Earth to Stella by Simon Puttock, illustrated by Philip Hopman is a very creative bedtime book. Stella’s father is trying to put her to bed, but Stella is pretending that she is traveling through space. Her father calls to her: Earth to Stella! and his messages get incorporated in her imagination. The illustrations are fun and the text is straight-forward and clean. I especially liked that this was a space-crazed little girl, rather than a little boy. Preschoolers will enjoy this story, because they will all recognize how they can get caught up in their imaginary worlds. The story ends with Stella’s father joining her when she heads back out to space. Perfect for space-themed storytimes or bedtime ones.
Day: April 20, 2006
Little Mama Forgets
Little Mama Forgets by Robin Cruise, illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen is a gem of a book. It starts with the gorgeous line: “Luciana Maria Isabela Galvez-Molinero. My grandmother’s name is a morning song.” Lovely. It is the story of Lucy, a little girl, whose grandmother lives with her. Her grandmother is growing more and more forgetful, but Lucy pairs each thing that her grandmother forgets with something that she remembers. The words are poetic while the illustrations are bright colored and filled with life. It has just the right amount of text to use for a story time. This is not a book about the sadness of forgetting, but about the joy of remembering.
Waking Brain Cells 