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We've really enjoyed the lessons learned from reading Aesop's Fables, and I've finally settled on a version for our bookshelves: Jerry Pinkney's illustrations really capture our imagination and the stories get the kiddos thinking. It is already a favorite, and the flexibility of choosing one fable for a quick read or reading to our hearts' content is nice.
*One down side to repeated readings of The Boy Who Cried Wolf: My son now thinks that "crying wolf" is hilarious. At least he is well aware of what is going to happen if he keeps it up!
I was unaware that they had made one of my kiddos' favorite books into a movie until this week. And while I am sure that the movie is a lot of fun, I am just not sure I am ready to let go of all of the magic that comes from only having read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. The tall-tale bedtime story is so full of creativity and imagination that my kids can't help but use it as a starting point for their own spin-offs, silly scenarios, and giggles. It is one of those books that you never just read through, but find yourself frequently stopping to soak up the writing and illustrations as you discuss and act out your reactions to what you see on each page. I'm attached to the mood we get into when we find ourselves in the town of Chewandswallow, and for now I'm going to keep that the way it is.
If you like creative and crazy food stories, The Giant Jam Sandwich is another book we enjoy.
Ridiculous title, I know. It is just turning out to be one of those rainy days...
My kids are past the basic ABC-book stage, so these are some of the books we've been reading to keep us familiar with our letters and sounds while also keeping us entertained (I think they all work for the "1,2,3's" too):
When we picked up A Hole in the Road at the library I had no idea how thrilled my son would be with what I thought was a too-young-for-him find. The book is about precisely what the title states: a hole in the road and what is done to fix it. It is a simple book that walks you through each step in road repair and will leave any construction lover in 7th heaven.
A disclaimer: Pop-up books are a double-edged sword with kids - they are fascinating and exciting and such a pleasure to share with them, but they are also just asking for trouble. That being said, some pop-ups are worth the risk and the limiting of reading to supervised moments and a reserved spot on a high shelf. Journey To The Moon is one of these. It is a magical adventure of imagination that is filled with 3-D creations that swing and move and get anyone excited about taking an adventure through their mind, as you can see below:
My son gets just as excited reading the book now as he did on Christmas morning when he received it!
The Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes is a lovely Easter tale of a triumphant Mother Bunny whose role as a kind and wise parent helps her achieve her greatest dream. While we know all about Santa Claus, the elves, and the north pole, we don't "know" much about the Easter Bunny, and my kids love this "behind-the-scenes" look at what goes on in preparation for the Easter season.
Children love first word books, and it only makes sense that they would be more inclined to understand and appreciate one that is personalized with their things or the people in their life.
Check out how this creative Mom put together a personalized first word book for her child here.
My daughter turns three this week, which is wonderful, but she is impossible to shop for. She is really just content with her blankets and stuffed animals and the occasional "pretty," and would be satisfied as long as her birthday included balloons, the birthday song, and a pink cake.
She does adore books, especially if they are small, so if no other ideas come to mind she will just be getting the perfectly tiny and wonderfully illustrated Nutshell Library by Maurice Sendak. Looking through each book brought back wonderful memories of reading this playful set when I was little, and I am excited to see my little girl enjoy it.
Brightly colored illustrations and a story my children can relate to and reenact have made the Caldecott Medal winner The Snowy Day one of our favorite winter stories.
My daughter is mildly obsessed with the little boy's snowball melting when he brings it inside...
Quiet books are wonderful for little ones. I've always wanted to make my own to make it truly special, but I've never felt brave enough to take on the task. This complete kit comes with everything needed to put one together, including detailed instructions and patterns, so even those of us who aren't as adventurous as we may like can be responsible for the creation of a much-loved book.
The rest of my Christmas Book List:
(Part I is here, and the reason behind the list is here)
Snow - A delightful rhyming tale that had my kids laughing and planning to hide snow in the freezer!
Bright Christmas, An Angel Remembers - This is so beautiful.
Auntie Claus - Auntie disappears each year after Halloween and doesn't return until Valentine's Day. Sophie is determined to find out where she goes... A nice (but longer) story with a nice lesson.
The Elf on the Shelf - I picked this up late this season and the kids are obsessed with it. Behaving for one of Santa's elves is important to them, but finding the elf's latest hiding spot each morning is the highlight of this fun new tradition.
The Little Drummer Boy - Beautiful illustrations in a board book format.
The Christmas Story, Carol Hayer- A very detailed version for a children's book. I like it. It tells more of what happened after Christ was born.
Snowmen at Night - A fun tale of that explains why Snowmen sometimes look a little worse for the wear the morning after they are built.
Madeline's Christmas - Classic Madeline.
Merry Christmas Little Critter - Mercer Mayer and Little Critter are always favorites. I had Merry Christmas Mom and Dad as a kid and it is now on my wish list for next year.
The Little Donkey - My daughter loves tiny books.
The Tale of Three Trees - A lovely, symbolic story. It might be more of an Easter Story for some, but I think it is perfect at Christmas as a reminder that there is more to this holiday than presents and mistletoe.
The Polar Express - A wonderfully illustrated classic that is beautiful enough to inspire people of all ages to "believe."
Santa, Reindeer, Snowman - I am not able to find a link, but they are cute, short, glittery board books that the kids like.
10 Christmas Lights - A quick read with little red lights that actually light up.
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree - My kids like the search for the Christmas tree and I like that there is a lot for all of us to learn from this touching tale.
We have been enjoying our Month of Christmas Books, and I am glad so many people are excited about it and are making this their own tradition. Whether you have 3 Christmas books or 300, it really is a fun addition to the holidays.
Below is part one of my Christmas Book list. The rest of our books are still wrapped, but I should be able to share the complete list by the end of next week. Some books are meaningful and share important morals, others are just plain fun. There are old and new favorites, handpicked treasures, hand-me down titles, and some were given to us as gifts. We definitely enjoy some of these books more than others, but they all make for fun holiday reads. My children are barely 5 and almost 3, and while some books are a bit too young for them, and some are a bit too old, they are still easy to read and enjoy with kids, even if the adults are paying more attention than the kids by the end of the book! Some books might be best split into two reading sessions.
I have linked all titles through Amazon to keep things simple, and linked to the version of the books that I have. You may like other versions better. I am adding my quick opinion/description to the list, but that is all it is. You can follow the links and read descriptions and reviews to learn more. If you want to purchase a book and it shows it is unavailable, try searching for the title again (Or look elsewhere). I have found that sometimes books appear as unavailable in one search and available to purchase in another - go figure!
I am starting to get picky about what I will pack with me to entertain my kids, whether this be for a quick errand or a long drive or airplane flight. I am tired of carrying around a ridiculously large diaper or carry-on bags only to have the munchkins be interested in just one or two things. Thank-goodness for enjoyable activities that can slip into any bag without weighing it down!
Usborne Sticker Books are a new to us activity and they are very worth having around. My son enjoyed just staring at the pages and all of his options in the Trucks book before he even started to apply the stickers. He really enjoyed the creative process of choosing which trucks were driving where and even though the book kept him entertained even longer than I needed him to be entertained there is still plenty of stickers to be placed another day.
I've found a fun holiday tradition I want to start with the kids: The Elf on the Shelf tells the tale of Santa's Elves who keep an eye on kids during the day and report back to Santa at night, keeping Santa in the know when it comes to tracking who's naughty or nice. The set comes with a book and an elf that you move around the house each day, inspiring (or frightening!) your kids to keep up the extra good behavior during the holidays.
We have gotten hours upon hours of enjoyment out of "I Spy"-type books. We were first introduced to them with Walter Wick's beautiful photographs in Can You See What I See? Once Upon A Time. The pages are completely captivating even without searching for all the hidden items throughout the page, and once you start looking you will be hooked! This series is great for smaller kids and we could probably spend an entire afternoon with just one book - they are must-haves for long trips.
Remembering how much I liked the Where's Waldo? series brought us to the reissued Where's Waldo? and I was pleased to find Martin Handford's illustrations as humorous and entertaining as I did when I was younger. My kids giggle quite a bit when flipping through the pages, and quickly spot Waldo. The fun doesn't end too quickly though because each time we go through the book we add one more thing to find to the list. There are quite a few items and people that can be found on every page, and lists of odds and ends specific to certain scenes are in the back of the book.
When Can You See What I See? Night Before Christmas showed up on our doorstep this week my son actually stood up in his chair and clapped excitedly! We had just packed away our Halloween Book, and can't wait to spend the holidays exploring this one.
