good books for babies

Deck the Halls with Books, Books, Books: Books for Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers, and New Readers

  Each Peach Pear Plum board book (Viking Kestrel Picture Books): I spy for the little guys (and gals). I (Brynn, age 17 months) really enjoy searching through these detailed pictures for not only the main images (“I spy Tom Thumb”), but other things like rabbits, birds, and tea kettles (!).  Yes, I now know what a tea kettle is!

  Baby’s Got the Blues: I (Brynn, 17 months) LOVE this book right now!  Mama sings it in a bluesy way (Dada tries his very best to sound like he’s singing), and I sway as we read it together.  I demand this book by saying, “Baby!” and if the book isn’t within easy reach, we have to go get it immediately.  Great for little ones who love music, but parents have to be willing to get in the spirit, too!  Illustrations are bright and expressive, while text is amusing.

  Got to Dance:  Same kind of book as the above.  If parents will sing it jazzy, with some cymbal sounds (“chh, chh.  chh, chh.”) and some finger snapping, then little ones will really enjoy it.  Illustrations are fresh, but not quite as sharp as Baby’s Got the Blues.

  Mary Engelbreit’s Mother Goose: One Hundred Best-Loved Verses:  I (Brynn, 17 months) am in love with all things nursery rhyme.  Reading experts know that hearing rhyme helps kids become aware of phonemes, the building blocks of language, which helps with future reading success.  But that’s not why I love nursery rhymes.  They just sound cool!  Mama sings most of them (Dada really does try), and I’ll sign or say “more!” over and over again if I want to hear the same rhyme.  My brother did the exact same thing when he was my age.  These illustrations are much better than the original Mother Goose that my mom grew up with, too.

  A Perfectly Messed-Up Story: This book is one that I (Luke, age 4) really like, and it’s for two of my friends who enjoy interactive, funny stories.  Peanut butter, jelly, orange juice?!  What else could possibly be dropped onto poor Little Louie’s story?  Despite his story seeming like a complete debacle, in the end, everything is just fine, just the way I like it.

  Mo’s Mustache:  It’s tough to explain why I (Luke, 4) enjoy this book so much, but I read it religiously for two months straight this fall.  Is it the hilarious, spare illustrations?  Is it the melodramatic exclamations of the monsters (“Murf!” “Huzzah!”)?  Is it the 1970’s reference at the end of the book that always makes my mom laugh but I just don’t quite understand (I like to hear her laugh, so it’s ok if I don’t get it)?  Whatever the reason, preschoolers will enjoy it.

  Mr. Tweed’s Good Deeds: I spy for preschoolers.  I (Luke, 4) read the story once with Mama, but the real appeal of this book is the elaborate search and finds.  The illustrations are vibrant and well done, and the hidden objects are actually quite challenging to find.  I still have trouble finding all of the socks…

  Chalk:  A wordless picture book that is absolutely top-notch.  Stunningly realistic drawings tell the story of three friends who happen upon a bag of magic chalk on a rainy day.  What they draw ends up coming to life, and one creation almost spells disaster.  I’m giving this book to a preschool friend who loves dinosaurs.

  Thank You, Octopus:  Quintessential preschooler humor: slightly gross, but oh so funny.  Octopus is putting his buddy to bed, but every time he tells his buddy something nice he’s going to do for him, Octopus switches the meaning and it ends of being not so nice.

Octopus: Let me give you a bath, Buddy.

Buddy: Thank you, Octopus!

Octopus: In EGG SALAD!

Buddy: Gross!  No thank you, Octopus!

Very clever plays on words that kept me rolling night after night.  My parents and I even started our own “thank you, no thank you” routine.

  The Munschworks Grand Treasury:  This past Fall has been “The Fall of the Robert Munsch Books.”  My parents and I (Luke, 4) have read just about every story Munsch has written.  They are generally clever stories that just beg to be read aloud and embellished with inflection and sound effects.  The stories are longer than typical picture books, and the characters are smart and funny with a modern kid humor, so they are a lot like me.  I love these stories!

  I Really Like Slop! (An Elephant and Piggie Book):  I’m (Luke, 4) giving three of the Elephant and Piggie books to my cousin who is just starting to read independently.  The text in these books is always simple, the illustrations are always expressive, and the stories are always hilarious, for preschoolers and parents alike.

  I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! (Beginner Books):  I’m (Luke, 4) also giving this classic Seuss book to my beginning-reader cousin.  I loved this book when I was starting to read, and I still return to it every now and again just because it’s so much fun.  And with simple sight word text, it really is a book that beginning readers will be able to feel good about reading by themselves.

Happy Reading!

–Luke (age 4) and Brynn (age 17 months), blog co-authors

Clicking on a book will take you to Amazon.com, and if you decide to buy the book, a portion of your purchase comes back to me.  I, in turn, will use the profits to purchase books for our local library or for a children’s literacy project.

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For Veteran Parents with New Babies: 5 Books for Babies Off the Beaten Path

At the baby shower for my first child, I received a children’s book from each of the guests, most of them beloved classics that are near and dear to everyone’s hearts (think Goodnight Moon, I Love You Through and Through, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and I Love You, Stinky Face). I also had my own collection of classics neatly stacked in the baby’s room: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and Mary Engelbreit’s Mother Goose: One Hundred Best-Loved Verses.  Over time, other books were accepted into the more or less permanent reading rotation.  Below are a few of my children’s (and my) favorites:

 

   Caps for Sale Board Book: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business (Reading Rainbow Books) by Esphyr Slobodkina:  This book has been one of Brynn’s favorite books since she was about 6 months old.  Sound effects for the peddler’s caps piled on his head keep her engaged until we get to the middle of the story when the caps suddenly disappear, swiped by a band of monkeys who mock the peddler’s attempts to get them back.  When Brynn was about 9 months old, she began shaking her little finger, waving her chubby fist, and stomping her tiny feet back at the peddler, just like the monkeys.  Luke loved this book, too, and “The End” so boldly printed on the last page was the first phrase he ever read.  We read the board book version because it’s quite a bit shorter than the original hardcover.

  Baby Cakes by Karma Wilson and Sam Williams:  Super cute rhyming text that has parents nibbling toes, kissing noses, bouncing baby, and hugging oh so tight.  From now on, I will be buying Baby Cakes for any expecting parents that I know.  Brynn and I both love it!

   Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes padded board book by Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury:  Brynn has been entranced with this book since she was teeny tiny.  The text rhymes and repeats throughout the book, so very quickly, babies learn what to expect while reading it.  Throughout the book, the reader is introduced to babies from all over the world, growing up in all kinds of circumstances, but “each of these babies, as everyone knows, has ten little fingers and ten little toes.”  Brynn loves examining the different baby faces, and we spend a lot of time talking about where each of the babies lives.  The illustrations are beautiful; the babies’ faces are full of expression and delightfully cute and cuddly.  We have the lap book version, and if you can find it, I’d highly recommend it because the pages, and thus the pictures, are huge.

   Lick! by Matthew Van Fleet:  Ok, so while the AUTHOR of this book isn’t “off the beaten path,” this particular book is one of his newer offerings.  Lots of creative touch and feel bits, pull tabs, and funny illustrations along with a rhyming text make Lick great fun for babies.  Brynn had a hard time with the tiny touch and feel elements when she was younger and less dextrous, but at 12 months old, she loves them.  She still can’t quite manage the pull tabs, but she’s happy watching me work them for her…for now.

   Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox (Mar 16 2009) by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek:  “Here is the red sheep.  Here is the blue sheep.  Here is the bath sheep.  And here is the bed sheep.  But where is the green sheep?”  And so begins the toddler-length quest for the feisty green sheep.  And what a fantastic quest it is!  I didn’t come across this book until Luke was too old for it, so the first time I took Brynn to the library, I snagged a copy to see if she’d like it.  She did.  A lot.  Great for teaching opposites and colors, the funny, rhyming text and expressive illustrations are very engaging for the baby set.  And in the end, the mystery is solved peacefully and satisfactorily.  Brynn and I both love this one!

Happy Reading!

-Erin and Brynn (13 months old), blog co-authors

Clicking on a book will take you to Amazon.com, and if you decide to buy the book, a portion of your purchase comes back to me.  I, in turn, will use the profits to purchase books for our local library or for a children’s literacy project.

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The Bookshelf–Books for Babies by Baby Brynn

Another short list of a few of my favorite books!

   I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt and Cyd Moore:  The classic question: “Mama, what if I were a super smelly skunk and I smelled so bad that my name was Stinky Face.  Would you still love me then?”  Answer?  Resounding yes!  Reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown’s The Runaway Bunny, this book is written and illustrated with a modern reader in mind.  Green aliens from Mars, giant scary apes, slimy swamp monsters, all there to test a mother’s love.  I love this book in part because Mama makes up all kinds of goofy sound effects for each creature–her alien voice and smelly skunk “pee-u!” are my favorites!

   From Head to Toe Board Book by Eric Carle:  A book about body parts and how they move, all mimicking different animals.  I’m not quite old enough to do the actions in this book (kick my legs like a donkey, shrug my shoulders like a buffalo), but I love watching Mama do them!  She’s crazy.  She helps me do some of the actions, and I love it!  Great fun!

   Doggies (Boynton on Board) by Sandra Boynton:  Woof!  Yap yap!  Ar-roof!  Counting, dogs, and barking.  What could be better?  I love this book because of all of the great sound effects.  Watch out for that cat at the end though–he’s feisty!

  Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Chicka Chicka Book, A) by John Archambault and Bill Martin, Jr. and Lois Ehlert: “Chicka chicka boom boom!  Will there be enough room?”  Without a doubt, the best alphabet book on the planet!  Rhyme and rhythm meet the alphabet in a coconut tree.  My favorite part is when all of the letters fall out of the tree and end up in a big jumbled pile.  I like trying to find the “b” for my name!  Mama likes to trace the letters as she reads and she loves bouncing me on her legs to the rhythm.  No other alphabet book even comes close!

  Where’s Peter? (Peter Rabbit) by Beatrix Potter: Yes, it’s a touchy-feely book, and yes, it has flaps to lift, but this book also has the golden trifecta: rhythm, rhyme, and repetition.  This book is my favorite of my touch and feel books because the pieces to touch are so big.  It’s hard for my tiny, uncoordinated hands to touch small pieces of textured fabrics, and it’s even harder to touch textures that are set into the page like velvet, so this book is a huge hit with me.  Best page?  Squirrel Nutkin–his bushy tail is huge!

Hope you found something new to read with your little one!

Happy reading!

–Brynn (blog co-author, age 9 months)

Clicking on the book will take you to Amazon.com, and if you decide to buy the book, a portion of your purchase comes back to me.  I, in turn, will use the profits to purchase books for our local library or for a children’s literacy project.

 

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The Bookshelf: Brynn’s Debut Post

Hello, blog world!  I’m Brynn, I’m eight months old, and this is my first book blog.  Woo!

In the past few weeks, I’ve really begun to understand why books are better read than chewed.  I’ll actually read several books in a row now, and I definitely have favorites.  You know, the ones that I nearly fall off of Mama’s lap lunging for?  The ones that I refuse to release after reading?  The ones that I know lines from already and look intently at the person reciting them?  These are my current favorites:

  Barnyard Dance! (Boynton on Board) by Sandra Boynton: “Stomp your feet!  Clap your hands! Everybody ready for a barnyard dance!”  I LOVE this here book!  Mama gets her legs movin’ up and down, her feet swingin’ in circles, and her mouth makin’ the funniest darn animal noises, all while I’m balanced precariously on her lap.  It’s just a tad bit alarmin’, but I’ve learned to enjoy it.  A lot.  Catchy rhyme and rhythm are the best things about this book.

  Peekaboo Dress Up (Touch-And-Feel Action Flap Book):  Mama is usually not a huge fan of gimmicky books, but I certainly am.  This books has things to touch, too, but my favorite part of the book is the peekaboo flaps.  Mama reads, “Where has the baby gone?  Is she behind the jungle cushion?” and then she sloooooowly lifts the flap, building anticipation to a fever pitch as I lean forward…and forward…and forward until she grabs me to keep me from toppling over.  Every page is like that.  And the babies in their costumes are SO cute!  Well, maybe not quite as cute as me…

   My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss: Mama thinks that this book is really well done, but I think this book is just plain fun!  It’s all about moods and colors and how everyone has good and bad days.  The art is both beautiful and beautifully wedded to the text.  My favorite color is yellow: “Then comes a yellow day and weeeeeeeeee I’m a busy, buzzy bee!”  I also have a lot of fun wacking the page when it says, “Then comes a mixed up day and WHAM! I don’t know who or what I am!”  It’s great!

   Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin and James Dean:  This book is probably too old for me, but I don’t care.  I love that CAT!  He’s blue, for goodness sake!  That’s crazy!  I especially love trying to pet his curly tail and trying to grab the yellow bird that appears on most pages.  For a book about colors, it’s pretty fantastic.  Plus, it has a nice life lesson at the end: “No matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song…because it’s all good!”

   Pajama Time! (Boynton on Board) by Sandra Boynton:  “Pajammy to the left.  Pajammy to the right.  Jamma jamma jamma jamma P! J!”  The alpha and omega of this post: the forever amazing Sandra Boynton.  There are some colors and qualities (fuzzy vs. not) thrown into this book to lend it some substance, but really, it’s mostly about the rhyme and rhythm.  Catchy, catchy!  Mama and I dance our way through this book every other night.  Definitely makes going to sleep a lot of fun!

Writing this post was pretty cool!  I hope you enjoyed reading my debut, and I can’t wait to get going on the next one!

Happy Reading!

–Brynn (blog co-author, age 8 months)

Clicking on the book will take you to Amazon.com, and if you decide to buy the book, a portion of your purchase comes back to me.  I, in turn, will use the profits to purchase books for our local library or for a children’s literacy project.

 

 

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