Read Aloud Thursday ::: Tomie dePaola edition

We have been making lots of library trips this summer thus far and enjoying lots of new-to-us books. The two books I'm going to mention today are actually ones that we have checked out before. They are much loved by my girls and definitely worth a mention.

Tomie dePaola is a prolific children's author and illustrator. I've mentioned him before as part of a post on St. Patrick's Day and Christmas books. One of our favorite books by him is Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs. This story tells of the special relationship little Tomie has with his two Nanas - especially Nana Upstairs, who is really great-grandma. He spends his Sunday afternoons with Nana Upstairs because she is too old to come downstairs and they visit and eat snacks and take a nap together. As somewhat of a spoiler (but one of the reasons that I like the book), the book talks about how Nana Upstairs dies. This would be a wonderful book to introduce a child to the reality that our older family members will pass away at some point.

Another favorite dePaolo book for us (and one with a lighter subject matter!) is The Art Lesson. This is the story of young Tomie's dreams to become an artist when he grows up and how excited he is to start school and learn art lessons! There are a few bumps along the way - he is asked not to bring his box of 64 Crayola crayons to school and he only gets ONE piece of paper for his project. However, Tomie perserves and stays committed to his goal of becoming an artist.

I love how both of these books are based on Tomie dePaola's life and tell of his strong, close-knit family, and his dreams even as a little boy. Worth taking a look at, in my opinion. :)

For more Read-Aloud Thursday, head over to Hope is the Word!