Cinnamon Baby

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In honor of Mother’s Day, I’m going to share a few books that I enjoy a good bit more than the boys do (at least so far–I haven’t entirely given up hope they might become more general favorites).

The first book in this category, Cinnamon Baby, charms me completely. I love the story (filled with baking, music making, passion and jobs, romance and support, the joy and excruciating helplessness of parenting a newborn, love and exhaustion, playfulness, creativity, and beauty). I love the illustrations, which complement and enhance the story (which in a mere 34, unrushed pages addresses working, meeting, marrying, pregnancy, co-parenting, a very unhappy baby, and finally a very happy family). And I love how the boys indulge me and listen to it with a smile.

Author: Nicola Winstanley
Illustrator: Janice Nadeau


 

Where is the Green Sheep?

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The quest for a missing green sheep leads to lots of opposites, colors, and rhymes.  The illustrations are cheerful and playful (did you notice the Singin’ in the Rain visual reference above?).  And finding out what the green sheep is up to just might inspire a toddler to nap.

(Our copy’s text is just in English, but the version currently in print has Spanish text too.)

Author:  Mem Fox
Illustrator: Judy Horacek

Are You My Mother?

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Expecting her baby to arrive soon, a mother bird leaves her nest and egg to gather food. When the baby hatches ahead of schedule, he goes out to search for her (without having any idea what to look for).  After much confusion, there is a joyful reunion.

The language here is basic. Prosaic, even. But the pictures are great and the concept reliably amuses (my mother used to read it to me).

Author: P.D. Eastman
Illustrator: P.D. Eastman


 

The Berenstain Bears’ Moving Day

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The Bear family didn’t always live in the
big tree house down a sunny dirt road
deep in Bear Country.

Years ago, when Brother Bear was an only
cub, they lived in a hillside cave halfway
up Great Bear Mountain at the far edge of
Bear Country.

And years ago, when I was an only child and the age my youngest is now, my parents gave me this book because we were moving. It must have helped. I came back to it many times over the years and now it is one of my youngest’s most requested bedtime stories.

Author: Stan & Jan Berenstain
Illustrator: Stan & Jan Berenstain

The Napping House

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There is a house,
a napping house,
where everyone is sleeping.

And in that house
there is a bed,
a cozy bed
in a napping house,
where everyone is sleeping.

A beautifully-illustrated rainy day, cozy bed, sleepy family, and unexpected visitor combine with gently-rhythmic prose to create a warm and funny book.

Author:  Audrey Wood
Illustrator: Don Wood

 

Bembelman’s Bakery

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This is the origin story of a (fictional) hugely-popular bakery. Back in the Old Country, seven children decide to help their mama by baking bread. Like The Duchess Bakes a Cake, things quickly spiral out of control, but the flavor of this book is completely different:

“This is not just bread,” he cried. “It’s meat and potatoes!
It’s strudel and pie! It’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner all at
once! It’s apples and raisins, vodka and noodles, every taste
you ever wanted to taste, all in each wonderful bite.”

I always enjoyed this as a kid and it is now one of my youngest’s very favorites.

Caveat: Corporal punishment clearly is an option for this family, but the reference is fleeting.

Author: Melinda Green
Illustrator: Barbara Seuling

Moo, Baa, La La La!

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“No, no!” you say,
“that isn’t right.
The pigs say
OINK
all day and night.”

This book has eleven sentences; there isn’t really a plot. It is just an excuse for spending time with toddlers making animal sounds, telling jokes they can understand, and sending them off to bed giggling.

Author: Sandra Boynton
Illustrator: Sandra Boynton

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

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An adorable mouse, a succulent strawberry, a possible threat to the strawberry, and a narrator with an ulterior motive make for a cute tale that charms kids and amuses adults.  This is a great one to read aloud with much dramatic flair.

Authors:  Don and Audrey Wood
Illustrator:  Don Wood

Barney Bipple’s Magic Dandelions

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Barney Bipple is six, but he’d rather be eight.  He’d also like a big, shiny car of his own and for his dog to be able to talk.  One day he does a favor for his very well dressed next-door neighbor, who rewards him with three white, puffy dandelions.

“Make a wish, blow on a dandelion, and your wish
will come true. But stick to simple wishes, like for diamonds
and furs. If you need more, just let me know.

Now Barney can have everything he’s ever wanted. But things don’t turn out quite the way he expected in this playful book.

Steven Kellogg’s pictures are sunny and fun (and give a very different tone to this book than Arnold Lobel’s work gave to the same author’s work in The Tale of Meshka the Kvetch). The boys love seeing how Barney’s wishes in action and suggesting ones of their own.

Author:  Carol Chapman
Illustrator:  Steven Kellogg (apparently we have the revised edition of this book, where Kellogg did new, more colorful, illustrations)

 

Birdsong

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In this story, a talented, homeless orphan is taken in (in more ways than one) by a bird catcher who deceives her in order to take advantage of her musical ability and kind heart.

This book reminds me a good bit of The Lorax, despite having a very different story and style. Both books show individuals’ choices making a difference and both focus on interactions between individuals and the natural world. The villains in both books are multidimensional, lonely, and even sympathetic characters who lives are warped by greed. Finally, like The Lorax, Birdsong‘s beautiful pictures and unusual story fully capture the boys’ attention.

Author: Gail E. Haley
Illustrator: Gail E. Haley