15 of Ian's Favorite Board Books Right Now

In my last monthly update, I shared the good news that Ian has finally joined the literary ranks in our family. He is happy listening to books for long amounts of time (we actually don't know what his limit is because we always seem to give up before he does). Luckily, he has six people willing to read to him, so he can usually find someone available for a book (or ten).

Here are fifteen of his most recent favorites. Some will undoubtedly be familiar to you; I wasn't necessarily going for a new and original list--instead, I was trying to give a pretty solid representation of his favorite books at this moment in time. But I hope there will be at least a few on here that you haven't heard of before that you'll want to share with your own little one.

Dinosaur Dance by Sandra Boynton
Sandra Boynton's Barnyard Dance has long been a favorite of our family's. If you feel similarly, then you will most certainly love this companion hoe-down, especially the tiny little dino who loves to cha-cha-cha!

Bird, Fly High! by Petr Horáček
One of Mike's cousins recommended this to me as one of her all-time favorite board books (and that's saying something because she has ten children . . . can you imagine how many times she has probably read this one???). It is no longer in print, but I ordered a used copy. I love the simple cutouts and repetitive text, and I will always, always enjoy Petr Horáček's illustrations.

Where's the Dog? by Ingela P. Arrhenius
I just have two words for you: felt flaps. Little hands can't bend, tear, or rip them, which means this book is basically indestructible. There is a whole series of these sweet, felt-flap books, and if I'd discovered them two years ago, I think I would have bought them all. As it is, we only have this one because the text is very simplistic, and Ian has almost outgrown it.

Peck, Peck, Peck by Lucy Cousins
When Daddy Woodpecker teaches his young son the vital skill of pecking, Junior Woodpecker takes it to a whole new level. He pecks everything in sight: the tennis racket, the sink, the clock, and seventeen jelly beans. And each thing he pecks becomes a hole in the book. This is one of Lucy Cousins' lesser known books but very clever nonetheless.

If You See a Cow by Ana Larranaga
This is a simple board book that encourages lots of interaction (beyond just lifting up the flaps): "If you see a cow, say MOO!" The companion book, If You See a Tiger, invites even greater participation, including stamping feet and whispering "Shhhhh."

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
A classic board book, but one that wasn't a part of our home until Clark was a baby. Now our whole family loves it, and Ian can get just about anyone to read it to him. He has now heard it enough times that he has memorized most of the different adjectives and can decisively close up each flap while declaring: "He was too fierce!" or "He was too naughty!"

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
I hadn't made a point of pulling out this book for Ian. But he found it one day and instantly fell head over heels for it. I am repeatedly amazed at the universal appeal of this book. It continues to delight the newest generation of littles.

Pelican's Bill by Kathy Knight and Kate Stone
I bought this book purely because of its unique construction. On each page, you slide up Pelican's head to reveal what is inside his bill. Even though one of my kids somehow managed to slide the piece beyond its stopper and pull it all the way out, we were able to put it back in, and it has held up remarkably well.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambalt, illus. Lois Ehlert
I wish I could peek inside Ian's mind and see what he's actually thinking about when we read this book. He is too young to understand what letters are or what they can do. Does he just think they're cool shapes trying to get up a coconut tree? Regardless, he loves this book, and I can't think of anything cuter than hearing him say, "Chicka chicka boom boom" and "Flip flap flee."

Doggies by Sandra Boynton
Just going to be honest here that this might be my least favorite Sandra Boynton book of all time. The text is made up almost entirely of different dog sounds that build on each other and are repeated over and over again. It's a pain to read, especially when I don't know what things like "nnn...nnn...nnn" or "Rrowff" are even supposed to really sound like. But I've obliged and read this to Ian probably at least fifty times because it makes him so happy. Maybe I could get him to take over with the sounds?

Little Cloud by Eric Carle
Not one of Eric Carle's most popular books but still a sweet and simple story about a little cloud who gets separated from his family and spends the day turning into all sorts of random shapes. For some reason, I'm always surprised that Ian likes this one, but he continues to ask for it.

Run Home, Little Mouse by Britta Teckentrup
This is not a new book, but it is a recent discovery for us. A little mouse has to hurry home through the dark forest. On every page, he encounters a pair of menacing eyes that he has to run away from. A little bit scary, but don't worry, he makes it home safe and sound.

Pizza by Lotta Nieminen
If you have not yet been introduced to these interactive recipe board books, allow me to be the first to do so! In this one, the reader gets to pour in the ingredients (I love sliding out the salt and sugar tab and watching them sprinkle into the bowl), stir up the dough, knead it, and finally take out a slice of pizza and enjoy. Other books in the series are Pancakes, Cookies, and Tacos.

Faster! Faster! by Leslie Patricelli
What kid doesn't love to get a ride on Daddy's back and say, "Giddy up, Horsie!" In this book, a little girl urges her dad to faster and faster speeds--first a dog, then a cheetah, even a falcon--until he just runs out of steam and turns into a turtle. Such a cute story and one that I have loved for many years.

Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley
As far as I know, there is not a board book edition of this book, but I wish there was. Each page has intricate cutouts that gradually build the monster up before shouting "You don't scare me!" and then breaking him back down. I am always fearful that overeager hands are going to tear the pages, so a sturdy board book would be a winner. But Ian cares nothing about that. The only thing that matters to him is saying, "And don't come back! Until I say so."

Are any of these favorites at your house, too? Do you have any others to share with me? (I can only read Brown Bear Brown Bear so many times . . . )

Nine Classic Board Books My Toddler Asks for Again and Again

I always fall into a pit of despair when my kids hit their eight-month birthdays. At that point, they're mobile, which means they have the necessary skills to get into a ridiculous amount of danger and trouble in a short amount of time, and they think they can do it all on just one nap.

If it were only that though, I don't think I would be as dramatic as calling it a pit of a despair. A pit, maybe. But not of despair.

But coinciding with this eight-month mark, they also stop listening to books, except to rip them to shreds with their chubby little fingers. And that, no question, is despair-worthy.

Luckily, something miraculous begins to happen soon after their first birthdays and slowly gains momentum as they approach eighteen months. All of a sudden, they like books again. They sit on my lap and listen contentedly. They point to pictures. They make animal sounds. They ask for the book again . . . and again.

Clark has been no exception to this pattern, but that doesn't make it any less miraculous. The whole family is enjoying his requests of "read book please." It's kind of fantastic to have five willing readers now instead of just two. I'm telling you, this kid is spoiled.

Because we are doing a lot of reading now, I wanted to share some of Clark's current favorites.

But first, a disclaimer. This list is made up almost entirely of classic children's books. If you're looking for new recommendations, you'll have to look somewhere else. Clark, of course, doesn't know that these books have been around for ten, twenty-five, fifty years. He just knows that he likes them, and I kind of love seeing him gravitate towards them just like his older brothers did. Many of them have been reviewed here before, but I'm mentioning them again so I can capture a bit of Clark right now (and maybe remind you of some of your beloved favorites, too).

 
1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Since I already warned you this would be a list full of classics, I might as well start out with one of the most iconic children's books of the twentieth century. I'm sure their are readers out there who don't love it (there always are), but from my viewpoint, this story about a gluttonous caterpillar who gorges himself for a week is pretty much universally loved. At least it is in our house. Clark loves pointing out all of his favorite foods, and I love nibbling his neck while the caterpillar nibbles a strawberry.

2. At the Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Shadow Book by Roger Priddy
This book has a lot of flaps, and if you're like me, then you probably try to avoid such books, but hear me out. Each page contains probably ten to twelve silhouettes of different animals. Open each flap, and you find a photograph of the actual animal. I love this book (and the other ones in the series) for several reasons: 1) The silhouettes add a fun little guessing game element to the book, 2) It features quite a wide range of animals, and 3) The photographs make it feel more real. I was a little overly protective of the book when we first got it when Aaron was a toddler, but I've loosened up a bit with each child, and it's held up remarkably well.

3. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr., illus. Eric Carle
When Aaron was born, one of my good friends gave me a box set of Brown Bear, Polar Bear, and Panda Bear. Believe it or not, four kids later, those same board books are still kicking at our house, but only just. They have been read so many times, the edges are scuffed and worn soft, the binding is coming apart, and we all can recite them in our sleep. When Bradley was Clark's age, he loved this book so much, Mike made him a Brown Bear cake for his second birthday. Clark's favorite page is the last one where all of the animals are shown together. He likes to point to the correct picture when I say, "Find the blue horse" or "Find the red bird." I keep hoping it will help him learn his colors, but so far it hasn't worked.

4. Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins
Little Fish takes readers on a tour of his ocean home and introduces them to all his fishy friends. Lucy Cousins' broad strokes and bold colors are eye-catching of course, but other than that, it's a pretty average story. And yet, all of my kids have loved it. It might have to do with all of the little things we've added over the years: chomping their tummies when we get to the "scary fish," changing voices when we read "fat" and "thin" fish, and giving three quick kisses on the cheek when we find Little Fish's favorite fish. Or it might just be because of those illustrations because really, who can resist Lucy Cousins?

5. Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox, illus. Judy Horacek
Most of the books on this list are family favorites, but Mike has firmly told me that he doesn't really love this one. No matter. I bought it for Clark for Christmas anyway, and he loves it.  The reader spends the entire book looking for the green sheep. He finds the sun sheep and the rain sheep and the moon sheep and the star sheep, but where is the green sheep? (Clark always answers, "I don't know.") The lilting text is perfectly repetitive, and the sheep are silly and unexpected. Mike might not be a convert, but the rest of us are.

6. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin, illus. James Dean
I don't think you can call Pete the Cat "a classic" (although it is very popular), and it's also not a board book, so it probably shouldn't be on this list at all except that Clark loves it, and that's what I'm really trying to showcase here. It had been quite awhile since I'd sung the "I love my white shoes" song to any of my kids, but it came right back to me. I have mixed feelings about Pete the Cat though. We've loved this one since it first came out in 2010. And the ones that followed (Rocking in My School Shoes and Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons) are not bad either. But then, as so often happens with popular books, someone decided it would be a great idea to make a whole line of early readers based on Pete the Cat, and they don't have the same personality as this one. So I guess what I'm saying is, if you haven't read any Pete the Cat before, don't think that you can just go to the library and pick up the first one you see and it will be a winner.

7. Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
I guess it's probably fairly obvious from the featured books on this list that Clark is a fan of animals. This one though is more than just a collection of animals thrown together. It's a simple story about a kid (I always assume it's a boy, but I think that's just because I only have boys) who asks the zoo to send him a pet. He gets all sorts of animals shipped to him, but for one reason or another (too fierce, too grumpy, etc.), they're just not quite right for him. Fortunately though, the zoo finally finds the perfect pet.

8. Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton
For years, I said that Hippos Go Berserk was my favorite Sandra Boynton board book. But then I got Clark Blue Hat, Green Hat for Easter, and the first read-through prompted the most delightful, unadulterated giggles I have ever heard, and I switched loyalties just like that. Seriously though, if you think that a book with only a handful of words and approximately six pages can't be funny, then you clearly have never read this book about a turkey who just can't seem to get his clothes on correctly. For a toddler whose daily life is a struggle of the same, it is hilarious.

9. The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
One of Clark's early words was "spidey," which made me remember this book . . . and also realize that I hadn't seen it around our house in a very long time. After a thorough search, I decided it really was missing and promptly bought a replacement copy. It only took one time through for Clark to be a devoted fan of this story about a spider who can't be bothered by all the other farm animals because she is so busy spinning her web.

Which classic board books have your kids loved?

For more favorite board books, click here.

KidPages: Six (Recent) Board Book Favorites

Something rather miraculous happened a few weeks ago, and most of the world didn't even acknowledge it: Clark finally started to love books. Before that blessed day, he would usually only tolerate one or two pages at a time. Now he will happily sit through an entire (six-page!) book and then ask for it again. Miraculous, I tell you. I always expect my kids to enjoy books much sooner in their young lives, but with all of them, something finally clicks around their first birthdays (or shortly thereafter).

In light of this development, I thought I'd share six of his recent favorites. It should be noted that many of the books he loves right now (What Does Baby Say?, Simms Taback's Farm Animals, and Chomp) have already been reviewed on the blog, so definitely go back to some of the other board books posts for more ideas.

1. Hi! by Ethan Long
Can I just tell you how much I love a book without flaps? Not that they don't have their place, but sometimes it's just so nice to be able to sit and read a book without a million little hands touching the page and trying to get to the flap before anyone else. This book doesn't contain a single flap, but it does have all sorts of animals saying "hi" in their own language: Meow, Bow-wow, Moo, even Slurp (for an anteater). Clark loves animal books right now, and I always love Ethan Long's illustrations.

2. Letters Are For Learning by Andrew Neyer*
There are very few alphabet books that I gush over because I feel like the children's book market is absolutely saturated with a million that all seem almost exactly the same. So although I'm not going to gush over this one, I will say that we do like it. The letters correspond with action words (M is for Marching, J is for Juggling, R is for Racing, etc.), and then the pictures show an animal that begins with that same letter engaged in the activity. The thing I like about this book in particular is that the illustrations hint at many more words that begin with the featured letter. Clark, of course, doesn't pick up on any of this cleverness, but my older kids do. (For example, "I is for inviting" shows an iguana writing out an invitation with ink. He has an icy drink nearby and a little inchworm for company.)

3. Wiggle! by Taro Gomi
Sometimes I wonder why I waste my time on board books with fancy textures or tempting flaps or delicate pop-ups when a book like this is much more simple and a lot more fun. The book has a hole going all the way through it, just the perfect size for a little finger to poke out of. And so, your finger becomes the star of the show. First, it's the tail on a cat, then the trunk on an elephant. There's nothing to bend or rip or tear, but it's still really interactive. I'm sold. (P.S. I also really love Taro Gomi's Hide and Seek, even though it doesn't have a hole in it.)

4. Baby Happy Baby Sad by Leslie Patricelli
I have ulterior motives here. I'm dying to hear Clark say "baby," and I'm convinced if I read him this book enough times, the word will somehow make its way out of his mouth. So far, it hasn't worked, but this book is adorable nonetheless (as are all of Leslie Patricelli's books). In it, two similar activities are paired side by side. One makes the baby happy (like holding onto a balloon), the other makes the baby sad (like watching the balloon float away). I particularly like the page where the happy baby is giving the kitty some love, and the sad baby is watching the (happy) cat escape. That is a daily scene in our house.

5. How Fast Can You Go? by Kate Riggs, illus. Nate Williams
The cover art is what made me pull this book off the shelf for a closer look. I love the retro colors and the spattered texture. It immediately won Clark over because not only does it showcase a different vehicle on every page, but a dog and cat are featured very prominently throughout, and Clark is a bit obsessed with dogs and cats, especially when he can find and point to them. (Also, I don't know if you noticed, but this is the only book on this list that has both an author and an illustrator. It seems like most board books are written and illustrated by one person. Forgive my sarcasm, but I guess I'm wondering how much time and effort it takes to come up with, "The car zooms down the road." Apparently, enough effort to earn a spot for your name on the cover.)

6. When? by Leo Lionni
I cannot look at the little mice in this book without getting flashbacks to my own childhood. We had the one (also a board book) where the mice turn different colors. I always loved the elegant page where they turned black and wore fancy top hats. So looking at this book with Clark is very nostalgic for me, but I'm almost certain I would love Leo Lionni's simple, collage-style art even if this were my first time seeing it. This book is part of series (the others are Who?, Where?, and What?). Each one explores common childhood questions.

Since we now seem to be on a roll, I'd love to hear about your favorite books for your littlest ones (not that I'll be able to get them from our library though since they won't let us put board books on hold . . . so frustrating!).

*I received a copy of Letters Are For Learning from the publisher. All opinions are my own!

KidPages: 6 Board Books for a 1-Year-Old

Last week, Clark had his first birthday. Talk about fast. Sometimes I catch myself looking for Clark-the-baby, and I realize with a start that he's Clark-the-toddler now. He wrestles with his brothers and laughs hysterically at their slapstick humor. He has opinions on what he will or will not eat. He thinks he is capable of doing anything he sets his mind to.

He is not yet to the stage where he will sit quietly on my lap and listen to a stackful of stories (but I'm trusting that, just like with the other boys, it will come). However, he already seems to have an attachment to books. He loves to sit on the floor and page through them. He likes to pick them up and carry them around. Sometimes he even sits for a few moments and lets me point things out to him (those are the times that give me the most hope for the future).

In honor of his birthday, I thought I'd share six of our favorite board books. I'm using the classification "board book" rather loosely to encompass any book with sturdier pages, even if they're not an eighth of an inch thick. I wish I could say these are all destroy-proof books, but they're not (do such books exist? Even the Indestructibles don't stand much of a chance against the mighty skills and tenacity of a one-year-old). However, I feel pretty confident in saying that these books will be well-received by even the hardest-to-please little ones.

1. Simms Taback's Farm Animals, Simms Taback
Even though I'm specifically mentioning Farm Animals here because it's the one I just bought Clark for his birthday, we love all of these giant fold-out books. (The first one we read in this series was City Animals, which came out when Aaron was just a baby.)  Each page is a "Who am I" guessing game. At first you can only see a quarter of the picture, along with the first clue ("I have a snout"). Then the page unfolds to reveal more of the picture and the second clue ("I have a curly tail"). Finally, it unfolds the rest of the way to reveal the entire, large-scale picture. I'm not a fan of books that are so mammoth in size a child can barely hold them up. But I love this one because you get the big pictures that are the main advantage of a big book, but then it all folds down into something quite manageable.

2. I Say, You Say Colors!, Tad Carpenter
I should start with the disclaimer that soon after I checked out this book from the library, I heard a loud rrrrrip from the living room and found Clark with the first flap in his hands. (Of course we were one of the very first patrons to check it out.) So this one doesn't win sturdy points for sure. But I love the bright illustrations. And I think it's a fun one to read aloud: "I say apples, you say . . . RED!" (P.S. There are several more books in this series.)

3. In My Jungle, Sara Gillingham and Lorena Siminovich
Okay, I admit it. I don't love this book for the words or the pictures or the size or the length. In those respects, it's nothing special. The one and only reason it made it onto this list is because I'm a sucker for the finger puppet that pokes out through the middle of each page. I like wiggling it around and making it talk to Clark. And the good news is that if you also fall prey to the cuteness of the finger puppet, then there are many more books in this series for you to check out!

4. Animal Spots and Stripes, Britta Teckentrup
A lot of Britta Teckentrup's books fall into the board book category, and I love pretty much all of them. Clark got this one for Easter, and I love the way the cutout page opens up to reveal either the spots or the stripes, but I also considered getting Odd One Out or Run Home, Little Mouse or Up and Down. I'm telling you, you just can't go wrong with Britta Teckentrup.

5. I Spy Pets, Edward Gibbs
This is I Spy for the very youngest reader. Each page shows you a small part of the animal through a cutout circle while giving you a couple of hints: "I spy with my little eye . . . something with bumpy skin. (I like to snap up insects.)" Then the next page reveals the entire animal: "I'm a Chameleon." (As you can see, the pets featured in this book are not limited to just your standard cat and dog.) Also, find me a child who doesn't delight in peering through a hole in a book. (And if you like this one, then be sure to check out the other books in the series.)

6. Swing!, Rufus Butler Seder
Even Mike can't resist this book. It uses a technique called scanimation so that as you open up the page, it looks like the figure is moving: hitting a ball or riding a bike or doing a cartwheel. I don't really know how it works (it has something to do with a striped layer over the top that, when moved across the page, shows you different parts of the image), but the effect is mesmerizing. Each sequence looks very realistic. (If you want to know more about the process or see more of his books, check out Rufus Butler Seder's website.)

Those are some of our current favorites. What are some of yours?

P.S. For more of our favorite board books, check out these posts from the past:

• Three Bradley Favorites
• Birthday Backfire
• Three New(ish) Board Books

KidPages: Five Thanksgiving Books

Even though I love Thanksgiving, I can't say I'm in love with Thanksgiving books. There just seem to be a lot of...can I use the word "boring"?...stories. But these five books? They are most certainly not boring. And they will put you right in the mood to eat some stuffing and count your blessings:

1. Sometimes It's Turkey, Sometimes It's Feathers, Lorna Balian

Although not a new book (1973), Sometimes It's Turkey, Sometimes It's Feathers is new to us this year. I love it when I find a new, old book. It gives me hope that there are still many old books out there that I have yet to discover.

If you're in the mood for a good story, this is it. Mrs. Gumm (love her name!) finds an egg one day while she is hunting for mushrooms. The egg turns out to be nothing less than a genuine turkey egg, and Mrs. Gumm and her cat lovingly care for the turkey that hatches out of it in the hopes that he will make a delicious Thanksgiving dinner come fall. Of course, after all that love and care, Mrs. Gumm can't bring herself to eat him, making the excuse that he will be even bigger next Thanksgiving.

I love Lorna Balian's illustrations - fine lines and neutral colors (kind of like black and white ink, but brown and white instead). The copy we have from the library is an old edition, and it looks like the cover (and perhaps the inside too?) has since been updated, but it's a great book either way. 

2. The First Thanksgiving, Nancy Davis

I'm feeling a little possessive over this book. I found it at the beginning of the month and immediately fell in love with its simple text and illustrations. Apparently, everyone else fell in love with it, too, because I've seen it on at least a couple other Thanksgiving lists (and if it's on a couple, well then, you know everyone is reading it). I guess since I rely on book lists so much, I feel a sort of personal triumph anytime I find a really great book on my own. So, for the record, this book find was all mine.

Anyway, enough about my slightly neurotic possessive disorder.  This little board book is a great introduction to the historical events leading up to the first Thanksgiving (the Mayflower, befriending the native people, etc.). Finding a book that talks about the pilgrims and the Indians in a simple enough way for the under-3 crowd to be able to grasp and understand is a rarity. Really almost nonexistent. But this book somehow does it in as few words as I've ever seen but still hitting on all the important points. I actually thought (more or less), as I read it to my kids for the first time, "I have been searching for this particular book my entire four years of motherhood!"

3. Off to Plymouth Rock!, Dandi Daley Mackall, illus. Gene Barretta

The First Thanksgiving is perfect for toddlers, but it is a little too basic for 3-5 year-olds. There are a lot of good thankful books and turkey books for this age group, but again, if you want more of the historical aspect, you're faced with the text-heavy, information-laden books. Seriously, it seems almost wrong to shelf this type of fare alongside Run, Turkey, Run. I'm sure it's great for elementary-school-aged kids (although I'm not entirely convinced they wouldn't find it boring, too), but really there is just no way you're going to get a four-year-old to sit through pages of names and dates and places and events (believe me, I tried).

So it was with great delight that I began reading Off to Plymouth Rock. Each page contains a lilting verse, with an easy, catchy rhythm. It explores some of the difficult issues and events ("Leaving, grieving, still believing" and "Blizzards pounding, Snows abounding"), but in a concise, memorable way. Simple text like this makes for the perfect kind of lead-in to deeper discussion if curiosity arises (for example, "Why were the Pilgrims fleeing?"). But it can definitely stand on its own without any explanations or clarifications. The illustrations, although at times not the most historically accurate or realistic, are nevertheless quite entertaining and complement the text very well.

Last week, I had literally almost given up hope of finding this type of Thanksgiving book when, in a last ditch effort, I put this on hold at the library. I'm so glad I found it. (Notice, I found it. Just giving credit where credit is due!)

4. All for Pie and Pie for All, David Martin, illus. Valeri Gorbachev

I already mentioned Mike's obsession over pie, so is it any wonder that we would gravitate toward a book all about sharing and eating this glorious food?

Grandma Cat makes a pie, and everyone in the Cat family eats a piece. When they are done, there is one piece left over. While the cats are napping, a family of mice split the leftover piece. When they are through, there are six crumbs left, which a family of ants heartily enjoy. The cats, the mice, and the ants all enjoy the pie so much that Grandma Cat decides to make another one.

With the ants eating the pie to the very last crumb, the lessons of resourcefulness and not wasting are conveyed. Also, I like how it shows the pie being savored and so completely enjoyed. And then, of course, it's also gratifying to see the grandma making another pie, so good things don't have to come to an end! :-) Really, it's just a fun, sweet story that will wake up your taste buds.

5. Bear Says Thanks, Karma Wilson, illus. Jane Chapman

It might be in bad taste to admit this on the night before Thanksgiving but...I don't really love the "thankful books." Do you know the ones I mean? There are oodles of them, and they're all about the same: we're thankful for family and nature and friendship and food and blah, blah, blah. They're all so generic and impersonal and do absolutely nothing for me.

But...showing gratitude is one of the reasons why I love Thanksgiving so much. I want Aaron and Maxwell and Bradley to know what it means to be grateful. And it's such a shame that books, which usually come through for me in every situation, kind of fail me in this area. Honestly, reading a little cutesy verse about being thankful for flowers and universal kindness? That does not leave any kind of impression on a two-year-old boy.

I'm telling you all of this so you'll understand why I liked Bear Says Thanks so much. First of all, it's a story with real characters (not some illusive narrator). What's more, it features a familiar character (we've read at least a couple of the other Bear books). In the story, Bear is bored and he wants to make a feast for his friends. Turns out, he doesn't have any ingredients. Luckily, his friends show up one by one, each with something delectable to share. And each time, "Bear says thanks." I love that it shows Bear being thankful for simple physical objects but that the deeper kind of gratitude for caring, generous friends comes through. This is the kind of thankful book I can be thankful for!

But I'm not going to lie...while the text is great and inspires some good feelings, it would be nothing without the illustrations. Jane Chapman's artwork is comfort itself. They are what take this from being a fine, average story to something quite beautiful and a joy to read.

So tomorrow, if you're in the mood for a little reading before feasting, you might give these books a try!

I'm linking this post to the Kid Lit Book Hop and The Children's Bookshelf.

Birthday Backfire

Yesterday, Bradley turned one. It pains me to write it, but it's true. Now he's tagging along behind his older brothers, as if being the grand old age of one entitles him to climbing, wrestling, running, and jumping and giving up such babyish tendencies as falling asleep in my arms. What is with these kids and growing up? Enough already, I say!

As part of the birthday festivities, I told Aaron and Max that they could each pick out one book to give to Bradley. (I have an ever-growing stash of books purchased for next-to-nothing that I keep on hand for just such a purpose as this.)

Now, I must confess, I already had it in my head which two books I wanted them to choose: a touch-and-feel puppies book (because Bradley is in love with dogs) and What Does Baby Say?, a board book by Karen Katz (because anytime we read anything by her, Bradley laughs at every page).

And so I tried to rig the book selection.

Um, yeah, you read that right.

See, I wanted them to feel like they were getting a choice...without actually giving them a choice.

So I purposely threw in two other books I knew they'd have no interest in: Guess How Much I Love You (a classic, but not one my boys are enraptured with) and Gossie and Gertie (cute, but easily glanced over). I set out all four books and called Aaron into my bedroom to make his "choice." (Bwahaha.)

Immediately, he went for the book about dogs. "Bradley loves dogs, doesn't he?" I hinted. Aaron moved on. Painstakingly, he went through each book page by careful page.

Suddenly he stopped, in the midst of Gossie and Gertie. "Look! There's a spider!" And he pointed to a teeny, tiny, minuscule spider, a mere dot on the page. I could have smacked myself in the forehead.

Sure enough, five minutes later, he came to me with Gossie and Gertie. "I'm going to give this one to Bradley. It has two spiders in it!" (He found another one later on.)

"Oh? Because Bradley loves spiders?" I questioned innocently. "I thought Bradley loved dogs. Shouldn't you choose the book you think Bradley will like best?"

And this is where the real battle began.

"Well, I like it, and so I'm giving it to him."

"But I just don't know that it's the one Bradley will like. You should think about him first."

"Then why was it in the pile?" And Aaron fixed me with a hard, probing look. I was caught. Why, indeed? Aaron continued, "It's my choice, and this is the one I choose."

Much as I hated to admit defeat to a four-year-old,  his reasoning was beyond argument. You cannot imagine what a kick Mike was getting out of this whole episode. Every time he walked past me, he gave me a knowing smirk. He was delighted at my being caught in my own trap.

I showed the three remaining books to Max and held my breath. Bless his heart, he immediately chose the one about puppies. At least one boy in this family thinks like me.

KidPages: Three New(ish) Board Books

It seems like if it's a board book, people automatically think it will be good for babies. But let me tell you, those cardboard pages are not created equally.  Here are three board books released in the last year that get our stamp of approval:

1. Bizzy Bear: Let's Go and Play by Benji Davies
Want to know the main reason I love this one? It is baby-proof, toddler-proof, kid-proof sturdy. The pages are made of super thick cardboard, which does have the downside of making the book only four pages long (or is that an upside?). The moveable parts are all set inside the pages so little fingers can't rip or pull apart or otherwise destroy the very things that make the book fun (like a swing that moves back and forth, a window shade that pushes up, etc.) 

The rhymes are something a 7-year-old could write, but they're catchy and simple, and that pleases the young crowd in this house.

There are four Bizzy Bear books, but our library doesn't have the newest two yet. (But I've heard Off We Go includes some pretty amazing cardboard creations, so I'm anxious to look at it.)

2. Yawn by Sally Symes
After you've read 112,976  children's books (a rough estimate), you know that about half of those involve animals in one form or another. A truly predictable approach is to feature one animal per page. What I love about this book is that it takes that classic structure but uses it in a unique way.

It begins with Sean (a little boy, not an animal) who, getting sleepy, gives a great big yawn. His cat catches the yawn, gives one of his own and then passes it on to a bird. The pattern continues until everyone has yawned and fallen asleep. 

Using a large open-mouthed hole, all of the characters literally share the same yawn. I love that it teaches the nature of a yawn and that it holds the interest of small children by showcasing animals they know and love.

My only warning (or should I say, challenge?): I dare you to make it through this book without giving a yawn or two of your own!

3. Animal 123 by Britta Teckentrup
If you've tried to find books that teach math concepts to very young children, you know it's a difficult feat to find a good one. Sure, there are oodles of counting books, but very little beyond that unless you're looking for something more advanced and appropriate for older children.

But Animal 123 fits the bill perfectly. It introduces very basic addition. It begins with one snake, but then a little number flap on the side opens up, and magic! Now there are two snakes (1+1=2). On the next page, there are two elephants until the flap is opened, and then there are three (2+1=3).

For Bradley (8.5 months), it is perfect because it has big, simple pictures with lots of contrast. For Maxwell (2 years), it is perfect because he loves to try to count the animals. For Aaron (almost 4), it is perfect because he understands the concept of adding one and with each page says something like, "Look! 4+1=5!" So from baby to preschool, it's really very versatile.

(And, okay, technically it's probably not considered a "board" book, but the pages are heavy-weight, so I think it's still fits in that category. Let's not be too picky, all right?)