Bill Martin, Jr. (1916–2004)

A young boy and his sister are dispatched to the other side of town one blustery autumn night to fetch some milk in this spooky picture book from co-authors Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, and illustrator Ted Rand. Hurrying through the dark night, the pair squabble about the boy's hat, which his sister insists makes him look stupid, but they are in complete accord when it comes to the Ghost-Eye tree standing at the midway point of their walk. Making their way past it going out, they show more find themselves terrified by a wailing sound they hear, when passing it on the way back, and scramble madly for safety. Once home, the boy decides he will make himself scarce, when his mother again wants milk at night...

Given the subject matter, and the striking cover image, I expected to enjoy The Ghost-Eye Tree, which I initially sought out as a Halloween read, despite the fact that it is not explicitly a Halloween story. I was not disappointed, finding the story satisfactorily spooky, as well as unexpectedly heartwarming. I appreciated the fact that while the sister begins by ridiculing her brother (not unrealistically, in a tale about siblings), she also is very determined to help him, when push comes to shove and he loses his hat. The accompanying artwork from Ted Rand was by turns deliciously creepy and beautifully expressive, and I particularly appreciated the use of light, and the range of expressions the artist captured in his human faces. The text itself had a poetic cadence, making this a good read-aloud selection, which is hardly surprising when one considers that the story was developed by the co-authors as a readers' theater piece for young people. All in all, this is one I would recommend to picture book readers and audiences in the mood for spooky read-alouds. show less

Little Monkey doesn't want to get out of bed, but then suddenly has the energy to greet the day when asked to chant a silly rhyme and wiggle his body.

I wanted to like this book but it had so many strikes against it almost immediately. I know monkey characters can sometimes be problematic but I was willing to see where this goes. Without any context, this monkey for some reason has a sombrero and maracas. Sure ... that makes sense (in sarcasm). Speaking of sense, the rhyme/chant is show more nonsensical almost immediately: "Apple Juice, Orange Juice, Gooseberry Pies -- Monkey needs some exercise!" Rutabaga, Rutabaga Sis! Boom! Bah! And yes, that is the exact capitalization and punctuation used. I could see all the movement bits that come later being fun with toddlers and preschoolers, especially claps and stomps, but I'm not sure exactly how one gets "the rhythm of the head" with a "Ding-Dong!"

The illustrations are bright and cheery, with almost a paper-cut quality to them even though they were made digitally in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop per the note at the end of the book. Despite first billing, I'm not entirely sure what Bill Martin Jr. had to do with this book, especially given that he passed away 13 years before this book's copyright date. The actual author says that this book's text uses "Bill Martin Jr's philosophy" to engage children to "begin chiming in with you" and try to "match the song in their heads with what is printed on the page." I think titles like Bill Martin Jr's classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? certainly do that, but I'm less sure that this rutabaga nonsense does -- and furthermore, do we even want that? I'm having a hard time picturing a parent or teacher who wants to hear "Rutabaga, Rutabaga Sis! Boom! Bah!" shouted throughout the day. show less

This is Another book discovered in a cupboard in my loft. I'm finding many gems that were squirreled away a long time ago. I forgot about this collection, and it feels like Christmas to discover a hoard of so many wonderful illustrated books purchased awhile ago. This book was purchased when my daughter became a mother of twin sons, and she gave up her career as a teacher to provide at-home knowledge to her children.
She grew to like the illustrations and stories by Eric Carle.

It this simple, show more and touching story, a mama baby wonders how her baby perceives the world through new-born eyes. Asking the baby about what he sees, this is a simple, touching story of wonderment and finding the world through young eyes.

Special to me because it brings back memories observing my daughter become a wonderful mother. Watching her read illustrated books to babies, is a memory I cherish. show less

This one got my little storytime visitor really engaging, without major prompting. They made animal noises and recognized animals, which made it an extra fun session. I read these books as a kid, but they're still really fun for little readers today. Highly recommend for storytimes!