Kate DiCamillo - Mercy Watson series

I'll admit it. I love reading books aloud that require using different voices for the characters. Granted, I could do this with any book, but some give me excellent raw material.

Enter in Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson series. Who would have thought a simply-written series of books about a toast-loving pig would have both me and my kids giggling with delight?

Chris Van Dusen's bold, bright renderings of Mercy and the people who love (and hate) her make this series something between a comic and a chapter book.

Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins

I have written about Steve Jenkins before.

I love his work. Why? This book made my kids scream. Every page offered one new thing you should 'never do' (like smile at a monkey) and why you should not.

Every suggestion is a true and backed by amazing animal facts. My kids asked after every page if each of the animals lived in Indiana (Hey look! Built-in geography lessons!) so they wouldn't accidentally touch, poke, or smile at the animals in the book.