Tag Archives: Animals

The Lady with the Alligator Purse

Posted on January 27, 2014 | Comments Off on The Lady with the Alligator Purse

IMG_1156

Miss Lucy had a baby,
His name was Tiny Tim,
She put him in the bathtub
To see if he could swim.

Does anyone else remember jump roping to this song?   If so, this book starts out as you remember it, but things soon start to change.  Before you know it, the lady with the alligator purse is prescribing pizza to cure what ails the baby and the doctor, the nurse, Miss Lucy, et al. are happily feasting away.  My youngest has a tradition of reading this “pizza book” with his Dad at bedtime when we’ve had pizza for diner.  It’s a keeper and it comes in both board and picture book form.

Author:  unknown
Illustrator:  Nadine Bernard Westcott

Comments Off on The Lady with the Alligator Purse

Posted in Board Books, Picture Books

Tagged , , , ,

Baby Cat Nicky 123

Posted on January 26, 2014 | Comments Off on Baby Cat Nicky 123

IMG_1158

When my oldest was a young toddler, Baby Cat Nicky 123 was his favorite book.  He loved having it read to him.  (Was it the cats?  The rhythm?  The bright colors?)  And he loved chewing on it so much that we had to buy another copy.  This came as a complete surprise; I had bought the book on a whim to compliment the (excellent) Nicky’s Jazz for Kids CD (which is still in regular rotation in my car).  Although this book is no longer in demand, well over four years later, I still have its text completely memorized.

Author:  Carol Friedman
Illustrator:  Carol Friedman

Comments Off on Baby Cat Nicky 123

Posted in Board Books

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Library Lion

Posted on January 23, 2014 | Comments Off on Library Lion

IMG_1152

This is another book with a great premise.  Libraries and lions really do (or should) go together.  The idea of a lion who basically adopts a library would be enough to carry a book.  But this book goes further.  It is also a story about friendship and about rules.  Rules, this story says, are very important.  But sometimes, when there is a very good reason (like friendship), some rules can be broken.

This books trusts kids to be able to understand nuance.  As someone who spends a lot of time focused on rules (“Elbows off the table!”), I appreciate that.  And, leaving aside all nuance, the kids greatly appreciate the frequent opportunities to roar along.

Author:  Michelle Knudsen
Illustrator:  Kevin Hawkes

Comments Off on Library Lion

Posted in Picture Books

Tagged , , ,

Diary of a Wombat

Posted on January 22, 2014 | Comments Off on Diary of a Wombat

IMG_1147

This funny story is entirely narrated by a deadpan wombat (an Australian marsupial that look like a brown bear cub that somehow got mixed up with a koala and groundhog).  Initially, her days are unvaried; she spends her time sleeping, eating grass, and scratching. But when some new neighbors move in, her life (and theirs!) starts to change. After some consideration (and a lot of carrots) she decides “that humans are easily trained and make quite good pets.”  (One suspects the humans have reached a rather different conclusion about wombats.)

This story, with its brevity and constant sleeping, is perfect for bedtime.

Author:  Jackie French
Illustrator:  Bruce Whatley

Comments Off on Diary of a Wombat

Posted in Picture Books

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

The Three Billy Goats Fluff

Posted on January 20, 2014 | Comments Off on The Three Billy Goats Fluff

IMG_1132

Trolls usually don’t have a great reputation (the cute troll family in Frozen is definitely an outlier).  But how would you like it if every time you tried to sleep someone went trip-trapping all over your ceiling?  Poor Mr. Troll hasn’t slept well since he moved under the bridge leading to a lush green field.  How can he get the rest he needs while letting his neighbors (the goats of the title) get the grass they need?  Luckily, Mother Goat is a knitter and she works up an unorthodox solution.  This story is fun to read and never quite overly cute and fluffy.  My youngest particularly enjoys it.

Author:  Rachael Mortimer
Illustrator:  Liz Pichon

Comments Off on The Three Billy Goats Fluff

Posted in Picture Books

Tagged , , , , , ,

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Posted on January 19, 2014 | Comments Off on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

IMG_1141

I tried reading the original version of Alice in Wonderland to my oldest about a year ago as our before-bed-chapter-book.  It did not click; we abandoned it.  This version, on the other hand, has been entirely successful.  It contains the essence of the story, the visuals are wonderful, and it never feels too long.  Both boys are thrilled when I pull it out.

Author:  Adapted from Lewis Carroll’s book
Illustrator:  Robert Sabuda in the style of John Tenniel

Comments Off on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Posted in Pop Up Books

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Tuesday

Posted on January 18, 2014 | Comments Off on Tuesday

IMG_1129

Like George Shrinks and When Dinosaurs Came with Everything, this book has one great concept (spontaneously-flying frogs!) and joyfully explores it.  There are only two full sentences, but this is a real charmer.

Author:  David Wiesner
Illustrator:  David Wiesner

 

Comments Off on Tuesday

Posted in Picture Books

Tagged , , , , ,

Kitten’s First Full Moon

Posted on January 17, 2014 | Comments Off on Kitten’s First Full Moon

IMG_1124

It was Kitten’s first full moon.
When she saw it, she thought,
There’s a little bowl of milk in the sky.
And she wanted it.

Kitten tries (and tries) to reach the little bowl of milk that she wants so much.  Things do not go well.  (Poor Kitten!)  But, as you might expect, there is a happy ending waiting.

This soft, sweet, short story is perfect for just before bed.

Author:  Kevin Henkes
Illustrator:  Kevin Henkes

Comments Off on Kitten’s First Full Moon

Posted in Picture Books

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Remarkable Animals: 1,000 Amazing Amalgamations

Posted on January 15, 2014 | Comments Off on Remarkable Animals: 1,000 Amazing Amalgamations

IMG_1119

It is remarkable how long this book keeps us all entertained.  First the boys make a truly wacky animal by flipping through various flaps made up of pieces of ten real animals (the picture above is of one of their creations).  Than I do my best to pronounce the resulting name and we read the description of our newly-created beast.  Much laughter ensues.  This is perfect for situations when you will be waiting on line (we used it this year when we were waiting to see Santa and the time flew by) or just want a good laugh.

Author:  Tony Meeuwissen
Illustrator:  Tony Meeuwissen

Comments Off on Remarkable Animals: 1,000 Amazing Amalgamations

Posted in Non-fiction

Tagged , ,

When Dinosaurs Came with Everything

Posted on January 9, 2014 | Comments Off on When Dinosaurs Came with Everything

IMG_1112

Today, dinosaurs come with everything!

Like George Shrinks, this book has an irresistible premise (instead of balloons or stickers, or other more common giveaway items, dinosaurs come with everything from a dozen donuts to shots at the doctor’s office) coupled with charming and witty pictures that expand the story well beyond its text.  The book loses a bit of narrative steam around its final third, but it makes a strong finish, sparks the imagination, and is a lot of fun to read aloud.

Author: Elise Broachs
Illustrator: David Small

Comments Off on When Dinosaurs Came with Everything

Posted in Picture Books

Tagged , , , , , , ,