More books for kids

Summer reading is racing along. Hen just picked up his latest prize for finishing the second section and we're heading into the third, and final, section full steam ahead. (There is a bonus section that I expect us to complete as well.) I noticed recently that several of the books we've read explore other cultures or integrate foreign languages or have ethnic themes. Below I've listed a few of our current favorites.

Tubby and the Lantern
What I love: How cute is that elephant?! He loves his little boy so much that he makes him this ENORMOUS lantern for his birthday. An unexpected liftoff sends Tubby into the sky. When Ah Mee tries to rescue him, it is Tubby who ends up saving the day. Also, there are pirates and pirates always make a story better. On a side note, I learned this book is considered vintage Dr. Seuss and is no longer in print. One copy on the web was going for $74 bucks!

What Henry loves: Ah Mee and Tubby!

Oh No, Gotta Go!
What I love: The little girl in the backseat desperately needs to use the baño. Can't get more true to life than this story. The parents leave the house without first inquiring to see if their little one has to go potty so, of course, she starts asking to go almost immediately. There is a glossary with phonetic spellings of each word at the back so you can learn a little Spanish while you teach your kid.

What Henry loves: The pumpkins and kitty cats and the dude working with the cemento.

Beautiful Yetta, The Yiddish Chicken
What I love: Yetta, an organic chicken, breaks free from her crate on the way to the meat market and finds herself in New York City. At first she is excited to be free but then she is lonely, and then she meets Eduardo the parrot and all of his parrot friends. The green parrots all think Yetta is beautiful! Yiddish phrases are scattered throughout, and like the book above, phonetic spellings are included.

What Henry loves: When Yetta scares the sneaky cats away so they don't hurt the parrots.

Joha Makes a Wish: A Middle Eastern Tale
What I love: This story is unique but universal. On his way to Baghdad, Joha finds a wishing stick but it seems to be broken because he ends up getting the opposite of what he wishes for, which is how he ends up carrying a donkey on his back instead of getting a ride into town.

What Henry loves: The wishing stick.