Because I Could Not Stop My Bike

Ivy has memorized parts of over twenty poems thanks to Karen Shapiro.  Karen has written parodies  of famous poems appropriate for children.  Instead of Dickenson's "Because I Could Not Stop For Death", a young girl tells a story called "Because I Could Not Stop My Bike".  All the poems follow the same rhyme scheme and meter as the original poem.  My personal favorite is "Macaroni and Cheese", a parody of Poe's "Annabelle Lee".  Ivy's favorite (a parody of Blayke) opens with:

Tiger, Tiger
Took a Bite
Out of my dessert last night.  

Ballerina Swan

Although I am not much of a dancer, what girl can resist a ballet-loving swan?  Sophie, a graceful swan, spends her days staring longingly into Madam Myrtle's dance studio from her nearby pond.  When she finally gathers enough nerve to sneak into the studio, Sophie is shooed away.  When a new young teacher enters the scene, Sophie is able to join the girls!  Will she be able to perform in the school's production of Swan Lake?  Find out in Allegra Kent's Ballerina Swan.

The Dollhouse Fairy

Ivy just loves fairies and dollhouses - the perfect combo for Jane Ray's The Dollhouse Fairy.  There is nothing young Rose loves more than working on her dollhouse with her dad.

When her father takes ill one Saturday, Rose is left to deal with her grief.  A fairy with a hurt wing shows up in her dollhouse filling Rose's empty days with mischievous antics and fairy fun.  When Rose's father returns the fairy mysteriously disappears.  What a wonderful look at how adolescents handle grief!  The pictures are just lovely.

Bubble and Squeak

Bubble and Squeak is an adorable twist on childhood fears by Louise Bonnett-Rampersaud (illustrated by Susan Banta).  Bubble is a "sort-of" new big sister with a "sort-of" new little sister, Squeak. One night Bubble is having trouble going to bed due to the usual assortment of toddler issues - monsters, the dark, thirst, etc.  Instead of owning these things as her own worries/needs, young Bubble has her mother practice what to do when Squeak is big enough to have trouble going to sleep for the same reasons.  It turns out that Bubble still needs her mommy much more than she thinks.  However, it is nothing that cannot be solved with a good snuggle and a delicious hot chocolate with marshmallows made into the shape of snowmen.