Paper Adventures

Dear Reader:

Thanks so much for the great book ideas last week. We devoured a few of them over the long weekend, and we’re thinking about getting a Manny ourselves.

To show our appreciation, we did a little digging around to answer your question about good reads for kids. Even kids need a good escape in the summer, so our picks are full of great imaginary stories and zany adventures that also celebrate and encourage a love of reading.

Let’s just say we LOVE I Love My Little Storybook by Anita Jeram, of Guess How Much I Love You fame. A beautifully illustrated story that inspires a love of books, it tells of the imaginary adventures of a little bunny who discovers a world of magic forests and lakes, gentle lions, and stomping giants through the pages of his storybook. (Ages 2 - 5)

This brand new book, I’d Really Like to Eat a Child, by French author Sylviane Donnio (a mother of three) tells the tale of a scrawny little alligator named Achilles who, tiring of the food his mother prepares for his breakfast, sets off on his own little adventure to find a child to eat. But when the child he finds picks him up and tickles his tummy instead of being afraid of him, he realizes that he better listen to his mother and eat more so he can grow up to be big and strong. (Ages 3 – 6)

Chronicling her third adventure with her brother Sam, Stella: Fairy of the Forest (by Marie-Louise Gay) exposes young readers to magic of the forest. From butterflies to rocks, Sam’s got lots of curious little brother questions about everything, and Stella answers them all as they make their way to their very own fort in the forest. And, setting a great example for siblings everywhere, they never fight once! (Ages 2 – 6)

We’re sure you’re as wild about the classic Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak as much as we are. (It’s over forty years old now, believe it or not.) You’ll love following Max through that wild imaginary journey with your kids too. If only being sent to your room could always be that great. (Ages 4 – 6)

Picky eaters can use their imaginations too, transforming dinner into a voyage of discovery like Charlie does for his little sister, Lola, in I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child. Lola has been turning up her nose at everything on her plate, but when Charlie presents carrots as orange twiglets from Jupiter and mashed potatoes as cloud fluff from the pointiest peak of Mount Fuji, Lola’s imagination overcomes her appetite. You’ll have to read it to find out about that tomato though! (Ages 3 – 8)

Imagine a Day when you can ride your bike up a path of falling leaves into a tree and release blue balloons up to the cold grey sky to create a perfect day. Anything’s possible in this exploration of the imagination, written by Sarah L. Thomson and incredibly illustrated by Canadian artist Rob Gonsalves. And if you loved that great day, there’s also the equally good Imagine a Night, which, you might be surprised to know, actually came first. (Ages 2 – 6)

Remember the magic a good book can bring to a child’s life. Enjoy reading some of these with your kids and sharing the adventures (and the hammock) hidden inside these pages.

Yours, the SavvyMoms

Available at www.indigo.ca or at your favourite bookstore.

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