here. Find out more at http://www.jeanreidy.com/TOO_PRINCESSY.html.

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