The Little Engine that could

 By Watty Piper 

Another children's classic I picked up in New York was this wonderful little story about the little engine that could. I first bought this story for my boy when he was quite small, it even had a little wind-up toy train that ran over the pages of the book. Very cute. I loved sharing it with him. When a question from it appeared in the intermediate Lit-Quiz I thought, "that's great an answer he'll know" - But no, it seems he's not read it in maybe 8 years. He's certainly not read it himself... it's a classic, he really should get to it.

Synopsis

The all-time classic about the little engine and the timeless refrain, "I think I can...I think I can... I think I can."

Author 

Watty Piper is the pseudonym of Arnold Munk, the author behind the classic retelling of The Little Engine That Could and co-founder of Platt & Munk Publishers. He was born in Hungary, and as a child, moved with his family to the United States, settling in Chicago. Later he moved to New York. Platt & Munk's offices were at 200 Fifth Avenue until 1957 when Arnold Munk died. Arnold Munk used the name Watty Piper as both an author of children's books and as the editor of many of the books that Platt & Munk published.

Loren Long is the author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling picture books Otis, Otis and the Tornado, Otis and the Puppy, An Otis Christmas and Otis and the Scarecrow.
He is the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of President Barack Obama’s picture book Of Thee I Sing, the re-illustrated edition of The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper, and Mr. Peabody’s Apples by Madonna.  Loren's Little Tree, is a picture book for all ages.

Now we are six

By A.A. Milne

When I was 6 I was gifted this book from my aunt. There is an inscription on the inside cover:
To Simon 
with love 
Emily-Louise
xxx
because everyone should have this when they are six. 
Happy Birthday.

This is one of my favourite poem books from when I was going up. Reading it now though as changed my perspective a little there are certainly poems in here that I adore, like The End and Waiting at the Window, Twice Times and A Thought and my personal favourites The Old Sailor and Forgiven. But there are certainly others that hold no affection for me at all. I guess, when I really think of it, I doubt I have even read this book from cover to cover before, until now.

Whilst researching this item I discovered that "Winnie the Pooh" was a tiny portion of A.A.Milne's work. Have a look below at the list of 'other books' abd you'll see what I mean... I wonder how many of his other works are still in print.

Synopsis

'Whenever I am, there's always Pooh. There's always Pooh and Me.'
This book, as When We Were Very Young, contains A.A. Milne's verses about Christopher Robin and of course Pooh, who wouldn't like to be forgotten, and is packed with Earnst Shepard's beautiful illustrations.

Author

Alan Alexander Milne was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work. (Wikipedia)

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

Other books

• Lovers in London (1905. Some consider this more of a short story collection; Milne did not like it and considered The Day's Play as his first book.)
• Once on a Time (1917)
• Wurzel-Flummery (1917)
• Belinda (1918)
• The Boy Comes Home (1918)
• Make-Believe (1918) (children's play)
• The Camberley Triangle (1919)
• Mr. Pim Passes By (1919)
• The Red Feathers (1920)
• The Romantic Age (1920)
• The Stepmother (1920)
• The Truth about Blayds (1920)
• The Bump (1920, Minerva Films), starring Aubrey Smith
• Twice Two (1920, Minerva Films)
• Five Pound Reward (1920, Minerva Films)
• Bookworms (1920, Minerva Films)
• The Great Broxopp (1921)
• The Dover Road (1921)
• Mr. Pim (1921) (A novelisation of his 1919 play Mr. Pim Passes By)
• The Red House Mystery (1922)
• The Lucky One (1922)
• The Truth About Blayds (1922)
• The Artist: A Duologue (1923)
• Give Me Yesterday (1923) (a.k.a. Success in the UK)
• Ariadne (1924)
• The Man in the Bowler Hat: A Terribly Exciting Affair (1924)
• To Have the Honour (1924)
• When We Were Very Young (1924) (illustrated by E. H. Shepard)
• A Gallery of Children (1925) 
• Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) (illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard)
• Portrait of a Gentleman in Slippers (1926)
• Success (1926)
• Now We Are Six (1927) (illustrated by E. H. Shepard) 
• Miss Marlow at Play (1927)
• The House at Pooh Corner (1928) (illustrated by E. H. Shepard)
• The Fourth Wall or The Perfect Alibi (1928) (later adapted for the film Birds of Prey (1930), directed by Basil Dean)
• The Ivory Door (1929)
• Toad of Toad Hall (1929) (adaptation of The Wind in the Willows)
• Michael and Mary (1930)
• Two People (1931) (Inside jacket claims this is Milne's first attempt at a novel.)
• Four Days' Wonder (1933)
• Other People's Lives (1933) (a.k.a. They Don't Mean Any Harm) 
• Miss Elizabeth Bennet (1936) [based on Pride and Prejudice]
• Peace With Honour (1934)
• Sarah Simple (1937) 
• Gentleman Unknown (1938)
• It's Too Late Now: The Autobiography of a Writer (1939)
• The General Takes Off His Helmet (1939) in The Queen's Book of the Red Cross
• War With Honour (1940)
• Behind the Lines (1940)
• War Aims Unlimited (1941)
• The Ugly Duckling (1941)
• Chloe Marr (1946)
• The Norman Church (1948) 
• Before the Flood (1951).
• Year In, Year Out (1952) (illustrated by E. H. Shepard)

Monkey Boy

By Donovan Bixley

What a great story. I loved the mix of graphic novel and regular novel. The story was brilliantly crafted if just a little scary for my class. I loved Jimmy's relationship with his 'sea daddy'. There's a nice blend of the here and now and flashback to tell Jimmy's story. It's well worth a read but there's a warning on the back "It's a rough life at sea, so grab a bucket and hold onto your guts" never a truer word spoken.

Synopsis

Jimmy Grimholt is the youngest sailor aboard warship H.M.S. Fury, bound for bloodcurdling battle. This is not a story of cotton-candy capers. It is a story of gruesome horrors, awful amputations and ghastly ghouls ...
It's a rough life at sea, so grab a bucket and hold onto your guts.
This is going to get really ugly.

Author

Donovan Bixley is Donovan Bixley is a picture book creator, who has worked on more than 90 books in a broad range of genres, from his best-selling preschool books The Wheels on the Bus (Hodder Moa, 2010) and Old MacDonald’s Farm (Hodder Moa, 2011) to his international illustrated biographies Faithfully Mozart (PQ Blackwell/Hodder, 2005) and Much Ado About Shakespeare (Upstart, 2016). He has won numerous awards, including Best Junior Fiction at the 2015 New Zealand Book Awards For Children and Young Adults for his hybrid comic/novel, Monkey Boy (Scholastic, 2015)

Other books by the author

• Much ado about Shakespeare
• Flying furballs Dogfight
• The Great Kiwi ABC Book
• The Wheels on the Bus
• Old MacDonald's Farm
• The Looky Book
• Little Bo Peep and More...
• Pussycat Pussycat and More...
• My First Board Book Series (6 books)
• Fuzzy Doodle
• Monkey Boy
• Dinosaur Rescue: 8 BOOK SERIES
• Dragon Knight: 6 BOOK SERIES
• Three Bears Sort Of
• Little Red Riding Hood ... Not Quite
• The Weather Machine
• Dashing Dog
• Northwood
• Maddy West and the Tongue Taker
• Phoebe and the Night Creatures
• The Story of Bo and the Circus that Wasn't
• Marc Ellis' Good Fullas
• A Right Royal Christmas   
• Faithfully Mozart -the fantastic world of Wolfgang Armadeus Mozart
  The Tuotara and the Skink
• Wacko Kakapo  
• Harry Hobnail and the Pungapeople 
• Mr Tanglewood and the Pungapeople

The Complete Idiot's Guide to U.S. History

By Kenneth Hite and Shepherd Hendrix

I've really enjoyed this graphic novel explaining, in really simple terms, American History. I've been sharing it with my boy and it's been very accessible to him. It's opened up a dialogue about American History as he asks me about the Boston Tea Party, American Independence, The Civil War, Civil Rights and so on. Its been a start for us both, simply getting the events that we know about in chronological order has been so helpful.

Synopisis
You're no idiot, of course. You know there are exciting, meaty stories buried in American history books. But with most history tomes, it's hard to stay awake long enough to get to the good stuff.
Get a better picture of the events that made history! This book shows you action and explains what it means. In it, you get:

• Captivating stories of the people and events that shaped our nation. 
• Vivid depictions of how Americans won independence and sovereignty from sea to shining sea. 
• Enlightening explanations of domestic struggles over abolition, worker's rights, racism and minority rights. 
• Compelling examinations of America's role in international affairs, from total war to peaceful diplomacy.

Authors

Kenneth Hite
Award winning author with an academic background in history, has designed, written adn co-authored more than 70 role-playing games and supplements including Star Trek: The Next Generation RPG, Lord of the Rings RPG, and Call of Cthulhu d20.

Shepherd Hendrix
In 1991 Hendrix began as a professional comic book artist. The illurstrator of Stagger Lee, Swamp Thing, Tarzan, and many other comics. He took on other creative roles such as storyboard artist, background designer, and concept artist. His animation credits include work on the Extreme Ghostbuster TV series. 

 

Two Frogs

By Chris Wormell

I recently shared with my class "The Two Frogs" I'd forgotten how much I simply adore this book. It is so brilliantly written and the illustrations are wondrous. The silly voices I do for the two frogs just came back to me in a heart beat.

I first read this to a class I had back in 2002. It is such an age ago but feels like yesterday. I went on to purchase a number of other Chris Wormell books and I'm still on the hunt for more.

Synopsis

Two frogs are sitting on a lily pad in the middle of a huge lake. One of then is clutching a stick. The stick, he says, is to beat off the dog. But there is no dog... yet.
A wonderfully funny fable featuring a hapless pair of frogs fighting for survival against the odds.

Author

He was born in 1955 in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. He had no formal training as an artist, working as a road-sweeper, rubbish collector, postman, and a factory worker. An interest in landscape painting led him to buy a set of wood engraving tools in 1982 and to teach himself how to use them.

Freelance illustrator in advertising, design, editorial, and children's books, London, England, 1984—. Exhibitions: Solo exhibitions include Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England, 1988; Fouts and Fowler Gallery, London, 1990; Artworks Gallery, London, 1994; Richmond Literary Festival, 1996; and Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1996.

Read more: Christopher Wormell (1955-) Biography - Personal, Addresses, Career, Member, Honors Awards, Writings, Sidelights - Animals, London, England, and Review - JRank Articles http://biography.jrank.org/pages/974/Wormell-Christopher-1955.html#ixzz4gjl49ZIy

Other Books by the author

• An Alphabet of Animals (1990)
• A Number of Animals (1993)
• Kitchen Wisdom (1995)
• What I Eat (1996)
• Where I Live (1996)
• The Art of the Kitchen (1998)
• Blue Rabbit and Friends (1999)
• Blue Rabbit and the Runaway Wheel (1999)
• The Animal Train (2000)
• Off to the Fair (2001)
• Puff-Puff, Chugga-Chugga (2001)
• George and the Dragon (2002)
• The New Alphabet of Animals (2002)
• In the Woods (2003)
• Two Frogs (2003)
• The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit (2004)
• Teeth, Tails, and Tentacles (2004)
• Mice, Morals, and Monkey Business (2005)
• The Sea Monster (2005)
• The Wild Girl (2005)
• Henry and the Fox (2006)
• Through the Animals' Eyes (2006)
• George, the Dragon and the Princess (2007)
• The Saddest King (2007)
• Wings, Horns, and Claws (2007)
• Molly and the Night Monster (2008)
• The Animals Came Two By Two (2008)
• Ferocious Wild Beasts (2009)
• One Smart Fish (2010)