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By Mom Unplugged, November 8, 2007 1:56 pm

I must immediately write about something cheerier than lead paint and toxic Aqua Dots in order to rid myself of this bad feeling. How about haiku?

If you haven’t been following our weekly Unplugged Projects, last Monday’s project involved haiku. I wanted to suggest some children’s haiku books but couldn’t find any at my local library.

A few people came to the rescue and I would like to share their recommendations.

+++ First I must send you over to cloudscome’s blog, A Wrung Sponge. As a professional children’s librarian, she is my most authoritative source. Cloudscome kindly took the time this morning to pull her favorite haiku books off the shelf and listed them for me on her blog. Here are her recommendations:

Today and Today, Issa Kobayashi

Cricket Songs, Harry Behn

Cricket Never Does, Myra Cohn Livingston

One Leaf Rides the Wind, Celeste Mannis

A Pocketful of Poems, Nikki Grimes

Basho and the River Stones, Tim Myers

If Not For the Cat, Jack Prelutsky

Wingnuts, Paul Janeczko

Baseball Haiku, Cor Van Den Heuvel

Dogku, Andrew Clements

Thanks so much cloudscome! If you have never visited A Wrung Sponge it is worth a stop. Cloudscome writes lovely haiku herself and also gives great kids’ book recommendations (she is particularly interested in multicultural children’s books).

+++ Jenny of Wildwood Cottage found one haiku book at her library that 2 year-old daughter CJ enjoyed. She also recommends:

One Leaf Rides the Wind, Celeste Davidson Mannis

+++ Heather of Homeschooling Fun found this haiku book at her library and liked it a lot:

Asian Arts and Crafts for Creative Kids-Haiku, Patricia Donegan

Thank you all for your recommendations! I’ll have to get busy with my Interlibrary Loans.

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By Mom Unplugged, October 29, 2007 7:59 pm

This is not a book that is going to change the world, but it is SO CUTE, you can’t help but love it! I am always pleased when this is my children’s bedtime choice.

The story is so simple. It is basically a comparison of an indoor mouse and an outdoor mouse. Each page shows a mouse in his house, or in his daily travels. The indoor mouse is always on the left-hand page, and the outdoor mouse is on the facing, right-hand page. Their activities are always comparable. For example while the inside mouse is asleep in a clock, the outside mouse is asleep in a stump. The indoor mouse runs between the socks while the outdoor mouse runs between the rocks. You get the idea. Simple. Plus there is a sweet little surprise at the end.

The illustrations are what REALLY make this book. As you can tell by the number of books to which I have given the label “exceptional illustrations,” illustrations are quite important for me and can sometimes even “make or break” a book.

These illustrations are incredibly bright and detailed, and so cute that you just want to keep looking at them over and over! Please, if you have a toddler or a preschooler, at least check this out of the library. Your little one, and you, will love it!

(Paperback is eligible for Amazon’s 4-for-3 promotion)

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By Mom Unplugged, October 18, 2007 8:57 pm

I was astonished to discover that this book was first published in 1906. The language (translated from the original German), although formal, does not feel 100 years-old!

This simple story follows mother nature and “the root-children,” tiny flower fairy-like tots, as they prepare for spring. We then watch the children dance and play all summer long until the cold fall winds send them back down under the earth for their winter’s sleep.

Younger children will enjoy the lovely art-nouveau illustrations while older ones will want to hear the peaceful story over and over. My 5 and 7 year-old frequently ask for this book!

Waldorf families will appreciate the “cycle of nature” theme.

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By Mom Unplugged, October 12, 2007 11:50 am

We have had this one since my 6 year-old was just a baby and it is oft requested.

The plot is very simple: a flea with a cold. The adorable illustrations and the comfortingly repetitive text are what really make this book a bedtime favorite. Everyone especially loves the page where the flea finally lets out his huge sneeze that wakes the entire barn!

The Flea’s Sneeze is one of those rare finds that is as much fun for a parent to read, as it is for little ones to listen to.

Paperback is eligible for Amazon’s 4-for-3 promotion.

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By Mom Unplugged, October 3, 2007 8:34 pm

This funny book teaches children and adults alike about javelinas (pronounced: “HAVELEENA”) and yes, most people think that they are a variety of wild pig - nope, they are “peccaries.”

As a resident of Arizona, we actually encounter javelinas from time to time, and these encounters are all the more interesting now that we have learned so much from this wonderful book! My children adore this book and love shouting out the oft repeated refrain: “Don’t call me pig!”

In addition to the fun, rhyming text, the book features marvelous and funny illustrations of the javelinas. Both the text and the illustrations describe their physical characteristics and their life in a manner that is appealing even to young children.

For adults who want the straight facts, there are two pages at the end of the book that discuss javelinas in a more narrative manner. This book should appeal to any child who is curious about wildlife, or the southwestern United States. It would be a great book for teachers too. My kids learned a lot, and so did I!