Author Showcase: Lois Lenski

We love Lois Lenski’s books. You may or may not recognize these books from your own childhood. Lenski wrote them in the 30s-60s. They stopped printing them long ago. In the last decade, they have been re-released, and thank goodness they were. The author was well-loved in her lifetime and received both the Children’s Book Award and a Newbery Medal. My son knows where her books are on the bookshelf in the library and immediately finds them every time we go.

Cowboy Small by Lois Lenski is a cute cowboy book for the younger set. We have the board book edition and it’s been loved for a long time at our house. Although, since our return from the Calgary Stampede, we read it constantly. The text is simple, the drawings are charming and the book covers all the basics of what a cowboy does day and night. My son loves that Cowboy small owns a guitar. He loves the part when a bronco bucks off Cowboy as well.

Policeman Small was first published in 1962 and is retro in all the awesome ways. Cute and cheery it’s like a little Rockwell painting in a book! Policeman Small is about a policeman in a simpler time. A time that is perfect for little readers who are not looking for the reality of what police work is. Instead, they are looking for something more simple. A big hit with young toddlers, my son enjoyed this book well before he turned 2 and continues years later.

The Little Auto was originally written in 1934 and although cars have changed, the basics are the same and are all covered in this little book. From the basic care and maintenance of a car to what to do if you have a flat tire are all addressed. The pace of the book is slow. But your child won’t lose interest. Instead, the slow pace is perfect and leads to a calm and happy storytime. My son giggled at the part of the book where Mr. Small drives past a horse and buggy. He of course has little understanding of a horse as anything other than a farm animal!

The Little Airplane I have been around airplanes all my life and I learned more about them from this picture book than I have from anywhere else before. The detail in this book amazes me. It goes step by step how a prop plane works, and what a pilot does during the flight. The retro pictures are both a favorite of mine and my son’s. They take you back and make you feel like you are in another place and time. This book will be too long for young toddlers, there is a lot of text.

The Little Fire Engine is a simple little book about a fire engine that goes to put out fires. Nothing special but every time my son sees it at the library he won’t let it go. In 6 months, we’ve taken it out 4 times. I think the bright retro illustrations and the simple text is what makes it so appealing.

Have you read any books from Lois Lenski? Which were your favorite? Comment below or share on my Facebook page!

For more quick tips on helping your child learn to read check out my book; Raising A Rock-Star Reader. Enjoy fun ideas for families, book lists, and advice for parents.