I received a promotional packet from Ripley’s Entertainment Inc which included book covers, the first book in the RBI series, and information about the books in the series. I was quite impressed by it. The packet informed me: “We have heard from many librarians and educators that Ripley’s should publish a series for younger children especially aimed to boys and reluctant readers. From this suggestion we are happy to present the RBI series.”

I really like the idea behind this series. Books for children and young adults that tells a story while at the same time incorporating some non-fiction into the mix as a group of teens from the RBI work to solve a mystery. Peppered throughout the pages are facts about aspects of the story in sidebar and plenty of illustrations to help kids imagine the action. I think this series is well-designed and thought out. It interests kids who like non-fiction and fiction, it appeals to young kids with the illustrations and older kids with the modern feel of technology and gadgets the teens in the RBI use which are pictured throughout the book. There are trading cards included in the book not just for characters, but for some of the facts (or fiction) found in the story. The characters are multicultural and a good mix of character types. And while the focus may have been boys and reluctant readers, I think this series will appeal to any kid in its age demographic.

The covers are slick and colorful — certainly eye-catching. The books aren’t too long so as to turn off reluctant readers by its size. And they’re affordable at $5.00 each. And I believe that books are some of the best gifts you can give. Especially when they’re interactive and fun like these.

When I was a kid, I loved The Baby-Sitters Club. The first weekend of very month, my parents would give me a few dollars (man, back in the day when you could get a book for a few dollars — I feel so old) and I’d run out and buy the latest book in the series. I adored the idea of a club for baby-sitters that was run like a business with positions like secretary and treasurer. I loved the idea that they met once a week and took calls from parents who wanted to pay them to watch their kids. Maybe it was because I’ve never babysat for kids myself, and I thought the idea was so glamorous.

As were the characters. Tomboy Kristy, artsy Claudia, wallflower Mary Anne (who totally took a step up the cool ladder when she got her boyfriend, Logan), sophisticated Stacey, hippie Dawn, bookworm Mallory, dancer Jessie. There were so many of them! And so many kids to babysit too.

Anyway… I loved the books. I read them from elementary through junior high. And then I stopped because I outgrew the characters. The series itself ended in 2000. But then I discovered a little while ago that Martin wrote a prequel this year to the series called The Summer Before, all about the summer before Kristy’s Big Idea (book one in the series). And I had to read it. It just reminded me so much of my youth that I couldn’t pass it up.

So I got it from the library and reading it again brought back so many memories of the series and when I was a little girl. The story itself wasn’t anything special. Sort of an introduction to the 4 original members of the club. Thinking on it now, I wonder if this book is Martin’s attempt to capture those girls who so loved The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (the BSC of the current generation). Perhaps they’re hoping to renew interest to the series and bring new stories out soon.

I have to say that I like that idea. I think the BSC is good for young girls today. Certainly tamer than Gossip Girl and the other “Mean Girl” type series that are out there now. You’re not going to find Kristy worrying about teen pregnancy the way you might expect Serena Van Der Woodsen to have a new bedfellow every week. And, as a mom, I think I’d prefer my pre-teen to be reading the BSC.

Anyway, I wouldn’t say this book was great reading, but it was great for a trip down memory lane to those of us who grew up on the BSC series. Finally… a plug for a blog called BSC Headquarters (www.claudiasroom.blogspot.com — genius domain!) I discovered a while back that is all about the BSC — the author, Tiff, is rereading the BSC books as an adult and offering her thoughts on the series now that she’s older. I find it to be a lot of fun.

Wow, I’ve been reading a lot of children’s books with my 17 month old, and I’m behind on posting reviews for them. So, in time for Christmas, I thought I’d post reviews of some of my favorite books to read with my son at the moment, including some of the books I’ve bought him for Christmas.

I think my favorite book to read with him right now is Bear’s New Friend, by Karma Wilson. I love it so much, I bought him all of the Bear books for Christmas this year: Bear Snores On, Bear Feels Scared, Bear Feels Sick, Bear Stays Up For Christmas, and Bear Wants More. What I love about these books, apart from their excellent illustrations by Jane Chapman, is that the stories rhyme and I can read (or sing) the stories to my son over and over again and I don’t get tired of them. The stories are fun, with recurring characters so it feels like they’re little literary friends that your little one will enjoy spending time with. I love Bear’s New Friend so much, that I’m considering having a Bear themed party for my son’s second birthday, and turning the story into a puppet show to perform for the kids. You really can’t go wrong picking up these books for your children. They come in board books for the very small, and hardcover with big pages for the older kids.

Not that I need to tout illustrator and author Eric Carle’s books, but I do love them. Our collection includes Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What do you See? and From Head to Toe. These are regular reads around here that promote learning of colors, sounds, various animals, body parts and movements. The repetition makes singing the words easy and these books, especially From Head to Toe, are interactive — my son loves to thump his chest like a gorilla and clap his hands like a seal. In fact, I can start singing the first words of any of these books, and my son will go hunting for it among the stacks of them on the ground and hand me the correct one for us to sit and read together. We also have Eric Carle’s The Mixed Up Chameleon, which we got in a set, but I have to say that I don’t actually care for it very much. Ordinarily, you just can’t go wrong with an Eric Carle book, but I’d give that one a pass for young kids. Too many words that don’t rhyme equals a short attention span for my son. Perhaps he’ll enjoy it more when he’s older.

Sterling Publishing has sets of “Look & See” books that are (or were) available at my Costco, with titles including: The Curious Cat, Amazing Animals!, The Green Caterpillar, What Do I Eat?, Wheels on the Go, and A Circus of Colors, by La Coccinella. The books came in pairs for reasonable prices, so I bought them up. My son likes these books because they have holes in each page that overlap each other and get bigger with each turn. He loves to put his fingers into the holes and turn the pages to get to the next one. The stories themselves vary in quality, and  if you want to buy some for the storylines, I’d recommend The Curious Cat and Amazing Animals! the most, as they’re a lot of fun and will give you plenty of chances to use different voices for characters. I also like The Green Caterpillar which is similar to Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I like that it helps children learn colors and to recognize basic fruits and vegetables, but my husband refuses to read it to our son because the insect characters in it are mean and bully the Green Caterpillar. So, a little warning to those of you who might be sensitive to that.

Another of my very favorite books to read with my son is Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak’s I Love You Through and Through, illustrated by Caroline Jane Church. I adore this book so much, and I think part of the reason for that is because the main character resembles my son a little bit with his ginger-colored hair and his huge, toothy grins and little belly hanging over his pants. Visually, this book is adorable, and the story is fantastic as well. It shows the child that you love him no matter what mood he’s in, what he looks like, or what he does. There’s another book with a little blond girl as the main character called, How Do I Love You? which I don’t have, but have seen and think is also very cute.

For Easter, a friend of our family gave my son Watch Me Hop! by Rebecca Young, and illustrated by Von Glitschka, with design by Pamela Notarantonio, which is available through Scholastic. The photos in this book are printed with lenticular technology on a special type of paper which causes the animals to look like they’re actually moving when you move the picture around a bit. The story rhymes nicely and it teaches children to recognize animals.

For my son’s birthday, his grandparents gave him Ten Barnyard Babies, available through Priddy Books. It’s a sound book that teaches numbers and animals. Each page has a button to push that makes the sound of the animal on it. My son loves to hear the animals and he loves to put his fingers through the holes on the page. The only way this book would be more suitable for young children is if it were a board book. The pages bend easily, and my son has creased and bent quite a few of the pages when he gets his hands on them and I’m not fast enough to notice. Priddy Books also makes lots of little chunky board books and touch and feel books for babies about colors and animals and shapes and letters (oh my!).

Top That! Publishing has sets of books with magnets in them (First Words, Colors, Shapes) that would be suitable for older children or young ones with supervision. My little guy enjoys playing with the magnets on our fridge and dishwasher, and my husband and I really love the First Words book for its magnets, because we use the letters to play an ongoing game of Scrabble on our fridge.

These are just a few of the books in the ever-growing collection of fun reads for my son.

One of the things my husband and I are most looking forward to doing with our son is sitting him in our laps and reading him stories. At the moment, he’s too young to understand them, so we’ve had to find books that would appeal to his senses. Therefore, any books that make sounds or have things for him to grab at have been the first books we’ve introduced to him. Here are a few of my favorites:

Cow and Horse Peek-A-Boo Pals from Softplayforkids.com.

Cow and Horse are friends that are looking for each other on the farm. These cloth books have lift-the-flaps that my son loves to grab at. They’re not machine washable though, which is unfortunate because my son also loves to kiss cow and horse and drool all over them. They’re meant for 6+ months, but I started showing them to my son around 3 months. He doesn’t really understand them, but he is intrigued by the crinkly sound of the flaps.

Finger Puppet Books

I have 8 of these cute-as-can-be finger puppet board books from Chronicle Books. They’re small (palm-sized) and each book has a finger puppet built into it. The stories rhyme and are short — perfect for a baby’s attention span.

Good Night, Sleep Tight — Scholastic books

This is the very first book I bought my son. I had these sweet dreams of reading it to him every night before bed, and he would help cover up the little animals going to bed in the story with the little blanket that comes with the book and say, “Good night! Sleep tight!” Yeah right… maybe in a year or so!  It’s still a great story, and the blanket that comes with it is such a great idea, I can’t wait until he does start to understand what it’s for.

Wow, it’s been a long time since I reviewed any children’s books. Luckily for me, I have a little baby boy that likes looking at books, so I’ve had opportunity to read them again. Also lucky is that my husband loves reading and fully supports book-buying for our son. Perhaps not so lucky for the bank account, though ;)

Board Books for Babies

Rainbow Fun — Amazing Baby books

Great book for introducing baby to the colors of the rainbow. I sing the words to my son and point out the colors and pictures.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? – Bill Martin, Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle

Another concept book that can be sung to your baby. Introduces colors and animals. Great illustrations from the great Eric Carle.

Five Little Monkeys — Eileen Christelow

Five little monkeys jump on the bed and one by one they each fall and hurt their heads. Teaches numbers 1 – 5 and has good repetition.

Peek-a WHO? – Nina Laden

Teach your child words that end in -oo. Fun book with cut outs that the child looks through to see what’s coming up next.

Cars and Trucks From A to Z — Richard Scarry

A concept book with real and made up automobiles that help teach the alphabet. Fun illustrations.

Preschool and Picture Books for Young Children

You Can Do It, Sam — Amy Hest, illustrated by Anita Jeram

It’s winter time and Sam and his mother bake some warm cakes to take to all their friends. When it comes time to deliver the cakes, Sam’s mother tells him he can do it all by himself. A nice story about mother-son relationships. Could be a nice Christmas gift with the winter and gift-giving themes.

Little Quack’s New Friend — Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Derek Anderson

Little Quack and his siblings meet Little Ribbit, a frog looking for new friends. Because he’s different, everyone but Little Quack say he can’t play with them. But when they see how much fun Little Ribbit and Little Quack are having, they all want to make friends with him. Teaches about friendship and accepting differences.

Froggy’s Day with Dad — Jonathan London, illustrated by Frank Remiewicz

I love the Froggy books! Froggy spends Father’s Day with his dad at the amusement park. Great book for a child to give to dad for father’s day.

Dazzling Diggers — Tony Mitton and Ant Parker

Fun story teaching all about the various things that diggers and other construction trucks do. Great for little boys who are into trucks!

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake — Laura Numeroff

Part of the fun series that explores all the silly possibilities that might happen if you give a treat to an animal. Other books in the series include If You Give a Moose a Muffin, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

Melvin Might? –  by Jon Sciezka, with David Shannon, Loren Long and David Gordon, illustrated by Juan Pablo Navas

Part of the Truck Town series, this story is about Melvin, a truck that worries all the time. He worries that bad things will happen or he can’t do something. But he learns that when something is really important, you just might be able to do more than you expect.

Something Good — Robert Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko

Tayya goes grocery shopping with her father, brother and sister.  Her dad wants to buy nothing good, like bread and milk. So when Tayya keeps trying to fill the cart with something good, like ice cream or chocolate bars, her dad tells her to stay still and not move until they’re ready to leave. So Tayya stands perfectly still and is mistaken for a doll and put for sale, and dad ends up having to buy something good after all. Such a fun story! All the Munsch books are fun.

Time.com released its list of the 50 best websites of 2008, which is how I came across this great site called LookyBook which allows you to view children’s picture books from cover to cover online. I used to read a lot of picture books and review them on this site when I worked at a public library, but since I left there for my current job, I haven’t looked at too many other than a few flips through whatever’s on the book table at Costco from time to time, which is a shame because I love picture books (the stories, the colors, the illustrations) and find they can easily make me go from grumpy to happy in just a few minutes.

Now that I’m just a few weeks away from the birth of my own first baby, I’ve been thinking more about picture books, so I was happy to find this site today. I found a few books I remembered reading and loving when I came across them at the library, and it was nice to see them again online. It’s certainly a good reference source for those people trying to remember what a picture book was about. It’s also a great way to preview a book before you buy it from Chapters or Amazon, etc. Librarians, teachers, and people who work with children could spend hours going through these books looking for the next story time read.

Personally, I’m not sure how authors and illustrators might feel about having their entire works on display on the site (I wonder about legal issues, etc.), but I assume that books don’t appear on the site without permission from the appropriate people. I suspect it could be a reason for why the site currently only has 300 books online (though they are “growing daily”). However, don’t let that number stop you from browsing — there are a lot of excellent books in that number.

This story is a favorite among storytellers in my library system, and the kids just LOVE it.

It’s the story of a monster named Frank who loves to dance, even if his body isn’t quite up for the task. One of the people I work with at the library came across this short film of the story created by Vanguard films, and it’s just as fun as the story itself. This is a great story to read to kids at Halloween, or just because.

Click on the image of the book to take you to the video. Be patient while the video is loading, and make sure your volume is turned up.

All for Pie, Pie For All – David Martin, illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev

Grandma Cat makes a pie for her family, and after everyone has eaten, there’s one slice left over. Later that night, a family of mice come to the kitchen and decide to eat the slice of pie together. When they’re finished, there’s still some crumbs left, so a family of ants comes along and eats those up. Later when the cats, mice and ants come looking for more pie, they all decide to make more together. A nice story about sharing and making friends.

Bear’s New Friend – Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman

I love this series of Bear books, and I adore the illustrations. In this story, Bear hears a noise in the forest and wonders where it came from and who made it. When he figures out that the noise wasn’t made by any of his friends, he gets a little scared and demands to know who it is making the noise. It turns out the noise came from a shy little owl that could use some friends. Cute!

Will and Squill – Emma Chichester Clark

Will is a little boy and Squill is the little squirrel that he has been friends with since they were both very little. But Will’s mom doesn’t want Will to play with that dirty little squirrel and Squill’s mom doesn’t approve of that dirty little boy Will. One day, Will’s mom brings home a kitten for Will, and Squill becomes jealous of Will’s new friend. But Will soon learns that the kitten is cute, but it sure likes to sleep a lot, and that can get boring. He misses his friend Squill, but will Squill take him back as a friend? I can not even begin to say how much I love LOVE loved this book. The illustrations and the story are so adorable, it makes me smile just remembering it.

Easy Street – Rita Gray, illustrated by Mary Bono

A nice rhyming story that illustrates what a strip of land goes through to becomes a road. Little boys that love trucks will like this story. I liked it, too.

A Was Once An Apple Pie – Suse Macdonald

An alphabet concept book that shows what each letter of the alphabet could be — from animals, foods and other things. Nice illustrations.

I’ve had an interesting reading experience lately. A number of the books I’ve been sent to read and review on this blog have been… not as good as I would have liked, especially considering the fact that I don’t read as quickly as I’d like to, so I hope that every book I read is worth the time and turns out to be enjoyable. And don’t get me wrong, I have no qualms about abandoning a book if I’m not enjoying it, but it’s different when it’s been sent to me on good faith that it will be reviewed on this blog. So, as this book was sent to me to read and review, I couldn’t very well accept it and then not review it, could I? (more…)

Totally Wonderful Miss Plumberry – Michael Rosen, Illustrated by Chinlun Lee

Molly’s grandma has sent her a crystal from the rock garden at the back of her house, and Molly thinks it’s amazing. She takes it with her to school, where her friends show interest in it for about a second before their classmate Russell goes running by with his new dinosaur toy, and then Molly’s sad because no one cares about her crystal anymore.
Then her teacher, Miss Plumberry, notices sad Molly standing all by herself and asks her about the crystal. When Miss Plumberry discovers Molly’s sad because no one cares about her crystal, she calls the class together for Molly’s very own show and tell. A story about a wonderful teacher.

Bad Boys Get Cookie! – Margie Palatini, illustrated by Henry Cole

Two bad wolves, Willy (Willis) and Wally (Wallace) have turned into private detectives for local firm Dewey-Ketchum and Howe, and their first assignment is to find the baker’s cookie, who ran away! Problem is, these two bad boys have serious sweet tooths, and they may not be able to return the cookie to their client. Cute, cute, cute.

Little Library Mouse — Stephanie Lista Tara, illustrated by Alex Walton

The little library mouse gathers his furry friends together when the library has closed and they’re locked in with nothing to do but read books and imagine the outside world. Lovely :)

How to Be — Lisa Brown

A story about a little boy and girl who figure out how to be different animals, from a bear, monkey, turtle, snale, spider, dog and human.

Castaway Cats — Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Ponder Goembel

Fifteen cats are blown off their ship during a tempest and end up on an island where they have to learn to work together in order to survive.

Fletcher and the Falling Leaves– Julia Rawlinson, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke

An adorable story about a fox named Fletcher who thinks his favorite tree is sick because its leaves keep falling off, only to learn that it’s just the changing of seasons. I really loved this book.

Pig Tale – Helen Oxenbury

A pig couple, Bertha and Briggs, dream of life beyond the pig sty. When they discover a treasure, they use it to live the high class life, only it turns out it’s not as great as they thought.

Time for the Fair — Mary Train, illustrated by Karel Hayes

Grace has fun at the fair and can’t wait for it to come back. She starts to ask her mom if it’s time for the fair yet, and her mom tells her she has to wait. Grace ends up waiting through a whole cycle of seasons before the fair returns.

Animal Strike at the Zoo, It’s True! – Karma Wilson, illustrated by Margaret Spengler

The animals at the zoo decide to go on strike because they think they aren’t pampered enough by the staff. They won’t perform for the public anymore and hide away from them until one day, a little girl comes to the zoo hoping to see the animals, and starts crying because the animals won’t act like animals.

Way Far Away on a Wild Safari – Jan Peck, illustrated by Valeria Petrone

A little boy encounters all sorts of animals on his wild safari. Nice illustrations.

The Couch Was a Castle – Ruth Ohi

Some hamsters play on the couch which turns into many different things for them. This would be a good story to read to kids on a rainy day.

Do Lions Live On Lily Pads? — Melanie Walsh

A story for very young children that will help them learn about the different animals and where they live.

Railroad John and the Red Rock Run — Tony Crunk, illustrated by Michale Austin

Lonesome Bob’s not so lonesome anymore — he’s marrying Wildcat Annie in Red Rock at 2:00 and they’re taking the train to get there. Railroad John tells them not to worry; in the 40 years he’s been driving the train, he’s never once been late. But this is no ordinary day — train robbers and natural obstacles are in store. For older readers — lots of words in this book. The illustrations are really nice — sort of like the frames of an old sepia-toned western.

Flotsam — David Wiesner

A boy comes across an old-fashioned camera on the beach and takes the film to get developed. The pictures show of a life under the sea and a cycle of picture-takers. This is a fantastic story because it tells it with absolutely no words — just pictures. Great illustrations.

Just Teenie — Susan Meddaugh

Justine is very small for her age, so everyone calls her Just Teenie instead. Justine wishes she could be bigger, and one day her wish is granted by a woman named Madame Flora, who gives Justine something to help her grow… only the growing doesn’t stop!

Silly Billy – Anthony Browne

A story about a little boy who worries so much that he’s given a worry doll to tell all his worries to at night so he won’t have to worry about them anymore. The book tells about the real practice in Guatemala of giving dolls to ease a person’s worries. A very cool idea — read it with a kid, then give the kid his or her own worry doll.

Augustus and His Smile – Catherine Rayner

Augustus the tiger sets out to look for his smile through the beauty of the world. Very nice watercolor illustrations.

Book Fair Day – Lynn Plourde, Illustrated by Thor Wickstrom

IT’S BOOK FAIR DAY AT SCHOOL — enough said! Little Dewey loves to read and he absolutely loves book fair day, but this year his class is chosen to go the book fair LAST (as his teacher says, “somebody has to go last, and this year it’s us”). Poor Dewey worries that all the books will be gone by the time his class gets there, so he tries to find ways to get there earlier, but his teacher keeps catching him. I loved this book, and I particularly liked what he used to save up his money — a bookworm piggy bank. Too cute. Also brought back memories of how much I loved book fair days when I was in school.

Mama, I’ll Give You the World – Roni Schotter & S. Saelig Gallagher

Luisa thinks her mom works too hard at the World of Beauty Salon, and that she’s too tired to dance anymore, something Luisa knows her mom used to love to do. So Luisa comes up with a plan to help her mom dance, at least for one night.

Lost and Found — Oliver Jeffers

A little boy finds a penguin that seems to be lost. Together, they set out around town to find out where he belongs, but no one seems to have lost a penguin. Then the little boy figures out that penguins come from the south pole! They find a boat and set out rowing to return penguin to his home. As they row through the big waves, and the storms and the days and nights, the little boy tells penguin lots of stories to pass the time. When they reach the south pole, the boy helps penguin out of the boat and says good-bye. As he’s rowing back home, he can’t help but notice that that penguin looked even more sad when he got home than when he was lost, and he realises that the penguin wasn’t actually lost… he was lonely! This was a nice story about friendship, and the watercolor illustrations are beautiful.

Bumble Bugs and Elephants — Margaret Wise Brown, and illustrated by Clement Hurd

A story that shows the difference between BIG things and little things. This would be a good story to read aloud with a preschooler, while asking them to point out the big things and the little things.

Estelle Takes A Bath — Jill Esbaum, illustrated by Mary Newell Depalma

I loved this adorable story about Estelle and the little mouse that found his way into her house while she was taking a bath. As Estelle is relaxing in the bathtub, she opens her eyes to find a little mouse perched in the bathtub edge. Estelle shrieks and jumps out of the bath and chases the mouse around the house to catch it. Then, when the mouse accidentally falls into the tub and starts drowning, Estelle discovers a soft spot in her heart for the poor little thing and rescues it. The illustrations in this book are fantastic (a naked Estelle’s parts are cleverly hidden throughout) and the story rhymes nicely as you read it. Really fun.

Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild! — Mem Fox, illustrated by Marla Frazee

A little girl named Harriet manages to find herself in all kinds of messes, even though she never means to. Her mom knows that Harriet doesn’t mean to get into trouble, so she never yells at her, just tells her to be more careful. But one day, Harriet gets into even more messes than usual, and her mom loses her temper and starts yelling. When Harriet starts to cry and tells her mom she’s sorry, her mom says she’s sorry too and sometimes things happen, just like that. A nice story about how sometimes moms get frustrated at their little ones and just because they yell or get mad, that doesn’t mean they don’t still love them. Nice illustrations, too.

Snow — Joan Clark, illustrated by Jady MacDonald Denton

Winter has arrived in Sammy’s town and it starts to snow. And snow. And snow some more. It seems like it will never stop snowing! Sammy watches as the plows come out and push paths in the white snow, and he begins to wonder, what’s underneath all that snow? A cute story with very distinct illustrations showing all the things Sammy imagines is under the thick snow.

How Do You Count a Dozen Ducklings? — In Seon Chae, illustrated by Seung Ha Rew

A Mama ducks lays a dozen eggs and out pop a dozen ducklings for her to watch over. Mama duck thinks counting a dozen ducklings is really hard, so she experiments with different ways to count them. One day she pairs them up so she only has to count 6 times, but that’s still too much counting. The next day she puts them in threesomes so she only has to count four times, but that’s still too much. The day after that, she puts them in groups of four and only has to count 3 times. A great book about adding and multiplying. I found that this book holds something extra charming about it, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. It could be the illustrations, which are unique and very cute, or it could be the way the story is told, which rhymes and is quite fun. But I suspect it’s just the whole package. Really cute counting story.

Shiver Me Letters! A Pirate ABC – June Sobel, illustrated by Henry Cole

“R! I got me an R, now get me the rest!” I love this ABC concept book featuring a crew of pirates bent on capturing every letter of the alphabet. Great illustrations, and it works in a lot of pirate lingo, which is always fun.

Jousting with Jesters: An ABC For the Younger Dragon — Martin Springett

Another ABC concept book featuring medieval times. Some of the letters are worked in a little haphazardly, but there’s only so much medieval lingo one could use. Nice illustrations.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

The Night Before Christmas — Clement Clark Moore, pop-up illustrations by Robert Sabuda

We all know the story of the night before Christmas, so it’s not like I need to recommend this classic to anyone, but this version of the story is amazing because of its pop-up illustrations. They are not your average pop-ups; these are intricate and beautifully crafted. Each pop-up is hand-assembled, and it couldn’t have been easy. If you have the chance to check out this book, you should. I would not recommend it for the little ones though… they can’t resist grabbing for the pop-ups and you definitely don’t want these to be torn or mangled. Save this edition for the kids who are a little older.

Are You Grumpy, Santa? — Gregg and Evan Spiridellis

Ever have one of those days when you stub your toe first thing in the morning, run out of hot water in the shower, have to wear something itchy because the laundry’s not done, and then people are just annoying you? Well, Santa’s having one of those days. Unfortunately, it had to be on Christmas day! Santa’s grumpy as he gets ready to bring presents to the children of the world and then he runs into all kinds of problems around the world as he’s delivering them. He’s about ready to just lose it altogether, but then he gets to one house where he finds a plate of cookies and a thank you letter from a thoughtful child. And just like that, Santa’s grumpy mood disappears! An extremely fun story that rhymes nicely.

Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight? – -Jerry Pallotta, David Biedrzycki

Just how did reindeer get the job of pulling Santa’s sleigh? Follow along as Santa auditions the various animals that are up for the job and find out why the reindeer were the best for the job.

Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s Christmas — Joy Cowley, illustrated by Elizabeth Fuller

It’s Christmas, and Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s pulled out the big tin tub for the cow, pig and duck on her farm to have their Christmas baths. Only problem is… it’s too cold, and the cow, pig and duck don’t want to take a bath! Mrs. Wishy-Washy tells them to stop being troublesome and when she gets back from running her errands, they’d better have all taken their baths! The cow, pig and duck are worried about freezing when one of them has the idea to take a bath… in Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s pink bathtub inside her pink bathroom in her very own house! The animals get inside and take bubbly baths with Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s pink bubblebath and dry off with her pink, fluffy towels and then… Mrs. Wishy-Washy comes home. The house is a mess and the bathroom is all wet, but cow, pig and duck are clean and warm. And Mrs. Wishy-Washy is filled with that forgiving spirit and decides that she’ll let them off the hook this time because it’s Christmas. Another fun, rhyming story.

One Snowy Night – M. Christina Butler, Illustrated by Tina Macnaughton

Hedgehog is walking outside one winter day when a package falls from the sky. It’s a red wool hat, and the tag on the package says it’s a gift from Father Christmas! But the hat doesn’t fit over Hedgehog’s quills, so he decides to give it to his friend Rabbit. But Rabbit’s ears are too big! So Rabbit decides to give it one of his friends. A story about giving and receiving that comes full circle with a nice ending. This is a touch and feel book, with the red wool hat made out of felt on the page so children can run their fingers over it. A nice book.

Snow Friends — M. Christina Butler, Illustrated by Tina Macnaughton

Little Bear and his friends, Rabbit and Otter are playing outside. They decide to build a big snowman out of the snow and they have fun together as they roll the snow. After making the big snowman, they find it’s getting late, but they don’t want to leave the snowman alone, so they roll another smaller one for him to have as company. A nice story about playing and sharing. The snowman is made out of a shiny glitter on each page.

My Mom Loves Me More than Sushi — Filomena Gomes, Illustrated by Ashley Spires

A little girl and her mom try different foods from cultures around the world and the girl learns that her mom loves her more than everything they try together. A pretty cool book that teaches about some of the different cultures around the world.

Earth to Stella! – Simon Puttock, Illustrated by Philip Hopman

Stella’s father tells her to go to bed, but Stella has to have one last adventure before she goes to sleep, and that’s to blast off to outer space! As Stella explores space, she hears her father’s voice over her radio calling out earth to Stella, go to sleep!

Yes — Jez Alborough

Bobo’s mom tells him it’s time to go to bed, but Bobo says No! He’d rather take a bath or splash around instead of go to bed, so he runs out of the house to play instead. A few animal friends come to play with Bobo and pretty soon they have had so much fun that Bobo gets tired and his mom can come take him to bed. A cute story, perfect for bedtime.

Something About Hensley’s — Patricia Polacco

There’s something about Hensley’s store — it doesn’t matter what you’re looking for, you’ll find it in the store. Need a place setting that was discontinued long ago? Hensley’s will have it. One day, a poor family moves into the neighborhood and the daughter has asthma, but can’t afford the medicine. Of course, Mr. Hensley will find a way to help the family.

Batter Up, Wombat! — Helen Lester, Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

I just love Helen Lester’s books, and I adore Lynn Munsinger’s illustrations. Wombat wanders onto a field and comes across some friends playing baseball, a sport he’s never seen before. The team is short one player, so they get Wombat to fill in, and tell him not to worry, he’ll pick up the rules of the game as he plays. Turns out, baseball lingo isn’t as easy to understand as one might think!

Mrs. Crump’s Cat — Linda Smith, Illustrated by David Roberts

Mrs. Crump is a grumpy old woman who doesn’t like cats, or pretty much anything. When a stray cat shows up on her doorstep, she tries to shoo it away, but it’s raining and the cat wants to come in. The cat sneaks by her and Mrs. Crump decides she’ll just let it stay for one day, because after all, it’s raining out. She goes to the store and buys a tin of cat food just for today, but wouldn’t you know it? Pretty soon, the cat’s stayed two days. Then three. And every day, Mrs. Crump goes out to buy the cat something else it might need, and when she’s bought everything it needs, she starts buying something the cat might like. After a while, the grumpy old woman has softened up and discovered that making a new friend can be a wonderful thing.

Vera’s New School – Vera Rosenberry

Vera’s family has just moved to a new neighborhood, and Vera’s first day in her new school isn’t turning out so well. She’s different from the other kids and they all notice it, and not just that, but Vera seems to attract a lot of bad luck. Finally, after a very tough day, Vera is just glad it’s over and she’s happy to have made even just one new friend.

Ellison The Elephant

By Eric Drachman, Illustrated by James Muscarello

Ellison the Elephant is sad because he can’t bellow with his trunk the way the other elephants can. Whenever he tries, it comes out as a little toot (from the trunk, people, from the trunk). The other elephants make fun of him so much for it that Ellison doesn’t want to even try to bellow anymore; he’d rather just stay quiet. Then one day Ellison meets a Weasel that teases him for what Ellison decides will be the last time. When the Weasel goes underground to his burrow, Ellison sticks his trunk down the hole and lets out the biggest toot he can. The weasel can hardly believe it! The sound underground is like a smooth jazzy trumpet! Soon Ellison learns how to blow from his trunk well enough to make beautiful music. The other elephants can’t believe how wonderful it sounds, and they stop teasing Ellison. A nice story with cute illustrations.

It’s Lovely When You Smile

By Sam McBratney, Illustrated by Charles Fuge

Little Roo is grumpy and his mama tells him that his day will get better if he just smiles, but Little Roo doesn’t want to hear it. As they walk around together, Mama tries doing all kinds of things to cheer Little Roo up, but he won’t smile for her. Finally, Mama Roo stops trying, and of course, when she stops trying, something happens that makes Little Roo smile. The illustrations in this book are beautiful, some of the best I’ve seen — I loved this book.

I’m Not Cute!

Written and Illustrated by Jonathan Allen

Baby Owl is so cute, and everyone tells him so. But he doesn’t want to be cute. He’s a huge, scary, sleek, sharp-eyed hunting machine, and they’re supposed to be feared, not cute. Sorry, Baby Owl, but you are cute, and so is this adorable story.

Jonathan Allen also wrote a book called Don’t Wake the Baby, which I’ve used in my storytimes at the library and the kids have just LOVED. Mom leaves Dad alone with the baby for a couple of hours with instructions to be very quiet and not to wake the baby, who has finally gone to sleep. Dad tries very hard not to wake the baby, but wouldn’t you know it? There are lots of things out there that make sounds even when you’re trying so hard to keep it quiet! The book has sounds built into it and as you pull a flap, or press on the page, it makes a loud sound and the kids always, always, laugh hysterically when they hear them, while I’d wildly put my fingers to my lips and implore them to “Shhhh! Don’t wake the baby!” A very interactive, fun story if you read it right.

Hush Little Digger

By Ellen Olson-Brown, Illustrated by Lee White

Set to the tune of Hush Little Baby, this is the book you want to read to your little boys and girls interested in big trucks and monster machines! Not really my kind of story, but I can see kids liking it a lot.

Teacher’s Pets

By Dayle Anne Dodds, Illustrated by Marylin Hatner

This is a fun story about a little boy that brings in his pet for show and tell. Once there, it turns out his parents would like it if the pet could stay there for a little while. At the next show and tell, another student brings in a pet, and again, the parents wouldn’t mind if it stayed at the school for a little while. Pretty soon, the classroom is full with pets belonging to kids whose parents wouldn’t mind if the pets could stay a little while (which turns into the entire school year). Why? These pets aren’t you standard kitties and puppies — there’s grasshoppers, snakes, tarantulas… all the not-so-popular pet choices that Teacher seems to like just fine. A nice story with a twist on the “teacher’s pet” saying, and also nice because the unwanted pets are accepted in the classroom.

Day Out With Daddy

Written and Illustrated by Stephen Cook

Mommy goes away for a day or two, so Daddy’s going to take care of his little boy. They have a very eventful day, starting with lots of sugary donuts for breakfast, and ending with the little guy staying up late watching TV with Daddy. Turns out a day with Daddy is really different than one with Mommy, and the little boy just loves it. But you know? I think Daddy really appreciates Mommy more by the end. :) This is a witty story with lots of fun illustrations showing you just how much fun the little boy has with Daddy, and how hard Daddy discovers taking care of the little boy all day long can be.

Halloween stories to read with your kids!

Halloween Night — Elizabeth Hatch, Illustrated by Jimmy Pickering

One of those chain-of-events stories that all starts with a little mouse hiding inside a pumpkin, and ends with a spilled bag of Halloween treats that finds its way all the way back to that little mouse hiding in the pumpkin.

Algernon Graeves Is Scary Enough — Peter Bollinger

None of the costumes Algernon tries on are scary enough, so Algernon tries to come up with something totally original and super scary. What I particularly like about this story is how scary the costumes look in Algernon’s head, and then how cute they up looking when he tries them on. Really nice illustrations.

T-Rex Trick-Or-Treats — Lois G. Grambling, Illustrated by Jack E. Davis

T-Rex wants to wear a truly scary costume, but he can’t find one that’s scary enough. When his dinosaur friends come to pick him up and go trick-or-treating, he still hasn’t found a good enough costume and that makes him angry. And when a T-Rex gets angry, what could be scarier?

Spooky Hour – Tony Milton, Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees

Trick or Treat Countdown — Patricia Hubbard, Illustrated by Michael Letzig

Two books featuring countdowns from 12 with some of Halloween’s spookiest creatures. Nice, colorful illustrations in each. Good for very young children who are just starting to understand what Halloween is all about.

All Hallows Eve: The Story of the Halloween Fairy — Lisa and Tucker Johnson

Eve is a fairy who loves Candy! Her fairy magic works for a lot of things, but not to make candy, so when her friends gather together for her birthday (which happens to be Halloween), they all decide to go from pumpkin patch to pumpkin patch collecting candy for Eve from the other fairies in the neighborhood. I like the twist this book takes on Halloween traditions. Also rhymes nicely, and has great illustrations.

The 13 Days of Halloween — Carol Greene, Illustrated by Tim Raglin

Just what kinds of gifts does one loving monster give to his girlfriend on the thirteen days leading up to Halloween? A really fun twist on the popular 12 days of Christmas tune.

Monsters Party All Night Long – Adam J.B. Lane

It’s hard being Count Dracula sometimes. His reputation has scared everyone away, and he’s a little lonely because he can’t make friends. So he decides to invite all the other monsters out to party all night long with him.

Rattlebone Rock — Sylvia Andrews, Illustrated by Jennifer Lecas

Reading this story with your little ones will get them moving along with the creatures in the story as they rattle their bones and dance with the movements. A great, rhyming story that begs to be sung.

Trick-or-Treat on Milton Street – Lisa Bullard, Illustrated by Joni Oeltjenbruns

Charley’s not having a very good time. His mom recently got remarried and they’ve moved to a new neighborhood full of old people. And now Charley’s mom is sick and can’t even take him trick-or-treating, so his new stepfather (who can be SO embarrassing at times) offers to take him. By the time Charley trick-or-treats his way down Milton Street, he finds that maybe living on Milton Street with his new step-dad won’t be so bad after all.

Pumpkin Moon — Tim Preston, Illustrated by Simon Bartram

It’s Halloween night and all the children have tricked-or-treated and are now in bed (probably crashing after the sugar high!). It’s only after the children have gone to bed that the really spooky stuff starts to happen. Is it a Halloween trick?

Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night — Anne Rockwell, Illustrated by Megan Halsey

A nice story about a little boy and his mom who make a day of going to the farm to pick out their Halloween pumpkin from the pumpkin patch where there are so many sizes of pumpkins to choose from!

Patty’s Pumpkin Patch – Teri Sloat

The life cycle of a pumpkin patch culminates on Halloween. From planting the seeds, watching the pumpkins grow, selling them, carving them, roasting the seeds, and saving a few seeds to plant and start all over again the next year.

Halloween Songs to Sing To and With Your Kids:

I put the songs lyrics onto an 11″ x 17″ (tabloid size) poster with graphics and printed them off for my Halloween Howls program at the library. If you’d like to print them off, but don’t have a big enough printer for 11″ x 17″ paper, just scale it to letter or legal size in your printer options when you print it.

For I’m A Little Pumpkin, try cutting out a pumpkin, its handle, and its face parts out of construction paper or felt (we use felt at the library because it sticks to our upright storytime “flannel board”). As you sing the song, you can construct the pumpkin face and emphasize the shapes.

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Over the Graveyard is sung to the tune of Over the River and Through the Woods.

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Oh My Monster is sung to the tune of (Oh My Darling) Clementine.
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