‘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
Comments Off on Skip to My Lou
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
Comments Off on Doggies: A Counting and Barking Book
Posted in Board Books
Tagged Animals, Blue Hat Green Hat, Doggies: A Counting and Barking Book, memorized, 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
This quiet book tells gestation/birth/baby stories for many different animals, ending with one human baby:
You rode curled beneath your mother’s heart,
growing and growing. You floated in a salty sea, waiting
and waiting. Waiting for us who were waiting for you.
“We’re ready,” we said. And you were ready too.
So you squeezed out, wailing.
My toddlers thought babies were interesting. That tendency, combined with the interesting details on the various animals and gentle pictures, ensured this cozy book kept their attention during the board book years.
Author: Marion Dane Bauer
Illustrator: JoEllen McAllister Stammen
Comments Off on If You Were Born a Kitten
Posted in Board Books, Non-fiction
Tagged Animals, If You Were Born a Kitten, JoeEllen McAllister Stammen, Marion Dane Bauer, out of print
There isn’t much plot or characterization here. An egg hatches. The resulting caterpillar eats (and eats), then builds a cocoon, nibbles his way out, and is a beautiful butterfly. Simple. But the book’s design (especially the holes) and unexpected food choices reliably caught the boys’ attention when they were toddlers. (And I liked making the butterfly “fly” at the end by flapping the back cover.)
Author: Eric Carle
Illustrator: Eric Carle
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Posted in Board Books
Tagged Animals, Eric Carle, food, I read this as a kid, The Very Hungry Caterpillar
We found all of these books to be helpful (in different ways) for preparing for an sibling.
Waiting for Baby and My New Baby have no words; their stories revolve around a toddler’s-eye viewpoint of what happens when mom is pregnant and then what happens when the baby arrives. There are three primary reasons these books are a great way for toddlers to get used to what is going on and what is likely to happen next. First, you can customize the “story” to where you are in the process and what they most want to know. Second, there is a real focus on showing how the soon-to-be sibling will be involved in the process (for example, helping make dinner for a tired mom, or helping dad take baby on an outing). Third, the books make it very clear that the older sibling always has an important place at the center of the family. We “read” these books a lot.
What Shall We Do With the Boo-Hoo Baby? gets toddlers used to the idea that babies cry sometimes, and there are things that you can try to do that might help, but sometimes they won’t work out as hoped (and that is OK).
On Mother’s Lap has a simple, sweet message of there always being enough room on mother’s lap (and, implicitly, enough love to go around).
Authors: Annie Kubler, Cressida Cowell, Ann Herbert Scott
Illustrators: Annie Kubler, Ingrid Godon, Glo Coalson
Comments Off on What to Read (to Your Toddler) When You’re Expecting
Posted in Board Books
Tagged Animals, Ann Herbert Scott, Annie Kubler, bedtime, birthday, Cressida Cowell, Diverse Books, food, Glo Coalson, Ingrid Godon, Mother's Day, My New Baby, On Mother's Lap, out of print, toys, Waiting for Baby, What Shall We Do With the Boo-Hoo Baby?
Hush, little alien,
don’t say a word,
Papa’s gonna catch
you a goonie bird.
If that goonie bird flies too far,
Papa’s gonna lasso you a shooting star.
If that shooting star’s too hot,
Papa’s gonna
find you an astronaut!
When my oldest was two, he started singing this song. I thought he was making it up as he went along and was absolutely amazed. Finally I caught on that he had heard it at school, started searching, and found the song has come from this really fun variation on “Hush, Little Baby.” (Of course, I still think my boy hung the moon.)
Caveat: The astronaut Papa finds fights back (with his fist), so the aliens move on to something else. I always just shook my fist, added the line “Put me down, please!” and moved right along, but if you are concerned about any kind of physical confrontation, you may want to skip this one.
Author: Daniel Kirk
Illustrator: Daniel Kirk
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Posted in Board Books
Tagged aliens, astronauts, bedtime, Daniel Kirk, Hush Little Alien, out of print, science fiction, songs