I love Snuggly picture books! Max’s Dragon Shirt by Rosemary Wells

Reading List
Written By Rebecca Grabill
Max’s Dragon Shirt by Rosemary Wells

Max’s Dragon Shirt by Rosemary Wells

Max’s Dragon Shirt by Rosemary Wells. Puffin 1991.

I had a horrid time finding any Wells book I hadn’t already read 100+ times. Fish LOVED Yoko and the various Max and Ruby books. I’d have to say Yoko is probably the loveliest of the Wells books with it’s gentle rhythm and touching relationships. So much is communicated and it’s a pleasure to read.

The Dragon Shirt is funny and just a little silly. I love how Wells takes the child’s world seriously, smilingly, and employs a tender, gentle tone. Her books are so ... snuggly! Holly Hobbie in her Toot & Puddle books does the same.

You may also like...
Cinderella or Cinderella or Cinderella - All the Same
Cinderella or Cinderella or Cinderella - All the Same

If a culturally rich adaptation of a classic tale is going to be on a required reading list for any MFAC program, I think it should be Yeh Shen.

ChuggaChugga ChooChoo!: Freight Train, the book
ChuggaChugga ChooChoo!: Freight Train, the book

Conceptual, informative, this little book teaches object permanence (through the tunnel cut away) and prepositions like through and by, and it uses real...

You Mean Women Won Rights? News to Me.
You Mean Women Won Rights? News to Me.

Now here is a compelling and well-told story! Kamma never loses her narrative thread, she includes quotes and details, and she keeps the details to those that ground the story or move it forward. She, in short, finds a plot and...

Another Reason My Yard is Full of Holes: How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World
Another Reason My Yard is Full of Holes: How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World

Second person, a how-to booklet on digging to the center of the earth and beyond. Fact meets fun. The fantasy element combined with scientific detail make this a favorite and true classic. But hey, my copy didn't come with a CD!

That aside...

On a Tightrope: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
On a Tightrope: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

I love Mordicai Gerstein. I have since I got his book on Noah for my children. His art, his prose, his creativity—delicious. This story...

Jesus and Baseball: Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
Jesus and Baseball: Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki

Triumphant!

Easy to read text that can be read independently by most first/second graders and Mochizuki's is an important voice in a history that has seldom been captured. Both elements combine for an important book.

I wish I lived on Neighborhood Street! Night on Neighborhood Street by Eloise Greenfield
I wish I lived on Neighborhood Street! Night on Neighborhood Street by Eloise Greenfield

The illustrations feel sort of 1970s (which is odd given the pub date); makes it seem dated. The poems, however, give snapshots into life, like...

I love Snuggly picture books! Max’s Dragon Shirt by Rosemary Wells
I love Snuggly picture books! Max’s Dragon Shirt by Rosemary Wells

I had a horrid time finding any Wells book I hadn’t already read 100+ times. Fish LOVED Yoko and the various Max and Ruby books. I’d have to say Yoko is probably...

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe

Any MFA in Children's Writing must have this book on it's required reading list -- such an important tale. Uniquely South African and full of stunning, authentic illustrations. This morality story...

Beautiful Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Beautiful Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Martin brings Bentley’s love and obsession to the child on a mitten-full of snow. Imagine a book about photographing snowflakes making the reader cry. But Martin does it, gently and in a voice I’ve had the privilege to...

Rebecca Grabill

Rebecca has been writing since childhood, her first book about a kitten published between homemade cardboard covers in second grade. Although she studied religion and philosophy in university, she continued writing, earning an MFA from Hamline University and publishing multiple picture books (no longer with homemade covers) and a collection of poetry with a variety of New York and independent publishers. She has also published a wide array of fiction, essays, and poetry in magazines and journals and photographs for Getty Images. She balances writing with homeschooling the younger of her six children, launching her young adults, church activities, and overseeing a small flock of chickens in rural West Michigan.

www.rebeccagrabill.com
Previous

Rats of NIMH and other Rodent Themed Books
Next

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe