Preep, The Little Pigeon of Trafalgar Square
As the story opens, we learn about Admiral Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and how Nelson's Column (the monument at the center of the square) came to be. Then we meet a delightful pigeon family that lives atop the monument; a father and mother and seven little baby pigeons called Emilie, Harriette, Jonathan, Lucy, Jeremy, Willie and Preep.
"Preep? What an odd name!" neighboring pigeons would say to Mamma Pigeon. "Why did you call your youngest that?" "Well, just look at him? answered Mamma Pigeon. "Isn't he an odd color? And see, his legs are much shorter than they ought to be. And what a ridiculous beak he has. And has anyone ever, ever seen wings like that? When my husband first saw him come out of the egg, he was so astonished he shouted, 'Preposterous!' And who could blame him? So we decided to call him Preep which was a short way of saying Preposterous. Although we love him very much," Mamma Pigeon would continue, "you must admit he is not much like us. I think Preep suits him very well."
Now, in full disclosure, my son always cries when Preep is kidnapped. But the sadness drives the rejoicing, making it that much better when the story ends. A longer read than most picture books, everything about it makes me happy: the size, the shape, the colors. An all-around joy to read. Now, off to find Dale Maxey's Seeing London. Mega WOW.
The Fat Cat: A Danish Folktale
"I'll be glad to," said the cat. But when the old woman had gone, the gruel looked so good that the cat ate it all. And the pot, too. When the old woman came back, she said to the cat, "Now what has happened to the gruel? "Oh," said the cat, "I ate the gruel and I ate the pot, too. And now I am going to also eat YOU." And he ate the old woman.
You can imagine where the story goes from here. The cat becomes more and more overweight, gorging himself on Mr. Skohottentot and Mr. Skolinkenlot, a bunch of birds, some little girls, a lady and a priest before a woodcutter shows up, and well, you've heard that song before. Somehow I'd missed this folktale in my youth (I know it has other children's book incarnations), so the first read was a total (delightful) surprise to me, and the boy thinks it's hysterical. Once he gets going with the giggles, it's hard to stop him. That said... I promise, no more Jack Kent for a while. (Fingers crossed silently, offline.)
Also by:
Little Boy Blue
The Daddy Book
Daddies are the often unsung heroes of children's literature. The read-aloud kings who aren't afraid of making silly voices. Who never seem to lose patience with the phrase "just one more chapter." Many a night I've had to go in and intervene as the clock ticks by 8, 8:30 and into 9, and I still hear the words of JK Rowling echoing down the hall. The dads who tote stacks and stacks of picture books into restaurants and read story after story as their dinners sits cold and uneaten. It's for my husband and daddies like him and daddies all over the world that this little gem was written and illustrated. A testament to the never-dying love and devotion that emminates from the man who helped create you.
Daddy often does what Mommy does. He changes diapers. Daddy cooks dinner and washes dishes. Does your Daddy give you a bath? Put your pajamas on? Put you to bed? Sometimes daddies get angry. Does your Daddy ever tell you to eat all your food? Wash your hands? Stay in your bed? Pick up your toys? But all daddies love their little boys and girls. No matter what.
Also by:
What's in the Dark? 
What's in the dark?
Your crayons in a jumbled pile,
Around the house and soon out the window into the world, up to the sky, we hear about all the soft, silent, wonderful things that happen in the dark. One of my favorite things to do if I wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep is sit out on my front porch and watch the world NOT go by. All the night things that happen when no one is looking. This book certainly casts that spell.
(Plus, these sleepy houses remind me of the "Talking Houses" on The Muppet Show. Super cool!)
As promised, today's Great Monday Give involves a much sought after OOP book that I bought at a library sale. Now, let me state, I'm giving this away because we have it already, and I know it's one that people seek out so I wanted to share the wealth. But let me also state, it's not in the best shape. It's a great reading copy, but there are some tears, staining, library markings etc. It's a first edition hardcover with the Mylar cover still on, and has seen way way better days but still has years left in it! (The scan is of the actual book.) That said, any of you who are willing to take on this super-loved book and continue loving it, please write up a little something about why you'd love to have it in your collection. The person with the most compelling reason wins! 
Prince Bertram the Bad
Now, onto another much-loved book I found that the boy took to instantly. Unfortunately for you, I'm holding on to this one because it is so totally AWESOME! Who doesn't love a Lobel... and in particular, an out-of-print Lobel!?! Have a look and feel the envy my friends! Yes, I am on the hunt for books to share with my son, but in the same breath, I do get a rush out of the find. Nothing beats the light-headedness that comes with getting your hands on something really good... or really BAD, in this case!
Once upon a time a prince was born. "Long live Prince Bertram!" shouted all the people in the kingdom. His mother and father, the king and queen, were very happy and proud. But Prince Bertram was not a good baby. In his crib in the royal nursery he cried all the time. When his mother took him to the park, Prince Bertram was not friendly to the other babies. Even before he was old enough to walk, he had torn up all the roses in the royal garden. The king and queen hoped that Prince Bertram would grow up to be a good boy. But as each year passed, he grew meaner and naughtier.
His bad behavior gets more and more horrible until one day, while he's hitting birds with stones from his slingshot, he nails a witch who teaches him a lesson he won't soon forget, turning him into a wee little dragon. File this moral under "do unto others or ELSE!" Funny, funny stuff. I do love to see nasty little kids get their comeuppance. Lobel never, ever, ever disappoints. I just adore him, and I have yet to find a book of his the boy doesn't die for.
Also by:
Stevie
And so Robert is thrown into living with Stevie, who has a knack for foiling all his fun. So many thing go on within this story. There is the anxiety of the separation of mother and child. The rivalry between the two makeshift siblings. It's filled with compassion, and childhood innocence of bigger, grown-up world problems. All told in Robert's sweet, funny, jealous and frustrated voice. It's when Stevie has to leave that the true spirit shines through. What is so moving about this book is that the story is universal, and the feeling of loss is something every child and adult can relate to.
Just Us Women 
Saturday morning is jump-off time. Aunt Martha and I are going to drive all the way to North Carolina in her new car. Aunt Martha says, "No boys and no men, just us women."
It was a magical day... and the rest of it was probably filled with all the same things this book has. There's fried chicken and chocolate cake wrapped in wax paper. There's thrift shopping at roadside markets and peach shopping at farmer's markets. There's picture taking and a stop at a fancy restaurant... followed by foraging for wild mushrooms. (Well, OK, we didn't forage for mushrooms, but we did go to an all-you-can-pick gladiola farm and fill the car!) Seriously, I am inspired to hop in my Subaru right now and enjoy the beautiful day outside. Told in green, orange and blue (my favorite color combo!), this book evokes so many memories of my own childhood, I know I'm gonna force the boy to read this more than a few times before it heads back to the library.
