Spring has
brought our family a new baby. Congratulations, Zack and Lacey! In honor of the
new little one and all our grand nieces and nephews, here are a few books for
babies and toddlers. So much love here!
The Big Bed by Bunmi Laditan, Pictures
by Tom Knight
Tongue in
cheek, told in the voice of a toddler, explaining to her dad why he can’t sleep
in the big bed anymore. There really is room only for two people and that would
be Mommy and the child. Sorry, Daddy, but, you’ll just have to sleep on the cot
next to the big bed from now on. Hmm, Wonder if this would work?
Love, Mama by Jeanette Bradley
When the
little penguin’s mother goes off on a trip, maybe travelling for business,
little Kip misses her terribly and cannot be comforted by pillows or pictures
of Mama. But, when a box of goodies arrives from his Mama, he is comforted by
the knowledge that his Mama loves him and thinks of him every day. A reminder
to tell others every day how much we love them.
The Boy and the Blue Moon by Sara
O’Leary, illustrated by Ashley Crowley
What do you
do when you wake up in the night and cannot go back to sleep? The boy in this
story explores the fields around his house and flies to the moon. When he gets
lonely on the moon, he returns home, and falls asleep. I might try this next
time I have a sleepless night.
The ABC Animal Orchestra by Donald Saaf
An alphabet
book with an animal and an instrument on every page. Each letter is represented
by four of five words and the words catch most of the multiple pronunciations
of English letters. Take C for example: chimpanzee, cymbals, car cat and
camera. Time to go check out the drum playing dog and the hedgehog playing
harmonica.
Everything You by Elizabeth McPike,
Pictures by Jay Fleck
No matter
what baby animal is shown, it is special to two animal parents. Each baby gets
the royal treatment because “You’re every HAPPY ENDING, our fairy-tale you./
You’re everything WONDROUS, the stars and moon knew.” Each animal is drawn in
outline form with uncluttered backgrounds. Even the chicken has an expression
of love on her face. We do love our babies!
I Love You for Miles and Miles by Alison
Goldberg, Pictures by Mike Yamada
We often
hear folks say, “I love you to the moon and back.” How else could we express
that love? Wider than the widest big rig? Deeper than the deepest drill? Faster
than the fastest fire truck? Working with anything that moves or builds or
attracts toddlers’ attention, Goldberg has quantified love in a way that our
littlest ones will understand. Bears with various colored t-shirts illustrate
each two-page spread. Gender is neutral, so the reader can interpret as she/he
feels led.
Bunny Built by Michael Slack
LaRue cannot
find any carrots, no matter where he looks or who he asks. His friends are out
of carrots as well and he notices that Nevil has lost his boat, Stella has lost
her house and Ivy has lost her table. But, LaRue finds a huge carrot seed which
he plants and nurtures until he has a giant carrot, which he then cuts up like
lumber and builds a boat, a house and a table. Lots of ways to use this book in
a preschool class: compassion, resourcefulness, cause and effect and
vocabulary!
The Little Fire Truck by Margery Cuyler,
illustrated by bob Kolar
Cuyler tells
her story about a fire-truck and the fire-fighters in rhyme. The illustrations
are brightly colored and use simple lines to abstractly represent the fire fighters
and their surroundings. On the first page, the firetruck driver is introduced
as Jill. Nice touch! I thought. But, it turned out, that’s all it was, a little
touch of gender neutrality. Although I looked on page after page, I only saw
one other fire woman, and no police women. How hard is it to show women doing
traditionally male jobs?
Peep and Egg: I’m Not Taking a Bath by
Laura Gehl, Pictures by Joyce Wan
Following the
usual pattern of Peep and Egg books, Egg gets dirty and Peep wants him to take
a bath. But, Egg is not going to take a bath willingly! Several scenarios are presented,
and Egg refuses them all: Too wet, too splashy, too fast, too fishy. So, Peep
uses reverse psychology and takes all the bath toys to the pond. It works, and
Egg gets a bath and does not want to come out. I haven’t yet understood what
makes these books popular, but if they are getting kids to love books, who am I
to argue?
You’re All Kinds of Wonderful by Nancy
Tillman
The author
of On the Night You Were Born is back
with another beautifully illustrated book about the importance of each individual.
I cannot say enough about the pictures in this book. They are lush and creative,
the colors are exquisite and the children in the illustrations represent
multiple ethnicities, both genders and many sizes. There is even a child who
might have Down Syndrome. While the rhyme schemes are sometimes forced, the
sentiment is as beautiful as the illustrations. Share this with your favorite
child and you will both feel good when you are done!
If animals Said I Love You by Ann Whitford
Paul, Pictures by David Walker
Imaginative,
joyful, lush, loving. What else can I say about a book that tries to tell us
how animals might say, “I love you” ? Told in rhyme, this is a perfect book to
read before bed or naptime, or anytime you want to tell your toddler how much
you love her!
