The Snowy Day By: Ezra Jack Keats

The 1963 Caldecott Medal winner

The Snowy Day is a fantastic book to read anytime of year but especially in the thick of winter.  What child isn't dreaming of playing in the snow right now?  The boy in this book Peter wakes up to find his world all white as far as he can see.  You then follow him as he sets out alone to make silly tracks in the snow, smack a snow covered tree (oops), make a snowman and angels, attempt to play with the bigger boys in their snowball fight and slide down a big mound of snow.  The illustrations are simple and soft and at the right times bright and vibrant.  Ezra Jack Keats really portrays the images of the 1960's but this book is timeless and any child will love this story!

The publisher of this book Viking/Penguin declared January The Snowy Day month and their website has a lot of great activities. Why not read the book and combine it with an activity to get the kids excited about reading?  Check it out here: http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/

If your children like this book try reading another of the six books where Keats uses Peter as a character.  My girls also like watching the Ezra Jack Keats Scholastic DVD that includes seven of his stories read aloud with all the images of the books displayed for them. 

 Don't forget many of the books are available at your local library and to utilize your library as often as possible!

The Mitten By: Jan Brett

The Mitten is a Ukrainian folktale.  It is about a boy who asks his Baba (grandmother) to knit him white mittens.  She warns him that if dropped in the snow they will be hard to find. But he still wants them and she makes them for him.  While out playing he drops one of his white mittens.  He continues to play without noticing one of his mittens is gone, but the animals notice and one by one go inside the cozy mitten.  Each animal bigger than the one before goes into the mitten until the biggest of all a bear fits himself in the mitten. By this time the mitten is quite big and very stretched out.  Then a tiny mouse perches herself on the bears nose causing the bear to sneeze and all the animals get shot out of the mitten!  The boy sees the mitten flying up in the air and runs for it. "From the window, Baba watched Nicki catch the mitten.  "See, Baba!" he called to her.  " I have both my mittens." And Baba smiled.

Each page has two mittens drawn on each side that act as a window.  From one you see what the boy is doing and from the other you can see what animal is coming next.  My youngest daughter Emma also likes the flowers and hearts that adorn each page and likes to tell me her favorite one as we read this book together.  This is a fun book that any child will get a good laugh out of!  Share with them the magic of this great folktale and see if they believe that this indeed could happen to one of their mittens!  What a great read for a cold winter day!  Follow the story up by trying to see how many things they can stuff into a mitten or how many stuffed animals they can get to fit.  If they are like my children they have plenty of mini sized stuffed animals just waiting for them to use.

I love the last picture in this book of Baba looking at the stretch out mitten!

                                                  

Skin and Bones By: Raffi

vancouverobserver.com

 Looking for something to surprise the kids with today to get them all spooked out and ready for Halloween?  Why not try one of my favorite children's singer Raffi and his song Skin and Bones.  You can preview it online if you have never heard it and get the gist to sing it to them or borrow the CD from a local library.  I guarantee your children will love this song!

there was and old woman of skin and bones. 
oh oh oh oh.  
she lived down by the old grave yard.  
oh oh oh oh.  
one day she thought she'd take a walk. 
oh oh oh oh. 
she walk down by the old grave yard.  
oh oh oh oh.  
she saw the bones a'laying around.  
oh oh oh oh.  
she went to the closet to get her broom.  
oh oh oh oh.  
she opened the door and BOO!

Happy Halloween! 

Myself and my children are huge fans of Raffi and love singing along to everyone of his songs! (especially in the car)  Raffi also has made board books featuring some of his most popular songs.  My girls loved baby beluga and down by the bay.  The illustrations made the songs come to life for them and it is always fun listening to them belt out a tune!




http://www.raffinews.com/ 

Peekaboo Kisses By: Barney Saltzberg

If you are looking for a fantastic book to get for a baby up to a preschooler this is it.   This book covers all the basis of a great book to keep a little one occupied!  A sturdy board book that is touch and feel, with lift up flaps, a squeaker, and a mirror.

All the adorable animals in this book are playing peekaboo with your little one even a squeaky little mouse.  The book ends with a mirror for your child to see their own reflection.  Peekaboo Kisses has always been a huge hit with my girls and I can remember both of them shoving their faces in the mirror to see themselves and bouncy their fingers off the mouse to hear it squeak! 

 Introduce kids in a fun way to reading with this playful book Peekaboo Kisses!

Sesame Beginnings Baby's First Board Books By: Sesame Workshop Bendon Publishing International,Inc.

I have been reminiscing the past couple of days and couldn't help myself but to dive into memories of my first born Isabela as a baby. When I started remembering those times these books popped into my head.  These were the first books I picked out with Isabela.  I remember finding Baby's First Board Books as we strolled through K-Mart trying to pass a long day.  Isabela was about 6 months old and just starting to love the little, red, furry monster known to all the world as Elmo. Elmo was an instant hit!  I would read these books over and over and over and again.  She couldn't get enough of the illustrations and the rhyming of the words.  She was hooked.  I didn't even have to look at the pages anymore to any of the books they could be recited in my sleep!

This set of books includes four books.  Nighty-Night is about bedtime and the routine that ensues.  Eyes & Nose, Fingers & Toes a great introduction to body parts and basic functions.  This book I would always act out the clapping and pointing and hiding my tongue only to let little fingers try to find it.  At the Zoo is a sweet book about silly animals and great descriptions of each.  Then there is Bubbles Bubbles which Isabela loved.  "Bubbles bubbles Pop! Pop! Pop!"  I have so many fond memories of Sesame Street and still think it is a great learning tool for children.  After all in order to get kids interested in reading they need to have a passion for what you are going to read to them.  I can still picture Isabela grabbing a book and for a baby who was never content for long, books for her were different.  She still loves books and I can only hope that it lasts for her lifetime! 

Where's My Sweetie Pie? By: Ed Emberley

 Where's My Sweet Pie is a lift the flap board book that will have your little one giggling with delight!  The drawings are very sweet and children love opening the flaps to find out what is underneath. The search for sweetie pie has us uncovering adorable baby animals and insects until finally we find a pocket.  "In this pocket? In this locket?  There you are!  Hello sweetie pie!" then your child gets to find your sweetie pie in the heart shaped mirror on the last page of the book.

My sweetie pie Emma Greyce <3

Hooray for Fish! By: Lucy Cousins

Go on a journey with little fish as he says "hello!" to all his silly fishy friends! 

"ele-fish" (elephant looking one) =)

Fishes you would have never imagined, come to life in this funny tale. As you look at all the wonderful illustrations you are bound to discover something new each time.  Isabela's favorite is the pineapple fish and Emma likes the "upside down rainbow fish". The rhyming is silly and so fun to read!  The little fish ends the tale by finding the most important fish of all, his mom!  Reading this with your child you are sure to get some laughs and have a lot of fun over and over again!!

Hooray for fish and hooray for reading!

Good Night, Gorilla By: Peggy Rathmann

 It is bedtime at the zoo and as the zoo keeper locks all the animals cages and says goodnight to each of them, the gorilla gets the zoo keepers keys and unlocks the cages behind him. All the animals quietly follow the zoo keeper to his house where they go to sleep in his room. When his wife says goodnight dear and turns out the light the room is lit up with all the animals eyes! She takes them all back to the zoo but as she does somehow the gorilla and mouse end up back in bed with the zoo keeper and his wife.

The kids loved this book and I remember Isy trying to pronounce the word hyena in the book and saying hi-yi-na. We would laugh and make her say it again and again! In each page of the book you will notice a pink balloon which gets farther and farther away. We always had fun trying to spot it. Also take note to all the cute things in each of the animals cages. They are like little cribs for the animals. The girls also would mimic the wife's face when she finds the animals in her bed and then we would say "good night" very fast and point to all the animals eyeballs on the next page. This book is really fun and simple to read.

So say good night to all the animals and your little cutie tonight with this great book!

Clifford Preschool Treasury By: Norman Bridwell

Isy receiving these on her 1st Birthday

Clifford Preschool Treasury is a collection of great books for babies and toddlers.  We received these books from Great grandparents on Isabela's 1st Birthday.  I think almost everyone is familiar with the big red dog named Clifford and I myself have fond memories of the Clifford books as a young girl.  I never read these particular books from this collection until we got them on her birthday.  The books are simple, have great illustrations and most have rhyming which makes them perfect reads for little ones.  I remember vividly taking Isabela onto my bed each night to pass the time and reading books to her.  She would ALWAYS pick these books every night! My girls now at four and almost three years old still enjoy these books and because they are board books they have held up quite well. So if you have little ones buy them, or get them from the library or think of this collection of books next time you need a gift idea for someone expecting a child or for a first birthday!

There is nothing like the delightful smile of a child discovering a new friend in a book!

I'll See You in the Morning By: Mike Jolley Pictures by: Mique Moriuchi

This is a board book I have checked out of the library on many occasions to read to the girls.  The books rhymes and message is so sweet and comforting and a very good way to send off the kids to sleep.  Isabela at one time had a hard time with being in the dark like many little kiddos do and I liked reading her this passage in the book "Don't be afraid of darkness.  Don't be afraid, my sweet.  The night is just a blanket that helps the earth to sleep."  The pictures are adorable, a little silly, and perfect for children to admire while you read to them.   Have fun tonight with your little one and give them a beautiful story to soothe them to sleep!

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR By: Don and Audrey Wood Illustrated by: Don Wood

I can remember my teacher in kindergarten reading me this story.  I think it struck me as a child because it has such wonderful and vivid images.  It is a short book but one that has a lot of humor and quite a cute little tale.  In turn this became my littlest daughter Emma's favorite book for awhile and after borrowing it from the library several times I decided to buy it for her.

The story is about a mouse, a mouse who really wants to pick a "red, ripe strawberry" and as the reader you get to interact with the mouse and find out exactly what he is up to. He is warned about a big hungry bear who would be quite upset if he finds out that he picked the strawberry but the mouse goes ahead and picks it anyway.  He then tries to hide, chain, and disguise the strawberry from the "bear".  This is quite comical especially the disguise he chooses, glasses with the eyebrows, and mustache. That always gets a giggle from the girls.  He ends up frantically deciding to "Cut it in two." and sharing half of the strawberry with "you". He then gobbles up his half and ends the tale full and satisfied wearing the green top of the strawberry as a hat swinging from a hammock.  Just too funny! The funnier I find a book the more I can have a good time reading it and making it entertaining for the girls.

After rediscovering this book to read to my girls I then went to look for more books by the Wood's.  The Napping House became another book my girls loved.  It is worth getting if you are going to look for The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR.  It is also a very silly book that gets the kids laughing especially with its funny illustrations.  Audrey and Don Wood are husband and wife and have a website that lists all their books, including some fun activites.

http://www.audreywood.com/

Bear Snore On By: Karma Wilson Illustrated By: Jane Chapman

I received this book in a box of Cheerios many years ago in 2003 before I even had children.  Cheerios has a program called Spoonfuls of Stories where they include a full length book in a box of Cheerios. The paperback books are small and include the English and Spanish words on each page.  Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories program started in 2002 and this year is celebrating their 10th anniversary!  My last trip to the grocery store I bought 4 boxes of Cheerios, not only because we eat them a lot for breakfast but also because Cheerios has put books from previous years into their boxes of cereal.  My girls were so excited as we rifled through all the boxes to get to books we haven't read before.  I really like that the books are small and portable giving me more room for more books and that they are essentially free!  The picture of the book Bear Snores On is my second copy of the book.  After reading the one from the box of Cheerios so much it needed a little rest from little hands.  To learn more about the Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories program here is a great link that shares what it is and all the books they have showcased throughout the past 10 years. 

http://pages.simonandschuster.com/spoonfulsofstories/

 Bear Snores On for us was a bedtime tradition for my first born from the time she was about 8 weeks old until about two years old and by then had a little sister to share in the tradition.  I could capture my little ones attention with the rhymes and the way you can almost skip with your voice through the words.  Since the bear is hibernating for the winter in a cave a little mouse, a hare, a badger, a gopher, a mole, a wren and a raven decide to take shelter in the cave against the harsh winter night.  This is the perfect opportunity to get silly and use a squeaky mouse voice, and I always pictured the hare as having a very deep voice.  The two extremes help bring a little babies attention right to your face, to your mouth to watch how words are formed. The animals all get together and take over the bears residence by having tea, popping corn, sharing honey nuts, having a party and making stew. To make the story come to life for my kiddos I take each page and make it fun.  When the wind howls and growls so do I.  When the mouse creep crawls I use my fingers to walk up their belly's to their necks (they are always waiting for this one and the tickle that is comes with.). "Hare burps big BURPS!" so does mom! (the fake kind that is.). Gopher and mole arrive through a tunnel in the floor so I use my fingers to come up from below and then when raven and wren fly in I use my flying fingers to go in for another tickle.  (Just thinking of this makes me laugh to picture the girls all tensed up at the neck knowing the tickle is coming!) The bear finally wakes up with a sneeze after the animals season the stew with pepper.  The best part for my girls is when we all make such a scene doing our fake sneeze.  It is very long, drawn out, and loud!  What could be more fun?  The bear at first is angry and there are a lot of fun verbs to act out followed by a whimpering from a bear feeling left out of the fun.  Don't worry about the bear though, mouse offers to make more tea and corn for him too!  So the bear stays up with his new friends and ends up being the one who can't sleep when morning comes.

If you like this book there are a quite a lot of books about Bear and his animal friends.  They all have wonderful rhymes and teach about friendship. 

This book another favorite.  The animals are all using sign language to sign for "more".