This one’s for the rock lover in your family (which I confess I am). In Magic School Bus: Inside the Earth, written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen, science teacher Ms. Frizzle and her class are off on another adventure on their trusty old school bus. This time it’s a trip inside the Earth to learn about rocks, volcanoes and the Earth’s structure.

Along the way, there’s plenty of fun dialog and adventure. The bus goes from a steam shovel to a giant drill that bores deep into the Earth (in fact, all the way through the Earth to the core and then out again through a volcano).

The book ends with a very funny dialogue between the author and artist and a reader who questions the validity of the story. It’s the perfect touch for the child who has difficulty letting his or her imagination go and having fun with the story.

And, I shouldn’t forget to mention, if your child is on the younger side, the colorful and detailed drawings should hold her attention even if the facts are too much right now.

Like all the Magic School Bus books, this story has a lot of staying power. Both your 4-year-old and your 7-year-old will love these books.

Be warned that these are not short reads, but can be broken into several sittings. It takes us about 30 minutes to read each book cover-to-cover.

Ages: 4+ (as noted in the other Magic School Bus reviews, Scholastic recommends these books for 7-10 year olds, but we know younger children who adore them)

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It’s an unlikely premise: a pink pig (she’s slightly reckless and sentimental), a bluish elephant (who is cautious and just a little nervous), white backgrounds and minimal text (in thought bubbles). But it more than works. All of the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems are laugh-out-loud funny (there are currently 11 in the series) and a joy to read. However, There is a Bird on Your Head! is my family’s favorite.

Piggie and Gerald the elephant are peacefully hanging out when a bird lands on Gerald’s head. Soon, a second bird shows up, then a nest and three eggs. Piggie is delighted. Gerald is less than thrilled. For those of you who haven’t read the book, I won’t spoil the end. But the expressions on Gerald and Piggie’s faces are, as my daughter says, very silly (I would say full of emotion and very very funny). With a simple line or two, Willems manages to convey love, frustration, joy, fear, disgust and more.

Get thee to the library or a bookstore and check out these books.

Ages: 2+ (publisher says 4+, but younger children will appreciate them, as will emergent readers)

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If your son or daughter loves teddy bears or has a beloved stuffed animal, then Where’s My Teddy, written and illustrated by Jez Alborough is a great choice.

I often find that when a book is written and illustrated by the same person the images are great, but the story suffers. Not the case with Where’s My Teddy. In this large format book Alborough has fluidly blended story and imagery. The green leafy forest pops from the pages and both the bear and Eddie’s expressions are full of life. The fast-paced rhyming text keeps the pages turning.

Eddie lost his teddy named Freddie and is off to the dark forest to find him. Eddie is scared and wants his teddy. But, instead of finding Freddie, he finds a giant stuffed bear who he thinks is Freddie all grown up. Then the forest is filled with the sound of a voice crying out, asking how did my teddy get so small. It’s a giant scary bear and he’s holding Freddie. The giant bear spots his giant stuffed bear, his face lights up with joy and he drops Freddie. Eddie grabs Freddie. The giant bear and Eddie, each clutching his very own teddy, run for home and the safety of bed where they snuggle with their teddies, same and warm.

While this book appears to be written for pre-schoolers, it also has staying power. Children in the early grades will catch the nuances of expression that they may have missed when they were younger and laugh along with their younger brothers and sisters as this story is read aloud.

Ages: 3+

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Want a fun and funny book about books? Then head to the bookstore and get Wild About Books, written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Marc Brown. This is a whacky story about a librarian who sets up a bookmobile in the zoo. The animals in the zoo go wild, simply wild, about wonderful books, with giraffes wanting tall books and crickets craving small books, while geckos “could only read stick-to-the-wall books.” The books bring big changes to the lives of the zoo animals and some must be taught to treat books with respect, but all come to love books — so much so that they build their own “zoobrary.”

The rhyming is hilarious and fluid, with a rich vocabulary that doesn’t condescend to children, making this a great read-aloud book. And, there’s lots of fun for adults too, with puns and book references designed for the older set. The illustrations are bright, colorful and full of life. They are also very silly. Children who aren’t yet able to read will enjoy looking at the detailed pictures on their own.

My daughter walked into my office as I was writing this and laughed out loud as she saw the termites eating The Wizard of Oz and the baby bunnies mucking up Goodnight Moon. This book is a winner.

Ages: 3-8

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The wait is almost over. New Skivvydoodles for babies, toddlers and kids (12M-7 years) coming at the end of next week!

Do you remember the lightness of summer? Not just the light from the summer sun, but the feeling of openness and possibility? The simple joy of waking with no responsibilities and an endless day of fun ahead of you? That is Hondo & Fabian, a Caldecott award winner written and illustrated by Peter McCarty. It’s a long, happy summers day.

Hondo is a dog. Fabian is a cat. Hondo goes to the beach, while Fabian stays home. Hondo has fun playing on the beach with his dog friend Fred. Fabian stays home and has fun too — he is chased by the baby and plays with the toilet-paper roll. The day ends with both at home, full and fat from eating dinner and ready to go to sleep.

The story is simple, sweet and gentle. The language just right for lulling its audience to sleep. The colored-pencil illustrations are warm and loving. As day turns to night, the images soften and the palette subtly darkens. Hondo and the baby drift off to sleep while Fabian looks out into the night sky.

Ages: 2+ (while the story is simple, this book will have staying power. Animal lovers of all ages will appreciate the fuzzy warm images and nostalgic call of warm summer days.)

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Just in time to keep your kitty warm for the winter is our new “Meow!” print, available in sizes for babies, toddlers and kids (up to size 7).

See the PJs in action below:

Another view:

Here’s a close up detail of the print:

Order yours today, either in baby sizes, toddler sizes or kids sizes!

For all of our frustrated regular shoppers who’ve been waiting for our new shipment of Skivvydoodles in toddler and kids sizes, your wait is about to end.

We expect to get the new pajamas in by Tuesday of next week (March 24). As a thank you for your patience, email us at kim@footypajamas.com and we’ll send you a coupon for 10% off. Just put “frustrated shopper” in the subject line and we’ll get your coupon out to you right away. In the meantime, don’t forget to pick up a few bargains during our storewide sale going on now!

Here’s a preview of some of the pajamas that will be available next week (click on the images for larger views):

Lilipads:

Ponies:

Sailboats:

Cars:

Play Ball!: