Helen Lester and Mem Fox

Our family has a soft spot for Helen Lester because we have a really soft spot for Tacky the Penguin. He's loud like we are, dramatic like we are, and more than a little interesting--just like we are. In Ms. Lester's own words, "Tacky [is] an odd bird, but a nice bird to have around."

So last week we gorged on Helen Lester books, all illustrated by Lynn Munsinger:

Tacky and the Emperor
Tacky Goes to Camp
Tacky and the Winter Games
Score One for Sloths
Hooway for Wodney Wat

The recurring theme in the Lester/Munsinger books that we've read so far is the value of individuality. In each, the protagonist--Tacky, Sparky Sloth, and Wodney Wat (Rodney Rat)--is the odd man out. Tacky isn't orderly like the rest of the penguins, Sparky isn't slothful, and Wodney is cowed and shy because of the teasing he receives for his speech impediment. Then the "normal" kids get themselves in a sticky situation, the odd man out saves the day, and reminds the others that differences can be valuable.

For me, "Sloths" was a little slow--appropriate, perhaps, but it didn't engage EJ the way the Tacky books and Wodney did. It's Lester's nod to the mess of standardized testing (the sloth school is on the administration's radar because the sloths are great at being sloths, but bad at waking up for math and reading), and a cute take, but that makes it more engaging for the adult than for the kid.

We loved Wodney, and I think it would be great for older readers, too, to help understand that teasing can be hurtful. The danger in reading it to a younger kiddo--younger than Lester's intended audience--is that a kid who does just fine with "r" sounds but is still in the mimic phase of language learning may temporarily pick up a speech impediment. Code: EJ started w-ing her r sounds for a bit after reading Wodney. Nothing horrid, just something to be aware of.

We also read "Yoo-hoo! Ladybug!" by Mem Fox. This one is actually more for EJ's age group: one to two sentences per page, engaging collage-style illustrations by Laura Ljungkvist, and a hide/find game built in. I was a little bored by it after the first read, but EJ paraded around the house declaring "Yoo-hoo! Ladybug! Where aaaaaaaaaaaare you?" So I would say it was a hit for her.


That's it for this week. Next week I'll take some pictures of the books so we're not all words all the time. Until then, what was your hit of the week with your kiddo?