My Childhood Bookshelf: Explosives, Flowers, and Drummer Hoff

Drummer Hoff was one of my favorite books to read as a child. The story, originally an old folk song, is retold in poetry by Barbara Emberley. Ed Emberly received a Caldecott Medal for his Vibrant stained glass inspired illustration. Through rhyming and repetition it tells the simple story of a cannon being loaded and fired. This is a book that really shines on the second, third, or twentieth readings. Children love the anticipation of the cannon being loaded.
It is only as an adult that I'm a little unsettled by the fact that we don't know why the cannon needs to be fired, or where exactly the "shot" is headed towards. It is comforting to see that the last pages is a cannon overgrown with flowers, and a nest of baby birds living in the barrel.

Food on the Prairie

I doubt that I'm the only person who gets hungry watching (or reading) Little House on the Prairie. Thankfully, the fine folks at Little House recognized the need for quality recipes to accompany the much beloved stories.
The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Classic Stories  has authentic recipes covering nearly all of the Ingalls' family meals. From fresh churned butter and johnny cakes to cracklings and blackbird pie, Barbara Walker has developed recipes that are authentic, but  accessible to today's home chefs. The Little House Cookbook also has an fascinating introduction which discusses the cooking methods of the American frontier. 
With the popularity of eating local, sustainable, and ingredients based foods, this cookbook seems like a natural fit for modern tastes and sensibilities. So leave the Lean Cuisine in the freezer, have Pa go hunt a deer, and start stoking the fire, 'cause this half-pint is hungry!

Five Great (Almost) Wordless Picture Books

A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog, Mercer Mayer

Edwardian Entertainments, John S. Goodall

Good Dog, Carl, Alexandra Day

The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher, Molly Bang

Window, Jeannie Baker

Night Driving

One of my favorite things about visiting a library with a young child, is that you never know what books you might come home with. We are very fortunate to live within walking distance of an excellent public library. Upon entering the Children's section, my son has the habit of walking up to random shelves, and choosing the first few books he reaches. Many of the books he picks are bestsellers based on licensed educational characters that dominate the televisions, computers, lunch boxes, toys, yogurt containers and diapers of America's children (Yes Dora  I'm talking about you.)
However, every now and then my son's random selections lead us to great books that we might otherwise have never discovered.


Night Driving written by John Coy and illustrated by Peter McCoy is one of the more recent books I have stumbled across. I will admit that I am personally biased towards any book that can illustrate a normal healthy father son relationship. I also have fond memories of "night driving" with my father and brothers on camping and fishing expeditions. Night Driving is the story of a young boy and his father as they drive through the night to camp in the mountains. The 1950s feel of rural American highways is expertly captured in black and white sketches by Peter McCarty.  Night Driving is the rare children's book that captures interest by being reflective and calm. There are no sword fights, or daring escapes. Just a flat tire, the game on the radio, and as my son noted, "A little boy in the front with no car seat!"

Toot, Toot!

For many years Golden Books were an affordable source of children's literature for families, whether they were shopping in a bookstore, or their local 5 and 10. Lush illustrations, and an epic journey have kept Scuffy the Tugboat on the shelves of families continuously since its publication in 1946. Scuffy was "meant for bigger things" than a toy store or a bath tub. From a pastoral stream and flooded rivers, to the bustling port of a harbor city, Scuffy travels through idyllic post-war America. Written by  Gertrude Crampton and Illustrated by Tibor Gergely.


Believe it or not Scuffy the Tugbaoat is now even available on your Kindle. 

Can You Read?

Well, I guess you can read. But you couldn't always, could you? From a parent and educator's perspective, the emergence of reading is a process that seems to take years of hard work. But, to many children learning to read is not a laborious journey, but is instead remembered as a magical moment when everything just "clicks".


And I Mean It, Stanley (By Crosby Bonsall) may not be the greatest book I ever read, but it is perhaps the most important book. Like many other young Americans, the first book I ever read was part of the " I Can Read Book" series by Harper Publishing. The simple act of reading by oneself not only opens up a new world to children, but it also gives them power. The power to  read as much as they want, whenever they want, and just about whatever they want.
And I Mean It, Stanley is the uncomplicated story of a girl, a junkyard, and a dog. Simple story, classic illustrations, and the potential to start someone's life-long love of reading.