The Gardener by Sarah Stewart

I mentioned The Friend, the first book I read by Sarah Stewart, on here a few months ago. It made me cry. 

Yesterday I read another of her books which did the exact same thing. In fact, my husband walked in, saw me crying and read the book for himself. Stewart's husband, David Small, offers poignant pictures in this simple story told through the letters of a girl living away from her family during the 1930's.  When she is sent to live with her uncle, a baker in the city, she is determined to make the stern man smile. She finds a secret place where she can plant the flowers she loves and with the help of new friends, makes it beautiful.

If you're looking for an uplifting, beautifully told story, I recommend The Gardener.

Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth

Wyeth's Something Beautiful really is a beautiful book. Chris K. Soentpiet's realistic pictures show a young girl's search for something beautiful in her inner city world. In  her search she learns how others are able to find beauty in spite of the hard life and harsh surroundings of the city.

This was a fantastic way to introduce the idea of beauty in simple things: a piece of fruit, a smooth stone, a smile and helping others.  I hope to reintroduce this book as my children grow and are able to grasp the idea of beauty on different levels.

Jungle Drums by Graeme Base

I've mentioned Graeme Base before as an author who does more in his books than just write a cute story and pair it with illustrations. He always goes beyond the simple story to a deeper meaning and his pictures invite you to observe more than what your eye initially sees.

Such is the case with Jungle Drums, a story about a warthog who thinks he and his fellow warthogs pale in comparison to the other jungle animals with their feathers and stripes and spots. When he receives a pair of magic drums that will grant his wishes, what happens is a  feast for the mind and eye.

Arf! Beg! Catch!: Dogs from A to Z by Henry Horenstein

This delightful ABC book has made it into our library bag several times now.  We don't own a dog, but all three of my children love them. Horenstein's playful pictures of dogs in action not only gave us new words for each letter, expanding the kids' vocabulary, but we also got to see how many different types of dogs there are out there.

Arf! Beg! Catch! opened up all sorts of conversations about the different sizes, hair types, ears, teeth and abilities found in the world of dogs.

Mo Willems' Pigeon series

Ok. So we've read a lot of Mo Willems' pigeon books.


But The Pigeon Wants a Puppy is my favorite to date. Why? Pigeon says all the right things when it comes to wanting (but not understanding what it means to have) a puppy. And then when he encounters one....it's super.

Added bonus: what he wants next.

A Birthday for Cow by Jan Thomas

A Birthday Cake for Cow cracked us all up. Though the illustrations are a bit on the quirky, cartoon side (not my fav), we loved this take of friends making a cake.  At every step Duck pipes up with his idea of what cow would like. The others look at him like he's crazy (and the way I read his voice, so did my kids) but that didn't stop Duck. He's pretty sure he knows what cow wants and so persists until the end--with hilarious results.

The Wolf Who Cried Boy by Bob Hartman

My four year old pulled this off our designated library book shelf and cried, "This one's cool!"

We hadn't read it yet, but he was right. Hartman puts a new spin on the old tale of the shepherd boy who cries wolf, making the star tale-teller a little wolf who just wants to eat boy. "Why can't we have boy?" he whines, not wanting three-pig salad for dinner again. His parents tell him if he ever sees a boy, they'll catch it for him and they'll have boy for dinner. Thus begins a series of false sightings that ends like we all know it will: one day he really does see a boy and his parents think it's just another of his lies.

The Z Was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg

My mom was a kindergarten teacher for years and she cleverly used this book as a reader's theater play, with each child holding up their assigned letter picture and reading the words on the back. Each black and white picture shows a letter in the process of some like-lettered verb. The K was kidnapped, the B was badly bitten, the N was nailed and nailed again.

I've encountered a lot of alphabet books that are bad attempts at being clever, but miss the mark with confusing images or overwhelming ideas. Van Allsburg's easy to understand pictures speak for themselves and encourage pre-reading. After one reading children will remember right away when they see the picture that the Z was zapped!

Lemons Are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

I've read a number of 'color' books. The ones where they use either 1) a storyline or 2) no storyline to teach colors to young children. Nothing seemed to help my youngest get interested in colors...until this book. 

Lemons are Not Red uses the classic 'give them the wrong info and let them choose the right info' tactic. Look at the title.

"Lemons are not red. Lemns are yellow. Apples are red."

Nothing radical, right? But the way the book is put together, children see through cut-outs at a red lemon; Then turn the page and the lemon is now yellow, with a correctly colored apple on the opposing side.

Pssst! by Adam Rex

I read Pssst! for the first time today and had to post.

Part comic book, part prose, completely funny. A young girl goes to the zoo and is enlisted by a variety of animals to get them items they desire. The penguins want paint, the sloths want bicycle helmets. Why? she asks them all. Each creature is able to answer with a seemingly logical response.

I found the choices Rex made both visually and with typesetting a treat, aiding in the out-loud reading of this book. (Think: words covered in ice for the penguins and a bright Hola! from the javelina). My almost five-year old asked for it to be read again immediately.

I Saw an Ant on the Railroad Track by Joshua Prince

Tickity Tack. That's the sound of an ant on a railroad track.

Clickity clack. That's the sound of a train on the railroad track.

What will switchman Jack do?

In this book, cleverly illustrated by Macky Pamintuan, Prince has out-rhymed himself with the ant who is looking for a snack while walking down the track oblivious that he and the train might smack into each other. 

I enjoyed this simple story full of toddler-appropriate suspense.

Mouse Went Out to Get a Snack by Lyn Rossiter McFarland

Awhile ago I was on the prowl for books that would introduce new foods to my children since actually serving new foods is a sure-fire way to breed whiners around here.

I am happy to say we have moved past that stage of toddlerhood.

(*waiting while the cheers subside)

 Mouse Went Out to Get a Snack is a fun tale following a mouse who raids a banquet table.  It not only talks about different types of food (though some are not in a food group at all, like jelly beans) but because he adds one more of each new food to his plate making it a counting book as well. 

By the time he's loaded his plate with delectable choices, children begin to see there's no way he'll be able to eat all of it or carry it back to his hole. The problem is exacerbated, too, by the background presence of a cat. In the end, mouse ends up with what he really wanted in the beginning: a snack.

The Friend by Sarah Stewart

There have only been a handful of books that have caused me to actually shed physical tears while trying to read them aloud to my children. The Friend is among them.

I wish I knew more about the story behind this story--about the daughter of a rich couple who is left with the family housekeeper for a week. Beautifully illustrated by Stewart's husband David Small, we see how the older black woman loves the precocious girl left in her care. After each day's tasks - which the girl 'helps' perform - they walk down to the shore to rest and play.

Mrs. Crump's Cat by Linda Smith

If I'm honest, it took a couple readings of this book to sell me. Not because it was poorly written or illustrated, but because I was worried it contained too many words for my young children and that they would lose interest.

They didn't.

So...I figured when they chose it for a second reading they'd most certainly ditch it when we reached the third or fourth page.

Again, they didn't. 

What an excellent example of how I underestimate my children: they loved this story and were willing to hear every important word.

Mrs. Crump does not want to keep the cat that showed up one day on her doorstep. However, over the course of the next few days she finds herself buying cream and other small 'necessary' things for the cat.  When no one responds to her posted ad, she finds herself happy to keep the cat.

The Lamb Who Came for Dinner by Steve Smallman

In The Lamb Who Came to Dinner, Wolf believes his dinner has just shown up on his doorstep in the form of a small lamb. What he wasn't prepared for was how the little lamb would soon work its way into his heart.

How could he eat a lamb that he was concerned about getting too cold out in the winter night?

This is a wonderful book showing how even the toughest heart can become softened. Illustrated by Joelle Dreidemy.

Ouch by Ragnhild Scamell

When an apple falls onto Hedgehog's prickly back and sticks, it seems as if there will be no way to remove it.

Ouch! is a delightful tale that follows Hedgehog as she asks her animal friends to help her remove the apple -- only to have more items stick to her back. Though it seems there will be no end to Hedgehog's troubles Ouch!, illustrated by Michael Terry, ends on a sweet note.

Where's Pup? by Dayle Ann Dodds

Where's Pup? That's the question that drives this simple book.

In Where's Pup? a circus performer walks through the circus grounds, asking other performers if they've seen his dog. Each one sends him on to another, introducing the reader to the many kinds of acts that make up a circus: jugglers, acrobats, lion tamers and more.

Pierre Pratt's bright illustrations give readers a behind-the-scenes window into the life of a circus.

I Went Walking by Sue Williams

This classic has been on our shelf since our oldest was a baby.

Like most books for young children, the lyrical words, "I went walking. What did you see? I saw a  [color] [animal] looking at me" allow children to learn colors and pre-reading skills as they fill what comes next. "I saw a brown cow looking at me."

Julie Vivas uses bold, bright colors to introduce us to each new animal as we take a walk with the narrator.







This book is very similar to, and therefore I recommend Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, as well.

We All Went on Safari: A Counting Journey Through Tanzania by LaurieKrebs

In We All Went on Safari, Julia Cairns illustrates Krebs' rhymed words as African children walk through Tanzania, counting the wild animals they pass.

I loved the use of African names within the poetry-names that roll off the tongue. This book is a perfect way to introduce the variety of African wildlife, counting and also a good candidate for the pre-reading skill of filling in words.

This book gives visual clues for what animal will be counted. I just leave a couple silent spaces and wait for them to fill in the right information, a different one for each child, depending on their ages and abilities.

We all went on safari / Past an old acacia tree / Nearby ________ (giraffes) were grazing / So Tumpe counted ________(three)

Tough Boris by Mem Fox

Pirates are tough, rugged and have hearts of stone, right?

In Tough Boris, a young boy gets captured by a ship of pirates captained by Tough Boris, a cruel-faced man. This tale, told in pictures by Kathryn Brown, sheds light on the humanity of even the toughest men.

As a mother of two boys I appreciate this look at how even the meanest pirates have a softer side.

Toy Boat by Randall deSeve

This story, beautifully illustrated by Loren Long,  gives life to a small boat that ventures away from his boy one day. In the wake of larger, faster boats on the lake, the toy boat feels lost and scared, but mostly alone.

While it focuses on the adventure of the toy, I loved that it showed the connection between the boy and his beloved boat. Children will connect with the boat's feelings, but also with the boy at the thought of losing a favorite toy.

* Don't worry-this one has a wonderful, happy ending.

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Trina Hakes Noble

I remember this book being read to me as a child and loved the way Noble crafted this story.

When a little girl returns home from a field trip to the farm, she tells her mother it was fine until the cow started crying. Her mother asks question after question until, finally, her daughter retells their eventful field trip in backward, cause-and-effect fashion. And don't forget that Jimmy's pet boa came along for the trip, which ends up being the cause of eggs flying, pigs on the bus and crying cows.

Steven Kellogg, who has written and illustrated dozens of books, does a great job of illustrating this riotous, 1980 classic.

Slop Goes the Soup: A Noisy Word Book by Pamela Duncan Edwards

As a former English teacher, I love finding books that emphasize a poetic device in a child-appropriate way.

In Slop Goes the Soup, it's  all about onomatopoeia.  Or, words that describe audible sounds, such as slop, crash, clang, buzz or plip. 

Illustrator Henry Cole sends readers on a cause/effect journey as a warthog prepares soup for company in a noisy, disastrous way.

Younger readers will especially like this loud, funny book as it hinges on physical humor--the first kind understood by children.

A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen

Let me introduce you to Mr. Magee, a single man who has a trusty dog, Dee. In A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee, he packed his rv and headed out to go camping. Or so he thought. Enter one bear and a runaway camper and camping doesn't go as planned.

Then, I found him in another volume, trying another trip: boating, in Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee. Enter a pod of whales and a tree-born boat (yes, tree-born) and the boat trip, too, goes off-schedule.

Then there's Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee. You get the picture.

Told with an upbeat cadence of rhyme, it's one adventure after another for Mr. Magee and his dog, Dee. The cleverly solved disasters will delight older preschoolers. But beware: I found there are enough words on each page to make very young readers impatient for you to turn the page.

Starry Safari by Linda Ashman

With bright pictures by Jeff Mack, Ashman's Starry Safari is a trip worth taking. 

A young girl whisks herself into Africa, encountering wild animals and dangers as she bumps along in her orange jeep. Nothing compares to the biggest threat of all: the safari ranger. When her dad comes in to tuck her in, pre-K readers will appreciate the imaginative leap both the author and the little girl have made together.

I like this book, too, because the main character is a brave girl - a nice find among the host of adventure stories that can be found catering to boys in children's literature.

Kathi Appelt - Bubba and Beau books

      

Bubba and Beau are best friends. That is the simple premise of Appelt's first in this series of knee-slappin' funny books. 

If you're a reader who doesn't mind taking on a southern accent (or if you naturally have one),  then this is a read-aloud book for you and your kids. My husband got a kick out of this story of a Texas baby and his new pup; and when Daddy laughs while reading, our boys grin from ear to ear.

Eileen Christelow - Five Little Monkey books

        
 

Christelow started with the familiar rhyme Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. Soon, her monkeys moved off the bed and pursued other endeavors in ensuing books: sitting in trees,  baking a birthday cake, washing a car, cleaning the house, going shopping and amazingly, finding nothing to do. Each of these stories is a fun leap from her original adaptation of the jumping monkey song.












Books in this Series:

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree

Five Little Monkeys Bake a Birthday Cake

Five Little Monkeys Have Nothing to Do

Five Little Monkeys Wash the Car

Five Little Monkeys Play Hide and Seek

Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping

Five Little Monkeys Reading in Bed

Five Little Monkeys Jump in the Bath

Five Little Monkeys Trick-or-Treat

Animals should definitely not wear clothing by Judi Barrett

This was a book I remember finding in my own school library as a child and laughing at Ron Barrett's drawings. But as an adult I appreciate Judi Barrett's creative ideas behind the illustrations. Each page offers why certain animals should not wear clothing whether it would be impractical, impossible or simply ridiculous.

Children aged 3 might enjoy the silly pictures, but children 4+ will understand the humor portrayed in them and be tickled. And frankly, adult readers will too.

Wolf's Coming! by Joe Kulka

A sense of urgency dominates the pages of this colorful book as the animals rush to apparent safety.

Why? Wolf's coming!

My guys liked reading this over and over, even after the initial suspense was resolved. Kulka gives older readers clues to the final resolution in the pictures on each page. 

This is an excellent way to introduce the idea of suspense/mystery and clues to younger readers/listeners.

Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long

I found Pirates Don't Change Diapers first and loved the title. But it is actually a sequel to How I Became A Pirate.

Both books are hilariously illustrated by David Shannon who took Long's vision for how a little boy, Jeremy Jacob, becomes involved with Braid Beard and his ship of pirates. I knew this book would hit a dream-spot with my two boys and I was right.

Jeremy Jacob must watch his baby sister--a damper for all things pirate-like. However, when Braid Beard shows up at his door, even a baby sister can't stop the fun. In fact, she ends up offering the pirates an adventure they had NEVER experienced before.

Karma Wilson - Bear series

Bear Feels Sick was the first in the series of Bear books I found by Karma Wilson and wonderfully illustrated by Jane Chapman.

In each book, Bear's friends--hare, wren, raven, badger, mole, mouse, gopher-- care for Bear in some way. The consistency of cast members in this series of books is a visual and storytelling treat about the variety and constancy of friendship.









Books in the series:

Bear Snores On

Bear Wants More

Bear Stays up For Christmas

Bear's New Friend

Bear Feels Sick

Bear Feels Scared

Bear's Loose Tooth

Bear Says Thanks

The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort

   "The vipers on the bus says sssss, sssss, sssss"

This cleverly constructed story puts a new twist on an old classic. Seals aren't the only animals to take over this bus; Rabbits, skunks, monkeys and a tiger all make appearances that in the end frighten off the human passengers.

Older children who are familiar with the original lyrics will find the intended similarities in rhyme scheme funny, as will adult readers.

Porcupining: A Prickly Love Story by Lisa Wheeler

I laughed and laughed and laughed over this book.

Cushion is a porcupine who lives in a petting zoo. Yes, a petting zoo. He's understandably lonely and decides he wants a wife to keep him company, so goes off in search of his one true love singing his refrain:

I’ve been so lonesome all of my life.
No one will get near.
I’m porcupining for a wife,
Someone to hold me dear.

Wheeler crafts the story with cleverly-written rejections and gives him a final true love that is perfect.


Janie Bynum, illustrator, offers Cushion and the other zoo animals visual character with wonderful expressions of loneliness, horror, and joy.

Pip & Squeak by Ian Schoenherr

Pip & Squeak follows two mice as they travel over the snow to a friend's house, looking along the way for the right gift to take.

Told in simple prose, this tale is wonderful for very young children. Beautifully illustrated, it captures the world from a mouse's view as they rush across a clothesline and tumble down a snowman.

Pip & Squeak easily wiggled their way into my middle child's heart and he loved to reread their adventure through the snow again and again.