Night-time brings these sad words for kids: “Time for Bed”. But, if you add a great read-aloud story to this nightly routine, the sadness becomes great anticipation and fun for the family to sit together and read.
All but the last two books are picture books and can be read easily at one sitting. The Runaway Dinner , by Allan Ahlberg, and illustrated by Bruce Ingman, is a hilarious story about young Banjo who's about to sit down to eat his daily sausage along with his vegetables when they all jump off the table and begin running down the street. And if that's not enough to try to catch, the table and chair also run away. So Banjo sets off on an adventure of attempting to catch his supper but his food has other ideas. The author adds to this humorous tale by naming each of the food items with alliteration abounding. For instance, the carrots are “Caroline, Clara Camilla and Christabel” and the fries have French names which include “Francois, Fifi and so forth.” The illustrations match the fun and funny storyline with tiny faces, arms and legs as these pieces of non-human items begin their escape! It brings a whole new meaning to fast food!
Here's another of Allan Ahlberg's unique picture books but with a more elaborate style of painting done by Andre Amstutz. The Baby in the Hat has, most often, full page spreads of pictures and a simple text with one short sentence in bold font on each page. The story is clever and begins when a young man catches a baby in his hat that has suddenly come flying out of a window. The money he receives as a reward takes him to all corners of the earth on one adventure after another. But the story comes full circle when he ends up marrying a beautiful damsel and guess who it is?
Giant Meatball, by Robert Weinstock, is a marvelous and meaty subject that will surely bring a smile to all who listen. The mayor and townspeople can't seem to stop this rollicking and rolling meatball as he “…terrifies the cabbages and disquiets the cows” and “…sullies our jellies and jeopardizes our jams”. How they finally stop this proud and self-absorbed piece of meat will stop your stomach from turning.
It's great fun to read a book that has suddenly large and bold text indicating an exclamation in the story. A Visitor for Bear, by Bonny Becker, and illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton, has much of this style of text throughout this great story about friendship. Bear feels perfectly happy being alone and doesn't want any visitors. But when a mouse suddenly appears, Bear is emphatic that the mouse must leave. The mouse continually keeps appearing demonstrating persistence, and kindness eventually pays off.
Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs: Missing Treasure!, by Giles Andreae, and illustrated by Russell Ayto, is a rollicking fun adventure that has the two elements that youngsters are intrigued with: pirates and dinosaurs. Flinn and his classmates are visiting a museum when they discover a pirate's treasure is missing from one of the exhibits. He soon finds that they are on a ship heading to find the treasure. The antics of Flinn and the dinosaurs are captured in the watercolor illustrations making this a delightful read. (There's even a “snakes and ladders” game found in the back of the book).
Bob's Best Ever Friend, by Simon Bartram , is a unique look at the galaxy traveling life of Bob. Even though he gets to travel to the moon almost daily in order to entertain the rocket of passengers who land there, he's very lonely. An alien dog lands on earth and it's fun to locate the dog on each page as he gets closer to finally meeting Bob - his new friend and pet. The pictures are bright and included on the inside jacket is a glow-in-the-dark poster.
Bobo and the New Neighbor, by Gail Page, is a hilarious story. Bobo, the family's pet dog, is overly anxious to help his master and messes up the house. But when she invites a new neighbor, she instructs Bobo to take the laundry off the clothes line. This is when the fun really begins. Your listeners will be laughing all of the way to the end!
Moonpowder, by John Rocco, is an inventive story beautifully illustrated with full spreads of a retro 1940's look. Young Eli has nightmares nightly until Mr. Moon takes him up to fix the Moonpowder factory so that dreams will be nice again. Eli helps out just in time to wake up to a surprise of his own - his dad has just come home from war.
Tall tales are always a fun read and The Ghosts of Luckless Gulch, by Anne Isaacs, and illustrated by Dan Santat, won't disappoint. The story is loosely written about an incredible heroine, Estrella, who is as fast as “…a shooting star come to earth”. The exaggerated events about California during the 1838 gold rush and how Estrella saves the day are sure to entertain!
My Father's Dragon, by Ruth Stiles Gannett, and illustrated by Ruth Chrismas Gannett, was written over 60 years ago and won the Newbery award back in 1949. This chapter book would actually only take a few days to read and it will capture your youngster's attention. An adventure about a boy who sets out to rescue a dragon is always a great read.
A Finder's Magic, by Philippa Pearce, and illustrated by Helen Craig, is a magical mystery about a boy looking for his lost dog as he encounters many adventures. Mr. Finder is a little strange man who has appeared from his dream and is willing to help, but can he be trusted?
And last, but not least, is the fourth book in the “Fablehaven” series. The Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, by Brandon Mull, picks up where book 3 left off and is as exciting as when I read the first book. These books are all about mythical beasts that live on the property of Kendra and Seth's grandparents. If you're looking for a more advanced plot that's a definite page-turner, look no further!
