Books for Babies and Toddlers

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!