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
Comments Off on But Not the Hippopotamus
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
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
Comments Off on The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, DuBose Heyward, Easter, fable, Marjorie Flack, Porgy, Porgy and Bess, The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes
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
Comments Off on The Golden Egg Book
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, Easter, I read this as a kid, Leonard Weisgard, Margaret Wise Brown, The Golden Egg Book, tradition
This classic is one of the very best books to read aloud to children. (I’ve been known to read it to babies.) Our edition has gently colorized pictures that gild the lily a bit but please the boys. It called the Signature Edition and is out of print but fairly simple to find.
We also enjoy the (much less beautiful) animated movie now and then (mostly for the songs).
Author: E.B. White
Illustrator: Garth Williams, with watercoloring by Rosemary Wells
Comments Off on Charlotte’s Web
Posted in Chapter Books
Tagged Animals, Charlotte's Web, E.B. White, fable, farm, food, Garth Williams, I read this as a kid, Newbery Honor Book, out of print, Rosemary Wells, USA
In this sequel to All Aboard with Jeremy Rabbit, it is Waldo Otter’s turn to be a fish out of water when he visits his cousin, Jeremy Rabbit, in the country. This time there are trips on a car, river boat, and bicycles. There are more delicious feasts and daring rescues. And once again the cousins, although they go through a few rough patches during the visit, have a wonderful time together.
Author: Doris Susan Smith
Illustrator: Doris Susan Smith
Comments Off on The Country Life of J.B. Rabbit
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged All Aboard with Jeremy Rabbit, Animals, Doris Susan Smith, farm, food, garden, Machines, out of print, series, The Country Life of J.B. Rabbit
As I’ve mentioned before, searching for the rare Need a House? Call Ms. Mouse led to The Elephant’s Airplane, one of our favorite books to date. Since its major attraction was its illustrations, I went hunting for all the other books illustrated by Doris Smith that I could find. All Aboard with Jeremy Rabbit seemed particularly interesting because it was both authored and illustrated by Ms. Smith and it has turned out to be a greatly enjoyable book in its own right. We have the United Kingdom version of this long out-of-print book; it was published in the States as The Travels of J.B. Rabbit.
In this book, landlubber Jeremy Rabbit visits his seafaring cousin Waldo Otter for a memorable vacation. There are trips on a train, car, boat, and hot air balloon. There are delicious feasts and daring rescues. And, perhaps best of all, there is a sequel.
Author: Doris (Susan) Smith
Illustrator: Doris (Susan) Smith
Comments Off on All Aboard with Jeremy Rabbit
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged All Aboard with Jeremy Rabbit, Animals, beach, Doris Susan Smith, food, Machines, Need a House? Call Ms. Mouse!, out of print, series, The Elephant's Airplane and Other Machines, The Travels of J.B. Rabbit