Here are 100 books that Mother Bruce fans have personally recommended if you like
Mother Bruce.
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I’m a full-time author and illustrator, and a recovering second grade teacher. I visit with tens of thousands of kids at schools every year and love sharing funny books with them. I’ve written and illustrated over 30 published books and know that kids appreciate subtle humor as well as in-your-face hilarity. I love writing stories that will make readers laugh and think. But mostly laugh.
Another brilliant gem of a book, Snappsy the Alligator is just trying to go about his day, but the annoying narrator of the book insists that he behave in certain ways. This book cleverly considers what the role of character is in a book and how the characters function in their story. Adults will appreciate the sophistication of the concept while younger readers will laugh hysterically at Snappsy’s attempts to be himself despite what the narrator thinks he should do.
Is he prowling for defenseless birds and soft, fuzzy bunnies? ls Snappsy a big, mean alligator who's obsessed with snack foods that start with the letter P? It's no wonder Snappsy won't invite the narrator to his party! Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) is an irreverent look at storytelling, friendship, and creative differences from a pair of rising stars in the picture book world.
I really am passionate about children and education. Reading to children is such a joy especially when they snuggle in and get absorbed in the story. Education is the only way to achieve some sort of equity in our world. The world I knew as a child is no more and that is a good thing. Cruel biases and intolerance hurt so many. Today there is more freedom and the potential to live true to yourself whatever that may be. I like books that show the diversity of our humanity, that can be read to children to broaden their understanding, acceptance, and tolerance of family which may be very different from their own.
This is a sentimental favourite. There is bathroom humour and funny furry “Gigglers” that protect children from mean adults. I read this book to my son on a plane from Dublin to Toronto after my mother died and he was hooked. I was hoarse after 4 hours but he wanted to finish it. It got very rude at the end (you have to read to find out) and I wanted to stop as we were close to other passengers and I was fading fast. I was talking him out of finishing when the passenger beside me piped up and said “you can’t stop now—what happens?" They added, “I never wanted children but seeing you with your son makes me think.” It’s a good read funny read and a moment I will always remember.
Gloriously silly comedy from Booker prize winner and bestseller Roddy Doyle.
If adults are mean to children, they get the Giggler Treatment. It's smelly. It's squishy. And it sticks to your shoe. But sometimes, just sometimes, the Gigglers make a mistake...
Can Robbie, Kayla, Jimmy and Rover the dog come to Mr Mack's rescue before the poo hits the shoe?
Look out for more cheeky runaway comedies starring the Mack family and Rover the wonder-dog: ROVER SAVES CHRISTMAS (9781407139739) and THE MEANWHILE ADVENTURES (9781407139746).
I’m a full-time author and illustrator, and a recovering second grade teacher. I visit with tens of thousands of kids at schools every year and love sharing funny books with them. I’ve written and illustrated over 30 published books and know that kids appreciate subtle humor as well as in-your-face hilarity. I love writing stories that will make readers laugh and think. But mostly laugh.
When Amy moves in next to Austin, he is not impressed. He doesn’t need any girls in his life to mess up his perfect existence. He has a dog. He has a best friend. And he knows that a T-Rex will eat a girl with freckles. This book perfectly captures the strange world of very young love in the most innocent and hilarious way. The characters are solid, but they develop in such wonderful ways throughout the story. The art makes it an even more enjoyable read, adding to the dry, witty humor and dialog in unexpected and fun ways.
Winner of the 2000 Governor General's Award for Children's Illustration
Finalist for the CBA Illustrator of the Year Award
Austin Grouper had a brown dog named Fresco, a best friend named Sternberg, and a red bicycle. His life was full. And then a girl named Amy moves in next door. Austin decides that she, like all girls, is yucky. But when the invitation to her birthday party arrives, it seems the only suitable present for Amy is the moon itself, and Austin is prepared to go to the ends of the earth to get it.
I’m a full-time author and illustrator, and a recovering second grade teacher. I visit with tens of thousands of kids at schools every year and love sharing funny books with them. I’ve written and illustrated over 30 published books and know that kids appreciate subtle humor as well as in-your-face hilarity. I love writing stories that will make readers laugh and think. But mostly laugh.
Minnie and Moo are two cows who go on more adventures than any cows in history. Again, the humor works on multiple levels. Adults will laugh out loud over the cows’ realization that they are made of beef while kids will delight in their ridiculous adventures around the farmyard. Or on the moon. Or in Paris. Or even the hot tub. There are several books in the series and each one is absolutely delightful.
Minnie's jelly donut is gone! Moo is sure it's been stolen. Can the cunning cows stop the crime wave before the donut-napper strikes again?
The funniest and sweetest buddies since Frog and Toad, Minnie and Moo will earn giggles from young readers. The Minnie and Moo stories are fun independent reads and also perfect for reading aloud, as they're filled with funny dialogue from these goofy and adorable cows.
Denys Cazet was an elementary school teacher for 25 years, and has also been a school librarian and elementary school media specialist. He was inspired to tell stories about the silly…
Fairy tales were my first love but I didn’t discover the true magic of children’s picture books until I left my 25-year career as an attorney to enter an MFA program. Wow, was I amazed. Picture books—books in which pictures tell an integral part of the story—not only create an instant connection between reader and little listener but stay with us into adulthood as memories. With this insight, I dove into the genre to discover what distinguishes picture books that are read and reread from those that fade. The answer turns out to be—tales that engender awe and wonder, yarns with heart, and narratives about friendship and kindness. Those are the stories that stay with us forever.
A
bear and a goose are so different. Bear is quiet and firm. Goose is loud and
pushy. How could they possibly be friends? But that’s exactly what happens in
this bestselling tale of a bear who wants to read in peace and a goose that
needs a friend. Author-illustrator Suzanne Bloom captures the concept of making
and keeping friends with toddler-appropriate language and sparse but colorful
drawings. The simple text paired with hilarious illustrations make this book
one of my all-time favorite read-a-louds. A Splendid Friend, Indeed is, indeed, a sweet
reminder of why friendship and kindness matter.
Bear just wants to read and write and think while Goose wants to talk and talk and talk. Bear is getting increasingly frustrated as Goose keeps interrupting him. Then Goose announces that thinking makes him hungry and he needs to make a snack. Goose returns with the snack and a note that he reads to bear: "You are my splendid friend." Bear responds by giving Goose a bear hug. They are splendid friends, indeed.
With three kids, bedtime at my house is usually nuts. When we strike gold with a great bedtime read that’s funny or cozy, or better yet, BOTH, it becomes part of our permanent rotation. I love finding books that make my kids excited about story time (and just maybe encourage them to get through their bedtime routines a little faster). As a children’s picture book author, my own books are inspired by my kids’ everyday lives, and sleep, or lack thereof, is a topic that I always find so very relatable!
To me, this book has a great combination of sleepy and silly elements. The illustrations are warm and cozy, and throughout the book, Bear snores happily in the background.
My kids and I love that while Bear sleeps, a party starts forming in his cave. We love seeing the party grow until Bear wakes up to discover what’s going on.
It seems like Bear can sleep through anything. As a succession of animals enter his cave to escape the fierce storm, he continues to snore. Mouse makes a nice warm fire, Hare cooks popcorn and Badger brings treats... They are having a great time. But when Bear wakes up and realises he's missed out on the fun, his visitors fear the worst.Can Bear be persuaded to join the party? This read-aloud rhyming story has fun, suspense and a happy ending - with Jane Chapman's beautiful, captivating illustrations and Karma Wilson's absorbing, lyrical words perfectly depicting the companionship of the warm,…
I expect that the folks at Shepherd.com approached me as a picture book author, since I’m the author of eleven picture books, including the four books of the Vampirina Ballerina series, which were adapted into the Disney Junior hit series Vampirina. But my thoughts and ideas about friendship and community really stem from once having been a child myself and from being a parent of four children, each of whom approached the roller coaster ride of childhood friendship in their unique ways. I was always happy to help them find answers in a book, even when those answers involved more, and deeper, questions.
Lucy Bear is determined to make a friend, but it turns out to be a harder task than she anticipated. Her efforts startle, bother, annoy, and anger the other forest animals. She’s ready to give up but in the end, she finds a perfect friend—perfect for her, that is, and isn’t that what really matters? I adore Peter Brown’s colorful, jocular illustrations and the way the answer to Lucy’s desire is presented not in the text, but in the art. For a bonus friendship lesson, check out Brown’s bio on the dust jacket.
Today is the day the exuberant Lucy is going to make a new friend! But she finds it's harder than she had thought--she accidentally ruins the giraffe's breakfast and is much too big for the frogs' pond. Just when she's about to give up, an unexpected friend finds her, and loves her just the way she is.
This heartwarming story offers a unique and humor-filled spin on the all-important themes of persistence and friendship.
I am endlessly inspired by the beauty and majesty of our national parks. As a former seasonal ranger at Mount Rainier National Park and Oregon’s Silver Falls State Park, I was frequently surprised by the incredible scrapes that visitors could get themselves into. Of course, I wasn’t immune, and I experienced a few misadventures of my own. These books are great reminders to always respect your limits and be aware of your surroundings. Since I now write novels set in our national parks, I enjoy reading some of these real adventures—it provides great fodder for the imagination.
If you’re in the mood for a lighthearted book about the national parks, Bear in the Backseat is an entertaining look at the experiences of a wildlife ranger at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It contains a variety of humorous anecdotes mixed with more sobering tales. This book will open your eyes to the difficulty in managing both wildlife and park visitors. It contains a variety of humorous anecdotes mixed with more sobering tales.
#7 in the USA audio book in 2016#9 in the USA Wall Street Journal best seller in 2013Named A Top 50 Must Read for the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service.Named A Top 10 Must-Read Books That Could Save Our National Parks and the Environment along with John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, Lewis & Clark, Bill Bryson, and Ken Burns. Bear in the Back Seat I is the first volume in a series of true stories from “[a]n extraordinary landscape populated with befuddled bears, hormonally-crazed elk, homicidal wild boars, hopelessly timid wolves, and nine million tourists, some of whom…
Long before I became a writer, I was a mom and a teacher. Over some 25 years, I read hundreds, thousands of picture books to kids. I fell in love with the lyrical language, the amazing variety, and the ways picture book authors and illustrators tell a complete story, engage kids (and adults!), and keep readers turning the pages. To me, picture books are an extraordinary gift not only for a young audience, but also for the parents, caregivers, teachers, and librarians who share them with kids. I hope these picture book suggestions inspire you to create special memories with the children you know and love.
Doughnuts and friends. Need I say more? This adorable rhyming picture book is a gem.
LouAnn has cooked up a delicious snack in anticipation of a long, winter nap when, Ding-Dong! A forest friend arrives.“Do you have enough for a neighbor to share?” asks Woodrow the woodchuck. “Sure,” says LouAnn, and she pulls up a chair. Can you imagine what comes next? Ding-Dong another visitor at the door!
Reminiscent of the old favorite, The Doorbell Rang, by Pat Hutchins, Dozens of Doughnuts is a counting book, but so much more. It’s about generosity, and the kind of open-hearted sharing that happens between good friends.
A generous but increasingly put-upon bear makes batch after batch of doughnuts for her woodland friends without saving any for herself in this delightful debut picture book about counting, sharing, and being a good friend.
LouAnn (a bear) is making a doughnut feast in preparation for her long winter's nap. But just before she takes the first bite, DING DONG! Her friend Woodrow (a woodchuck) drops by. LouAnn is happy to share her doughnuts, but as soon as she and Woodrow sit down to eat, DING DONG! Clyde (a raccoon) is at the door. One by one, LouAnn's friends come…
Of all the lessons that we should be teaching kids, I think kindness should be at the top of everyone’s list. If people treated every human and sentient being with kindness and compassion the world would be a better place, which is something we all want. The more we can illustrate this for children the better so that they can understand that we are all in this together and that everyone deserves respect.
Jory John is a hilarious writer and this book is no exception. A bear forgets something but he can’t figure out what (it’s his pants). We see him in his white cotton underwear, but it’s never actually stated so while he mulls over the problem to other animals in the forest, the reader laughs waiting to see what will happen. No one tells him what the problem is. But his good friend, Anders puts on underwear too. He proclaims to the other animals in the forest that it’s cool and the new style. A dose of kindness goes a long way in this funny and surprising tale.
Jeff the bear has definitely forgotten something. He ate his breakfast, he watered his plant, he combed his fur . . . what could it be? Why does he feel so oddly off? So he asks his friend Anders the rabbit what could possibly be wrong. It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that he's wearing underwear . . . over his fur . . . could it? Another read-out-loud, laugh-out-loud picture book from bestselling and beloved author Jory John, paired with rising star illustrator Erin Balzer, about that horrible nagging feeling that it just might not be…
