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
Comments Off on Are You My Mother?
Posted in Early Readers
Tagged Animals, Are You My Mother?, bedtime, I read this as a kid, Mother's Day, P.D. Eastman
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
Comments Off on The Berenstain Bears’ Moving Day
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Animals, bedtime, Berenstain Bears, garden, I read this as a kid, series, Stan & Jan Berenstain, The Berenstain Bears' Moving Day
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
Comments Off on Bembelman’s Bakery
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged Barbara Seuling, bedtime, Bembelman's Bakery, city, Diverse Books, food, I read this as a kid, immigration, Melinda Green, out of print, Tall Tale, The Duchess Bakes a Cake
“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
Comments Off on Moo, Baa, La La La!
Posted in Board Books
Tagged Animals, bedtime, Moo Baa La La La!, Sandra Boynton
‘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
Comments Off on Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo
Posted in Board Books
Tagged bedtime, Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo, Daniel Kirk, Diverse Books, Kevin Lewis, Machines, toys
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
Comments Off on Hush, Little Alien
Posted in Board Books
Tagged aliens, astronauts, bedtime, Daniel Kirk, Hush Little Alien, out of print, science fiction, songs
Baby beluga in the deep blue sea,
Swim so wild and you swim so free.
Heaven above and the sea below,
And a little white whale on the go.
Baby beluga, baby beluga,
Is the water warm? Is your mama home,
With you so happy?
This book is as adorable as its song and sweetly sends kids off to bed. I have only one small quibble: if you were going to choose one of the thirty-plus species of dolphins to illustrate “way down yonder where the dolphins play” with Baby beluga, would killer whales be at the top of your list?
Author: Raffi
Illustrator: Ashley Wolff
Comments Off on Baby Beluga
Posted in Board Books
Tagged Animals, Ashley Wolff, Baby Beluga, bedtime, Raffi, Raffi Songs to Read, songs
This is the perfect bedtime story for when your voice is giving out (which makes it very helpful to have in reserve this time of year). Pop in the enclosed CD, let Joni Mitchell provide the vocals, and enjoy the utterly fanciful art (the picture above is my oldest’s favorite).
Author: Joni Mitchell
Illustrator: Brian Froud
Comments Off on Chelsea Morning
Posted in Picture Books
Tagged bedtime, Brian Froud, Chelsea Morning, city, Joni Mitchell, songs, USA
My youngest loved this book as a young toddler. He’d ask for it every night before bed and we’d watch the gorilla release all of his animal friends so they could follow the zookeeper home. We’d loved the details, like the toy in each animals’ cage, the balloon that drifts through each double-page spread, and the mouse constantly lugging around a huge banana. He would giggle and giggle when one of the characters got a big surprise. A real charmer and, of course, perfect for bedtime. (He also loved the Scholastic video version of the book, which is less detailed but equally sweet.)
Author: Peggy Rathmann
Illustrator: Peggy Rathmann
Comments Off on Good Night, Gorilla
Posted in Board Books
Tagged Animals, bedtime, food, Good Night Gorilla, Peggy Rathmann, Scholastic video