Our Latest Favorites

Strega Nona, by Tomie de Paola

My grandma owned this book and when we were little we would read it all the time! I saw it at the library recently and realized that Max had to read it. It's a funny story about Big Anthony and a magical pasta pot... Big Anthony learns a big lesson, and the punishment fits the crime!

Achoo! Bang! Crash! The Noisy Alphabet, by Ross MacDonald

We came upon this book totally by accident. It had a cool looking cover, and anything with the word "noisy" is a sure-fire winner for Max. This book goes through the alphabet using noises (F is for "Fa-DWAP!") and great illustrations. Plus, all of the lettering was done on an old-fashioned printing press with antique carved wooden letters. Cool!

Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson

Written in 1965, this is a classic children's story that every kid can relate to. Using his trusty purple crayon, Harold draws his own world - sailing across the ocean, climbing a mountain, and eventually ending up safe in bed. Since reading this book, Max's purple crayon has gotten more use than any other color!

Beethoven's Wig

An awesome introduction to classical music, the group Beethoven's Wig has written hilarious lyrics to popular classical works! They are great musicians with a great sense of humor. We could listen to them all day.

Putumayo Kids

These CD's were created to introduce kids to music from all over the world. Our favorites are the African Playground and Asian Dreamland. We just returned a stack of items to the library, but Max wanted to hold on to his Putumayo CD for one more week!