Amy Krouse Rosenthal | I love kids books

Did I mention Clare is in fifth grade?

I love talking to this bright, interesting girl about our shared passions – Project Runway and reading. We both thought it was scary the first time we read about the panther in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods.

Fox Hollow is one of my favorite books this year – it packs a punch. It’s the story of Annabelle, a young girl, in 1943. Annabelle is dealing with a horrible bully at school, prejudices that come from the war and an odd, but kind and reclusive neighbor, Toby.

This book is for ages 8 to 12 but I think any adult would love it.

Clare picks out great books.

Clare rode her bike over to my house to talk about the book. Here’s our conversation:

What was your favorite part about Fox Hollow?
I just liked the whole theme of the book. The specific parts I don’t want to give away. It was so beautifully written. I just really loved it.

I really liked Annabelle – she was 12 and I’m 11 and I could relate to her. I just really like her – she’s so powerful. She’s so cool.

Even though the story was set in World War II, why could you relate to Annabelle, the main character?
She was good at keeping secrets and got down to business and didn’t play around like her other friends. I can relate to her being aware of what’s going around her.

She helped a lot of people – and I like to help people.

I can also relate to Annabelle because many people misunderstand people right now and also, people are very unjust.

Wolf Hollow is a John Newbery Medal winner.

Can you tell me about your mother/daughter book club?
We started three years ago but it barely feels like a year. We usually choose a book that’s based on girl power and being strong. We like reading about girls facing adversity who are strong. After we read the book, we have a meeting and a discussion. The moms talk and the girls act out the book in the living room.

What are some other books you’ve read?
Pippi Longstocking, I am Malala and I love Harry Potter.

My mom usually reads us books before bed – we’re reading Hatchet about a boy surviving the wilderness. He’s successful! Brian’s Winter is his (Gary Paulsen) second book. It’s an awesome book.

More about Clare
She is a competitive swimmer for Cincinnati Marlins, she’s in choir, plays the clarinet and likes art and acting. She has a pet tarantula named Rose.

Thank you, Clare!

This post is dedicated to the memory of author Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Thank you for giving us Little Pea (and more).

Avoiding vegetables is a childhood art form. Growing up, I would spit vegetables into my napkin when my parents weren’t looking. (I also enjoyed making my brother laugh when he had milk in his mouth. He would spit it all over the table much to the outrage of our dad.) It was the 70s and on babysitter nights, we had TV dinners with the pea, square carrot and corn combo. This made me gag and reach for my napkin. My husband said he and his siblings would put unwanted greenery on a little ledge under the dining room table.

These green beans are mean.

Not eating your vegetables pays off in one of our favorite books. In How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans, Martha refuses to eat her green beans every Tuesday night. “Green beans are bad. Very bad,” Martha thinks. The author is David LaRochelle and the book is illustrated by Mark Fearing.

Martha’s refusal to eat green beans is rewarded. When mean green beans with beady eyes, long curly mustaches, hats, and pointy boots swagger into town terrorizing anyone who has ever eaten a green bean, they leave Martha alone. They make rude noises, hoop and holler, and take Martha’s parents captive.

At first, Martha enjoys it. She doesn’t have to clean her room! She stays up late, eats cookies and sugary cereal for dinner, and watches bad TV. It’s a little like she’s in her 20s but she’s a little girl. But she misses her parents (what you won’t admit in your 20s) and decides to rescue them in the morning.

The leader of the beans is not scared when she threatens to eat them. “You’ve never eaten a green bean in your life,” he sneers. (See Max act out the scene in a video clip.)

Martha faces her fears.

Gulp. Martha eats all the beans, rescues her parents, and settles into a life of eating less threatening veggies. But does she? That nice leafy salad looks menacing.

Little Pea
Little Pea written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jen Corace, is about the culinary habits of vegetables. Little Pea is a happy little guy, except at dinner. Did you know peas eat candy for dinner? And his parents make him eat it.

For some reason, I like to read this story sounding like Tom Haverford, Aziz Ansari’s character on NBC’s Parks and Recreation. I know I’m weird but it works.

Yum. Yum. Extra Yum.

My boys crack up at the image of little Pea eating his candy. “One. Yuck. Two. Blech. Three. Plck. Four. Pleh.” This is a line my family often repeats in daily life.

Little Pea finally gets dessert. Spinach! “Yum. Yum. Extra yum.” (Another great line we repeat.)

“But candy is dessert and spinach is regular food,” Calvin said. “It’s all mixed up!”

Little pea and his parents live “hap-pea-ly ever after.”

How to find these books and more info

After checking out How Martha Saved Her Parents From Green Beans about 20 times from the library, we bought it. You can find it at Cincinnati’s Blue Manatee or order it from Powell’s City of Books. Author LaRochelle is also a pumpkin carver! Check out his designs and other books on his website. Mark Fearing offers green bean coloring pages on his website. His blog features mean green beans and other cool stuff.

You can find Little Pea at Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s little books at Chronicle Books or Rosenthal’s website. She’s also the co-author of another wonderful book that we love, Exclamation Mark with Tom Lichtenheld. My husband and I discovered it at Carmichael’s in Louisville, Kentucky. Lichtenheld is also the author of the Max and Calvin approved Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site.

Take a moment to peruse Rosenthal’s site. She has adult books, art projects, the works. I also found the illustrations on Jen Corace’s site beautiful.

Shout out to Melissa Currence for helping and inspiring me with this blog!