I Call Mine Mimi. What Do You Call Your Grandmother?

We are celebrating our second anniversary here at Emmy's Book of the Day! Looking back through all of our posts, I am feeling such gratitude. I am grateful for such a wonderful daughter who loves books just like her Mommy. I am grateful to have such a wide collection of books to share with Emmy as well as places to go that have shelves stocked with wonderful books. I am grateful to all of the authors and illustrators who continue to write and illustrate beautiful books for children. I am grateful to our readers who inspire us to keep on reading books and writing about them! It is our hope to continue reviewing books that ignite a love for reading that will last a lifetime.

Emmy and I are very excited to tell you that she is featured in a wonderful book titled I Call Mine Mimi. What Do You Call Your Grandmother?

This book was written by a good friend of mine - Jennifer Bailey. Jen and I taught together at Boggy Creek Elementary in Kissimmee, Florida many moons ago and also attended the graduate program at The University of Southern Mississippi together. She is the ultimate teacher of young children and adults and is now a published author! I often think that I have a story to write, but can't seem to put it together so seeing Jen's story in published form is just so inspiring! I am so proud of her.

I Call Mine Mimi. What Do You Call Your Grandmother? is a book about the different names for grandmother. Emmy calls hers Yaya and is featured on the front cover of the book as well as inside - left side on this spread ---------------------------->

"There are so many neat names for grandmothers. Some grandmothers use their own names. Some use funny sounding names. Some are just called Grandmother. No matter what, she is your special grandmother. What do you call your grandmother?"

Mimi, Abuela, Nonna and Grammy are some of the names of grandmothers featured in this endearing book. This would make such a lovely gift for your child's grandmother especially since the last page is reserved for you to glue a photo of your child and his or her grandmother and then add the text underneath: _________ calls ______ ______________.

I love the photo of Emmy and her Yaya that is in the book. She was just nine months old and full of curiosity (that hasn't changed). Here is an updated photo of the two of them together.

Emmy calls hers Yaya.

"A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher,

and a little bit best friend." ~ Author Unknown

The Pout-Pout Fish

Have you read The Pout-Pout Fish yet?

FANTASTIC is Emmy's review of this rhthymic book about a fish who is always glum. The book is so fun to read and lends itself to funny voices and funny faces! The best part of the book is the refrain which Emmy loves to read with me:

"I'm a pout-pout fish

With a pout-pout face,

So I spread the dreary-wearies

All over the place.

Blub

Bluuub

Bluuuuuuub!"

Many of the fish's ocean friends have advice on how to turn his frown upside down, but it's the appearance of a mysterious female fish, who approaches silently and plants a kiss firmly on the fish's pout, that turns the dreary-wearies into the cheery-cheeries!

"Smooch, smooooch, smooooooch!"

This amusing book was written by Deborah Diesen with illustrations by Dan Hanna and is sure to be a hit with children of all ages.

Check out this short film for The Pout-Pout Fish:

And if you love it like we do, then check out the sequel -

The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big, Big Dark.

Thanksgiving Books

In addition to One is a Feast For Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale, Emmy's pick for her favorite Thanksgiving book would have to be A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting illustrated by Diane de Groat. In this story, Mrs. Moose asks Mr. Moose to get her a turkey for Thanksgiving.

"Everyone has turkey for Thanksgiving.

Everyone but us."

With a nuzzle to Mrs. Moose's head, Mr. Moose heads out to find a turkey. He is joined in the hunt by his soon-to-be dinner guests Rabbit, The Goats, Sheep and Porcupine. Turkey is found hiding in his nest with signs discouraging visitors.

Do not disturb! (come back after Thanksgiving.)

AND

No turkey here!

Upon seeing Mr. Moose and his friends, the bird is terrified and tries to run, but is caught by Mr. Moose who smiles a toothy smile and says,

"I hope you don't have other plans

for Thanksgiving, Turkey."

Mrs. Moose is delighted when she sees her guests for Thanksgiving dinner especially Turkey. Mrs. Moose shows everyone where to sit and when a chair is brought from the other room for Turkey he is very much surprised,

"A...a chair?" Turkey stammered.

With a table filled with acorns, alfalfa sprouts, willow bark, cured grasses, wild parsley and pressed leaves, Mrs. Moose is sure that Turkey will find something to his liking. Turkey is just over the moon at the idea that he is sitting AT the table and not ON it. Kudos to Eve Bunting for introducing us to a vegetarian-themed Thanksgiving dinner!!!!

Two more wonderful books for this time of year are Feeling Thankful and In November.

The book Feeling Thankful, written by Shelley Rotner and

Sheila Kelly with photographs by Shelley Rotner, is an invitation to smile and be thankful as it celebrates life and the many things in the world for which people have to be thankful through beautiful photographs of children. This book will inspire your young one to express what he or she is thankful for. It is also a great model of a book that an older child could make on his own or that families could make together.

Feeling Thankful

I'm thankful for me.

For the things that I have and the things that I do.

I'm thankful for all the

people that are special to me:

My family...my friends...and my teachers too.

I'm thankful I have a home and good food to eat.

I'm thankful for the places where I play.

I'm thankful there are birds, butterflies, flowers, and trees.

I'm thankful when I walk in the rain.

I'm thankful for the moon and the morning, when it comes.

I'm thankful for the whole wide world.

In November by Cynthia Rylant illustrated by Jill Kastner is a beautiful book for this time of year. It is a quiet story about nature preparing for winter. The poetic words and rich paintings work well together to create a calm and peaceful transition between seasons.

In November, at winter's gate, the stars are brittle.

The sun is a sometime friend. And the

world has tucked her children in,

with a kiss on their heads, till spring.

And now for the good part!!!!!!!!! A turkey treat!

To make your own, you will need:

one package of cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreo cookies)

one package of red cinnamon candies

one box of malted milk balls

one package of candy corn

one container of ready-to-spread chocolate frosting

1) Carefully separate the cookie leaving the cream filling on one side. Set cookie half without filling aside.

2) Attach a red cinnamon candy (head) to the malted milk ball (body) with a dab of frosting.

3) Attach the turkey body to the center of the cookie half with cream filling using a dab of chocolate frosting.

4) Spread frosting on the inside of the cookie half that doesn't have filling.

5) Arrange the candy corn on the chocolate frosting with the wide end along the edge (turkey's feathers).

6) Attach the cookie with the turkey's feathers to the cookie with the turkey body using the chocolate frosting.

7) Gobble it up!

Hello Mr. Turkey

(Tune: If You're Happy and You Know It)

Hello, Mr. Turkey - How are you?

Hello, Mr. Turkey - How are you?

With a gobble, gobble, gobble.

And a wobble, wobble, wobble.

Hello, Mr. Turkey - How are you?

Happy Thanksgiving!

And the winner is....

And the winner is...SARA!

Congratulations, Sara! Emmy is so excited to put the Book Giveaway package into the mail. She LOVES all of the surprises that are included for you and your little ones.

Choosing a name out of a hat was very funny to Emmy. She really wanted to send a book to everyone so plans are already underway for another Book Giveaway! Thanks to all who entered our contest.

Emmy's choice for her favorite Thanksgiving book is One is a Feast for Mouse - A Thanksgiving Tale by Judy Cox with illustrations by Jeffrey Ebbeler. As we all know, our eyes are often bigger than our stomachs when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner and Mouse is no different. When everyone in the house falls asleep after sharing their Thanksgiving feast, Mouse comes out of his hidey-hole in search of leftovers. He spies a "teensy-tiny toothsome green pea all by itself under a plate. Give thanks, he thought. One will be a feast for me." As Mouse makes his way across the table with the delicious pea he sees six leftover cranberries, "I'll just take one, he said to himself. One is a feast for me." and continues across the table balancing the cranberry on top of the pea. This journey across the table allows Mouse to add more things to his stash: an olive, a carrot, a plate of mashed potatoes, gravy in a boat, pumpkin pie and a platter of turkey - all balanced strategically on top of each other. As Mouse nears the edge of the table, he meets CAT! What follows is catastrophe as Mouse tries to keep his loot, run from the cat and get back to his hidey-hole. He manages to escape, but without his Thanksgiving feast. As he sat trembling in his hole, he spotted that teensy-tiny toothsome green pea in the corner. And so the story ends with Mouse gratefully cutting into that luscious green pea. "Give thanks! One is a feast for me!"

As the story unfolds, Emmy is delighted in Mouse's attempts to balance all of the food. She likes Mouse's solution of placing the carrot stick into the hole of the olive to make it easier to carry. Just like Emmy, your little one will chime in when the food items are repeated in a similar style as the story The House That Jack Built.

Click here for the video trailer for the book One is a Feast for Mouse - A Thanksgiving Tale with the soundtrack provided by the illustrator's rockabilly band!

If you LOVE this book as much as Emmy and I, then get ready to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Judy Cox and Jeffrey Ebbeler as they also created the book Cinco De Mouse-o!

Stay tuned for our next Book Giveaway!!!

Book Giveaway!

Spread the word - Emmy's giving a book away!

Just add a comment to this post about a book that you remember from your childhood. Your name will be put into a hat with all the other entries and a name will be pulled out by Emmy herself.

I've been asked to keep the book a secret, but Emmy wants you to know that it will be one of her favorite Thanksgiving books and included with the book will be a poem, recipe and craft project.

The drawing will be the afternoon of November 12th.

The winner will be notified by email and announced on Emmy's Book of the Day.

Best of luck!