The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

Oh, ...I don't even know where to begin with this book.  Let's just say, if I only had the option of buying this book new, I WOULD DO IT!

One of my most favorite newer children's book that I really think should be in every kid's library

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywelt

Can I just say HILARIOUS!  Yes, all caps, this deserves ALL CAPS!  

One day, a little boy who needs to do a project for school suddenly discovers his crayons are missing, but a box of notes are left from each one letting them now that they are on strike.

Each page features a crayon, his/her letter and a striking illustration next to it.  

Just like how you see above, the black is on strike cause he's tried of only being used for outlines and wants to be used for more happier objects.

Or how the gray crayon is tired of being used for such large animals and the yellow and orange crayons are in a fight of who is really the color of the sun.  

I love the illustrations and how they are so childish and seem so real to what the book is about.

I, as an adult, really enjoyed it.  I probably would have even purchased this book even if I didn't have kids.  I'm even scared that for my son to touch it cause I'm afraid he'll ruin it.  Does that make me a bad mom?  

This book can be purchased brand new on Amazon for about $10 with prime shipping, which is actually cheaper than buying the book used anywhere else.  Thriftbooks you are paying about $12-13 with shipping for this book and that's used.

Worth every penny!  Get it!  Your child will want to read it over and over...including yourself!

Click on the link below to purchase from Amazon:

UPDATE::::  The sequel to this book will be coming out in August.  It's called The Day the Crayons Came Home.  Can't wait!!  To pre-purchase this book (which I'm sure is going to be cheaper than buying it after it comes out)  click on the link below to Amazon:

In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

Now, this book I'm showing you is one the of the most banned children's books in libraries and schools.  And it's by one of America's most well known authors:

Recognize the name of the author?  If you don't, you are crazy!  Okay, not too crazy, but on a scale of 1 to 10, it would be maaayyybeee a 1, which is still crazy.

In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak; 1970.  

Maurice Sendak, yep, if you guessed right, he is the author of Where the Wild Things Are and one of my favorite illustrators.  This book came about 7 years after that wonderful story of Max, and now comes Mickey, a little boy who's world turns into a giant kitchen....and gets baked into a pie and swims in milk ---  sound's offish.....yeah, it really is.

Not sure what edition or printing I have but it is a very early printing.

On a scale of 1 to 10, this book is about a 9 on the weird list.  No, it's nothing like his previous story and 

not nearly as good, but it's still imaginative.  

Mickey, while trying to sleep hears a strange noise and is suddenly thrown into this strange world of kitchen appliances, tools and bakers who are getting ready for the morning rush.  He is baked into a pie, but pops out and makes his clothes out of the pie crust (I'm going to go over this in just a sec) and takes some dough and makes a plane out of it to find some milk for his new baker friends.  

Now, about the pie crust clothes....well, let's just say that before then, nothing, no clothes, plus he has to change when he goes back to the real world and again, no clothes.

When I got this copy for about $1.00 at Deseret Industries, I didn't even notice the black underwear on this little boy, which is nothing...I don't mind the underwear.  But, while I was researching this book after getting it, I found out that either a bashful librarian or a protective mother took a black pen and drew some undies on his tush.  So yeah, on 8 different pages, you can either see his bare bottom or his little noodle.  Which is why this book is banned.....which I could understand.  What parent wants their children opening a book to see pictures of wee-wees?  

Is this book worth it?  In my opinion, if you can find this book for $3 or less, than maybe yes but only if  you want a piece of children's literature history.  Otherwise, I would just stick to the Wild Things.  This is just speaking on behalf of the story and not the *cough* image material.  And if you prefer your child to not view a cartoonish ding-a-ling or a full moon, just do what the previous owner did and draw a nice pair of undies on him.  

You can purchase this book on Thriftbooks for a good price of around $3.50 plus .99 shipping.  

In the Night Kitchen by: Maurice Sendak $3.59

Or get it at Amazon for around 1.00 plus $3.99 shipping used.  

There is only ONE true Winnie the Pooh

I'm a Winnie the Pooh fan.  Not the Disney version, I mean the original A. A. Milne Winnie the Pooh.

Is there a difference?  YES!  There's just something nicer about the original.  I love the stories, the poems and illustrations.  But of course, I guess if it wasn't for Disney, Pooh wouldn't be as possible.

A. A. Milne created Pooh from the imagination of his child, Christopher Robin (yep, the boy in his stories is based on his son) and his stuffed bear.

You would think for a character so popular that there would be so many books out there about Pooh Bear, but in fact, Milne only wrote two and two verse books of poems about the characters.

So here, in my much delight, is this compilation of both books and both verse books in just ONE book!  Plus all the original illustartions by E.H. Shepherd in color.  I do have this large book plus I have the single copies of the Winnie-The-Pooh and The House On Pooh Corner.

I absolutely love the original pooh stories.  Each book of course is in chapters, but they are set up that each chapter is a single adventure.  This makes it easy to read to your child every night without having to read a whole book or stop without hanging on the edge.

The stories are so cute and, in my opinion, would still captivate children of this generation including adults.  

(Disney's books and episodes are based off the original stories)

So why only four Pooh books?

Milne was actually quite annoyed of the popularity.  He loved being able to write what he wanted and how he wanted but I guess with everyone loving the pooh books, everyone wanted him to write this certain way.  Plus, his son was getting older, so he was losing his inspiration.  

In the 1930's, Milne gave the rights to his characters to Stephen Slesinger who was such a marketing expert, I believe he deserves big credit for making Pooh so worldwide.  After he passed, his widow took over the business and gave certain rights to Disney to develop TV shows, movies and books.  

  

What is it about Pooh bear that I find so intriguing?  I love the fact that he used his son as inspiration.  I mean, really...even games that were played in the stories were real games that were played by Christopher Robin.  Even the other characters like Piglet, Roo, Tigger, etc. were all based on his sons other stuffed animals.  Do you even want to know how Winnie the Pooh got his name?  Well, you got to read the book, it explains it in the first chapter.  Christopher Robin was even quoted that his dad did not write these stories for children or for adults.  He wrote it for him.  

How and where to buy?  I highly recommend buying the complete book, this will save you a lot of money.  The complete book has:

Winnie-the-Pooh

The House on Pooh Corner

When We Were Very Young

Now We Are Six

The cheapest place you will find this book is on Thriftbooks.com (where I got my copy) for $4.33.  If you buy it from Amazon, expect to pay at least $13 for a decent copy.  

If you choose to buy each individual book, it will cost you about $3.50 to $4 for each one.

Interesting facts: 

Disney is credit of giving Winnie the Pooh the red shirt

Christopher Robin when he was young didn't like the fact that his dad wrote a book based on him.  He was teased in school from it and claimed his dad was basically riding his shoulders

The original stuffed animals of Christopher that the stories came from can be seen at the New York Public Library except for Roo.  Christopher lost him in the 30s.

The One Hundred Acre Woods is based off a real place in Sussex, England and has become a tourist attraction.

There Are Rocks In My Socks Said the Ox to the Fox by Patricia Thomas

Well, before that Fox said fraka-kaka-kaka-kaka-kow, he was telling an ox how to get rocks out of his socks.

I have no idea why this book rang in my memory when I saw it.  I don't know if maybe I read it in Elementary, or saw it on Reading Rainbow, or what...... but the poem in this book is so familiar.

It was the title that really stuck out to me when I saw it in the thrift store.

There Are Rocks in My Socks Said the Ox to the Fox by Patricia Thomas

Such a clever book, really.  I think this is a great classic that would be read over and over by a child of this generation.  It's long enough to keep a 5 year old busy for sure but interesting enough that my 2 year old will actually stay engaged during the entire story.  Most because of the pictures and the fact that I keep saying rocks in my socks.  

The entire book is a poem, where all the lines try to rhyme with the next.  Such a poor big ox has rocks in his socks and can't get them out.  So he puts his trust in the fox who makes the ox try different things to get them out but the ox gets in a worse predicament then the last.  

I also adore the illustrations.  The colors are true to it's age....published back in 1979.  Every other page is color and the other pages are in black and white.  They are just perfect.  The colors do remind you of the 70s.  The pictures are amazing.  I love illustrations where you know that the illustrator actually took their time do draw and not just putting down scribbles.

I have no idea how many of these books they made.  They never made a printing line for it but unfortunately, this book is out of print.  They really do need to bring it back.  I found this gem at Deseret Industries for $1.00 and did find two other copies for .50 quite a while later (one of which I sold on Amazon)

This book does cost a little more than what I would like to pay.  If you want a decent copy, it's going to cost you.  You can get this book for about $18 plus $3.99 shipping for a good used copy or you can buy it like new for about $50
BUUUUTTTT... if you are okay with the library edition, you can purchase this book on Amazon for $1.75 plus $3.99 shipping. And, as I said before, I love library editions, so I think it's worth it.
Thriftbooks is usually sold out but you can add it to your wish list and they will email you when a copy becomes available.

Honestly, this novel used to be only around $8-9 on Amazon just a year ago and now they've doubled in price.  So I would get a copy now because this book only increases in value the more it ages.

Anyone remember this book as a child or heard the poem elsewhere?

Click below to purchase from Amazon. The first one is for the original hardcover book and the second one is if you want to pay much cheaper for library edition.

The Big Bad Wolf Seeks Therapy

Ever wonder what happened to that Big Bad Wolf?   Well, let's just say he became a little wussy and discovers a boy who can give him some therapy to become his big, bad self again.

I do love this book.  It's very cute, funny and is perfect for that kid who loves off the wall books.  Such a great sequel to the classics!

This book would be good for a child that is at least 5 years old and knows the story of either The Three Little Pigs or Little Red Riding Hood.

The Big Bad Wolf and Me by Delphine Perret

This story is in comic book form and it's very original.  It depicts a little boy who encounters a depressed wolf who is has figured out that he's a wimp, just can't scare people anymore.  His new friend decides to take him home and show him how to be scary again.  I think it's cute how the boy calls him Zorro even though the Wolf insists his name is Bernard.

I found this book at Savers for about .60 cents.  At first I didn't purchase it but I couldn't get it out of my mind and I returned the next day to purchase it.  I definitely would have paid more for this book.  If you need a new story for your child, THIS IS THE ONE!  It was originally a french children's book but came to the United States several years ago.

This book is available on Amazon for a great cheap price if you purchase used.   Abebooks.com for $3.36 with free shipping, or Thriftbooks.com for around $3.50 with .99 shipping.

The Big Bad Wolf and Me by: Delphine Perret $3.79

Does Harold Even Make It Home?

If you look at most of the lists of greatest children's books of all time, you are likely to find this little charm:

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson published in 1955 by Harper & Brothers (now known as HarperCollins

Here's a quick summary of this title:  Harold decides to go for a walk with his crayon, but since there's no moon, he decided to draw one and as he keeps going on his walk he draws trees, nature, buildings, etc.....  but now he needs to find his way home.

To be honest, I've owned two of these books.  One was paperback and this one is a newer hardcover with  a dust jacket.  I found them both at Deseret Industries for .50 cents each but after finding the hardcover, I gave the paperback back to DI.  I prefer hardcovers.  There is just something about them that feels more real. I do this every now and then when I have a paperback at home but find a nice sturdy hardcover for really cheap.

So is this book as good as the hype?  I'm not really sure.  I've read it by myself once and read it to my son once, too.  I didn't find it as amusing as other classics.  Don't get me wrong, it is original, the story is decent and I love the fact that the child is using his imagination.  But I just have to say that I'm not a big fan.  It's just a nice addition to add to my son's classic story collection.

I'm also still trying to figure out if Harold actually does make it home or if he's in limbo....?  Someone?

This book you can probably find at your local thrift store but don't think you'll find it as easily as, say the Berenstain Bear books.  I think I've only seen three copies in my entire "hunting" career.

Value:  If you can find a very early printing or even first edition of this book, I say you are completely lucky.  It's most definitely not something you can just get off a shelf somewhere.  This book would be worth around $3000 or so for a first printing.

Don't be fooled when you see someone selling a first edition.  I've seen some ebayers trying to sell this book as a first edition for thousands of dollars.  But if you look at the pictures, it's not a true first edition.
So how do you know?  Well, in 1955, HarperCollins was known as Harper & Brothers.  So the book should state the right name of the publisher, not Harper & Row like some sellers are putting out there.

As you can see, I'm nowhere near having a first edition.  My book is the 39th printing and it was printed in 2011.  The number line you see where it says 11 12 13, this tells you what year it was published, so the smallest number is the year.  The initials SCP tells you that it was outsourced to a different publisher.

Where to buy?  Thriftbooks will be your cheapest bet whether you buy it paperback or hardcover.  They have the book for as low as $3.39 plus free shipping.  Amazon, you will pay at least $4.  

Little fun fact:  Did you know that Harold makes an appearance in the Simpson's couch gag?  He draws the couch for the family and a beer for Homer.

The House of Seven Colors by Madeline Sunshine

Do you remember sitting in the middle of your floor, watching the tube (yes, tube TV, not LCD, Plasma, or 3D)?  Growing up, there were only three channels during the week: Nickelodeon, Disney, & PBS.  Then of course, Friday was spent watching TGIF....oh, how I miss that.  I watched all the good ones, Ghost Writer, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Win Lose or Draw, Boy Meets World, Saved by the Bell (I guess that was on ABC), and Double Dare.  

But I do really remember watching Sesame Street.  I loved the Cookie Monster, mainly because I always saw those cookies sitting on his plate, thinking that his mom must really love him to make him cookies whenever he wanted.  Plus he never gained weight.  That would be nice.  

I loved the things you learn in the show.  How each one is dedicated to a certain number, shape, and/or letter.  

So did you know that in the early 80's that they actually had a series of books that you could only order via mail?

I had the series as a kid.  Had no idea how my mother got them.  They just kept arriving and I kept reading.  I currently have about 25 or so of them.  I found most of them at Savers a few months ago, all sitting in a row.  What was even better, is they were all First Edition and First Printings.  

Here is one of them.  The reason why I'm showcasing this one first is because it's one of the most valuable ones out there.  Have no clue why...maybe someone can tell me?

     

The House of Seven Colors by Madeline Sunshine

In this book, several of the Sesame Street gang are on a tiring journey and decide to stop off at a hotel for the night.  The innkeeper shows them to their individual rooms in which each room is just one particular color....really, just one color.  Each character also goes through certain emotions about their room, too.  

It is a good story, and I think it's a great book to teach a child their colors and how we associate that color in the world.  It's also a great book about diversity.  The ending is even great.  Maybe this is why it's valued so high?

If you are wanting the original, be aware, they did have a reprint in 1992 so make sure you know what you are purchasing.  But the reprint also has high worth, too....go figure.    

The original was published in 1985 by Golden Press.  Yep, the same people who do those amazing books with the golden spine.  

Though, having a First Printing is still the most valuable, even a later printing of the original edition still holds value.  So how do you tell which printing you have?

If you have the original from the 80s, you can flip to the very last page in the book.  See the alphabet line right under Mumford the Magician?  It's the same thing as the Number Printing Line you saw in my earlier post but this one has to do with letters.  If it starts with the letter "A", then you have a First Printing.  If it starts with "B" then you have a 2nd Printing, and so on.  

Where can you purchase these?  The best place online is Amazon where you can purchase for around 6-8 dollars plus 3.99 shipping.
Thriftbooks is usually out and Ebay sellers sell this book in lots with other Sesame Street Books.
 But, keep your eyes open at your local thrift store.  In just a couple of  months I have found two copies, both first printings for 50 cents each.  And of course, I purchased both of them.

Let me know what you think of the book or reminisce about your memories with the Sesame Street Book Club.    

Willems and the Pigeon

If I had the chance to have my books autographed by one living author, it would be Mo Willems.  His pigeon books, in my opinion, are BRILLIANT!  If you haven't read these, you are missing out.

These books are laugh out loud funny and give your child the ability to get into an adult's shoes by telling the pigeon what he needs to do or can't do.  So they are interactive  

The first book in the series is Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.  The bus driver at the beginning of the book explains that he's leaving and asks that you don't let the pigeon drive the bus.  So of course, the book follows the bird as he desperately asks on each page if he could drive the bus.  It does go through all the different types of "asking" that a child goes through; asking nicely, throwing a tantrum, saying other people can do it so why can't he ("C'mon, just once around the block!)......  the books Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy and the Pigeon Needs a Bath follow the same concept.

Except, I did read this to my 3 year old nephew a month ago, and he just kept saying yes.  What a spoiled kid.  ;-)

The pigeon finds a hot dog has a different moral; sharing.  It goes through the different cycles of a child when they find a certain "treasure" and are hesitant of letting someone else touch it.

The Duckling Get a Cookie is such a cute story about how the duckling gets a cookie by asking nicely and the pigeon still can't figure out why he is not getting a cookie.... and goes through the different cycles again of what a child does of asking if he could have something, but this time seeing reactions when someone else gets what they want and why.  

The board book, The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too, is my favorite out of the board books.  It's short, sweet and very funny to a child.  The bus driver tries to get the pigeon to be happy, but the pigeon refuses....but has a cute and funny ending.  

The Pigeon Loves Things That Go is my least favorite of the series, but that's because it's very basic.  It goes through the different types of transportation on each page while the pigeon tells you how much he adores each one.  It's alright, I'm sure a 2 or 3 year old would enjoy it, but if you need to spend your money somewhere, I would do it on the others.  Or find it at the thrift store for incredibly cheap. 

Now, for it's value.  Since these books are newer compared to the other books, you have a high probability of finding a first printing. <----  Note that I did not say First Edition.  First Edition is different than First Printing.  

First edition means that the book hasn't changed, the cover hasn't changed, the publisher hasn't changed.... so it's the First edition.  First printing means it was one of the very first books to be printed, EVER, which is more valuable.  

How can you tell if it's a first printing?  

If you notice in the picture above, this pigeon book is a First Edition....but of course, most of the pigeon books are First Editions cause nothing has changed, yet.  But the number line below that will tell you when your book was printed.  As you can see, the line begins with 20 and ends with 11.  The lowest number in the line tells you which printing this one is, which is the 11th printing of the First Edition.  

The above picture shows a First Edition, First Printing.  The number line is different than the other book but same concept.  Just look for the lowest number, which is 1.  

Is a later printing still valuable?  It all depends on the demand of the book and rarity of it.  

The pigeon series is actually a little more expensive than alot of used children books because of it's popularity.  You will not get the book for any less than about $6.00 used on Amazon but you can buy it completely new for $13.32.  But if you have a First Edition, First Printing, your book could be worth between $25 to $75.  

I will admit I purchased the bath book new (one of the only 3 books in the entire library that was purchased new) because it just came out in early April of this year.  The bus and the stay up late ones I was incredibly lucky.  I got them at Savers for only .69 each.  Someone just didn't know what they had.

The other books I purchased off of Thriftbooks.com.  If you are looking for a site that sells used books, this would be the only one I recommend.  You can usually buy your books for around $3.49 with free shipping PLUS, if you purchase additional books and they come from the same seller, you get .50 cents off each additional one.  A few of them actually came from the Columbus, OH library.  Don't know why they decided to get rid of them, but they were in great condition.  

Right now, the many of the pigeon books are only available on the site for paperback, but you can put the hardcover on your wish list and they will email you when they find a copy.  LOVE IT!  

You can also view the animated series of these stories for free on Youtube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWEekO4ufwM   

Dr. Suess Had a Thing For Hats

Did you know that Dr. Seuss did not win the Caldecott or Newbery Award for any of his books?  He did receive honorary award in the Caldecott for a few but never first prize.  He did win the Pulitzer prize in the 80's for his achievements, in which I do believe is very well deserved.

I love Dr. Seuss books.  If there is a series out there that can spark a child's imagination in the craziest of manner, it's these.  Though, to be critical, I would have to say that this find is probably one of my least favorite of his career.  

The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins

I guess cause it's not in his usual rhyming style which I love. The story is about a boy who has the possibility of being executed because he has an endless amount of hats on his head and can't take it off for the king.  So the penalty of death is there, so make sure you know that before reading it to your child.  It does end on a good note, though.  Seuss came up with the story when he was on a train.  A man was sitting near him and Seuss thought he was an uptight businessman so he wanted to take his hat and throw it out the window, but thought that he'd grow another one right after anyways because he was so "stuffy".   

I found this book at Deseret Industries, again.  I think this one cost me .50.  Probably because some child,  :-/  ,  scribbled all over the cover in crayon.  I was able to get most of it off but, IIIII can still see it.  It haunts me.....ugh.  Never put a crayon and a book (especially a Dr. Suess book) in the same room.  

Okay, let's get to it.      

This was an ex-library book, actually, it was made for libraries.  It has a cloth cover and the binding was premade with the library coding.  

Since there are so many 500 Hats books out there, I had to google this one with certain keywords.  

As you can see in the picture, this version was a special edition made by a different publisher E. M. Hale and Company, so I can't really go into how to tell first editions with this version.  There is no date listed anywhere in the book but I suspect it is from the late 50's.  Where you see the summary of Dr. Suess' "about" section, the last thing on there was he received an honorary degree in 1955.  

I did locate someone who claims to have the same book, though they did not have a picture, they listed the same features as this one.  And I was glad to hear that this book is worth around $150 depending on it's condition.  

Aaaahhhh......  yes, Dr. Seuss....   you made me very happy, even when this book was not top on my list.

Anyone else have this book or maybe give me some comments about what you think about the story?  Why did you like it?  Maybe I'm missing moral of the story.  

Disney Knew We Were Going To the Moon

Let's start this.  I every now and then roam a thrift store hoping to find, well, the ultimate find.  Have I found it?  It all depends on what's inside, right?  Plus, if you can scuffle through about 5 shelves, about 10 feet long, with a 1 year old boy patiently.......wait, wait, wait....... I shouldn't say patiently.  I have to have a bag of french fries, a sippy cup of water, his musical toy, AND he has to sit in the basket of the cart to even get through it.  So, if I can find something decent in that time, it's a treasure.

So a few weeks ago, I found this book at a Deseret Industries.  It was in the children's section and only cost me $1.00.  I have no idea why it looked interesting.  I guess it just looked old plus it's a book about the possibility of going to the moon, 10 years before we actually got there.  

When I got home, I began the research.  So begins our first discussion.  I love abebooks.com.  If you are looking to see a good estimate of what your book is valued, go to this site.  If you want a second opinion, just search the book on Amazon and see what others are selling it for.

So abebooks only has one copy but it's a paperback for $31.50.  No copies are being sold on Amazon.  Ugh, I've never had this happen before.

So, I just googled the book and found out that this is one book is a 6 part series that Walt Disney did for his Tomorrowland Adventure Series.  He only had the book published and sent out to school libraries.

I found someone selling the entire set on Ebay for $15,000 dollars (WOW!) but still have no idea how much it's worth individually......anyone ever encounter this book? Would love to know more about it as there really isn't much on the internet.

Welcome to my new page.  My name is Jennifer.  I prefer to go by Jen since one syllable is easier to say.   I'm a photographer, creator of crafts, wife to one great man and mom to one silly boy.  I believe in God, love and human error.  And, of course, I looooove books.

When I was little, you could find me in my room with the many books that I had.  I could read the same one over and over again, but unfortunately, I didn't keep those treasures.  I actually have no idea what happened to them.  Now, that I'm a mama, I want my little guy to enjoy that same pastime.  Plus, children's books are highly recommended for creating a vocabulary and enhancing the young mind.

That brings you to here:  My little boy with a big library blog.  The reason?  I started collecting books for my son when I was around 6 months pregnant.  I would go to the nearest thrift store (we have about 5 within a 20 mile radius) and I would scout for all the books that I had when I was young.  His library started from 1 book, to 30 books, to 150 books..............suddenly without realizing, I was at around 700 books for my "bubs" library.  Woops.  Many of which I found at the thrift store, paid around 50 cents, and found out they are worth $25 to even hundreds of dollars each.  But like I tell my husband, you can never have too many books.

Now, let's get down to it.  Here, you will be seeing the different items in my son's library, the good and the not so bad.  Promoting or criticizing stories.  Give you some interesting facts.  Finding the valuable books, and maybe helping others in finding the values in theirs.  And teaching you about different publishers, how to tell on the date of the book, the printing, etc.

Enjoy and feel free to comment (be nice) and ask questions that hopefully I can answer for you.