Mommy?

This is the most incredible pop-up book I've ever seen! I saw it on a morning talk show when it was first published and knew it was a must-have. Of course, it helped that Maurice Sendak was the author :)

It's about a little boy who's looking for his mother and there's only one word in the book: Mommy.

My kids love it, but I had to hide it from them until they were old enough to understand how wrong it is to rip pages in a book!

The Monster in the Backpack

Laugh out loud funny! That's how I would describe this book. When Andrew and I read it for the first time, we laughed at every page.

On the way to school, a sweet, unsuspecting girl opens her backpack to find that a monster has taken up residency in the bag. As if that weren't shocking enough, she discovers that he's also eaten her lunch!

A normal, orderly school day is turned upside down by this fun-loving monster and leaves the poor girl trying to trade backpacks with another classmate.

My bookshelves are pretty full, but I would definitely make room for this one!

The Monster Trap

I love the illustrations of Dean Morrrissey, so when I saw this book at the library, it immediately found it's way into my bag. We weren't disapointed - this is a great book!

It's the story of a little boy who, while spending time at his grandfather's house, begins to hear night noises that sound suspiciously like monsters. He alerts his grandfather to their presence and begs him to find a way to get rid of the monsters. Grandfather agrees to build a trap, but each night as the trap fails to catch the monsters, he builds bigger and better traps.

I'll bet you're wondering if they ever catch the monsters...but I'm not going to give it away :)

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

This is a great book for Halloween and definitely fun for the kids. They love to follow along with their own actions.

It's about a little old lady who is walking home through the forest one night and is approached by some shoes, pants, a shirt, gloves, a hat and finally, a scary pumpkin head that says, "Boo, Boo!"

Frightened, she runs to her house and locks the door. What happens after that? You'll have to read it to find out!

Popcorn

I have loved this book since childhood! I remember describing it to my mom once, hoping she'd know the title, but neither one of us could remember.

Then, as luck would have it, I was at a yard sale one Saturday morning and found a book with illustrations that were very familiar. As soon as I got home I looked up the author on Amazon and found the book I was looking for!

It's the story of a little bear whose parents leave him home one night while they go to a Halloween party. They ask him to take care of the house while they're gone, but as soon as they're out the door he calls his friends to invite them to a Halloween party of his own.

When someone decides to make popcorn, they make too much and the whole house is filled with popcorn, leaving them no choice but to eat their way out of the house.

My kids love this story just as much as I do and inevitably we end up craving popcorn!

Frank was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance

We love this book! Have I mentioned before that Keith Graves is a favorite author/illustrator of mine? I think I have, but I don't mind saying it again. :)

My kids love the crazy illustrations that chronicle the life of Frank the monster, who's deepest desire is to dance in front of an audience.

Deciding to follow his dream, Frank drives to a local theater where he fearlessly walks on stage and begins to dance. Despite a few minor setbacks, Frank completes his dance and is quite proud of his accomplishment - even though the audience has left the building.

We checked this out at the library, but it's definitely one I want to add to our collection!