Journey by Aaron Becker

This is a wordless picture book. And somehow, my blog post went up wordless as well. That makes it all the more powerful, doesn't it? Ha!

I have seen this book kicking around for a few years, but for some reason, it didn't really grab my attention. But it is awesome! 

The pictures start out mostly monochromatic with a single bright color

Without words, you feel the loneliness of a little girl whose family is to busy for her.

So like children through the ages, she flops on her bed and contemplates the unfairness of life.

And while she is sitting there in her room, she finds a red crayon. And with it, makes a door into another world. 

There are so many kids books to reference here. Harold and the Purple Crayon, Where the Wild Things Are, The Chronicles of Narnia...

The door into another world is a tried and true. 

Magic!! Once she enters the other world, there is color! 

This part of the book is a little less clear. Is there some allegory here? Or is it just representing authority?

Apparently red is okay...

But purple isn't.

Trapping creativity. But here comes the red crayon!

Good always triumphs.

And is rewarded!

A magic carpet ride... 

Isn't this book gorgeous?

And then the purple bird shows her the purple door.

Which leads back to her very own street. And to a boy she had missed before when she was too self-involved to notice him and his purple crayon.

The coloring duo--the world is their oyster!

This is my Home, This is My School by Jonathan Bean

Have you seen any of Jonathan Bean's books? I did At Night last week. I really like Jonathan Bean's books. Several of them are somewhat based on real facts. This one is about him and his family being home schooled. 

Not something you want to read on the first day of school and your new job. Kind of makes you want to quit your job and home school your kids so they can have fun and grow up to be famous authors. Ha! 

Jonathan Bean also has Building Our House which I am saving for when we are building our house. (I like things on this blog to match life.) I adore Building Our House. It makes me want to build a house. Maybe Jonathan Bean should write a housekeeping book--I might actually want to do it then. 

Anyway, this house is the house from Building Our House.

This we assume is young Jonathan.

His illustrations are fun and messy. Which is pretty much life with kids.

This is our classroom.

And every other place you can think of is a classroom too.

The crabby cafeteria lady. I feel her pain. 

Playground

Field trips 

Art class.

Swoon.

When things get rough, the substitute teacher is called in.

The sub does shop class

And outdoorsy things.

Dinner. And show-and-tell.

Astronomy and English Class

C'mon! Doesn't this all make you want to take your kids out of school and just have enriching days with them? I want to teach library from under the covers! 

Ignoring, of course, all the complications that home schooling brings and the fact that my kids are thrilled to be back in school.

And since this is somewhat factual, here are some Bean pictures! 

School's First Day of School by Adam Rex & Illus by Christian Robinson

This is a fun book! I read it yesterday on the first day of school to the kindergartners and preschoolers. They all enjoyed it! They really got into the school having emotions and maybe being a tiny bit nervous about the first day of school.

 (I was a tiny bit nervous about the first day of school myself. It went pretty well. I just sort of winged it--"I'll give them an introduction to the library and talk about summer vacation." Mistake! I need to plan a little more thoroughly. And I forgot to check when class ends, so I wasn't sure if I should start reading another book or line them up. Lessons learned!)

The title page has the school being built. All the heavy equipment and people it took to build the school.

And there was the school. Happy as can be.

Just him and the Janitor. 

But then the Janitor tells the school that children would be coming to school. And the school is just ever so slightly convinced he won't like kids. 

The big day arrives. The school is clearly apprehensive.

Kids overran the school!

And there were some mean older kids who complained about their beautiful new school. The school felt badly about it.

So he squirted the bad hat at the water fountain.

The kindergarten room. (I love that there are two Aidens.) The little girl with freckles was not enjoying school. 

"I don't like school," she whispered into her lap.

"Well..." thought the school. "maybe it doesn't like you either."

The school has an exact little kid attitude about things.

Cafeteria stuff, including nose milk. 

For all his hesitancy, the school decided the first day went okay. He told the Janitor all about it while he cleaned the floors.

And asked the Janitor if he thought he could invite the kids to come again tomorrow. 

"Sure," said the Janitor.

The kids got a kick out of this book. They entered into the emotions and worries of the school with glee and laughed in all the right places.

It's a good 'un!

The NOT So Quiet Library by Zachariah OHora

This book is awesome. I have had it hanging out in my Saved For Later section of my Amazon cart for a good while, and then I saw it at the library the other day. I love it! 

This is the story of a little boy, Oskar, and his bear, Theodore, who love to spend time at the library with their father on Saturdays. Pretty solid beginning! And when I opened it up and saw this....

...I knew it was going to be a fabulous book! I think I am a little in love with that hipster dad and his overflowing quantity of library books. 

Saturday was library day. 

Dad always said that a day of quiet exploration required a proper breakfast. 

This guy does library books by the boatload, spends the day at the library, and considers doughnuts to be a proper breakfast... How cool is he?

At the library--

They headed down to the children's department while Dad headed up to the nap department.

While they are enjoying their books, things get noisy. 

It appeared there was a monster in the library.

An angry, hungry monster.

 Oskar and Theodore try all sorts of different hilarious tactics to deal with the monster.

And they finally figure out why this monster is so put out. 

Seriously, this monster sprinkling sprinkles on them before eating them is one of my favorite parts. A sprinkle loving, five headed monster. 

Theodore thinks quickly and averts disaster.  

Just in time for story time. 

Every one enjoys story time. Even monsters. 

Pretty sure most kids wouldn't get this joke, but it cracks me up! 

After they show the monster the finer points of book love, Oskar and Theodore head home. 

With a lot of books.

Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson and Brian Wildsmith

Bed in Summer

In winter I get up at night

And dress by yellow candle-light.

In summer, quite the other way. 

I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see

The birds still hopping on the tree. 

Or hear the grown-up people's feet 

Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you

When all the sky is clear and clue, 

And I should like so much to play

To have to go to bed by day?