Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz!!! Dr. Seuss's ABC

Author                                     : Dr Seuss
Illustrated by                              : Dr Seuss
Age range recommended         : 3 to 7 years (though we think  you can start even earlier!)
Theme                                      : Introduction to alphabets, imaginary characters and words



Opening lines –
Big A. Little a. What begins with A? 

Introduction and Synopsis –
This is quite simply an alphabet book, but with a difference. If you are familiar with Dr. Seuss’ books, you’d know what we are hinting at. He introduces the letters of the alphabet with his wacky, preposterous way of writing. The book is full of crazy alliteration, repetition and rhymes which tiny tots will find delightful. The book introduces both upper case and lower case letters and also introduces words in a basic phonics format. Dr. Seuss’s inimitable creative use of language is the high point, a feature consistent in all his books (really, we are yet to find another author who writes like this).


Why did my caterpillar and I like this book? 
Unlike my regular posts, I'm giving a joint review for this book between my baby and me- simply because we think similary on this book and love it just as much!

So, correction - We loved this book. And we can illustrate why with some pictures.

You see? Only Dr Seuss can get away with lines like Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz (my little A is in love with the word!) and inventions like duck-dog (there’s even a picture of a duck-dog!). Some might find this a little outlandish, especially if you are new to Dr. Seuss’s writings, but take my word for it – kids will love it. We think it is because although the words are completely made up, they make the reading fluid and interesting at the same time. There is a lot of imagination used, with lines made up (David Donald Doo dreamed a dozen doughnuts and a duck-dog, too) and even characters (four fluffy feathers on a Fiffer –feffer-feff). Each page has a dominant background colour and so the illustrations are fun to watch and details, hard to miss.

The winning feature of this book, in our opinion, is truly in its absolute nonsense – I cannot think of something more ridiculous than ‘Oscar’s only ostrich oiled an orange owl today’!!! And there is actually a picture for the child to connect it to! In fact, every such statement is supported by a picture depicting the phrases on the same page. It is truly delightful.

Online link -
We found this online link which we frequently watch and enjoy.


The cocoon rates it -

5/5

We cannot really think of any flip side to the book, except that the very points mentioned above that make this book such a must-have will not appeal to everybody (read grown-ups). There is no way a child of 2 or 3 is going to reject this book. We totally recommend.

Yertle the Turtle and other stories

Author                                 : Dr Seuss
Illustrated by                       : Dr Seuss
Age range recommended  : 4+

Theme                                : Arrogance, pride, greed; alternatively - humility, kindness)

Opening lines –  

On the far-away Island of Sala-ma-Sond, Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond. A nice little pond. It was clean. It was neat. The water was warm. There was plenty to eat. The turtles had everything turtles might need. And they were all happy. Quite happy indeed. 

They were... until Yertle, the king of them all, decided the kingdom he ruled was too small. "I'm ruler, " said Yertle, "of all that I see. But I don't see enough."

Introduction and Synopsis –

The book has 3 stories, Yertle the Turtle, Gertrude McFuzz and The Big Brag. We look at the first story here.

In this tale, Yertle, the King of all the Turtles, is dissatisfied with the stone that acts as his throne and  with the size of his kingdom, which was restricted to how far he can see. So he decides that he wants a throne so high up that he can see far and thus become a bigger ruler. He ruthlessly decides to make his throne by asking all turtles to climb one on top of another, with himself perched on top. He spares no thought to his subjects who are gettting crushed in the process.What happens to the poor turtles? Does Yertle become a great king at the expense of his subjects? Or, do the other turtles defy their king, to stand up for themselves?

Why did my caterpillar and I like this book?

ME -
I thought this was a very good story to show children what happens when you are overcome with pride and when power goes into you head. Though you don't really have to use these words with your little one, it is a pretty simple story to read to your child and give her a lesson in humility. I read somewhere that Dr Seuss based the character of Yertle on Adolf Hitler and used this story to demonstrate the rise of fascism in Europe! Is there any other author who has done such incredible work? I mean, this is political theory brought out in a book for a 4 year old! Brilliant! Dr Seuss was against writing stories with morals in mind, but he was not averse to writing about issues.

Check out the last lines of the book, pasted below, where his intent and his thoughts are expressed beautifully -

All turtles, and maybe all creatures should be free. Isn't that a simple, yet profound idea to teach your child? And extremely important as well?

An interesting trivia that I got to read about the author on this  book was, when questioned about why he wrote "maybe" rather than "surely", Dr. Seuss replied that he didn't want to sound "didactic or like a preacher on a platform", and that he wanted the reader "to say 'surely' in their minds instead of my having to say it. Isn't that a deep thought?

Yertle is the absolute monarch. He is ruthless. Greedy. Selfish. Corrupted by power. And that is exactly what brings about ultimately his fall from the top, like it should. The other way of looking at the story is - Be kind and humble. Put yourself in others' shoes and see how it feels to be there. Think about others. Be happy where you are. Don't aspire for something you don't really need, especially at the cost of happiness of others.

The illustrations are typical of Dr Seuss's style and the pictures of all the turtles on top of one another is done well.

The writing style is lucid, there is extensive use of rhyme. The simple-to-understand sentences, broken into meaningful phrases, ensure that kids dont get lost during the reading. Interestingly, all through the story, other than black and white, the only 2 colours used are blue and green.

MY TINY CATERPILLAR - 

She was a little bored as I read on because, unlike the other Dr Seuss books that we have read, this one had longer sentences and tinier pictures. She loves rhymes, so they kept her entertained. Thundered, mile, mule, beyond - there were quite a few new words that she learnt; the book has ample scope for that. She did not enjoy the illustrations as much in this one, though she was extremely amused with the lengthy 'turtle throne' with Yertle perched on top!

Online link -

We found this online link to the story on You Tube. Do check this so you know about this very interesting story. 

The cocoon rates it -

4/5 

Though I would rate the book highly myself, the book is a a bit tough for the young reader or listener. I'd say it is a little long for a 4 year old, but you can still manage reading. I wouldn't really recommend it for the under 4 kids.

The book was written in 1958, but I believe the book will stay on and be relevant to future generations to come.

Mrs Christmas

Author                           : Penny Ives

Age range recommended : 4+

Theme                            : Christmas spirit

Opening lines – 

Last Christmas, there was a near calamity. One morning in late December, Father Christmas woke up and found that he felt quite ill.

Introduction and Synopsis –

In the run up to Christmas, Mrs Christmas finds to her horror that Father Christmas and his reindeer have fallen  sick! They are all covered in spots and it doesn’t seem like they would be able to deliver all the gifts to the children that Christmas. Luckily Mrs Santa Claus is around and decides to take things into her own hands. A multitude of letters to read, toys to be made and delivered on time - would she be able to do it all in time? 

Why did my caterpillar and I like this book?

ME -

There is a Mrs Christmas and she is a hero! It has all the feel good ingredients – beginning with everything poised for a catastrophe, Mrs Christmas works systematically and tirelessly from reading all the letters to getting the toys ready in the workshop. When faced with the bigger predicament of how to deliver all the toys without the reindeer, she beautifully creates a flying machine out of resources available at home. Brilliant! Multiple illustrations are shown for the litter reader to notice and marvel at the efforts taken by Mrs Claus to ensure that Father Christmas’s hardwork all year do not go to waste and innocent children are not deprived of their Christmas joy. The story ends with Father Christmas giving his lovely wife a wonderful surprise the next morning!

The book captures the Christmas spirit beautifully. By way of pictures, the author hasn’t really left out any details -  there are picture frames of Santa and his reindeer in Santa’s house, Mrs Claus wears furry slippers at home and  lipstick too, and of course, there are lots and lots of toys everywhere. Children will be in awe of Father Christmas’s home. What appealed to my little one the most was that Mrs Christmas worked around a solution and helped Father Christmas at his job when he couldn’t. What can be a better judgement of the spirit of giving and sharing?


MY TINY CATERPILLAR - 

She loved the pictures and Santa's house. She generally loves listening to Christmas stories and Santa Claus is her favourite person. It was precious for her to see that Mrs Christmas worked so hard to ensure that all children get their gifts on Christmas day. It also amused her to see how Mrs Christmas made a contraption to fly on, using her bi-cycle, a vacuum cleaner, an umbrella and other everyday stuff!

Online link -

We could not find any online link to the story. 

The cocoon rates it -

3/5  

It is a story which spreads joy in the festive season. In that it succeeds well. It might not be a spectacular Christmas story in itself, but what gave it an edge was the introduction of Mrs Christmas as the heroine who saves the day. We recommend.

We're going on a bear hunt

Author                              : Michael Rosen
Illustrations by                    : Helen Oxenbury

Age range recommended  : Under 6s 

Theme                              : Adventure, Jungle, Rhythm, Bears

Opening lines –  

“We’re going on a bear hunt. We’re going to catch a big one. What a beautiful day. We’re not scared.” 

Introduction and Synopsis –

A family sets off on a bear hunt on a beautiful day. On the way, they explore different sounds, environs, weather conditions – snow storms, thick oozy mud, tall grassy land, a deep river, a dark forest and finally the cave of the bear. What happens when they finally come face to face with a huge, scary bear?? Read it yourself to discover how the bear hunt ends.

Why did my caterpillar and I like this book?

ME -

Read the book. Read it alone, if you can. You will find yourself singing it! It’s a perfect book for reading out aloud, even singing it with enactments and sound effects. It has adventure, alliterations, repetitions with charming text and beautiful illustrations alternating in colour and black and white. There is an element of fear in it, sure, but I believe it’s just the right amount, which is promptly quelled with the amusing end to the tale. Anyway, there is much more in the book to giggle upon and delight in.  

MY TINY CATERPILLAR -

She loves to sing it. She is never done with just a single reading -  the repetitive text is enchanting. She loves the illustration of the little girl in the blue dress who walks with tippy-toes and a bounce. It paints a cheerful picture of a family's day out on a picnic or an adventure. And she’s quick and eager to warn the family of the open door in the end – she urges them to go back and shut the door, lest the bear should come in! :-)

Online link -

We found this link online which is terrific – your little one will never tire of it! 

Some information about the author – Michael Rosen was the fifth British Children’s Laureate from 2007 to 2009. The same is awarded in the UK every 2 years for outstanding achievement in the field of children’s literature. The illustrator, Helen Oxenbury has also won awards for the book.

The cocoon rates it -

4/5

Simple, amusing and entertaining. We recommend. 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Author                                  : Eric Carle
Illustrated by                          : Eric Carle

Age range recommended : Under 5s (if you ask us, it goes from new-born to old age!)

Theme                                  : Colours, Numbers, Days of the week, Food, Nature, Life (This one has it all!)

Opening lines –  

In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf. One Sunday morning the warm sun came up and – pop! – out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar.

Introduction and Synopsis –

The book is the most famous work of Eric Carle, and the most loved as well. The book is simple in its story. It follows the journey of a caterpillar from birth to its metamorphosis into a butterfly. It talks about food habits and the time taken by the caterpillar on its journey to becoming a butterfly. 

Why did my caterpillar and I like this book?

ME -
I have to say – I have a lot of respect for this author and all his works. His ideas are so simple yet his story telling is magical. In many ways, this is story is just that – magical. The author presents the natural phenomenon of metamorphosis in a way that is likeable and understood by little children. I picked this book at a book store where I had entered to kill some free time when I had not even heard about it. Little did I know my baby and I would be so captivated by it.

As said earlier, the story takes us through the entire life cycle of a butterfly. A very tiny caterpillar is born out of its egg, is ravenous and starts eating  immediately. It eats everything that it can find and one day has so much of junk food that it ends up with a tummy ache. It becomes a fat caterpillar and builds a cocoon for itself. After two weeks, it pushes its way out of the cocoon and flies out as a beautiful butterfly!

Eric Carle's trademark illustrations, his deft brushstrokes of acrylic, are very colourful and eye-catching. The book is formatted very cleverly to accommodate fingers of tiny children and amuse them. Toddlers can indulge in some counting; day one to five, the caterpillar eats a whole bunch of wholesome fruits - one red apple, two green pears, three purple plums, four strawberries, five plums. [It amuses me to think what foods would Eric Carle have chosen if he were to write the book today ;-) LoL! ]  The book also talks about the days of the week. And in the storyline is woven the science of metamorphosis.

It opens up avenues for a lot of discussion with your little one – healthy and junk foods, why does a caterpillar eat so much, how does a caterpillar weave his cocoon and so on. You learn the story of life’s ups and downs and its big surprises - a very fundamental lesson to live by. Transformation is a part of life. In many ways, I'd also say its like a fairy tale; a boring, tiny caterpillar lives patiently to find itself transformed into a beautiful butterfly. Only, this one is scientifically true.  You would want to tell your little one - we are all beautiful if we allow ourselves to be. 

MY CATERPILLAR -

It is among her all-time favourite books. Like every little child, she was mesmerised with the grand transformation. She loves the drawings and can now recognise Eric Carle books with  his trademark illustrations. She calls him 'The caterpillar storywriter'. :-)

She learnt healthy foods keep you well and junk food, especially too much of it, will make you unhealthy. She knows all the lines in the book by heart. We have a tiny board book version but she still hasn't tired out of it; it regularly keeps surfacing in our readings. I guess some books are like that; they never stop making you smile from within.

We actually got an opportunity to visit an exhibition of butterflies at the Natural History Museum sometime back. We learnt and saw everything from caterpillar eggs to chrysalis' to different species of butterflies brought in from all around the world. You can read my post about it on my mommy blog, Amma Knows Best.

Online link -

We found this link online which has the author reading out his story from a book – enjoy!

The book is extremely popular even today though it was first published way back in 1969. It has won many popular literature awards and many different versions of the book, toys, and educational resources have been made. In fact, Google honoured the book with a special doodle on the 40th anniversary of the book in 2009. This is what it looked like –

The cocoon rates it -

5/5 

I wish I could rate it higher than 100%. It totally belongs in that league. We would recommend it to even little kids, maybe over 6 months. It will stay in their hearts for a long time to come. This is a keep sake. An absolute necessity in your private collection. In fact, the name of our blog has been inspired by this book. :-) 

Under the Harvest Moon

Author                               : Stella Gurney
Illustrations by                   : Maggie Kneen

Age range recommended   :  4+

Theme                              : Meadow animals, harvesting, friendship, moving home

Opening lines –  

It had been a long, hot summer on Worthy Farm. The golden wheat shimmered and swayed in the September sunshine, whispering to the small animals who bustled amongst its warm, dry stalks as they gathered berries and nuts for their winter stores.

But before long, the calm of the autumn afternoon was broken by a rumbling, grumbling noise that got louder and louder before fading away again. In Furthest Field, it was so noisy that it woke Dormouse, who stretched and poked his head out of his nest.

Introduction and Synopsis –

It’s harvesting season and the animals in Worthy Farm are alarmed when the farmer begins harvesting the wheat using his tractor (The Big Red Monster) to cut down all the wheat. The animals all get together to decide on the next course of action before their homes are all pulled down the next day. Dormouse, ( from the mouse family, which hibernates for 6 months of the year, or longer), comes up with a daring idea – migrating to the nearby woodshed! The animals are scared, but faced with no other choice, they brace themselves for the night plan. They sadly pick up their belongings and set off into unknown territory. They are encountered by a badger, who kindly enough does not trouble them and a frightening white owl, who luckily does not spot them. When they come to a stream which they need to cross, help comes in the form of a friendly otter who gives them a lift on his back across the stream. Finally the group reaches the wood shed where a family of house mice are waiting to welcome them!

Why did my caterpillar and I like this book?

ME -

It’s a feel-good story with a little bit of adventure packed in. It talks about the dangers that rodents on a meadow face due to seasonal impacts. It’s a touchy-feely book with textures on the bodies of the furry animals. It talks about the idea of not panicking in times of adversity and structured thinking. It also drives home the point that even rodents, who are considered pests to farmers, are also living beings like us and fight hard for food and survival. Migration can be a tough thing to do, but there are difficult situations when you just need to leave in search of a new home. 

MY TINY CATERPILLAR -

Touchy-feely books are never boring, are they? :-)

Though I struggled to keep A interested in the reading, she liked the pictures a lot. They look almost real. There is a lot of information in the book. The animals are actually shown moving with backpacks, sleeping bags, food stores and satchels of other belongings. It was interesting to point out to her that everyone has a home with their own set of precious belongings. We spoke about seasons and how the farmer harvests the crop in autumn and this puts the animals in danger. We also spoke briefly about migration. The book opened up avenues to talk about these points for the first time in our home. But when we were finished with the last sentence, A was quick to close the book and rush to the library to fetch another book! I realised she did not enjoy the story much.

Online link -

We could not find any online video link for this story.

The cocoon rates it -

2/5

The book did not live up to our expectations. There are no regular aspects like rhyme or rhythm, repetition or even humour. Though it is a good story of survival against odds,  it is way too wordy; there were a number of sentences that were long, with use of commas. We feel the author should have thought a little more about aspects to keep the young ones interested in the story. There is information, but no entertainment.

The Gruffalo

Author                              : Julia Donaldson
Illustrations by                   : Axel Scheffler

Age range recommended : 3-7

Theme                              : Quick thinking, Overcoming your fear, Humour

Opening lines –  

A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood. A fox saw the mouse and the mouse looked good.

“Where are you going to, little brown mouse? Come and have lunch in my underground house.”

“It’s terribly kind of you, Fox, but no –

I’m going to have lunch with a gruffalo.”

Introduction and Synopsis –

A little mouse, walking through the forest in search of nuts, is accosted by sly predators who try to trick him into going with them to their homes for refreshemnts and friendly chat. The quick witted mouse outsmarts them by telling each one of them that he is on his way to meet his scary, monster friend, the gruffalo. The predators, so much more mightier than the mouse, meekly retreat at the mention of the gruffalo’s horrible features. The mouse continues on his way, feeling smarter than ever, having fooled the others by creating a creature out of thin air. Imagine his surprise – or horror -  when he comes face to face with a real gruffalo. What happens next? Does the mouse become the gruffalo’s little snack?

Why did my caterpillar and I like this book?

ME -

By far, this is among the best books I have come across in picture books. The best out of the amazing team that is Julia-Axel, undoubtedly. There are lots of things in this book to be fascinated with. The story line, for one. Then there is the free flowing, rhyming text, Axel's illustrations of the forest and the Gruffalo. And then, there is the adorable, brave little mouse – in the entire story, the mouse is threatened repeatedly by a series of animals who want to eat him, but there is not a single situation where the mouse looks afraid. Even the tiniest tot who is listening to the story would not fear for the mouse's safety - such is the cool headed demeanor of the little mouse. That’s the beauty of the story telling and the amazing artwork. Kids and grown ups alike would be rooting for the mouse from start to end. Julia, as usual, with her rhymes and easy flowing ‘prose-poetry’ wins us over.  The story is great to be read aloud and also for role-plays. A very interesting point that you will note is the 1-2-3 order of meeting the fox, owl and the snake while the mouse goes along and the 3-2-1 order when he return again on the same path. Very interesting point which doesn’t miss the attention of the children.

Another outstanding feature of the book is the creature itself – a gruffalo. Julia creates a mystical animal with physical features so beautifully detailed and illustrated, that your child will love and mildly fear at the same time. Use of humour throughout the book alleviates any feeling of fear in your baby’s heart. A big lesson imparted here is, might is not always, well, mightier! Brain is stronger than brawn. 

MY TINY CATERPILLAR - 

It is her most favourite book ever. She has all the illustrations imprinted on her head. The words just flow out of her mouth when she begins her retelling. It is tough for me to say which character is she enamoured more with – the mouse or the gruffalo. Though she roots for the mouse’s safety, the gruffalo is also dear to her! This book is going to be around for a long, long time to come.

Online link -

We found a video upload of The Gruffalo, the link is provided here. I wouldn’t really call it a great video, it doesn’t do justice to the story. There is an animation short film made on the book in 2009 which was nominated for the 83rd Academy Awards. A short link of the trailer is posted here : The Gruffalo - Trailer. We totally recommend watching the complete video. Its out-of-the-world awesome! 

The cocoon rates it -

5/5 

If anything better than 100% was possible, we would rate this book at that level. It’s a must read, must-have book. 

We at the cocoon are huge fans of Julia Donaldson, more so of the Julia-Axel team. There are very few books of theirs that we wouldn’t recommend, or rate lesser than 5/5. The sequel to this book, ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’ will be reviewed here soon. Another gem!

Here’s something about the author we love so much - She used to write songs before becoming a story-writer and this talent of her’s comes across abundantly in her writing. In 2011, she was appointed the Children’s Laureate, a position awarded in the UK for two years to a writer or illustrator of children's books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field. And she richly deserves the honour!