This classic story is beautiful, disturbing, and hopeful. It is also, unsurprisingly, a great read aloud and not to be missed.
“But now,” says the Once-ler,
“Now that you’re here,
the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear.
UNLESS someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.
Author: Dr. Seuss
Illustrator: Dr. Seuss
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Dr. Seuss, fable, I read this as a kid, knitting, Machines, The Lorax
‘Round the mountains, high and steep.
Through the valleys, low and deep.
Into tunnels, underground.
See the darkness. Hear the sound.
Chugga-chugga choo-choo, echo calling,
Whoooooooo!
Whoooooooo!
Whoooooooo!
Whoooooooo!
This simple, rhythmic story of a special journey works best at bedtime and is perfect for little ones who are interested in trains. It is a real pleasure to read aloud.
Author: Kevin Lewis
Illustrator: Daniel Kirk
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Posted in Board Books
Tagged bedtime, Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo, Daniel Kirk, Diverse Books, Kevin Lewis, Machines, toys
This book is a charming extension of the old song. The board book version has six fewer pages than the picture book, but contains the essence of the tale. Whichever version you end up with, it is great for toddlers.
Author: Nadine Bernard Westcott
Illustrator: Nadine Bernard Westcott
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Posted in Board Books, Picture Books
Tagged Animals, food, Nadine Bernard Westcott, out of print, Skip to My Lou, songs
A gosling’s beloved bright red boots turn up missing (literally) one day. This sweet book has a lot of character and a very satisfying ending. It would make a great last-minute addition to an Easter basket, especially if your toddler has had enough of bunnies.
Author: Olivier Dunrea
Illustrator: Olivier Dunrea
Lots of animals are doing fun things together. But not the hippopotamus. Will she ever join in?
Our Boynton mini-theme continues with this somewhat bittersweet book. The boys enjoyed the rhymes, the very expressive animals, chiming in on the reoccurring title phrase, and the unexpected ending.
Author: Sandra Boynton
Illustrator: Sandra Boynton
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Posted in Board Books
The title pretty much says it all here. Like Blue Hat, Green Hat, it is vaguely educational but could get by on pure fun. I still have it memorized.
Author: Sandra Boynton
Illustrator: Sandra Boynton
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Posted in Board Books
Tagged Animals, Blue Hat Green Hat, Doggies: A Counting and Barking Book, Sandra Boynton
Sure, this book touches on learning colors and correctly putting on clothing. But it really is an excuse for enjoying dramatic reading (the boys especially appreciated their Dad’s version of this one) and a silly, silly turkey.
Author: Sandra Boynton
Illustrator: Sandra Boynton
Comments Off on Blue Hat, Green Hat
Posted in Board Books
Tagged Animals, Blue Hat Green Hat, Sandra Boynton
One day a little country girl bunny with a brown
skin and a little cotton-ball of a tail said, “Some
day I shall grow up to be an Easter Bunny:–you
wait and see!”
Then all of the big white bunnies
who lived in
fine houses,
and the Jack Rabbits with long legs who can run so fast,
laughed at the little Cottontail and told her to go back to
the country and eat a carrot. But she said, “Wait and see!”
The little cottontail grows up into a wise, kind mama bunny who teaches her twenty-one (!) children to be self sufficient. When a spot on the Easter Bunny roster comes open, she is ready to fulfill her lifelong dream.
It is hard to believe this book was published in 1939. (It is the only children’s book by the author of Porgy and primary lyricist of Porgy and Bess; he wrote it for his daughter.) This charming take on the Easter bunny story (the Palace of Easter Eggs is always popular) and its demonstration of work/life balance feels very contemporary.
Author: DuBose Heyward
Illustrator: Marjorie Flack
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, DuBose Heyward, Easter, fable, Marjorie Flack, Porgy, Porgy and Bess, The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes
Tonight I thought I’d give the boys a treat by reading How I Became a Pirate. (I don’t like romanticizing pirates, so we don’t have many pirate-related books. Which may make reading about them more exciting, rather than less. Huh.) But the boys took one look at it and moaned, in unison: “We have that at school!”
So, I picked out Meshka. And they were thrilled. Go figure.
Meshka is a practiced complainer (a kvetch). Her back doesn’t simply ache, it feels as if she has “carried the Wall of Jericho itself.” Her studious son “sit[s] around the house like a bump on a kosher pickle.” And so on and so forth. But, one day, everything she complains about literally comes to pass. What is a kvetch to do?
The message here (praise the good in your life rather than bemoan the bad) isn’t subtle, but it is a good one and easily carried along by the humorous plot and lively illustrations.
Author: Carol Chapman
Illustrator: Arnold Lobel
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Arnold Lobel, Carol Chapman, David Shannon, Diverse Books, How I Became a Pirate, I read this as a kid, Melinda Long, out of print, pirates, Tall Tale, The Tale of Meshka the Kvetch
I have just (sniff) cleared most of the board books out of my youngest son’s room. A fair number of board book posts seem likely in the near future. But first, bunnies!
My mom would only take The Golden Egg Book out at Easter time. While I see her point (bunnies and eggs) and I do the same (tradition!), you really could leave this one out year round. It is a sweet story of curiosity and friendship. The boys especially enjoy it when the bunny tries to guess what could be inside the egg (a boy? another bunny? an elephant? a mouse?) and when the duck that finally emerges tries to wake the now tuckered out bunny.
Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrator: Leonard Weisgard
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Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Easter, I read this as a kid, Leonard Weisgard, Margaret Wise Brown, The Golden Egg Book, tradition